NOVPUB
Chapter 776: Chapter 788: The Crow
"Thank you," Lancelot reached out and caught the longbow passed to him, "My name is Lancelot."
"There’s one more thing I need to remind you," the Elf still held on without letting go, "this place is different from the world you came from, death isn’t the end of life, although it indeed takes something away."
"What do you mean?"
"Should you meet that madam again in the future, don’t be too surprised," the Elf named Soveris let go of his hand and shrugged at the human knight, "Of course, I believe you have the ability to finish her off once more, provided you don’t use the same tactics."
"Who exactly is this madam?" Bruto couldn’t help but ask.
"A hateful, pitiful, and pathetic madwoman, who is also a prisoner of this valley, just like you and me," Soveris answered meaningfully, "That’s all I can say for now. This building hasn’t been thoroughly cleared, so please excuse me for leaving first."
"Thank you," Lancelot nodded, regardless of the other’s motives, at least the attitude was friendly.
The Elves led their subordinates away to search the remaining corners of the dungeon, while Lancelot and his companions retraced their steps along the path they had come. The doors that could be bolted from the outside were left open, and they made their way back to the surface unobstructed; their attackers, who wore no emblems, didn’t hinder them but simply observed with curious eyes.
The group exited the building, which, in its outward appearance, hardly hinted at its extensive underground. Three men dressed in silver-gray chainmail with black cloaks on top stood by their mounts, hand on battle axe and shield. Judging by the corpses nearby, they had already dealt with a few ill-intentioned individuals. Upon seeing Lancelot and his group emerge, these men silently stepped aside without a gesture.
"Thank you very much," Lancelot said politely with a nod, "May I ask you a few questions?"
The three cloaked figures exchanged glances, and one of them lifted the hood, revealing the face of an Elf. Lancelot heard Tanya behind him take a deep breath; the reason was apparent—the Elf had pale skin, black hair, and grey pupils, with ears that bore more earrings than any half-elf, clearly another Shado-Kai, a resident of the Fallen Shadow Netherworld.
"Ask," the shadow Elf’s gaze lingered on his distant relative for a long time before turning to the human knight, "but I don’t guarantee I can answer."
"Who owns that building?" Lancelot pointed to the house they had just exited, "I noticed many guards wearing some kind of skeletal insignia."
"That is the emblem of the Immortal Alliance, and that building is their main stronghold in Chadegory Town," he answered.
"The Immortal Alliance?"
"One of the three major factions. Many people saw you entering just now, which means you’ve become their enemy. But since you’re still alive, they probably won’t dare to act rashly for now," he explained.
"Is that one of the three major factions? Didn’t you just destroy their stronghold?"
"You should know what kind of strength they have," the shadow Elf said meaningfully, looking at the human knight, "You must have just arrived in this realm not long ago, right? In this cursed land, death does not grant you release. Every time after dying, you’ll find yourself waking up naked in some forest, also having lost part of your memory. The Immortal Alliance possesses a way to prevent further memory loss, proclaiming it to be true immortality... as long as you join them. For the weak and desperate mortals, what they advertise is quite attractive, that is if you truly believe their tales."
"You don’t believe it?"
"I am a Shado Kay." The shadow creature looked at Lancelot with a peculiar gaze, "Hasn’t your companion explained to you? Our souls belong to the Raven Queen, and the so-called immortality means nothing to us."
"I’m an orphan." The Half-elf said briefly, offering no further explanation.
"You are lucky." The shadow creature nodded, "Anything else?"
"At the city gate earlier, the guard told me they’re part of the Skull-crusher legion, what about you? If I remember correctly, the last gang’s name was..." Lancelot’s expression suddenly became a bit odd, "The Troublemakers Brotherhood?"
"Ha, haha, ha. That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all day." The shadow creature’s lips briefly curled up but quickly returned to a dull straight line, "We don’t have a title, but others call us the Crows... Personally, I quite like the name."
"I see... What do you know about ghost stories, then?"
"Ghost stories? What ghost stories?" The shadow creature squinted at Lancelot, "Wait... I think I’ve heard that there are tales about them in Raventown to the east, maybe you could ask around there."
"We will." Lancelot nodded, "One last question, are there any lodgings in this town you’d recommend where we can rest our feet?"
"Go down this street and turn left at the first intersection, you’ll find a tavern called the Sleepy Sorcerer, where the food and drink are safe to consume, and the bedding is fairly clean, but the proprietor won’t guarantee your safety. If money is no object, you can continue on and find an inn called Wolf King’s Den. Don’t cause trouble there; the owner has some powerful means."
"Thank you very much." Lancelot nodded again, "By the way, I haven’t asked for your name, how rude of me..."
"Fashiti Dead Crow."
"Lancelot. I hope to see you again, Mr. Fashiti."
"You certainly will."
———————————————— 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
The Wolf King’s Den was a tall two-story building with a gray stone base and overlapping tiles, with a few black cats watching from the dark red rooftop as people approached from the street; their gaze was as if eyeing a group of mice passing by.
As Lancelot extended his hand to push the grand yet somewhat antiquated doors of the inn, they opened automatically inward. A tall, thin servant with sharp eyes glanced at them and said in a tone that offered little evidence of hospitable intent:
"Need to stable your mounts? One Gold Coin per day, per animal. If it’s just for dining, two Gold Coins per hour, per animal."
"We’ll be staying here tonight," Lancelot spoke, pulling a few coins from his pocket, "Is there an extra charge for feed?"
"No need, it’s included," the servant shook his head, "I don’t take money, please go to the front desk to make the payment. This Nightmare should understand human speech, right? Have it follow me; the stable is on the other side of the inn..."
