One Trip, Two Errands

Isolde swept her gaze over them.

The items were far from rare, but they could still be considered basic materials.

The only truly useful item was the mercenary badge.

If the one who escaped went back to report, these badges might come in handy.

She raised her hand and put the badges away separately.

“Store the supplies, inspect the potions, and record the gold coins.”

After giving her simple instructions, Isolde rose and left the Banquet Hall, with Lia quietly following behind her.

Silence returned to the corridor, and the portraits on the walls lowered their hollow eyes as if falling into a deep sleep.

Dealing with a few mercenaries right now wasn't a hassle.

The real trouble was the survivor who had escaped.

She pushed open the door to the study, where the scent of old paper and cold wax still lingered.

Isolde walked over to the long table and retrieved the map from her Radiant Ring.

Unrolling the parchment map, the contours of the continent of Celantia were revealed under the candlelight.

To the north lay the Frost-Ridge Northern Alliance, with the Holy White City situated toward the east, at the end of the Holy Radiance Avenue.

The Emerald Slumber Sylvan Court remained as mysterious as ever, its boundaries not clearly marked.

Several trade routes wound around the Red Kite City-States, while the Hearth-Mountain Dwarf Alliance occupied the mountain ore veins.

Other factions and towns, large and small, were evenly distributed around these four major powers.

And the location of Crow Candle Castle was even more remote than she remembered from her past life.

It was hemmed in by the grey mist, dead forests, and old trade routes, like a stain forgotten by the world.

Isolde picked up a nearby quill and drew a line along the old road on the map.

The tip of her quill suddenly stopped at the location of Grey Oak Village.

This village wasn't very far from Crow Candle Castle. It was small, but it sat right on the edge of the old trade route.

If the retreat item hadn't carried that coward too far away...

He most likely wouldn't flee deeper into the wilderness, but would instead look for the nearest town or village.

Isolde stared at the small place name, her fingertips lightly tapping the tabletop.

A surviving coward was sometimes far more troublesome than ten reckless fools.

Fools only charged forward, and once they died, that was the end of it.

But a coward would remember the terror. They would exaggerate, spinning tales of a castle in the grey mist into a man-eating hell.

Missing mercenaries, a returned survivor, and an ancient castle rumored to hold rare treasures.

Once these elements came together, they would quickly become a high-value target whispered about in taverns.

Buck and his crew weren't very strong, but the fact that they possessed mercenary badges proved they weren't entirely masterless stray dogs.

As long as they had accepted a quest, the Mercenary Guild would have a record of it.

The badge numbers, the size of their party, their last known location, and the survivor's testimony...

Once these clues aligned, Crow Candle Castle would be written into the logbooks of the Grey Oak Village branch of the Mercenary Guild.

Although Crow Candle Castle could hide itself...

Hiding did not mean it did not exist, let alone that no one could find it.

If someone brought along a warlock capable of breaking illusion formations, the boundaries of the grey mist would eventually be mapped out.

Crow Candle Castle could swallow up greedy, low-tier adventurers for now, but it might not always be able to fend off those who came prepared.

Especially once the rumor spread that “there might be treasure in the castle in the grey mist,” the Mercenary Guild wouldn't be the only ones showing up.

Isolde's finger tapped lightly on the table, her mind working rapidly.

She couldn't afford to wait.

It would be incredibly foolish to just let the rumors spread and wait passively to defend her home once others were fully armed and prepared.

Isolde picked up one of the badges and examined it under the candlelight.

A string of runic numbers was engraved on the back of the badge. Isolde narrowed her eyes.

Right next to the numbers, she spotted a tiny scratch, likely carved by its owner with a dagger out of boredom.

This badge most likely belonged to Rena, the short-haired woman who used poisoned dual blades.

She was highly likely a physical and elemental poison-type build—a classic assassin class.

Isolde contemplated for a moment, then closed her eyes.

The appearances of the souls she had consumed surfaced in her mind. Pointing her finger, she selected Rena.

In the next second, fragmented images flooded her mind.

She saw Rena stabbing an old man to death and taking the last pouch of coins from his body.

A noisy tavern, the sour smell of cheap ale.

A wooden sign that read 【Grey Oak Village Mercenary Guild Branch】.

Rena leaned against the counter, smiling as she spoke to the proprietor behind it.

“Put it on my tab. I'll definitely pay you back next time.”

The image flashed.

Buck kicked open the tavern door while cursing, Norman hid a wind crystal fragment in the lining of his boot, and the cowardly Milo shrank back, trailing at the very end.

Another flash.

The Mercenary Guild's logbook, Rena's name, and her badge number.

Along with a scribbled note:

【Owes ten silver coins for alcohol.】

Isolde opened her eyes, surprised that she could actually view parts of their memories.

Unfortunately, the Sinful Soul was too fragmented.

She could only see a few recent, disjointed scenes.

Still, this was more than enough.

Dealing with a small village branch didn't require her to perfectly recreate Rena.

She only needed to make others believe that Rena was still alive.

That would suffice.

Isolde placed the badge back on the table, her gaze shifting further south from Grey Oak Village.

In her past life, she had traveled to many places with the first batch of players.

Those people had always shoved her to the very front of the group to scout the way.

Because of this, she had memorized many locations she otherwise would never have had the right to know.

Back then, she had no voice and no way to alter their route.

But now, she could precisely predict where they might appear.

Isolde's gaze finally settled on the dark green forest to the south.

The map labeled it in the common tongue:

【Mist-Dwelling Forest】

Isolde stared at the dark green region, her eyes gradually darkening.

Calculating the timeline, those “old acquaintances” from her past life who had used her as a tool would be passing right through there.

She remembered that deep within the Mist-Dwelling Forest, there was a Treant Guardian.

That was information she had gathered at the risk of her own life.

Once her team at the time learned of the Treant Guardian, they quickly abandoned any plans of forcing their way through.

They chose to bypass the Treant Guardian and found a hidden path that led directly to the outskirts of Blackthorn Ferry.

Relying on that path, those people had managed to beat the other Descenders to the punch, securing the first batch of hidden supplies from the Abandoned Watermill.

A corner of Isolde's lips curled upward.

One trip, two errands.

First, she would head to Grey Oak Village to confirm whether Milo had returned and see how much the Mercenary Guild had recorded about Crow Candle Castle.

Then, she would head to the Mist-Dwelling Forest, find that group of “old acquaintances,” and settle all their outstanding debts.