Even a significant portion of the low-level commissions from the Adventurers Guild came from clearing out low-level monsters within the sewers. This had gradually become part of the daily lives of low-level adventurers, making it even more unlikely for anyone to suggest a complete overhaul of the sewer system.
Consequently, the City Lord's Mansion could only turn a blind eye to the presence of the homeless, merely sending people to drive them away periodically.
Hearing this, Starlight crossed his arms thoughtfully and then asked, “So, Sergeant, have you noticed any changes in their numbers recently?”
“Numbers? Now that you mention it, their numbers do seem to have dwindled a bit. But I haven't done a detailed count, so I can't give you an accurate answer,” the soldier replied honestly.
“Is that so... I understand. Thank you for the information.” Starlight gave the soldier a slight bow and bid him farewell, leaving the gloomy alleyway. On the way back, he kept ruminating on the information he had just gathered.
Upon returning to their residence, Starlight found Po Kong and Noah still buried in their work in the room. He didn't disturb them and silently began preparing dinner.
It wasn't until dusk that Po Kong and Noah's work came to an end. Starlight, who had just finished dinner in the kitchen, walked out just as a shout erupted from inside the room.
“Finally finished! Senior Noah! This result should be correct, right?” Po Kong shouted excitedly.
“Mm, not bad! You've actually been useful for once. But according to this conclusion...” Noah responded.
Hearing the discussion from inside, Starlight set down the dinner and pushed the door open.
The room was cluttered with papers, and Po Kong and Noah were huddled around a map on the desk, arguing about something.
Starlight leaned in to look and saw that the large map of the Violet City-State was covered in dense red dots, with detailed notes written in many places.
“What did you find? Tell me quickly,” Starlight asked curiously.
Only then did Po Kong notice his arrival. He straightened up quickly and pulled Starlight to his side, pointing at the map on the table.
“Little Star, you're back? Senior Noah and I spent the whole afternoon marking the locations and times of the disappearances. Guess what we found?”
“Senior... Noah? How did he become 'Senior' again...” Starlight glanced at the floating Noah and asked with a look of surprise.
“That's not the point! Look at this! The distribution of the missing persons follows a pattern. It's centered around the First Township in the north and gradually spreads outward!” Po Kong tapped the center of the red-dotted area on the map and said firmly.
“First Township in the north? Is there something there? I remember that place is...” Starlight frowned in confusion.
“Exactly, that's where the cemetery is! That's the strange part. If so many people disappeared around the desolate First Township, there should have been some traces left behind.” At this point, Noah lazily turned over a page and voiced his own doubt.
“But all the existing clues point to the First Township. We'll know for sure when we go look tomorrow. I'm just wondering, how did those people get there?” Po Kong added.
A flash of inspiration suddenly struck Starlight as the words he heard from the soldier this afternoon surfaced in his mind. These clues seemed to connect perfectly. He interrupted their conversation and said with certainty.
“It's the sewers! Those missing people must have entered the First Township through the sewers!”
After hearing Starlight's explanation, an expression of realization appeared on Noah's pages. He said slowly, “If that's the case... it makes sense. I heard before that the underground space of the Violet City-State was vast, but I didn't think it would be this exaggerated...”
“The sewers? You're not saying those missing people all snuck into the cemetery area through the sewers, are you? What would be the point of that?” Po Kong asked, not quite understanding.
“Sigh! I just praised you for being useful. Think carefully—what would be in a cemetery?” Seeing that he was still clueless, Noah sighed and gave him a hint.
“What else could be in a cemetery... just bones, rotten meat, and stinking mud, right? Wait... you're not saying that place is haunted, are you?” At this, a rare expression of disgust appeared on Po Kong's face.
“Haunted? That's one way to put it. Based on the information Starlight gathered, it's highly likely that some kind of undead creatures have brewed there. And what undead creatures love most is the life essence of the living...” Noah explained.
“But they fear sunlight and don't dare to appear on the surface, so they used the sewers to take the missing people away!?” Hearing this, Starlight stated the answer directly. Noah slowly nodded the book forward, indicating he was right.
“Uh... do we still have to go? We don't have to, right? We can just report this to the guild, and someone else should be able to handle it, right?” After hearing the analysis, Po Kong asked hesitantly.
“Of course we're going! Haven't we already spent so much time on this? However, reporting it to the guild is a good idea. What's wrong, Po Kong? You don't want to go?” Starlight felt it was strange that Po Kong's attitude had done a complete 180-degree turn.
“Well... how should I put it? I... I might not be very good at dealing with those... those transparent things...” Po Kong scratched his head and stammered.
“Do you mean you think swords and blades can't fight undead creatures? You don't need to worry about that. I can use some light magic; it shouldn't be a problem to at least protect the two of us.” Starlight raised an eyebrow and signaled him not to worry.
But Po Kong shook his head repeatedly. “No, no, no! That's not what I meant! I'm just saying...”
“Po Kong, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell... why do I feel like your behavior is a bit weird today?” Starlight stared at him for several seconds, puzzled by his words.
Seeing this, Noah couldn't help but burst out laughing. In a mocking tone, he said, “I think I get it now. Po Kong, you guy, you're actually afraid of ghosts?! Hahaha! I never expected you to have a weakness like this!”
Being exposed directly, Po Kong rareley looked embarrassed. His face turned red as he explained, “I'm not... fine, I just don't want to see those things floating around. It's... it's normal to have a weakness, isn't it?”
Starlight still shook his head, unable to understand, and said.
“Although I haven't seen the real thing, I don't quite understand what there is to be afraid of with ghosts. If you really don't want to go, it doesn't matter. We haven't officially taken the commission anyway. But you might not be able to find Moen and the others then.”
Hearing this, Po Kong grit his teeth and said hesitantly, “Then... give me a little more time for some mental preparation. You're not planning to head out tonight, are you?”
“Of course not. After all, I still plan to report this situation to the guild. You have the whole night to think it over. Let's not talk about that for now. If you two don't come out, the food is going to get cold!”
Starlight glanced at the darkening sky outside the window, shrugged, picked up Noah, and walked out of the room.
After quite some time, Po Kong finally came out of the room. As for what he was thinking, Starlight didn't try to guess too much.
However, it was clear that with the help of a delicious dinner, his mood had improved significantly. At least he was no longer as embarrassed as before.
After clearing the dishes from the table, Starlight said goodnight to Po Kong and returned to his own room. If they were going on a long trip tomorrow, getting enough rest now was essential.
Lying in bed, Starlight suddenly asked, “Noah, do you think those undead creatures are really that scary?”
Noah's voice quickly rang out in his mind, but his tone carried a hint of gravity.
“Under normal circumstances, ordinary undead creatures pose no threat to you. Don't let that idiot Po Kong influence you! But I have a bad premonition. Now, I actually hope that all you encounter tomorrow are just undead creatures.”
“Do you mean that something else might appear?” Starlight pressed.
“ I can't say for sure. It's just a feeling. Could it be that I also have the talent of a prophet? Just like... sigh! Forget it! Just be careful tomorrow. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight.”
After hearing Noah say something so cryptic, Starlight called out to him several more times in his mind, but he seemed to have truly fallen asleep and didn't speak again.
Seeing that Noah was unwilling to explain, Starlight could only close his eyes helplessly.
Rate on N.U.
