两男一女的双龙挺进

"Her name is Emily," the man continued. "She\'s the owner\'s daughter… I\'ve been trying my luck with her for months, but she won\'t even look at me."

"Here, drink more," Nox said, pouring more drink for the man from his own bottle.

"Oh, thank you, lad." The man was pleased and gobbled the glass. "Hmm, this drink costs about 10 silver coins. How\'d you afford something like this?"

"I am an Awakened."

"Oh… that explains it… It\'s hard for mundanes like us to identify your kind, you see."

"I understand. Drink more, the bill is on me."

"Ah, since you\'re Awakened, I\'ll not decline your offer. You guys are pretty rich after all," the man said and drank heartily, slowly becoming more and more wasted.

Nox hid a grin.

"Hmmmm." A ragged old man that looked like a beggar was observing everything that was happening.

Suddenly, the man stood up from his seat and pointed at Nox.

\'What is he doing? Isn\'t he drunk?\' Nox frowned.

"Everyone, this lad here is an Awakened! He\'s loaded!" He suddenly shouted, making Nox\'s face contort.

This was not how the script was supposed to go!

He only intended to make this guy drunk then ask him questions. By the time he became sober, he would probably forget everything.

"Oh well, let\'s make everyone drunk."

"Emily, more drinks!" He shouted, and Emily happily served everyone in the tavern. Everyone was drinking away and gossiping among themselves.

Once they were sufficiently drunk, Nox started asking them about the Elemental Beast, but their answers were unsatisfactory. Most didn\'t even know what an Elemental Beast was, making Nox feel his efforts were in vain.

Just then, he noticed a ragged man sitting further away from the others. Unlike the others, he seemed sober despite drinking the wine Nox had bought.

Despite his rugged appearance, Nox sensed a strange aura around this man. His eyes held a profound wisdom.

Nox approached this man and smiled. "Hi, mister… Do you want another drink?"

"Shoo, lad. I know nothing," the man said, waving his hand dismissively and returning his focus to his drink.

While Nox searched for clues about the Elemental Beast, several more Awakened entered the borders of the Snowhelm Kingdom. They came from different kingdoms, all with the same purpose as Nox.

They were after the Elemental Beast. Elemental crystals were rare, so when news of one being spotted in the Snowhelm Kingdom spread, many academies and guilds rushed to join the hunt.

The allure of an Elemental Crystal was just too strong for them to let go. There were rumors the Snowhelm Kingdom had tried to keep the existence of the Elemental Beast under wraps and sought to use the crystal to strengthen their military to protect against the beasts that were becoming more and more difficult to combat.

But somehow, the news had spread, and powerful Awakened all over the far west were flocking into the Snowhelm Kingdom.

----

In a nearby coastal city...

A girl with red skin was standing in a tall, abandoned watchtower, the wind tousling her black hair. Her mesmerizing red eyes were fixed on the frozen sea.

She was surrounded by a group of fair-skinned girls who were all radiating powerful Awakened energy.

The beautiful, curvy, red-skinned girl had a great sword far larger than her strapped behind her. Oddly, the sword was wrapped with a cloth covering the blade.

"It seems students of the Vermilion Royal Academy have also arrived," the red-skinned girl said.

"Does this mean we will change our plans?" asked a girl with a rapier. "We\'ve already invested a lot of resources in this mission… the squad leader wouldn\'t be pleased."

"Who said anything about… changing plans?" the red-skinned girl replied, her gaze still fixed on the sea.

Her eyes gleamed with a wicked light. "We\'ll proceed with the original plan… we\'ll massacre all of them."

At that moment, the sun, which was rare, flashed upon the girl, and a red rose engulfed in flames appeared in her eyes.

----

\'What do I do? It seems none of these people know about the Elemental Beast,\' Nox thought worriedly as he paced outside the tavern. He had left a few minutes ago after realizing no one inside had information about the Elemental Beast.

He had thought this place would be the best place to gather information… because when people were drunk, they tended to spill even the deepest of their secrets.

\'Sigh, master didn\'t give me a clear lead; she only mentioned that it was spotted somewhere in the Snowhelm Kingdom.\'

Was this some sort of training too? During the past four years, Eve didn\'t only teach Nox how to fight; she had also thrown Nox into unexpected situations, forcing him to use his wits.

This reminded him of that situation.

\'Master is too unpredictable.\' Nox smiled, a chibi version of Eve with her black hair and mesmerizing ruby eyes flashing in his head.

"Hey, kid," a voice called.

\'Hmmm.\' Nox suddenly felt the presence of someone behind him. He turned around, only to find the ragged-looking old man that had been staring at him ever since he stepped into the tavern.

The man scanned his surroundings as if to make sure no one was nearby before he leaned and whispered in Nox\'s ear. "You were the one asking about the Elemental Beast, right?"

"Yes… you know about it?" Nox narrowed his eyes. His gut was right! Nox had thought this man looked suspicious just from the way he had shooed him away.

"Yes, I do know about the Elemental Beast." The man stated, confirming Nox\'s suspicion, but what he said next made the youth\'s face turn grim.

"But this information might cost your life."

"Might cost my life?" Nox raised an eyebrow. What information was so important that it could cost his life?

"Ah, I\'m just joking." The man laughed, revealing broken teeth. "If you give me one golden ticket—I mean coin—I\'ll tell you."

Nox didn\'t mind and flipped a golden coin to the man, who caught it with expert reflexes and stored it away in his pocket. Then the man leaned forward and whispered in Nox\'s ear.

Nox thanked him, and they went their separate ways. As Nox walked away, the man pulled out a communication crystal and made a call.

"It\'s as you predicted," the man said to the other person. "Luckily, I gave him the wrong location… he\'s going to get himself killed there."

****

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