The next morning after finishing his martial art training, Brad had still not yet appeared. The guy should be opening his tavern by afternoon. Even though the tavern no longer operated at night, no one was still coming to a tavern in the morning.
So Jack went out to the wilderness with Pandora to grind for exp. Thesylvania was built in an area with sparse and low-level monsters. Jack had to go further to find a decent leveling map. Thankfully, with Pandora's speed, getting to one in a short ti was not a problem.
Jack was back again a couple of hours after noon. It was similar to the ti when he arrived in this town yesterday, so Brad's tavern should be operational already.
When Jack arrived in the tavern, Brad was alone. There was no custor at all this ti. Jack felt bad for the guy, but Brad seed to have gotten used to it. He nodded at Jack with a grunt.
Jack sat in the bar counter chair opposite Brad as he poured a cup of wine. "Sa as yesterday?" He asked.
"Sa," Jack said. While in his mind, 'You are already pouring, won't it be awkward if I ask for a different drink?'
Brad put the cup in front of Jack, then said, "I've only managed to speak to so of the parents. Not everyone is eager to talk about their missing children considering how the fate of those children is still uncertain."
"I figure as much. Lay to
what you have learned. Anything helps," Jack said while sipping his wine.
"Open your map," Brad said.
Jack opened his Map. Brad interfaced with it, putting several custom markers on the map.
'A native can mark more than five markings on the map?' Jack asked Peniel through his mind.
'Yes. A native had no limitations. These markings are mostly related to a quest. Once the quest is completed, the markings will disappear by themselves," Peniel answered.
After Brad was done, he said, "These are all the spots I have found out. The missing children were last seen there."
Jack studied the map. The town was not large. The markers were all over the place, but they were mostly near or average distance from the graveyard he ca to yesterday. There was no marker at the farthest part of the town away from the graveyard.
It pointed to the graveyard again. Jack thought he might need to take another look at that place later, but he should talk to the Count first.
"Thank you for your help, Brad. I want to go see the Count now, he should be in his manor at this ti, right?" Jack asked.
"He is there most of the ti. He rarely cos out except when there are incidents, like another child goes missing for example."
"They only search for one day? I didn't see any large-scale search when I entered yesterday."
"They had given up on the search before noon. These incidents had happened so often that people almost didn't put hope in the search any longer. They just did it because they had to do sothing. Well, that's my reason anyway, I was also in that search. I had invited Ted and Mirian to co here to drink their sorrow away after that fruitless search."
"What about the two royal officers you said were stationed here?"
"Those two buffoons will just take action if a monster cos attacking the town. They were involved in the search in the first few years, but they aren't doing anything now."
"Where are they?"
"They should be in their station at the edge of this town. A bit further up on the hill where they could see the whole town and notice if any dangerous wilderness beast cos near. Open your map again, I will mark the place."
Jack opened the map for him and a new marker appeared.
"One last thing," Jack said to Brad. "Do you know of the oldest person still alive in this town? Preferably one who reached a hundred years of age."
"I know of no one that reached that age," Brad answered. "There is a granny I know who was over ninety years old though."
"Can you mark her address on my map as well?"
Brad gestured for him to open the map again. After Jack got this latest marker, he thanked the bartender and left.
"Why are you looking for the granny? Sothing to do with the children's case?" Peniel asked when they were outside.
"No, that one is for Aubelard. However, I have a gut feeling this children's case got sothing to do with this vampire we are looking for," Jack answered.
"What makes you say that?"
"Just a feeling," Jack said and shrugged.
"So, who are you going to visit first?"
"The Count first. He was more active on the missing cases after all this ti. He should have more information, if any," Jack answered.
The Count's mansion was more impressive when viewed up-close. The mansion was built in gothic style using primarily black granite stone. It painted an intimidating presence with its scale. Only half of the building was visible, the other half was recessed into the cliff wall.
Jack had been knocking on the door a few tis already. He was starting to wonder if anyone was ho when the door opened. A skinny and rather hunchbacked old man in a butler attire greeted him, "May I know who you are and the purpose of your visit?"
"My na is Storm Wind," Jack introduced himself. "I am an adventurer on a quest to solve the missing children case. I believe your Count has been working on this incident for a long ti. I would like to help. Can I ask for an audience with the Count?"
The butler scrutinized Jack from the top to bottom, before saying, "Wait here." And closed the door.
'Can't he ask
to wait inside?' Jack grumbled within.
He stood there waiting for several long minutes. So long that Jack wondered if the butler had perhaps forgotten about him. He was just about to knock on the door again when it opened. The sa skinny hunchbacked butler was there. He said, "Please co in. The Count will et you."
"Thank you," Jack said and went in. He followed the butler to the main hall. The hall was mainly dark due to the black stone material. Only a few artificial lights illuminated the large hall, giving it a gloomy atmosphere.
At one side of the hall was a very tall man, he was gazing at one of the paintings on the wall. The butler brought Jack to this person. Jack noticed the man was as skinny as the butler but was younger, Jack estimated from his appearance that the man was in his forties.
"Count Dante, this is the adventurer that wishes to speak with you," the butler announced with a bow.
The Count took his gaze away from the painting and looked at Jack. Jack made an inspect at the sa ti, the Count was registered as simply a civilian, sa as any other common folks. aning he has no battle capacity.
"Greetings, Sir Count. My na is Storm Wind. I thank you for permitting
this audience," Jack said.
The Count made a gesture to the butler. The butler made another bow before going away.
"Do you like this painting?" The Count asked. Indicating the one he was viewing when Jack ca in.
Jack took a look at the painting. It was so sort of unreal illustration depicting a close-up of a couple. The man was behind the woman kissing the neck from behind. The woman seed to be in a trance from the kiss.
"It is… quite a romantic painting," Jack answered, which in his mind he actually didn't think that at all. Even though the painting seed to be implying a gentle kiss, romantic was not the feeling Jack derive from the painting. He even felt as if the woman in the painting was unwilling. But Jack didn't know how to describe the feeling. He was not an art critic, so he simply said what he thought the Count might want to listen to.
The Count simply smiled at Jack's words. He waved at Jack to follow as he brought Jack to sit on one of the sofas in the hall. Jack sat at the other one opposite the count. A small table was between them. There were already two cups of red wine on the table. The Count took one and sipped on it while he gestured for Jack to try his.
Jack didn't want to be rude so he gave the wine a taste. It was better than the one Brad served in his tavern. Being rich certainly had its perks.
"I heard that you are interested in the missing cases?" The Count finally talk on the topic Jack ca for. "Might I ask why?"
"I have been presented a quest by one of the parents whose child had gone missing," Jack answered. "I don't know how much I can help, but I want to do what I can."
"I see… You are an outworlder, no?" The Count asked.
"Yes," Jack nodded.
"We did have rare visits by adventurers from ti to ti, but never an outworlder. I have heard of your kind, but this is the first ti I lay eyes on one."
"We are not that special. We are similar to other native adventurers."
"That's not what I heard," The Count said. "There were already other native adventurers who tried to help in this case, without success. Perhaps an outworlder is what we need to finally solve it."
"I'm flattered by your confidence," Jack replied.
"However, I don't know how much you can learn from . Honestly, I am as baffled as the rest of the town. For five years we searched for clues, tightened our security, enforcing curfews, but the children kept missing.. It seems all our efforts are in naught."
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