One-Eyed Monster

Atop the mountain, Estev’s mind was in turmoil. He had no idea what was happening to him, or why his head was suddenly flooded with so many thoughts.

Estev shook his head, trying to clear his mind, but to no avail. He cast a frustrated glance at Stan Sol, his close companion, and found him similarly gripped by a turmoil of fury and anxiety.

It was an inexplicable situation. Estev could not detect any abnormality through his Spirit Sensing skill. This agitation had come very suddenly, without the slightest warning, and was naturally accompanied by an unforeseeable chaos.

Of course, this sensation was not limited to Estev; Stan Sol was experiencing the same. At this moment, he was seemingly reminded of the numerous hardships his family had faced during their prolonged revival. The current situation is far from over, how can I be pondering things so distant? Stan Sol was puzzled but couldn’t pinpoint the reason.

Stan Sol could identify exotic plants and peculiar prey, but he was unable to recognize the rosemary carried by the Soul Puppets. This was rosemary’s most magical quality: only Wizards who commanded the Natural Force could distinguish it from common weeds. For it was by relying on the Natural Force within these plants that they powered their spellcraft.

A Wizard was indeed present at the peak, but she too was unable to identify the rosemary. If whole rosemary sprigs were placed before her, she definitely could have recognized them. However, when it came to ground rosemary seeds layered within spellcraft—a practical application—she was completely helpless and couldn’t identify it at all.

At this moment, the Great Witch Biggs was also feeling quite agitated. Needless to say, her disappointment in herself had deepened. It’s not just disappointment now; it’s bordering on self-loathing.

The Great Witch Biggs still stood there like a statue. Though a whirlwind of thoughts raged in her mind, her face remained expressionless. This was the most puzzling part; no one knew what state she was in. Was she calm or fearless, panicking or composed? If she faced a cautious opponent who knew nothing of her current state, they would surely be in a quandary. Faced with her statuesque demeanor, such an adversary would hesitate, unsure whether to approach. Wasn’t this exactly what had happened with Wizard Gus before? His terror at the Great Witch’s wooden demeanor had bought her enough time to fully master the Wind Elemental.

At this moment, the Great Witch also wanted to use the Wind Elemental to destroy the two Soul Puppets. But to her dismay, the Wind Elemental no longer responded to her summons, leaving her at a loss and making her even more flustered and agitated.

Agitation seemed to be the prevailing mood on Dawn Peak. Even bystanders like Qi Liu began feeling exceptionally agitated. He felt he had been aimlessly wandering the mountain these past few days. More importantly, although he had found Young Master Hustace, he lacked the ability to take him back. Right now, he didn’t even have the means to send a Mail Bird to Luona for reinforcements, let alone snatch Young Master Hustace from these people’s grasp.

Agitation, restlessness, and a touch of anger pervaded the mountain. This included everyone, even the Alchemists from the Alchemy Workshop. They all felt time was passing with unusual slowness, as if everyone was waiting for a specific moment.

What this moment was, exactly, nobody could say. But they were all eagerly anticipating it, curious to see what would eventually transpire.

However, amidst this group, there was one person experiencing something more than the others.

Apart from agitation, unrest, and anger, he also felt a thread of fear.

His fear stemmed from that group of Alchemists, from down the mountain, from what had happened there not long ago.

This person was Bunan, hiding behind Qi Liu. Seeing these Alchemists, my first thought is they’re probably here to drag me back!

After ruling out Estev, the Vice Court Chief of the Court of Guards, as an immediate threat, Bunan felt a momentary sense of calm. However, the worry in his heart lingered; otherwise, he wouldn’t be hiding behind Qi Liu, afraid to show his face.

The effect of the Soul Puppets’ rosemary caused everyone to start dwelling on their worries and sorrows, joys and regrets. The rosemary led their minds to constantly generate nostalgia for the past and longing for the future. Gradually, their minds grew confused, and then they themselves began to become disoriented.

Bunan was like this. He was still an inexperienced child. In Luona, he could swagger about thanks to his father’s wealth, but outside the city, he had discovered he was nothing—a completely incapable, useless good-for-nothing.

The word ”good-for-nothing” made Bunan deeply uneasy, but it wasn’t the source of his fear. The source of his fear was the Alchemists... or more precisely, his fear was entirely of his own making.

He worried these Alchemists had climbed the mountain just for him. He had noticed it at the foot of the mountain: the ones truly in charge there were the Alchemists, not Lord Goding. Although Lord Goding had initially been able to order around the goatee-bearded county governor, everything changed after their arrival at Guru Mountain. Now, aside from playing cards to pass the time, Lord Goding couldn’t direct anything. Control had completely fallen into the hands of those Alchemists. So, these Alchemists must be here to capture me and take me back!

”Don’t catch me, don’t catch me, I’m innocent!” Bunan’s fear finally overwhelmed him, and the words tumbled out.

His words snapped everyone out of their agitated thoughts and drew their attention to him.

He could have continued hiding behind Qi Liu, unnoticed; after all, there were far more important and attention-grabbing people on the mountain than him.

”Senior Milo, look! Isn’t that the runaway kid?” Pedro was the first to notice the youth acting strangely.

”This Wizard Reed really knows his stuff,” Milo remarked, looking where Pedro indicated. ”He said he’d lead us to the runaway, and he actually did. It really is the runaway youth.”

They were already feeling somewhat agitated, and now, running into the runaway youth, their mood soured further.

When the fighting starts, it won’t be as quiet as it is now. At that point, should we protect this young man, or abandon him?

This young man was suspected of murdering the mayor of the Empire’s City Administrative Office. If they abandoned him, they would have failed to provide an account to the City Administrative Office. Although their Alchemy Workshop could overrule the City Administrative Office, both served the Empire. Simply abandoning him was unjustifiable.

But who had the energy now to escort this fellow down the mountain?

A major battle was imminent. Everyone was anxiously contemplating their strategies, and no one had expected such a troublemaker to appear at this juncture.

”Don’t catch me!” Bunan shrieked, his voice laced with terror, already hysterical.

”Who the hell wants to catch you?” Qi Liu, who was beside him and already deeply troubled, snapped, now even more agitated by Bunan’s outburst.

Just like that, seeds of chaos were sown on the mountain, unknowingly taking root and sprouting. Given this momentum, the coming storm seemed inevitable.