"The Land Remembers." He spoke the name of the skill and activated it, making the past of this place visible. Illusions of people began to appear as the skill replayed images of the past in quick reverse. At the start, a holographic Lao Ban paced back and forth, likely replaying the events of the past couple of days.
They watched the chef go from resignation that the book was gone, to despair that it couldn't be found, to shock and horror upon first discovering it was missing. It was like watching someone mourn in reverse. The next moment, the illusionary book appeared on the desk, and Seth stopped rewinding.
"Let's see who took it," he said. He restarted the memory, forwarding it slightly faster than normal speed. It didn't take long for something to happen. First, they saw the chef write in the book once or twice, but then an illusory figure entered the vault. The intruder wore a scarf to hide their face and a wide, dark cloak to conceal their body. The replay stopped.
"I reckon you don't know this guy?" Seth asked the chef.
The chef shook his head, as expected. A half-covered face was of little use, but Seth was not done yet. Some mages, like necromancers, could track people with spells, but they didn't have access to that kind of magic here.
Had the blacksmith been able to spend more time learning sigils for
He might not have spent his time learning conjuration sigils, but Seth was an educated Demon Bard. He didn't need a sigil when he had another way to call them.
Much like how not everyone on the street has the interest or money to donate to a street performer.
The infernal skald brought out a small soul he had collected at the Silk River Sect and began mumbling a demonic poem. This served as his substitute for a conjuration sigil, and the soul was the price for the demon to do his bidding.
When the blacksmith dropped the invisible soul onto the floor and ended his chant, the Chef, Fin, and Mina watched as the dirt and dust hidden in the crevices of the floorboards assembled into a small mound. The dust compressed into a ball and finally manifested as a small, gnome-like creature.
It was ugly—a real sore to the eyes—but it greeted them with a smile full of crooked teeth.
"How may I help you, summoner?" it asked, rubbing its hands together. This was Gallmilos, a low-ranking demon spirit serving Gusion. It was the largest entity specializing in tracking that would move for a small, fragmented soul like the one Seth offered. But it would be enough.
"Can you track the presence of this person for me and lead me to their location?" the bard asked, nodding toward the pale illusion of the cloaked figure.
The demon's massive, veiny eyes locked onto the cloaked figure, measuring it. "Sure! Follow me!" the demon said, retracting its limbs and body into its head. Now nothing more than a rolling ball with a face, the gnome began moving ahead.
His wives and the chef looked at the blacksmith. Seth shrugged and followed the rolling head, signaling for them to come along.
The trio followed the rolling ball, but even Chef Lao Ban followed them all the way to the gates of his mansion, enraptured by the bizarre event. Only when they reached the gates did the chef realize what he was doing. He offered his farewells and wished them a successful hunt.
"Hey, Gallmilos, is the one we are looking for within the city or further away?" Seth asked, wanting to check how long this would take. Looking at the quest details, the objective area was confined to Konan, but it was still a massive city to traverse on foot.
"Oh, he is in this place, summoner. It's close by, quite close by. Not far, not far at all," the rolling ball assured him. Seth still had his doubts, but decided to follow along for now. Surprisingly, the gnome led them into a familiar neighborhood.
Considering they had been here for less than a day, it was quite the coincidence. The demonic ball led them back toward their own inn, the Amber Star Pavilion, or rather the commercial district where most high-quality inns clustered together.
It was no coincidence at all. Gallmilos led them toward a smaller hotel only a couple of streets away from their own. The culprit had rented a room here. Who would have thought a master thief was going to rent a normal room like an ordinary person?
The ball led them into an inn called the Yellow Legume, which resembled the standard inns and taverns Seth knew from system worlds. It lacked luxury and decorations but seemed like a solid place to stay. The demon ball guided them straight into the entrance hall.
"How can I help you, esteemed guests?" the proprietor greeted them with clasped hands.
Seth thought for a moment before tossing one of the solid gold ingots he had looted from the moneylender at the man.
"We were never here. Stay down, no matter what you may hear," he added, using the
Seth paused for a second, surprised that it actually worked, but he tried not to show it as he continued following the ball with Fin and Mina in tow. The ball stopped in front of a door on the second floor and unfolded its limbs.
"It's in here, summoner. The person and the thing you are looking for," the ugly gnome chittered, pointing at the door. "This concludes our deal. I will take my leave now," the demon said unilaterally, fizzling away in a puff of smoke before Seth could say a word.
Checking the room with
He shared a look with Mina and Fin, who confirmed their readiness with a nod. Then, the blacksmith kicked down the door. The moment the door crashed to the floor, the entire room was sealed by a golden barrier, cutting off any chance of escape. Mina was ready to rush in and overwhelm the culprit, but she hesitated when they looked inside.
The room was a disaster. Clothes, papers, bottles, and miscellaneous items were strewn across the floor. Furniture was displaced or overturned, and the entire space reeked of alcohol. It looked like someone had ransacked the room or thrown a massive tantrum.
On the bed in the far left corner under the window lay a man in disheveled robes. He held a bottle of liquor loosely in one hand while covering his eyes with the other. His reaction to the door being kicked in was delayed; he only lifted his arm after they had already entered.
"W-what do you w-want?" he asked, his speech heavily slurred. The guy was dead drunk and could barely function.
"Where is the Book of All Flavors?" Fin barked, ready to punch the answer out of him.
But violence wasn't necessary. The man gave a pained, frustrated groan. He raised the arm holding the bottle and pointed toward a broken table. Adjacent to it on the floor lay a half-opened book.
Fin picked it up to inspect it. The moment her fingers brushed the cover, a quest completion notification flashed before their eyes. It was the correct book.
"Take it! Just take it away! I don't want to see it anymore. I can't deal with this embarrassment!" he lamented, sobbing as he took another swig from his bottle. "Just a friendly warning, if you came for it because of the secret technique... There is none! We have been fooled," he whined.
"Fooled! Me!" he exclaimed again, returning to his heavy drinking.
"Secret technique...?" Fin mumbled.