The steam car huffed and puffed along the road from Gaga County, heading for Guru Mountain.
The road was riddled with potholes and bumps, with only a sparse scattering of pebbles in its center. Luckily, it hadn't rained or snowed much this winter; otherwise, these three steam cars would have undoubtedly blocked the only road to Guru Mountain.
The uneven road surface caused the heavy steam car to jolt relentlessly, much to the annoyance of Witch Biggs. Her already hunched back certainly didn't need to be stooped further by this bumpy journey.
Witch Biggs felt the same gloom as Mayor Babasha. She couldn't determine if she was still free. Ever since her arrest at the Dusk Market in Liuli City, whether on the road or at the Gaga County Administrative Office, she had felt utterly insignificant. She was like air to these important figures; no one paid her any mind, except for Elder Rostellum with his fiery gaze. Yet, Elder Rostellum had insisted on bringing her along. She had no idea what had prompted this. She was clearly an insignificant character; how could she possibly ride in the same car as these prominent people? Shouldn't she, like Phil, have remained in Gaga County awaiting further interrogation?
The questions swirling in her mind were as baffling as her inexplicable arrest back in Liuli City.
Rostellum was similarly puzzled. He couldn't understand why they had to travel in this clunky steam car. The contraption was not only heavy but also painfully slow. Riding a horse would have been faster. This county road was no match for the city's main thoroughfares; the steam car was practically useless on such an uneven track.
However, as merely the county magistrate, his humble suggestion hadn't earned the approval of Goding, the League Guard. Thus, the three cumbersome steam cars rumbled onto the road, filled with all sorts of complaints.
"Can't you drive? Bouncing us around like this! Are you blind?" The jolting made some of Gaga County's guards uncomfortable. They openly vented their dissatisfaction at the League Guards driving the cars. Various complaints ricocheted through the steam cars, except, of course, from the one Goding occupied.
Mayor Babasha was also in the steam car with Goding; it was driven by the two youths who had claimed to be Adventurers the previous night. "My lord," Babasha said, trying to sound cheerful, "the thought of seeing Young Master Hustace soon gives me an inexplicable thrill! I just can't imagine how the Young Master managed to give us the slip."
"Being an Adventurer is really not a good profession. I don't know what the Young Master was thinking," Pifu, one of the youths, grumbled.
"No one forced you to come. You could have gone home and continued helping your old man sell fake teeth," retorted Bunan, the other youth, as he skillfully navigated the steam car past a large pothole, his mood understandably foul.
Mayor Babasha felt queasy from the constant bumping. He wanted to voice a complaint or two, but he caught sight of Goding opposite him and thought better of it. Goding's face currently seemed longer than a horse's. His mood had clearly soured to its absolute depths. The mayor certainly didn't want to collide with that dangerous 'wall' right now.
Goding couldn't fathom why Estev had so brazenly returned to Liuli City, with apparently no one even attempting to stop him. It was preposterous! A high-rank Hunter was lurking in the shadows, yet the deputy Court Chief seemed utterly unconcerned. Last night, not only had they failed to capture the Hunter, but they had also lost the bait. The gold bars were a minor issue, but that stone—it belonged to the Young Master! By now, that Hunter must have found the Young Master's trail using their Secret Sensing Skills...
"Do you think Young Master Hustace is thinking about us?" Pifu asked, oblivious to Goding's expression, continuing his idle speculation.
"Thinking of you? You must be dreaming. With that freckled face of yours, no one would want a second glance," Bunan retorted.
Pifu continued, "We're going to bring the Young Master back. He has no reason not to be happy. Being an Adventurer is so exhausting..."
Bunan muttered, "What I don't understand is, if the Young Master has been found, why do we still need to come up with an 'escape plan'..."
The words 'escape plan' struck a raw nerve with Goding. His long, horse-like face contorted with sudden anger. A hoarse, equine sound—more of a bellow than a neigh, given how much he'd been shouting since last night—was about to erupt from him.
"Shut up, you two imbeciles!" Goding finally exploded. However, a horse's bellow is not a lion's roar. His outburst only succeeded in silencing Bunan and Pifu; it brought about no other substantial change.
For instance, the crushing frustration Goding felt at his perceived inadequacies, triggered by the term 'escape plan,' was not alleviated by his shout. Nor did his outburst lessen the incessant, jarring discomfort from the steam car. Besides yelling, Goding had no other outlet for his pent-up exasperation.
This turbulent mix of emotions and physical discomfort was set to continue for at least another hour or two. During that time, no one else in the steam car would be foolish enough to provoke Goding further; his long face was already contorted to an alarming degree...
The remainder of the journey passed in silence.
At the entrance to Guru Village, nestled at the foot of Guru Mountain, Aliusan paced anxiously, his limp pronounced.
Aliusan had once been a Spider in some Dark Organization, so he deeply understood the importance of a network. Indeed, that network's utility had allowed him to grow increasingly formidable 'wings,' metaphorically speaking. These 'wings' had carried him to Guru Mountain and enabled him to establish Black Mountain.
But lately, he sensed that the network he had painstakingly woven was becoming loose, even unstable. Information from his subordinates—his Crows—grew increasingly unreliable. Reports concerning the Adventurer were frustratingly inconsistent, changing with alarming frequency. The capabilities of his other underlings, the Earth Wolves, seemed to have stagnated; they were disappointingly average. That fool Musa had even managed to lose to an idiot like Liko. And to compound his worries, those he'd sent up the mountain had yet to return. His 'rats' were efficient, true, but unfortunately, there were no suitable 'goods' for them to handle at the moment...
Aliusan had ways to address such operational shortcomings, but he was currently at a loss regarding the most critical junction in his Black Mountain network. This junction was vital; it determined whether Black Mountain, as an organization, could continue to survive. If this junction loosened, the network's foundations would crumble. Crumbled foundations couldn't form an effective mesh. If it couldn't even form a mesh, what effect would casting the net have...?
And Black Mountain's network had been woven less than a year ago...
Aliusan had no time to contemplate whether this junction needed a permanent fix or a temporary one—more accurately, he couldn't afford to. The party connected to this junction had dispatched several Mail Birds just yesterday. Their message was brutally clear: if Black Mountain didn't produce tangible results, and soon, they should stop disgracing themselves in Gaga County.
The initiative for this crucial connection lay with the Lord of the Gaga County Administrative Office, an entity Black Mountain could not afford to offend. Even if this network were to collapse, he, Aliusan, could still revert to being Lame Aliu Two, or perhaps Spider Aliu Five, and continue to operate in the shadows of the dark world. But the 'wings' he had worked so painstakingly to strengthen would be lost. And those 'wings,' once lost, might never grow back...
Aliusan unconsciously touched his shoulders and pursed his lips in frustration. Still, no effective solution presented itself.
He had dispatched all his Earth Wolves. Apart from the failures Musa and Motan, there was no word from the others. His Crows were a nightmare; one Mail Bird would arrive claiming New Fool was captured, and then, barely an hour later, another would report New Fool missing. These wildly contradictory messages had thoroughly annoyed Lord Uli, the Housekeeper of the Gaga County Administrative Office. Uli had slapped Aliusan twice before riding up the mountain himself.
And then, matters had worsened: the Lord of the Gaga County Administrative Office had sent another Mail Bird, announcing his arrival at Guru Mountain today...
It was all the fault of those incompetent Crows under his command, who had prematurely relayed the news of New Fool's capture... However, Aliusan had still underestimated the sheer unreliability of his Crows when it came to conveying information. Just a few short hours later, another piece of news had reached him: New Fool had apparently descended the mountain and checked into Lubin Tavern. This report, like the two before it, could not be immediately verified, as currently, no one dared venture near Lubin Tavern. The group of strangers who had abruptly appeared there a few days ago were undoubtedly Alchemists. Aliusan wasn't sure of the exact term for them—whether they were one type of Alchemist or another—but his seasoned experience told him unequivocally: these people were not to be provoked.
All Aliusan could do now was rub his throbbing temples and stand at the entrance to Guru Village, steeling himself to welcome the Lord of the Gaga County Administrative Office.
He desperately hoped his solicitous attitude might appease some of the important visitor's anticipated anger, allowing him to preserve those 'wings' that had not yet fully matured.