After half an hour's walk, he arrived in front of a house that looked even more dilapidated than his and carefully knocked on the door before stepping back.
He waited but the door didn't open even after a while, causing him to frown, 'Don't tell me this old man has already passed away?'
Shaking the thought away, he once again knocked on the door. This time, he also called out, "Grandpa, are you at home? I'm Ryu Ironwood's grandson, Max. I need to talk to you about something."
"What do you need, boy?"
Just as he finished, a voice called out from behind, startling him.
When he turned around, he saw a man dressed in City Lord's mansion's guard uniform, standing there, looking at him with a displeased look on his face.
'So, the rumor is true. The City Lord Mansion doesn't allow others to interact with the old man?' He thought, his confidence in finding a solution to his problem increasing.
Harman, his (Max's) best friend, loved to gossip. So, a long time ago, while talking about strange things, he had told him that there was a crazy old man living in the southern part of the city who claimed to have killed a ghost that killed his family.
While Max hadn't believed it, he had casually asked about his story and Harman told him that in the years gone by, this crazy old man was a significant figure in Whitecliff City.
At that time, the City Lord mansion wasn't the sole controller of all trade, so there were several other families and people who had their own small businesses. One of them was Samuel Smith. He had a smithing shop and made swords, sabers and other weapons.
Occasionally, to get the materials, he had to go to other cities.
One time, when he returned, he found his entire family—his son, his daughter-in-law, his grandson and newborn granddaughter—dead. They were brutally murdered.
According to the rumors, seeing that horrifying scene, he had gone mad. Brandishing his battle axe, he barged into the City Lord Mansion and killed the City Lord's younger brother and several others.
The City Lord wasn't present and he had attacked suddenly, so no one could stop him. By the time everyone was alerted, he had escaped into the forest.
Then, one day, he returned—his body covered in blood and a hand missing—laughing crazily and chanting, [ I have killed the ghost. I have avenged my family. ]
Everyone had expected the City Lord to execute him now that he had returned, but to everyone's surprise, apart from making sure everyone stayed away from him, the City Lord completely ignored him.
"I asked you something, boy." The City Lord Mansion Guard asked again when Max didn't respond, his tone cold.
"My Lord, I supply firewood, so I'm here to ask if he needs any…" Max saluted him according to the city's custom and gave the excuse he had prepared even though he knew it might not work.
"His needs are taken care of. Now get lost." The guard interrupted him, taking a step forward, about to throw him out.
But right then…
Creak!
The door behind Max opened and a wizened voice echoed, "Come inside, boy."
The guard stopped in his tracks. He then cast a last look at Max, turned around and left.
Max knew the City Lord Mansion might cause him trouble for this, but he didn't care. He had to find a way to kill the ghosts if he didn't want to live a mediocre life.
He turned around and saw a hunched back, white-haired old man. His skin was shriveled, his eyes sunken and his complexion was sickly. He looked like he wasn't of this world for long.
"Greetings, Grandpa Smith. I hope you have been well." He greeted him with a polite smile.
Old Man Smith nodded silently, turned around and walked back into the house.
Max stepped inside, closed the door and followed him to the living room.
Old Man Smith sat on a sofa and pointed to a chair in the corner with his walking stick.
"Take that chair."
Max nodded, walked over and with a dirty cloth, he cleaned the dust and brought it over before sitting on it.
Old Man Smith watched him, an odd, confused glint flashing in his murky eyes.
After a while, he asked, "What do you need from this crazy old man, boy?"
Max shook his head inwardly. He was clearly not crazy. But he didn't comment on it and said, "Grandpa—"
"Call me Old Man, Elder or Mr. Smith." Old Man Smith interrupted.
Max paused, then nodded and with a solemn expression on his face, he said, "Elder Smith, I encountered a ghost in the woods a week before. It did something to me which made me fall sick. I almost died. Now, I want revenge. I have heard you killed a ghost years ago. So, I want you to tell me how I can also do it. I'll be really grateful for your pointers."
By the end, he dipped his head into a bow, an earnest expression on his face.
Old Man Smith stared at him in silence. It was only after a while he spoke, "How are you… still alive?"
"Hm?" Max looked at him in confusion.
Old Man Smith narrowed his eyes and muttered, "If you had encountered a ghost, you should have died. But here you are, still alive and kicking."
Max kept a bewildered look on his face while his mind whirled to find a plausible excuse but before he could say anything, he saw him shake his head and heard him say.
"Well, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that you want to kill it."
Max inwardly sighed in relief hearing this and was about to ask him the method to kill a ghost when the old man said, "I can indeed give a method to kill it, however, I want you to do something in return."
"What is it, Elder? If I can, I'll surely do it." Max promptly promised.
"I want you to… kill Damian Sachian."
"Hm?"
Max's pupils constricted when he heard this.