Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 686: It’s been a while [6]

A few moments prior.

"Where do you think the Chancellor is? I can’t wait to get out of this place already."

"How long do we have to remain here?"

"I’m tired. It’s hot."

In the wake of the battle with the colossal beast and the chaos that followed, the cadets found themselves stranded in the Remnant South.

Besides the port, the city didn’t suffer much damage.

Most of the buildings remained intact, and aside from the occasional murmur about what had happened, life went on as usual. The city had returned to the same bustling rhythm it had before the events unfolded.

Leon, alongside most of the cadets, had left their own place in order to look around.

They were currently all waiting for the Chancellor to come back. She was the only one who could bring them out of this place. Without her, it’d be impossible for them to find their way back.

Walking ahead, Evelyn turned around and said, "There’s no point in complaining. The Chancellor most likely suffered some injuries from the fight. She’s probably taking some time to recover."

"Injuries..?"

Aoife raised her brow.

"Do you really think the Chancellor suffered some injuries? She looked okay to me."

"I mean... You felt the aftermath of the fight. The Chancellor might be really strong, but there’s no way that she came out unharmed from that fight. It probably wasn’t anything major, but it might still take some time."

"Hmm."

Aoife lowered her head and contemplated Evelyn’s words. To some extent, her words made sense.

Looking up and fixing her gaze on the ’boring’ Kiera, she prepared to speak when Kiera raised her hand to stop her.

"Evelyn is most likely right."

"....?"

A question mark appeared over Aoife’s head. Why did she stop her from speaking?

Aoife got her answer not long after.

"Your voice is not pleasing to the ear. I’d rather you keep quiet."

"....??"

Wait, wasn’t Kiera supposed to be nice?

Why...

"There’s a limit to how nice I can be."

"....???"

The hell?

"In any case, we should probably take this chance to explore the city. Since we might have to go back to the Empire soon, why not explore the city and buy some items that you can only find here?"

"Like?"

As Aoife asked, Kiera pointed towards the distance where merchants lined up.

"Get your bones!"

"...We provide the best bones! Terror-Ranked bones included!"

"Bones."

Aoife’s eyes widened with realization as she looked around her to see several cadets salivating while staring in the distance. Indeed, bones were quite hard to find in the Empire.

While she never had a shortage of bones due to her family providing her with any bone that she wanted, the same couldn’t be said for the others.

This place...

It was, without a doubt, a gold mine for the cadets here.

"You make a good point."

Aoife nodded quietly, turning her attention towards the right, where she saw a pensive-looking figure. He was standing with his head lowered, deep in contemplation.

Was something up?

Aoife raised her brow and approached Leon, brushing her red hair behind her ear.

"Is everything good?"

"Hm?"

Hearing Aoife’s voice, Leon turned his head. Spotting Aoife, he opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it and just simply nodded while mumbling, ’I’m fine.’

"Are you?"

Leon’s face said otherwise. He looked anything but fine. However, Aoife didn’t press him. She knew that pressing would only annoy him.

In the end, she pointed towards the stall in the distance.

"Why don’t you consider buying some bones? As far as I know, you still have quite a few slots that you can fill."

"...Hm."

Turning his head to stare at the distant stalls, Leon scratched his cheek as his eyes narrowed a little. Looking at the numerous bones that were put on display, and feeling the aura of a few, he felt somewhat tempted.

He indeed was lacking in bones.

It wasn’t like he lacked the money to purchase them, but the prices in the Empire were really too absurd. Buying one bone needed deep and careful consideration.

It wasn’t like he could buy as many as he wished, after all.

However, staring at the prices of the bones here, Leon realized that most of the bones here were almost 4 to 5 times cheaper than in the Empire.

This was practically a steal, and after musing for a few more moments, he decided to head for one of the stalls.

While his thoughts had been preoccupied with Julien and how to find him, he at least knew that he was safe.

He could spare some time looking for some bones.

"Bones! We offer the lowest prices!"

"Get your bone!"

Stalls lined both sides of the long cobblestone street, with people meandering from one to the next. Some merchants drew steady crowds, their goods in high demand, while others stood idly by, waiting as fewer customers came their way.

One quick look at Leon was able to understand why.

[Hellfish - Terror-Ranked Bone : 900,000 Solas.]

[Hellfish - Terror-Ranked Bone : 770,000 Solas.]

Some stores simply sold at a cheaper price than others.

"Wow, that’s a massive difference."

The cadets couldn’t help but marvel at the sight, feeling tempted to purchase the bones straight away.

If they could bring some back...

"It’s good and all, but can we even afford them?"

At Aoife’s sudden question, the faces of a few changed. Evelyn patted her pockets, taking out a sack and peeking at the gap, her face changing slightly as she looked at the others.

"I... might need to start selling a few things before I can afford it."

"Same."

"Me too."

Everyone quickly realized the problem that they were currently facing. While the bones were indeed a lot cheaper than in the Empire, the currency here was different. None of them had the amount required by the merchants in order to purchase the bones.

"Do you think we can trade?"

"...Maybe?"

Looking at them, Leon’s eyes narrowed slightly. He was a bit different from them. He actually did have the money to buy at least one bone.

A Terror Ranked one.

However, was this what he really wanted...?

’Considering how I haven’t filled all my bones yet, a Terror-Ranked might be good. But... What about a Destroyer Rank?’

Leon felt that absorbing a Terror-ranked bone was a bit of a waste when he could consume a Destroyer-ranked one. However, at the same time, he also knew that the rank wasn’t exactly the most crucial thing when selecting a bone.

The most important thing was the skill that came with the bone.

An Infant-ranked bone could very well provide him with a skill that was far more useful than a Destroyer-ranked one.

...But in terms of raw power, the Destroyer-ranked one was without a doubt going to be a lot better.

It was a tough decision. One that left Leon stumped.

’Then again, finding a Destroyer-ranked bone isn’t going to be easy. It’ll also probably cost a lot. There’s no point in getting too greedy.’

Leon shook his head, ready to give up on his search, when suddenly, a voice echoed through the air.

"Get your bones! Get your bones from us! We from the Gray Chamber provide the lowest prices! You won’t be disappointed! We also offer Destroyer-ranked bones! Come before they’re gone!"

Leon’s head snapped toward the voice, though it was quickly swallowed by the chatter of merchants all around.

A Destroyer-ranked bone?

He wasn’t the only one who heard the voice ,as Aoife, Kiera, Kaelion, Caius, Amell, and Evelyn also heard it. Immediately, their interest was piqued as they all turned to look at each other before moving towards the distant stall where a fairly young man appeared.

He appeared rather skinny, with his strength hovering around the fourth to fifth tier. He wasn’t exactly strong, but turning their attention towards the woman standing next to him, they all grew incredibly serious.

While they weren’t sure of her strength, just one look at her was enough to make them all extremely apprehensive.

’She’s strong.’

Though a wave of apprehension passed over them, it was tempered by a sense of relief. If it were her, they feared being scammed less. She clearly had the strength to gather Destroyer-ranked bones.

Leon and the others prepared to approach the stall.

However, right as they did so, they were suddenly startled to see her frowning, alongside the skinny vendor, as they both looked towards a man who was covering his face with both hands, his body trembling.

What’s going on...?

He looked to be crying. Was everything alright?

No, but most importantly...

’Why does he feel familiar?’

Leon’s lips pressed together. For whatever reason, staring at the distant merchant, Leon felt a sense of familiarity coming from him, and without knowing, he started moving on his own, reaching the stall as he suddenly asked,

"I saw that you were selling bones. If now is not a good time, then..."

The moment he spoke, the merchant suddenly seemed to freeze while the other two turned their heads in his direction, both sporting a smile.

"Ah, we have a customer."

"...Are you looking for a bone?"

For some reason, the two of them looked rather enthusiastic as they looked at him. When Leon turned his attention towards the other merchant, his brow rose as the merchant turned his back against him and squatted down towards a box filled with bones, picking one slowly before blowing on it.

An’as and Anne both looked at the merchant, and just barely managed to keep their smiles from twitching.

The hell was he doing?

No, now wasn’t the time. He quickly forced a smile.

"We offer all sorts of bones. From Infant to Destroyer. You can tell us what sort of requirement you need, and we can work to find the bone that best suits your needs."

As An’as spoke, he fixed his gaze on the man before him. Short black hair framed a face marked by striking gray eyes. He wasn’t handsome, nor was he ugly. He was simply average.

Yet, a single glance revealed undeniable strength beneath the ordinary exterior.

Anne also saw this, which was why the two of them were enthusiastic.

If he were strong, it meant that he had money.

They needed money.

Not only that, but looking behind the man, they also saw several other people, all looking around in wonder. They didn’t seem to lose out to the man in front of them, and their eyes glinted.

However, what they weren’t aware of was the fact that Leon continued to keep his gaze on the strange man.

’No matter how I look at it, he feels familiar.’

But looking at his waist and seeing a sword, Leon’s brows furrowed. He slowly started to recall some pieces of information he had heard in the past, and his eyes narrowed even further.

It couldn’t be, right?

"Customer?"

While his instincts currently didn’t work, Leon felt the resemblance become clearer and clearer as the seconds passed.

It couldn’t be him, right?

His body shook for a brief moment.

"Customer?"

But if it was him, why didn’t he turn around? Surely he recognized him...

Unless...

’He’s ignoring me?’

But why would he do that? No, taking into consideration how he had left without a word, Leon was sure that he had his own reasons. In that sense, would calling out for him now not be something he’d wish for?

Leon fell into deep contemplation.

"Customer!"

"Huh!?"

But that contemplation only lasted a few seconds before he was suddenly jolted by a loud voice as his head flicked towards the merchants, who were both looking at him with worried expressions.

"Is everything okay?"

"....Have you found the bone that you wish?"

They both looked at him with a look of anticipation. Waiting for him to give his requirements.

And soon, Leon’s mouth opened.

But...

"What do you call a fly without wings?"

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

Both An’as and Anne froze, their minds growing blank.

And just before they could process the situation, Leon continued.

"...A walk."

"...."

"...."

"...."

Lines formed across the faces of everyone present, including Leon, whose face seemed to turn as stoic as a rock.