Chapter 31: Arrival at the Royal Capital

"I... I understand."

Godalier lowered her head.

The old bard, who had been silent by her side, seemed to have sensed something. His gaze drifted between the two of them, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

Godalier followed the bard away. Before leaving, she looked back, seemingly hoping to see a trace of reluctance in Gai's expression or to hear him ask her to stay.

But Gai said nothing and did nothing.

Godalier had to withdraw her gaze, disappointed.

She followed the old bard in a daze for a long time, not realizing when they had arrived at a flower-filled grove.

Startled, Godalier stopped in her tracks.

She looked up, but amidst the waist-high, multicolored flowers, the white-haired Mr. Bedy was nowhere to be seen.

"Godalier."

A mature, gentle female voice suddenly came from behind her.

The girl turned around abruptly.

She stared in astonishment to find a fairy glowing with light standing behind her!

The stranger had golden hair draped over her shoulders, with two strands braided and wrapped around her forehead. Her exquisite features, fair skin, the pale green dress she wore, and the gorgeous, colorful scale-like wings on her back...

She looked just like a fairy from the legends!

Godalier was very surprised. She opened her mouth and asked:

"Are you..."

The fairy in the green dress smiled gently and said:

"Let me reintroduce myself. I am Bettina, a Spirit of Nature from the Flower Kingdom in the south of the Magical Forest."

"Bedy... Fairy Bettina."

Godalier quickly lifted her skirt and curtsied.

The skepticism she had harbored earlier now transformed into certainty and shock.

Bettina fluttered her iridescent wings and flew in front of the girl, gently tapping her forehead with a fingertip. A faint, firefly-like glow emerged.

"I saw loss and reluctance in your eyes, but I did not see resolve, Godalier."

The fairy chuckled.

The girl was stunned.

"He replaced the gentle truth with cold lies, only to help you break free from a weak fate."

The fairy continued, her wings fluttering as she shed countless sparkling dust motes. In front of Godalier, they conjured the image of a heart covered in blue frost.

"Godalier, do you see? The curse is gnawing at Sir Gai's heart. His time is far more limited than you think... In just one year, he will die."

"When the ice and snow consume the last of his warmth, you won't even have the right to warm his hands."

"?!"

Godalier was shocked.

"Gai only has one year left?!"

"As regrettable as it is, that is the truth."

Bettina nodded.

She withdrew her hand from the girl's forehead and waved it again, a burst of searing fire dispersing the dust around them. The image of the heart vanished.

"The love Sir Gai keeps sealed in his heart is hotter than this fire; you were just too foolish to notice. In such chaotic times, weakness is the original sin... His words were only intended to make you strong."

"So, Gai did it on purpose."

Godalier murmured, stunned.

"Did... did he actually love me all along?"

"Of course."

"Then what should I do, Fairy Bettina?"

Godalier straightened her posture and asked solemnly.

"What you must do is race against time, master magic as soon as possible, and possess great power... I believe that with your talent, you will achieve this soon."

She winked at the girl.

"Then go save him... and protect him."

"Save Gai, protect Gai!"

Godalier's eyes lit up, as if a fierce fighting spirit and determination had been ignited within her.

That's right, it had always been Gai protecting her. Now that he was being claimed by a curse, and she had the opportunity to learn magic...

She should no longer shrink away or hide in his embrace.

From now on, let her be the one to protect him!

The girl swept away her previous dejected appearance, becoming high-spirited and determined.

Seeing this, Bettina breathed a silent sigh of relief.

...

...

'Godalier has finally left.'

Wang Xi breathed a sigh of relief.

He was currently riding a horse, racing to reach the entrance of the capital with the spinning wheel caravan before sunset.

A massive stone bridge spanned a wide, clear river. Tall banners were planted on the stone piers on both sides, bearing an emblem of a stag's head entwined with roses.

That was the symbol of the Stag Royal Family.

Peddlers, porters, and merchant caravans passed by incessantly. Carts loaded with grain, fruits, vegetables, or iron ore rattled over the stone bridge, making crisp sounds.

The arched city gate, built of massive gray-white stone, stood imposingly. A squad of guards stood on each side of the entrance. They were clad in armor and held spears, their serious faces maintaining a look of constant vigilance.

"Line up and prepare for inspection."

A lead guard shouted coldly.

The travelers dared not disobey.

Before long, it was the spinning wheel caravan's turn.

Steward White stepped forward honestly to show his credentials, and the group passed through the gatehouse without incident, entering the capital.

Once the dimness of the gate passed, a remarkably wide stone-paved avenue suddenly came into view.

The buildings on both sides were square, mostly featuring ochre-red tile roofs and honey-colored stone walls. The windows and doors were arched, and red and green banners hung from the three-story balconies.

People came and went; it was very prosperous.

The sounds of hawking, blacksmithing, and carriage wheels intertwined.

The scents of cinnamon, flowers, and freshly baked bread wafted through the air.

Yet, beneath this bustling scenery, there were still pockets of gloom.

Wang Xi rode slowly, noticing many beggars huddled in corners along the way, dressed in rags. There were also women wrapped in tattered burlap, kneeling by the roadside, begging in mournful tones.

They formed a stark contrast to the nobles and wealthy people who walked by in long strides, wearing gold-embroidered cloaks.

"Sir Gai, we have arrived."

At this moment, Steward White, riding alongside him, smiled.

Wang Xi withdrew his gaze and noticed that the caravan had stopped in front of a tall, domed building.

In the center of the honey-colored walls were five-meter-tall double doors, with well-dressed businessmen coming and going.

A long iron rod was stuck straight into the wall, hanging a wooden sign with exquisite patterns, inscribed with the words "Spinning Wheel Chamber of Commerce."

"Sir Gai, please wait a moment. I will complete the handover and then present the promised reward."

White dismounted and said respectfully to Wang Xi.

"Please go ahead, Mr. White."

Wang Xi also dismounted, smiling and nodding.

Not long after, White emerged from the chamber of commerce building, holding an exquisite wooden box, and walked straight up to Wang Xi.

"This is 210 stag gold coins. Please keep them safe, Sir Gai."

Wang Xi raised an eyebrow and thanked him as he accepted it.

He hadn't expected White to include the original 10 gold coins as well. Although this was a minor detail, it fully demonstrated that White was not only good at business but also very good at handling people.

At this moment, White lowered his voice:

"I have already reported the ambush by the 'Finger Society' to the Guild Master upon our return to the capital. Although Sir Gai is a powerful wizard, you must still be careful of the retaliation from that bunch of desperadoes; they have many underhanded methods..."

"Thanks for the warning, I will be careful."

Wang Xi smiled.

On the way here, he had already obtained detailed intelligence about the "Finger Society" from White.

It was a gray organization operating in Daphniel, consisting of a motley crew of gamblers, drunks, thieves, fighters, and even some wandering swordsmen and fallen knights.

In short, they never did any good and were capable of every evil.

They were animals among animals, genuine bastards.

The reason they hadn't been wiped out yet was, firstly, that the "Finger Society" hid everywhere with numerous informants and strongholds, making it possible to catch only small fries each time.

Secondly, they were smart enough never to touch the interests of the powerful. At most, they bullied merchants and those at the bottom of society.

Of course, the most important reason was that they had backers.

"By the way, Steward White."

Wang Xi thought of something and asked:

"Does your chamber of commerce have any monster materials?"

"Monster materials?" White laughed, then lowered his voice, looking proud: "Haha... of course! But the quantity is small; they are reserved by the chamber for the Royal Sorcerer Corps... but if Sir Gai has a need, I can help you secure a portion."

In White's view, it was perfectly normal for a wizard to need monster materials, and this served as a perfect favor.

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Wang Xi had only asked casually, not expecting they actually had some. He felt a sense of anticipation and smiled.

If he could buy monster materials containing energy with money, it would save a lot of trouble.

He still had nine wild cards in his mind waiting to be drawn, but he lacked the energy to use them.

"Sir Gai, please follow me."

White gestured and led the way.

The two walked into the chamber of commerce.

Wang Xi saw White walk quickly to a young clerk-like man at the stairs and whisper a few words. The latter nodded and turned to go upstairs.

Immediately, White led Wang Xi through the crowded lobby to the courtyard in the back. Finally, they arrived at the entrance of a small warehouse guarded by two soldiers.

"Mr. White."

The soldiers greeted him respectfully.

White nodded, took out the key from his waist, and opened the copper lock on the warehouse door.

Clang.

Wang Xi followed him inside and immediately saw various materials placed on several wooden shelves leaning against the wall.

Cleaned fangs and claws, various furs, dried organs, unrecognizable crystals, ores, and so on.

Wang Xi looked satisfied, nodded, and stepped forward to examine them one by one.

Verified by Chaos, these were indeed materials from monsters. Regrettably, most of these materials could not be converted into energy.

Wang Xi did see a few greenish goblin mushrooms, but they were already dried out, and the energy contained within them had been severely depleted.

"Sir Gai, have you found anything you like?"

At this moment, White, who was good at reading the situation, asked in a low voice.

Wang Xi scanned the room and suddenly discovered something, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He pondered for a moment and said:

"I would like to buy these goblin mushrooms, and the ore in the corner..."

Wang Xi gestured to the wooden shelf and pointed to the corner.

There were several wooden baskets piled high with prismatic, cluster-like light purple crystals.

[Aether Crystal: A crystalline ore nurtured by the influence of some mysterious force, containing energy.]

These crystals were exactly the new resource being mined from the labyrinth in the main world!

Wang Xi was secretly puzzled as to why they were here as well.