Ten days later, only Ed and Naria were the only people who entered Stonebuch through the North Gate.

Led by the horses in the midst of the crowd that was not crowded, but also flowing, they were just a pair of unremarkable young men and women, dressed in ordinary clothes and with calm expressions, and even if Ed held the cane in his hand, few people would look at them more than twice - they would probably think that he had learned a little magic in Neo City, but he would never enter the Archmage Tower in this life, and could only return to Stonebutch to inherit the family business...... There are countless such people in Ston Butch.

No one recognized him as the unrecognized Sage...... In fact, because of the fog that covered the plains of Collins, because of Ante's madness and death, because of the disappearance of Bloomer and the Staff of Eternity, no one could say for sure whether Ed was the Sage of the Water God after all—not even Brooke Xiuan remained silent about it. But as the city gradually regained its calm from the chaos caused by the plague and the king's bizarre death, not many people seemed to care about it anymore. After all, Ed wasn't the one who performed miracles to save the city from disaster, but was more worldly in the royal city...... and the rotten Stonebutch, even when Felicity was alive, the water god and her priests never enjoyed the unreserved reverence and reverence of the people as in Visa.

If he could, Ed would be willing to revert back to the simple merchant son he had been, even if he no longer had any power, even if he was once again mockingly called the "money bag" by Tess...... But that's no longer possible.

"What you gain, what you lose. You know, and people think you're likely to know...... With these on your back, there will always be someone who has a firm eye on you. Until the moment you die...... Not to mention the truth you are looking for now, which is likely to be hidden by many powerful and stealthy forces. ”

Allen's outspokenness, which left them with no very specific purpose, was clouded from the start. But since the day they set off, they have kept a low profile, but they have never deliberately hidden their whereabouts.

"You're not used to walking in the dark," Alan told him. "Then walk in the sun and act calmly, more or less. It will also reduce the chances of people who can only hide in the shadows attacking you...... But remember, stay vigilant. ”

The last sentence doesn't need to be reminded by Allen.

Although it looks very calm...... Even a little listless, but from the moment you enter Ston Butch City. Ed was already nervous. It was a city he was already familiar with. There was an unfamiliar smell in the summer sun, and every corner he hadn't noticed seemed to hide eyes peeking out...... He didn't realize that there would be so many places in this warm southern city where not even snow could fall, no matter how bright the sun was.

Too dense buildings, too many people, too loud sounds...... Suddenly, he began to miss the vastness and quietness of the ice field.

"Ed ...... Ed!"

Naria screamed twice before he could react, and turned her head at her in a daze.

The girl looked at him. He shook his head before asking, "Where are we going?"

Ed looked around in a bit of a panic. As originally planned. They should go to the Singhals' mansion in Uptown...... But they've already missed two junctions to Uptown.

Ed knew he instinctively didn't want to go home...... Even if the others didn't care, Dorian and the servants in the house could not have been ignorant of what had happened to their master, and neither sympathetic glances nor gloating whispers did he want to face it...... But he didn't expect his "instinct" to be so strong.

No...... Maybe it's just because he's wandering......

Frustrated, trying to find an excuse for himself that didn't sound so useless, he hesitated: "I think...... Maybe we might as well go to Scott first, because we have so much to tell him......"

"So, we're in such a hurry that we have to come in through the north gate with a bunch of luggage, go out through the west gate, and go back to the upper town, which is already in the west, but has to go in a big circle to the east to get to the west gate?" asked Naria, raising an eyebrow.

Ed bowed his head in humility - how could he have forgotten that Naria had been living in Stonebug for more than half a year?

Naria sighed lowly.

"Scott found me and Allen a house nearby, and he said he would keep it and we could stay whenever we came back...... I also happened to have the keys with me, maybe we can go there and drop off our bags first?" she said.

Ed nodded vigorously in gratitude.

The roses in the yard that were unattended had fallen to the ground, showing a bit of loneliness. When the closed wooden door opened, the air didn't smell musty as expected—spring in Stonebuch was so humid that the moss in the yard had grown to the walls, and a house that had been uninhabited for months shouldn't smell so fresh.

Ed subconsciously cast one or two detection spells. There was no one else in the room, but there were some things that ordinary people wouldn't have...... It was probably pretty normal for Aren - though he wasn't sure if Naria knew.

Naria pushed open the window to let the sunlight into the small living room on the first floor, and looked around in some surprise.

“...... It's cleaner than I thought. She said.

She hadn't experienced the soggy, mushroom-growing spring of Stonebuch, but she had noticed that there wasn't even much dust on the floors and on the tables and chairs.

Although she had just planned to put down her luggage, she had naturally rolled up her sleeves and started cleaning...... A moment later, when she looked back at the room with the windows polished to the surface, she seemed to notice that Ed was still standing there with a look of astonishment on his face...... And a smile that can't be suppressed.

“...... Now we can go to Scott. Naria neatly threw away the rag and straightened her sleeves, looking like nothing had happened except for a slight flush on her face.

This little episode made Ed's mood inexplicably lighter. Until he stood in front of the magnificent gate of the Temple of Nesses, he couldn't help but have a little smile on his face...... But this always makes people unconsciously unguard a smile and does not bring him much luck.

(To be continued.) )

PS: Ah, the last chapter was marked with the wrong chapter number, and I don't know how to change it...... (Sluggish face). Starting on Sunday, I have to climb out of a long drop, so this Sunday and next Sunday will stop changing, and I will stick to the update of 135...... (I've tried to save the manuscript, but I can't save that much......