Chapter 172
Episode 57: A Brief Farewell (Part 2)
Several days had passed. Tikan’s comrades had been holding continuous meetings every day, right up until mid-November of 1796.
An artifact that could track contract holders.
They had suspected such an item might exist even during the battle against Andrei. But hearing the word “compass” now still felt strangely unsettling.
“First, we’ll send the kid, Ice, and Enya somewhere else. Until we retrieve the compass, it’s best if the contract holders leave Tikan.”
That was the decision the group reached.
What would Zipple do before returning the compass to Kinzello’s side?
He would likely try to hunt down and secure as many contract holders as possible—assuming they hadn’t yet managed to create artifacts similar to the compass.
And for Zipple, there was no better hunting ground than Tikan. Three contract holders were gathered here, none affiliated with a major faction, and no transcendent beings resided on this land.
Jin and his group had no idea how the compass worked or how reliably it could locate contract holders.
They only knew it wasn’t perfect—after all, it failed to find Yuria and ended up kidnapping Latri instead.
But if, by any chance, the compass pointed to Tikan’s contract holders?
That would be a problem far beyond what they could handle right now.
“Of course, after they return the compass, they might try to make something similar. But I’ve never heard of an artifact that can find God’s contract holders in my life. Unless it’s the God of Fragments himself, it’s impossible.”
Murakan and Quikantel regarded Bubar not just as a contract holder, but as the reincarnation or second coming of Wel.
“Even if Zipple manages to create a similar artifact later, it will surely be inferior to Bubar’s compass. It’ll still be dangerous, but the time when they put all their effort into hunting contract holders is most likely now—while they have the real compass.”
That was why the group decided to send Jin, Enya, and Yuria outside of Tikan for the time being.
“It would be best to ask for protection at the Hidden Palace for Enya, Yuria, and Lady Alisa. They know roughly what’s going on, and even if the compass detects them, Zipple won’t dare touch them there.”
Enya’s younger brother, Pinte, the old dog Poopy, and Latri were also set to head to the Hidden Palace.
Murakan, Gilly, Kashimir, and Zett would remain in Tikan.
Kashimir was about to be separated from his wife and daughter for a while, but he wore a calm expression.
Who would want to be apart from their beloved family? But his daughter’s life was at stake, and perhaps even Tikan’s fate.
Above all, Yuria had already been targeted by Zipple before, so extra caution was necessary.
“What if the Hidden Palace refuses our request?” Gilly asked.
Murakan shook his head.
“That won’t happen. The lord of the Hidden Palace will see this as a perfect chance to owe a big favor to the fiancé he’s been eyeing, Strawberry Pie.”
“Hmm, fiancé, huh… You really think so?”
“I guarantee it. If it fails, I’ll talk her around. She seems pretty interested in me too. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve been called a handsome older brother in Colon.”
Murakan said this while slyly glancing at Gilly.
No, he was so blatant about it that everyone in the meeting room noticed. He was clearly hoping Gilly would show some jealousy.
But Gilly just sighed deeply, worried, without much reaction. It was a response so far from jealousy that Murakan felt sorry for him.
“Uh, well… anyway, don’t worry too much.”
“Then I’ll trust you, Murakan. Sigh… Being the nanny of a prospective rider whose aura is sealed is always like this. I guess there’s nothing I can do this time either…”
Murakan shook his head again at that.
“Just having you by our side is more than enough, Strawberry Pie.”
“By the way, where is Prince Jin going?”
Kashimir broke the suddenly awkward atmosphere, and all eyes turned to Jin.
“Ah, the kid has a different destination. It’s a place I was already thinking of sending him to soon, even without this incident. The timing just worked out.”
“Is there anywhere as safe as the Hidden Palace?”
Murakan shrugged with a meaningful look.
“As far as Zipple’s tracking goes, there’s no place safer. Even if it’s not the compass but something even more powerful, they could never find it. Not even if a god descended—that place is off-limits.”
Jin already knew about this place from a tip he received right after returning from Hosun.
“I see some of you are wondering why Enya and Ice can’t go there. But it can’t be helped. That place is reserved for the contract holders of Solderet, specifically the Runkandel Magic Swordsmen. For now, no one except Jin, the thousand-year contract holder, can enter.”
“So where exactly is that, human?” Quikantel frowned.
“The land of the Meiwang tribe.”
“The Meiwang tribe… That’s a beastman race that’s been extinct for over half a millennium, right?”
There were many beastman races in the world.
Beyond the southern border of the Zan Kingdom began the lands of the beastmen.
There were peaceful tribes like the Watertail, so fragile and gentle it was a wonder they survived, or the Goldfur, named for their rat-like appearance and obsession with gold.
There were also the Catfolk, who kept to themselves in small territories, and the White Wolf and Red Tiger tribes, whose members were all warriors.
Today, when people thought of “warrior tribes,” the White Wolf and Red Tiger came to mind first.
But long before them, the Meiwang tribe had ruled the beastmen lands with overwhelming power.
Though they had vanished over half a millennium ago, and it was now difficult to find any records, not all history had been lost.
Many scholars still worked hard to uncover the secrets of the Meiwang tribe.
Because this once-mighty tribe had suddenly disappeared around 500 years ago.
“Where exactly is the land of the Meiwang tribe, and how has it survived?”
“It remains in the Mitra Desert. All we know is that there was a contract between Solderet and the Meiwang tribe. I can’t say much more. Anyway, Jin will be going there.”
The mention of the Mitra Desert stirred the group.
“Isn’t that too dangerous? The entire White Wolf tribe might be connected to Kinzello. And the Mitra Desert… even the native beastmen get lost there.”
“It is dangerous. But it’s a place the kid has to pass through a few times anyway. It’s the land where he’ll undergo the rites to become a true Magic Swordsman. And since Kinzello hasn’t sold the kid’s face yet, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Their gazes naturally fell on Jin.
As always, his eyes showed no hesitation. So the group felt no need to say more.
“We’ll regroup next May. Meeting in Tikan to depart might raise suspicion during Zipple and Kinzello’s follow-up investigations, so we’ll meet in the Velado Principality instead. Everyone participating in the compass retrieval must gather by the end of May.”
Afterward, the group spent some time planning the compass retrieval operation and discussing various minor details.
The Hidden Palace accepted their request far more easily than Gilly had feared.
As soon as Murakan arrived at Manji Island, Talaris, riding a Mote, came out to greet him personally. “Is something wrong with our fiancé?”
“Nothing serious. You could say he’s off to take a test.”
“Oh? What kind of test?”
“That’s a secret. Anyway, we’ll send our people within three days. Say hi to your daughter for me.”
That night, a party was held to comfort the brief farewell. After today, the grand mansion in Tikan would be quiet for a while.
Southern borderlands of the Zan Kingdom.
Returning to the place where he had completed his first mission as a cadet felt fresh.
“I wonder how the youngest division is doing.”
He suddenly thought of the subordinates training as intermediate cadets. He looked forward to seeing what they would be like when he returned to the Garden of Swords.
He wore a traveler’s robe and carried a large bag containing dried food, water, a blanket, some herbs, travel artifacts, and salt.
“The Mitra Desert…”
That vast desert swallowed the heart of the beastmen lands. Even veteran adventurers obsessed with exploration and challenge rarely dared to venture there.
There were no golden treasures left by the Meiwang tribe, no lost ancient civilizations, no mysterious resources. This had been proven over many years by adventurers and renowned research institutions alike.
Many had followed myths, legends, and rumors to the Mitra Desert, but the results were always tragic.
Most succumbed to the desert’s heat and unpredictability, becoming its nourishment. Those who managed to cross it faced the harsh truth that all the stories were lies.
Even the tough White Wolf and Red Tiger tribes considered crossing the Mitra Desert a suicide mission.
“Why are you going there, little human?”
“Did you get your heart broken? Want to die? Sometimes, there are foolish humans like that.”
It wasn’t strange that the Watertail beastmen, whom Jin happened to meet after a long time in the southern borderlands, asked him such questions.
“Heartbroken? No, I’m just going. And you’re all smaller than me.”
The Watertail beastmen clicked their tongues and shook their heads.
“Ah, and you guys—do you happen to know anything about the Watertail tribe that lived in that village over there about two years ago? I think it was a village you’d reach after walking a couple of hours west from here.”
“Yeah, that village? That’s us.”
“Really? So it was you all.”
Jin smiled slyly as he looked down at the Watertail tribe members. If these were the same Watertail folks from that village, they were the ones who had shared grilled fish with Jin and the cadets when they were in rags during the rescue mission at Sember Ville.
—Human missing? We don’t know. Watertail tribe good. You all ragged. Fish. Eat. Gift.
—Yeah, yeah. I know. Thanks. It’s well cooked. I’ll return the favor next time.
Rustle, rustle.
Jin reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of small gold pieces and gems.
“Finally paying you back for that fish. Take this and use it when you trade with humans or the Goldscale tribe.”
“Hey, wait, you!?”
One of the Watertail tribe members recognized Jin. In recent years, the only humans who’d come to their village for fish were Jin and the youngest division, so they remembered him.
“This is… a lot! Too much!”
“You probably won’t have many chances to spend money in the desert, so it’s fine.”
“Suicide, as expected!?”
“No, I’m serious. Anyway, I’m heading out now. Let’s meet again sometime.”
Just as Jin was about to leave, one of the Watertail tribe grabbed his belt.
“Do you really have to go?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
“The beastmen land—right now, the Redclaw tribe’s causing trouble. Use the path we take. If you just go straight through, they’ll pick a fight for no reason.”
The Watertail tribe were good people who always made sure to get their due payment, even when it wasn’t really necessary.