Episode 283
Chapter 89: Temar’s First Tomb (4)
In truth, the Tona brothers hadn’t fully retreated; they were hiding behind a pillar at the end of the corridor, secretly watching Jin and Dipus.
It wasn’t out of curiosity about their conversation.
Emma had asked them to bring Jin along since they rarely crossed paths, and this was their chance.
Emma was anxious—Jin hadn’t come looking for her even once.
“Looks like Dipus is pretty shocked about something. Right, Heitona?”
“Yeah, seems that way. Maybe we should head back to Jin soon… Wait, Dipus is coming this way?”
“Crap. Are we gonna get called out for spying like sneaky rats again?”
“Just act as casual as possible.”
The Tona brothers quickly ducked their heads further behind the pillar.
Step, step. As Dipus drew closer, their hearts pounded faster.
When Dipus finally passed right in front of them, the two forced awkward smiles.
Dipus glanced at them indifferently and walked on—unlike Muna and Anne, he didn’t scold them.
In other words, Dipus treated the Tona brothers as if they didn’t exist. Not just as non-competitors, but as not even worth his attention.
He even knew from the start they were hiding behind the pillar.
Well, it was a relief that nothing happened.
But the Tona brothers’ self-esteem took a serious hit. Outside the family, they were known as the “Hell’s Sons,” feared and notorious in their own right, yet among their siblings, they were often treated like invisible air.
“Let’s just go find the youngest…”
“Yeah…”
With heavy steps but quick pace, the Tona brothers followed Jin.
Jin was waiting for them at the far end of the corridor, and like Dipus, he was aware they were spying.
“Hey, youngest.”
“Oh, it’s you guys.”
Jin turned around naturally, and the Tona brothers scratched the back of their heads.
“What’s up?”
“Well, um… maybe you’d like to…”
“Have a cup of tea?”
The hesitant Tona brothers looked almost endearing for a moment.
“Sorry, I’m busy today.”
“Oh, really? How about tomorrow then?”
“I’ll be tied up preparing for this mission for a while.”
“Ah… got it.”
“Hey, guys.”
“Yeah?”
“Sometimes, it’d be nice to see you act on your own, not just as Emma’s puppets.”
Mentioning Emma made the Tona brothers look embarrassed.
“If you just wanted to talk with me, I might have made time. The reason the other brothers keep ignoring you is because you don’t seem like true RunKandel riders, but more like Emma’s puppets.”
“Is it really that bad?”
“Is it? Or are we just weak?”
“Honestly, you’re not weak enough to be talked about like that.”
Both were 21 years old and 7-star riders—genuinely talented—but the problem was this was RunKandel. Among the riders, the Tona brothers were by far the weakest.
“Respect comes from attitude. And tell Emma one thing.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Don’t get anxious. And unless it’s something so important you have to come find me first, don’t call me around recklessly.”
The Tona brothers nodded solemnly.
It was embarrassing to be lectured by the youngest, but they had no argument—and no need for one.
They knew their place well.
Jin sincerely hoped the day would come when the Tona brothers were recognized by the entire family.
In a past life, Jin had hated them to death, but in this life, he wasn’t blind to the fact that sometimes they genuinely cared about him.
“Let’s have tea after the Black Knight assassination mission. Maybe some alcohol too.”
“Hey, kid. Do you really have to take that? Why not just fly there?”
“Nope. Flying would take forever. We have to be back at the family by March 6 at the latest.”
“Ugh, you’re gonna puke and get a headache again. So annoying.”
Murakan shook his head in frustration.
Jin and Murakan were riding the RunKandel steel carriage, heading toward the Kalon express transit gate.
“We’ve arrived, young master.”
“Good work. You can head back now.”
“Sir!”
As Jin and Murakan disembarked, all eyes on the street turned to them.
In Hupester, RunKandel riders were like stars. Just walking down the street meant endless stares.
Of course, this didn’t apply to riders like Mua and Anne, notorious for their bad tempers. RunKandel riders had the power to beat someone to death just for “unpleasant looks.”
Jin’s true personality wasn’t widely known yet, but most people had illusions about him.
They imagined a lone rider standing up to Ziphl, winning, and pursuing justice. Not entirely wrong.
Whispers spread among passersby.
Maybe that’s why many felt a strange familiarity and exchanged comments: “Is that Jin RunKandel? He’s handsome. Is that the legendary cat guardian dragon beside him?”
“Who’s calling me a cat? These idiots have lost it.”
Murakan suddenly shouted, causing the crowd to bow their heads and quickly disperse.
From now on, rumors would spread in Hupester that Jin’s guardian dragon was ferocious.
“Ah, why’d you yell like that?”
“Taking the transit gate is so annoying, and those idiots keep calling me a cat. How do they not realize I can hear everything?”
“Not everyone in the world has the hearing of an 8-star warrior. Most people probably can’t hear you.”
“I don’t care! It pisses me off!”
Murakan’s sensitivity stemmed from one thing.
Last night, he’d asked Gilly out on a date and was flat-out rejected.
—“Strawberry Pie, I heard Kalon has lots of cool places. How about we explore them together? Now that you don’t have to hide your identity, we can relax and have fun…”
—“Sorry, Murakan. Until the young master settles in, you need to be extremely careful with your behavior.”
“Just go already! I can’t stand this.”
“Shut up. How many ears do you think I have?”
“Anz Great Plains used to be the land of Chukon Tolder, right? That means there might be remnants of the Dark Magic Society there. If we spot any of those bastards, we’re all dead. Seriously.”
“We wiped out the Dark Magic Society last time.”
“Good if some remain.”
“Disgusting.”
As always, the express transit gate was quiet. The attendant called the gatekeeper as soon as he saw Jin’s rider coat, and the gatekeeper greeted them with utmost respect, guiding them to the rider-only section inside.
“Sir Jin RunKandel, it’s an honor to serve you. Please state your destination.”
“The transit gate closest to the Holla Mountains.”
“Understood. How shall I handle the transit records?”
“Delete them so no one can access.”
“Yes, have a safe journey!”
Whoosh!
As soon as the gatekeeper left, the transit gate opened.
“Kid, why the Holla Mountains? Isn’t that far from Anz Great Plains? You said you had no time and needed to get there fast.”
“I want to check something. See if we can just leave the gatekeeper alone.”
Blue magic enveloped them.
When they opened their eyes, they were at an old transit gate near the Holla Mountains. The knights waiting there saluted Jin immediately. Murakan retched beside him for a while.
Bleeegh!
“No need for attendants. This is a personal matter, so don’t worry about it and do what you need.”
Jin deliberately flew toward the Holla Mountains on Murakan’s back, in front of the knights.
After flying around aimlessly for a few hours, they landed deep in the mountains and pulled out cosmetics and hair dye from the Gold Snow tribe.
The exact products that, when applied roughly, created a perfect disguise.
“Well, it makes sense. These guys can make stuff like this so easily, no wonder they’re rich. Murakan, you should put some on too. Even if you turn into a cat, most people recognize you now.”
Jin folded his rider coat neatly into his bag and put on a plain robe. Both of them dyed their hair blue.
“I thought once you became a rider, you wouldn’t need disguises anymore. Is this really necessary?”
“Better safe than sorry. It’s nice to feel like a trainee again. Let’s head to Anz Great Plains.”
Jin took out the red gem and summoned Shuri.
Shuri silently carried the two as they sped through the mountains.
They crossed a mountain range overnight, then crossed the sea at dawn. Murakan hadn’t flown once during the trip.
When they passed through a forest, night had fallen again. Beyond it lay the Anz Great Plains.
If the Mitra Desert were covered in leaves, it would look just like the Anz Great Plains—an absurdly vast green meadow waving in the wind.
They still had another day’s journey to reach Baolai, Temar’s first tomb, as told by Pikon Minche.
Fortunately, Murakan’s fears didn’t come true. There were no remnants of the Dark Magic Society on the plains.
Occasionally, they spotted mages on missions in the distance—ordinary mages. Jin had to sweat to stop Murakan from trying to kill them, insisting they were Dark Magic Society remnants.
The mages never noticed Jin’s group.
[Meow meow…]
When they arrived, Shuri acted tired and playful.
“Good job, Shuri.”
Until they reached Baolai, the only people Jin’s group encountered were a nomadic tribe passing through. They didn’t speak the continental language, and didn’t even recognize Jin as a warrior.
Baolai looked like a low hill rising gently in the middle of the grassland.
But the reason Baolai’s terrain was slightly elevated was because it had once been a massive burial mound.
Murakan’s eyes darkened as he realized this.
Though he had been half-doubting Pikon’s words, the moment they arrived at Baolai, Murakan instinctively felt that this was truly the land where Temar was buried.
“…Take out the key, kid.”
“Have you found anything yet?”
“No, Sir Joshua. The gatekeeper reported that the twelve riders moved to the Holla mountain range, but even after combing through the mountains thoroughly, we found nothing unusual.”
Jin’s prediction had been correct.
Though the records of the gate’s use had been erased, the gatekeeper’s memory hadn’t been wiped clean.
Before Joshua could even ask, the gatekeeper had already informed him of Jin’s destination.
“Holla mountain range… Could there be something related to Solderet there? Or something he obtained during his trainee days? A person, maybe? We need to find out what the youngest was after in that place.”
But with the knights unable to bring back any information, frustration was mounting.
Suddenly, Joshua thought that Jin wouldn’t have moved so carelessly.
He was certain Jin had anticipated that someone would come looking for him and had deliberately fed the gatekeeper false information.
That thought quickly solidified into conviction.
“Sigh.”
“Sir Joshua?”
“I was too impatient. Order everyone to withdraw. Dismiss the gatekeeper—give him a decent severance.”
“Yes, sir.”
Joshua took a deep drag of his cigarette.
The bitterness lingered.