Novel Full Chapter 563 Pure - I
“Safe travels, Lord Faust.”
The receptionist at the Executioner’s Guild bid farewell to the black-haired youth with utmost respect, her bow remaining until the sound of his footsteps had completely vanished.
On the sofa by the reception desk, an adventurer craned his neck towards the door, finally asking the receptionist after a while, “Yor, is that Faust the real deal or a fake?”
“He could kill you with one hand,” the receptionist rolled her eyes, “Does it matter if he’s real or fake?”
“Of course it matters! Do you even know who Faust is?”
The adventurer exclaimed, “Let me tell you, three years ago—”
“Ah, yes, I know, I know. Three years ago, he single-handedly slaughtered dozens of powerful dragons and fought the Duke of Wyvern to a standstill… You all have repeated this countless times.”
She retorted with disdain, “Not to mention the so-called forsaken soul, the sinner haunted by demons, the prisoner cursed by the abyss… as exaggerated as it gets, I’ve heard enough.”
“No, no, no, I’m different from those who like to spin tales. Listen, I saw Faust with my own eyes…”
Ansel, having left the Executioner’s Guild, was unaware of their discussions about the once-legendary Faust. The young Hydral tossed an old imperial coin in his hand, appearing to be in good spirits.
“Mr. Faust, at your current pace… the Executioners won’t be able to provide satisfactory commissions for you in less than a week.”
Marlina,following behind Ansel, noted in her notebook while speaking, “Would you like to take on more commissions?”
Her voice was gentle yet imbued with a calm authority, as if she could conjure commissions out of thin air if Ansel desired.
“That should be enough,” Ansel replied, smiling as he pocketed the coin. “We can stop after this commission.”
“I understand,” Marlina nodded slightly, tucking her notebook into her bag before pulling out a detailed scroll.
“This commission is to help a laborer in the lower district. His son has been missing for over half a month… The information provided is quite thorough, so it shouldn’t be hard to find him.”
The reward for this commission was the old coin Ansel had been tossing, likely the laborer’s last possession, advanced to the Executioners.
Marlina wasn’t surprised that Ansel had accepted such a commission. Although she had reflected quietly in the inn for two days after that day, she quickly understood Ansel’s criteria for taking commissions once she resumed following him.
Purely profit-driven conflicts and personal vendettas were of no interest to him; he preferred to handle commissions inclined towards… order, prioritizing those from common folk.
From all the commissions Ansel had accepted, he seemed almost like the righteous wanderer sung about by bards, unconcerned with lucrative rewards, merely wanting to do good deeds.
Marlina could also see that Ansel had indeed been quite happy these past few days… though he himself seemed unaware of it.
“However, the lower district…”
Ansel cast his gaze towards the area beneath Dispute Fortress, where some parts of the district never saw daylight.
“We might encounter her.”
The young Hydral, seemingly eager for the adventurer’s game, raised an eyebrow and asked, “Ready, Margarete?”
“…If you require it, I will do my utmost to handle matters concerning Miss Seraphina.”
Marlina responded calmly.
“Did you forget there’s someone from Garden handling that?”
Ansel couldn’t help but chuckle, “It’s unwise to compete with Shadewell and the Garden for work, Margarete.”
The moment Seraphina arrived at Dispute Fortress through the teleportation array, Ansel sensed his wolf girl.
This connection was mutual—but as the main head, Ansel could block Seraphina’s side of the perception.
Seraphina’s arrival at Dispute Fortress… was both surprising and not so unexpected.
Dispute Fortress was about to host the largest adventurer tournament under the Duke of Azuregold, an event renowned throughout the Western Lands. Although the ongoing war between the Duke of Bloodust and the Duke of Firmament had dampened the fervor of the tournament, it still promised to bring substantial wealth to Dispute Fortress and the Duke of Azuregold.
According to Shadewell’s intelligence, Evora’s potential whereabouts in the Western Lands weren’t limited to this place alone. Ansel’s immediate arrival and stay at Dispute Fortress had a purpose.
This journey to the Western Lands involved many tasks for Ansel. The matter of Evora was paramount, but that didn’t mean he had no other intentions.
Ansel hadn’t rushed to find Evora’s trail, even after seeing the severed hand and confirming that both Evora and Ephesande might be extremely weakened. He remained composed.
His battle with fate had reached a near-even stand; if not fifty-fifty, then certainly close to forty-sixty. Having once fallen into a nightmare, Ansel had the chance to pull his odds up to eighty percent. Though fate had successfully limited him, it also created an opponent with a more complete mindset on the opposite side of the board. Stay tuned with empire
On this journey, Ansel no longer constantly pressured and exhausted himself. Instead, as Marlina had guessed, he greatly enjoyed it thus far.
Once matters at Dispute Fortress were settled, he would embark on a new journey, potentially traversing the entire Western Lands.
Adventure—a somewhat unfamiliar term for him.
Ansel didn’t consider the journey he began three years ago as an adventure.
Rather than an adventure, it was a form of tempering, a kind of… cultivation.
A cultivation that allowed him to extract strength from pain and despair, forging a new will.
Because of this, this true “adventure” was precious to Ansel. As long as he could ensure the success of his primary goals, he didn’t mind spending extra time and effort on adventurer tasks.
Ansel rubbed the old coin in his pocket, quickening his pace towards the lower district.
Watching his figure, Marlina couldn’t help but take out her notebook from her satchel. She quickened her pace to keep up, jotting down her thoughts silently:
Mr. Ansel is awaiting the grand event at Dispute Fortress. Clearly, he has some plans involving this event… or perhaps he’s using this event as a means to target Dispute Fortress? Or does he have some other goals? I do not know.
During these days of accompanying Mr. Ansel, I’ve noticed a simpler… no, a more pure side of him. He has never shown this side before.
Maybe I should talk to Miss Ravenna. It was after her arrival that Mr. Ansel started to change.
Yet, Mr. Ansel himself seems unaware of this change. Not only him, but even the one who changed him, Miss Ravenna, doesn’t seem to think there’s anything unusual about Mr. Ansel…
But I can’t shake off the feeling that something is off. Am I being overly suspicious and paranoid?
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