Chapter 683: Searching

Clyde woke up in his bed and slowly opened his eyes. For a few moments he was just still, staring at the ceiling, his mind struggled to settle.

His thoughts felt scattered, he couldn’t quite remember what he was supposed to focus on.

Then finally the memories returned. The ritual, the hidden dimension that might hold answers about the Ancient One.

Clyde exhaled and rubbed his face.

He had spent so much time thinking about the ritual that even after gathering everything he needed, his mind continued circling around the same thing. The uncertainty surrounding the ritual left him with a lot of thoughts.

But now he already knew what he needed to do next.

His expression settled. He rose from the bed, determination returning to his, he clenched his jaw.

"Time to get moving."

After washing up and changing his clothes, Clyde left his living quarters and stepped into the streets of Sivagadh Fortress.

The city was as strange and fascinating as ever.

Buildings from countless worlds stood packed together in an unusual patchwork of architecture. Ancient stone temples, metal, glass, tall structures leaned against neighboring buildings, connected by narrow bridges and makeshift walkways.

Entire blocks seemed to have grown around one another, forming crowded complexes of architecture of different civilizations blended into unique sights.

Clyde had grown accustomed to the sight, but he found himself appreciating it again now that his thoughts had settled somewhat. For the past few days, his attention had been occupied almost entirely by the ritual. He didn’t notice the world around him.

Now he allowed himself to observe the surroundings as he walked.

Several people recognized him as he passed. Some watched with open admiration, whispering among themselves about his achievements over the past few months. Some regarded him with caution, their expressions tightening whenever his gaze approached.

His reputation had spread throughout the fortress. Some considered him a capable warrior who could be relied upon. Others thought he was a ruthless man.

Clyde paid little attention to either opinion. He simply acknowledged those who greeted him with a slight nod and continued walking.

He had no intention of correcting their assumptions or making an effort to improve his reputation.

Before long, he reached Mina’s living quarters.

He stopped outside the building and waited. They had already agreed to meet there that morning, so he didn’t need to wait long before the entrance opened and Mina stepped outside.

She wore her usual combat clothes already, with her twin daggers secured at her waist.

There was a clear sense of readiness in her posture.

"Morning," Mina greeted him.

"Morning. Ready to go?"

She nodded. "Of course. Have you decided where we’re going?"

"Not yet. That’s what we need to figure out first."

They set off toward the Council building, walking side by side through the crowded streets.

"Our first priority is finding a suitable Ruin," Clyde explained. "We need somewhere relatively stable, without annoying magical trouble, troublesome monsters, or an environment that makes it difficult."

Mina considered his words before nodding. She understood that Clyde wasn’t simply searching for another place to collect resources. There was a specific reason behind his decision, but she didn’t ask him to explain. He had already made it clear that he would tell her more when he was ready.

For now, she only needed to help him find a suitable location.

"We’ll have to pretend we’re taking an ordinary mission," Clyde continued. "Once we enter a Ruin, we can look around and assess whether the location meets our requirements. If it doesn’t, we’ll complete the assignment and try another one."

"So we’re using the missions as an excuse to explore."

"More or less."

Mina smiled. "All right. I’ll leave the planning to you."

"That’s probably for the best."

She gave him an unimpressed look, though the corners of her mouth remained lifted.

Their conversation continued as they approached the Council building. Despite the crowded streets and the steady stream of warriors entering and leaving the structure, Clyde moved through the entrance without difficulty.

He was familiar with the place by now, having visited it countless times for missions and meetings.

They headed toward the reception area, where several staff members were busy processing reports and assigning new expeditions.

Clyde approached one of the receptionists and waited until she finished speaking with another warrior.

"I’d like to see the available low-difficulty missions, please," he said.

The receptionist looked up at him, then briefly glanced at Mina standing beside him. "Certainly. Are you looking for a particular type of mission?"

"Nothing specific. But for now I prefer something with a relatively straightforward objective and in a Ruin that isn’t especially dangerous."

The receptionist nodded and retrieved a stack of documents from a nearby shelf. After checking several pages, she selected a list and handed it to him.

"These are the current missions in the lower difficulty categories. The descriptions include the known environmental conditions, estimated monster threats, and the objectives assigned to each expedition. Keep in mind that some Ruins are still poorly explored, so the information may not be entirely accurate."

"I got it. Thank you." Clyde took the list and moved toward a nearby bench.

Mina followed him, and they sat down together while he unfolded the papers.

The list contained several available missions, each with a brief description of its target location, objective, and expected difficulty.

Some of them involved collecting materials from abandoned settlements, while others required investigating unusual energy readings or clearing monsters from partially explored areas.

Clyde scanned the descriptions one by one, paying particular attention to anything that mentioned stable terrain, low magical interference, or limited monster activity.

Mina leaned closer to look at the papers. "See anything promising?"

"Not yet." He turned to the next page, his eyes moving steadily across the descriptions.

Most of the missions offered him little of interest. Some of them involved Ruins with unstable magical conditions, while others took place in environments too hostile for what he wanted. A few of them appeared promising at first, only for their descriptions to reveal unpredictable monsters or dangerous terrain.

Clyde continued reading, refusing to settle for the first acceptable option.

Until finally he found one.

"I think this is pretty good."

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