Chapter 181 Soragon Bazaar and Trade

Edgar stood at the top of the Fortress wall, looking down at the land on the other side.

The darkness of the Eternal Night had already settled over the world, leaving only the faint glow of the Fortress lights behind him.

He had expected something to happen after the death of the Nightmare King.

Perhaps another wave of Nightmares would appear but so far, there had been nothing.

There were Nightmares outside the Fortress. A large number of them, in fact.

However, compared to the army that the Nightmare King had brought with him, they amounted to almost nothing.

The watchtowers were enough to deal with them.

Every few moments, one of the defensive structures would activate.

Edgar watched one of them get struck by a projectile before slowly disappearing into the darkness.

‘So this is the aftermath?’

He had expected the death of the Nightmare King to cause some kind of chaos among the Nightmares.

Instead, everything had become strangely quiet.

Perhaps the Nightmare King had been the only one strong enough to organize such a large army.

Edgar wasn’t complaining though. He had enough things to deal with already.

He leaned against the wall and looked toward the distant horizon.

Edgar remained there alone for several minutes before he heard footsteps behind him.

He turned his head and a familiar woman was walking along the top of the wall.

Semele approached him with a gentle smile on her face, her long black hair moving slightly in the cold wind.

She eventually stopped beside him and Semele looked toward the land.

The two remained like that for a long time.

Several minutes passed.

Edgar eventually frowned.

‘What does she want?’ Edgar sighed internally. ‘She’s the one who came here, yet I’m the one waiting for her to say something.’

Eventually, Semele broke the silence. “I want you to investigate the underground section.”

Edgar blinked and turned toward her. “Why all of a sudden?”

Semele’s gaze remained fixed on the darkness ahead. “Because it will be important for your Fortress.”

Edgar remained silent.

Her words were vague, but that was hardly surprising coming from her.

Still, he already had plans to investigate the place.

“I was going to do it anyway.”

Semele looked at him. “Even if I didn’t tell you?”

“Yes.”

She smiled. “You don’t have to be shy about it.”

Edgar scoffed. “I’m not shy.”

Semele’s smile widened slightly. “Of course.”

Edgar narrowed his eyes at her. He wasn’t sure whether she was teasing him or simply enjoying watching him get annoyed.

The two remained silent again.

The cold wind passed between them, carrying the faint smell of smoke from the battlefield.

Edgar looked toward the darkness for a moment before turning back toward Semele.

“Semele.”

“Hmm?”

Edgar hesitated for a moment before he asked the question that had been sitting in the back of his mind.

“How old are you?”

Semele’s smile didn’t disappear but it became slightly more playful. “You can’t just ask a lady her age.”

Edgar frowned. “I saw a statue.”

Semele’s expression remained unchanged.

“It looked eerily similar to you.” Edgar continued. “Not just similar. It looked almost exactly like you.”

Semele kept smiling. “You think too much.”

“I know what I saw.” Edgar’s voice became more serious. “I can’t be mistaken.”

Semele didn’t answer.

The smile remained on her face, but the playful feeling behind it had disappeared.

She quietly looked at Edgar and she took a step closer.

Edgar didn’t move. She continued walking until there was almost no distance between them.

Edgar’s back remained against the stone wall as Semele completely entered his personal space.

Her face was extremely close to his own and he could feel her breath against his skin.

Semele’s crimson eyes stared directly into his. “You shouldn’t come too close to me.”

Her voice was soft and there was still a smile on her lips.

“Otherwise…” She leaned slightly closer. “…I’ll destroy you.”

Edgar’s eyes narrowed and before he could respond, Semele stepped backward.

Her smile returned to normal. She turned around and casually began walking away.

Edgar stared at her back. ‘What a weird woman.’

Semele continued walking until she disappeared down the stairs.

Edgar remained on the wall for a little longer. He looked toward the place where she had disappeared.

There was something about her that he couldn’t understand.

The more he learned about her, the less sense she seemed to make.

Edgar eventually shook his head. “Whatever.”

He turned back toward the battlefield.

—

The next morning arrived.

The grey-black fog once again covered the world, replacing the darkness of the Eternal Night with the strange, dim light that always came with the beginning of the day.

Edgar didn’t waste much time. After finishing his morning routine, he prepared his horse and left the Fortress.

His destination was the Soragon Bazaar.

The journey was relatively quiet. Edgar eventually reached the familiar settlement.

The Soragon Bazaar looked almost exactly as it had before.

The streets were busy again.

Merchants moved between the buildings while workers carried boxes and supplies through the crowded roads.

People were talking, buying food, repairing shops, and returning to their normal lives.

He dismounted from his horse near the entrance.

The soldiers guarding the gate immediately straightened. “Lord Edgar!”

They saluted him.

Edgar simply nodded. “Continue your work.”

“Yes, Lord Edgar.”

He walked through the gate without stopping.

As he moved through the bazaar, Edgar looked around. People were moving around normally.

‘Gordon really did a good job taking care of this place.’

Considering everything that had happened, Edgar had expected the city to still be struggling.

Instead, it had already returned to its previous state. He continued walking toward the second Fortress.

The castle stood at the center of the settlement, protected by its own walls and guards.

When Edgar entered through the main gate, the guards immediately recognized him.

No one stopped him all they did was simply bowed as he passed.

Edgar entered the castle and walked through the familiar corridors.

The servants bowed as he passed, while several guards stepped aside to give him space.

Eventually, he reached the main hall and at the far end of the room stood the large throne.

Gordon was already there. The young-looking old man noticed Edgar immediately.

His expression brightened. He quickly walked down the staircase before kneeling in front of him.

“Lord Edgar.”

Edgar smiled. “You’ve been taking good care of this place.”

Gordon lowered his head slightly. “I only did what was necessary.”

Edgar glanced around the hall. “Still, the city looks good.”

Gordon smiled. “We were fortunate. The damage wasn’t as severe as it could have been.”

Edgar nodded before walking farther into the hall.

Gordon followed beside him.

“Lord Edgar…” Gordon hesitated for a moment. “What happened to the Nightmare King?”

Edgar looked at him. “I took care of him.”

Gordon stopped walking and his eyes widened slightly. “You… killed him?”

Edgar nodded. “The Nightmare King won’t be coming back.”

Gordon’s expression immediately relaxed.

A heavy weight seemed to disappear from his shoulders.

“Thank you.” He lowered his head deeply. “Thank you for avenging my previous lord.”

Edgar looked at him for a moment. “You don’t have to thank me for that.”

Gordon shook his head.

“I do.” He slowly raised his head. “I thought that creature would continue haunting us forever.”

Edgar remained silent. He understood that feeling better than most.

The Nightmare King had caused enough destruction.

At least now, that particular threat was gone.

Edgar walked toward the throne and sat down. The moment he settled into the seat, he let out a deep sigh.

He leaned back and looked toward the ceiling.

There were too many things on his mind including the enemies who might eventually discover what he was building.

Edgar rubbed his forehead. “Gordon.”

“Yes, Lord Edgar?”

“Call someone from the church.”

Gordon looked slightly surprised. “The church?”

Edgar nodded. “I need to talk with them.”

Gordon didn’t ask any unnecessary questions. “If that is what you want, I’ll send someone immediately.”

“Good.”

Gordon turned around and began walking toward the entrance.

Edgar remained seated on the throne. His fingers slowly tapped against the armrest.

He wasn’t entirely sure what the church would say.

But if he was going to start trading with them and use their connections, he needed to understand exactly what kind of relationship he was building.

And there was another reason. Edgar glanced toward the large doors.

The ritual was still on his mind. Ten Nightmare blood samples.

After the battle with the Nightmare King, he finally had access to enough corpses to potentially complete that requirement.

But there were still some subsidiary things that was needed to go on with the whole ritual.

Edgar was hoping the church could provide with some assistance in it.

If he could gather the blood he needed, then his strength would increase once again.

Edgar slowly clenched his fist. ‘It’s time to start preparing.’

Outside the castle, the Soragon Bazaar continued moving as usual.