Chapter 748: Night Crow Harbor (1)

Chapter 748: Chapter 461: Night Crow Harbor (1)

Strangely, the young woman’s skin was slack and her hair was withered, giving her an extremely bizarre appearance.

“This is Clotho, the second daughter of the Leo Clan…”

The female agent’s expression was hesitant.

It seemed she recognized the young woman’s identity.

“However, although I don’t know how she survived, judging by her appearance, she must have lost a portion of her Vitality due to the ritual’s power.”

As she spoke, her gaze fell on Su Ta, and a flicker of pity crossed her eyes.

At that moment, Su Ta pretended to have just awoken from a faint.

“Who… who are you people?”

Su Ta feigned terror, her face pale as she took half a step back, her back pressing against the cold wall.

Her fingers unconsciously clutched the hem of her clothes, her knuckles white from the force. Her gaze darted uncertainly between these uninvited guests.

The lead Federation Agent made a placating gesture, and the female agent beside him understood and took a step forward.

“Miss Chris, please don’t be afraid.”

She deliberately softened her voice.

She seemed very experienced in this regard.

“We are agents from the FBI. Can you tell us what happened here?”

As the female agent spoke, she pulled out a badge from an inner pocket. The metal emblem flashed coldly under the light.

She maintained a perfect distance—not so close as to intimidate the victim, yet near enough to intervene if necessary.

“I… I don’t know. When I woke up, I was here. My head hurts so much!”

Su Ta clutched her head, her face a mask of pain. Her shoulders trembled, the very picture of a terrified young woman.

Seeing this, the female agent glanced at her captain.

“It must be interference from the ritual. Get her out of here first!”

The man frowned at the sight and ordered.

…

The morning mist, like gauze soaked in milk, shrouded the stone-paved roads of Oak Town.

As time passed, the eastern sky began to show a grayish-white hue, like the inside of an oyster shell.

One by one, the wooden windows in the town began to creak open.

As far as the eye could see, there were rows upon rows of sloped-roof wooden houses.

The many oak signs looked like oil-soaked parchment in the morning mist.

At that moment, near the side of the road, stood a tavern.

On the sign by the door, a short sword was painted plunging into a barrel.

Below it was a line of text: The Rusted Sword and the Oak Barrel.

This was a tavern that was open all day.

Right then, behind the bar, a young woman with long, flaxen hair was propping her face up with her hand, her head occasionally drooping.

Strands of her hair spilled over her bent arm, and the morning light filtering through the windowpanes cast a delicate shadow beneath her eyelashes.

She seemed to be dozing off.

Just then, the wooden-beaded curtain at the entrance was pushed aside by an arm.

TING-A-LING!

The wind chime beside it also rang out softly.

The dozing woman jolted.

She shook her head and quickly stood up.

Her gaze turned to the doorway.

“Welcome!”

A sturdy figure strode into her line of sight.

This was a man with red hair and red eyes.

He was tall, his hair like a burning flame, while his eyes were a much deeper, darker red.

His Leather Armor was damp with night dew, and his boot soles were caked with mud, clear signs that he had traveled a long way through the night.

The wilderness, after all, was not safe at night.

Anyone with the Ability to travel by night was by no means weak.

‘This man must be quite strong,’ the young woman judged inwardly.

Just then, the man’s gaze swept across the tavern hall. Morning light slanted in through the grime-caked windows, illuminating the mess on the floor in sharp detail.

Figures and wine bottles were scattered haphazardly.

These were all drunks sleeping off a binge.

The air was thick with the pungent stench of cheap ale, sweat, and vomit.

Off to the side, two waiters had already started cleaning up.

“Get me something to eat, and find me a quiet spot.”

The man said casually, then reached out and slapped a Silver Lion onto the bar.

“The rest is your tip!”

The young woman’s eyes lit up!

She picked up the Silver Lion and inspected it.

After confirming it was genuine, the smile on her face became all the more sincere.

“Devon, my dear brother, stop sleeping! Come watch the bar for me!”

She reached out and patted the sleeping Young Man beside her.

Then, she turned her gaze to the man, her tone now holding a hint of humility.

“Honored guest, we have private booths. Please, follow me.”

She then led the man up the stairs.

The wooden steps creaked softly under their feet.

As they walked, the young woman explained the tavern’s layout.

The tavern had three floors in total.

The ground floor was the public dining area, while the upper floors were for private dining.

The top floor had guest rooms rented out to traveling merchants.

Soon, the man was led to a booth and seated.

The young woman took out a booklet that looked like a menu and handed it to the man.

After the man finished ordering, the young woman was about to leave when he called out to her.

“By the way, I need to get to Night Crow Harbor. Do you know if there are any caravans heading that way from here?”

Thanks to the man’s generous tip, the young woman seemed to be in a very good mood.

She didn’t hesitate to answer his question.

“Night Crow Harbor? Sir, you could go ask Old Butte. His place is just out the door, to the end of the road, and on the right…”

She raised her hand and gestured the directions for the man.

However, halfway through her gesturing, she remembered the man’s generous tip.

“How about this? If you need, sir, I can take you there myself. No extra charge.”

She added at the end.

“Thank you, then!”

The man nodded.

Watching her leave, he retracted his gaze.

He picked up the oaken wheat ale—a specialty of Oak Town—and took a small sip.

Instantly, a cool, alcoholic flavor blossomed in his mouth.