Chapter 19: Growing Patterns

Angell looked outside with confusion; it was the first time since arriving in Moonlit City that he had heard such a massive horn blast. Could an emergency have occurred?

The bookstore owner walked to the window at that moment, twiddling his neatly groomed mustache and squinting to gaze into the distance toward Vishi Harbor: "Oh? So the merchant ships from the outer continents have arrived. Heh, it seems the sea route through Whale Whisker Sea has completely thawed. Once these cargo ships finish unloading, things will get lively."

Having said this, the shopkeeper instructed his assistant to rush to Vishi Harbor to keep watch. He wasn't the only bookstore in the city; if one wanted to secure more exquisite stock, it would come down to each shop's own capability.

"The Whale Whisker Sea route is open? Then... the ships from the Prosperous Continent are coming? Or rather, they have already arrived." Angell looked into the distance in silence, his heart carrying a hint of hope and a touch of melancholy.

After a moment, a smile returned to Angell's face. He set aside his unnecessary thoughts and began flipping through the books in his crates.

To Angell's surprise, most of the books in the three crates were precious leather scrolls. Although it was obvious from the look of the parchment that the quality was poor, it was only natural, as mainstream precious leather scrolls were typically held by noble families, while folk-made parchment was bound to be slightly inferior.

The shopkeeper had wrapped all the books tightly, ensuring, as he had promised, that they were safe from mold. Seeing that it was still early, Angell simply sat down and began reading them one by one.

The sands of time continued to drip. When the floating clouds at the horizon turned crimson and the gray-white seagulls returned to the reefs, twilight descended upon the entirety of Moonlit City. Only then did Angell stand up, brush the fine dust from his trouser legs, and point to a wooden crate, saying to the shopkeeper, "Please help me deliver the books in this crate to the Glory Crown of the Bounty Guild."

The Glory Crown was undoubtedly the most luxurious inn on the entire North Shore. How could the shopkeeper not have heard of it? He immediately ordered his assistant to carry the crate and follow Angell.

Books were expensive in themselves, and since Angell had bought so many this time, he had spent a full 30 gold coins—nearly equivalent to the ten-year income of a family of four. Angell felt the sting in his own pocket, but thinking that books were synonymous with knowledge, and that knowledge could be converted into money, he found some solace... though he knew deep down that this was merely a way to comfort himself.

Along the way, Angell could clearly feel the excitement of the surrounding crowd; everyone wore expressions of joy. The opening of the Whale Whisker Sea route was a formal good omen for this year's shipping season.

By the time he returned to the inn, the sun had just completely set at the edge of the sea. A sliver of lavender-red lingered on the coastline, while Moonlit City had already fallen under the curtain of night.

Before Angell could even enter his room, he saw the door directly opposite open, and the siblings Moro and Allen walked toward him.

"I just received word that the cargo ships from the Prosperous Continent have reached the Moonlit Canyon mouth and will arrive at Vishi Harbor tomorrow morning. Organize the things you want to take tonight, and we will board the ship tomorrow at noon." Moro glanced at the bookstore assistant following Angell, then at the entire crate of books, and said with a smile, "You are certainly well-prepared. It's good to buy some books. We will be at sea for nearly half a year; reading will help pass the time."

After speaking, Moro turned to his two grandchildren: "You two go back and pack your luggage as well. Starting tomorrow, your easy life will say goodbye to you."

The bright moonlight gently soothed the gradually quieting Moonlit City. Standing on the terrace and looking southward, Angell's thoughts drifted through a thousand turns, but ultimately, he only shook his head, bidding farewell to a carefree past.

Night birds pierced the sky. Vishi Harbor had been busy all day, and finally, after midnight, it fell into complete silence.

The quiet harbor was pitch black, save for a few oil lamps hanging from wooden pillars that were nearly burnt out.

At that moment, a dark shadow suddenly darted through the dim light from a small, secluded boat. In that fleeting flash of light, one could see a figure completely covered in black.

The figure ran swiftly, quickly exiting Vishi Harbor. He stayed on paths without light throughout his journey; one could only see a pair of glowing green eyes by the moonlight, but no other features.

The figure in black was like a lone wolf running through the night—silent, untainted by the mundane world, yet possessing a speed comparable to a cheetah.

Just as the figure reached the central district of Moonlit City, he suddenly let out an "Eh?" and halted his rapid pace.

That soft exclamation, carrying a melodious frequency, was clearly a woman's voice!

"Strange, why do I sense a trace of Illusion Demon aura? Could it be that King Guman has reached an agreement with the people of the Savage Caves?" The woman in black had a hint of fear in her eyes. If an Illusion Demon truly arrived, she would surely be doomed the moment they crossed paths. "Dammit, it's just a broken hat, yet it has chased me for two whole years!...Could it be that the crown possesses something special beyond just symbolizing imperial power?"

The woman in black did not dare to think further. She glanced toward the direction of the Illusion Demon's aura, shuddered, and fled without looking back.

The direction she looked was precisely where the Bounty Guild was located.

Under the soft moonlight, Angell's eyes were closed in sleep. His hand moved involuntarily to scratch his back, his sleeping expression etched with pain.

Unseen by anyone, a glowing green pattern slowly spread from a small dot near Angell's scapula, extending bit by bit like a creeping vine...

Angell was awakened by Moro's knocking.

With a sense of fatigue, Angell opened the door to find Moro dressed in black robes, and the siblings Allen and Irene already fully dressed behind him.

Angell froze. Why were they up so early?

The next second, Irene's answer resolved his confusion: "Brother Pat, we've already had lunch. Why haven't you gotten up yet?"

Had lunch? Angell's mind went blank. If he remembered correctly, hadn't Moro said they were boarding the ship at noon today?

A flash of embarrassment crossed Angell's face. His mind raced, and he coughed twice before speaking: "Sorry, I was organizing my luggage too late last night, so... please wait a moment, I'll be out immediately."

After saying this, Angell closed the door before they could react.

Looking at the closed door, Moro said nothing. He led the confused Irene and the indifferent Allen downstairs.

Watching the bustling scene outside his window, Angell realized with a shock that he had indeed overslept. Without time to ponder why, he hurried to wash his face.

It wasn't until he had finished dressing and had the waiter carry his luggage away that Angell began to wonder.

Yesterday, he had gone to sleep at his usual time, so why was he only being woken up when the sun was high in the sky? For someone like Angell, who always valued time, this was an unprecedented occurrence.

Angell thought deeply for a long time, only having a vague feeling that his sleep last night had been restless. He felt a persistent itch on his back, as if ants were crawling through the blood vessels beneath his skin, accompanied by a maddening itch and an indescribable burning pain.

Could this long, heavy sleep be related to that?

Angell instinctively reached back to scratch his back, but felt nothing unusual.

*Must be an illusion,* he thought.

Even after reuniting with Moro and the others, Angell could not reach a conclusion, so he had no choice but to let it go, attributing everything to mental exhaustion.

(End of Chapter)