After leaving the Materials Market, it was already close to noon.
The sunlight gradually grew intense, baking the flagstone road until it turned slightly white. However, the pedestrians on the street didn't decrease at all; instead, there were even more than in the morning.
Matthew and Aidan were in no hurry to return. Instead, they continued walking forward along the street.
Along the way, Matthew rarely spoke. Most of the time, he was simply observing—watching the streets, the shops, and the people.
When arriving in an unfamiliar place, the most important thing was not to rush into doing something, but to first understand it. Only by truly understanding a city could one know where the opportunities lay and where the dangers were hidden.
...
As they walked, the two of them came to a stone bridge spanning the royal capital's inner river. The bridge was very wide, enough for six carriages to pass at the same time.
Below the bridge, the river water flowed slowly. Quite a few cargo ships were docked at the riverbank, and workers were constantly carrying crates of goods onto the docks.
The wooden crates were stamped with the emblems of various chambers of commerce. There was grain, fabric, and ore, as well as many covered with black cloth, making it impossible to see what was inside.
Aidan couldn't help but exclaim, “How much stuff do they have to transport in a single day...?”
An old worker unloading cargo nearby overheard this and couldn't help but smile. “Young man, this is nothing. Today's ships are actually on the fewer side. If it were the end of the month, the entire river would be completely jammed. Sometimes, as far as the eye can see, it's nothing but ships.”
Saying that, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. “There are so many people in the Royal Capital. Everything they eat, wear, and use every day relies on these ships to be brought in.”
Matthew nodded. Just this single waterway alone probably saw an astonishing amount of wealth flowing through it every day. The heart of the empire was indeed not an empty phrase.
...
The two of them continued forward. Before they knew it, they had arrived at an open-air market. It wasn't as orderly as the commercial street; instead, it appeared somewhat cluttered.
There were many stalls, selling everything under the sun: old weapons, old armor, animal pelts, antiques, maps, and even quite a few people selling so-called “treasure maps.”
Aidan curiously picked up a piece of parchment. “Boss, is this real?”
The stall owner was a thin little old man. Hearing this, he immediately patted his chest. “Of course it's real! This was left behind by my grandfather! He saw the treasure with his own eyes back then!”
Another stall owner nearby instantly burst out laughing. “Your grandfather sees over eighty treasures a year. Hahaha!” A burst of laughter instantly erupted around them.
The little old man wasn't embarrassed either, remaining perfectly serious. “What if it's real? A person has to have dreams.”
Aidan couldn't help but laugh. He put down the map and continued forward with Matthew.
...
Just then, the sound of several people arguing suddenly came from a tavern on the street corner.
“I told you! It's real! The corpse was completely white! And there were two holes in the neck!”
Another person immediately sneered. “Here we go again. Every month, someone claims there are vampires. When has it ever been real?”
A third person lowered their voice. “This time is different. I have a relative in the Patrol Corps. I heard from him that they didn't even dare let anyone look at the corpse. It was carted away that very night.”
The tavern instantly grew a bit quieter. Someone couldn't help but ask, “Is that true or false?”
The man looked left and right, his voice dropping even lower. “Why would I lie to you? It happened right over in the Theater District. I heard it's already not the first one. Lately, several households have been closing their doors early at night, and the patrol knights are more numerous than before.”
But another person shook his head. “Don't scare yourself. If there really were vampires, would the Church just ignore it? Would the Royal Capital still be this peaceful?”
The person who had spoken first fell silent for a moment, then slowly said, “Who knows. Anyway... just go out less at night.”
...
Matthew didn't stop. He passed by the tavern entrance like any ordinary passerby, as if he hadn't heard a thing.
But in his heart, he had already firmly memorized this information.
The Theater District. The Theater District again.
Yesterday, the Blood-Veined Rapier had come from there, and the weapon shop manager had warned that there was something wrong with that place.
Today, a mercenary said someone had gone missing there, and now someone in the tavern mentioned suspected vampires.
These clues were starting to slowly converge. Taken individually, they might just be rumors. But when put together, the meaning became completely different.
Matthew slightly narrowed his eyes. He didn't immediately believe it, nor did he immediately dismiss it; instead, he silently kept it in mind.
There was a saying in his previous life: Where rumors appeared, there might not be truth, but before the truth appeared, there would surely be rumors first.
He believed that within these rumors, something real was definitely hidden. It was just that now was not the time.
Night gradually enveloped the Royal Capital. Compared to the daytime, the streets outside the window were much quieter, but they were not completely silent. On the contrary, another kind of bustle belonging to the night was slowly emerging.
Laughter drifted from distant taverns, and occasionally, a drunken mercenary sang loudly. The sound of carriages decreased, replaced by lighter footsteps. People who rarely appeared during the day began to walk onto the streets.
Matthew stood by the window, quietly watching all of this.
He suddenly realized an interesting thing.
The daytime Royal Capital belonged to merchants, artisans, mercenaries, and ordinary residents. Everyone had their own place, and everyone moved under the sunlight.
But when night fell, the city seemed to change to a different set of masters. Nobles, high-ranking members of chambers of commerce, and black market traders—those who were unwilling to be seen by ordinary people—began to appear.
This was not unique to the Royal Capital. Any city large enough would have this kind of duality. It was just more obvious in the Royal Capital because it was big enough—big enough to accommodate countless secrets.
...
Matthew withdrew his gaze and returned to the table.
On the tabletop lay some ordinary items he had purchased today: a more detailed map of the Royal Capital, a travel brochure introducing the districts of the Royal Capital, and a few reference materials he had casually bought from shops.
He hadn't bought anything precious, because his purpose today was never to spend money. It was to observe, to understand, and to build his own perception.
Opening the map, his finger slowly slid across several districts: the Class Holder Plaza, the Materials Market, the Commercial District, the Theater District, the Noble District, and the Scholar District.
...
Finally, it stopped on the Scholar District.
Matthew's brow furrowed slightly. This was also a place he was relatively interested in. Because wizards were often inseparable from knowledge.
But the problem was that ordinary scholars and true wizards were completely different things.
The former might study history, alchemy, magical beasts, or even knowledge that ordinary people couldn't comprehend.
But the latter mastered power that transcended the mortal realm. They wouldn't just casually appear on the streets, they wouldn't wear conspicuous robes, and they wouldn't walk around carrying staves.
If that were really the case, the wizard community wouldn't be so mysterious.
At this thought, Matthew gently tapped the tabletop. What he lacked right now was not a method to search, but a direction to pursue.
...
Early the next morning, Aidan left the inn. He began to gather information in the way Matthew had instructed yesterday.
This time, however, he didn't directly ask, “Are there wizards in the Royal Capital?” like before.
Because that would be completely meaningless. When an ordinary person asked about wizards, there were only two likely outcomes: they didn't know, or they talked nonsense.
So Aidan changed his approach. He began to ask more ordinary questions, such as: “Have there been any strange occurrences in the Royal Capital lately?” “Are there any places one shouldn't go at night?” “Are there any particularly strange people?” “Are there any rumors?”
These were questions that ordinary people found much easier to answer.
...
In the morning, at a Class holder tavern, Aidan sat in a corner. A cup of cheap ale was placed in front of him, and opposite him was a young mercenary.
“Strange occurrences?” The mercenary thought about it. “Now that you mention it, there actually is one.”
Aidan immediately became attentive. “What is it?”
The mercenary looked around and lowered his voice. “The Theater District.”
The Theater District again. Aidan's heart stirred, but his expression remained unchanged. “What's going on there?”
The mercenary took a sip of his alcohol. “I don't know. Anyway, it's been pretty spooky over there lately. It used to be very lively at night. All sorts of young noble masters and merchants would go. But recently, it's been visibly deserted at night.”
Aidan frowned. “Why?”
The mercenary shook his head. “No one knows. Some say it's a security issue, some say it's haunted, and others say several servants of noble families have gone missing.”
Aidan fell silent. “Missing?”
The mercenary nodded. “Yeah. But this kind of thing isn't considered rare in the Royal Capital. There are outsiders coming in every day. Some leave, some disappear. No one pays too much attention.”
These words plunged Aidan into deep thought. Because Matthew had said yesterday: don't look for answers, look for anomalies first. And disappearances were anomalies.
...
In the afternoon, Aidan went to the docks again. The information here was even more mixed, with sailors, merchants, porters, and mercenaries—people of all identities—gathering.
The rumors circulating here were often much more direct than those in the Noble District.
An old crew member who was drinking said, “Don't go to the north side at night lately.”
A person nearby laughed. “Isn't the north side the Noble District? How could a poor sailor like you even go there?”
The old crew member glared at him. “I'm talking about the road. There have been several night carriages lately. Very strange. No chamber of commerce emblem, and no noble insignia either. But there are a lot of guards.”
Someone nearby asked, “What are they transporting?”
The old crew member shook his head. “No idea. Anyway, it doesn't look like ordinary cargo.”
Aidan didn't chime in, merely noting it down silently. Carriages with no emblems. Nighttime activity. A large number of guards.
...
Taken individually, this information had no meaning. But if put together, one would find that there were indeed some unusual activities in the Royal Capital at night.
In the evening, Aidan returned to the inn. When he pushed open the door, Matthew was organizing the reference materials he had bought today.
Seeing Aidan return, he looked up. “How did it go?”
Aidan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he closed the door, and after confirming no one was around, he said in a low voice, “Brother Matthew, I think... there might really be something unusual going on at night in the Royal Capital.”
Matthew stopped what he was doing and looked at him. “Tell me.”
Aidan took a deep breath and recounted everything he had heard today in detail. The Theater District, the disappearances, the night carriages, and the strange rumors.
...
Matthew listened, not speaking for a long time.
Afterward, his finger gently tapped the tabletop. There was no surprise on his face; instead, a faint smile appeared.
Because the clues were starting to appear. The things that were truly hidden had finally revealed their first trace.
Matthew didn't speak immediately. He just sat there, his finger gently tapping the tabletop. Once, and then again.
The room was so quiet that only the faint sound of the wind outside the window could be heard.
Aidan stood nearby, initially somewhat excited, but seeing Matthew's reaction, he also slowly quieted down.
He knew that Matthew was thinking, and about something very important.
After a moment, Matthew slowly spoke. “Organize what you just said once more.”
Aidan nodded. “First, the Theater District has recently become deserted at night. Second, people have gone missing. Third, some carriages without any identification are active at night. Fourth, quite a few people have started warning others not to go near certain places at night.”
Matthew nodded. “Is there anything else?”
Aidan thought about it. “There are also some minor rumors, though I don't know if they're true or false.” “Speak.”
“Some say that several servants of wealthy merchants have gone missing recently. Others say that guards of noble families have seen strange people. But as for what exactly it is, no one knows.”
Matthew leaned back in his chair, his gaze gradually growing deep.
This information sounded very vague, and most of it couldn't even be confirmed as true or false.
But for him, it was already enough. Because what he was looking for was never a specific answer, but anomalies.
In the world of ordinary people, a large number of unexplained anomalies wouldn't suddenly appear without reason.
...
“Aidan.” “Yes, sir.” “How much of this information do you think is true?”
Aidan was taken aback, then shook his head. “I don't know. Probably not even half.”
Matthew smiled. “Then that's correct.”
Aidan was somewhat puzzled. “Correct?” “Yes.”
Matthew stood up and walked to the window. “Truly important secrets never appear in their true form. What ordinary people see will always only be fragments.”
“A disappearance, a rumor, a strange transaction, a person unwilling to reveal their identity... taken individually, these things have no value. But if there are enough of them, they will form a pattern.”
Aidan nodded thoughtfully. He used to be just a Knight apprentice. Most of the time, he solved problems with his sword, not with these kinds of things.
But after following Matthew, he discovered that this man's way of thinking was completely different.
...
Matthew looked down at the map of the Royal Capital on the table, his finger landing on the location of the Theater District. “Here.”
Aidan followed his gaze. “The Theater District?” “Yes.”
Matthew nodded. “The Blood-Veined Rapier came from there as well.”
Aidan's expression changed. He certainly remembered that weapon which had made him sleep uneasily last night. “So... you think they're related?”
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