“Boss,” Matthew asked casually, “who did this sword belong to before?”
The old man paused, then shook his head. “I don't know. I just bought it off someone. It was many years ago.”
Matthew didn't press further. He set down the longsword and asked instead, “How was business here in the past?”
The old man wiped the table. “In the past? It was pretty good. Back when the Theater District was bustling, many guards would come to have their weapons repaired.”
Matthew followed up, “And now?”
The old man's movements paused. It was very brief, but Matthew caught it.
“Now...” The old man fell silent for a moment. “Now is about the same.”
These words were clearly not the truth.
Matthew didn't press him. Instead, he bought a bottle of ordinary sword oil. Before leaving, he said as if casually, “Has the Theater District been a bit restless at night lately?”
The old man looked up, his expression shifting slightly. “Young man, stay inside at night.”
Matthew looked at him. “Why?”
The old man said in a low voice, “I don't know. It's just that old folks live long. Some things, if you see them, pretend you didn't. If you hear them, pretend you didn't.”
With that, the old man stopped speaking.
Stepping out of the shop, Aidan couldn't help but ask, “What does he know?”
Matthew glanced back at the weapon shop behind them. “He knows, but he doesn't dare say it.”
Aidan frowned. “Why?”
Matthew didn't answer. Instead, he looked toward the end of the street.
There, the setting sun was sinking. The Theater District during the day was still bustling, but the old man's expression just now had already proven one thing.
This place indeed hid something, and it had been hidden for a very long time.
Just as the two of them were about to leave, a voice suddenly came from an old tavern nearby.
“You two must be from out of town, right?”
Matthew stopped in his tracks and turned to look. A middle-aged man sitting by the entrance drinking was looking at them.
The aura on the man wasn't strong; he was probably just an ordinary person. But his gaze was not as simple as an ordinary person's.
“Why do you say that?” Matthew asked.
The man smiled. “Because locals wouldn't ask the question you just did.”
Aidan grew vigilant, but Matthew only looked at him calmly. “Which question?”
The man took a sip of liquor and said in a low voice, “Why it isn't quiet at night. Because they know that for what happens here at night, it's best not to know.”
Matthew didn't reply immediately. He just observed the middle-aged man sitting at the tavern entrance.
The man dressed very ordinarily, in coarse clothes and worn leather boots. He didn't even wear any weapons at his waist. If placed in a crowd, almost no one would spare him a second glance.
But Matthew noticed that this man's hands were very rough, with distinct calluses at the webs of his thumbs. They weren't left by craftsmanship, but seemed more like they were caused by holding weapons over a long period.
And his gaze was unlike that of an ordinary tavern patron. It possessed a steadiness left behind after having witnessed many things.
“Want to go in for a drink?” the middle-aged man said with a smile. “Don't worry, I'm not selling information. I just feel like you two don't look like ordinary tourists.”
Aidan glanced at Matthew and said nothing.
Matthew fell silent for a moment, then walked into the tavern.
It was even quieter here than on the streets outside. There was none of the noise found in the taverns of the Commercial District. Only a few old men sat in the corners, slowly sipping their drinks.
The air was filled with a heavy sense of time, smelling of a mixture of wood, ale, and old leather.
The three of them sat down. The middle-aged man poured himself a cup of liquor.
“My name is Ron. I used to be a mercenary. Now?” The man smiled. “Now I'm just an idle man.”
Matthew didn't introduce himself too much, only saying simply, “Just passing through.”
Ron didn't press further, but instead looked at Aidan. “A young knight?”
Aidan was taken aback. “How do you know?”
Ron pointed at his hand. “The way you hold your sword, and your walking posture. Ordinary people don't do that.”
Aidan looked down, somewhat surprised. He realized that he actually hadn't hidden himself very well. At least in the eyes of someone who had truly experienced combat, it was easy to spot.
Ron took a sip of his drink. “You asked Old Hank just now why the Theater District isn't quiet at night. Actually, this question was also asked by someone many years ago.”
Matthew's eyes flickered slightly. “Many years ago?”
Ron nodded. “Ten years ago. Back then, the Theater District was much more bustling than it is now. There were performances every night, noble banquets, and merchant gatherings. All kinds of people would come. At that time, no one thought there was anything wrong with this place.”
Having said this, he paused. “Until that year.”
Aidan couldn't help but ask, “What happened?”
Ron looked out the window, his voice growing a bit lower. “People went missing. At first, it was just a few ordinary servants. No one paid attention. Later, the numbers grew larger and larger. There were merchants' guards, theater actors, and even a servant from a noble family.”
Aidan frowned. “The nobles didn't investigate either?”
Ron chuckled, his smile somewhat complex. “Investigate? Of course they investigated. The Royal Capital is no small place, and nobles are no fools. But in the end...” He shook his head. “They found absolutely nothing.”
Matthew said nothing, but in his heart, he began organizing the information.
Ten years ago. Disappearances. Theater District. Nobles. Failed investigation. These keywords were beginning to overlap.
“What happened after that?” Matthew asked.
Ron glanced at him. “Afterward? Later, some said that those missing people didn't leave, but were taken away.”
Aidan's expression changed slightly. “By whom?”
Ron didn't answer, only whispering, “Some said it was an underground organization. Some said it was a cult. And others said... it was monsters.”
Inside the tavern, it suddenly fell silent for a moment.
Aidan lowered his voice. “Monsters?”
Ron smiled. “Young man, just take those words with a grain of salt. How many rumors are there in the Royal Capital? Vampires, demons, undead... Most of them are just made up by drunkards to scare themselves.”
He spoke very casually, but Matthew noticed that when he mentioned “vampires,” his gaze shifted distinctly. It was incredibly brief. An ordinary person might not have noticed, but Matthew saw it.
“Do you believe it?” Matthew suddenly asked.
Ron fell silent. After a few seconds, he finally said, “I didn't use to believe it. But later... it's hard to say.”
This sentence was actually more valuable than any direct answer.
Matthew didn't press further on that, but instead changed the question. “After ten years ago, what changes happened here?”
Ron thought for a moment. “A lot of changes. The theater changed owners. Some old employees left. Some places were renovated. Those rumors gradually faded away. Everyone thought the matter was in the past.”
Matthew asked, “Has it really passed?”
Ron looked at him and suddenly smiled. “Young man, you don't seem like someone who likes to believe in appearances.”
Matthew didn't answer.
Ron finished the liquor in his cup and stood up. “I've said enough for today. Let me give you a word of advice. Don't go near the old street behind the theater at night.”
Aidan asked, “Why?”
Ron looked at him. “Because there, many things happened in the past. And...” He paused. “Some places have been rebuilt, but as for the things underground, no one knows if they're still there.”
With that, Ron turned and left.
The tavern returned to its quiet state. Aidan looked at his departing back and said in a low voice, “Brother Matthew, is what he said true?”
Matthew didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked out the window.
The setting sun had already vanished, and the lights of the Theater District were gradually lighting up. Those magnificent buildings looked even more beautiful in the night, and even more mysterious.
After a moment, Matthew said, “At least part of what he said is true.”
Aidan frowned. “Why?”
Matthew pulled out his map and placed his finger behind the Theater District. There, a certain old city area was marked.
“Because when he spoke, he didn't have the excitement of making up a story. There was only recollection. People who have truly experienced fear don't sound like they are telling a story when they speak of the past. It doesn't sound like storytelling; it sounds like they are warning others.”
Matthew put away the map, his gaze turning deep.
Now, he finally had his first truly valuable clue. Not a rumor, and not a guess, but an event that had actually occurred.
Ten years ago. Theater District. Disappearances. Mysterious organization. Unknown existence. And most importantly... the Blood-Veined Rapier had also originated from here.
“Let's go,” Matthew stood up. “Let's head back for today.”
Aidan was puzzled. “We're not going to keep investigating?”
Matthew shook his head. “No need. The more rushed we are to investigate, the easier it is to be discovered. Knowing the direction is enough for now.”
The two of them left the tavern.
The night wind swept through the streets. In the distance, the Royal Capital was brilliantly lit. No one knew that in a corner of this bustling city, a secret forgotten for ten years was being brought up once again.
And that world which had slept for so long seemed to have also sensed... that someone was beginning to approach.
...
By the time they returned to the inn, the night was already deep.
The streets of the Royal Capital had not completely quieted down. It was just that the daytime bustle belonging to ordinary people had gradually faded, replaced by another, more secretive sound.
The laughter drifting from distant taverns, the soft clanking of armor as patrol knights passed through the streets, the occasional rumble of carriages, and the whispered conversations in some unknown corners.
Matthew stood in the corridor on the second floor of the inn, looking out the window at the Royal Capital. In his heart, however, he was already reorganizing the information he had obtained today.
Inside the room, Aidan lit the oil lamp on the table. The dim yellow light spilled over, casting their shadows onto the wall.
Matthew sat at the desk. The map of the Royal Capital lay before him, and his finger rested on the Theater District, not moving for a long time.
“Ten years ago. Disappearances. Theater District. The old street. And the Blood-Veined Rapier,” he murmured, reciting these pieces of information one by one.
Aidan stood beside him, listening intently. “Brother Matthew, do you think that sword... is related to what happened ten years ago?”
Matthew didn't answer right away. Instead, he picked up the Blood-Veined Rapier from the table. The black long case opened, and the dark red patterns flickered faintly under the lamplight. It was still beautiful, and still dangerous.
“I don't know,” Matthew said. “But the probability is very high.”
Aidan frowned. “Why?”
Matthew lightly stroked the scabbard. “Because it's too much of a coincidence. A special weapon of Purple quality, with the ability to influence its user, yet sold off as an ordinary weapon. And the place where it appeared just happens to be an area where anomalous rumors have existed for years. There aren't that many coincidences in the world.”
Aidan fell silent. He had actually felt it too, but he wouldn't have analyzed it this way in the past. He was used to facing enemies directly rather than searching for answers in details.
But after following Matthew, he was gradually discovering that for many things, the truly dangerous part was often not the enemy that had already appeared, but the fact that you didn't even know it existed.
Matthew didn't keep holding the sword, instead putting it back into his storage ring. “However, we can't be sure yet. We know too little. That tavern owner, that old weapon repairer, and those mercenaries. What they know are all fragments. No one truly knows the whole picture.”
“Then what do we do?” Aidan asked.
Matthew looked at the map. “We wait. Wait for more information.”
Aidan was taken aback. “Wait?”
“Yes,” Matthew nodded. “Secrets are things that fear attention the most, but they are also the easiest to show flaws over time. We already know the direction now, so there's no need to keep pressing closer.”
He paused, then continued, “Furthermore, if an organization really existed ten years ago, and they've managed to hide for this long, it means they are not simple. If we approach rashly, we will easily become targets instead.”
Aidan nodded. “Understood.”
Then, he asked again, “So what's next?”
Matthew leaned back against his chair and thought for a moment. “We explore the Royal Capital normally. Go to the Class Holder Plaza when we should, continue checking the Materials Market as planned, and look into the Auction House as well. These things can't stop.”
Aidan was somewhat puzzled. “But those secrets...”
Matthew smiled. “The more hidden something is, the less you can let yourself look like you're searching for it.”
This was a principle Matthew had always followed. It was so in his past life, and even more so after coming to this world.
If someone appears too eager, then it's very easy for others to discover their goal, their weakness, and even their value. A truly clever hunter won't keep their eyes glued to the prey, but will make themselves look as if they are just passing by.
Right then, suddenly, the Blood-Veined Rapier on the table vibrated slightly.
It was very subtle, almost imperceptible, but Matthew noticed it immediately. His gaze instantly fell upon the sword case.
Aidan noticed it too. “What's wrong?”
Matthew didn't answer. He only drew closer slowly and opened his panel.
【Detected special energy fluctuations】
【Source: Unknown】
【Direction: Southwest】
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