The Ancients World

Chapter 319: Drawing out Helda Vora I

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~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~

~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~

~~~(Time: 9:14 AM)~~~

I can't believe that I'm holding Fotis Moreal... The luck Hailey has is amazing... She's got a legacy-grade magical beast, and now this. A dagger with many stories and legends behind it. "I've been trying to find ways to circumnavigate the requirement to be a Smuggler, but there is no way..." I'd sound just as disappointed if I found something like this and couldn't use it.

While it's not as powerful in attacking and passive abilities as a legendary weapon like The Witness, its bonuses towards the Smuggler class put it in a weird place between Legacy and Legendary. In the hands of anyone else, it's completely useless. "Where did you even find this?" My curiosity is thoroughly peaked. The original owner of the dagger never said where it was found.

The original owner had to sell it in the auction house since they couldn't meet the requirements either. "About a week after I got Emerald, I found a dungeon near the Kiovar Mountains. It seemed like a great dungeon to get EXP and everything I needed to help level up my class. Little did I know what the reward would be for the first clear of the dungeon." Kiovar, huh... That makes sense.

According to what I remember, the Kiovar Mountain range was a hotbed for smugglers trying to dodge the tax stops between kingdoms back during the time Leia Moreal was smuggling. Several hundreds of years ago, to be precise. "Leia Moreal was known to hang out and do lots of business around and in the Kiovar Mountains..." My small whisper almost goes unheard.

The reactions vary between the girls, but the suspicious look I'm getting from Hailey isn't something that I expected. "Helda Vora is definitely going to come out for this. Are you really sure you want to give this up? It'll help, but it's still yours and your choice..." Taking the dagger from Hailey and using it in our plan isn't what I do.

In the end, it's her decision if she's okay using this. SHe can still sell it for a lot of money to some big guild. "This is the only thing that I can see it being useful to us. As badly as I want to sell it, that'd take longer than I'd want. This is the best course of action... As you would say..." She grins as she has a mocking edge and halfhearted tone to her voice.

I gently toss the dagger back to her, and she places it in her Inventory. "Now that we have the bait, it's time that we lure in the prey." Spreading that we have such a valuable item as payment for Helda Vora will do more harm than help. People will come after us knowing what Hailey has, and since it isn't bound to her. It can drop in the event she dies.

Not saying there is anyone in this city that can kill her, but there are similar risks to this example. "The only way we're going to do this clean is if we tell one of Helda Vora's close friends. Someone that'll get the news to her without letting the criminal underworld here know..." The hardest part about any exchange. The middleman that brokers for both sides.

Locating said close friend just out in the city at random isn't going to work. There are places that we can search specifically, but we don't even know who we're looking for. "The person we'll need isn't going to be easy to find..." My low-toned contemplation spurs the rest of the group to think. They're all brilliant girls and four minds working together is better than one.

~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~

~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~

~~~(Time: 9:20 AM)~~~

There isn't anyone that I would know here that could help with that. My thoughts are mostly filled with questions about Cera and his knowledge regarding... Well... Everything... It's like he always has some information about an item, location, NPC... Just about anything, and it's raising some red flags for me. It's not something a normal player would have.

Divine Class or not, he shouldn't know all the things he knows. "Why don't we go to where we know people are searching for smugglers in the city? That way, we won't have to head to the underground tavern." Sally is the first to suggest something, and it's not bad. Jasmine and Sally are on their own for this. I have my own questions brewing.

Being blunt about it isn't going to do any good, and that's ut his walls up. I need to be subtle and cool about it. Make it seem like something else when I'm actually trying to get information. "While that could work, it means that we have to adjust to a timetable that isn't ours. Someone important like a friend of Helda won't be in one place for long." Cera is quick to explain why it won't work.

Cera is completely focused on trying to figure this out, and that's good for me. "Are there any secret locations in the city where they might have someone waiting?" My question seems innocent enough, pertaining to the problem at hand. I'm trying to see if Cera knows anything else that could be considered obscure information regarding this.

His silence rings harder for me than for anyone else in the room. "There might be..." His eyes close, and it looks like he trying to remember something. "The merchant district has a place we can look." That raises my questions about my brother even more. In the span of a few seconds, he thought of a place that could be it. Having this been the first time he's been to the Border City.

Mom and dad wouldn't think twice about it since they see Cera differently than I do. They see him as a son and growing up. I saw him as competition for our parent's attention. That means my insights regarding the things he hides are better than my parent's. I'll have to keep probing with questions and do it when the time is right.

~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~

~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~

~~~(Time: 9:26 AM)~~~

This is starting to give me a headache, not to mention the stuffy smell coming from the home. It's all just piling on. "Why don't we go outside to like a park or something to get some fresh air? I heard there was a pretty cool memorial nearby." There is a park near the city's center, and it holds a memorial to some famous elf.

The reactions around the room are the same and make me giggle a bit. Everyone is quick to get up and start heading for the door. I stand up myself and follow. "Do you know anything about the memorial, Cera?" Hailey decides to question if Cera might know anything about the memorial. If there's anyone that would know, it's him.

Cera stays silent for a few seconds, and after a second, he takes a breath. "I don't know much, only that the elf was one of the main designers for the wall that separates the outside world and the Elven Kingdom. The wall surrounding the country is one of the oldest creations from mortal creatures in Gaia." That sounds about right, from what I know about the wall, at least.

The elven people are one of the oldest races in all of Gaia. It stands to reason that their creations are some of the oldest. "It does feel nice to get out of that horrible apartment... The fresh morning air feels amazing, if not slightly chilly." Jasmine and I can agree that the fresh air beats in the home we're squatting in my leaps and bounds.

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A/N: Below this line, I'll be keeping Cera's player information. That way, I won't have to place it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up.

[Slayer (Zern) Lvl.193]

[Exp: 3/100%]

[Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)]

[Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660]

[Mana aura control: 6/100%]

[Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000]

[Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500]

[Inventory] [Dice of Wayland (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir's Whistle (Divine)] [Sally's Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x]

[Passive Perks]

[Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [Slayer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever]

[Active Skills]

[Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [Slash Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingslayer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun]