Chapter 432
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Chapter 432: Morning in the Blasted Lands
The next morning, Jesse tried to get up, putting on the silk robe from the wardrobe before going outside.
The Kirin Tor guard in the hallway hesitated when he saw him, Jesse said, "I won’t leave Nethergarde, I just… want to go find a friend."
The guard nodded and motioned to the side, saying, "Follow this staircase all the way down, then you can go out."
"Thank you, sir."
Jesse nodded and walked all the way down, holding onto the wall, and pushed open the wooden door at the bottom to step outside, only to find that he was at the highest tower in Nethergarde.
The scene before him was almost unrecognizable to him.
Nethergarde was desolate, with fewer people than before, the Mage Tower stood alone, covered in scaffolding, looking much more worn under the sunlight, and of course, the Arcane Crystal on top was also missing.
The thick clouds in the sky had cleared, and the entire Blasted Lands stretched endlessly, filled with barren lands and dead forests, and the Dark Portal was no longer visible.
Yes… that distance should not have been visible in the first place; all Jesse could see was the layer of green curtains, not the door frame.
Malin didn’t mention where Greed usually stayed, but Jesse automatically headed towards the direction of the tavern. In the middle of the square, a group of craftsmen were setting up scaffolding and carving something. Jesse glanced at the stone in the middle but couldn’t make out what it was.
Arriving at the tavern’s entrance, Jesse took a deep breath and walked in, finding the hall empty, with no one around.
Thinking back to the last time he was here, packed in so tight that he couldn’t get in or out, couldn’t even buy wine, now it was suddenly so empty, he even felt a bit lonely inside.
Knowing that this should be a good thing, who would want a place like Nethergarde to be crowded with people?
Greed probably hasn’t come back yet, but Jesse was already too tired to go back. He found a seat nearby, sat down, took a deep breath. The walk had made his whole body ache.
"Are you a soldier who fought in the battle before?"
At some point, a head popped up from the counter and asked.
Jesse nodded, and the person stood up and said, "Would you like something to eat? We don’t have much left here, but we have plenty of cheese, bread, and some jerky."
"I want to drink some milk, cow’s milk or goat’s milk, and also, do you have any salted biscuits?"
"Yes." The man nodded and walked into the back room. Soon, he came out with a glass of milk and a plate of biscuits and placed them on the table.
After taking a sip of milk, Jesse realized he didn’t even have a single coin on him.
"Boss… I forgot my money, could I…"
"This is Nethergarde, young man," the boss chuckled, "These things were meant for you to eat. If you don’t eat them, they will go to waste, especially the milk. You look too thin, you should eat more."
"Thank you," Jesse nodded.
"We should thank you, sir," the boss said, "I can’t imagine fighting monsters from the Dark Portal. Just seeing those bodies gives me nightmares."
"If you need anything else, just call me, sir."
As he spoke, he disappeared back into the house. Jesse watched his silhouette and took a sip of milk, letting out a deep sigh.
After finishing his meal and leaving the tavern, he saw a familiar figure standing at the edge of the square, watching the craftsmen work.
Jesse slowly and carefully approached the figure, who looked towards him from afar, then stopped observing the craftsmen.
"Jesse…" the elf whispered.
Jesse nodded and came beside her, saying, "They took your sword, Vereesa."
"It’s your sword," Vereesa said. "And they didn’t take it, just keeping it safe because they were worried the magic from those weapons might affect your recovery, especially the Teron Gorefiend’s magic wand."
"So, will they give it back to me?" Jesse asked.
"Did you ask for it back?" Vereesa asked.
"Where to ask?"
"I can ask for you if you need it now."
"Maybe wait a bit… I’m having trouble walking as it is now, how am I going to carry two big items?"
Vereesa chuckled and looked towards the statue in the middle of the square, asking, "What do you think of that?"
"What’s that thing?" Jesse glanced and said, "Can’t see it clearly, who is it?"
"That’s you, Jesse Seso," Vereesa said.
Jesse stared blankly at the statue, but he couldn’t see any connection between it and himself.
"Why is it holding two hands up?"
It looked like surrendering towards the Dark Portal, of course, Jesse didn’t say the second half of the sentence.
"There should be a sword and a magic wand placed on top of it," Vereesa explained, "It means you used two magical tools to unleash a powerful fire meteor to kill Pit Lord Azgath, of course, it was just a simple fire meteor, not the actual thing you summoned."
She looked over and asked, "So, the night Teron Gorefiend’s soul actually had some influence on you, right?"
Jesse nodded and said, "I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything."
"You didn’t turn into him, that’s enough for me," Vereesa said, "I trust my eyes, I remember how you looked back at the Mage Tower."
"I haven’t thanked you yet," Jesse said, "You saved my life there, if it wasn’t for you, those demons would have torn me apart."
Vereesa lowered her head and said, "It’s been so long, just killing a few demons, it’s nothing at all."
"To me, it feels like yesterday," Jesse said.
The two fell silent for a while. Vereesa said, "Apart from this statue, Kirin Tor has another gift for you, it may not have arrived yet. For safety reasons, that thing can’t be teleported here due to the demons causing chaos with the Ley Line."
"What thing?" Jesse asked.
"Are you sure you want me to tell you, instead of waiting to see for yourself?"
"I’m curious…"
"Alright, I don’t have all the details," Vereesa said. "But my sister mentioned that it should be an ancient artifact from the Tirisfal Guardian Council. Even though the council is gone, they left behind many valuable things. The members of the council used it in the past to resist the corrupting power of the shadows and the mental disorder caused by the demons during their fight."
Jesse chuckled and said, "At least this means Kirin Tor doesn’t see me as a monster, right?"
Vereesa said, "They are grateful to you before they even realize it."
"Then I will go back and wait." Jesse bent down and rubbed his leg, saying, "Goodbye, Vereesa, I can’t stand for too long in my current condition."
Vereesa moved closer and gently hugged Jesse, seeming afraid of hurting him by not exerting too much force.
"I’m so happy to see you up and about, Jesse."