Chapter 65: The Missing Pieces
Ethan made his way back to his room with Rune quietly following at his side. Upon entering with a wave of his hand, one item after another appeared across the room as he closed the door behind.
Several space rings landed on the table, followed by neatly stacked piles of gold coins, monster materials, research documents, magical formation records, herbs, mana crystals, and various treasures obtained throughout the expedition. Everything he had acquired over the past few days now lay before him.
During the journey back to Northwatch, Ethan had already copied every research document and magical formation left behind by the Eclipse cultists before surrendering the originals to Marcus. While doing so, he had also quietly taken six hundred gold coins from the Eclipse cultists’ reserves, leaving the remaining four hundred inside the surrendered space rings. Along with the gold, he had kept an unidentified artifact, several rare-grade space rings, and a handful of materials that would prove useful later. The remaining artifacts and valuables had been handed over without drawing the slightest suspicion.
His gaze swept across the pile before him.
"Let’s organize this."
Ethan first separated everything according to its purpose before placing the valuable resources aside. The remaining rare-grade space rings were then opened one after another.
Immediately, hundreds of beast cores poured onto the table, accompanied by monster materials that he got from the Dungeon.
After finishing the sorting, Ethan stored everything back inside the inventory.
———
Inventory
Eternal Sovereign Blade
Frost Vein Herb ×5
Rare -Grade Mana Crystal ×20
Century Old Ginseng ×5
Snow Lotus ×5
Rare Grade Space Ring ×4
Epic Grade Space Ring ×1
Common (Low) Grade Mana Recovery Potion ×5
Twin Guardian Pendants
Twin Wind Daggers
Unidentified Artifact
Elite Beast Cores ×500
Dire Beast Cores ×250
Monster Materials ×2000
Research Documents
Black Magic Formations Records
Gold Coins ×670
Silver Coins×80
———
Normally, spatial rings couldn’t be stored inside another spatial storage device due to spatial interference. The System’s inventory, however, wasn’t bound by such limitations, allowing Ethan to store them without issue. He planned to distribute the spare space rings to Kael and the others later.
Looking at the neatly organized inventory, Ethan couldn’t help but nod slightly.
"I got quite the harvest from the dungeon."
It wasn’t particularly surprising. Compared to the outside world, dungeons possessed far denser concentrations of mana, allowing monsters to grow considerably stronger. Their bodies were constantly nourished by rich mana, increasing both their overall strength and the possibility of them possessing Beast Cores increases exponentially. It was precisely because of this that countless adventurers willingly risked their lives exploring dungeons despite the overwhelming danger they posed.
His gaze shifted toward another system notification that had remained untouched since the past week.
He had deliberately postponed it until now.
Although the current inventory had been sufficient until recently, the resources he intended to gather over the coming months would quickly exceed its capacity.
"System."
"Upgrade the inventory..."
A translucent golden screen materialized before him.
[Inventory Upgrade Available]
Cost: 20,000 War Merit
Current Capacity: 20 Inventory Slots
Upgraded Capacity: 400 Inventory Slots
Do you wish to proceed?
[Yes / No]
"Yes."
The familiar mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.
[20,000 War Merit deducted.]
[Inventory upgrading...]
A brief moment later—
[Upgrade complete.]
[Inventory Capacity increased to 400 Slots.]
The screen gradually faded.
Ethan inspected the expanded inventory with satisfaction. Four hundred cubic meter storage slots would be more than enough for the foreseeable future, allowing him to prepare resources in advance without constantly worrying about storage space.
After putting everything away, Ethan left the room and headed toward the merchant stalls in the outer districts.
Even as evening approached, the streets remained lively. Merchants loudly promoted their goods while adventurers wandered between stalls carrying freshly harvested monster materials. The scent of medicinal herbs drifted through the air, mixing with the aroma of roasted meat and newly forged steel.
Ethan stopped before a modest herbal stall.
The elderly merchant looked up and smiled politely.
"What can I do for you, young man?"
"Do you have Frostfire Moss and Whisper Thorn?"
The merchant blinked in surprise.
"I do."
"How much are you looking for?"
"I want everything worth twenty gold."
The merchant stared at him for several seconds before letting out an awkward laugh.
"Mm... are you certain? Frostfire Moss and Whisper Thorn are little more than medicinal weeds. They’re occasionally used to treat minor infections, but they’re hardly valuable. A dozen bundles barely cost five silver coins."
"I know."
Ethan’s expression remained calm.
"I still want them."
The merchant scratched the back of his head.
"I don’t have nearly that much stock. Even if I emptied every herbal stall in Northwatch today, I wouldn’t reach twenty gold worth."
He hesitated briefly before continuing.
"If you’re willing to wait until tomorrow, I can gather everything available."
Without a word, Ethan reached into his pouch, pulled out ten gold coins, and placed them on the wooden counter.
"Gather as much as you can... I’ll pay the remaining gold when I pick up the full stock tomorrow."
The merchant’s mouth went dry. He looked at the gleaming gold, then at the young boy’s cold, unblinking eyes. Realizing this wasn’t a joke, the man swallowed hard and quickly pulled out a ledger. "Wait, here’s your receipt—"
"No need," Ethan said, already turning on his heel. "Gather it all by tomorrow."
The merchant stood frozen as the boy vanished into the crowd. Ethan didn’t need a receipt. In his past life, he knew this humble vendor was one of the most scrupulously honest merchants in Northwatch.
Leaving the merchant district behind, Ethan headed straight toward the Adventurer Guild.
Compared to the lively streets outside, the spacious guild hall was unusually quiet. Only a handful of adventurers remained, either drinking quietly in a corner or exchanging stories before calling it a day. Behind the reception counter, the familiar clerk rested her head against folded arms, a faint snore escaping her lips as she dozed off.
Ethan walked over silently before lightly tapping the wooden counter.
Knock. Knock
"Shit! That scared me!" The girl jolted awake, her eyes wide. She blinked, recognizing Ethan. "Huh? Oh... kid, you’re back... Looking for a new mission?"
"No," Ethan replied calmly. "I want access to the information."
He reached into his coat and produced the Vice-Captain insignia he had received hours prior, resting the silver emblem on the counter.
The clerk’s eyes bulged as she looked at the crest. She doubted her eyes for a moment, her mind racing back to the recent events—the Maple River incident, Commander Marcus running through the halls, and the Guild Master’s private summons. Suddenly, a child holding a Vice-Captain clearance badge didn’t seem so surprising anymore.
"Okay, follow me," she said, leading him up the stairs to the area opposite the Guild Master’s office. "There are eight tiers of information starting from Ember, Iron, Copper, Bronze all the way to Jade. You have access up to Tier 4 that is Bronze. Tiers 1 and 2 are free for you, while Tiers 3 and 4 can be purchased."
Ethan nodded as she explained. They quickly arrived before a large room.
"You can go in," the clerk said before returning to her desk below.
Ethan opened the door and stepped inside. The room was vast, filled with hundreds of shelves. Sitting near the entrance was a woman in her mid-forties with dark brown hair and black eyes.
Merin.
Ethan recognized her instantly. In his past life, she was Evelyn’s direct subordinate who managed the intelligence networks of the Adventurer Guild across the empire. It seems Evelyn brought her key subordinates here this time... Anyway, it’s not the time to dwell on it.
"Ethan, right?" Merin asked, gesturing for him to take a seat.
"Yeah. Nice to meet you," Ethan replied calmly.
"Merin," she introduced herself. "What information are you looking for?"
"I want all the information from the last month regarding recent events, along with anything related to Ravenhold or the Four Great Evils."
Merin looked at him curiously for a few seconds before speaking. "You can get any recent general events up to Tier 2 on the shelves to your right. But information related to the Four Great Evils is restricted for your current rank." She looked him dead in the eye. "As for recent events in Ravenhold, it’s going to cost you ten gold."
Ethan brought out ten gold coins and placed them in front of her.
"Hmm..." Merin searched through her files for a few minutes before drawing a document from beneath the desk and sliding it across the table.
Ethan picked up the file and read through its contents.
Most of it consisted of ordinary reports.
Trade.
Border patrol updates.
Nothing worth noting.
Then...
His eyes stopped.
House Ravencrest has recently begun acquiring grain from neighboring Counts.
His gaze moved downward.
Several days ago, a powerful earthquake occurred near Ice Valley within the Ancient Wildlands. Some rumors claim that the sun and the moon rose from the earth before the tremors began.
The sun and the moon...
His fingers unconsciously tightened around the report.
Ethan suddenly thought of the recent investigation of the Sword Saint near the Ice Valley.
He should have investigated the corrupted energy on Rune’s mother with his Divine Ability with Adrian accompanying him. Sir Reiner should have found out its related to them.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed as his mind rapidly pieced the puzzle together.
He thought for several seconds...
The moon rising from the ground... is that father’s Domain?
But for him to deploy his domain while investigating in the presence of Sword Saint...is it an attack from them?
Yes...it has to be.
Then, his mind flashed with a cold, dangerous possibility.
The Calamity Beast’s death... the corrupted energy... the sudden surge in the activities of the Four Great Evils... the spatial fluctuations near the cave... his father’s Domain... and Them.
A heavy wave of unease and suppressed rage built inside Ethan as the truth struck him along with the fragmented memory he saw when he bonded with Rune.
They abducted Rune’s mother’s body.
Reining in his anger, Ethan forced his mind to analyze the facts with cold precision.
But why is her body so important to them?
He thought of his system. Whenever he tried to inquire about Rune, the system remained completely silent, proving that the cub’s origin were immensely significant.
But why kill the beast if they wanted her? It would have been easier to subjugate her... unless they couldn’t. And why leave Rune behind when he was only a few weeks old at that time, and now going so far to take her mother’s corpse now?
No...Rune is still just a cub—his power hasn’t matured, making him useless for their immediate plans. But a fully developed beast? Her corpse must be holding a secret they can actually exploit.
But who caused that spatial tear saving Rune and it’s mother from them?
And...
What are they planning?
His eyes returned to the report.
House Ravencrest was stockpiling grain despite already possessing enough reserves.
At nearly the same time...
The Adventurer Guild had begun issuing an increasing number of missions related to the Four Great Evils.
If the investigation led to them...and immediately afterward the Four Great Evils began moving...
"...then..."
He connected the final dots. They had made contact with the Four Great Evils, and their first move would inevitably involved the Eclipse Conclave—the faction filled with lunatics obsessed with forbidden research, ancient corpses, and unnatural bloodlines.
In my past life, we couldn’t find a single trace of them even after searching for years. Yet now, they emerged much earlier and made contact with the Four Great Evils—something that never happened in the past.
He quietly folded the report before placing it back on the desk.
It seemed...
Things had begun changing far earlier than they had in his previous life.
His eyes gradually sharpened.
"I need to approach her..."
"...before making my next move."