“Chapter 44 ‘Ancient Money, What?!'”

"Chapter 44 'Ancient Money, What?!'"

"Visiting monasteries in every city had become a habit for Fiey, as she tirelessly sought ways to break the divine curse."

"This time, being invited made it all the more fitting."

"The challenge was that there were no carriages available; having just snowed, the ground was too slippery, making carriage travel perilous."

"So, she had to proceed on foot."

"Along the way, she saw many vendors displaying food outdoors, utilizing the low temperature as a natural freezer."

"Curious, Fiey glanced over the goods and noticed most were meats and fishes she had never seen before."

"The residents of Lulubi City mainly sourced their food from hunting, as magical creatures were abundant in the Great Ice Plains. Generations here had mastered various ice-related magics."

"The second source was fishing."

"Beneath the vast ice plains lay expansive ice rivers. By breaking through the thick ice surface, one could see schools of fish moving slowly in the cold water."

"Perhaps the dietary differences contributed to the inhabitants of the Great Ice Plains being more robust and fierce-looking than those inland?"

"Following the map, Fiey braved the snowstorm to approach the monastery."

"Monasteries didn't differ much from each other, except in size and opulence."

"Recalling Lance’s deep, probing eyes, she decided not to enter the monastery openly."

"The Head Steward’s invitation to the monastery was partly in gratitude for saving his life, but also likely a test, right?"

"Wary that the strange young girl might be a ploy by some faction to gain access to him under the pretense of gratitude for saving a life."

"Lance’s gaze at that time probably held similar suspicions."

"What if the young girl suddenly disappeared? What if she never asked for anything in return? Would Lance still suspect that being saved was part of a conspiracy?"

"Fiey placed one hand over her transformation hat, a smile curling at the corners of her mouth."

"Remaining undetected while eavesdropping or catching sight of desired information was all too easy for her."

"Although her assistance was given casually, since the favor had been offered, there was no reason it couldn't be completed."

"Fiey still needed to conduct thorough investigations in the Great Ice Plains, and having the monastery's Head Steward as a stepping stone would make most tasks considerably easier."

"Yarvis was the perfect example of this."

"Resolved, she twisted her transformation hat, and a tiny white mouse scurried into the sacred walls of the monastery, heading straight for the library."

"Fiey stayed in the monastery until nightfall, barely finishing the mountain of theological books."

"Finding no useful clues, and the brothers hadn't returned either."

"So, the most likely leads on the divine punishment were still in the royal monastery?"

"With no other option, she decided to visit the orphanage next. The battle had long ended, and the patrollers should have dispersed by then."

"However, just as the little white mouse was slipping out the window, it suddenly noticed a group of people hurriedly returning to the monastery."

"Lance, the Head Steward of Lulubi City's monastery, strode forward, followed by Eugene, the commander of the knights."

"Something had transpired between them; both had grim expressions."

"A dark, unidentifiable glint flickered in the mouse's eyes as it withdrew its paws and scurried back into the monastery."

"She followed the sounds upstairs, sensing a familiar fluctuation coming from next door."

"It was a magic shield."

"The energy of the shield was much weaker than hers, allowing her to detect it with ease."

"The little white mouse blinked its bead-like black eyes and transformed into a puff of black mist, slipping through the gap in the neighboring window."

"Inside, two young men were arguing heatedly."

"'Brother!' Eugene's eyes were red with emotion, 'I don't understand! We lost 7 people this time! Seven! They were all townsfolk of Lulubi City, and just yesterday, Raff was still drinking with me!'"

"'Just seven people, and that’s enough to cloud your judgment?' Lance, with his back to Eugene, lit the room’s magic lamp with his power."

"Due to the significant depletion of magic in battle, the light flickered uncertainly."

"Lance hung the lamp high on the wall, casting a shadow over his face with its faint glow."

"'Brother...' Eugene’s eyes were filled with boundless disappointment, 'How could you become like this... How can you be so cold-hearted for a bunch of useless things? Ignoring everyone's lives, even using that kind of magic on me!'"

"Fiey blinked in curiosity: That kind? Which kind?"

"Blood stained Lance's white robe, and his dark pupils reflected his brother’s image."

"'Eugene,' he spoke calmly, 'you don’t need to be angry about this. As long as the foundation remains, the Great Ice Plains will endure.'"

"It seemed the two brothers were quarreling over some significant matter."

"But… what exactly was the foundation of the Great Ice Plains? Fiey wondered, recalling no such detail from her time playing the game."

"So, it probably didn’t exist in the game?"

"This was someone else's family affair, and Fiey had no interest in eavesdropping. She decided to leave, but just as she was about to move, Eugene’s next words froze her in place."

"'Why can't I be angry?! Is it because once you regain your magic, you can make me forget everything again?!' Eugene, overcome with emotion, pointed angrily outside the window, 'Brother! Go look at the families of those who died outside! I don’t know how to face them anymore! The true foundation of the Great Ice Plains has always been the people living in this town, nothing else!'"

"'If they all die guarding this secret, what’s the point of its existence?! We might as well reveal that pile of worthless ancient coins—'"

"Wait, ancient what? A pile?!"

"Fiey swiftly turned around, only to find that the brother’s reaction was more intense than hers."

"The white-robed archmage clasped his hand over the knight’s mouth, forcefully slamming him against the wall!"

"'Shut up! Eugene! Haven’t I told you, never to utter that word?'"

"The knight stared blankly at the person before him, his hand reaching for his sword then halting mid-motion."

"The brother was taller than him, and despite being a physically weaker mage, he had always been stronger. Facing his brother, he never could muster any resistance."

"He could only watch helplessly as the towering shadow engulfed him entirely."

"'Trust me, Eugene.' Like a beast abruptly restrained, Lance slowly relaxed the grip on the knight’s chin, turning it into a gentle caress."

"'You don’t have to worry about anything. Whether it's that wandering monster or the malice attacking us, I will take care of it all. The Great Ice Plains will never vanish, and neither will we.'"

"'Eugene... just give me a little more time, okay?'"

"Silence ensued."

"Fiey watched as the knight in the sturdiest armor slowly buried his head in his hands."

"'Brother...'"

"Circles of cold white light began to glow in Lance’s hands, gently covering the back of Eugene’s head with a radiant ice-blue hue."

"The knight soon lost consciousness."

"The archmage pieced together chairs in the room to make a makeshift bed, then removed his white robe, flipping the blood-stained side down."

"Finally, he gently laid his brother down on it."

"He watched over the knight for a long while before slowly standing up."

"'So, please forget all about this...'"

"Strange light seeped into the knight’s mind, revealing Lance’s strained state from forcibly using magic."

"Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his complexion grew even paler."

"But given his brother's emotional turmoil, he needed to act quickly to ensure outsiders didn't overhear anything."

"Tsk tsk."

"Fiey, hidden in the shadows behind the curtain, couldn’t help but feel there was a bizarre 'manipulative' dynamic between the brothers."

"But that magic emitting a white glow... was it an amnesia spell?"

"It was so strange."

"Fiey, a true gaming expert, had power-leveled countless characters to max level in various roles but had never encountered any 'amnesia magic' in the game."

"No, it wasn’t just about forgetting."

"Fiey suddenly realized that in the game, there were no skills related to 'memory' at all... It seemed she had inadvertently stumbled upon a significant secret."

"In that moment, Fiey’s mind raced with thousands of ways to extract this secret from Lance."

"However, just as the spellcasting ended, Lance swiftly wrote something in the air with his hand, then immediately opened his palm towards himself."

"With his back to Fiey, a burst of light suddenly emanated from his body."

"In less than a second, the Ice Mage collapsed to the floor with a 'thud'."

"Realizing something, Fiey rushed out, but after checking on Lance, she was dumbfounded. Wait, what? Did he just cast an amnesia spell on himself too?!"

"Both brothers forgetting the incident, their secret now buried forever. Is that it?!"

"What???"

"She turned to look at the words floating in mid-air, written magically by the mage to ensure he saw them upon waking."

"—'Eugene hasn’t had dinner yet.'"

"Fiey: '...'"

"Covering her face, she whispered, 'Wheel of Fate, show me Lance’s past.'"

"The golden wheel responded to her call."

"The correction rate soared, allowing her to see further into the strands of fate."

"She saw Lance just after taking over the monastery, the previous Head Steward sternly advising him, 'You must protect the Great Ice Plains, every person on it, especially those children without homes, those poor children.'"

"And indeed, Lance did just that."

"Since his appointment, he worked diligently, achieving much and significantly enhancing the well-being of the Great Ice Plains’ inhabitants."

"He had also renovated the orphanage, allocating monthly funds to improve the children's meals. He would drink with the kind-looking orphanage director, accompanying him to send successfully adopted children to the teleportation station."

"Lance was also very good to his brother Eugene. The two of them had come out of the orphanage, supporting each other to get to where they are today."

"As for the secret."

"The scenes of fate did reveal a segment where the previous Head Steward told him something. However, those few sentences had no sound and the lip movements were indiscernible."

"It was as if... that part was blurred out with a mosaic, yielding no useful information."

"In fact, Lance's fate was shown in disjointed fragments."

"Fiey could view longer periods, but the content was random and not coherent or complete."

"Fiey was already accustomed to this. When she viewed Instructor Jacqueline’s fate, the Wheel of Fate had shown her a 'cause' segment. But at the time, she hadn’t sorted out the matter, so it was confusing."

"Fate would not give her direct answers, but it hid clues."

"Thus, Fiey calmed herself and thought more carefully about Lance’s fate, and indeed, she noticed something amiss."

"Not the part about his conversations with the former Head Steward, but regarding the orphanage."

"When Lance and the director sent adopted children away, it was always to the teleportation station."

"This implied that most families adopting the children weren’t from Lulubi City."

"Recalling Quincy, Fiey suddenly had an unsettling hunch."

"Could the orphanage be some kind of 'Little White Cat Breeding Base'?"

"She had seen many similar thriller movies on Blue Star, where the surface was an orphanage, but in reality, it was a place specifically for providing playthings for influential people or food for monsters."

"Could the 'foundation of the Great Ice Plains' Eugene mentioned be the orphanage?"

"And the ancient coins that both brothers were willing to erase from their own memories to protect, could they also be hidden in the orphanage?"

"Ancient coins... It's no wonder she speculated so much; these words strongly resembled ancient currency, akin to soul fragments of a deity. Thus, she had to clarify this matter."

"Realizing that she could no longer gain any clues in the monastery, Fiey abruptly stood up and darted out through the window gap."

"Meanwhile, in Elbire City."

"Following Quincy’s revelations, Elbire City was thrown into chaos."

"The monastery responded immediately, but Quincy, as if cursed, continued to speak out. Even when his mouth was covered or under the influence of a sleeping spell, he kept talking with his eyes closed."

"He didn’t just confess his own deeds; he named many others."

"Those names resounded with great significance in the local context."

"By the time the situation was finally under control, Quincy's words had spread throughout Elbire City and were increasingly reaching other towns."

"The public was in an uproar."

"They couldn’t believe that the revered archmages they bowed to daily were secretly sadists who enjoyed tormenting girls!"

"Countless people stormed the monastery, frantically attacking its walls, demanding Quincy be handed over to them!"

"'Kill him!'"

"'Tie him to the gallows!'"

"'We must report this to the royal family!'"

"'You're all in this together! Come out!'"

"Quincy's face was ashen; he understood his life was over."

"The monastery would certainly kill him, probably in the most horrific way possible, to possibly appease the public’s fury outside."

"Just as he was about to shout threats, using the evidence he held as leverage to try and save himself, an elder quickly silenced him."

"Quincy looked up in shock—it was his direct superior, the Head Steward!"

"'When you make a mistake, shut up and accept your punishment,' the elder said, looking down on him without a trace of pity in his eyes. 'Your tongue is troublesome. Before we hand you over to the public, we should cut it out. Wouldn’t want you to utter anything damaging to the monastery or the deity, right?'"

"At that moment, a profound fear finally overwhelmed Quincy!"

"But soon another bishop stepped forward with a sly glint in his eyes, 'Head Steward, Quincy still has many untold stories. This matter has blown up, and the royal family will surely send someone soon.'"

"'If you cut out Quincy’s tongue now, how will we explain it to them? Don’t you agree?'"

"The Head Steward's gaze was sharp as a knife on the bishop, who stood firmly in front of Quincy, unshaken."

"In that moment, the struggle for power finally revealed its bloody and violent nature under the early morning sun."

"Quincy had backers, and so did the opposing side."

"The secrets mired in the mud were finally pushed to the surface."

"From the moment he spoke the first name, the first event, he became a mere drifter, utterly devoid of any control over his destiny."

"Collapsed on the cold marble steps, the last reflection in Quincy’s terrified eyes was of the pristine and majestic ceiling of the monastery, towering like a great mountain."

"Above, the ceiling was adorned with carvings of soaring white doves."

"In the midst of the frenzied crowd outside the monastery, a woman suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder."

"She turned around fiercely, only to face an extraordinarily handsome man."

"His face seemed like the deity’s most perfect creation, with a finely crafted neck adorned with a stunning circular necklace."

"'Excuse me, may I ask what’s happened here?' the handsome man asked with a smile."

"The woman’s heart skipped a beat, instinctively smoothing her hair, 'Don’t you know, sir? There’s been a terrible incident. Quincy of the monastery, ugh, that scoundrel Quincy, stood atop a high roof this morning and loudly confessed to buying and mistreating young girls! Some of those girls, he named, are even from our neighborhood!'"

"'Oh?' The man seemed intrigued, looking up in the direction the woman pointed, his necklace glinting in the light, 'He confessed it himself?'"

"'Yes, exactly! That’s how arrogant that wretch is!'"

"The woman was about to say more when she suddenly found herself staring at empty space."

"The man had vanished."

"A gust of wind blew, and atop the high roof, Beelzebub crouched down."

"The familiar scent lingered in the air – his witch had indeed been here."

"So, she came to settle personal matters?"

"No need to go out of his way to inquire; just standing a little while on the streets of Elbire City was enough to gather all the details of the incident from the angry crowd."

"He briefly fantasized about using black magic to control the famed archmage, making him confess his crimes in front of everyone."

"Generous, impassioned."

"Those noble and proud mages, one after another, like common thugs on the streets, tried countless above-board and underhanded methods, yet failed to silence that mouth."

"Thinking of the innocent commoners' expressions changing from confusion to shock, then to anger, and finally to losing their sanity, the demon suddenly burst into laughter."

"It sat cross-legged on the eaves, hands propped behind, a tail covered in green scales wildly thrashing behind."

"Its unreserved laughter filled the wind."

"The monks on guard nearby turned in shock, only to see an unfathomable darkness above."

"This was so in line with its nature, Fiey, Beelzebub thought."

"It had to be you."

"No, it could only be you."

"The man grasped the circular necklace around his neck, from which magical power swirled and emanated."

"This was their pact, their souls entwined above the contract."

"So cold, the scent of winter snow from Fiey’s side."

*

"Fiey wasn’t sleeping; she had found a random inn and ordered some food."

"Physical exhaustion could be fought with stimulant potions, but hunger couldn't. She also needed to calm her mind to recall if anything had been overlooked."

"The incident with Jacqueline had made her much more cautious. The orphanage in Lulubi City had been there for many years; there was no rush for now."

"After eating and resting, Fiey habitually drank two bottles of stimulant potion and then headed downstairs."

"'The orphanage?' The night-shift innkeeper yawned long, 'Indeed, we have an orphanage here, funded by a kind-hearted owner from the mainland.'"

"'Lulubi City often experiences heavy snowfalls leading to disasters. Occasionally, children lose their parents in the snow, and parents lose their children. The orphanage has been a great help; we are all very grateful.'"

"'The monastery frequently visits to offer comfort. They even arranged for two monks and knights to live inside, ensuring the children’s safety.'"

"'A strange 12-year-old girl? The orphanage has children of all ages. Although 12 is already of age, the orphanage prefers to keep them a little longer for their safety. I'm not too clear on other details, but maybe you could check it out yourself?'"

"Fiey thanked the innkeeper and braced against the snowstorm to push open the door."

"The innkeeper wanted to call out to her to wait until morning, but by the time he got to the door, the girl's figure had already disappeared into the heavy snow."

"'How odd,' the innkeeper scratched his head, suddenly hearing a snowy owl’s call."

"Birds struggled in the raging winds, finding it nearly impossible to navigate on the ground or in the air during the blizzard."

"Yet, she still made it to her destination, albeit with a somewhat awkward landing."

"She tumbled in."

"But that was unimportant, as the transformation hat quickly turned the bird into a small insect."

"The place was not as heavily guarded as before. The blizzard reduced the danger, allowing her to avoid the few remaining guards, the knights and monks, and she flew towards the first room."

"The children were all sleeping soundly, with only a few older-looking ones among them."

"No child bore any strange markings or noteworthy scars on their bodies."

The second room housed the cook and laundress, both ordinary people.

The third room, where the men doing heavy labor lived, was unbearably smelly… nothing unusual there.

It wasn’t until the fourth, fifth, and finally, the seventh room, that Faye found what she was looking for—the principal's office.

Fortunately, at this time, the principal’s office was empty.

Black mist roiled around the room, drawers slid open automatically, and rows of paper documents lined up before Faye.

There were no hidden spaces in this room, just an ordinary one.

Staring at the stack of papers half her height, she sighed.

What else to do but read them quickly!

Another midnight.

Faye’s eyes, red from reading, finally reached the last piece of paper.

Nothing was out of the ordinary; it was a very normal orphanage.

Normal intake processes for orphans, standard upbringing, and although there were some hardships, the children were resilient like wild grass. Disappearances were rare, with almost no bizarre or sudden incidents.

In the end, a normal graduation, saying goodbye and leaving the orphanage for work.

Detailed records were kept for every child who left upon reaching adulthood, including their workplace, working hours, and temporary residence, regardless of gender.

Moreover, the working children would sign a contract written on a magical scroll with their employers, which Faye found in the top drawer.

Once signed, employers couldn't dismiss these orphans during the contract period, or they would face penalties.

This type of contract, common among non-magical or low-magic individuals, also ensured the orphans' livelihood for a certain period.

A small portion of the orphans stayed in Lulubi City, while the majority chose to leave.

The cities they went to varied randomly, with no discernible pattern or commonality.

Adoption details were even more meticulous; children under 8 received annual follow-ups, and those over 8 were visited every two years.

Instead of direct home visits, communication was conducted via communication crystals that allowed direct conversation with the child.

Only a small fraction of children were successfully adopted, which is normal for an orphanage.

And, as Lans' fate had shown, the vast majority of adopted children were sent to distant places.

The reasons given by adopting families were impeccable—children from the North typically had attractive features: high nose bridges, ice-blue eyes, and an exotic appearance distinct from inlanders.

Besides these, there was nothing suspicious in the principal's office.

But it was too normal, suspiciously so, as if following a template, which made it seem all the more eerie.

Faye rubbed her temples and proceeded to check the warehouse and the garbage room, but despite the warm sunrise, she found nothing.

What's going on?!

So, were the transactions with Quincy, those related to Black Moon, destroyed or hidden?

She took out another bottle of invigorating potion, drank it all, transformed back into an insect, flew back to the principal’s office, and took out paper and pen from her bracelet.

Left with no choice, she started to copy everything.

Since nothing unusual could be discerned on the surface, she resorted to the most basic method—searching and verifying one by one.

No matter how deeply they were hidden, she was determined to unearth them all!