Chapter 1162 Mellow Guy
The middle-aged man was relieved that someone was normal among this group of oddballs, although this man had black lines lining his face. After squinting his eyes at him for a second, the man heaved a sigh of relief and shook his hand.
"I come from the Yalen Kingdom, what about you three?"
"I am from Yalen as well," said Arthur with a smile as he shook the man's hand. "My friends here are merchants from Janea and Halin, seeking to find a new buyer for their potions and minerals. I became their guide."
"Merchants?" asked the man with surprise as he eyed the two. "I am surprised that they allowed them past the border. The entire union is on a strict lockdown at the moment."
"We arrived to the union before the lockdown, so we managed to slip in before they closed it off," said Arthur and gave a sigh of relief. "I wouldn't have survived this winter if they turned me away! Great luck!"
"What made you stay here for all this time then?" asked the man with confusion.
"This is the thing, mister, the man who was supposed to buy their goods said that no shipments could enter the union anymore! I had to find a different one, prepared to make some future arrangement."
"That's good for you, lad!" said the old man as he rampaged through his bag before taking three small sticks of marshmallow looking candy. "Eat this and tell me what you think. This is the reason I am traveling across the kingdom!"
Arthur took the candy and distributed them to the other two. As the two eyed them with confusion, Arthur took a bite from the star-shaped candy and his eyes lit up with surprise. The old man laughed as he held his belly, slapping Arthur on the back.
"That is a good face, lad! I made these candies myself and plan to sell them across the kingdom. After I spread the word about it, I will make a booming business with this candy!"
"I'm sure that you will, sir," said Arthur with a smile as he finished it, savoring the sweetness. "You two should try it too. You might take a liking to some local delicacies."
Arthur would later regret making this decision. Because the moment the two tasted the sweet taste and texture of this candy, they began gulping it down like hungry wolves. Then, they became addicted. Arthur had to pay the man to give them more.
The man from Yalen was the only one in the long carriage that was social enough to chat. As the two ate his candy, Arthur managed to glean the information that he needed to learn more about the situation regarding the Agard Family.
Venkov Agard and Jerad Agard wanted to renounce the engagement of their daughter to the crowned prince of Yalen, Caleb. However, the king refused as the two families have helped each other in the past because of this engagement, mentioning that they had access to sensitive information regarding the kingdom.
As the runic family leading the famous workshop, Twilight, met a dead-end, they tried to take their daughter through the use of force and ended up jailed in some prison in Yalenia. The two were declared traitors, alongside with their daughter who was declared to have broken her engagement vows through being with another man.
Arthur listened to the details with keen attention as he tried to piece what he knew with what was revealed. It seems that the Agard Family was considered the one in the wrong for going back on their vows to the royal family of Yalen.
The more that he listened to this, the more that Arthur was convinced that this execution was an ambush designed to entrap him. It might also be what Julia said about the luring him out of Runera, just to attack his forces while he was away.
As his comrades asked the man about his candy, Arthur sat down as the carriage swayed left and right. His main advantage at the moment was the element of surprise. His revelation of his real face in this carriage was not a mistake, but a test to see if people could recognize him.
Even as they stared at him and interacted with him, no one had any change of their existence. Their emotions were the same: tired, anxious, and impatient. Some of them were more clear-minded and focused, which seemed like the warriors protecting the carriage.
Arthur realized that his face has not spread enough, ensuring that the Yalveran Union did not distribute posters of his face as a wanted man. Although he broadcasted his appearance to the entire world, none of those present could imagine him sitting among them like this.
This realization made Arthur at ease, as he allowed himself to relax a little more. He would notice any fluctuations of people's emotions around him and know if anyone recognized him. At that time, he could erase their memories and change his face.
The carriage took a while to transport them across the Veran Kingdom, and Arthur used this chance to obtain as much information as he could about the situation. In his conversations with the middle-aged man, whose name turned out to be Henry, he realized that the man's next stop was Kera.
Arthur felt nostalgic, as he never visited the city ever since the battle against the Calamity of Greed, Amelio. He wanted to see how his city has become after the devastating battle it witnessed, which split it in two.
The carriage took them to the capital of Veran, a small city called Vincent, named after its founder. Arthur and the rest took another carriage from there, this time with Henry, that was heading toward Kera.
On the way, the two became regular customers of the man, who took every chance to create his candy. He called them Mellows, and the name never left Sarohan's mouth.
After another day of travel, the four reached the train station close to Mountain Range Rovero. Arthur could feel that his runes in the mountain range were still active and self-sufficient, hiding the lurking Second Trial of The Holy Crown.
Although he was bound to go after the crown, he wanted to catch the families off guard before its completion. The city inside the mountain range was slowly forming into this world, with Kera still howling within it.
Arthur felt his heart ache for his wolf, but he knew that as long as the trial has not descended yet to his world, his wolf was still trapped within the trial grounds, awaiting Arthur and his next adventure.
On the other hand, Ruki was still helping Ascent clear dungeons around the world. Arthur thought of how much of a hypocrite he has become, as his sole goal was to prevent the families from merging the two worlds. As for now, his goal aligned with theirs.
Hazel warned him that even at the moment, the families saw him as a threat because he was against Devaheim. Thus, even though they might rejoice the two worlds merging, they had to get rid of him before that, because he was against the gods they feared.
The train the four boarded took an hour before reaching Kera, but even the station was heavily guarded. Arthur had to make sure that Henry did not notice anything as he hypnotized the guards to allow them entry.
After the four passed the heavy inspection, they walked out of the station to see a new Kera that is still recovering from destruction. The giant cliff in the distance, which has appeared because the entire city caved inward.
Arthur saw that many buildings have been restored, and life has not stopped in his city. Seeing the same streets that he ran through as a kid demolished made him a little sad, even though he was responsible for this destruction as well.
"Are you alright, my lord?" asked Sarohan as he noticed the change in his emotions. Arthur shook his head to indicate that nothing was wrong before turning to the candy-seller.
"It has been a great pleasure to travel alongside you, but we must part ways here," said Arthur with a smile. "I think that you can be the best candy man in the entire Yalveran Union with a little bit of luck."
"Thank you, good lad, and here is a little bit of Mellow for your trip," said Henry as he offered them a bunch of candy before walking away. "Farewell!"
Sarohan and Koby both bowed to him in respect as Arthur watched with a speechless face. Then, they grabbed the Mellow and began stuffing their storage artifacts with how many they could.
"You guys are really hooked on his candy?" asked Arthur with confusion as he saw how sad the two were for parting ways with him.
"After our lord, Mellow Guy deserves the most respect," said Sarohan with a sigh before he grabbed one of the candy sticks and began eating them. "Where are we going now, lord?"
"Yalen is closed off, and no carriages could enter. We have to find a smuggler from Kera to take us there so we could slip in unnoticed. Then, we will destroy everything in our path until we save the Agard Family and kill the Yalen King."
Arthur knew that such a feat will not be easy, because the Yalveran Union had another force that he needed to consider. It was his old group and comrades, Mistletoe.
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