Chương 74: A Day in the Library

Writ of Undertaking Quest Takers: JORDAN YU, PEWTER SAPLING Quest Giver: HANZA PADMA Task: Discover the location and/or significance of Blacksnake Hollow as it pertains to the deathtouch epidemic plaguing House Padma and the surrounding region. Bonus Task: Discover a cure for the patients already afflicted by deathtouch. Reward: 1) 1 gold and 20 silvers in monetary compensation. 2) Equivalent of 20, 000 cc in mana crystals (half of it paid in advance).

Bonus Reward: Contractors' choice of one House Padma heirloom item each.

Somewhere between the tour of the infirmary and being let loose in the Padma estate, Jordan had received another system update. Feat enhanced. [N üwa's Blessing (Lv. 2) -> (Lv. 3)]: In recognition of your speechcraft, you've gained a permanent [3]-point upgrade to Charisma. CHA: 17 -> 18 (modifier: +3 -> +4) It must've been from all the bullshitting and prodding-for-information he did with Hanza.

Jordan didn't particularly feel like a smooth operator, not to mention his counterpart's general willingness to volunteer plenty of information anyway. But the conversation had been good practice, perhaps much in the same way that yoke walks could be good for building mountain strength. Regardless, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. With a private nod of thanks to the God of Charisma, he turned his full attention onto his latest quest. Which was well and good, except… where to even begin?

The fact that the system had recognized the Writ of Undertaking meant that the quest, as written, was definitely achievable. But how? [Rampart's Map] was the first thing Jordan checked, though without much hope. Sure enough, his icon remained stubbornly free of ink smudge, just a lonely arrowhead spinning aimlessly in space. Jordan knew from the item description as well as previous experience that the [Map]'s navigation cheat only applied to a 'broad sense of where to go next'.

In other words, it was still waiting for him to get back on his main quest. Well, that ain't happening unless I get to the bottom of this deathtouch business first. To that end, the Gym Rats began by gathering clues. Their first stop was the estate's library, home to historical records pertaining to House Padma as well as various forms of Leafeller literature. Hanza had already ruled out direct mentions of 'Blacksnake Hollow', but it wouldn't hurt to familiarize with some context.

According to the system, Jordan now had [96 days, 10 hours, 105 minutes] remaining on his [Between Two Lives] clock. But, after what he saw and heard at the infirmary, he'd set himself a much tighter deadline. Nine days —or how long was left for Little Bean's soul to secure its anchors to the mortal realm. With that in mind, Jordan and Pewter didn't have a lot of rope to burn (no pun intended!). They certainly didn't have the time to peruse every book and scroll that lined the shelves of the Padma library.

So, they were forced to take a rather scattershot approach." You start from that end and I'll start from here," Jordan instructed his companion, feeling a little like he was back in an office job.

"We can probably ignore the Padma stuff, because Hanza would've shared with us anything of note. We're mostly interested in local geography, history, folklore… anything that might shed light on how soul-snatching ghosts operate." They went to work. And it was, predictably enough, mostly tedious and fruitless work. But, as article after map after story after poem bled through Jordan's increasingly strained eyes, he did learn a few things of dubious relevance.

First a confirmation that Leafellers really were in touch with their underworld, as evidenced by folk tales and holiday traditions that emphasized honoring ancestors or helping loved ones 'move on' from the mortal coil. Second a tidbit about Leafell being one of the last kingdoms to surrender during the Unification Wars, with Emperor Wreathworn's conquest efforts frustrated by a stout coalition of the local nobility.

And third a study of the surrounding geography: Threestone Forest so named for the steep mountains that enclosed it from three sides… but no mention of a 'Blacksnake Hollow' anywhere. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Hours passed in a blur of cramming-for-an-exam delirium. The Gym Rats burned the midnight oil (literally!), yet seemed no closer to a breakthrough. That was, until…" Hey, what's this?"

Jordan blinked his bleary eyes at the faded words on an ancient scroll.

"Not sure why, but I started reading this thing called'the Handmother's Guide to an Auspicious Birth'. As far as I can tell, it's mostly obstetrics and midwifery type stuff, but there's this section about twin pregnancy that's, uh, super sus but also maybe useful to us. Can I read it aloud to you?"" Go ahead, Jordan," Pewter's muffled (and exhausted) reply sounded from somewhere behind a large mound of books."

In the event that the young mother bears two children in one womb, special care must be taken to establish the birth order. For the second issue is surely the shadow of the first, separated and made manifest by a netherling's evil trick. The accursed child, therefore, must be returned to the nether realm to appease the spirit-gods, lest it bring a millennium of maledictions upon the house." At this, Pewter's disheveled face emerged from behind the books."

Oh, this must be referring to the culling of the twin," the Stormvaster dropped some local knowledge." A barbaric practice based on nothing more than superstition and, occasionally, political intrigue. As far as I know, Leafell wasn't the only culpable kingdom during pre-unification times, but they did seem to have the most elaborate justification for it. Good thing Zaul Wreathworn outlawed the practice as soon as he became the First Emperor.""

So you Stormvasters no longer commit infanticide any time a twin is born?"" Shennong forgive us, no!"" Good, good." Jordan spoke absent-mindedly, far too exhausted to be sufficiently offended by this 'barbaric practice' from many centuries ago. Instead, he was fascinated by:" Okay, listen to this, though. The standard practice for reversing the twin's curse is to present it to the spirit-gods within the first three days of its birth.

Conduits to the nether realm are found in various subterranean locations throughout the kingdom of Leafell. Most relevant to our purpose here in House Padma is one Yellowspring Grotto, located in the northernmost corner of Threestone Forest at the foot where two mountain faces meet." The Gym Rats exchanged a look, bleary eyes and all." Yellowspring Grotto," Pewter parroted thoughtfully.

"Might that be a cave? Like the one below the well?"" Like the one where I contracted my case of deathtouch," Jordan said, then instinctively looked around to see if anyone from House Padma might be listening in." It's not quite Blacksnake Hollow, but it might be something. Surely better than bumbling through the forest blindly."" Exactly what I'm thinking. I also have a hunch that it might tell us something about this."

Jordan produced a small wooden box, perfectly plain save for the engraving of a black snake upon its lid. [Keepsake from Blacksnake Hollow]—almost certainly a 'key item' in this here side quest." Have you had any more luck," Pewter asked, "in trying to open it?" Jordan shook his head." Nada. There's a definite seam, but the lid won't budge at all. Doesn't feel like it's glued shut, and it doesn't have a keyhole or anything like that either. I have to assume it's magically sealed, but—"" Have you tried breaking it?"

Jordan gave Pewter a look. The latter also shook his head." Please forget I said that. I think I'm simply too tired."" You and me both, buddy. God, I can't remember the last time I spent so much time cooped up in a library! Definitely not my scene, not since I graduated college, anyway. This feels much more like something Cany—" Jordan stopped himself from finishing the thought. Even after two months, the wound was still very much fresh.

He had to watch himself, or his mind could go to some very dark places very quickly. Thankfully, his friend had the good sense to leave said wound well enough alone." Well," Pewter said with obviously forced cheer, "I for one am glad we spent all these hours cooped up in a library. At the very least, we're both more learned than we were when we began the day. And, heaven willing, something we learned today may lead us to salvation for all those poor people afflicted by deathtouch… oh, and for you as well, Jordan."

Jordan chuckled appreciatively." Let's hope you're right, Pewter. But before we go hunting for more clues in the forest, we definitely need a good night's rest." The Gym Rats decided to turn in, trudging back to their guest houses through the Padma estate's stone hallways, even danker and chillier in the night. Which was how Jordan received his second system update of the day: Feat enhanced. [Fuxi's Blessing (Lv. 2) -> (Lv. 3)]: In recognition of your pursuit of knowledge, you've gained a permanent [3]-point upgrade to Intelligence. INT: 22 -> 23 Active spell slots: 0/12 -> 0/13 It was welcome news, and it should have ended Jordan's day on a positive note. But he couldn't find it in him to cheer himself up. Was it the chill of the stone walls and floors? The thought of all those pale-faced people fading away in the infirmary? Or the shadow of the same ghost haunting his own person?

Whatever it was, Jordan couldn't quite shake a sense of dread that sat heavy upon his chest. He therefore couldn't wait for tomorrow, where he'd be out on the surface again—breathing in some fresh air and feeling the dirt beneath his feet.