CH74

"I found it on the only mountain path outside Creek Valley Town," Robert said, glancing at Helag, seemingly gauging his reaction.

He continued, "I really just found it. I had nothing to do with that wizard's death."

Seeing Robert's anxious explanation, Helag realized he had misunderstood and said, "I have no connection to that wizard. I don't even know who he is, and I'm not here to hold you accountable for his death."

Robert relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Creek Valley Town…" Helag hadn't heard of this place before.

He looked at Robert and asked, "Where is Creek Valley Town?"

"It's just east of Stormwind City, about a three-day ride," Robert replied without hesitation, familiar with the area.

"Is there anything special about that place?" Helag was puzzled as to why a wizard would die there.

Robert scratched his head and thought for a moment. "As far as I know, there's nothing special about it. It's just a regular mountain town with a small population."

"Any special rumors or ghost stories?" Helag pressed.

Robert shook his head. "I'm not sure. I'm not a local. There are probably ghost stories, as every place has some. If you want to know more, it's best to ask the locals."

"Does the Adventurers' Guild have information on that place?" Helag asked.

Robert nodded. "They should. The guild keeps records of the surrounding areas."

"Don't leave yet. I might need you to guide me," Helag said, getting up to find the guild's records.

Miro quickly arrived upon hearing the news and took Helag and Robert to the fourth floor.

The fourth floor resembled an archive, with rows of cabinets filled with documents.

"These are records of the surrounding geography. Let me see… Creek Valley Town should be here," Miro said, searching through the cabinets. He finally stopped at one, opened it, and took out a file folder.

Miro handed the folder to Helag. "This contains information on Creek Valley Town from the past thirty years."

Helag took the folder and pulled out a thick stack of documents.

He sat on a nearby bench and slowly read through the records.

Creek Valley Town has a history of over two hundred years, with a population between two and three hundred. The records depicted it as an ordinary town with nothing special.

The documents detailed events from the past thirty years, with the most severe being geological disasters like landslides. There were no unusual occurrences.

"Could it not be here…"

Helag had initially suspected Creek Valley Town might be the source of the Cursed Doll, possibly a resource point with abundant spell and potion materials.

Such places usually had strange occurrences, seen as supernatural events by ordinary people.

But Creek Valley Town seemed too ordinary, with no signs of anything unusual.

"Vice President Miro, do you know anything about this place?" Helag asked after finishing the documents.

Miro thought for a moment and said, "I'm sorry, but I don't know much about it. It's just an ordinary town."

"Did you know a wizard died there recently?" Helag asked, looking at Miro.

Miro was surprised. "A wizard? I haven't heard anything about that."

Helag glanced at Robert. "He said so."

Robert explained, "I did find a dead person on that mountain path, holding that doll. But I can't be sure if he was a wizard. I judged based on his attire. But I haven't heard any news from there since, so maybe he wasn't a wizard…"

Miro found it odd. "Regardless of whether the deceased was a wizard, I haven't heard of anyone dying in Creek Valley Town. Robert, when did you find the body?"

"About two months ago," Robert replied honestly.

Miro shook his head. "Impossible. I haven't heard of anyone dying there in the past two months. Unless only you saw the body, and it was quickly dealt with before anyone else found it."

The Adventurers' Guild was usually well-informed. Creek Valley Town had few residents and only one mountain path leading out. If someone died on that path, the locals would find out and report it.

But the guild had no information on this.

"At least we've found something unusual," Helag thought, unsure if it was related to a supernatural event or just a man-made incident.

He stood up and said, "Robert, you're coming with me to guide the way to Creek Valley Town."

"Alright," Robert nodded, not daring to refuse.

Helag had Deep Blue record the information on Creek Valley Town but found nothing valuable for now.

He returned the file folder and went downstairs, telling Sid, "I'm going out for a while. You can go back."

"Sir, don't you need me to follow?" Sid asked, eager to assist Helag.

Helag shook his head. "You're too weak. If something happens, I can't take care of you. Go back."

Helag's blunt words made Sid awkwardly scratch his head. "Alright, I'll head back then, sir."

Miro arranged two horses for Helag and Robert, along with some provisions and water.

Stormwind City was some distance from Creek Valley Town. Despite their strength, Helag and Robert still needed basic supplies.

Helag didn't linger, mounting his horse and heading for the city gate, with Robert following closely.

In the city, Helag controlled his speed, but once outside, he spurred his horse into a gallop.

After leaving Stormwind City, they quickly entered the mountainous region.

The terrain slowed their pace, with constant uphill and downhill paths, preventing them from riding at full speed like on flat ground.

Two days later, Helag and Robert arrived at Creek Valley Town.

A narrow mountain path led to the town, with a cliff on one side and a steep drop on the other.

As Helag walked along the path, preparing to enter, a squirrel chattered noisily from a nearby tree.

"Shut up!" Robert snapped at the squirrel, scaring it away.

"Sir, I found the dead person here that day. He was lying on his back, clutching the doll. It took some effort to pry it from his grip," Robert recounted.