"After hearing what you said... I don't think Beitman is a safe place, either," Han Jin naturally changed the topic.
"That's a paradise for adventurers. If it's safe, then there would be no adventure," a voice suddenly appeared.
Han Jin looked up. A 20-year old hatchet-faced man was standing in front of him. His straight eyebrows slanted upwards and outwards, and under his eyebrows were a pair of bright eyes and a straight nose. He was a pretty good-looking young man even though he was not very tall. The gray robe the young man was wearing seemed ordinary, and his chest was still heaving as he panted. Obviously, he was also among the fleeing crowd who had been running.
"It's you, Mr. Cessacioun!" Steelberg jumped up.
The young man was stunned and asked, "Do you know me?"
"This time last year, I was always listening to your story; don't you remember me?"
Cessacioun studied Steelberg up and down, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, you are...?"
Steelberg jumped next to Han Jin. "This is my young master, Raphael! Do you remember?"
"Oh..." Cessacioun showed an expression as though he had recalled everything and said: "Young Master Raphael, long time no see."
"Long time no see." Han Jin smiled. He knew that this young man was just saying out of politeness.
"You're a magician?" Moxinke interrupted them.
Cessacioun was dumbfounded, then slowly nodded his head. "Yes, you are..."
"Moxinke, a high grade swordsman." Moxinke slightly bent down. "Are you from Radon Town?"
"Nah." Cessacioun gave a wry smile. "I just arrived at Radon Town last night. Who would have thought I would come across this sort of thing today."
"Young Master, look! The town… It's on fire!" Steelberg exclaimed.
Hearing this, all of them turned around and looked in the direction of the town where puffs of black smoke was swirling into the sky like a hurricane. Most houses in Radon Town were made of wood, and only the rich could afford brick buildings. If someone were to deliberately set the town on fire, the fire would grow extremely fierce in the blink of an eye.
Cries echoed again, and many of the fleeing crowd ran to the edge of the jungle, standing and staring at the town. Their expressions were anguished. This fire had not only burned their homes, but also all their hopes.
"It seems that we have to go to Beitman now." Han Jin sighed. "What about you, Mr. Cessacioun?"
"Me? I'm going to Beitman, too."
"Then why don't we go together?" Moxinke made the invitation.
Cessacioun gazed at Moxinke's sword and outright nodded.
They both understood that a single swordsman was weak, and it was the same for a single magician. But if the two went together, it wasn't as simple as one plus one; their strength could be tripled or even quadrupled. It was a win-win situation for the both of them.
"Let's return to the town tonight, and set out tomorrow morning," Han Jin said in a low voice.
"No, we must leave right now!" Cessacioun said resolutely and decisively.
"Why?" Han Jin was astonished.
"What are you going to do if we return to the town?"
"Find something useful for us, like money."
"What's the use of money if you lose your life?"
"You mean... the knights will not leave?"
"It has nothing to do with them." Cessacioun hesitated for a moment and continued, "To tell you the truth, the army from Black Raven City is coming."
"How do you know?" Moxinke was very surprised.
"I planned to see a friend in Black Raven City, but came across the city's army. If it was not for my alertness, I would have..." Cessacioun gave a wry smile. "The Black Raven City army is well known for their speed. If we wait here till tomorrow morning, we will either be caught or killed."
Han Jin nodded thoughtfully. He then turned around and saw his old butler, Barbato, with some members of the enforcement team coming into the woods. "Steelberg," Han Jin said suddenly as though he had come up with something. "Inform them about the news and let them inform the others."
"Yes, Young Master." Steelberg ran towards Barbato.
Cessacioun's eyes lit up, but he didn't say anything.
Deeper into the mountain, the woods got thicker. It was dark and chilly without any sunshine penetrating through. Han Jin and the others walked through the woods while softly chatting. Cessacioun was a very talkative man, and unlike Moxinke, he didn't conceal his past. Through his words, Han Jin was able to get a lot of information.
Dismark, the owner of Holy Crown City, and Zaganide, owner of Black Raven City, were sworn enemies. Their beliefs and religions were antagonistic to each other to the extent that they could not to live under the same sky. This hatred could be traced back to hundreds of years ago. Due to their dispute, Dismark and Zaganide had started dozens of battles. They had attempted to wipe each other out, but neither of them had been successful in these battles.
Lord Zaganide was the descendant of the Darkness Druid. He was not only possessed with powerful strength, but he could also control evil creatures. Within Black Raven City, thousands of mutated ravens would form dark clouds whenever Zaganide was going to battle. Though the ravens' fighting capabilities were not that strong, they could still hover over the army. They acted as skyguards, monitoring every motion of their enemies. When opportunities came, they could also cut off straggling scouts.
The core forces of Zaganide consists of vampires, the Darkness Druid, and a small amount of knights of Darkness and sorcerers. They boasted both mighty fighting capabilities and extremely rapid speed.
This time, Zaganide had abandoned his habitual style of frontal attack, and had led his army to cross the mountains, attempting to stab Dismark in the back. That strategy had pushed the tranquil Radon Town to the top of the storm. However, for the residents of Radon Town, everything was meaningless now, for their town had already become a heap of rubble.
When dusk came, Han Jin and his companions found a camping place to settle down. Moxinke was responsible for hunting, while Steelberg went to find some branches for a fire. Han Jin and Cessacioun had nothing to do, so they cleaned up the place and sat down to rest.
Han Jin was interested in Cessacioun. In fact, he was quite fond of this experienced man. Cessacioun had visited many places on the mainland as a bardlet, and the knowledge that Steelberg had was also from him. Han Jin thought if he could chat with this man more often, he could obtain lots of information and fill in the blanks in his memory.
"By the way, since you've already knew that the Black Raven's were going to attack Radon Town, why did you come here?" Han Jin asked lightly.
"I have a friend here. He's a merchant. If war broke out all of a sudden, he would surely suffer a lot, and Dismark is a man with a good reputation, I wanted to inform him about the attack."
"You have quite a lot of friends, don't you..." Han Jin bantered. "Then why did you decide to go to Beitman with us? I guess you haven't seen Lord Dismark yet?"
"Hmph, I never thought the owner of Holy Crown City would be such a person. Since he's so brutal, what's the point of informing him? To be honest, I am quite disappointed."
"What about your friend? Don't you care for him?"
"It was a coincidence; I already met him in Radon Town."
"Cessacioun, you wanted to bring information to Dismark just because he has a good reputation?"
This question stunned Cessacioun. He then cracked a smile and replied, "Of course not, I thought it would be a good chance for me to recommend myself. If I am lucky enough to be appreciated by Lord Dismark, I no longer have to wander around."
"So you attempted to work for Dismark?"
"Dismark is old, but I'm still young. If I can settle down in Holy Crown City, who do you think I will be obsequious to?" Cessacioun asked back.
"That brutal guy today was the son of Dismark?"
"Mhm." Cessacioun nodded.
At this moment, Steelberg came back with a huge bouquet of branches in his arms. Han Jin stood up and helped Steelberg frame the branches on the ground, but he suddenly turned around and asked, "Cessacioun, you said you met your friend in Radon Town? Is your friend a man or a woman?"
"A man, why do you ask?"
"Nothing, I thought your friend was Miss Keeley." Han Jin didn't want to mention Miss Keeley, but since Cessacioun was so outspoken, there was no need to hide this from him.
"Miss Keeley... of Holy Crown City?" This time Cessacioun was startled. "She was also in Radon Town?"
"Yes."
Cessacioun stood up slowly, his face revealing a hesitant look.
"Rest assured, Miss Keeley left town last night," Han Jin said with a smile while observing Cessacioun's expression. "Dismark's son was angry because he couldn't find Miss Keeley, which is why he ordered to kill us all. Do you know Miss Keeley?"
"How would I possibly know her?" Cessacioun shook his head. "But my friend told me that she is a nice girl, a good person, like you."
"Like me? Why would you think I am a good person?" Han Jin couldn't help but laugh.
"You informed others about Black Raven's invasion as soon as you got the news, showing that you were also worried about their safety. And you are the first nobleman I know who would do a servant's work. Regardless, you surprised me."
"What nonsense. I am just a homeless refugee now!" Han Jin said in a self-deprecating tone.