Chapter 65: Finding the Ancient City

Zaos spent the next two days exploring the Forsaken Woods. He was cautious to avoid any unnecessary confrontations with powerful Savage Beasts while he searched the forest for useful clues.

Unfortunately, even after scouring through most of the forest, Zaos was unable to find anything.

[So my transmigration occurring in this forest was nothing more than a coincidence?] Zaos stood beside a tree as he stared at the night sky.

[If so, then there is no point staying here anymore.] Zaos took one last look at the foggy forest before teleporting away.

He reappeared on the path leading to the city of Larek and walked over to it.

Soon, he stood before two steel gates forged into the hilly barricades surrounding the city.

He was made to show an identity token at the gates before he was granted access to the tunnels leading to the city.

After smoothly crossing through the tunnel, Zaos trekked the small distance from the "walls" to the city situated in the valley.

As he walked, his thoughts wandered as he compared the intricate design of Larek city to the mercenary city; the settlement he was most familiar with.

Larek City was a small city ruled by an Elite clan. The city was divided into four main districts namely; the commercial district in the North, the upper residential district for clan members in the West, the lower residential district for non-clan members in the East, and the Administrative district in the South.

The commercial district housed establishments like shops, taverns, inns, and workshops. There were a few simple entertainment industries like theaters and casinos but they were not mainstream.

The upper residential district was where most of the Larek clan members resided. Without the Larek bloodline flowing in your veins, you couldn't gain access to this district. Even visiting was highly prohibited and only a select few non-clan members were allowed to do so.

The lower residential district on the other hand could be seen as the slums of Larek City. It was where the non-clan members resided and although it was clean and mostly habitable, its environment was generally chaotic since most of its residents were rogue elves like bounty hunters and mercenaries.

The last and most important district was the Administrative district. This was where the city hall, the council center, and the City lord's Manor were situated.

The city's design was meticulously structured to create a flourishing environment, in comparison, the mercenary city was heavily lacking.

Shaking off these random thoughts, Zaos headed directly to the commercial district. He walked to the two-story, ash-colored tavern where he had met with the hooded figure previously and took a seat at the same corner.

In under a few minutes, the hooded figure arrived at the table and took a seat opposite Zaos.

Zaos wasted no time and explained his reason for visiting.

"I couldn't find the bounty. I searched for multiple days in the Forsaken Woods but couldn't find a trace of him. I might have to forfeit this one and focus on some less troublesome targets," He spoke calmly and without much of an expression on his face.

The hooded figure sighed before speaking in an unusually deep voice.

"I understand, I'll try to find another target for you to go after." The figure spoke with a tinge of regret.

"Thanks, Whisperer." Zaos returned the documents to the information broker known as Whisperer and exited the tavern.

He made his way to the lower residential district, walked through the relatively empty streets, and made it back to his residence.

He took a quick bath and changed into some loose garments before collapsing on his bed to sleep.

[The investigation into the churches and gods of this world will have to progress slowly. I don't want to attract any unwanted attention to myself.

[I can start by attending the Church service in a few days, but before that, I can try looking into the map I found…] Zaos drafted a rudimentary plan as he drifted into a slumber.

The next morning.

Zaos teleported to hideout in a discreet location underground.

It was a massive underground cave hidden from the surface world due to its complicated and almost impossible entry route.

Zaos had come across this cave accidentally during a cave exploration he had carried out. When he realized how secluded the environment was, Zaos decided to utilize it as a secret base to store his treasures and as a haven in the events where he needed a place to stay.

Gazing around, Zaos admired his hideout. He had added a few decorations like paintings, statues, and furniture to the rocky environment of the hideout making it look a lot more aesthetic. Other than that, he had also installed some simple traps to discourage the cave dwellers in the surrounding area; they also served as a signal to Zaos indicating that his hideout had been compromised.

Zaos retrieved the beast skin map from a sac he carried with him, walked over to the section of the cave where a lot of shelves had been neatly arranged, grabbed a few books and scrolls based on the information he discerned from the map, and took a seat at the wooden table beside the shelves.

Zaos spent the next few hours reading through the books and scrolls, trying to find the route leading to the ancient city depicted on the map. This was because most of the landmarks and routes drawn on the map had changed throughout history so finding them would prove difficult.

But after hours of cross-referencing modern geography with the locations portrayed on the map, Zaos finally got a general direction to begin his search. He managed to recreate the map using modern geography although he couldn't be certain of the accuracy of his version.

[Hopefully, this city has some worthwhile treasure or this expenditure would be for naught…]

Filled with excitement and anticipation, Zaos teleported to a remote location away from all elven civilizations in the Dark-elf Tribe.

According to his map and the ancient map, this was the first landmark.

Using his map as a guide, Zaos managed to locate some of the many landmarks depicted in the original beast skin map. Yet, he was only able to make it halfway before the night descended on the Dark-elf Tribe.

Unwilling to continue his search in the uninhibited and unpredictable areas of the Dark-elf Tribe at night, Zaos decided to return for the day.

He teleported back home, took a rest, and continued the following day.

He spent half a day searching for the correct route and eventually managed to arrive at the destination.

Gazing into the distance, Zaos was stunned by the scene before him. A kilometer away from him was a ruined city integrated into the forest around him.

[The city actually exists!] Zaos was intrigued, yet cautious. He was currently in unexplored territory and couldn't afford to act rashly, especially when he didn't know if existences on the level of Elder Savage Beasts resided in the area.

With a solemn experience, Zaos activated his invisibility and stealthily approached the city.