Traces in the Slag Heap

The cold wind swept over the slag heaps, its mournful wails akin to the sighs of the departed, yet it failed to disperse the thick, cloying stench of sweetness and decay that permeated the air.

The merchant guild guards brought by Siena had fanned out around the perimeter of the low-lying area, vigilantly sealing off what had become a gruesome slaughterhouse.

Rachel and Ruby stood opposite Siena, the three of them poised at the edge of the congealed, blackened pool of blood, the atmosphere thick with tension.

“Lady Lockwood.”

Siena was the first to speak, her voice low and direct, her sharp grey eyes fixed intently on Rachel.

“You wish to know the truth, and I can indeed share some of the information we possess.

But first, I need to ascertain your position.

Regarding you and Princess Ariya…”

“A partnership.”

Rachel’s reply was crisp and decisive, meeting Siena’s scrutinizing gaze head-on. “At least concerning the Cult of the End, our objectives are aligned. You must be aware that my own territory has suffered at the hands of those fanatics.”

Siena’s eyes flickered, as if weighing the veracity of Rachel’s words, but in the end, she merely offered a slight nod, choosing not to delve deeper.

“Very well. Time is of the essence, so I will get straight to the point.”

She drew a deep breath of the cold air, thick with the scent of rust and death, her gaze sweeping across the crimson devastation before them.

“The genesis of these events, I believe, dates back approximately a month ago.”

Siena’s voice cut through the cold wind with remarkable clarity.

“At that time, a sporadic series of miner disappearances began to plague Iron Anvil.

Initially, Barton, the guild’s manager, did not pay it much heed.

After all, the mining profession is inherently prone to accidents—cave-ins, roving bandits, or simply miners abandoning their posts—such occurrences are not uncommon in a mining town.

Furthermore…”

She paused, her brow furrowed deeply.

“Due to the famine in the north, displaced people had begun to flood into Iron Anvil, and not just Iron Anvil; many of the guild’s outposts were inundated with refugees at the time.

Barton, as the manager, was overwhelmed, his energy focused on maintaining order within the town, preventing unrest and disease, so the cases of the missing miners were temporarily put aside.”

“It wasn’t until two weeks ago that a turning point emerged.”

Siena’s tone abruptly shifted, becoming grave.

“An old miner named Old Rek came to the guild branch to sell an item, claiming he had stumbled upon it in an abandoned tunnel deep within the mines.

It was a stone, the size of a bird’s egg, pitch-black like ink, with natural facets on its surface.

In his subsequent report to headquarters, Barton described its appearance in detail, saying that it felt incredibly cold to the touch, and when held, it seemed to dim the light around it, as if the stone itself absorbed it.”

“In short, Barton found this stone to be utterly… ominous.”

“A stone?”

Rachel immediately seized upon the crucial detail. “Is that black stone similar to the one I possess?”

She once again revealed the black crystal wrapped in her handkerchief.

Siena’s gaze fell upon the crystal in Rachel’s hand, and she nodded solemnly. “According to Barton’s description, they are very similar.

It is highly probable they are the same type of object.”

“And then? What happened after this item was stored in the warehouse?”

Rachel pressed on, a growing sense of foreboding stirring within her.

“After that, strange occurrences began to unfold one after another within the guild.”

Siena’s voice carried a hint of tension.

“Firstly, the night watchmen reported to Barton that they heard unusual noises in the warehouse during the dead of night, as if someone was rummaging through things.

Yet, upon inspection, the locks were found intact, and no valuables were missing.

Immediately thereafter, two employees responsible for inventorying the warehouse vanished without a trace, one after the other.”

“And most strangely, Old Rek, who had sold the black crystal to the guild, had also disappeared!”

Siena paused for a moment before continuing.

“Following this, Barton became increasingly alarmed.

He discreetly reviewed the records of the previously missing miners and dispatched people to interview their colleagues and families.

The result was a chilling commonality!”

“In the days or weeks leading up to their disappearances, all of those miners had mentioned to others that they had found or seen similar ‘black stones’ in the mine shafts!”

“So, everyone who disappeared had come into contact with these black stones?”

Rachel’s heart sank instantly; this was no mere coincidence.

“Yes!”

Siena affirmed decisively.

“This discovery left Barton utterly restless.

Especially since…”

Siena took a deep breath, her gaze darting to Rachel.

“At that time, news of the Cult had spread thoroughly, and Princess Ariya was already preparing to depart for the north to commence extermination efforts.”

“Barton immediately realized that everything unfolding in Iron Anvil was likely not simple accidents or banditry, but highly probable to be connected to that malevolent Cult!”

“So he requested aid from headquarters?”

Rachel surmised.

“Exactly.”

Siena nodded.

“Approximately three days ago, Barton dispatched that urgent report.

In the report, he meticulously detailed the strange black crystal, the disappearances of employees and miners, and the fact that all missing persons had come into contact with the black stone prior to their vanishing.

Barton simultaneously speculated that the bizarre events in Iron Anvil were likely linked to the Cult of the End. He stated his intention to first organize personnel to trace the origin of the black crystals and search for any possible traces of Cult activity, while also requesting assistance from headquarters, hoping they would dispatch people to aid the investigation.”

Rachel immediately grasped the crucial information.

“Are you saying Barton personally led people to investigate?”

“That’s what the report stated.”

Siena’s expression suddenly turned exceedingly grim.

“Headquarters took the report very seriously, especially given the current… sensitive period.

Thus, headquarters immediately dispatched me to lead a small team, traveling day and night to reach Iron Anvil and assist Barton.”

As she spoke, she surveyed the blood-soaked wasteland, her voice laced with profound frustration.

“However, we arrived too late.

We… only arrived this morning.

When we reached the guild branch, what greeted us was a door tightly boarded shut!

Inside, it was utterly empty, as silent as a tomb.”

“We forced our way in, only to discover dried bloodstains on the floor deep within the warehouse.”

She gestured towards the ground beneath her feet.

“We tracked those bloodstains, following them until we finally arrived here, where we encountered this hellish scene, and, of course, the corpse of that monster.”

“And then, I encountered you.”

Rachel silently processed this influx of information.

Barton’s disappearance, the bloodstains in the warehouse, the massacre that had occurred here… something seemed to be connecting, yet many questions remained unanswered.

“In other words, after submitting his report, Barton likely did lead people to investigate, but the outcome…”

Rachel did not finish her sentence, but the implication was clear.

“It is likely a grim fate…”

Siena’s voice was heavy, carrying a hint of imperceptible sorrow.

“We also discovered bloodstains in the warehouse, but what was different was the simultaneous discovery of a mysterious dark figure lurking within.”

Rachel interrupted Siena’s mournful tone, her gaze sharpening.

“It now appears he may have been searching for the black stone that was sold to the guild.

That dark figure was highly skilled and capable of commanding such massive monsters.

He is very likely the instigator of this entire series of events, or, at the very least, a minion dispatched by the Cult to handle the situation.”

“As for last night’s massacre…”

Rachel’s gaze swept over the dismembered corpses on the ground, her expression turning somber.

“Perhaps it was simply these people’s misfortune to arrive in this vicinity, leading to their silencing by the dark figure, or perhaps…”

Rachel recalled Naiya, who remained at the inn. Could it truly be connected to her?

Did Naiya also have some connection to the black stone?

‘No, best not to mention that for now.’

Rachel shook her head, dismissing the intrusive thoughts.

“No, it was undoubtedly to silence them. These s*ave traders must have witnessed something they shouldn’t have.”

Siena nodded in agreement.

“That possibility cannot be ruled out.

The Cult’s methods are always ruthless; they would rather kill the wrong person than let one escape.”

“In any case, locating that dark figure is the key to unraveling everything.”

Rachel declared with conviction.

“He was wounded during our confrontation last night; Ruby’s strike was no minor injury.

He shouldn’t have gone far. If we act quickly, we might still find him.”

Siena nodded in agreement.

“I will have my people search outwards from this location, hoping to find traces of his escape…”

Just as Siena spoke, Rachel’s peripheral vision caught sight of Ruby, who had been silently shadowing them, having quietly slipped away at some point.

Ruby had not participated in the conversation. Instead, like a seasoned hunting dog, she had knelt alone beside a relatively “intact” male corpse, a dozen paces away from them.

The corpse, clad in a greasy leather apron, was none other than the s*ave trader.

Ruby’s movements were exceedingly cautious. Wearing thin leather gloves she had produced from who knew where, she meticulously examined the soil around the body, fragments of clothing, and even gently manipulated the corpse’s stiff arm.

Her gaze was focused and icy, as if the surrounding gore and conversation held no relevance to her.

Siena also noticed Ruby’s actions. Her words trailed off, a flicker of doubt and vigilance passing through her grey eyes. She looked at Rachel, seemingly questioning what the red-haired maid was doing.

Rachel offered no explanation, merely giving Siena a reassuring glance that urged patience.

She held absolute trust in Ruby’s professional capabilities.

As a Shadow Guard directly serving the Princess, Ruby’s actions at this moment undoubtedly held a purpose.

The cold wind stirred the dust on the ground, mingling with debris and dead leaves, creating a rustling sound.

Ruby’s fingers brushed over the cold, sticky earth. Her movements suddenly halted, her body seemingly stiffening imperceptibly for a moment, her amber pupils contracting abruptly under the dim daylight, as if she had discovered something immensely significant.

“Indeed, he left traces…”