Chapter 239: Ruins, Lies, and Hidden Eyes

After exploring the town, Thoren returned to the Gila Fiend Inn. Now, he was sure that human life was worth nothing in this place. Humans were treated even worse than common Sand Hounds.

He had seen a scene where humans were being auctioned off on the street like common livestock. The highest price among the Jackals was merely twenty Silver coins, while the cheapest human was sold for only five Silver coins.

Many humans watched the scene as if they were watching an entertaining movie. Some even ridiculed their fellow humans for fetching such low prices at auction.

This alone confirmed his growing suspicion.

There must be a secret deal between the human race and the Jackal Beastmen. Or perhaps, the human race had simply accepted their inferiority compared to the Jackal Beastmen.

Even though he was curious about the secret relationship between the humans and the Jackal Beastmen, right now, he knew his own priorities.

He needed to find out clues about his trial as quickly as possible.

“Should I start asking around in this town?” he asked himself as he sat at the edge of the wooden bed.

“That will be the best approach,” he mused aloud. “Compared to humans, the Jackals must know a lot more about the Bleeding Desert than any other race.”

“Very well. I will try to speak with the Inn owner,” he decided.

Although the Inn owner was cold toward him, he did not care about the beastman’s attitude. Right now, his priority was to find clues about the Vorlath Blood Compass.

He did not even have any idea about what the Vorlath Blood Compass looked like or where it could be found.

With that thought, he retrieved some fresh food from his inventory and devoured it greedily. As for the food sold in the Inn, he did not even bother to ask about it.

The following day, Thoren was already up and ready to begin his search for clues about his trial.

Coming down from the second floor, he was surprised to find two people were already waiting for him in the lobby.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, creasing his brow in confusion.

Rising to their feet, Cressida flashed Thoren a warm and welcoming smile. She closed the short distance between them and responded to his question.

“We are here to see you,” she said cheerfully.

Hmm?

Thoren’s confusion deepened even further. Since they had departed yesterday, he believed their paths should not cross again unless by fate or accident.

But he was clearly wrong about that assumption.

“Yes, we wish to discuss something important with you,” Neville added with a confident tone in his voice.

“This is a chance that I believe you will not want to miss,” Cressida said with enthusiasm.

“Very well,” Thoren nodded, now curious about this so-called chance they were offering him.

Quickly, the three of them found a seat in the corner of the lobby and sat down together.

“One of our men has found ancient ruins, and we wish to explore them,” Cressida said in a low, secretive voice. “This is a freshly discovered ruin, and no one else has discovered it yet.”

“We would not have invited you if we had not lost one of our party members in the last Bloodstone mine,” Neville said in a sad and somber tone.

For a moment, a heavy silence hung over the three of them. Thoren did not speak. He simply stared at the two, waiting for them to finish their complete statement.

How they lost their teammate had nothing to do with him at all.

From the corner of her eyes, Cressida watched Thoren’s expression carefully and noticed how he was not moved by the loss of their teammate.

’What a cold hearted person,’ she said silently in her heart.

Likewise, Neville was also looking at Thoren’s expression. He also came to the same conclusion as Cressida. But no one knew what each other was truly thinking.

Clearing her throat, Cressida flashed Thoren an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. We did not mean to bore you with our loss.”

“It is nothing,” Thoren responded casually. “So, tell me about the ruin?”

“Ah yes,” Neville recovered quickly from his sad thoughts and continued. “The ruin entrance has just been discovered, and we need to move quickly before others find it.”

“As for the exact location, sorry, but we cannot tell you yet,” Cressida said in a low, cautious voice.

“That is understandable. So when are you planning on exploring the ruin?” Thoren asked, looking carefully at their faces.

When Neville and Cressida heard this question, they both flashed a knowing smile at each other.

“Right now. That is why we came to see you so early,” Cressida replied happily.

“Or are you somewhat busy with other matters?” she asked politely.

“Not at all,” Thoren answered truthfully.

“Good,” Neville laughed, rising to his feet with excitement. “I knew choosing you was the right decision.”

“We will meet outside the town gate in one hour,” he announced.

Quickly, the two of them left the Inn with large, eager strides. Looking at their departing backs, Thoren creased his brow for a moment, and a light chuckle escaped from his lips.

’Interesting,’ he thought to himself.

Even though he had planned to start looking for clues about his trial today, he could not miss the chance of exploring a newly discovered ruin.

Also, he was curious about something else that he could not quite name.

An hour later, Thoren stood outside the town gate waiting for Cressida and Neville to arrive. Just as he was getting impatient, Neville and Cressida finally appeared in the distance.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting,” Cressida apologized as she approached him.

“It is nothing,” Thoren waved his hand dismissively.

“Thoren, these are our other party members,” Neville introduced the group. “And everyone, this is our new friend. His name is Thoren.”

The group looked at Thoren from head to toe and found him dressed entirely in a black robe. This sight surprised them greatly.

How could he be dressed like that for a ruin exploration?

Were they not going to explore a dangerous ruin?

Where were his proper gears and weapons?

Did he think they were going for a pleasant vacation instead of a deadly mission?

A deep frown appeared on their faces, but no one spoke their thoughts aloud.

“Now that we have all gotten to know each other, let us depart immediately,” Cressida clapped her hands together, leading the group deep into the Bleeding Desert.

Ten minutes later, a different group appeared outside the town gate, looking in the direction where Cressida and her group had headed.

Without any hesitation, this new group followed their trail through the desert sand.

While the tracking group was busy following the trail, they failed to notice another group of Jackal Beastmen that had appeared hundreds of meters behind them.

****

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