Chapter 40

On October 20th, 937th year of the Fourth Era, it was the Harvest Festival.

When Gao Dun woke up, he found that the large Freeman mansion was completely empty except for himself.

Since Gao Dun had the day off, the Bauds had taken Ilei and Yilian to the temple to worship. This family, originally farmers, shared the common faith of many farmers and small lords, worshipping the goddess of harvest, crops, and the earth, Shantia.

And Xieona had also made an early appointment with Shelaya to visit the temple of Aifandra, the goddess of freedom and adventure, who is the guardian of most adventurers. However, Aifandra's temples are generally built in the wild, at least fifteen kilometers away from civilized settlements, so it would take them more time to go there and back.

Since meeting Shelaya at the Dwarven blacksmith forge in Tielu, the half-elf ranger had often come to visit. She would mostly seek out Xieona, occasionally stopping by to ask Gao Dun about arcane matters. Today, she was also supposed to join the Freeman siblings for the Harvest Festival dinner.

After eating breakfast alone, Gao Dun looked out the window at the joyful faces of the people on the street and found himself somewhat at a loss amidst the festive atmosphere. He thought about his days on Earth, the unique festivals of his own ethnicity, and the warm times he spent with his parents during holidays. Unfortunately, in this world, there were no fireworks, no red envelopes, no New Year's Eve dinner, and no familiar faces.

With a hint of homesickness in his heart, Gao Dun decided to go out for a walk.

On the Harvest Festival, almost everyone would go to worship their own deities, so Gao Dun decided to visit the temple of Ioun, the god of knowledge, and make a donation. For a穿越者 from a world without deities, you can't expect him to have particularly devout faith; a few gold coins were enough to express his respect for the gods.

Ioun's temple was like a giant library, not only housing the statue of the god of knowledge but also a vast collection of books. Of course, only Ioun's devout followers could read these books, and Gao Dun had no hope of that for now. Unlike the many followers of Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, Meridia, the Lady of Dawn, or Shantia, the goddess of harvest, Ioun's followers were scholars, mages, or nobles who valued cultural education. This elite group was a minority in the city, so even on a day like the Harvest Festival, the temple was quite deserted.

After throwing a few gold coins into the donation box and chatting casually with the priest, Gao Dun saw that it was almost noon and decided to head home.

Baud, with his wife Roni's help, was preparing the midday feast. Ilei and Yilian, like two happy little sparrows, were running around the house, cleaning and tidying up.

Xieona was in her room, handling the new sword she had just received from the Dwarven master.

This sharp longsword, made of mithril and reinforced with adamantine, had been enchanted by Gao Dun with a wind element essence and a fire element essence, permanently imbuing it with lightning damage.

The sword was named Zidian, perfectly matching the dragon sound sword with its sonic damage.

Seeing Gao Dun return home, Xieona put away her beloved sword and found him. "Brother, have you seen Shelaya?"

Gao Dun, noticing his sister's anxious expression, asked, "No, she's not with you?"

Xieona shook her head. "After we left the Aifandra temple, Shelaya said she wanted to go to the market to buy some things and told me to go ahead. We agreed to meet at home at 11:00 AM, but it's already been half an hour, and she still hasn't shown up."

"Maybe she got so engrossed in shopping that she forgot the time."

"As an adventurer, Shelaya is very strict about time. I've never seen her break a schedule," Xieona added worriedly. "Moreover, every Harvest Festival, Bishui City becomes a mix of all sorts of people. After the festival, there are always a few cases of missing persons, and the victims are mostly young, beautiful girls."

Gao Dun thought Xieona was just worried because of her close relationship with Shelaya. The half-elf girl was not a weak woman but a level four ranger and experienced adventurer. Ordinary kidnappers wouldn't be able to abduct her.

However, this was a world where magic was prevalent. Unlike on Earth, kidnappers might not just be after money. Many followers of demons and evil gods would capture innocent people for cruel and bloody human sacrifices. Young, beautiful girls were their preferred targets.

If Shelaya had really encountered such a situation, it would be troublesome.

Out of caution, Gao Dun decided to go to the market to look for Shelaya.

He didn't take Xieona with him but had her stay home with the communication brooch. If Shelaya suddenly returned, she could notify him immediately, avoiding unnecessary effort.

During the Harvest Festival, the city lord would requisition the Platinum Square as a temporary market for vendors from the countryside and other regions. Citizens could often buy rare goods here.

Gao Dun, who had recently had a duel in Platinum Square, found that it had changed dramatically. Various makeshift tents lined the streets, and some people even spread old blankets on the ground to display their goods and hawk them.

Humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, and even rare elemental beings... almost all surface races were represented here.

From the Green Forest, Lone Mountain, Orandos, Antoria, and Velfast... merchants and travelers from all over the continent gathered here.

As Xieona had said, during the Harvest Festival, this second-largest city in the Far Frost Province was indeed a crowded and mixed place.

Finding someone in such a noisy market was not easy. Fortunately, Gao Dun was a mage and had some means that ordinary people didn't.

Starting from the clothing and jewelry stalls that girls often visit, Gao Dun asked a few vendors and used several "Detect Thoughts" spells, even catching a few pickpockets. Finally, he got the information he needed from a clothing merchant.

"A beautiful green-haired lady was choosing fashionable clothes from the south when a man came over, spoke to her for a few moments, and then she left with him. Oh, and when she left, I noticed her eyes seemed a bit off, as if she had been drinking."

Gao Dun thanked the vendor and took out the handkerchief Shelaya had left with Xieona. He summoned a celestial hound and let it smell the handkerchief.

"Lead the way!"

The celestial hound, a level two summoned creature, had better combat abilities and a better sense of smell than ordinary dogs. At Gao Dun's request, it wagged its tail, sniffing the ground, and led him away from the crowded square, through the festively decorated commercial district, to the port.

"Arf! Arf!" The celestial hound darted into a secluded alley and stopped at the entrance to a sewer.

"Inside here?" Gao Dun frowned. The city sewers were not a pleasant place, damp, dark, and dirty, filled with a pungent stench. The thought of entering such an environment made him uncomfortable.

But the evidence suggested that Shelaya had likely been lured here by the man using some means to cloud her mind. He had no choice but to go in.

Looking at the celestial hound, Gao Dun sighed, "I hope your nose is sharp enough and doesn't fail me."

Gao Dun tidied himself up, took some potions and scrolls from his dimensional bag, and put them in the inner pocket of his mage robe for easy access. Then, he entered the underground world.

The sewers were not only the city's drainage system but also a hiding place for the dregs of society, a refuge for beggars, bankrupts, thieves, and criminals, making it a very dangerous place.

Gao Dun cast "Peng Feather Angel's Eye" and the newly learned "Hearing Mastery" on himself and carefully navigated the complex underground maze.

After walking in the direction of the water flow for about ten minutes, he suddenly heard voices from around a corner.

"Damn, that woman not only has a pretty face but a body that makes you drool. Even Mary can't compare."

"Hehe, your Mary is just a cheap prostitute. How can she compare to the high-quality woman that Brother Mane brought back?"

"Unfortunately, Brother Mane went to see the young master. We'll have to wait until he comes back and has his fun before it's our turn."

"Today is the Harvest Festival, and everyone else is busy drinking and playing with women. Only we have to ensure the goods are transported out, so we can't indulge ourselves. Brother Mane understands and secretly brought a woman for us, so be grateful."

"There's no other way. Only today, the city lord has to use a lot of manpower to maintain order in the city, so the inspection of goods entering and leaving the port is relaxed. On any other day, it would be impossible to secretly load those things onto the ship."

Two burly men, wearing sailor headscarves and carrying curved swords, were guarding a door, chatting casually. Suddenly, the man with a beard changed his expression and said to his companion, "Did you hear something?"

"Sound? No. Maybe it's a rat?"

The bearded man shook his head and smiled lewdly. "It sounds like a woman. Hehe, it might be an illegal prostitute living in the sewers. I'll go check."

"Damn, can't you control yourself?" his companion cursed but followed him anyway.

The two men walked around a corner, and suddenly a strange-looking fierce dog leaped out of a pile of garbage, knocking the bearded man to the ground. They hurriedly drew their swords. To their horror, the sword blades did not cut the dog's skin or cause it to bleed. The dog turned into a white light and disappeared.

"A summoned creature!" the bearded man shouted in terror, "Someone, there's a mage!"

But his voice was blocked by an invisible barrier and couldn't be heard beyond five meters. Gao Dun, who had been lying in wait, took advantage of the time the celestial hound's attack bought him and chanted the Light of Mercury.

The two sailors screamed and fell to the ground, their faces burned to carbon by the light of the Paradise Mountain.

"Good thing I cast a Silence spell first and then used an Illusory Sound to lure these two over and kill them. Otherwise, that shout would have alerted others," Gao Dun sighed in relief, squatting down to examine the bodies.