In a daze, he thought he saw a map again.

The map must have been enormous. Thousand Masts City was just a tiny dot on it, and even the map he had seen at Dragon’s Fang Castle was merely a small fraction of this one.

Aside from a single red dot, the rest of the map was completely blank, with no other markings.

Just as Colin was about to reach out and touch the map appearing before his eyes... he opened them again.

Sunlight spilled onto his face.

Forced to squint, Colin sat up and looked around. Kase, who was leaning against a tree trunk, glanced over. "What is it? Still out of it from your nap?"

"Uh... It’s nothing," Colin said, clutching his head.

The dream was still remarkably vivid, and his memory of the map was crystal clear.

’Come to think of it, most of my dreams recently have been about practicing my Swordsmanship. That part must be from the Elf’s memories.’

’And then there was the statue and the map from yesterday...’

Colin focused his thoughts, intending to see if his Panel had changed in any way.

He was surprised to find a new quest on his quest panel.

-----------------

[Special Commission: Find the Statue]

[Rating: 0]

[Reward: Not Started]

-----------------

’A Special Commission?’ Colin frowned.

’I’ve done plenty of commissions, big and small, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a "Special Commission." I wonder what makes it special.’

"Are you sure you’re all right? You didn’t pick up something nasty, did you?" Kase muttered, having finished packing his things.

The man then hauled Colin and his sleeping bag up from the ground. He spat on the spot where Colin had been sleeping, then began to stomp his feet forcefully as he spun in a circle, chanting "Gush" over and over until he had completed three full turns.

Watching the other man’s slick little routine, Colin deadpanned, "I think you’re the one who’s cursed."

"You don’t get it. This is a ritual to ward off bad luck."

"How come I never realized you were so superstitious?"

"Typical human prejudice. You have to understand, a sudden gust of wind, a bird feather landing on your head, a fresh pile of bear dung... these are all omens from the Gods." Kase droned on. "You must have done something to anger the Goddess of Fortune to be this unlucky."

"But you aren’t devoted to any one of the Gods, so why bother with this?"

"We believe in the Deity of Destruction."

"Then what if you have to believe in the Morninglord to move your tribe over here?"

"Then we’ll believe in the Morninglord."

’Your definition of ’faith’ is a little different from mine, I guess...’

Rendered speechless by the man’s flexible faith, Colin walked to the side and quietly finished packing his things.

’As for that "Special Commission," I’ll look into it after we’ve solved the problem at hand.’

Once they were ready, the two left the main road, following the small paths between villages toward their destination.

They walked for several more hours.

The vegetation along the road gradually thinned. The hills, previously hidden by trees, slowly drew nearer. Before they realized it, the two had stepped onto an arid, hilly terrain similar to what surrounded Flint Village.

"Let’s be careful. Donkexes said they get hyena pelts from around here. We don’t want to get surrounded," Colin warned.

"I’ve heard of ’em. They’re like Wild Wolves, right?" Kase said, nonchalantly wiping his nose. "Your Flame is enough to handle most beasts. None of them like fire."

"Let’s hope so," Colin said, warily scanning his surroundings.

After walking a short distance further under the hot sun, Pig Badger Village came into view.

Perhaps because they were close to the road, or maybe because local security was decent, the two hadn’t seen so much as a single hyena hair the entire way.

Standing at the entrance to the path, they looked toward the distant village.

Pig Badger Village was even smaller than Silverpine Village, looking to have only a dozen or so households.

Its geographical location, however, was quite unique.

Not far from the village was a dirt hill covered in a dense forest, where a mill could be faintly seen.

Yet the ground around the village at the foot of the hill was an arid landscape of low hills, with almost no greenery to be seen aside from a few sparse shrubs.

Looking further into the hills, past the rolling knolls, they could just make out some crumbling towers, perhaps the remains of some ancient ruins.

"I wonder if there’s any treasure over there, just waiting for a master," Kase said, his eyes on the distant, crumbling towers.

Colin answered, "I’d say it’s more likely ghosts waiting for the living."

"If I went by myself, it would be treasure. If I bring you along, we’ll probably run into ghosts."

"Don’t even start, Kase."

"These are all omens from the Gods! You’re definitely unluckier than a normal person, you better believe it!"

The two continued toward the village, talking and laughing as they went.

Although this village was even smaller than Silverpine Village, it was still surrounded by a wooden palisade. At the main gate stood two members of the Militia holding Short Spears and wearing Cotton Armor. They looked like they had been recently posted to heighten security.

Colin quickened his pace.

Considering Kase’s status, he was prepared to reveal his own identity as a City Watcher.

As they got closer, however, the two Militia members paid them no mind. They neither questioned nor stopped the pair, simply continuing to stand their posts and stare into the distance.

’This defense seems a little too lax,’ Colin thought. ’Weren’t there supposed to be Cultists nearby?’

He led Kase to a small square in the village and approached a man pulling a charcoal cart. "Excuse me, friend. Where can we find the village chief?"

"Over there." The man glanced at the two, yawned, and gestured casually toward a nearby thatched-roof house. Its door was wide open, but it was impossible to see what was inside.

"Thank you."

After thanking the man, the two walked into the thatched-roof house.

Inside, a man was sitting on a stool, sharpening a blade on a whetstone.

"I’m with the City Watchers. I heard you have a problem with Cultists here," Colin said, stepping forward and showing his ring. "We’re here to solve it."

"Someone’s here at last, thank the heavens," the village chief said, his expression calm. "A few days ago, the Mill Master south of the village started stealing raw meat from the butcher. We don’t know what he’s doing with it, but for the last two days, nobody in the village has had any meat to eat.

Whenever we get near the place, he and his sons threaten to kill us. That’s why I told the patrol that he must have joined some kind of Cult."

"He only stole raw meat from the butcher?"

"There’s more. A couple of days after they started stealing meat, all the animals in the area fled. We even found two fawns, frozen solid. We only made the report after hearing about the troubles up north," the village chief added. "It must be those Frostland Druids."

"I understand. We’ll go take a look shortly," Colin said with a nod.

The two left the village chief’s house.

Colin thought for a moment, then led Kase through the village, asking for directions to the local tanner’s home.

’Since we didn’t run into any hyenas on the way, I might as well check the prices first.’

’If worst comes to worst, I can always just buy what I need.’