Nicole got up early, only to find that Rivern had already left. She asked Quigeta about Rivern's whereabouts, but Quigeta didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "You want to discuss the matter of Acorn Town with him, don't you?"

Nicole was startled. "How do you know?"

"Last night, Rivern and I were hiding outside your room. We heard everything."

Nicole was at a loss for words. But upon reflection, this was typical of Rivern. He always had a way of sensing the direction of events beforehand. This time was clearly no exception.

"Did Rivern ask you to watch over me and prevent me from going?"

"That's right. He begged me, and I agreed," Quigeta said casually, sitting behind the bar and nibbling on a piece of rye bread.

Hearing this, Nicole didn't feel discouraged. She climbed onto the high stool next to the bar and, like a customer, demanded from Quigeta, "Boss, I need a map of the Asate continent."

Quigeta glanced at her and laughed. "Three silver coins." He then took out a map from under the bar and placed it in front of Nicole.

Nicole took the map, paid the money, and began searching for the location of "Acorn Town."

Quigeta took another bite of his bread and said, "Give it up. It's not on there."

"What?" Nicole looked up at him, surprised.

"Out of curiosity, I already looked for it last night."

Nicole pouted and muttered softly, "Maybe you just don't know enough words to find it." With that, she continued searching the map.

"It’s just not on the map," Quigeta said helplessly. "Trust me, little Nicole. I may not have read much, but I do know how to read."

"But Acorn Town can't possibly not be on the map," Nicole said, having searched the entire map herself and finding nothing. She could only guess, "Could it be... it's not on this map? Not in the Asate continent?"

"Who knows," Quigeta replied, finally finishing his bread and licking his fingers contentedly.

At that moment, a third voice joined their conversation.

"Acorn Town? What a nostalgic name."

The two turned towards the voice and saw an old man sitting alone at a dining table. His hair was white, and he was small and thin. He was slowly sipping his creamy mushroom soup, not even looking up.

"Grandpa Philler, have you heard of this place?" Quigeta was a bit surprised, but considering the regular patron's age, it didn't seem so strange.

Philler took a sip of his soup, raised his head, and said, "Heard of it? I used to frequent Acorn Town often because of business."

Hearing this, Nicole immediately sat down across from Philler. "Grandpa, can you tell me where Acorn Town is? For some reason, I can't find it on the map."

Philler slowly opened his eyes, looking at Nicole's slightly youthful face. "Because that place no longer exists, young lady. Of course, you can't find it."

Quigeta seemed to have realized something. He turned over the map, where it clearly stated—Printed in December 1258, Second Edition.

The map was printed four years ago. For some reason, a sense of foreboding filled his heart.

"Doesn't exist...?" Nicole's heart suddenly tightened. "What do you mean by 'doesn't exist'?"

Philler didn't directly answer Nicole's question. He looked up at the ceiling, as if lost in his memories. "That must have been thirteen years ago? No, it should be earlier, fourteen or fifteen years ago? Yes, fifteen years ago. I was going to Acorn Town as usual to pick up a batch of goods. But when I got there, I found that the priests of the Dawn Prayers had already sealed off the entire town."

Philler picked up the blackberry jam from the table and poured it into his bowl, stirring the remaining half bowl of soup with a spoon. Soon, the jam had turned the entire bowl of soup a dark purple-black color.

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"It was a demon." As he said this, Philler's aged hand trembled slightly, causing the spoon to accidentally fall into the bowl, swallowed by the thick, dark liquid. "A demon attacked the town. Thousands of lives were lost, not a single one spared. In the face of the demon's absolute power, even the Dawn Prayers were helpless. All they could do was cremate the bodies to prevent them from turning into ghouls and harming others."

Nicole and Quigeta looked shocked.

Philler continued, "The fire burned for three days. Even in Northsail, you could see the billowing smoke. From then on, Acorn Town vanished from the map."

Nicole was speechless for a long time. She became even more puzzled.

The werewolf said she grew up in Acorn Town, but according to Philler, Acorn Town was destroyed fifteen years ago. Nicole was born around fifteen years ago, so how could she have grown up in Acorn Town? All of Nicole's memories began in Echowater Town.

Could Kuro be lying?

Quigeta also fell into deep thought. He wasn't originally from Northsail; he arrived in this free city in 1252, twelve years ago. No wonder he had never heard of Acorn Town.

As for demons, although Quigeta had lived on the Asate continent for decades, he had never seen a demon with his own eyes.

He had only heard that demons typically lurk among humans, delighting in causing tragedy and suffering. They have a strong ability to disguise themselves and are skilled at manipulating human minds. They are humanity's eternal enemies. However, he had never heard of demons launching such a high-profile attack on humans.

From Philler's words, Quigeta could infer that Acorn Town must be close to Northsail. Therefore, it's not surprising that Rivern, who is from Northsail, knows about Acorn Town. After all, he is a member of the Dawn Prayers, which gives him even more reason to be aware of this event. But why did Rivern claim he had never heard of this place? Was it really necessary to tell such an obvious lie?

A town associated with demons... It's no wonder Rivern wouldn't want Nicole to go there. But why does Quigeta feel that Rivern's actions have another reason behind them?

He had known Rivern for several years. The priest had always seemed unflappable, always wearing a charming smile. But last night, when Rivern heard the name Acorn Town, he was genuinely flustered.

It was the first time Quigeta had seen Rivern in such a state. It seemed as though he wasn't panicked for Nicole's sake, but... for himself?

Nicole ruffled her hair in frustration, then asked worriedly, "Why did the demon attack the town?"

Philler shook his head. "I don't know."

"Did the Dawn Prayers eventually catch the demon?"

Philler gave a helpless smile. "Did they catch it in the end? I don't know."

With that, Philler took out some change, placed it on the table, and prepared to leave.

Nicole hadn't given up yet; she still hadn't gotten the answers she wanted.

"Does Acorn Town have a maple forest??"

"That's right, the maple syrup is quite famous."

Nicole became anxious. Could the place in her dreams really be Acorn Town? Had she actually been there?

"Grandpa, do you remember where Acorn Town is?"

Before Philler could respond, Quigeta interjected urgently, "Nicole, you don't really plan on going there, do you? I gave you the map just to dissuade you. Listen, you can't risk going to see that werewolf."

Nicole ignored him and held onto Philler, pleading, "Please tell me, I beg you."

The old man still didn't answer her directly. "There's nothing left there now. It's just a graveyard. Besides the ruins and charred remains, there are countless cross-shaped tombstones. Why do you want to go there?"

Nicole couldn't answer for a moment.

Why did she want to go? Just because of Kuro's words, "I'll be waiting for you there"?

No, it wasn't the only reason.

Nicole had to see for herself what connection she had with Acorn Town.

Philler sighed, "Alright, if you must, go and take a look. You'll give up after seeing it once." The old man slowly walked towards the door of the shop, speaking as he went, "Acorn Town is northeast of Echowater Town. Follow the Faber River upstream; it's on the other side of the Selt Cliffs."

"Thank you!" Nicole said gratefully, looking at Philler's retreating figure.

Philler suddenly stopped and turned his head to warn the girl, "Just take a look and don't step into the village. It's a place tainted by demons. Who knows what unclean things might still be there." With that, he left the inn.

Nicole sat down and began to search the map for the clues Philler had left. She quickly found the Faber River and the Selt Cliffs.

Suddenly, a pair of large hands slapped down on the map, blocking Nicole's view.

"Nicole, are you really going?"

"I have to go!" Nicole insisted firmly. "I've seen that maple forest in my dreams. I must..."

"This world is full of maple forests!" Quigeta interrupted her roughly. "It's just a coincidence. Why do you take it seriously?"

"If it's really just a coincidence, then is this also a coincidence?" Nicole handed the cat paw pendant Kuro had given her last night to Quigeta.

Quigeta took the pendant and was stunned. He had seen the fishbone pendant Nicole always wore. Anyone who saw these two necklaces would think they were made by the same craftsman.

But Quigeta still didn't want to believe it. "No, no, even if they were made by the same craftsman, what does that prove? A craftsman makes many pendants in their lifetime. They could sell them to people all over the world, they might..."

This time, Nicole interrupted Quigeta.

"Quigeta," she said, looking at him seriously, "look closely at the back of the cat paw."

Quigeta did as she asked, but all he saw were some seemingly meaningless scratches.

"The fishbone also has scratches on the back. At first, I thought they were just ordinary scratches until I saw the cat paw last night. I'm so familiar with the scratches on the fishbone that I can remember them even when it's not with me."

Quigeta looked at her in disbelief, silently listening to her continue.

"The scratches on the fishbone and the cat paw together form two letters—S and I. These two pendants must be a pair. Quigeta, I have to go."