As the granny scurried away from the library, she contemplated on what to do next. If she wanted to find more clues then there were a few spots where she could search. Like the bakery or the Chief’s place.

Tacha glanced at the updated quest log. It was pointing out a matter that she had not thought about yet.

Corruption Runs Deep II

You have successfully discovered what happened to Kirio’s missing mother.

Now you have two options in front of you: report back to Kirio with the information you know, or you could attempt to discover the culprit responsable to trap Layla in the depths of the ruins before reporting.

* You have found out that an intruder had been threatening and tormenting the village’s innkeeper.

The messages that he had been leaving behind talk about the curse of a Wolf God befalling those who break in his sacred shrine.

You have no doubts that this is related to the Amber Jackal Ruins not far from the village!

* Deep in the darkest corners of the library of Rosecott village you found a hidden study full of observations and conspiracies. The mysterious White Order seems to be after the secrets of the village, however the librarian and his companions don’t seem to value enough said secrets to protect them.

What’s their identity, and are they working alone or is someone behind them?

Report back: (0/1)

Find the culprit: (0/1)

The quest was implying that those three were part of an organization or that they were working for someone else.

Where would she find the clues to this mysterious shadow? She had an inkling, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

It was time to use the clue finding ability again.

Charting Compass activated.

Select the quest to receive a clue for:

- Corruption Runs Deep II

- Tears of the Moon

- The Curse of Styx

Now that there was a risk that the librarian might go back and check the secret hatch and discover that she had been snooping around, Tacha had to get to the truth of the matter as quickly as possible.

Without hesitation the granny choose Corruption Runs Deep II.

She was expecting another vision of the past, but instead only a lonely notification appeared.

A lonely ivy has taken roots in the amber den, where secrets lie. It seeks the shade, hidden from the golden sun of virtuous renown.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Of the little sprouts, one has wilted and the other one is infested by a parasite scared of the poisonous ivy.

A poet, a soldier and a king walk under the sun, uncaring of the snake hidden in the grass. Puppets of a greater play.

The snake-eating wolf has long fallen, his home plundered by his allies.

Tacha looked at the nonsensical message in front of her eyes. She couldn’t believe that she had been played by the system like this.

So it was not guaranteed to be useful?

The granny massagged her frowning brows. She was expecting something better after the first time she had used the skill. Is this still a clue or just a random poem scribbled up on the moment?

Charting Compass is on cooldown.

Time remaining: 29:05

She sighed. Nevermind the clue, her best bet was still one of the other two guys. And between the baker and the village chief, the one that might hold the most secrets was most probably the latter.

The chief residence was located in the same building as the library. To reach the gathering hall and the chief’s residence, she simply had to walk up the stairs.

She had only to consider one problem: how to snoop around undisturbed.

As she was musing over her dilemma, she could hear a hushed murmur coming from the top of the stairs. Once on top, she could see a few people talking between themselves in the big hall.

The gathering hall was as big as the whole floor. If she kept going straight, she would reach the stairs that would lead to the personal quarters of the village chief. On the far end of the hall was a wooden podium, twentyish chairs in front of it.

Not far from where she was, on her left, was a locked box with a slit on top, neatly placed on a table so that it would be in arm’s reach. Right beside it was a sheet of paper. Written in a familiar neat handwriting was: ‘Suggestion box. At the end of the month all of the suggestions will be reviewed and approved by the commission. First come, first served!’.

Lastly she looked towards the group of people. They were standing, not far from the podium.

Among them was that old scrooge of an innkeeper, whom was arguing with a man half his age.

The relatively younger man was dressed quite well. The shirt looked to be of a finer fiber than of those around him and his beard and hair were well curated. He looked annoyed, but his bearing was on the restrained side, unlike Old Hans’.

Now that she knew that the chief was part of a secretive group of people, she could see the stark difference in behavior between him and the villagers.

“I’m telling you, a thief came in the middle of the night and robbed me!” Hans pointed angrily at the chief, seemingly on the verge of grabbing him by the collar.

The chief looked displeased by the innkeeper’s actions. He weaved the scrooge’s finger away from him “Old man, no one in this village has the courage to come and rob you. Not with that piece of metal that you always keep close to your chest at night”

Old Hans gritted his teeth “He sneaked in while I wasn’t looking! I caught that bastard while he was slipping away, and when I checked the place where I keep my fortune, half of it was gone!”

The village chief frowned “As I said, everyone in the village knows your temper. Isn’t it more likely that the thief would be one of the outsiders living in your inn?” as he said that, he glanced at a young man with black hair and blue eyes. Tacha recognized him at a glance! It was Frӧst, the player that she had been trapped with.

“An outsider?” he scoffed “Ha! How would an outsider know about the room beneath the inn? There’s no way one of them would be able to sneak inside without my knowledge”

“You...”

The village chief became red in the face as the rest of the people gathered whispered to each other. Tacha was too far away to catch what they were saying, but it was evident that what they were saying wasn’t pleasing for the chief. As his face grew redder and redder, he glared at the whispering people. The murmur however resumed soon after.

Tacha smirked.

How convenient. The chief was distacted by that old scrooge. She gave him a thumbs up in her mind. Even if it was unintentionally, he was helping her.

Stealing a few glances towards the group, the granny made sure that nobody was looking her way. As soon as she saw an opportunity, she sneaked up the stairs.

Tacha had no idea for how long they would keep arguing. She had to be quick and steady.