The capital of the county was a small city of about twenty-thousand inhabitants. It was a bustling city, with people coming and going, with multiple open businesses and customers in them. But it was also evident the existence of some closed and abandoned businesses, which indicated the beginning of a decline that, probably, still could be avoided.

Eldi was dressed in some old clothes he had gotten in the village. He expected that he wouldn’t stand out too much with them, but his physique was somewhat exotic and many stared at him. That is why he ended up taking them off and showing the armor underneath, since it wasn’t too rare that an adventurer was somewhat exotic, and he had already seen several of them in the streets. He also carried a sword in his belt, which was the most common weapon there, although it wasn’t one of his main ones. What he wanted was to go as unnoticed as possible.

In the blacksmith, he found weapons of various levels, but that didn’t exceed the quality of what he could craft. Apparently, high-quality weapons were sold in the kingdom’s capital, as it was easier to sell them there. In fact, he sold a dagger that he had crafted for much more than similar-level weapons cost, despite being only level 15, as the quality was higher than normal ones. However, he didn’t want to sell more, because not only did he not need the money, but it would make him stand out too much. He could easily find an excuse for a single low-level weapon of exceptional craft, but having more would be suspicious.

What he did buy were raw materials, especially wood and leather, to create equipment from level 30 to 40, although he couldn’t buy as much as he would like. After all, it would be suspicious to use the inventory and store more material than would fit in a backpack.

He also bought some casual clothes and stored a lot of food, in addition to some alchemy and magic books. But, once again, he would need to go to the capital to find more advanced books and recipes, since the specialized stores had better business opportunities there.

He was always trying to start a conversation and get all the information he could, or listen to the conversations of other clients, confirming that way part of what he already knew, and also getting new information. And the tavern was the most productive place, because some alcohol let people loosen their tongues more than they should.

Apparently, neither the count, nor the countess, nor their children were loved by the citizens, or even by the guard. For them, the county and everything inside, including the people, was theirs, and they could do whatever they wanted. And though they tried to hide some of their abuses, the rumors were too numerous to ignore.

Many were making plans to leave, and go to one of the counties or ducats where living conditions were not too harsh, or even to another kingdom. Although for most that would mean leaving behind everything they had and starting from scratch.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

He also discovered that there were some nobles that the commoners seemed to trust, that they maintained a reasonable government, but many others were similar to Tenakk. He tried to remember all those names and corroborate it in the future, as it could be useful.

He didn’t stay overnight, but left the city at dusk, leaving the guard post behind and walking down the road, and then, he went back, making a detour. Its objective was a secret entry supposedly sealed, and that could only be opened with the appropriate key. In the game, he had carried out a unique mission there, one of the chain of unique missions that had led him to shake the foundations of the Engenak kingdom. And on that mission, he had gotten the key.

Eldi drew away bushes around the place where the entrance was supposed to be, despairing at not finding it, until finally the spear he was using to test the ground collided in a metallic sound. He cleaned the soil that had accumulated for years over the entrance on the ground, and carefully cleaned the lock. Then, he put the key in, praying that the mechanism hadn’t rusted and become useless.

However, the magic materials don’t rust just like that, and the key not only opened the lock but the seal, unlocking the door that hadn’t been opened in about eighty years, and which closed behind him. Inside, darkness, and passages that had been taken by cobwebs. To Eldi’s relief, they were normal spiders, and not the ones he had found in the dungeon, so they were only a small nuisance.

The moisture of those walls that had been long abandoned was noticeable in the environment. In fact, the stone was largely covered with fungi, some of which even had properties and were collected for potions. The wood of the torches that had to be lit to illuminate the road had rotted a long time ago, and turned into dust, leaving only the rusted supports, so he needed his floating lamp again.

It was a strange sensation for Eldi to cross that forgotten place under the walls and people’s houses, that place that perhaps no one remembered, since its existence had been lost by the passage time. Although partly it was logical, because there should be only one key, and he had it.

He turned the key again in what was supposed to be the exit, and opened the door slowly, carefully, fearing that the hinges would squeak. But unlike the torches and their supports, the materials of the doors that delimited that forgotten tunnel was of high quality.

He cautiously looked around, but in that crypt, which was already ancient in the game, there was no one, except the remains of those who had died long ago, and whose identity was only remembered in some books just as old as them.

The stone door was still half collapsed, as it had been in the game. No one had bothered to fix it all this time, but far from worrying, it benefited him. He left by taking advantage of the darkness of the night, covered by a black cape that provided a camouflage bonus. He needed to be careful, since he could still be discovered if he made noise, got too close or step in a trap.

As he remembered, he was in the castle cemetery, located at the rear. There was no easy way to get inside from there, as there was a long way to any of the entrances, and surveillance wasn’t light. Unless, of course, you have some ace in your sle