As winter approached, the air turned dry and cold. The sky was heavy with thick clouds, dull and lifeless, casting a gloomy, leaden hue over everything. Beneath the clouds lay rows of low buildings in shades of dusty yellow and gray, their dilapidated exteriors resembling faded, weathered blocks stacked haphazardly.

In a bid to save space, some of the brick-and-wood structures stood two or three stories tall, but even the three-story buildings barely matched the height of a two-story noble estate. This was the home of the poor in the kingdom's capital, with a slum nearby, where those even poorer than the destitute lived.

"Ludus Street, Corner Lane, Apartment 43," EeDeChi murmured the address Lakyus had given her. "It's hard to believe that the last of the legendary Thirteen Heroes lives in a place like this!"

The adamantite-level adventurer Lakyus had given her a ring, recommending she seek out Rigrit Bers Caurau, a recluse residing here. Rigrit was a founding member of the "Blue Roses" adventuring team and had since retired. Now over 200 years old, she was once the death-bringer for the legendary team "Thirteen Heroes," known from over two centuries ago.

EeDeChi believed that contacting such a living relic would help her find a way to counter Ainz Ooal Gown. But she couldn't locate her.

The address had to be correct; Lakyus had no reason to deceive her. Yet the local citizens often built unauthorized extensions to their homes, making the already spiderweb-like paths even more tangled, resembling a ball of yarn. The bronze or iron nameplates were either rusted and falling apart from the elements or stolen and sold for scrap.

People living here didn't need addresses; they had no packages to receive or send. Even the postman couldn't find his way here. If there was a letter to be sent, it was simply a matter of heading to the nearby postal carriage station.

The Last Defender of the Way adventuring team had fully mobilized to search for Rigrit's hidden address in this place. Most residents had left for work, leaving only a few playful children chasing each other on the streets, and there weren't many people around to ask for directions.

EeDeChi rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. Nothing in this world ever went smoothly; unexpected situations always arose. She had been wandering through this rundown neighborhood for nearly two hours and had found nothing.

"Captain, I see the address plate for 41 Corner Lane!" Sean's shout came from across a narrow alley. Finally, some good new. EeDeChi quickly rushed over.

Pointing, Sean showed her a rusted copper plate that indeed bore the faded letters of "41 Corner Lane." The words were almost obscured by green rust, blending into the moss-covered stone wall. If it weren't for Sean's keen eyes as an archer, it would have been tough for anyone else to spot it. The careless EeDeChi would have likely walked right past it.

"If this is number 41," Barrett surveyed the nearby buildings, as he and Stella arrived here, "then the low building next door must be number 43."

"Which of these rundown houses isn't a low building?" EeDeChi complained, leading his teammates forward.

In front of the low building was a drainage ditch reeking of decay. Black sludge slowly flowed, mixed with disgusting household waste: chunks of fish bones, fruit cores, and even strips of feces. It was clear that the residents were dumping their daily trash into this gutter.

The adventurers couldn't help but feel relieved it was winter. If summer arrived here, the sewage would surely stink like the moats filled with dark sorcerer potions and corpses from tales of war.

A stone slab spanned the drainage ditch, serving as a bridge. The four adventurers stepped over it and entered the low building. They climbed the creaky wooden stairs, and just before reaching the second floor, EeDeChi, who was leading the way, suddenly froze.

"Captain, what's wrong?" Stella whispered from behind her.

"There's another small space on the second floor," EeDeChi said as she stepped onto the last few stairs, arriving at the metal door.

"Another space?" Barrett and the others looked puzzled.

To their eyes, the cramped second floor only had a rusty, thin metal door. The yellowed walls were peeling, revealing red bricks that matched the color of expired pork, looking no different from other residences—maybe even older.

But EeDeChi could see beyond the wall, where there was a murky space, as if a jelly was overlapping with the room. Inside the "jelly" lay deep shadows, and she couldn't make out what was there.

The thin metal door was secured with a heavy copper lock, covered in a thick layer of dust. EeDeChi brushed her fingers over the lock, leaving clear fingerprints. The keyhole was also corroded with uneven copper rust, making her doubt whether a key could even fit in to turn the mechanism.

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It felt as if time had sealed this place away in obscurity, untouched by anyone. Clearly, the owner wasn't home—perhaps hadn't been for decades.

The hallway was narrow, and Barrett squeezed next to EeDeChi. He pressed against the thin metal door, sensing for a moment before saying, "There are no seals or traps; it's just an ordinary door. Should we break it down?"

EeDeChi shook her head. "Going in would only lead to an ordinary room. The overlapping small space is locked away; we can't enter without the owner's permission. Besides, we're here to find someone, not rummage around for documents."

Actually, I could break through the "wall" of that small space and maybe get inside, EeDeChi thought to herself. But whether the small space would still exist after I break through is a big question mark.

A slow shuffling sound came from around the corner of the stairs. The four adventurers turned to look, and they couldn't help but feel disappointed; the footsteps belonged to an elderly woman.

The old woman hunched over like a lobster, her back curved. Beneath a gray-striped headscarf, her white, curly hair peeked out. She moved slowly, carrying a small wooden bucket, carefully making her way down the wooden steps.

Due to the narrow staircase, the adventurers had to press against the walls to give the old woman room to pass.

As she walked by, they caught a glimpse of the contents of her bucket: a murky mix of various filthy liquids, along with some yellowed cloth and even strips resembling sanitary napkins.

A foul odor wafted from the bucket, causing the beauty-conscious Stella to immediately cover her nose. The old woman seemed to be headed down to the drainage ditch to dump this waste produced by human activity.

"Barrett, don't you know to respect the elderly and care for the young?" EeDeChi spoke up from her position against the wall. "Seeing an old lady carrying something so heavy and you don't even offer to help? Where's your sense of community?"

"Huh?" Barrett, also pressed against the wall, couldn't help but grumble internally. But seeing the old woman struggling with the bucket, he felt a pang of sympathy. He took the stinky bucket from her hands and hurried down the stairs, dumping the waste into the ditch in just a few quick steps.

The old woman's face was a maze of wrinkles, her eye bags swollen, and her drooping eyelids squished her eyes into tiny slits.

She accepted the empty bucket back from Barrett and turned to EeDeChi, saying, "Thank you, Miss Nun. You're such a kind-hearted person."

Old woman, are you blind? Can't you see who just helped you with that? Barrett thought, feeling utterly speechless.

"No need to thank; it's what Barrett should do," EeDeChi said confidently. "Also, I'm not a nun; I'm an adventurer."

She pulled out an orichalcum-level metal badge from her spatial ring and pinned it to her chest, then asked, "Old lady, do you know if anyone lives in the rooms on the second floor?"

"Well… I'm not sure. I moved in a few years ago. After my son was killed in battle and my husband passed away, I've been living here alone," the elderly woman replied, her lips trembling as she spoke, revealing a toothless grin. "Since I moved in, I haven't seen the door on the second floor open. Miss Nun, could you stay and chat with me for a bit?"

"Sorry, old lady, but I'm busy saving the world," EeDeChi replied without a hint of shame. "If I get the chance, I'll come back to check on you."

"Well… okay then," the old woman said, her back hunched as she slowly climbed the stairs, her figure forlorn. Living alone in this place must be a lonely struggle.

The four adventurers left the low building and returned to the street.

"What do we do if we can't find anyone?" Barrett asked, curiosity about the last of the "Thirteen Heroes" lingering in his mind.

EeDeChi paced anxiously for a few steps. "I need to ask Lakyus for more details or have her take me there herself."

"But finding an adamantite-level adventurer is even harder."

"Then I'll go look for Princess Renner first," EeDeChi said without hesitation. "I've heard she's quite familiar with the Blue Roses adventuring team."

"Captain, it's probably best to keep a bit of distance from Princess Renner in the future," Barrett suggested.

"Why's that?" EeDeChi asked, confused.

"From what I've gathered, Princess Renner may seem really nice, but she's got a lot of tricks up her sleeve," Barrett began. "To put it simply, she's two-faced. I'm worried you might be too…"

Barrett had initially wanted to say "too naive," but after a moment, he switched to, "too innocent. You might easily be misled and taken advantage of by her."

"What are you talking about?" EeDeChi frowned. "Princess Renner is a great person! When we chatted yesterday, she knew I wanted to crack down on prostitution and even gave me the addresses of three local brothels."

HOLY SHIT! Barrett couldn't help but gasp, realizing that's where EeDeChi had disappeared to yesterday. Poor three brothels—he couldn't help but feel sorry for the women and their clients.

"However, I spent all day looking and couldn't find those brothels," EeDeChi admitted, scratching her head, a bit embarrassed.

"Huh?" Barrett was surprised. "Didn't I give you a map and a compass?"

He had worried that EeDeChi would get lost in the city, so he bought her a map and a compass and taught her how to read them.

"It must be your map that's out of date! That's why I couldn't find them!" EeDeChi said, hands on her hips, pointing a finger at Barrett as she looked up at him defiantly. "Next time, you take me to those three brothels!"

What a mess I've gotten myself into! Barrett felt a headache coming on. He quickly thought of an excuse and said, "Just tell me the addresses of those three brothels."

EeDeChi pulled out a piece of paper with the addresses written on it and handed it to him.

Barrett read the paper and then pulled out the map, pretending to study it intently. With a look of realization, he said, "I see! These three brothels have all shut down. The information Renner gave you is outdated, which is why you couldn't find them."

"How could that be?" EeDeChi's bright eyes widened.

"Princess Renner doesn't usually go to brothels, right? It's only normal for her info to be outdated," Barrett forced an explanation.

"Oh, I see," EeDeChi nodded thoughtfully, accepting his reasoning.

Barrett breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have dodged that bullet.

he had finally managed to dodge the issue

Princess Renner is full of tricks. He looked over the addresses of the three brothels again and, combined with the gossip circulating in the streets, he discovered that these three brothels, along with the one that EeDeChi had destroyed earlier, were all owned by nobles who opposed Princess Renner's influence.