Un-See II

It didn't take long for Silora to reach the heart of the town. The cobblestone streets provided some comfort for her feet, unlike what she had experienced in the rainforest. Wooden houses with silver roofs surrounded her everywhere. In front of her, the central square - the heart of the town - a giant roaring river flowed with terrifying force. The wooden houses around it seemed to float on it. She didn't understand how the fragile wooden beams could withstand the force of the water alone, let alone do so while supporting the houses themselves.

Her destination was the central market. To get there, she had to cross one of the wooden bridges that connected the two sides of the town, each bridge spanning the giant, terrifying river like a rope preventing the town from splitting in half.

She gathered her courage and stepped onto the silver wooden bridge. She didn't allow tension to show on her face given the vast number of people on this giant bridge. She noticed their unconventional fishing methods but didn't let her curiosity get the better of her. It only made sense for people to find new and innovative ways to adapt to their environment. And the fishing method they used was one of them.

Silora moved lightly and smoothly among the fishermen on the bridge, not showing any interest in their strange fishing methods to avoid any unnecessary trouble. Soon enough, she was on the other side of the bridge. Now she had to find a place to stay for the night. She still had a lot to do.

In the central market, a fountain slowly flowed with water as if the roaring river itself didn't provide enough. Warm sunlight filtered between the buildings, casting shadows on the ground, adding to the lively atmosphere of the place. Stalls filled with fresh produce and handmade crafts were scattered around, while people in traditional clothing wandered about. The smell of fresh bread filled the air, and the sounds of laughter and conversation brought the place to life.

In the space, a towering stone tower cast its shadow over the large square. That was Silora's destination, where the tower was the only place for travelers to eat and rest. She didn't waste any more time and made her way there.

This old building, illuminated by the soft light of lanterns, was made of stone and wood. Its ivy-covered walls gave a sense of strength and stability. Warm light seeped from the arched entrance at the base of the tower. The ground floor of the tower specialized in providing food and drink, while the upper floors contained travelers' bedrooms. This was the only place of its kind that offered these services in the entire town. So Silora had no other options.

She passed through the welcoming entrance at its base. A large space greeted her. Warm lights from the lanterns hanging on the wooden walls danced, casting shadows on the stone floor. Inside, the air was filled with the scent of fermented honey, fresh bread, and some strange-smelling fumes. But the dominant smell was the strong scent of alcohol. Selora forced herself to stay calm and ignore the pungent smell. She didn't want to leave that impression of herself, especially in a place like this.

A large number of silver wooden tables were spread out in the vast space of the place. Most of the tables were filled with food and drink, while people sat at them. The ceiling above was decorated with wooden beams that held the heads of various taxidermied animals. In the corner, a lute player - more like a vagrant - played a sad tune, perhaps to himself, as no one paid him any attention.

Silora advanced slowly and steadily towards the bar, and as she got closer, she felt the silent gazes of the patrons following her, as if weighing every step she took. She had expected something like this before, 'A young girl in a place like this, alone,' but she hadn't expected it to be this intense. In any case, she ignored these gazes; it wasn't as if she couldn't protect herself.

Silora reached the bar where a large man stood, with a thick black beard and eyes that gleamed with intelligence under his bushy eyebrows. The ugly man looked at her for a while and said in a gruff voice, "First time passin' through, are ya?" Silora didn't answer his question; she just kept looking into his eyes without breaking contact.

He knew it was her first time here, but he said it to see what kind of person she was. She also couldn't admit it, as it would make her seem naive and weak. After a while, she addressed him in her cold voice, "Lunch for one person, and a room for one night." She didn't wait for his response, sat at the bar table, and placed the wooden box on the table, making sure to appear comfortable under his watchful eyes.

He just smiled with his frightening black teeth at her actions and replied in his gruff voice, "Alright, alright, young miss, lunch'll run ya one gray shell. The room’ll be a dark blue shell and a white one." He paused for a moment to see her expression, which didn't change even though she was internally pained by the high price, and continued, crushing any hopes she had of lowering the price, "No hagglin' on the price, missy. Pay now or settle up when ya leave." After seeing that she made no move to pay, he smiled widely and said, "when ya leave, then."

She was going to wait at the bar until the food arrived, but she changed her mind and decided to head to the middle of the large hall where she could hear the conversations between people. She informed the ugly, large man of her seating location to get her food, and made her way to an empty table with slow steps. She ignored all the looks directed at her and didn't give anyone any attention.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Silora sat at a large wooden table, finding the contrast of her small size on the giant table amusing. But she ignored the irony and waited for her food patiently. After a few minutes, a thin man with a severely scarred face approached her, carrying a tray of food in his hands. He looked at her nervously as he placed the food on her table. Then he put his hand in his pocket, took out a wooden key, and placed it on the table.

Throughout the whole process, he didn't say a word. Out of curiosity, Silora asked, "Is this the key to my room? What is the room number?" The man didn't answer her question but pointed to the head of the key where the number 13 was precisely and beautifully carved.

She took the key and placed it within her clothes, nodding her head to the man, who nodded back. When she thought he would leave, he didn't. He seemed hesitant about something. But in the end, he opened his mouth wide. Selora was too shocked to say anything or react. When she regained her senses, the man had already left.

This man didn't speak because he didn't have a tongue. But the strangest thing was, 'Why did he decide to show me, and not all these people?' No matter how much she tried to find meaning in it, she couldn't. Maybe he thought she would sympathize with him or console him, but she herself didn't know.

She pushed the matter out of her mind and tried to eat her food, which was supposed to be delicious. But what had just happened ruined her mood; she could no longer taste the food, she was eating just to satisfy her hunger.

After finishing her meal, she pushed the tray away and focused on the conversations around her. Her decision to do this didn't have a deep reason; she was just curious about what people were talking about here. And who knows, she might learn something new.

She first focused on a table to her left, where four people sat, appearing calm only from their looks and facial expressions, but they couldn't hide the anxiety and fear in their expressions. One of them spoke in a worried and hurried voice, "I'm tellin' ya, they still ain't got 'im. Didn't ya hear what happened to the Green Rose ship?" Another person replied with clear fear, "I heard no one made it out alive." Another added with awe, "That’s right. They only found the wreck, no folks, just blood and pieces." They all sighed, and one of them said with a kind of helplessness and worry, "No one's safe these days, reckon."

Silora listened to this conversation for a while, but what she learned was little, so she turned her attention to the table on her right. Five large men sat there, looking terrifying just from their gruff voices, ugly faces, and twisted smiles. "They already tried, even the White Water Horses squad botched it up!" one of them spoke cheerfully, while another commented, suppressing his laughter, "What’s the use o’ walkin’ on water if ya end up drownin’, hahaha." They all laughed loudly without any regard for the people around them.

After they calmed down a bit, another person spoke, "Didn’t expect squat from ‘em. Only thing they got goin’ is their lookin’ fine and tasty." The person opposite him replied with some disgust, "Don’t forget, there’s men in the squad too." The previous man laughed and challenged, "Men, women—show ‘em a bit o’ skin and ya get all sorts o’ admirers." he pointed to himself with both hands and said, "Like this bloke here." Another person laughed and said with clear amusement, "Don’t think you’re an admirer, more like a downright perv." "Why don’t we just rename ‘em the Appetizing Naked Squad, eh?" "How in the blazes did our chat get to this..."

And this strange conversation continued, but Silora's mind was elsewhere.

She was overwhelmed by an absolute sense of strangeness, not understanding what had happened or what was happening. Whenever she shifted her focus from the table on the left to the one on the right, the voices of the people on the left would disappear, and all she could hear were the people on the right, as if the people on the left never existed. The same thing happened whenever she focused on one place, where all other sounds would disappear, and she would only hear the people she was focusing on.

There was no explanation for this strange phenomenon, 'I'm probably just too tired to focus on everything at once... Yes, that's what's happening. I'm just tired. I just need to rest. Once I rest, I'll feel better... There's no need to worry.'

Silora forcefully calmed herself and made herself forget this strange existential experience. She got up from her place and headed to her lodging for the night - room 13. With the strange wooden box under her left arm, she headed to the back of the large hall towards a clear large wooden door, with a sign above it saying, 'Guest Rooms 01 - 91.'

Silora entered through the door, showing the key to the guard. She climbed the long spiral staircase without thinking about anything in particular. She was still shaken by what had happened downstairs and refused to give it another thought. She reached the door of the room where she would sleep for the night. Just a modest wooden door with a sign saying the number 13. She inserted the wooden key and quietly opened the door.

The room looked old and simple. The walls were made of dark silver wood, starting to show cracks from the force of time. There was a medium-sized window surrounded by pure white curtains, allowing light to pass through freely. The bed was a wooden frame with a white mattress that looked comfortable just from its appearance and pure color. In the corner of the room, there was a glass water jug with a cup, along with a basket of various fruits. The floor was made of solid gray stone. Although the room was modest, it was clean and brought a sense of calm.

Silora took the strange-colored wooden box out of the cloth she had wrapped it in and placed it on the bed. She had already made her decision. Tonight, she would open the box and see what was inside. What could be in there that made her mother write her a message like that, 'When you think you are ready, open the box.'

She didn't understand what those words could mean, but she thought she was ready. Her conviction didn't stem from her curiosity about what was inside the box. She was curious, but her reason for opening it was still unclear to her; something inside her pushed her to open it. She couldn't explain the feeling, but she felt she could face whatever was inside. And tonight, she would open it and see for herself.

She laid her head on the pillow on the wooden bed, not even bothering to take off her clothes. She just wanted to look at the ceiling and stop thinking. And she was right about the bed, "It is indeed comfortable."