I shortly made my way to the front gates, passing by my numerous staff members whose eyes would confusingly follow my passing figure. I decided to not spread the news further to the others so that they could remain focused on the upcoming festival…

It was not a matter of recklessness. Well, not mostly. It was surely reckless of me to decide to head to the location by myself, but it would surely help with keeping the situation on a small scale rather than having our members in a state of constant apprehension, awaiting my return with hopefully good news with each passing second. I was going to tell them about the news once everything had been taken care of. There was simply no need to over-escalate the issue even further than now—especially after having received that mysterious, ominous letter.

The front gates of the Cellar opened once more, and I noticed a small group of Terra Firma staff members still awaiting her return in front of the now fully-descended transporting ship. It was a group of mixed genders, and they were all dressed in the same black and red, body-fitting uniform. They all seemed placid and relaxed until they noticed my figure, causing them all to tense up immediately.

If it were any other day, I would have been acting nice and simply told them to not be so stiff, even around someone like me. Yet, I wordlessly made my way past them and stepped into my car before driving away from the Cellar.

My face appeared very tranquil, which is exactly how I felt, even after reading that letter. Even though it appeared to have many possibilities, the chances of the contents of the letter being actually true was, for me, quite high, for some reason…

It’s far from the evening. I could have my dinner before going to the location.

What a strange letter. Why do I feel as if the person who wrote it…

…had everything in control?

Okay, well, maybe not ‘exactly’ everything in control as if they’re some God, or whatever.

I just felt convinced—as if the words in that letter manipulated my mind into believing what it had to say.

I feel that they are there. And even if they are not, it would still be considered a chance taken before it slipped away. Because who knows this person may actually have a change of mind and take their victims to another location after making them forget about their circumstances using that Zealot Exorci…

While the Zealot of Mist wasn’t the only way of mind manipulation, it was still considered one of the most effective methods.

This was one of the reasons why I felt at peace even after reading this letter. Assuming the perpetrator actually used the Zealot of Mist, they must have used it each time before changing locations alongside the victims. For this to result in the victims not knowing where they were last kept would have to mean that the perpetrator used the Exorci each hour after arriving at a certain location.

Therefore, the side effects of predominantly short-term memory loss, as well as immense disorientation would have to be extremely prevalent for the criminal. Not only that, but they must have used it during the period of an entire month…

I can not say for myself, since I never used the Zealot of Mist myself, but…

…This may also be at least a part of the reason why this person decided to send us this letter.

Perhaps, in some improbable way, they suffered a great mental turmoil, which could either result in an emotional breakdown, or severe memory loss and mental disorientation. Perhaps, one of the victims convinced them to free them.

But…

…We can’t know for sure. This Exorci has an absolute effect, no matter who falls victim to it.

It sounds quite cliche, but it seems to be the only believable reason given not only the geographical location of the ingredients, the Potions, but also its adaptability to Grimoires.

If this were not the case, then, I would be dealing with someone much, much stronger than expected.

But it just doesn’t make any sense for someone of great power to do something as strange as this. If this were to be true, then none of the victims would have been able to escape, frankly speaking.

This case had been going on for a little over two months at this point.

There was no way in damnation that this person was still entirely clear minded. Even if we had to fight to the death, given the extensive period of the side effects of any Potion, let alone an Exorci, they would not pose that big of a challenge, assuming their capabilities wouldn’t match up with mine in any regard. Hell, they would shoot themselves in the foot for doing such a thing…

But, something just doesn’t add up…

Why?

Even though I am convinced this person isn’t that formidable, the fact that they used the Exorci for this amount of time just… scrubs me in the wrong way.

Two months. Two months of using the Zealot of Mist, hourly.

There are thirty-one days in the current month of September, which means that they have approximately 720 hours worth of side effects on them. 720 hours!

And not only that, just how many resources were they able to get? Would that not raise any alarms?

Well… yes, and no.

Even though Deneve, or more specifically, Ventoria is in a revered state, the inflation rate is slowly getting higher and higher with each passing month ever since the past year... I assume that, if things aren’t taken care of, in less than a decade or two, the inflation rate will rise exponentially high.

The Potion market, the Nourishment market, as well as the Housing market are greatly influenced by this. However, regarding the Nourishment market, there had been a phenomenon named ‘The Rapid Decay Phenomenon’ that predominantly caused it to be influenced by the inflation rate. Since Deneve’s GDP is ranked third within the entire world, we have a large consumer demand, especially in these three markets.

The businesses responsible for providing housing materials, for example, expand their operations by hiring more workers and investing a lot of money into Terra Firma in order to meet the demands. However, none of the resources are infinite, resulting in a tight labour market. Since they compete for workers, they offer higher wages to attract and retain employees which contributes to increased consumer spending, resulting in what we call a ‘Luck-Descent Profit’.

However, the ones responsible for the resources end up raising their prices to take advantage of the imbalance between supply and demand as a result of the scarcity of their own amounts of resources. The prices increase which forces the businesses to raise their prices to make up for the amount of workers they have.

As a result of this, companies under Luria such as the Custody Agency, are forced to cut off availability for the less fortunate. This also resulted in a new wave of peasants residing outside, further culminating the overall percentage of their presence within Ventoria. The Housing market is one example, but it is pretty much the same for the other markets.

The only major difference being that Terra Firma isn’t a distributor of Potions, nor Nourishment. Whilst both the Potions and Nourishments are governed by Ventorian Law, there is no central power house like how Terra Firma is for industrial products. For the Potions Market, there are many companies scattered across the city that all seek for their shares within this tumultuous period. As for the Nourishment Market, there are five main companies responsible for distributing foods and drinks.

We, as the parent company of the Custody Agency, aren’t simply able to send them money to fight off this problem. There are several reasons for this, but our primary reason is that we too have a limited amount of financial resources available due to our own commitments, such as providing funds for social constructs, which then also need resources like food and drinks for the people.

The Ships Festival is a great example of this since it is a yearly occurrence. Not only that, but also our alliance with the Monlay Assembly, with which we have to provide funds for university events. In addition, the prices we have to pay to Terra Firma for materials in ships manufacturing.

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Regarding Terra Firma, their excuse is that they have to pay the large amount of specialists responsible for finding the eloquent resources to produce the materials. I, as Luria’s First Administrator know that this is an excuse for them to use as coverage in order to keep as much money to themselves.

However, in the end, not even I can force them to financially contribute because of The Unity Syndicate, which is, in short, a formal act of alliance made between Terra Firma and Luria in the name of ‘the Syndicate’.

In other words, I am bound to legal constraints that prevent me from directly interfering with Terra Firma’s legal and financial operations. Not to mention the possibility of straining the political relationship Luria has with Zephyr, given we are both strongly connected with Terra Firma, which could then also lead to a power struggle. Something we definitely don’t need right now.

As a result of the inflation rate, markets such as the Potion market were understandably open to gaining as much money as they could get. If the perpetrator was someone who held a great amount of wealth, they would seem like a saviour for the respective company selling the Potions. I would envision this not raising any alarms because the companies would have nothing to complain about.

So, either, this person is extremely wealthy, or managed to find a way to manipulate the minds of the victims through less available options…

I closed my eyes with a deep sigh as I arrived back home. My contemplative state still not placated.

After I settled myself, I decided to take the remainder of my ‘alone’ time in peace, after reconciling with my tumultuous thoughts. Perhaps it would be a little strange for me to appear quite placid. Once more, this feeling of ‘reassurance’ never departed from me. The only thing left for me to do was simply head to the location and see what was going on myself.

I could have made my way towards the location as soon as possible, but the lengths I went to conceal my true identity knew no limits. I also wanted to give it some time before heading off given the perpetrator was most likely eagerly awaiting my arrival.

I was almost entirely sure that the victims would not be the only people I’d encounter. With little to no knowledge about the mind of the criminal, I felt like taking my time would throw them off guard, preventing any sort of plan or possible preparation from being put slightly off track. Besides, given the lack of activity around the peak of the North-Eastern part, the risks of endangering other civilians would be greatly reduced.

The North-Eastern part of Ventoria was, much like the far Eastern part, where the Gaian temple was situated, quite dispersed from the major parts of the city. So much so that these places could be considered separate lands given the difference in the population disparity. Most of the Eastern people were native Ventorians and were a lot more conservative than those closer to the heart of the city, predominantly the Western side, where the Luria as well as the Zephyr Assembly were situated.

One notable thing regarding this fact was that the Monlay Assembly played a large role in influencing the Eastern people in terms of following traditional societal norms and values, rather than becoming more… open-minded than the rest. It resulted in a number of calamities, primarily between the Eastern and Western people as a result of their contrasting beliefs.

However, that was not to say that the Eastern people were considered ‘Holier than Thy’. Even though the Monlay Assembly tried to fight it off, given the geographical location of the North-Eastern part, it became the main place for immigrants to flee towards.

As time went on, their population grew further and further, up to the point of almost making native Ventorians the minority. As a result of the inflation rate, a lot of those immigrants were left on the streets, which resulted in a large sum of them turning to immoral actions such as stealing food and robbing houses. They weren’t limited to prostitution and human trafficking, either—resulting in a paradoxical mixture of traditionalism and criminogenicism.

On the flip side, it was because of this very reason that the Eastern people were considered strong fundamentalists. However, given the Gaian temple originated from the Eastern side of Ventoria, a large sum of the Gaian Wanderers frowned upon the Arcane Conjurers, the proceeding temple I was a part of.

This was because the Gaian temple was one of the very first temples to be cultivated through the influence of the banished Seventh Watcher. This was during the First Age, and it remained that way until a certain individual became the Founder of the Arcane Conjurers, and managed to turn his temple into the official ascending temple of the Gaian Wanderers, primarily because he was a former member of the Gaian temple.

However, as time went on, during the Age of Heretics, the norms and values changed drastically within the confines of the Arcane Conjurers, primarily because most of its members had their kins falsely accused of being the Perished One, or one associated with that idea. In short, this made a lot of our former members reconsider the values they were taught by the Arcane Conjurers.

As their collectivee opinion grew in size, it also affected the conservative nature of the Arcane temple. It did not take too long before it was widely recognized as a liberalist temple, even after holding a revered position within the ranks of the Gaian temple. In other words, even though we were their proceeding temple, a lot of conflicts happened between the two temples because of the differences in ideals that grew more prevalent as time went on.

That is why I always feel paranoid about blatantly showing myself in that place…

For the amount of times I had been there for formal discussions, I was always scrutinized for being an Arcane Conjurer…

There are even people who withdrew themselves from ascending into Arcanehood, purely because they have been so influenced by the Gaian culture that they end up resenting us.

It had been like this for years. Many, many years. Eastern Ventoria is a strange place. The people think they are better than everyone else whilst they have the highest crime rates.

But, yes, I know. Personal feelings should not greatly affect universal actions. They are all people, too. This is why I do find it unfortunate for their Orthodox landscape to be tainted with a decadence of depravity.

All I can hope for is that, in the near future, the inflation problem will be resolved. However, I am afraid it won’t take long before the Gaian temple is going to take drastic measures in fighting off poverty, given it is linked to most, if not all of their problems.

People will most likely be deported. But…

…Would that result in a civil war?

I know that, at this point, the foreigners have already influenced an adequate number of people who were formerly considered conservative. What if those people join with the commoners after, let’s say, having grown a strong bond, and not wanting anything to happen to them…

I sighed, planting my hand against my face.

“…What will be Ventoria’s future, after the people in former power pass it on to the younger generation…”

I sighed once more, placing my jacket on the hanger before making my way to the living room, which comprised dark brown walls of polished wood, with two large leather couches and some furniture. On the far right stood a large counter carrying a gramophone. I pulled a vinyl out of one of the drawers, and carefully placed it on the turntable, my now dishevelled hair slightly cascading over my eyes.

It was an album made by one of my favourite musicians who went by the stage name ‘Niwashi’. He was a man known to be extremely fond of his own work, considered to be one of the best in creating a melodic and upbeat benchmark for Jazz music in Deneve. One of his most notable songs was the first one that came up after I turned the gramophone on.

After several moments of muffled fire-cracking-like sounds, the gramophone finally played the song clearly. I closed my eyes, smiling, as I tapped my shoes along with the beat, both my hands still placed on the counter. As the tempo gradually picked up the pace, I released my hands and danced along to the marvellous melody in a composed manner.

The drums then played faster, hitting a fantastic fill before hitting a few standalone high-hats as the piano and the bass joined in. With each hit on the high hat, I swung my head from side to side, my hair swerving with each motion, matching my movement along with the snappy halting beats.

The three instruments then harmoniously picked up the pace once more, with the drums hitting the side, creating a tight sound as the piano played a rapid, but fantastic melody, with the bass carrying the two from behind. The drums would then include cowbells, prompting me to adapt and dance even more animative.

I was soon entranced in the song, not paying heed to anything but my thoughts. I imagined dancing with a lady in the very same room. The loneliness I felt after realizing none of it was true made me dance even more ferociously as the piano suddenly stopped, and all that was left was the drummer satiating the gaps with a mind-blowing fill. It was during this moment of silence that I began to smile once more.

Was it the absurdity of my loneliness? Or, perhaps this anger that suddenly seeped into my heart which invigorated me to dance profusely? I did not know, I could not know… It felt as if the music itself became a beautiful lady, embracing me in her arms. I knew she was not real, but I remained ignorant and angered. By simply dancing, it became my only way to vent out these emotions.

My breathing became more prevalent, almost growing louder than the music itself. As I reached the climax of the song with all instruments amalgamating into a hue of absolute Catharism, I stood wide, raising my arms in the air, gaspingly gazing at the ceiling, the song slowly fading away as it ended, proceeding onto the next song which was evidently calmer than the first one.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath through my nose—gazing at my right opened palm, my eyes relaxing gradually as I reminisced about Aurora, the music in the background slowly muffling away as I began to think about her beautiful smile bathed in the sunlight, the way she touched my hand, the subtle hints she threw at me…

…I could never…

Heh…

She is way too good for me.

My belief in being the actual Perished One still remains… I cannot help it.

It truly seems that life is unfair.

There are people who are born under unfortunate circumstances. People being thrown out of their houses, having no place to reside, forced to resort to criminal activities…

Thinking about such things being a man one could consider rich and successful… It is hard to resonate with that.

However, not even people like me are exceptions to this reality we call life.

Perhaps…

…I was left with no choice, but to embrace the desolation that has encumbered me ever since I was young.

…

I should probably get rid of those dresses and robes I bought for seemingly no reason.

*Sigh*

I really am helpless, aren’t I…