The “Silver Rose” Tavern sounded fancy. But a little thought revealed that Schwerdt Town was unlikely to have any high-end establishments. So, the “Silver Rose” Tavern had no elegant qualities beyond its name. It was extremely simple, and it was more of a warehouse than a “tavern.” The architecture was sharp and angular, maximizing space to accommodate as many patrons as possible.

The only thing that made it “less monotonous” and “boring” was the painting above the main entrance – vast swathes of hops floating in a sea of wine, bathed in sunlight, reflecting into dazzling white waves. As patrons approached a certain distance, those carefully positioned white patches would create the illusion of a gorgeous silver rose in their vision.

The artistic touch of the painting was now mostly shrouded in darkness. Only the half-rose bathed in street lamp light and the tavern’s faint glow emerged from the shadows, bringing a different, stark beauty than the daylight version.

“Very nice.” Selene stopped and admired it for a moment.

Louise was a little surprised. As an elf and a born Astromancer, inherently linked to “romance” and “fantasy,” she naturally had some artistic cultivation. She could tell the artist was very skilled.

While becoming world-renowned wasn’t realistic, becoming a painting tutor for the nobility or taking a position at the Academy of Arts wasn’t out of the question.

“The last time I came, the door was just plain black with white lettering. I didn’t expect it to have a masterpiece like this in just two months. This remote place actually has an artist of this caliber.” Louise showered praise, but her voice had a note of concern. “However, I can tell the paint isn’t high quality. And in this kind of rough-and-tumble place, it would be hard to preserve it for long. Perhaps the artist is struggling financially? I actually could provide some assistance…”

“Though the paint quality is low, nowhere near the good pigments, it actually has a simple temperature-stabilizing and dust-repelling spell. It should be fine for two or three years.” Selene said softly, very humbly. “And the artist isn’t really struggling financially. She’s just not accumulating enough money. But I’m sure she wouldn’t refuse your extra help…”

“How do you know?” Louise was taken aback.

“I, with my humble talent, am the artist of this masterpiece. The fee was one gold coin.” Selene boasted. “And I don’t need much help. Just cover my meals each month. About thirty silver coins…”

Louise, hearing these words, paused for a moment, then said without changing her expression,

“I suddenly remembered that I have parents who are nearly a thousand years old, and younger siblings who are only a hundred years old. The entire burden of clothing and expenses for the family rests on my shoulders. My meager savings have been depleted by this difficult life. I’m afraid I have no extra money. This profligate spendthrift will have to fend for themselves.”

“Ah! Violation!”

Two people pushed open the door, interrupting their banter.

It was evening, and there were still quite a few patrons in the tavern. Louise glanced around and saw many other paintings on the walls, identical to the one above the entrance. Clearly, they were all by the same artist.

They chose a corner seat, and a young waiter quickly approached.

“A glass of East Chester sweet wine.” Louise, in true elf fashion, chose a wine with a low alcohol content. Then, she turned to Selene. “What do you want?”

Selene’s eyes lit up. “Alorne Firebrew…”

It was a famous fiery wine, known for its high alcohol content.

“No.” Louise had witnessed Selene’s antics when she was drunk and was still afraid. She immediately vetoed the suggestion.

“Ah, okay, a hot Cider then.”

The waiter remembered the order, turned and left. He soon returned, carrying two heavy mugs of wine, which he placed on the table.

Louise took a sip of her sweet wine. The rich sweetness and smooth texture filled her mouth. The faint wine aroma wasn’t overpowering. This was satisfying enough for the elf, who had a low tolerance for alcohol.

“How come I don’t remember you having such high-level painting skills?”

Selene gloomily took a large gulp of her cider, which was more of a drink than a true wine, with extra lemon and ginger. This rather refreshing drink for warming the soul quickly made her feel warmer.

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“Just practicing. I’m a genius, you know.”

This was the truth. In her previous life, she had a certain level of painting ability, but it had long since been abandoned due to her work. Though she was skilled enough to earn Louise’s praise, it was because her transmigrated body seemed to have had some achievements in painting, forming muscle memory, and her mind retained a certain impression of the art, allowing her to complete a painting simply by instinct. After discovering this, she had consciously practiced it, gradually mastering the skill.

She wasn’t a genius. The original owner probably was. But now, it was all the same.

Louise nodded, unsurprised. The sweetness in her mouth made her close her eyes contentedly, like a white cat. Her voice also became soft and indistinct.

“Regarding Reigns, besides the drawing, are there any other leads?”

“No.” Selene thought for a moment. “Sam had no awareness of the crime scene or what to preserve. That family didn’t have any spare clothes. The basic clues I gave you are all I have.”

“Ask a question about a literary style?”

“Well… first, let’s divine Reigns’ fate?” Selene frowned in thought. “If he’s dead, I won’t put much effort into it.”

In other words, if he was alive, her next steps would be solely focused on this commission.

Louise nodded, glanced at the crowd in the tavern, and said vaguely.

“Help me look for something…”

Before Selene could nod, she put down her wine and closed her eyes.

A pale purple starlight shimmered in the air beside Louise. It was a long, trailing streak of stardust, twisting and turning, making Selene feel a little dizzy. She quickly looked away.

Louise had entered her astrological state.

Selene didn’t dare to interrupt her, quietly putting down her mug and drawing a sound-dampening spell on the table. Then she turned her attention to the other parts of the tavern.

A few workers in rough clothing were gathered, drinking and yelling at the top of their lungs. They probably worked at the warehouse in the north of town, which is why they were still sweating in this cold weather. Two drunk men seemed to be arguing, tumbling around on the floor, causing the young waiter to flounder. The bartender, oblivious to the commotion in the tavern, nonchalantly wiped a glass with his towel, unbothered by the commotion.

A faint, unpleasant odor lingered in the air: stale beer, a bit of moldy wood, the stench of sweat from the patrons… The owner had used some kind of method to try to eliminate it, but Selene, who had a sensitive nose, could still detect the nauseating scent.

Two more drunk men joined the scuffle, making it a brawl. The bartender finally summoned two tall, strong guys who kicked the troublemakers around until they were rolled away from the crowd and into a corner. It was too cold to throw them outside.

The young waiter finally sighed with relief.

Selene quietly observed the chaos in the tavern, then a sound, different from human voices, reached her ears. She turned to look out the window and saw fine white lines falling from above, the pitter-patter of rain hitting the street.

It was raining.

The pitter-patter of rain gradually overwhelmed the noise of the tavern, the damp air, the cold temperature of the rainy night spread out with the rain, finally entering the tavern. The near-freezing air made everyone shiver.

“Brrr…”

Selene shivered slightly, clutching her coat tightly. She took another gulp of her hot cider, deciding to spend the night at the tavern.

It wasn’t the ideal situation, but at least it was warmer than outside.

… She wondered how many unfortunate souls would freeze to death in the rain tonight, unable to make it home or simply having no home to return to.

The police department would probably be busy. They’d probably have to wait a few days to collect the bodies. Then they’d have to call in a priest to purify and bury them to prevent them from turning into ghouls after death…

Selene was aimlessly pondering these thoughts when she suddenly heard footsteps coming from the tavern entrance, gradually growing louder as they approached.

The visitor seemed to pause briefly at the door, admiring the painting above the entrance for a moment, then pushed open the tavern door with a creak.

It was a young man, clad in a modern black mage’s robe. A silver chain hid beneath a black scarf patterned with black veins, and a pair of silver-rimmed glasses hung from it. His long, black hair, cascading down to his shoulders, hadn’t been groomed in a while. It was soaked from the rain, clinging to his clothes, and drops of water were now trickling down his clothes.

What was striking was the large bouquet of white roses in his arms. The beautiful blooms were now mostly withered, even covered in dirt, a mismatch with his handsome features.

The waiter clearly noticed this unusual visitor and rushed to offer a spare towel. The man in mage’s clothing said thank you, then accepted the towel to wipe his hair. He followed the waiter’s guidance and sat down at a table on the opposite side of Selene and Louise.

For some reason, Selene felt a sense of familiarity about him, but she searched her memories, confirming that she had never seen anyone like him. So, she could only chalk it up to a phenomenon known as the Hippocampus Effect.

“… Hm. Am I imagining I transmigrated as a handsome guy like him, then built up a harem, and just laid around all day?” Selene pondered, feeling it was quite possible.

“What harem? What laying around?”

Louise, apparently finished with her astrological practice, asked curiously.

“Um… Ah?! No, no. You’re imagining things.” Selene was startled by her sudden interruption. “What are the results of the astrology?”

Louise furrowed her brow, pondering for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth.

“The results of the astrology are always vague. This time, I saw a fog-covered labyrinth. Mountains of flesh rose in the distance, and a pair of hands stretched out from the sky… I won’t go into the specific details of the interpretation, but I feel that Reigns is alive. However, he’s in some kind of extreme danger.”

Selene instantly returned to work mode.

“Theoretically…”

“I feel the main element in this image is the labyrinth, which has many symbolic meanings, mostly related to labyrinths, captivity, insecurity, and other negative things.” Louise thought for a moment and smiled. “But that being said, you do have a chance to save him.”

“I know.”