Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Hill dismounted from the carriage, looking at the somewhat peculiar inn before him.

Every corner of this inn boasted large conical roofs, and the many-windowed tower rooms were like an exotic castle, dark and yet inviting.

He recalled the luxurious courtyard-style hotel he had passed by earlier and silently agreed with Lynn's judgment.

Hill's carriage attracted the attention of the inn's owner, a handsome Male Mage enveloped in a faint aura of darkness, who glanced out the window before coming out to greet the guests with serious yet graceful movements.

"Good day, guests, please follow me. Blashan Zelmer sincerely welcomes you to stay at 'Traveler's Favor'," he said, performing a Mage Ceremony with gentle eyes as he looked at Hill.

Hill nodded reservedly, "Good day."

Hill stored the carriage directly into his Space Ring, and a glint seemed to flash across Zelmer's eyes.

When Hill and Lynn were seated in the reception lounge, Zelmer brought an album for them to choose their rooms from, all of them suites.

Hill looked through it nonchalantly, finding no guests in the spire on the top floor of the main building; there were only three suites there. He decisively chose to book all of them.

Lynn raised an eyebrow, seemingly remembering how it was still cheaper than 'Jade Pot' and decided not to say more.

Zelmer, who had expected Hill to book just one room, looked at him in surprise and asked softly, "Will there be another guest, or do you not enjoy the bustle?"

Hill smiled, "I am here for the auction, I do not wish to be disturbed."

Zelmer thought for a moment, then spoke softly, "I see... Shana! Come here."

A middle-aged woman wearing a long apron came out; she had a simple round face and a sturdy build, holding a basin of dirty laundry, "What's up? Boss. I still need to wash these clothes."

"The guest in the left spire prefers quiet; all three rooms have been booked. You'll be in charge of that side for the next few days," he said, glancing at Hill, "Respected guest, Shana is a veteran employee here, also lives in the inn's residential quarters, and is very capable and reliable.

Why not have her stay in the vacant ground floor room during your visit? If there are any unwelcome visitors, Shana will take care of them."

"If it weren't for Shana's preference for the inn, she would have been invited by some scholars to be their housekeeper long ago," Zelmer added, his tone seemingly regretful yet completely indifferent.

And on Shana's round face was a proud expression.

Hill nodded and pulled out some Gold Coins, "Very well, let's do that! We will stay for five days."

Shana quickly took them upstairs with Magic Keys, and Hill finally understood why these few suites were a bit pricier—the entire floor connecting the two side towers was devoid of guests.

Instead, there was a vast smoking room, a childcare area for guests' children to play, an amusement room, and three small private meeting rooms.

Though the owner was a Magician of the Darkness System with special status, he gave off a feeling of thoughtfulness and thoroughness.

Hill glanced at his independent suite on the top floor; the room was warmly decorated, very fitting for the early spring of the Northern Continent.

And it looked very clean.

Hill nodded in satisfaction, listening to Lynn had indeed been the right choice.

In the Toril World, the auctions were always held in the afternoon and ended when night fell.

Generally, unless they were as foolish as Valkin's Followers, the auction houses could guarantee the privacy of the guests upon departure.

She probably thought her deities would support her arrogance, but in front of Mask's Followers, she wouldn't dare show up even after Valkin's death.

The God of Thievery was cunning and sly, full of malice, yet also fond of adventure.

If Valkin dared to show her face, perhaps to satisfy his grudge, he might appear to deal with her directly, regardless of the enemies pursuing him.

Moreover, when dealing with Valkin, Mask's enemies might turn a blind eye, at most considering the dog chasing him a nuisance.

After all, what transpired in Felunryel should now be clear to any deity.

Even those deities who preferred not to meddle might take a shot at Valkin if they saw her.

Glancing at the time, Hill went downstairs to call for Lynn.

The Bard was just asking Shana to fetch him some travel books from the library.

"Hill, you should find some books, too!" Lynn told him with a smile, "The books here are collected by the owner himself and copied by scribes. Although there are few Magic Books, the exploration novels and various travelogues are very famous, as well as some captains' diaries, which you would probably like to read."

"If that is the case, I shall need some, too. You can place them in my living room. Thank you," Hill stated politely to Shana.

"Let's go; it's about time," Hill said to Lynn, who was curiously looking at him.

Hill's surprisingly kind attitude towards Shana did catch people off guard.

This middle-aged housekeeper looked very kind and approachable, having devoted her whole life to the inn, giving off a sense of homecoming.

Hill seldom saw women of this kind in this world.

He had grown accustomed to seeing the boundless ambition in the eyes of women.

Hill didn't think there was anything wrong with that; the world might seem peaceful on the surface, but it was actually very cruel. A thin sheet of ice covered the law of the jungle, easily shattered.

Forty-something was nearly the average lifespan of an ordinary person, but in a place like Deepwater City, commoners could live a little longer.

Whether female or male, if one wanted a safe, comfortable life, free to do as they please, they either needed sufficient strength of their own or had to attach themselves to someone powerful.

But relying on the powerful meant one could not do as they pleased and might be sacrificed at any moment.

Therefore, Hill never thought there was anything wrong with women struggling to climb upwards, as long as they didn't hurt him. Even if Hill discovered something, he would turn a blind eye.

Hill took Lynn in a carriage to the auction house on Gem Street.

But Lynn wasn't paying attention to the auction house; instead, she looked with a peculiar expression at the building next door.

"What's wrong?" Hill asked.

"To locate an auction house right next to an entertainment establishment—what a brilliant idea!" Lynn pursed her lips, "That's 'Mother Taselon's House of Pleasure and Healing', with baths and massages plus Shuni's priesthood—the most luxurious indulgence in Deepwater City."

Hill glanced at the romantically adorned five-story building and then at the solemn auction house in front of him, his lips curving into a wry smile, "Auctions do take a lot of energy. It's only natural to want a massage and bath if you're tired."

Lynn snorted, "They say they're best at treating limb injuries and muscle tears. The doorkeeper's specialties are paralysis spells and silent spells."

Hill looked at the auction house employee who had come over due to the carriage stopping for too long, "We can close the topic here. After all, you can only look."

"That is true. It's hundreds of Gold Coins a night, unless I've gone mad," Lynn concluded.

"Sir, you... how many of you?" The steward, upon seeing the invitation in Hill's hand, kept his composure and immediately corrected his query.

Hill raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, about to reply when a crisp "Three!" came from behind him.

A petite, black-haired Female Mage stepped out from behind the carriage, her small face uplifted like that of a cute Little Fairy, brimming with a smile.

Hill was silent for a few seconds, then finally nodded in acknowledgment.

Although they hadn't met, he was already very familiar with her presence.

She was the guest Terry had invited a few days ago, who had greeted him when entering the Puzzle Lock.

Hill thought Terry really ought to thank him.

Initially, Hill had thought that Terry might one day marry and have children atop Sword Mountain, so he took the liberty of sprucing up that big vault and his cave a little.

In case Terry invited a Mother Dragon to visit, it would look presentable at the very least.

At least the passage leading down from the cave was securely blocked by a giant mechanism; unless Terry revealed how to open it, no one could enter his vault without making a sound.

Regrettably, the first Mother Dragon to enter Terry's home was his own mother.

Hill didn't know why Velara Malendith had followed him to Deepwater City, nor why she was so interested in the auction.

Hill pondered briefly before following the eager steward leading the way.

With so many dragons in Deepwater City, the auction house was probably used to those creatures with a special craving for Gold and Silver Jewelry. They must have a way to deal with them… right?

Lynn followed silently behind, knowing all too well that Hill was not someone easy to speak with. Since he had acquiesced, Lynn knew it was best not to look at all.

Hill was led to a private box on the fifth floor, left side.

From the huge Crystal window, one could see the open lower floor, where the sofas in the seating area were almost full.

However, it seemed that only Hill had arrived on the fifth floor; he still wasn't quite used to the pride of the powerful and arrived too punctually.

The box was roughly 200 square meters, comfortably spacious, with the Crystal window offering one-way visibility. Three single-seat large sofas were placed next to the auction table, while the coffee tables on either side were filled with various foods.

Velara Malendith unceremoniously sat down on the left, picking up pastries and starting to eat.

"So... ma'am, how should I...?"

Hill's question was interrupted by the black-haired Female Mage: "Just call me Tagada. I haven't properly thanked you yet!" She set down the food in her hands, clasped her hands before her lower abdomen, and curtsied slightly, "If anything had happened to that child due to my negligence, I could never forgive myself."

Hill frowned and waved his hand to set up a soundproof barrier: "Terry is my friend."

Velara Malendith turned to look at Hill, "That's between you two. But my gratitude is my right as a mother.

It's just that spring has just arrived, and my gift is still on the way. I think you will like it, it's my proudest accomplishment in all these years."

Hill could only smile and accept; besides, he had a rough idea of what gift the Golden Dragon would choose to give him.