Chapter 1629 Desolate City <TOC> Chapter 1631 The Bud
Translator: SumTLMan
“Desolate City is actually the old town area of Paradova,” Alan explained.
The architectural style of cities in the Gloriosa Kingdom is predominantly filled with steel and concrete, accompanied by ubiquitous steam machinery. This sets it apart markedly from other nations.
However, not all cities in Gloriosa are like this.
In fact, the rapid transformation in Gloriosa’s development has only occurred in the last hundred years. Many cities still retain the stylistic influences of the past era, which are imbued with a sense of religious decay. In a sweeping mandate, the king of Gloriosa has called for urban renewal across the board. Consequently, many cities now exhibit a dichotomy of architectural styles.
On one side, you have forests of newly-erected steel and concrete structures; on the other, there’s an antiquated Byzantine elegance.
Paradova is a case in point: its urban area is divided into the New and Desolate City. The former serves as the current main residential district where most of Paradova’s population resides. The latter is the older part of town, mostly abandoned now, and only inhabited by a scattering of vagrants and the impoverished.
“Ah, so it’s caught in the transition between old and new,” Angel realized, finally understanding why the skies above most Gloriosa cities are often laden with smog.
After listening to Alan’s explanation, Angel inquired, “Is there anything special about Desolate City?”
Alan shook his head with a tinge of melancholy, “No, I took a stroll through Desolate City, and it was relatively peaceful. Occasional crimes are not uncommon, but like the young man said, it’s mainly populated by vagrants and the destitute, so that’s hardly surprising.”
“However, it’s impossible for my sister to have defaulted on the young guide’s fees. She must have gone missing after entering Desolate City… I’m wondering if she ran into some sort of enemy there.”
This was the reason Alan sought out Angel.
After learning about the place where Alana went missing, it is highly plausible that she encountered adversaries in Desolate City. Even if there are no signs of battle where she disappeared, there would undoubtedly be remnants of energy fluctuations. If this had happened recently, Alan could have investigated it himself. However, it’s already been over a month, so now he can only pin his hopes on Angel.
Alan looked at Angel with pleading eyes.
Angel pondered for a moment. He could visit Paradova to take a look, but he needed to understand the specifics first.
Angel: “If people are still residing in Desolate City, has anyone seen Alana? A month ago, if any combat took place there, someone would have seen or heard something, right?”
Alan: “There hasn’t been any fighting, but a vagrant said he saw Alana.”
Alan hesitated as he said this, as if weighing his words. After a long pause, he continued, “The vagrant seemed shifty, full of lies. At that time, I was desperate to find my sister and didn’t take the time to discern the truth.”
In short, Alan also didn’t know whether the vagrant was telling the truth or not.
“So, what did he say?”
“He said that day he was sleeping in an abandoned building and saw a woman of good demeanor heading in the direction of the parish.”
Parish? Angel looked puzzledly at Alan.
Alan elaborated: “Even Desolate City has various districts. The parish is an area where ancient religious activities took place, filled with churches and chapels. I went to look there but didn’t find any trace of Alana. So, I suspect that the vagrant was lying.”
To find Alana, Alan had offered a reward in gold coins. Presumably, the vagrant lied to get the money.
Upon hearing this, Angel had a fairly good understanding. After Alana entered Desolate City, she seemed to have vanished off the face of the world.
If Desolate City really was the last known location of Alana, there might indeed be residual energy. It seems that the specific circumstances would need to be assessed with a visit to Desolate City itself.
“Desolate City of Paradova?” A puzzled voice rang out just as Angel was contemplating visiting Paradova.
Angel and Alan turned their heads to see who was speaking. It was one of two witches who had been quietly observing the scene, enjoying their own company.
Furthermore, it was a witch apprentice whom Alan particularly despised——Shirley.
“Shirley, do you have any doubts about this place?” Angel noticed that Shirley’s tone was tinged with uncertainty, and her eyes seemed unfocused, as if she were recalling something.
Gloria, too, was curiously looking at Shirley. She was merely bored and wanted to pass the time by eavesdropping on gossip. Bringing Shirley along had just been convenient. Could it be that Shirley knew something more?
After a moment, Shirley snapped back to reality, realizing that all eyes were on her. She appeared somewhat bewildered, “Why are you all staring at me? Did I say something?”
Shirley’s demeanor didn’t appear to be a ruse; evidently, she had muttered something unconsciously.
Alan retorted impatiently, “You were just questioning Desolate City.”
“Did I say that?” Shirley murmured to herself. Seeing Alan’s assured expression, she pondered for a moment and said, “Well, maybe something about the place you mentioned triggered a memory, and I unconsciously repeated the name.”
“What did you remember? What was it?” Angel inquired.
Shirley shrugged, “It’s not a big deal. Some time ago… well, perhaps a few years back, I was invited to perform in the capital of the Gloriosa Kingdom.”
“What’s that look for?” Shirley arched an eyebrow at Alan, whose face was full of disdain. “I am Gloriosa’s most famous magician. Even before entering the Wizarding World, I had already started touring.”
Alan muttered under his breath, “A magician, you say? More like a con artist.”
Shirley didn’t mind being called a con artist. She raised an eyebrow provocatively, “You could say that, too.”
“After all, when I was performing in the Gloriosa Royal Capital, I saw a bounty notice posted on the bulletin board. The content of the reward mentioned a horrifying Disappearance Case in the Abandoned District of Paradova and called for any leads.”
In Angel’s view, a bounty notice from a mundane city a few years back should have nothing to do with Alana’s disappearance.
However, the fact that Shirley, a transcendent, connected this to an inconspicuous bounty notice when Alan was recounting the story, might be an omen of sorts.
Holding onto that thought, Angel continued to inquire, “What was the specific incident?”
“I remember it being a disappearance case. In a religious church, over twenty people vanished overnight.”
“A disappearance? In a religious church?” Upon hearing the word “disappearance,” Alan’s ears perked up instantly.
“Yes, it seems it was a very small and obscure religion, with only thirty-some devout followers. Then, overnight, so many people vanished, causing the remaining Bud believers to leave. At the time, some said it was retribution from a malevolent deity due to cult worship, others speculated they were transported to a divine kingdom. Either way, none of it was reliable. If there was something supernatural involved, Sky Mechanical City would surely have taken over.”
“I think this matter is probably unrelated to your sister’s disappearance,” Angel concluded.
After listening to Shirley, Alan also felt that this case had nothing to do with Alana. He still believed that Alana might have encountered some superhumans in Paradova.
During that time, many participants in the Novastar Competition were rushing to Sky Mechanical City from all over; perhaps one of them was responsible.
As Alan was pondering this, Angel suddenly turned to Shirley, asking in an eerie tone, “What did you just say… Bud believers? What does that mean?”
Shirley paused for a moment, “That’s what they were called at the time, it seemed that the religion those people followed was called ‘Bud,’ and they referred to themselves as Bud believers.”
“Bud… Bud…” Angel muttered softly, a glint flashing in his eyes.
“What’s wrong? Is there something off about this ‘Bud’?” Gloria noticed that Angel’s expression had become quite serious, as if something was wrong.
Shaking his head, Angel’s gaze turned somber, “Nothing, it’s just that it reminded me of something. I need to go and verify it.”