Chapter 1811 The Closed Airship Dock <TOC> Chapter 1813 Madness
Translator: SumTLMan
Hamm was a rather ordinary man of the Lowesyan race. Now, at the age of thirty-five, he remained unmarried and continued to live the life of a bachelor.
However, what set him apart was his place of birth——Windmill Town. That’s because this town was situated near the Savage Grottoes.
Like many other residents of Windmill Town, the more they learned about the extraordinary world, the more they realized the wonders and fantastical nature it held. Their hearts grew fonder, filled with desires and expectations. They all harbored a quiet fantasy: How marvelous it would be if they could ascend to the esteemed position of a wizard.
Hamm was no different. Since his youth, he had dreamt of becoming a wizard. To his dismay, however, his mental power score was a mere 6. It was a figure that seemed nearly impossible to improve upon, even with the aid of potions.
Upon realizing he couldn’t become a wizard, Hamm, with a tinge of frustration, left for the capital city of the Inner Earth Country — Shadow Demon Castle — seeking a livelihood.
After wandering for over two decades, Hamm couldn’t make a significant mark for himself. He nearly visualized his future, which seemingly held nothing but a continuation of his mundane, ripple-less existence until his last breath.
However, a sudden upheaval struck Shadow Demon Castle.
It was as if everyone had become someone else, shouting praises like “Hail the Queen.” In the fog-shrouded capital, they behaved in peculiar manners, resembling jesters.
Fortuitously, during this event, Hamm had returned to Windmill Town to visit his parents, thus escaping the chaos. Later on, when Hamm’s parents learned of the situation at Shadow Demon Castle, they persuaded him to stay in Windmill Town.
Twenty years ago, for Hamm, Windmill Town represented a place where his dreams shattered. He couldn’t even bear to face it and fled in utter humiliation. However, with time, Hamm has come to grips with reality. No longer does he harbor the illusion that the world revolves around him; instead, he yearns for a more tranquil life. Thus, he reconciled with the version of himself from his rebellious teenage years. Accepting his parents’ suggestion, he decided to stay in Windmill Town.
With the money Hamm earned from his ventures in Shadow Demon Castle over the years, he opened a textile workshop and a small dyeing house in Windmill Town, embarking on a fabric business.
His primary clientele? The esteemed wizards of the Mirror World.
For the past couple of years, Hamm’s life oscillated between Windmill Town and the underground market of the Mirror World. Though the routine was strenuous, the profits he reaped continued to increase.
Just when Hamm thought he had found his footing in life, Windmill Town, like Shadow Demon Castle before it, experienced a strange upheaval.
A segment of the population inexplicably went mad.
Moreover, this madness appeared contagious.
Though wizards from the Savage Grottoes promptly arrived and set up a hospital to tend to these afflicted individuals, the root cause of the insanity remained elusive, making treatment impossible. This mysterious ailment cast a growing shadow over the mood of Windmill Town.
Where did this madness originate from? Was there something tainted in Windmill Town that they had come into contact with? Would they, too, succumb to this madness?
Amidst this anxious atmosphere, many residents hesitated to venture outside, except those who had ongoing business dealings with the Savage Grottoes.
Hamm was among them.
Every day, Hamm stepped outside with a heavy heart. Yet, as half a month passed, nothing out of the ordinary occurred.
In a time when Hamm thought everything was improving, they unexpectedly encountered a person in the tunnel leading to the Savage Grottoes who shouldn’t have been there.
Iva!
An individual infected with madness!
Shouldn’t he be in a hospital? Why was he here?
People around were exclaiming in shock and fleeing the scene. Hamm, in a panic, followed suit. However, before he could reach the entrance of the cave, Hamm, unsure of what he stepped on, lost his footing and slipped.
As Hamm struggled to get up, he felt an added weight on his shoulder.
Shivering from head to toe, Hamm turned around. What he saw was… Iva, grinning malevolently at him.
In the next moment, Hamm felt a darkness envelop his vision, plunging him into a swirling void of blackness.
…
“Please, kind lord, save us!” “Iva’s here!” “We don’t want to go mad!”
This group, having run out from the underground tunnel, immediately knelt upon seeing Sanders and his companions, pleading with various entreaties.
Usually, upon seeing extraordinary individuals like Sanders, they would be trembling with fear, treating them with the utmost respect. However, now, they couldn’t care less about formalities.
Sanders looked down at the group of kneeling individuals, a mysterious glint passing through his eyes.
Given past circumstances and Sanders’ character, he would typically ignore such trivial matters among ordinary people. But today, perhaps due to words from Sridhar, Sanders seemed to be slightly disturbed.
Though at first glance, all seems calm, Sanders couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
The appearance of this group seemed to be a harbinger of something.
Angel turned to Sanders, “Should we go and check?”
“Let’s check it out.” After a moment’s hesitation, Sanders promptly stashed his staff away and began walking towards the group.
Midway there, Gloria remarked, “From the cave they emerged from, there seems to be an unusual aura.”
Angel nodded, having already discerned the situation inside through his psychic vision, “The person inside wearing the patient’s gown seems peculiar.”
As Sanders approached, the people kneeling on the ground looked up with eyes filled with hope, seemingly wanting to say something. However, Sanders didn’t grant them the chance and simply passed them by.
“I’ll go in and take a look. You all, ask them about their situation,” Sanders stated, and without any hesitation, he briskly walked into the dark cave, disappearing from view.
Angel took another look into the cave, “It seems someone inside has been attacked?”
“Does this count as an attack? It looks like someone just rested their chin on the other’s shoulder and caressed their face. It appears to be a normal interaction,” Gloria, who was also observing the situation inside with her psychic abilities, casually responded upon hearing Angel’s comment.
“That’s considered a normal interaction?”
Gloria countered, “Isn’t it? There’s no neck-snapping involved… Ah, are they really going to snap necks? I thought it was just an intimate interaction.”
Angel: “…”
While they conversed, the few individuals kneeling on the ground exchanged glances.
“It seems we’re short one person?”
“Yes, it seems Old Hamm isn’t present.”
“The individual whom you mentioned earlier who had his neck snapped… Could it be Old Hamm?”
As a few of them whispered amongst themselves, Gloria cast them a sidelong glance, stating, “When did I ever mention that his neck was actually snapped?”
The force of Gloria’s gaze swept over the group, causing all of them to lower their heads, too intimidated to respond.
“Alright, all of you, stand up,” Gloria said with evident annoyance. Once they were all upright, she inquired, “Now, explain the situation to me. What exactly happened inside?”
The gathered people exchanged glances, each seemingly unsure of what to say or how to face a distinguished wizard. Finally, an elderly man with a pipe hanging from his waist stepped forward, expressing, “My lord, we’re not entirely sure ourselves. Iva was, after all, supposedly confined in the hospital…”
Chapter 1811 The Closed Airship Dock <TOC> Chapter 1813 Madness