Embers Ad Infinitum

This is much more troublesome than money… Upon hearing Aester's request, Jiang Baimian—who only had two Grand Knight gold coins—sighed. She then asked, "What is it? If it's too difficult and exceeds our abilities, we can only choose to give up."

She deliberately didn't show that they were determined to get an answer out of him, lest Aester went overboard with his request. If that happened, the situation would become even messier and even bring them trouble.

Shang Jianyao didn't whimper, nor did he nod or shake his head. He was rather cooperative.

Aester seemed to sink into his memories, and it took for him a while before he said, "What I need your help with might be very dangerous for others. Apart from those who have nothing to speak of except their lives, nobody will be willing to take on the job. However, you are different."

Jiang Baimian frowned and asked, "Mr. Aester, aren't you overestimating us?"

She wasn't blindly arrogant at all. Although the Old Task Force's strength could be considered outstanding in the Ashlands, and Shang Jianyao was considered to be part of the most powerful group of people under the New World powerhouses while New World powerhouses rarely could move freely and rarely did anything, Jiang Baimian—who had experienced so much—didn't dare let it get to her head. Ignoring the ruins with various dangers that only New World powerhouses could likely resist, just an Awakened's feeble body made her treat this matter with great importance.

It wasn't like no powerful Awakened had failed miserably and died at the hands of those with relatively weaker abilities or even ordinary people!

Aester smiled. "I don't mean that the danger of the matter is nothing to you but that you would likely do it even if it's very risky. There's a high chance that you will."

"Is that so?" Jiang Baimian tried her best to show her puzzlement, confusion, and worry to show her lack of confidence in their strength.

Aester's gaze swept across her and Shang Jianyao's faces a few times before he smiled. "The matter you are investigating is clearly related to Ceningmis. The regret I want you to help make up for is also related to Ceningmis. Therefore, I have reason to believe that even if you know how dangerous Ceningmis is now and that nobody who enters has come out, you will still head there and make an attempt."

/ please keep reading on MYB0XN0VEL(d0t)C0M.

Jiang Baimian fell silent for a moment before saying, "That depends on whether the last reason can persuade us. Compared to our lives, certain things aren't that important."

Aester nodded. "Then, listen to my commission first."

He emphasized the word 'commission.'

"Please speak," Jiang Baimian replied seriously. Shang Jianyao also wore a serious expression.

Aester revealed a reminiscing expression. "You should already know that Ceningmis was destroyed in a disaster 12 years ago."

Without waiting for Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao's 'yes' or 'no,' he continued, "It was a sudden Heartless outbreak; it was unprecedented since the Old World's destruction. Of course, all of this is only hearsay as there were no real witnesses. None of the people who entered managed to come out either."

"Then…" Shang Jianyao finally couldn't help but attempt to speak, but he was silenced by Aester and Sandro's suddenly sharp gazes.

Jiang Baimian roughly guessed his meaning and took the initiative to ask, "Then, where does the hearsay come from?"

"It originally came from a caravan that went there to make a trade. Before they entered Ceningmis, they encountered the Heartless ambling out. They realized that the situation was a little off," Aester explained in detail. "They sent people to circle around to the mountain range west of Ceningmis and made use of the terrain and binoculars to observe the situation inside. They only found Heartless with no survivors.

"The caravan returned to Gesterbourg in horror, believing that Ceningmis had suffered a large-scale Heartless outbreak. After that, everyone sent people to Ceningmis's entrances to wait for a while. However, not a single survivor was found. Instead, they encountered several Heartless attacks.

"As a result, we suspected that Ceningmis had become a city ruin like the ones during the Old World's destruction—a Heartless paradise. This meant grave danger, and it also meant wealth. When the coldest season in Icefield passed, the people who knew Ceningmis's exact location took a risk, hoping to obtain valuable supplies from the city ruin. However, none of them returned."

Jiang Baimian had heard this from the leader of the Farstriders caravan, Smith. Furthermore, this wasn't a secret in Gesterbourg.

She nodded indiscernibly and said to Aester, "Please continue."

Her request referred to him continuing to explain the commission.

Aester fell into a daze. "For you to be able to find me, you must know that I once had a close business partnership with Ceningmis. I established a company there and lived there for five to six months a year. During such a life, I betrayed my marriage and let my wife down. I had a mistress in Ceningmis, and that mistress gave birth to two of my children—a boy and a girl.

"I was very lucky. When Ceningmis's Heartless outbreak happened, I was in Gesterbourg, accompanying my family. However, my mistress and my two children were in Ceningmis back then…" Aester's voice gradually softened.

The White Knights used their chivalrous creed as a standard of conduct. They emphasized loyalty and promoted simplicity and restraint. The rules stipulated that one man could only have one wife.

Jiang Baimian didn't comment on Aester's private matters and patiently waited for him to get his emotions in check. Shang Jianyao acted like he wanted to criticize, but he couldn't speak.

After a while, Aester composed himself and continued, "I don't have any hope of whether they are still alive or whether they have yet to become Heartless. My commission is that if you ultimately choose to enter Ceningmis, help me go to the other home I've lived in for many years and retrieve their corpses. If there are no corpses there, bring back my child's teddy bear, a random box of Lego, and a certain item from my mistress. This will allow me to bury any regrets when recalling the past."

"We'll consider it." Jiang Baimian secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

This mission didn't conflict with the Old Task Force's investigation of Ceningmis.

Jiang Baimian then pointed out a difficulty. "But we don't know where you lived in Ceningmis."

"When you're sure you want to go, I'll give you Ceningmis's city map and circle out my residence there." Aester was indeed rather familiar with Ceningmis.

Jiang Baimian tersely acknowledged his words and nodded slightly. "You need to give us a reason to enter Ceningmis now."

It was what Shang Jianyao's father's Old Task Force had asked from him.

"How did it become me begging you to get that information from me?" As Aester laughed self-deprecatingly, he handed the photo in his hand to Sandro to return it to Shang Jianyao.

After Shang Jianyao took the photo, Aester revealed a reminiscing expression again. "They gave me some effective biological agents. In exchange, I told them a rumor I heard in Ceningmis. At Ceningmis's Council of Virtue—yes, the people who rule Ceningmis have always professed one thing—Ceningmis is unique and favored by God, preventing it from suffering during the Old World's destruction or having many Heartless outbreaks happen.

"This doesn't sound like much; it can only prove that they are religious. However, a business partner of mine once told me a piece of intelligence in his delirium after drinking the hard liquor I secretly brewed.

"There's a big shot behind the Council of Virtue. He's the real leader of Ceningmis and the real reason why Ceningmis was spared from the Heartless outbreaks and the devastating blows. He called himself the 'Kalendaria's Son.'"

Kalendaria's Son… Jiang Baimian frowned. "Which Kalendaria?"

"I don't know about that." Aester rubbed his eyes, looking exhausted. "If there's nothing else, you may leave. When you decide to enter Ceningmis, come to me for a map."

"Alright." Jiang Baimian didn't tell Aester and the others that they had already made up their minds. They would definitely enter Ceningmis in about a week's time.

Aester leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

Sandro sent Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian downstairs on behalf of his boss. On the way, he—who had been silent for a long time—couldn't help but ask, "Did you take on the protection mission to create an opportunity to use your abilities on me and get me to bring you to meet the boss?"

Jiang Baimian laughed involuntarily. "That's actually a coincidence. We came from afar and have almost used up the supplies we brought along. We also didn't want to cause any trouble in Gesterbourg and affect our investigation of the corresponding intelligence, so we could only go to the Hunter's Guild to take on missions that are relatively difficult and moderate in difficulty."

'Afar' could be the southernmost area of the White Knights' sphere of influence or somewhere further away.

Sandro fell silent again.

He didn't expect two Grand Knight gold coins to attract such a group of people.