Chapter 168

Seeing the employee overflowing with pride with her work, I nodded lightly. Sheliak had mentioned that she had tried and failed to establish contact with the North for almost three months now. However, the fact that the investigation has only just begun meant that something had blocked the information and investigation process until now.

Maybe that's why Kaichen went out this morning.

The North was mostly covered with icy mountains. It was an extremely cold land where crops did not grow all year round. But the northerners had an important job of preventing the savages called the Yetis from moving south. It wasn't mentioned in the original novel, but I remembered Kaichen emphasizing the information when he was teaching me about the Empire.

Maybe it wasn't in the part I read...

I left the Magic Association with a bad taste in my mouth, feeling uncomfortable at this new unexplored territory that I knew nothing about. I headed to the Mercenary Association. There were all kinds of snow beasts and other monsters in the North. Mercenaries with strength and abilities were needed. It was a nice opportunity for the mercenaries to make some money as well. Perhaps the Mercenary Association might know something about the situation. Sheliak did say that people who went there hadn't returned. But I felt that no matter how extreme the situation might be, the roads would be well-maintained or at least would be more accessible than in the past.

"North? Ah, you can't go there right now."

"Why?"

"Haven't you heard there's a huge snowstorm? No one comes back alive."

"If no one comes back alive, how do you know there is a snowstorm in the first place?"

"That's... Ah! Now that you mention it... you're right!"

"It's unverified information."

"Maybe someone saw it from afar! Snowstorms can be seen from a distance!" yelled the mercenary in annoyance. Seeing him being impatient and rude, I walked out into the street.

It was such a common trope that I had seen a million times in novels, dramas and even in movies! Usually, suspicious things like these foreshadowed a major upcoming event. It was like a side quest from an NPC. I'm working on a pre-investigation quest that makes me wander around town before the full-scale quest progresses! I looked up at the sky dazed by how natural this all felt. It was indeed suspicious. The last few years had been so peaceful that I had begun to wonder if there was an accident waiting to happen just around the corner. It made me uneasy. It felt like someone was controlling me without me knowing about it.

Akshetra is probably behind this as well.

She will obviously be controlling the current situation. The thought made me queasy. Is it really possible for Akshetra to predict my every action?

But why? I tilted my head and looked up at the sky. The street was bright with magic, so it was hard to see the stars in the sky. As I walked towards the mansion, I heard a familiar sound. I stopped walking and turned around. My fingers were cold. I saw a few people gathering at a spot. Wandering musicians played their instruments to entertain the people who walked the streets. I rushed through the crowd, my mouth dry. It felt like an auditory hallucination. My heart pounded. I clenched my teeth till my jaws were sore.

How is this possible?! The National Anthem at a place like this...

At first, I thought I heard it wrong. I never imagined that the familiar song which started with the East Sea and Baekdu Mountain could be played with a harp. Perhaps in my previous life, I would have admired the sound and moved on. But not here!

This was a fictional world. Korea's National Anthem shouldn't even exist here. I looked at the musician who was playing the harp. She wasn't an exceptional performer but she smiled shyly as people applauded her performance.

How? How does she know this song?

I stared at her blankly. I grabbed her hand as she was about to leave. "Please, wait."

"Yes?" she asked, puzzled.

"That song...," I said, wondering how to explain. "I loved the song you played. Did you compose it yourself?"

The woman smiled as if she had heard that question many times before. "A kind person introduced it to me once."

"Could you tell me who it was?"

"Uh... I do not know. However, this song was given to me as a gift because she liked my performance. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"I-It is. Could you at least tell me how she looked? Anything you can remember!"

The woman frowned. Maybe she thought I was strange. I hurriedly took out a gold coin from my ouch and handed it to her.

"It might be someone I know. Please."

The woman's hand shot out and took the gold coin in delight. "She was wearing a robe like you. I couldn't see her well. However, her harp playing was as good as mine. Her fingers were thin and slender as though she grew up as a refined young lady. She was very polite to the man she was with."

The woman looked dazed as she remembered meeting the lady with the man. Then she shook my hand off of her as though she had nothing more to say.