Chapter 9: The Archdeacon’s Fury and a Journey to Manda Town

Within the pitch-dark cavern, a cacophony of clanking sounds reverberated.

“Useless, all of you are utterly useless! What good are you to me, tell me?”

Perched on a high platform, a figure shrouded in a black robe adorned with golden thread stripes, their face concealed by a goat mask, gripped the railing, unleashing furious roars at the group below, who wielded shovels, digging for an unknown purpose.

Beside the Goat-Masked Figure, a man wearing a black mask bowed deeply, his voice laced with humble persuasion. “Arch—Archdeacon, please, calm yourself, calm yourself!”

“Calm myself? How can this Archdeacon possibly calm myself? The Church’s Grand Divine Ceremony is less than a hundred days away! If we fail to unearth the ore crystal to offer our God, what will this Archdeacon present to the Pontiff? Your worthless lives? Is that it?”

At the Goat-Masked Figure’s words, the Masked Man remained silent, merely gazing at them with an ingratiating expression.

Yet, the tightly clenched hands behind the Masked Man’s back betrayed his turbulent inner state, even as he forced a fawning demeanor.

“Regardless, you must find the crystal ore before the Divine Ceremony, or we shall all be buried together.” Turning, the Archdeacon’s gaze, piercing through the goat mask, fixed directly upon the Masked Man.

“Yes, yes, rest assured, this humble one guarantees the task will be completed!”

Observing the Masked Man’s fervent assurances, the Archdeacon gave a sharp flick of their hand, then clasped them behind their back, their gaze once more sweeping over the crowd below the platform.

As the Masked Man watched the Archdeacon fall silent, merely surveying the congregants below, they exhaled a breath of relief, then bowed at the waist, retreating step by step from the high platform.

‘Hmph, you old fool, just you wait. I’ve already secured the support of the other deacons. After serving as Archdeacon for so long, it’s time for you to step aside. I’ll let you savor these last few days of your position!’

****

By the lakeside on the outskirts of Firefly Forest, a sudden gasp echoed, startling birds into flight from their branches.

“What did you say? You have amnesia? You don’t know where you’re from?”

Aali stared, utterly dumbfounded, at Qi Lin, who stood before her, clutching his ears.

Only once the cacophony faded from his ears did Qi Lin release his hands, then nodded with a slightly vacant expression.

Amnesia, he mused, was the ultimate panacea in countless novels for dealing with questions from people in other worlds. Qi Lin stood with his hands on his hips, a proud smirk playing on his lips. This way, once his differences from others inevitably surfaced, he would have a perfectly legitimate explanation.

Observing Qi Lin’s nod, Aali’s gaze softened with a touch of pity.

Feeling the weight of Aali’s pitying gaze, Qi Lin grumbled, “Hey, hey, what kind of look is that?”

“Oh, my apologies. I deeply sympathize with your predicament of memory loss,” Aali replied, her lips pursed.

In response, Qi Lin waved a dismissive hand, asserting that no sympathy was necessary, given he hadn’t truly lost his memory. Naturally, he intended to keep that detail to himself.

However, Aali’s subsequent words made his heart clench, leaving him with the distinct impression that he might have been a tad too hasty.

“But it’s quite alright; it’s merely amnesia. While my magic cannot restore your past memories, I know someone—or rather, an elf—who might be able to help you recall everything!”

Now it was Qi Lin’s turn to gape, utterly dumbfounded. He had forgotten that this was a real world, not some fictional narrative where a protagonist held sway. And someone like him? He was hardly protagonist material—or perhaps he was.

Novels had truly misled him! He should never have resorted to such an excuse. How could a real world be so easily fobbed off with a claim of amnesia?

“Ah, haha, well, that’s… excellent…” Qi Lin mumbled, scratching his chin to mask his sudden embarrassment.

Aali, in turn, nodded cheerfully.

“Since you’ve lost your memory, you can follow me for now! I’ll just fish a little longer,” Aali declared, hands on her hips, her eyes crinkling into a smile as she looked at Qi Lin. After a moment’s thought, she reconsidered. “No, I won’t fish anymore. Let’s go, let’s head back to town. We can simply ask the mayor there if you happen to be one of our townspeople.”

Qi Lin nodded, indicating his agreement.

Seeing Qi Lin’s affirmation, Aali said no more. She walked directly to the shore, picked up her fishing rod from the ground, and then beckoned Qi Lin to follow.

Traversing the grassy expanse, Qi Lin walked slowly beside Aali, heading towards the town she had mentioned.

Almost immediately, Qi Lin discerned the faint outline of a town in the distance.

Gazing at the distant settlement, Qi Lin yearned to quip to Aali that it was hardly a town; it was clearly a village. After all, what kind of town constructed its houses from wood and vines? Yet, recalling that he was no longer in his original world, a sense of resignation settled over him.

Perhaps this world simply had a peculiar style, where dwellings crafted from wood and vines were called towns, even if they resembled villages.

The moment he stepped into the town, standing upon its main street, Qi Lin sensed that something was amiss once more.

To ensure he wasn’t mistaken, Qi Lin rubbed his eyes and surveyed his surroundings again.

He was certain now; his eyes had not deceived him. This town was indeed populated by many people with long, pointed ears—or rather, elves.

“Are all the people here elves?” Qi Lin asked, tugging at Aali’s sleeve.

“Ah, yes. The residents of Manda Town are almost exclusively elves. Of course, there are other races too, like humans, but the proportion of humans to elves is quite small.”

Pulled by Qi Lin’s tug on her sleeve, Aali halted, and upon hearing the reason for his stop, she offered her explanation.

With his curiosity sated, Qi Lin simply nodded, resuming his pace alongside Aali.

Along their way, every elf who spotted Aali greeted her warmly. Naturally, many also cast keen, scrutinizing glances at Qi Lin, as if he were some rare specimen.

Whenever he was subjected to such stares from the elves, Qi Lin would instinctively retreat a step, seeking refuge behind Aali.

In this manner, several minutes passed, and still, they hadn’t reached Aali’s intended destination. Qi Lin yawned, then glanced up at the sky.

Ah, a bright and beautiful day indeed… What lovely weather…

He blinked, then his eyes widened ever so slightly.

Since arriving in this world, his reflexes seemed to have dulled considerably. After being bathed in sunlight for so long, he felt no fear or apprehension, as if the sun’s rays no longer bothered him.

‘Has my reaction time truly become this slow since transmigrating…? ‘

“What did you say?”

Aali, who hadn’t quite caught Qi Lin’s words, turned back with a puzzled expression.

Upon seeing Aali turn, Qi Lin quickly replied, “Nothing! Just commenting on how pleasant the weather is.”

Aali harbored no suspicions, merely offering a slight nod before continuing to lead the way.

After another few minutes of walking, Aali paused before a wooden house intricately entwined with vines.

“We’re here. This is Manrot’s house, the mayor of Manda Town. We can simply ask him later,” Aali explained, placing her fishing rod into a wooden bucket and gesturing towards the house as she spoke to Qi Lin.

Once Qi Lin acknowledged her words, Aali pushed open the main door and led him inside.

The moment they stepped through the doorway and into the house, an indescribable yet distinctly natural scent wafted over them.

Inhaling the aroma, Qi Lin’s heart settled into a profound tranquility, like a mountain spring untouched by ripples.

“Well, if it isn’t Aali! Not fishing by the lake on the outskirts of Firefly Forest today? What brings you to this old man’s humble abode?”

An elder, whose white hair was interspersed with strands of gold, leaned on an intricately carved staff, stroking his beard that reached his abdomen, as he chuckled warmly at Aali.

“Greetings, Mayor Manrot!” Aali quickly curtsied, acknowledging the elder’s presence.

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