Chapter 61: The Journey to Fallen Leaf Town and a Shrewd Encounter

The six-day journey had been uneventfully monotonous.

The magical carriage traversed its fixed tracks, and the scenery outside the window slowly transformed from the refined plains surrounding the royal capital to an endless expanse of rolling hills and dense forests.

Most of the time, Lia leaned by the window, appearing to gaze at the passing landscape, yet her thoughts invariably drifted to the contents of her spatial ring.

The mountain of scrolls, the heavy pouch of gold coins… Klein and Al’s anxieties seemed to materialize, becoming the very weight of her satchel.

This sensation of being cherished and overly protected felt both novel and oddly comforting.

Here she was, a magic apprentice with nothing but theoretical knowledge, yet armed with enough gear to decimate an entire army, now at the very edge of the kingdom.

She even found herself pondering whether, should true danger arise, she ought to deploy an eighth-circle spell or resort to Al’s deep slumber potion.

Occasionally, she would open the *Field Survival Atlas* Al had given her, earnestly attempting to commit the unfamiliar plants and star charts to memory.

More frequently, however, her thoughts would sink back into her spatial ring.

The scrolls, stacked like a small mountain, each pulsed with a magic that sent a tremor of awe through her.

The heavy pouch of gold coins contained enough wealth to purchase a respectable manor in any minor town.

This sensation was utterly new to her.

An apprentice of magic, armed solely with theoretical knowledge, yet bearing equipment capable of routing a thousand-strong army, had arrived at what felt like a starter village.

Ironically, this very apprentice’s practical combat skills were virtually non-existent.

After a final, gentle jolt, the carriage at last came to a halt.

“We’ve arrived at Fallen Leaf Town!”

The coachman’s gruff shout shattered the carriage’s silence like a stone flung into a still pond.

Lia, shouldering a traveler’s backpack augmented with spatial extension magic, descended from the carriage.

A pungent blend of woodsmoke, dust, and livestock manure assailed her senses, a coarse yet vibrant aroma utterly unlike the meticulously perfumed air of the royal capital.

Fallen Leaf Town, much like a withered leaf carried by the wind to the kingdom’s periphery, possessed an air of quiet desolation.

The town’s structures were predominantly a blend of stone and timber, and the streets teemed with burly, rugged-looking mercenaries and adventurers.

Their gazes, fixed on Lia, were overtly scrutinizing, laden with an air of assessment and valuation.

Lia paid them no mind, proceeding directly into what appeared to be the largest inn in town: the Stoneflower Inn.

She requested the cleanest room available, as the weariness of consecutive days of travel left her longing only to collapse into bed.

Having locked her door and tossed her backpack carelessly onto a chair, Lia practically tumbled into the soft embrace of the bed.

The instant her nose brushed the pillow, she succumbed to a profound slumber.

***

In the inn’s bustling common room, the flickering firelight from the hearth elongated the shadows of its patrons.

They danced and writhed grotesquely.

At a wooden table tucked into a corner, two men conversed in hushed tones.

One was built like a bear, his face obscured by a thick, bushy beard; the other was as wiry and nimble as a monkey.

His eyes, however, constantly darted about, brimming with shrewd calculation.

“Did you catch sight of that young lady just now?” the wiry man murmured, inclining his head subtly towards the staircase.

“Aye, I saw her. Soft-skinned, delicate-looking, clearly from the capital.” The burly man took a long swig of cheap ale, smacking his lips.

“A pity, really. Coming to this godforsaken place all by herself, she won’t last three days.”

“Fool! You see a person; I see coin!” The wiry man rapped his knuckles on the table, barely containing his excitement.

“That pendant around her neck, it’s pure mithril! And the gem embedded in it? At least a third-grade magic crystal! Then there’s her entire outfit—her boots, her cloak—all enchanted gear! Blast it, this isn’t just a noblewoman; she’s a walking, breathing golden goose!”

The burly man’s breathing immediately grew heavier, his eyes alight with nothing but raw avarice.

“Then what are we waiting for? Tonight…” He raised a hand and drew a suggestive line across his throat.

“Are you mad?” The wiry man slapped his hand away.

“Someone dressed like that wouldn’t have some life-saving trinkets on them, would they? They could pull out a spell scroll and incinerate us into cinders! We can’t touch someone like that, but…”

A cunning, yet utterly confident, smile spread across the wiry man’s face.

“She’s too green, doesn’t even have a single guard with her. Most likely, she had a spat with her family and ran away from home.

People like that read many books but understand little of human nature. As long as we play our parts well, we can swindle a few pieces of her gear, then disappear without a trace. No one will ever find us.”

The burly man pondered this for a moment, then broke into a wide grin. “You’re still the clever one, aren’t you?”

They exchanged glances, each seeing the fervent desire for easy riches mirrored in the other’s eyes.

The script for tomorrow’s performance was already perfectly formed.

***

The following morning, Lia descended the stairs, her expression bright and refreshed.

She busied herself replenishing fresh water and provisions, intending to depart for Silent Valley.

Just as she reached the inn’s threshold, a figure rushed past her, squeezing by with undue haste.

Immediately afterward, a crisp, shattering sound echoed at her feet.

An intricately carved jade pendant lay on the ground, having split cleanly into two halves.

The person who had jostled past was none other than the wiry man from the previous evening.

He whipped around, and upon seeing the shattered jade, his face instantly blanched, his entire body seeming to deflate as if all his bones had been removed.

“It’s over… completely over…” He collapsed to his knees, his hands trembling, and a heart-wrenching wail tore from his throat.

“My family’s heirloom, passed down for three hundred years! I brought it out to sell, to pay for my old mother’s medicine… Now it’s utterly ruined!”

Lia remained standing, observing the man’s dramatic performance with a peculiar glint in her eyes.

At that precise moment, a burly man “happened” to stroll by, approaching with a perfectly feigned expression of astonishment.

“Heavens above! Is that not the ‘Calming Jade’, the cherished heirloom of the Wind Whisperer family? I once saw it depicted in an arch-scholar’s compendium; they say wearing it can double a mage’s meditation efficiency!

This is a treasure beyond price, utterly unobtainable on the open market!”

The burly man turned to Lia, contorting his face into an expression of regret and sympathy.

“My dear girl, you’ve shattered this jade pendant, and now you’re in truly dire straits. Its value is so immense, you couldn’t possibly compensate for it even if you sold yourself into servitude.”

The wiry man’s sobs grew more heart-wrenching, his words punctuated by gasps. “I don’t want compensation from you… My old mother is still waiting for her life-saving money…”

“I just want the jade pendant back…”

The pair worked in perfect, seamless concert.

Already, bewildered townsfolk had begun to point and whisper, their gazes directed accusingly at Lia.

Lia observed their theatrical display, feeling not a shred of nervousness, but rather a distinct sense of amusement.

‘Faked accident.’

And the most classic, unoriginal ‘drop the prop’ scam, at that.

She had witnessed this exact trick countless times in short videos during her previous life; she had never imagined she would get to experience a live, high-definition rendition after transmigrating.

“And so?” Lia finally spoke, her voice remarkably calm.

Both scammers froze, momentarily stunned.

This was not the reaction they had anticipated. Shouldn’t a normal young girl be pale with fright, flustered, and scrambling to offer money for a private settlement?

“My… my dear girl, about this unfortunate incident…” The burly man stammered, attempting to steer their carefully constructed narrative back on course.

Lia ignored him, her gaze fixed with mild curiosity on the wiry man still dramatically wailing on the ground.

“Stop crying. Let us analyze this situation.”

Lia’s voice, though not loud, carried with surprising clarity to every ear in the vicinity.

“Firstly, the credibility of your so-called family heirloom, as described by this ‘conveniently passing by and conveniently knowledgeable’ stranger beside you, is rather low indeed.”

The burly man’s expression subtly shifted.

“Secondly, you claim this is life-saving money for your mother’s medical treatment.

Would a sensible person truly carry such a valuable item openly, flaunting it at a bustling inn entrance where people come and go? Are you perhaps worried that no one will attempt to steal it?”

The wiry man’s sobs abruptly caught in his throat.

“And finally,”

Lia crouched down, extending a slender finger to gently brush the shattered jade pendant, picking up a minuscule amount of powder.

“Dyed with the sap of Earth Root Grass, then mixed with a small amount of fluorescent powder to mimic a magical aura, and finally shaped with a cheap adhesive.

The actual cost of this item likely doesn’t exceed three copper coins. For your line of work, such shoddy craftsmanship even on your props is truly unprofessional.”

The onlookers, who had been watching with bated breath, erupted into an uncontrollable burst of laughter, their expressions towards the two scammers instantly shifting.

The wiry man and the burly man’s faces flushed a deep, mortified crimson.

“Next, according to your script, aren’t you supposed to say that, seeing my tender age, you won’t make things difficult for me?

And that as long as I offer some ‘sincerity’—perhaps this seemingly valuable pendant around my neck as collateral—you’ll show great mercy, overlook my ‘transgression,’ and let me off the hook?”

Lia rose to her full height, then offered them a smile that was utterly pure, devoid of any malice or guile.

The two men were utterly dumbfounded.

How had their meticulously planned script been recited back to them, word for word? Had they, by some twist of fate, encountered a grandmaster of their own craft today?

“You… you…” The wiry man pointed a trembling finger at Lia, stammering incoherently for a prolonged moment, unable to articulate a single word.

Lia, having no further patience for their antics, decided against wasting more words.

She extended her index finger, gently pointing it at the two men.

A barely perceptible electric arc danced at her fingertip, then instantly arced across the distance, striking both men with uncanny precision.

The two scammers convulsed violently. The wiry man’s muscles spasmed uncontrollably, his hair standing on end, his mouth agape, yet only a faint, hissing sound escaped his lips.

The burly man, while faring slightly better, still emitted a chorus of guttural grunts and pained cries.

The entire inn lobby instantly fell silent.

All eyes were riveted on Lia’s slender, pale finger.

‘What was that?’

‘An instant spell?’

‘But they hadn’t sensed any magical fluctuations whatsoever!’

‘What terrifying control over power must that be!’

Both scammers were scared out of their wits; their trousers grew warm, and a pungent, foul odor quickly permeated the air.

“Scram.”

Lia, pinching her nose, uttered but a single word.

Struggling against their spasming muscles, the two men scrambled out of the inn, disappearing down the street as if pursued by demons.

Thus, the farce concluded.

Lia quickly exited the inn, shaking off the unpleasant smell, and let out a deep breath.

She retrieved a map from her spatial ring, confirming her direction.

The town’s clamor faded behind her, replaced by the quiet forest path leading to Silent Valley.

The path was rarely trodden.

The wind rustled through the treetops, a soft, whispering sound, as if recounting ancient secrets.

Lia took a deep breath, the crisp, cool forest air sharpening her mind.

Those two amateur swindlers had merely been an appetizer.

The path ahead, she knew, would present the true challenge.