Chapter 247: Goodbye, Safe Zone

A full day had passed since Luke wrapped up his preparations to seize the Second Fortress. Now he was roaming the Safe Zone, looking for Jack. He had left early, using the excuse to burn through the last of his Bastion notes at the marketplace.

[Reinforced Iron Arrow (Uncommon)]: A shaft of sturdy wood tipped with reinforced iron, capable of piercing armor and withstanding heavier impacts, making it more durable and effective against enemies with stronger defenses.

He was staring at one on the stall when the merchant spoke up.

“How many?”

“Five arrows. Unless, of course, you’ve decided to be generous and sell me about a thousand.”

“Funny guy.” The man pulled five arrows from his storage item and passed them over. Luke slid them into his bag.

The vendor licked his fingers, counted the notes one by one, then nodded. “Seventy-five. Good luck with your hunt, and come back soon.”

“Oh, I’ll be back,” Luke said as he turned away.

Back? Not a chance. Goodbye, Safe Zone.

Since it was his last day here, he figured he might as well stock up. He now had a total of ten [Uncommon] arrows, essential for one of his options to deal with the Warden Captain’s armor.

With 318 bastions left, he picked up another shovel for 25 and four wooden barrels at 70 each. He already had plenty stored away, but when it came to preparation, too much was never enough. Those barrels would be filled with water soon enough. He stashed them in his storage without hesitation. No point pretending he didn’t have one anymore.

Less than an hour later, he had bled most of his wallet dry. Only 13 Bastions remained.

“And we’re back to poverty,” he muttered, tucking away two fives, a two, and a lonely one.

Before leaving for the Second Fortress, he decided to swing by Eddie’s inn to see if Jack was there. His one real reason for staying in the Safe Zone this long was to have the healer verify the map he’d put together.

The door creaked as he pushed it open.

“Good morning, we have rooms avail—” The receptionist stopped short when she saw him, her fake smile fading instantly.

“Pretty sure I’m not exactly welcome here,” Luke remarked.

“As I’ve told you before, my smile isn’t cheap,” Layla replied flatly.

Luke leaned against the counter, eyeing the potted plant beside her. “Wasn’t talking to you, Layla. I meant her. She doesn’t seem to like me much. Been watering her?”

“Yes. And why do you keep trying to befriend a plant?”

“I have my reasons. Plants are just as complicated as people, especially female plants.”

“Speaking of which, some girl named Zoey came looking for you yesterday,” she said.

Luke coughed lightly. “You gave her the usual message I told you to, right?”

“No. I’m not enabling your scumbag tricks. If you’d been here, I would’ve told her the truth,” she said.

“Being a scumbag would be if I kept it going. I’m actually avoiding her,” Luke said.

“Which just makes you an even bigger scumbag…” she replied.

Luke coughed again, this time more theatrically. “By the way, madam, I found this necklace. Would look gorgeous on your neck, don’t you think?”

“I’m not falling for that one.”

“Wasn’t talking to you. I meant the plant.”

“You’re insane.”

“No. I’m a man desperate for experience points. Big difference.”

***

Luke went looking for Jack at the logging camp. Waiting around all day just to confirm one piece of information wasn’t an option. It was too risky to linger in the Safe Zone until nightfall. The faster he tied up this loose end, the better. He also didn’t want to risk bumping into anyone from Haven.

At least the logging camp sat on the outskirts of the Safe Zone. From there, he could vanish straight away. If his plan worked, everything about this tutorial could shift drastically, today. The thought had him both nervous and restless. Months away from his family had led up to this moment, and the next step was a big one. When he reached the camp, someone new was managing things in Conrad’s place: a soldier who usually pulled guard duty there.

“Name?” the soldier asked.

“I’m not here to work. Just looking for a friend. He usually eats around this time. You know me, I’ve been working here for two weeks.”

“Oh, you’re James.”

Naturally, Luke had dyed his hair blond again before setting foot in the Safe Zone.

“You know where Jack is?” Luke pressed.

“Half the lumberjacks got moved to another site this morning,” the soldier replied.

“Why?”

“You weren’t here yesterday, were you?” the soldier asked.

That’s when Luke heard hurried footsteps closing in.

“You!”

The soldier straightened. “Captain Landon.”

“You’re James, from Eddie’s crew?” Landon demanded.

“That’s… right,” Luke answered cautiously, trying to catch the thread.

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Landon. The name clicked. He’d heard it tied to that gang.

Realization hit. The leader of that gang wasn’t some random criminal, it was this man. Another cog in Bastion’s machine, hiding under the uniform. Not every one of Bartholomew’s soldiers was some poor fool tricked into serving him. Some of them used Bastion’s authority for their own dirty work.

“You missed yesterday. Broke your perfect streak of attendance. Just so happens it’s the same day Conrad disappeared. Eddie also reported you skipped two nights at his inn.” Landon’s gaze sharpened.

Oh. I see. He suspects I killed his friends. Maybe he’s got Jack.

Luke noticed other soldiers gathering.

“I was… at someone else’s place last night. You know how it is,” he said casually, curious how this thug planned to spin things. Landon couldn’t just blurt out that Luke had killed criminals. Not in front of the others.

Conrad’s death, does it really cause me problems? They can’t tie me to it. Not without Jack’s testimony.

That guy was someone sent indirectly by Samael. Best to play along, for now. At least until Luke confirmed Jack’s situation.

“You’ll come with us. The others are waiting. We’re running an interrogation,” Landon said.