Chapter 57: You City Folks Sure Play Wild
The handwriting in the diary had become messy and chaotic.
【May 11th, how could it possibly be May 11th?】
【I frantically asked the residents of Frostwater Town over and over again to confirm the date.】
【However, without exception, every answer pointed to the third day after the great fog two months ago.】
【Perhaps because I revealed my identity as a Shoreguard, and after they learned that the food and fresh water in the lighthouse had run out, the mayor enthusiastically invited me to stay at their home, but I was in no mood for that.】
【I ignored the bewildered gazes of the townspeople and rushed back to the lighthouse, repeatedly checking the tally marks I had carved on the wall to record time, as well as the number of broken wine bottles and discarded cans. Thankfully, I had kept a journal to meet the reporting requirements!】
【No matter how I verified it, the time I spent in the lighthouse had indeed brought me to July 23rd.】
……
【Year 94 of the Cataclysm Calendar, July 24th】
【Last night, I finished the last bottle of wine in the lighthouse and came to understand many things.】
At this point, Rast noticed that the previously messy handwriting in the diary had become neat again.
Sharp-edged and forceful in its strokes.
【Without a doubt, some kind of abnormality had occurred in Frostwater Town, perhaps related to the great fog… It reminded me of the pollutants I’d once heard about.】
【Aside from sending their minions to destroy cities and nations, the Evil Gods sometimes cast their gaze upon specific places, creating coincidences that silently bring forth pollution… It’s said that the fall of Deep Blue Port and the outbreak of the Iron Cross Plague happened this way.】
【Perhaps Frostwater Town had been affected by such pollution, and the fog was a means for the entity to hide its actions. I don't know what will happen if we leave the town unchecked, but if it leads to consequences like those in Deep Blue Port…】
【The lighthouse, several kilometers away from Frostwater Town, should be safe and outside the area of abnormality and pollution.】
【Theoretically, staying in the lighthouse, surviving on nearby creek water, fruits, and hunting wild animals while waiting for rescue from headquarters would be the most rational choice.】
【My abilities and sequence weren’t combat-oriented. Otherwise, I should be standing on the front lines resisting the Twilight Tide, not stuck here as a trivial lighthouse watchman.】
【However, even so—】
【I am still a “Shoreguard.”】
Reading this part, Rast could sense that the diary's author was no longer as panicked and anxious as before.
He had regained his composure, as if making a firm decision.
【I will return to Frostwater Town to investigate the potential pollution outbreak and do everything I can to prevent it from spreading.】
【I have left this diary in the lighthouse, filling in as many details as I can still remember.】
【I don’t know if I’ll have another chance to write in it again, but if not, I hope it can offer some help to those who come after me.】
The handwriting ended there.
Turning the page, a silver wing-shaped insignia fell from between the diary's pages and landed on the table.
Compared to the badges worn by Rast and Shiltina, this Shoreguard insignia was clearly much older, with visible signs of corrosion from sea wind.
Rast picked up the old wing insignia and saw letters carved into the back with a knife.
【No. 63301, Foden】
This was the diary owner's name and his identification number within the Shoreguards.
Rast pocketed the aged insignia, then turned and looked at Shiltina.
She had already finished reading the diary and was now scanning the old cans and shattered wine bottles in the lighthouse, along with the knife marks carved into the wall, as if estimating whether they matched the contents of the diary.
After a moment, Shiltina gave a slight nod. “The contents of the diary seem credible.”
“It appears that the lighthouse outside Frostwater Town, which served as our spawn point in this Echo of the Cataclysm, is also a kind of safe zone in a sense.”
Rast said, “So? Should we wait in the safe zone for a while to see if anything changes?”
“The diary already mentioned it. Something like a pollution outbreak or anomaly might be occurring in Frostwater Town. If we keep waiting in the safe zone, the situation might worsen.”
“I suspect the total annihilation of the previous scout team may have been due to that kind of thinking.”
“Besides—do you think avoiding danger suits my personality?”
Shiltina rummaged through the lighthouse's old items and pulled out a rope.
She tied it tightly around her slender waist with a dead knot, then handed the other end to Rast.
Rast looked at the rope Shiltina handed over, his expression becoming subtly amused. “Miss Shiltina, I don’t think our relationship has reached the ‘S&M affection’ stage just yet.”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
Shiltina was briefly puzzled. “The fog around Frostwater Town is likely problematic. According to cases reported by the Arcane Tower, it’s quite possible to get separated in such fog… or even reunite only to discover your companion has been replaced by another being.”
“Therefore, connecting ourselves with a rope is a necessary precaution.”
“Technically, chains would be the most secure option. Ropes still have the risk of snapping, but since there are none in the lighthouse, this will have to do.”
“Nothing much. I just didn’t expect you city folks to play even wilder than I thought.”
Rast calmly took the other end of the rope and wrapped it around his hand.
“Let’s go.”
The two descended the lighthouse and headed toward Frostwater Townthrough the dense fog.
……
As a Tier 3 member of the “War Chariot” sequence, Shiltina naturally had exceptional physical capabilities.
And ever since Rast awakened the Night Blade, and equipped the “War Chariot: Shiltina” card in the “The Fool’s Library,” he also felt a noticeable enhancement in his own physique.
Although Rast himself was only Tier 1, and the boost was minimal compared to Shiltina who had reached the peak of tier three and was eligible for promotion to tier four—
For Rast, whose body had previously been no different from an ordinary person’s, it was still a significant improvement.
They proceeded along the winding path shrouded in thick fog.
In just a few minutes, they arrived at the mist-enshrouded Frostwater Town.