Chapter 318: The Crow

The driver took the silver coins, wiping the dirt off with his sleeve.

He glanced at Helag, puzzled.

Though Helag looked decent, his attire didn’t suggest wealth.

Especially since he was headed to the Mozambi slums, a place no wealthy person would visit.

People from the Mozambi slums wouldn’t take a carriage there either, unwilling to spend five silver coins on fare, leaving the driver unsure of Helag’s background.

Helag ignored him and boarded the carriage.

The driver shrugged it off, pocketed the coins, and started driving.

“Stop at Hogland Street, no need to go to the Mozambi slums,” Helag added after boarding.

“Got it,” the driver replied.

Hogland Street was outside the Mozambi slums, about a half-hour walk away.

It was a residential area adjacent to the slums.

Some who improved their lot moved from the slums to Hogland Street, a better option.

Helag chose to stop there because he knew slum residents wouldn’t take carriages to the slums.

It was more reasonable to stop at Hogland Street, where people weren’t as poor as those in the slums.

Some even spent heavily on carriages to show off to neighbors.

***

After getting off at Hogland Street, Helag surveyed the area.

While not as filthy as the Mozambi slums, it wasn’t clean, with mud and grime, worse than most residential areas in Silvermoon City.

This time, no one paid him any mind; his attire matched the locals.

Helag kept his head down, activating Deep Blue’s environment detection.

He scanned his surroundings while inching toward the Mozambi slums.

Twenty minutes later, Helag reached the slums, a few hundred meters from his previous drop-off point.

Ahead lay rows of low shanties, with many narrow paths leading in.

The paths twisted and turned, their destinations obscured from outside view.

Using Deep Blue’s detection, Helag saw these paths were the slums’ main roads.

Each path was so narrow, only one person could pass at a time.

Together, they formed a maze, easy to get lost in if you weren’t local.

Due to Deep Blue’s limited range, Helag could only see the outskirts, not deeper inside.

Helag didn’t plan to enter, being a stranger would draw attention.

In such a vast slum, one person was like a drop in the ocean, unnoticed.

Though a first-level liquefied wizard, Helag was cautious.

Knowing Abyssal cultists might be present, he wouldn’t risk it.

Special methods could trap even him in the slums.

If caught in the Mozambi slums, escape would be difficult.

Seranthiel avoided interfering there.

Helag walked the slum’s perimeter, recording what he could with Deep Blue.

The slums were flanked by two polluted rivers, with shanties on the opposite bank and open ground on his side.

Few people were around; if Helag crossed to observe, he’d be noticed.

He could only see one corner of the slums from the outside.

The larger area inside remained unknown.

Helag considered entering a nearby tavern to think, but it was full of familiar, foul-smelling drunks.

As a stranger, he’d stand out, causing unnecessary trouble.

He abandoned the tavern idea, pacing and pondering.

Passing an alley, he glanced in.

It was filled with garbage, reeking of decay, with crows scavenging.

Helag had an idea.

Minutes later, a crow flew from the alley, soaring into the sky.

In a secluded spot, Helag held a half-empty bottle, leaning against a wall, looking like a typical drunk.

He appeared lost in drink, but his mind was focused on the crow.

The spell “All Things Have Spirits,” from the elves, allowed communication with all living creatures.

Helag temporarily controlled the crow, guiding it over the Mozambi slums.

While using the spell, Helag couldn’t employ Deep Blue’s detection or sense Abyssal auras.

He aimed to quickly fly over the slums, letting Deep Blue record the scene, creating a complete map.

This would reveal the slums’ layout and distribution.

However, it wouldn’t show how many Abyssal cultists were inside.

The crow’s flight provided few useful clues.

As Helag guided the crow over Mozambi, Franz was watering flowers with a ladle from a nearby bucket.

Seeing the crow, Franz looked up, watching it fly away.

Blanc, standing nearby, noticed Franz’s gaze. “Sir, is something wrong?”

Franz shook his head, returning to his task.

“Nothing, just a watchful eye. Seranthiel’s people often fly over us, as if it suits their lofty status,” he said, watering the flowers.