CHAPTER 87: CHAPTER 87: RYAN’S REQUEST

Snow filled the sky. As their injuries slowly improved, Shane, Ryan, and the others sat on their two-horned warhorses, relaxed and chatting.

Ford, the Deputy City Lord of the Ice City settlement, walked at the head of the group. An unseen aura around him kept the snow from landing on him.

Ethan kept scanning the area now and then, but most of his attention was on Ford.

Ford could sense his gaze, so Ethan changed tactics, letting his eyes drift and look around Ford instead. That way, he could greatly lower the chance of being noticed.

If Ethan were level 20 now, he would meet the requirement to use [Ice Calamity Intel].

He would use it right away to get more information.

Unfortunately, he was only level 17, so he couldn’t use [Ice Calamity Intel] at all.

So, with only guesses to go on, Ethan could only wait and see what Ford would do.

As they got closer to the Ice City settlement, Ford did nothing unusual and kept leading at the front of the group.

Ethan’s doubts about Ford grew weaker. He started to think that maybe everything before was just a coincidence.

Just as he thought that, Ford suddenly stopped.

Ethan’s pupils tightened. He watched Ford’s every move.

Ford slowly lifted his head and looked up at the sky.

A streak of blue-green lightning suddenly flashed above.

Ethan widened his eyes and saw it wasn’t lightning at all, but a bird with blue-green feathers. It was so fast that it looked like lightning when it flew.

The small blue-green bird, about the size of a fist, landed on Ford’s shoulder. Its beak kept moving, as if it were talking.

Shane, riding his two-horned warhorse beside Ethan, explained:

"This is a [Blue Bird], unique to the Ice City settlement. It flies very fast and is used to carry important messages."

Ethan nodded. Compared to the message-carrying [Blue Bird], he still found the [Ice Worm] used for transport much harder to accept.

Soon, the blue bird lifted off from Deputy City Lord Ford’s shoulder and flew back into the air.

Ford slowly turned to Shane, Ryan, and the others and said:

"The City Lord sent word. There’s a last-minute task. You need to go to Safe Zone No. 9525. The manager there will tell you the details."

Without waiting for their response, Deputy City Lord Ford added, "Don’t worry. In Safe Zone No. 9525, I have an old friend. His talent is healing, and he can heal your injuries fast."

Hearing that, Shane, Ryan, and the others looked at each other and nodded. They had no objections to Deputy City Lord Ford’s plan.

Then a faint smile appeared on Ford’s face. He looked at Ethan and said:

"You’re in luck today. One of my plans just got canceled, so I can take you to the vault later to exchange some items."

Ethan’s eyelid twitched, but he naturally showed a happy look and replied:

"Really? That’s great."

In fact, Ethan was now sure: his worst-case guess had been right.

Deputy City Lord Ford of the Ice City settlement really did have some connection to the "Siphoner" in the underground cave at Frost Valley.

The so-called last-minute task was just to keep Shane and the others from returning to Ice City, so the cave incident would stay hidden.

Shane, Ryan, and the rest noticed nothing wrong. They were relaxed and never imagined the Deputy City Lord would harm them.

As Shane and Ryan turned their two-horned warhorses to head for Safe Zone No. 9525.

Shane paused, swung off his horse, walked up to Ethan, and said:

"[Windchaser] bro, why don’t you give me a way to reach you? When I get back, I’m treating you to food and drinks!"

"If it weren’t for you today, the rest of us and I would’ve died in that cave. I really mean it—thank you!"

Shane looked truly sincere, his eyes bright, already thinking about how to repay Ethan.

Hearing him, Ethan thought that, unless a miracle happened, Shane wouldn’t be coming back.

Everything Ethan did in the cave wasn’t to help Shane and the others.

From the start, he only meant to use their strength to get the treasure in the cave.

He did it for himself.

Ethan thought for a moment, sighed, turned his back to Deputy City Lord Ford, and made a small hand sign to Shane as he said:

"Let’s talk later. Be careful on the way."

It was the same sign Shane had made in the cave when he faced Sinclair, who was pretending to repent.

Back then, Ethan didn’t know what the sign meant. He only knew Shane didn’t believe Sinclair.

So with Ford right there, this was the only way Ethan could warn Shane.

Shane froze when he saw the sign.

He was about to speak, but Ethan cut in first, saying, "Alright, get going. Be careful and stay safe."

Shane nodded, turned back, and mounted his two-horned warhorse.

As far as Ethan was concerned, he’d done enough. Whether Shane could understand what he meant would depend on Shane’s own wits.

Ethan then started thinking about how to use the fact that Deputy City Lord Ford had some tie to the "Siphoner."

If he played it right, he could get a lot out of Ford.

After all, in Ethan’s view, if Ford was willing to try to silence Shane, Ryan, and the others, it meant he was ready to pay a big price to make sure today’s events stayed secret.

That was a weakness Ethan could use.

Besides, Ethan was a player. Ford couldn’t threaten him with death.

But then Ethan remembered the first time he met Elise.

Elise had said: "The usual ways of killing don’t work on you players right now."

Ethan had never forgotten that line. Back then, he figured there might be some way in the world of Dawnfall Online to truly kill a player for real.

Right now, Ethan just didn’t know whether Deputy City Lord Ford of the Ice City settlement could use that kind of method to truly kill a player.

He felt it was unlikely. The fact that Ford wanted to go with him to the vault to exchange items showed Ford was basically helpless against him as a player.

Just then, Ryan, who was about to leave, turned and shouted to Ethan:

"[Windchaser], you’re a good guy. I misunderstood you before."

"In a few days, I’m getting married in the Ice City settlement. I hope you can come and be the wedding witness."

Ryan’s voice broke Ethan’s train of thought. He looked up and answered with a blank face:

"Me? You’re inviting me to your wedding?"

Ryan nodded hard with a smile and went on, "Yes! Like the captain said, if it weren’t for you, I would’ve died in that cave."

"I don’t know how else to thank you, so this is what I can do."

Behind him, Eric added:

"You’re a player, so you don’t really know the customs in the Ice City settlement."

"They say when two people who truly love each other get married, there’s a chance they’ll receive a blessing from the heavens."

"They can pass that blessing to the wedding witness."

"So in the Ice City settlement, only very important people can serve as a wedding witness."

After Eric finished, Ryan nodded again, looking at Ethan with hope in his eyes.

Ethan sighed again. Why does someone always raise an ominous flag right before setting out?

Haven’t these guys watched movies or read fantasy novels?

Ethan didn’t think of himself as a good person, and he didn’t want to be one.

But now, he actually felt a bit like helping Shane and the others.

If, back in the underground cave, Ryan hadn’t spoken up and tried to make Ethan leave...

If Shane hadn’t, at the crucial moment, trusted that Ethan could handle that common thief that showed up—and kept saying he wanted to repay him—then Ethan would’ve just watched them leave. Other people’s lives or deaths had nothing to do with him.

But now, if Ethan suddenly stopped Shane and the others from leaving, Deputy City Lord Ford would definitely notice something was off.

If he didn’t stop them, Shane and the rest would end up dead.

Ethan closed his eyes, then opened them after a moment.

His gaze was calm again, without any doubt or hesitation.

He lifted his hand, opened his wristwatch, and started typing a message as he said to Shane and Ryan:

"One of you wants to treat me to food and drinks, and the other wants me to be the wedding witness."

"How should I put it? I’m really not interested in that stuff."

"But meeting you did teach me a lot today. I guess I can burn a few extra brain cells to change a few things."

Ryan, Eric, and the others stared at Ethan, confused, not sure what he meant.

With their eyes on him, Ethan slowly turned to Deputy City Lord Ford and said:

"Talk?"