Starting with the goblin extermination

Chapter 94 Adventure Game

"Okay," Alita conceded, but refused to remove herself from the equation. "You have to take me with you."

Chimius did not ignore the involuntary trembling of Alita's body. He stared at Alita for a moment, then his brows relaxed.

No one knew his sister's stubbornness better than him. Like a flea that couldn't be shaken off in the forest, whenever he tried to get rid of Alita and act alone, she would always cling to him tightly. Tears, coquetry, threats—this small, adorable sister always had a place for herself in the adventure game.

Baby's short sword, a powder packet that can instantly generate smoke for escape, a rusty little knife used for daily work, a flint... As Chimius's preparations were slowly completed, the two quietly left home and slipped into a familiar alley.

Chimius and Alita moved forward slowly, their bodies hunched over. The summer night was cool and comfortable, with a gentle breeze, and they walked silently on the broken ground.

The militiaman on duty, or rather, Uncle Karu, whom the two knew, was patrolling with a torch in hand.

Chimius knew that Uncle Karu loved to drink, loved to chew on the rough grass stems, and loved to deviate from the planned route while on duty, to go around to the widow's house and gently knock on the half-open window.

Then he would extinguish the torch, sneak inside to have some fun, leaving himself and his sister the chance to walk in the dark.

Just like today.

Karu gently extinguished the torch on the wall. Before he could knock on the window, the door in front of him quietly opened, and a small hand with distinct knuckles gently grasped Karu's belt.

Click—

Behind the wall, Cimius accidentally stepped on and broke a weathered tile; the crisp sound of it shattering was particularly jarring in the deathly silence of the night.

Karu brushed aside the widow's small hand and looked behind him warily, afraid that someone would discover what he was about to do.

He frowned, staring at the mottled stone wall on his right.

Then, he walked away slowly.

The footsteps grew closer, and Chimius and Alita behind the wall covered their mouths tightly. Alita trembled as she pulled out a wriggling bag.

A plump black rat was released. It let out a sharp squeak and darted frantically along the wall, just missing the edge of Karu's boots, before disappearing into the grass on the opposite side.

"Damn it, that darn rat..."

"6

Karu stopped, breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to go into the widow's house.

Alita pinched her brother's waist in annoyance, only to be met with an awkward, wry smile from Chimius.

The room was filled with the panting of wild beasts.

The two crossed the hut and arrived at the stone wall in the back alley of the tavern.

Chimius braced Alita with both hands, helping her to climb over the wall. He then carefully stepped onto the barrel beneath his feet, not wanting to be discovered.

There was no light to guide them, because for them, the entire village was their playground, and no one knew every hidden corner of the village better than they did, except for Elena.

Feeling his way along the rough wall, Cimius squeezed through the intersection, the deep bellowing of a calf ringing in his ears.

They were heading towards the huge, abandoned windmill in the distance.

Chimius felt that his sister's hands were covered in nervous sweat.

He was the same.

Normally, after parting ways with her brother and sister, Elena would return to her dilapidated home and sleep with her elderly grandmother. But sometimes she would also appear at the abandoned sawmill in Graystone Village, their secret hideout, which held countless memories for the three of them.

Chimius knew that whenever Elena was in a bad mood because she was hungry or bullied, she would sit on that piece of wood and watch him swing his short sword in the quiet night.

Elena admires Cimics's dreams, and even though she herself is too poor to have dreams, she supports Cimics like a most devoted believer.

She always listened with wide eyes as Chimius talked about the forest, about his deceased father, about becoming a great adventurer one day, and about enjoying those unattainable futures together.

Then she disappeared.

The dilapidated shack was now empty except for an old woman, drooling and staring blankly into the air. Even when Chimius and Alita anxiously questioned her, the old woman could only utter broken, trembling sounds and unintelligible sentences. She didn't even know if she was still alive, let alone her young granddaughter.

The sawmill was deserted. Familiar scenes flashed before Cimius's eyes, but not a single footprint was left.

The only remaining clue is the abandoned windmill on the edge of the village. The windmill was abandoned three years ago, leaving only its huge, broken blades, still groaning in the night wind.

Elena once told her brother and sister that if she could choose how she died, she hoped to be tied to the high blades of a windmill, and as the windmill spun faster and faster, she would be thrown into the sky and experience the feeling of flying before being smashed to pieces.

Chimius didn't know whether Elena could be found inside the windmill or in the sky.

But he had to go and see.

A militiaman carrying a torch yawned as he crossed a dark corner, letting Chimius know that he was close to the windmill, so he slowed Alita's pace.

Few people come here; nobody likes ruins, except for mischievous children. The two continued on their way.

The outline of the windmill gradually became clear in the starlight, and two stray cats were arching their backs and hissing at the sky. Chimius couldn't help but feel nervous.

When someone went missing, the militia searched every corner of the village but found nothing. Elena was still angry that the secret base had been occupied by those rude adults, and now, Chimiusdo wanted the militia to conduct another thorough search.

But the adults refused the child's request.

The windmill's enormous blades lay motionless in the darkness, its crimson tower resembling a rotting giant's corpse under the moonlight. Alita was alone. Chimius straightened up and walked towards the door, Alita following behind.

The door was boarded up tightly by the adults, but that didn't stop Cimicus.

He led Alita around to the back of the wall and found the gap half-buried in the weeds. The gap was less than half a meter wide, but compared to last time, the edges were covered with a layer of dried grayish-white slime.

The three of them had climbed through this gap, entered the empty tower, lay together on the millstone, and crossed the open roof to count the stars in the sky.

Elena....

"I'll go in first," Chimius tightened his grip on the short sword at his waist, took a deep breath, "If I scream inside, or if anything chases after me, you just run."

'

"Okay." Alita nodded nervously.

Chimius squeezed into the broken gap. The passage was extremely narrow, and Chimius's shoulders were almost wedged against the bricks on either side, the rough friction making his arms burn with pain.

A moment later, he poked his head out.

The air inside the tower was extremely murky, mixed with a sour and musty smell.

Chimius squeezed his way out. Looking up, a huge void appeared before him, with broken, dilapidated staircases hanging from the surrounding walls. Above, thick wooden beams crisscrossed, with tattered rags fluttering in the wind, highlighting the night sky in the center.

Click, click.

Accompanied by a crisp knocking sound, the faint glow of the disc player dispelled the surrounding darkness.

He scanned his surroundings by the firelight.

The interior of the tower was empty, with nothing but broken planks, rubble, and thick dust scattered on the ground.

There were no signs of struggle, no bloodstains, and no sign of Elena.

A profound sense of disappointment washed over Cimicus.

Just then, Alita heard that her brother had crawled through and there was no unusual movement. Because she was afraid of being alone outside, she crawled in anyway.

"...Did you find it?"

Alita, panting heavily, groped her way to her feet by the dim light of the fire.

As the firelight flickered, a faint silver reflection from the corner stung Alita's eyes.

A rusty silver hair clip.

The only memento left to Elena by her deceased mother.

The hair clip lay quietly in the grayish-white slime.

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