Chapter 134: The Damaged Hourglass of Time

"That sounds interesting; good luck with it," Vinigo replied.

"We can head back now and report to Archmage Newton," Sophie said, stepping forward. "Is there anything else?"

"New Sorpigal may be remote, but one can occasionally find interesting things here," Vinigo remarked. "Sophie, would you mind going to the Pirate's Nest—no, go to the shop district and buy up all the local specialties. I’ll head to the Pirate's Nest to see if there’s any contraband that catches my eye."

Sophie nodded. Since they had come all this way, it would be a waste to return empty-handed. They had enough pack horses to easily form a caravan; transporting a batch of valuable goods back to Free Haven was in the best interest of the Prism Mercenary Company.

The Pirate's Nest actually held some treasures.

A fragment of a holy symbol!

A statue representing the Dragon of Storms.

"Where did these come from?" Vinigo asked, puzzled.

"After those people opened the ruins of the Garilin Ironworks... while you were busy fighting, I took a few men down there for a look," Hanwell whispered.

"You lot are quite bold," Vinigo praised. "Down there, every single monster is strong enough to take down the captain of the city guard."

"You know how it is, the Pirate's Nest has the best smugglers, thieves, and rangers in New Sorpigal," Hanwell said, not without pride. Suddenly, he sighed. "Young Fox, I saw it—the moment you transformed from that demon back into human form."

"And so?" Vinigo countered.

"I was naive enough to think you were just an ordinary person," Hanwell continued to sigh. "I never imagined you would be so powerful, so formidable."

"Boss, life is unpredictable," Vinigo patted Hanwell on the shoulder and smiled. "Who knows, you might even become the greatest smuggler in the kingdom."

"What do you mean?" Hanwell looked up, thoughtful.

"Look, Lady Fries, the great Head Monk, the kingdom’s Chief Priestess, and leader of the largest merchant guild, happens to have a small connection with me. Would you mind if I wrote a letter of recommendation for you?" Vinigo chuckled. "Of course, you’ll need enough sincerity and strength to impress that lady. But the benefits she can bring you far outweigh those of a small town like New Sorpigal."

"What must I give in return?" Hanwell asked.

"I don't need you to do anything for me right now," Vinigo shook his head. "I have no ambitions, and I’m not short on money. Oh, right, I just thought of something: we should share intelligence."

"But the Pirate's Nest is just a smuggling guild in a small town; how much valuable intelligence could we possibly have?" Hanwell asked.

"Value is irrelevant; I just want another set of eyes. You wouldn’t mind if I gave you some information in return, as repayment for how you looked after me in the past."

Such a good deal was not something Hanwell would refuse.

It was a deal.

A few days later, Vinigo returned to Free Haven with several wagons full of goods. Selling the cargo was a task for Marin’s subordinates. As soon as Vinigo got home, he locked himself in his laboratory and didn't emerge for half a day.

When he finally came out, it was already dusk the next day.

After a hearty meal, Vinigo hurried off with Sherry to see Sir Newton.

"Is this what the warlords found?" Sir Newton asked, disappointed, tossing the hourglass back to Vinigo. "It has no power left; it’s just an ordinary ornament. Perhaps a collector would pay a high price for it?"

"I can put it in my display case; I’ve already collected quite a few interesting antiques," Vinigo said happily, tucking the hourglass away. He had finally legally acquired this treasure.

"Anything else?" the muddled Archmage asked.

"Of course." Vinigo rummaged through his robes and pulled out a scroll. "Here, the space-time beacon scroll the warlord leader was carrying. I presume it connects to a significant enemy stronghold."

"Indeed, very valuable." Sir Newton took the scroll and tossed it to the student standing behind him. "Take this to be analyzed; find the destination of the beacon."

The elderly archmage bowed respectfully and retreated, holding the scroll with both hands. Sir Newton turned back to look at Vinigo.

"Oh, oh, don't look at me like that; I don't intend to take anything else from you," Vinigo replied without blushing. "After all, the salary you paid in advance was already very generous."

"Then why are you still lingering here?" Sir Newton laughed and scolded. "Get lost. Oh, and leave the little one behind; my student, Archmage Belis, wants to speak with her."

"Water elemental magic, a subspecies of ice magic?" Vinigo asked.

"Clever kid, that’s the one." Sir Newton snapped his fingers. "The Sheep-Bleating Cult may be annoying, but some of their creations are truly ingenious. Even if they are a bit evil..."

Vinigo smiled without saying a word.

"I know you have a little vampire under your command. This collar, give it to her; it can prevent the harm caused by direct sunlight... Its essence is to enhance resistance to light and fire. It’s a Sun Amulet created by a Vampire Lord. You know that, right? I can tell by your expression." Sir Newton tossed over a strange amulet and chuckled.

Of course he knew; it was the mark of advancement for vampires. For Sona, at this moment, it was the necessary item for her to break through her bottleneck.

With it, the little vampire would be able to advance, becoming a Vampire Lord, gaining the special ability of mist form, and seeing a qualitative improvement in other vampire-specific spells.

"Many thanks, sir." Vinigo stood up satisfied and bowed.

"Get out." Sir Newton waved his hand. "Ah, right, Sir Stone has something to discuss with you, and your little priestess as well."

"Such a coincidence?" Vinigo thought to himself.

==Free Haven High Council, Reception Room==

"Light be with you, Daughter of the Gods, lovely little Honey, it is a pleasure to see you again," Sir Stone said gently. "And this... er, attendant of yours."

Vinigo scratched his head. Attendant?

"My lord, do you have instructions for Honey?" Little Honey asked, suppressing a smile and blinking with innocent, pure eyes.

"There is a small, troublesome matter. My men are busy resolving the conflict between the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon, so I cannot find reliable subordinates at the moment... Perhaps, maybe, would little Honey be willing to do something for me?"

"It would be my honor, Sir Stone," little Honey replied without hesitation. "You are the agent of Light in this world; serving you is my duty, it is."

"Good child. Then, take your attendant and kill the emissary sent by the Deyja wizards to contact the Temple of the Moon," Sir Stone said calmly and offhandedly.

Honey showed no pressure at all; this innocent-looking little girl had long been corrupted by Vinigo. She had done her fair share of killing and arson.

After all, the enemies were wizards from Deyja, lackeys of the Dark Council.

"In any case, I don't want to provoke Deyja so early, so I won't be helping with this," Sir Stone explained. "I have three divine spell scrolls here; take them."

"My lord, when will the Deyja emissary arrive, and what is their destination?" Vinigo asked.

"I don't know," Sir Stone answered righteously. "I am not a businessman like Fries; all my energy is spent on serving the gods."

"Yes, I understand." Vinigo scratched his head and backed away.

It seemed this was another thankless chore.

After leaving the High Council, Vinigo remained silent. Honey kept looking up, staring at Vinigo with a confused expression.

"What is it, Honey?"

"Brother Young Fox, should Honey not have agreed so quickly?" little Honey whispered.

"It's fine, I intended to take this mission anyway," Vinigo shook his head. "The problem is that we know too little; we don't know where to start."

"Ask Uncle Marin when we get back," Honey replied without hesitation. "Didn't you say he is in charge of intelligence?"

Vinigo smiled, not offering an explanation.

Although they had no leads, the Prism Mercenary Company still began preparing for battle. As Honey said, intelligence work was fully under Marin’s purview. He began contacting smugglers and thieves' guilds across the land, gathering various clues and searching for any usable leads.

A day later, Vinigo dispatched Yuri and several scouts trained by Marin, telling them to keep an eye on the movements of the Temple of the Moon.

At this point, Vinigo felt a deep lack of reconnaissance capability. He risked retrieving a biological embryo from the spaceship ruins and selected one to begin resuscitation, activation, and cultivation.

Character construction, Ranch Story System—Vinigo used the traits of this character to perform animal breeding. He also utilized data from the Escaton Information Sphere to create a simple incubator and sterilization device to ensure the breeding process proceeded smoothly.

He was lucky; the chosen embryo soon revived, activated, and grew within the incubator.

This strange creature possessed extremely sharp but fragile large eyes, as well as membranes used for flight. They could glide through the air with minimal energy consumption, transmitting scenes from a kilometer away to their master's vision via telepathy.

These genetically cultivated creatures had very short lifespans, but they were not difficult to breed. Vinigo gave them a new name: Star-Gazing Bugs.

Yuri and the scouts each took two Star-Gazing Bugs to monitor the Moon Temple in Free Haven. It only took them two days to find the information Vinigo wanted.

Good news.