Chapter 63: Autumn Continent, III

Louis’s heart raced as he excitedly exclaimed, “This is huge!”

He had been searching for any useful information but never expected to stumble upon this revelation. Louis quickly skimmed through the last page again, which he had already read multiple times.

After reading the description of the rusted sword, Louis was certain that this was the weapon wielded by the future Sword Saint and Knight King, Kendrick. It was also known as the Dragon-Slaying Sword for its role in beheading the Wild Dragon.

It’s identical to when Kendrick first obtained it.

While there were differences between the original concept art illustration and the book’s depiction, the essential details matched. The blade itself was heavily corroded, but the hilt remained pristine, almost new. Additionally, despite its ordinary appearance, the sword possessed an extraordinary weight far beyond what one would expect. This is precisely how the Sword Saint Kendrick found the Dragon-Slaying Sword in the original story.

In the source material, little emphasis was placed on describing the Dragon-Slaying Sword. Its brief mention only stated that it was the sword used during the Divine-Demonic War.

I think the Dragon-Slaying Sword appears towards the end of the original work, right?

Kendrick acquired the Dragon-Slaying Sword during his battle against a high-ranking noble family, eventually unraveling its secret later on.

Later, the sword’s crimson sheath revealed its pure white blade, transforming it into a divine weapon capable of slicing through dragon scales like butter. Of course, Louis didn’t care about the history behind this sword; his sole concern was ensuring that it never ended up in the hands of the Sword Saint to be used against Genelocer.

I had no idea I’d stumble upon something like this.

As he pondered, Louis felt quite fortunate.

Regardless of everything else, I must possess this sword.

To achieve that goal, he needed to visit Wishful Tower for more information on the blade. With that thought, Louis gathered his books and headed towards the cashier as planned.

“Here you go, sis!”

“Huh? Just this one?”

“Yes!”

Louis decided to purchase only the second book among the two volumes. The cashier asked him curiously:

“Sis, do you happen to know who wrote this book?”

“The author? Just a moment.” The woman examined the book Louis held. After a brief pause, she smiled gently and replied, “This book was written by the chairman of the Wishful Tower.”

Hearing ‘Wishful Tower,’ Louis’s eyes lit up with recognition.

I knew it!

In the final pages, the description of the rusty sword felt distinctly different from the others. While the other descriptions provided straightforward information about the talismans, the explanation for the rusty sword seemed tinged with melancholy.

Perhaps the Dragon-Slaying Sword is still at the Wishful Tower.

If the first chairman’s legacy remained intact within the Wishful Tower, there was a high chance that the Dragon-Slaying Sword could be found there. Louis’s heart began to race, his cheeks flushed with excitement as he asked:

“Do you know anything about the Wishful Tower?” Louis asked.

The woman nodded at his question. “I don’t have all the details, but I do know that the Wishful Tower is quite unique.”

“Unique?”

“While other towers focus on researching holy magic, the Wishful Tower specializes solely in studying talismans.”

“Huh!” Louis’s eyes sparkled.

trascendence studies—the words alone sent a strange thrill through him.

Meanwhile, the woman continued her explanation. “They research and create various items…but it seems they only produce peculiar and bizarre ones. Regardless, I’ve heard the tower has a rich history. This book was also written by the current chairman of the Wishful Tower.”

“Wow! That’s amazing! Do you happen to know where the Wishful Tower is located?”

“Hmm… If I remember correctly, it’s located in the village of Cyron, right? The Wishful Tower is quite unique, so it stuck with me.”

“Wow! You’re really smart, Sis!”

“Hehe, you can be as knowledgeable as me if you read many books.”

“Then please recommend any geography or history books about Autumn Continent!”

“Autumn Continent’s geography and history book? How about this…” She picked out a specific volume for him.

Seeing Louis carrying all those books, she asked with concern:

“Can you manage to carry them all?”

“Don’t worry! I’m strong enough!”

“Ha-ha, shall I help you carry some?”

“No, thank you! It’s okay!” Louis declined her kindness, paid for the books, and left the store.

Louis emerged from the bookstore with a look of satisfaction on his face.

Books really are the best source for travel information!

Moreover, it seemed necessary to have some foundational knowledge about the Autumn Continent before relying on locals for additional insights. For Louis, books were the ultimate treasure trove of basic information.

I can’t wait to get back and start reading these!

Anticipating delving into the pages, he quickened his pace. With volumes nearly as big as himself, Louis trudged back to the inn, but…

“Louis, Louis! Food!”

“Something yummy!”

Seeing the twins eagerly approaching him with outstretched hands, presumably expecting treats like they did whenever their father returned home from work, Louis had no choice but to venture out again.

Two days later, Louis and his group left the city by horse-drawn carriage after gathering information. Pablo, who had fully recovered during their two-day stay, drove them as he asked:

“Where to now?”

Louis was responsible for acquiring intel, and since Pablo wasn’t familiar with this part of the continent, they deferred to Louis’s directions.

In response to Pablo’s question, Louis consulted the map he’d procured. “There’s a village called Cyron about two days north from here. That’s our next stop.”

“North? Not west?”

“Yes. We need to visit a place called Wishful Tower.”

“Wishful Tower… Understood. But is that okay? Considering our tight schedule…”

“Hmm…” Louis rubbed his chin, concerned by Pablo’s worries.

Let’s see, time is…

Time was of the essence for Louis and his entourage. This wasn’t just any journey; it had to be completed within a specific deadline. If they missed their target date, calamity would strike the continent like a bomb going off.

After doing some quick calculations, Louis nodded. “It should be fine.”

Although various incidents along the way had eaten up precious hours, they’d managed to reach Autumn Continent in less than a year despite traversing Winter Continent first. Apart from being delayed by a few significant events, they had crossed both continents day and night on their sled.

Whenever they encountered mountains, Louis and the twins would lift the sled over them, and when faced with frozen lakes, they would effortlessly glide across. By ignoring any obstacles and cutting straight through the continent, it was inevitable that their journey took significantly less time than initially planned.

If we continue crossing continents this way…we might reach the Spring Continent in five years instead of ten.

Of course, this was purely theoretical. There were unpredictable variables at every turn, so saving time remained crucial. Thus, except for essential tasks, Louis aimed to traverse each continent swiftly. Obtaining the Dragon-Slaying Sword was one such necessity.

Despite being time-consuming, acquiring the Dragon-Slaying Sword was absolutely essential.

Clackety-clack.

Inside the jolting horse-drawn carriage, Louis gazed at his surroundings. The scenery passed by slowly, which felt unbearably sluggish compared to traveling by car in his past life.

If only horses didn’t get tired, we could return home faster…

However, there was nothing he could do about it. Horses were living creatures after all. Despite their impressive stamina, they couldn’t keep up with the rigorous pace of Louis’s journey.

As Louis pondered this, a thought struck him.

I heard the tower specializes in researching talismans?

Upon further research, Louis discovered that the Wishing Tower was even more peculiar and well-known than he’d initially thought. Its fame stemmed from its eccentricity. The inhabitants crafted unique items so bizarre, one couldn’t help but wonder why they bothered making them at all.

Recalling this information, Louis grinned slyly.

“Perhaps…we might find something quite valuable there?”

In both novels and comics, it was common for characters to stumble upon unexpected treasures in such places. It was also typical for these locations to house “overpowered technology” far beyond what existed elsewhere in their respective worlds. What marvels would the quirkiness of this world have produced? With high expectations, Louis’s horse-drawn carriage continued on its journey.

Two days later…

“Is that it?”

Louis’s group entered the outskirts of a village via a narrow road. It was quite small, with only about fifty houses clustered together. Despite its size, two adult men stood guard at the entrance as if there were their own militia.

While the guards inspected the luggage on Louis’s horse-drawn carriage, Pablo addressed one of them.

“Excuse me, sir, is there a place called Wishful Tower here?”

“What?” The guard grimaced at Pablo’s question and cautiously asked, “Why do you ask?”

“Well… We have some business to take care of there.”

“There is a Wishful Tower.”

“Oh, really?” While Pablo seemed delighted by this news, the guard remained unimpressed. Curious about the cause of his sour attitude, Pablo tried probing further, but just then, they received word that the inspection was complete.

“Pass!” The disgruntled guard waved them through with a scowl.

Pablo clicked his tongue and drove forward again.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

As they made their way across the village, Pablo stopped the carriage to ask directions from a woman passing by.

“Excuse me, ma’am, could you help us find our way?”

The middle-aged lady was initially startled by Pablo’s imposing stature but relaxed upon seeing Louis and the twins peeking out from between the horses.

“Yes, of course.”

“I heard there is something called Wishful Tower here… How do we get there?”

At the mention of Wishful Tower, her face hardened instantly.

“What brings you there?”

“I have some business to attend to…”

Not again! Just like the security guard, she wore a guarded expression. While Pablo pondered this recurring reaction, the woman pointed down a street.

“If you follow this road, you’ll come across a house that looks different from all the others.”

“How is it different?”

“You’ll know it when you see it. It’s unmistakable. That’s where you’ll find Wishful Tower.”

“Oh… Thank you.”

“I must warn you: It’s best not to linger too long with those people.”

“…Huh?” Pablo looked at her curiously, but she had already said everything she wanted and left.

Pablo turned to Louis. “What do you think is going on here?”

“Well… We’ll find out once we get there.” Even Louis didn’t have any idea what was happening; he just thought they should check things out for themselves if they were curious.

Following the woman’s directions, Pablo drove the horse-drawn carriage down the road.

Before long…

“Whoa…”

“Wow!”

“Ah…”

“What is that?”

Louis’s group immediately understood why the old lady had mentioned its distinct appearance.

“That… Is that their house?”

“It’s junk! A junkyard!”

The four-story building was oddly shaped, seemingly constructed from various pieces of metal. It looked drastically different from other houses nearby and indeed resembled something cobbled together out of scrap metal, as Khan had exclaimed. If the woman was correct, this metallic structure must be the Wishful Tower.

Having located it, Louis and his entourage dismounted from the horse-drawn carriage to search for an entrance. Thankfully, they found one without much trouble.

Knock, knock.

Pablo led the way and knocked on the door, but there was no response. He then put more force behind his knocks.

Bam, bam!

“Anybody home?!”

His loud raps finally prompted a reaction from inside.

“Who is it?” An elderly man appeared as the door cracked open slightly.

Louis’s eyes widened at the sight.