Magical Journey: The Other Shore Blooms on the Other Shore

Has Qin not returned?

Elena cast a spell to activate the inn's magic lamp. She'd already checked the next room, and he wasn't there either. Where could he be at this hour? Was he sleeping on the street again?

However, to be honest, sometimes I would stay out all night without telling anyone, busy with my own things. Of course, he had the right to do that, since we were just traveling together, and we weren't obligated to be together all the time.

He probably encountered some trouble on the way—but never mind, with his skills, what do I have to worry about? Even if a few witches ganged up on him, with his inhuman regenerative abilities, they probably couldn't do anything to him, and might even be killed by him instead.

After all, people currently know very little about the magic that demons use, and have no means of countering it.

Fortunately, the number of demons exposed is not large, and compared to the vast human population, the harm they cause is quite limited. (Even so, there have been instances of entire nations being massacred.)

“Skyscraper…” Elena opened her diary and recorded her time at the Skyscraper that day. Although the experience was quite boring, writing in her diary was a habit she had always had.

I would write with a quill pen, and when I lacked inspiration, I would look out the window.

At night, the Federal Republic of Pierre was brightly lit, just like during the day, with all sorts of vendors calling out their wares.

The streets were bustling with people—such a grand scene would only be seen during celebrations in other kingdoms, but here, it was like this every day.

If prices weren't so high, judging by appearances alone, this place could truly be called "paradise" in the eyes of businessmen.

Elena was about to continue writing something when the quill broke off the moment it touched the paper.

It feels so strange...

Is it because I'm not used to it? Maybe so... Am I worried that he'll leave without saying goodbye? But why am I worried about that? What special relationship do we have?

There's nothing there, isn't there?

But something strange felt off; a strange intuition prevented her from putting pen to paper.

Anyway, there's nothing much to write about, so I won't. Time for bed... Elena drew the curtains, turned off the lights, and drifted off to sleep in this eternally sleepless kingdom.

The next day, when it was still barely dawn, Elena opened her eyes.

She got dressed and knocked on the door next door, but as she expected, there was no response.

He didn't come home last night.

"Something feels off." Elena pushed open the door and went inside. The furnishings inside were unchanged, and there was no sign of any use for any of the household items.

After checking for a moment, she closed the door again.

Why am I being so neurotic? We're not together most of the time, yet he waits for me a lot of the time.

You're overthinking it. Go do something else to kill time.

……

As for other things, they are simply continuing to do what a traveler should do.

To put it simply, it's about traveling, using random walks to relieve my inexplicable feelings.

"Miss, the gambling den is newly opened. Would you like to play a few rounds?" Elena was walking absentmindedly when she was stopped by a man wearing a clown mask. "I'm not playing. There are plenty of free entertainment options inside."

A gambling den?

This place might not seem unusual at first glance, but in this world full of magic, using magic to cheat is perfectly normal, so most places don't have any legitimate gambling dens.

When a game becomes solely a test of the players' magical cheating skills, the gambling loses all its fun.

And here, there are even gambling dens that are always set up. Aren't the gambling den owners afraid of losing their mothers' fortunes? After all, who can be sure that they can cheat with magic and definitely beat the other party?

This method of cheating is both secretive and difficult to prove.

Driven by this curiosity, Elena decided to go in and take a look—after all, it didn't cost any money, so why not check it out?

Inside the gambling den, all sorts of people sat at various gambling tables. Whether it was a dice-rolling or card-playing game table, there were people intently playing against each other.

"Miss, would you like to play a game of Sic Bo?" a dealer said with a smile. "A little gambling is harmless fun."

Elena shook her head.

I'm not that stupid to gamble in an unfamiliar place without any informational advantage.

"That's a real shame. Here's what we'll do: I'll treat you to the first round. If you bet right, I'll give you five gold coins. If you bet wrong, you don't need to pay anything; you can just leave," the dealer said with a smile.

So conscience?

Are you running a gambling den or doing charity?

The dealer immediately started shaking the dice, and after a moment said, "Big or small? There are three dice inside. A 10 or higher is big, and anything below that is small."

"Small," Elena guessed. She could use magic to change the dice into a specific number, but she had never specifically trained in such magic, so it was impossible for her to secretly cast it under someone else's watchful eye.

You can cheat, that's for sure.

But at least you can't treat someone like a fool on the spot and then get caught.

The dealer opened the cup, revealing a total of 6 points.

"Miss, you're so lucky! Here are your gold coins," the dealer said with a smile.

Elena took the gold coins and examined them; they really were gold coins—she had obtained a huge sum of money so easily, whereas normally she would have to complete a decent commission to earn such a sum.

"Shall we continue?" the dealer asked with a smile.

"Will you invite me again?" Elena asked.

The dealer smiled but did not answer.

So this is the routine? Creating a false impression to make oneself believe that things will continue to be good—in fact, his silence means he hasn't made any promises.

Are you trying to frame me?

Elena, seeing that she had gained the upper hand, decided to leave.

Isn't this kind of scam too low-level? It just feels a bit strange.

As Elena continued deeper, she discovered the "snack section," where many people were eating snacks sold at the counter, while others were greedily sucking on something.

It just feels a bit strange.

"Miss, would you like some macaroni?" the waiter asked Elena warmly. "It's only one gold coin a bag, a great deal."

Macaroni? You're selling it for one gold coin? What, is it made of diamonds?

"What is macaroni?" Elena asked.

"This is a popular delicacy all over the country. Everyone who has tried it has given it rave reviews. You can ask the customers who are currently enjoying it if you don't believe me," the waiter said with a smile.

Following the waiter's gaze, Elena saw the guests who were engrossed in their drug use.

“I want to eat macaroni…” the people said in a babbling voice.

This kind of person... seems like a drug addict.

"It smells so good, I feel like I'm seeing my grandma." The drug addict, his face flushed, breathed heavily.

No, what does the fact that it smells good have to do with your grandma?

"Anyway, would you like a pack? We also have a tasting event," the waiter said with a smile.

amount……

You can have this delicious food.

Macaroni... Isn't this just Phantom Mist Pollen? You think I wouldn't recognize it just because you changed the name? It's a notorious drug; anyone who uses it becomes rapidly addicted, their brain begins to deteriorate, and they feel like they'll die if they don't use it.

So that’s how it is.

The five gold coins were used in this way—because they came so easily, one would subconsciously want to spend them, especially if one wasn't knowledgeable enough and bought these so-called "snacks".

I will eventually become what they call a "guest".

This must be the gambling den's main source of profit—Irena left the place, lucky enough to win five gold coins, and cheered for her own wisdom.

When night fell, Elena returned to the hotel... She went to the next room and knocked on the door first.

No one responded.