Iya Continent: Card God

"The peak season for large-scale auctions is when Conetooth Street is at its most bustling. Why would the magic item shop choose to close down during this time?" Linta was shocked.

Although Gary the Elephant is now the owner of Reno's artifact shop, he's different from the goblin Stone. Gary has a large number of subordinates and doesn't need to guard the shop himself; he can always assign suitable people to it. This is the perfect time to make big money, and he's choosing to give it up? Outrageous! He painstakingly planned to swindle the shop from the second-generation Reno, and now he's not using it to make money? What is he planning to do?

"Strange, isn't it? I find it strange too," Goblin Stone said, adjusting his glasses with a puzzled expression.

Tiba, Bata, and Erin looked completely bewildered, utterly unable to understand what Linta meant.

Linta fell into deep thought, as memories of the events surged through his mind.

Reno's Magical Artifact Shop, Flame Fox Knight, Underground Casino, Iron Teeth Gang...

The events seem connected, but what is that connection? What makes them intersect? I can't figure it out. Is there something I don't know?

“We can take another look during the celebration,” said Goblin Stone.

"A celebration? What celebration?" Linta asked, puzzled. They had mentioned a celebration earlier, and after returning to the city, he had also heard the common adventurers talk about it. But he had no idea what it was.

Tim said happily, "The Sandel City Celebration is a grand event held every five years. It's funded by my Vasquez family to celebrate the celebration of taking control of the county! I brought Bata and Erin back partly for the celebration."

Linta blinked.

In other words, the city's bustling activity would reach its peak every five years. Business on Cone Street would undoubtedly be even more booming then. We can then see if Reno's magical artifact shop is still open...

Wait! Lin Ta's mind jolted, as if a thunderbolt had struck from a dark cloud. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something.

Could their strange behavior be related to the celebration?

Without saying a word, Linta quickly left the workshop.

Tim and his two companions tried to follow, but Linta quickly outpaced them.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Two-Headed Deer Tavern.

This is the location connecting to the underground casino. Those wanting to go to the casino generally have to enter the tavern. Of course, they can also choose not to go inside and instead have a cheap drink at the tavern.

A cloaked, scruffy-bearded man entered the tavern. He walked alone to the counter.

Nobody cared about this customer; countless people like him had come and gone in the tavern.

Simon, the owner of the counter, didn't even look at the customer; he was always wiping the wine glasses with a towel.

The man held out his clenched fist, then opened it, and ten copper coins clattered to the ground. His deep, resonant voice said, "Serve whatever you can eat."

Boss Simon pocketed the copper coins, glanced at the man, and then went to the back kitchen. A short while later, he returned with a meal containing chicken legs and wild boar meat. He also poured a glass of fruit wine from a large wine barrel at the back.

The man didn't say anything, picked up his utensils, and slowly began to eat.

Mr. Simon continued wiping the wine glasses without saying a word.

The man had no intention of speaking to Simon, having already experienced his indifference before.

This man was none other than Linta, Linta in disguise.

Linta discovers a complex conspiracy brewing, and Gary the elephant is involved. To uncover the truth, he must enter Gary's territory. However, he cannot do so as Linta. In the auction house incident, it's clear the other side is targeting him. If he enters the underground casino openly, he might not be able to leave.

Disguising your identity is always the best option. As for entering the casino, there's no rush. You can linger at the Two-Headed Deer Tavern near the casino exit. Observe the customers coming and going; they might find some clues.

Why did I do this? Curiosity about the truth was one reason, but another was that I and the other party were now sworn enemies. Given the chance, he would definitely eliminate me. If I didn't do something now, and the other party became unstoppable, I might regret it too late.

"Have you been here before, sir?" Simon, the tavern owner, suddenly asked.

Lin Ta felt a shiver run down her spine, quite surprised. Why was this boss, who never initiated conversations with customers, talking to me like this? Was my information wrong? Did he only chat with customers occasionally?

And then he asked if I'd been here before? What did that mean? Oh, I see. My disguise is too generic. There are probably hundreds of "me" like this every year.

“No, this is my first time here,” Linta replied, then added, “I’ve heard about this place, so I came to check it out.”

Simon continued wiping, his gaze fixed on her, and said in a low voice, "Oh."

Then he said nothing more.

Linta breathed a sigh of relief. "Stop asking questions. The more questions you ask, the harder it will be for me to make up a story."

Linta continued eating the dishes that cost ten copper coins, without taking a single sip of the fruit wine. He didn't like drinking, nor was he good at it. This wasn't the time for him to drink.

After finishing their meal, they sat quietly in a corner, their eyes, hidden by their cloaks, fixed on the entrance to the back of the tavern.

After an unknown amount of time, and after countless customers had come and gone from the tavern, a person emerged from the back door, also cloaked.

Linta didn't pay any attention to this person at first.

Suddenly, the drinks and glasses on Simon's counter tipped over and rolled towards the person hidden in the cloak. The person was completely caught off guard, getting soaked in drinks and then being hit by a pile of glasses.

"Boss! What's going on?!" the cloaked man yelled.

Mr. Simon stepped forward to apologize and offered compensation.

The cloaked man, filled with resentment, said "Fine" at the end and left the tavern.

Lin Ta, who had been watching intently, widened his eyes in astonishment.

In the chaos just now, I caught a glimpse of that person's appearance.

Maren, formerly known as the thief Maren.

He wasn't completely disguised; he was only concealed by clothing. That's why I was able to catch a glimpse of his true face during the unexpected incident just now.

"Why is he here?"

Linta didn't understand, nor did he think much of it. He immediately left the tavern and chased after the other person.

Covered by a cloak, Maren, reeking of alcohol, strode quickly toward the city gate, cursing under his breath.

On the way out, I was very careful, glancing behind me every now and then.

Although he didn't see anyone following him, he knew that there were always eyes watching him in this city.

"They found me? No...it wasn't me..."

Linta, who was secretly following them, shook his head.

During my time fighting monsters in the wild, I learned how to hide and hold my breath. Although it wasn't an exceptional skill, it wasn't enough to be detected by a Bronze-level monster.

“Besides me, there are others watching him,” Linta murmured.

Eyes scanned the shadows of buildings, where spies lurked in the dark corners. Besides them, the ordinary people and merchants on the street also had strange eyes, watching them closely.

“Strange…” Linta was puzzled.

Who is it that is spying on him so intently?