Chapter 3: Stealth Step

[You have activated the core landmark of Mottled Town: "Old Bell Tower". Number of activated core landmarks in this area: (2/4).]

...

[You have activated the core landmark of Mottled Town: "Adventurer's Guild". Number of activated core landmarks in this area: (3/4).]

Over the course of half the morning, Raine traveled tirelessly, successively activating the Bell Tower in the east and the Adventurer's Guild in the north. This revealed three-quarters of the Mottled Town map.

The Bell Tower was the smoothest stop. He merely greeted the elderly bell-ringer and even received a cup of hot tea in return.

As for the Adventurer's Guild, Raine walked through the main doors, unlocked the map, and immediately stepped back out. Occasional glances swept past him, accompanied by the faint, muffled sounds of whispering.

"This is the only place left," he said, frowning slightly as he stood before the street-facing fortress.

This was no mansion; it was clearly a small castle. The layered stone walls stood at least eight meters high, and the towering spire overlooked the entire town.

[Mottled Town • West District • Town Mayor's Mansion]

[Description: The Town Mayor of this place is the Banner Knight, Sir Skeller, directly appointed by the Lord. A few days ago, Sir Skeller was conscripted by the Lord and led all the town's soldiers to the assembly point. Currently, the town is managed by the Town Council, led by his butler, Mr. Maurice.]

"No wonder even the Guards have been replaced by Adventurers." Raine's gaze fell upon the brass Adventurer's Badges pinned to the Guards' chests.

The Guards' equipment was somewhat uniform, but their posture was incredibly slack. One leaned against the wall scratching an itch, while another absentmindedly tapped his toe. Even without the badges, anyone could tell at a glance that they were not regular soldiers.

In recent years, the Kingdom had not been peaceful. Disputes between the New Nobility and the Traditional Nobility were constant. Between certain territories, these conflicts had even escalated into outright armed warfare, which was exactly why the Town Mayor was absent.

Fortunately, Mottled Town was located on the Kingdom's frontier, far from the center of the conflict, so it was unlikely to be affected.

"The problem is, how do I get inside to unlock the map?" He looked up. The war flags on the wall fluttered with a loud FLAP in the wind, and the silhouettes of Guards flickered above.

The metal gates at the entrance were also tightly shut. This was clearly not a place ordinary people could tread.

Moreover, he was just a rookie who hadn't even formally registered at the Adventurer's Guild. There was no chance he could sneak into the ranks of the Guards.

"Unlocking the map isn't so easy after all, but this is the final stop." At the thought of the unknown rewards, Raine straightened his somewhat sore and weary back.

He circled the mansion for a full lap, only to discover that there wasn't even a back door. There were only high walls and vigilant figures on all four sides.

By the time he returned to the main entrance, a burly Guard with a full beard finally couldn't hold back and approached him.

"Hey! What are you doing sneaking around here?" The bearded Guard scrutinized him, staring at Raine with high alert. "This isn't some tourist attraction!"

Before Raine could open his mouth, the heavy gates opened with a loud RUMBLE.

A middle-aged man wearing an elegant black coat and immaculately combed hair hurried out, followed by a few Attendants.

Raine recognized the man at a glance. It was the butler, Mr. Maurice. Half a month ago at the Harvest Festival celebration, he had spoken on stage on behalf of the Town Mayor.

Mr. Maurice rubbed his temples, looking completely overwhelmed as he berated the Attendants, "Sir Skeller is waiting at the frontlines for provisions, and you idiots still haven't prepared them!

"What are you standing around for? Go get the carriages! I will personally go to the Adventurer's Guild and pick a group of capable hands. The provisions must be shipped out today!

"Oh, and hurry up and prepare the winter cotton clothes. Sir Skeller is extremely sensitive to the cold. If that respectable lord freezes, can any of you bear the responsibility?

"Those damn Traditional Nobility actually dragged the barbarians from the Northern Territory over to assist them in battle! The lord's situation must be extremely difficult, and we absolutely cannot let him be distracted."

He rambled on incessantly, his footsteps quickening as if a catastrophe would strike in the very next second.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, there is one more thing," a young Attendant interjected timidly, his head bowed low. "The stone mill in the backyard broke down yesterday, and the kitchen is almost out of wheat flour. If we can't mill any more flour, there won't be bread for everyone tonight."

"Are you brainless? You're coming to me over such a trivial matter?" Mr. Maurice glared fiercely at the Attendant, his face flushed with exasperation. "Where are the carriages? Why aren't they here yet?"

"But Your Excellency, the craftsman who specializes in repairing the stone mill was conscripted by Sir Skeller into the ranks of the Knight's Squires and taken away. Meanwhile, the town's mills are working overtime to process the subsequent batches of provisions, so they simply can't spare any manpower." The young Attendant braced himself as he finished speaking, tears welling in his eyes.

"Perhaps I can fix the stone mill." A calm voice suddenly rang in everyone's ears. Raine took a deep breath and stepped forward.

The original owner of his body was the youngest son of a miller.

In the poorly fabricated stories told by Minstrels, whenever a protagonist was related to a "miller," they were either an exiled illegitimate noble child or hiding some incredible ancestral treasure.

But reality was cruel. Their family's mill was just an old wooden house by the river that looked like it could be blown apart by a strong gust of wind.

Aside from the massive mill rent they had to hand over to the Lord each year, the remaining money was barely enough to feed the family. If they hit a year with a poor harvest, they would even have to sell everything they owned just to pay the rent.

And his miller father's greatest achievement in life was successfully haggling down the cost of mill repairs by ten Silver Lions during a decade-long bargaining war with the village blacksmith.

The meager family inheritance was like dry cheese that had been gnawed on by mice eight hundred times—it simply couldn't withstand being divided among three sons.

His oldest brother inherited the mill, while his second brother married the sturdiest girl in the neighboring village, relying on her family to acquire a small, barren field.

By the time it came to the original body's turn as the third son, he was left with only two choices. He could either stay home and act as an unpaid farmhand for his oldest brother while enduring his brother's wife's thinly veiled insults every day, or he could get out and figure out a way to make something of himself. The answer was obvious.

"You?" Mr. Maurice looked Raine up and down, his gaze lingering on the boy's rough palms and the battered Short Sword at his waist, clearly evaluating his credibility.

But time was tight. He ultimately waved his hand impatiently and instructed the Attendant beside him, "Let him try. If he can't do it, kick him out immediately."

With that, he boarded the carriage that had just arrived and left.

Raine was led into the mansion by the young Attendant. Perhaps because Raine had helped him out of a tight spot, the young man was exceptionally polite.

The moment he stepped through the gates, the last foggy area on the map instantly vanished, bringing the entire town into complete clarity.

[You have activated the core landmark of Mottled Town: "Town Mayor's Mansion". Number of activated core landmarks in this area: (4/4).]

["Mottled Town" has been recorded.]

[Your body has been enhanced: Agility +1.]

[You have learned the Skill: "Stealth Step".]

[Current number of recorded regions: 1]

["Exploration Chapter" next stage reward: Reach 5 recorded regions.]

As the text surfaced in his mind, an incredibly wondrous warmth spread throughout Raine's body.

He felt as if he were bathed in a spring breeze. The exhaustion from walking half the morning and his lingering drunkenness were swept clean. His entire body felt as light as if he had dropped a heavy burden, and his legs were incredibly buoyant, feeling as though he could leap high into the air with a single push.

The Effect of this 1-point increase in Agility was instantaneous!

This wondrous warmth finally converged in Raine's brain. It was like dropping a massive boulder into a tranquil sea, stirring up towering waves as completely unknown knowledge began churning violently within him.

Combat Techniques: Stealth Step!

As long as he actively cast it, he could largely conceal his footsteps. It was practically a divine skill for wilderness scouting, exploration, and even backstabbing opponents!

Raine felt a surge of throbbing soreness in his head, but his eyes grew increasingly bright.

The essentials for executing the Combat Technique seemed to come alive, drilling through his nerves into his limbs and bones, deeply engraving themselves into his mind.

"This is the place." The Attendant's voice pulled Raine back to reality.

Before him sat a rather old stone mill. He set to work inspecting it and discovered that the upper stone wheel was unable to rotate due to a rusted iron axle. Relying on the memories in his mind, Raine skillfully disassembled, sanded, oiled, and reassembled it. The entire process flowed as smoothly as running water. His newly acquired Agility made his fingers exceptionally nimble, leaving the young Attendant beside him staring blankly in awe.

The enhancement of Attributes was clearly reflected in all aspects. It was absolutely not as simple as one plus one equaling two.

In less than fifteen minutes, the stone mill was restored to its original condition.

"By the way, that kid from just now, is he the one everyone in town has been talking about lately?" At the mansion's entrance, the bearded Guard leaned against the wall and raised an eyebrow at another Guard out of sheer boredom. "He'll probably be kicked out in a minute."

His tone was relaxed. He even found his previous actions laughable. The kid was just a rookie who had his wits scared out of him by a Goblin, yet he had actually gone up to interrogate him so nervously. Even if they let him inside, what kind of waves could he possibly make?

Just as he finished speaking, the bearded Guard suddenly felt a figure sweep past his vision. He hadn't noticed a thing, not even hearing a single footstep.

He suddenly stood up straight, a bead of cold sweat seeping from his forehead. This undoubtedly meant that if the person had wanted to launch a sneak attack, he would very likely be a corpse right now. It was worth noting that he was considered a battle-hardened Veteran Adventurer; his vigilance was far beyond that of an ordinary person.

"Since when did such a figure arrive at the mansion? Could it be a famous Professional from the town?" The bearded Guard wiped away his cold sweat and squinted to look closely, his jaw nearly dropping to the ground. "How could it be that kid?!"

The figure entering his line of sight was undoubtedly Raine.