BXBX NOVEL Chapter 478: Undercurrent
Chapter 478: Undercurrent
Blacksmiths and carpenters began mending the walls and barricades with great determination.
The town\'s spirit, though battered, remained yet to be shattered.
Meanwhile, the mayor as well as the four aged town council members, helped the residents of the town and offered words of solidarity.
They comforted those who had lost loved ones, reminding them that the deceased were in a better place now - in the embrace of Lord Stratford.
As the residents remembered the brave and righteous Magus whom this town was named after, they couldn\'t help but feel at ease.
They knew that in the dark days to come, the spirit of this Magus would protect them.
As the sun began to climb higher, casting its warm rays on the ravaged town, a sense of resolve began to take hold in the hearts of the townsfolk.
Neighbors helped each other with unwavering kindness, sharing what little they had left. The wolf tide had taken a heavy toll on them, but it had not broken them.
By the time the sun had set and night had fallen, the surviving townsfolk had gathered at the town square.
Despite the devastation, the atmosphere was filled with an unexpected emotion...
Joy.
They gathered in small groups, their faces illuminated by the flickering lights of the lantern and the bonfire.
There was a strange, almost unsettling cheerfulness among them as they celebrated the fact they lived to fight another day.
Children played games in the street, their laughter and giggles piercing the cold night. Adults shared stories and jokes, their voices carrying a lightness that felt strangely odd.
It was almost as if they seemed oblivious to the signs of recent chaos that lingered in every corner.
Adam secretly watched all of this unfold. He walked through the crowded town square, yet no one was able to see him. Of course, he had cast a concealment spell on himself.
How strange... The emotions that they are expressing are not forced at all. They are quite genuine, the youth thought to himself.
With the help of the white lotus, he could clearly sense the joy and happiness that was being subconsciously projected out by the townsfolk.
He had partaken in a war before, so he knew that the soldiers would always get drunk and celebrate the night after the battle. This was usually done in remembrance of the comrades that were lost.
Even though they were celebrating, there was deep sadness in their hearts. Yet, he could feel none of that from the residents of the town.
A foreboding feeling slowly started to grip Adam\'s heart as he heard the laughter and the chatter of the townsfolk, creating a peculiar contrast to the silent shadows cast by the broken walls and abandoned barricades.
There was an undercurrent of something strange and unsettling going around.
The people\'s smiles were too wide and their laughter too loud. Their eyes shone brightly, yet Adam could feel a sort of hidden darkness underneath the surface.
A gust of wind blew by, carrying with it a haunting melody that caused the youth to shudder ever so slightly.
Despite there being no immediate danger in the vicinity, why do I feel this way? He thought to himself incredulously.
His sixth sense was screaming at him that something very bizarre was happening around him, but for some reason, he couldn\'t see it.
He couldn\'t look past the veil and uncover the truth. It was an unnerving experience, to say the least.
Adam lowered his head and extended his Sphere of Resonance to the maximum output. It\'s gone, he thought.
Earlier, during the day, when he had found out that the blood was being sucked into the ground, he had tried to sense what was underneath, but he couldn\'t find anything.
He figured that whatever it was that was absorbing the blood, it was out of the range that his Sphere of Resonance could cover.
Now when he checked again, he learned that the blood from the ground had vanished!
What\'s underneath the town? Could it be connected to the wolf tide? If so...
He looked in the direction of the Weeping Woods, toward the region where the abandoned Howlett Estate lay.
If his assumptions were right, then it was very likely that everything was connected!
Adam\'s fists involuntarily clenched tightly as he thought, I have a feeling that I\'ll find all the answers in that abandoned manor. But I can\'t go in there alone, it\'s too risky... I need someone to act
as bait.
\'Brother, the brats are here! Come quick, they\'re bothering me!\' Valerian\'s mental transmission snapped him out of his thoughts.
He cast one final glance at the townsfolk before returning to his room at the inn.
...
The White Stag.
Within his room, Adam made his three students sit cross-legged on the ground and started training them.
This was a different form of training.
"I want you to visualize every little detail of the battle that took place last night," he began as he leisurely walked back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back.
Eleiney, Art, and Aiden closed their eyes and did as told. Their expressions were calm as they recalled the battle.
"Now, I want you to focus on the times when you made a wrong decision. I also need you to recall the times when you could have done something better but didn\'t," Adam continued. He paused for a moment before solemnly adding, "Now rewrite the entire battle scene. Make sure that you correct all your mistakes and improve on all other aspects. Create vivid images of your desired outcomes and repeat them until I tell you to stop."
The visualization training continued for several hours until it was time for dinner. As the kids left Adam\'s room, he glared at Aiden and Art.
"I know what you two did today. If I catch you drinking ever again until you\'re of age, I will beat you so badly that even your parents won\'t recognize you."
"Eeeekk!"
"S-Sorry!"
The boys hurriedly apologized and fled in panic. Meanwhile, Eleiney stood before Adam, her
face marred with hesitation.
"What is it?" Adam asked gently.
"Professor, I..." Eleniey couldn\'t find the right words to speak. "Don\'t you find the
townsfolk... strange?"
Adam\'s eyes narrowed ever so slightly and he asked, "Oh? How so?"
"I don\'t know... It\'s just..." Eleiney then went on to explain her conversation with the grieving
widow that she had met earlier today.
After hearing her out, Adam\'s eyebrows rose in slight surprise. "She said that?"
Eleiney nodded. "Yes! \'The spirit of Lord Stratford will always protect us,\' is what the woman
said. And the way she smiled... I found it very creepy."
She looked at Adam and asked softly, "Professor, am I imagining things?"
Adam smiled warmly as he patted the girl\'s head. "I\'m sure it\'s nothing. You\'re just tired from
having fought the whole night. Go have dinner and get plenty of rest."
"Yes, Professor." Eleiney nodded and then left the room, closing the door behind her.
As soon as she left, Adam\'s smile instantly crumbled.
His expression became extremely solemn as he muttered under his breath, "So the townsfolk
wont leave because they think your spirit will protect them, huh?
"Magus Stratford... just what kind of person were you?"