บท 11: A quest chain has been opened

Strax walked through the night as he searched for someplace to eat. He had forgotten to do so after the fight, and now he seemed like any drunken person suffering from a hangover. Well, he was perfectly fine despite that, as cultivation supplied his lack of food. However, of course, it's still good to eat.

Strax wandered through the bustling streets feeling completely exhausted. His day had been too much... even for him. Actually...

"What a crappy life this is. Why is it so complicated?" he pondered as he walked tiredly down the street.

"La la la la," he began to hum as he walked. Well... maybe he wasn't as okay as he thought he was, or seemed to be.

"Let's see how long you'll keep following me," he thought, having noticed at the bar that a man was following him.

Strax walked again towards the Baroness's mansion. He had some plans. "This guy... he seems like an idiot, doesn't he know how to hide?" he said as he stopped under a kind of streetlamp. Insects surrounded it, emitting only high-pitched buzzes.

As he stopped, the man in the distance did the same, trying to pretend he wasn't interested in going in that direction.

"Damn, who sent such an idiot after me? I know I'm weak, but this is ridiculous!"

[Ding!] [A surprise mission has arrived! Discover who sent the kidnapper!] [Reward: ???] [Reward for defeating the three individuals will be delivered upon completion of the surprise mission.]

"Kidnapper? Hahahaha! This guy? A kidnapper?" Strax thought as he stifled a laugh, seeing the man in a trench coat and black hat, looking like a total idiot.

"Okay, let's pretend this is fine," Strax thought and started walking in a different direction, heading towards an alley.

Of course, he had a plan... Hit and run.

He entered the wide alley and saw that it had no way out. Then finally the man following him cornered him.

Strax turned slowly and soon realized he wouldn't have the option to hit and run. "Damn... what the hell is this?" he questioned, seeing the man advancing towards him.

He was scared, how wouldn't he be? The man was two meters tall, the size of a door!

"H-Hello?! Let's talk?" he questioned, but in his thoughts. "Hey idiot, just turn a bit and I'll slip by the corner! Come on, lower that guard!"

"Hello?" he asked, and the man approached closer and closer until he was facing him. Strax couldn't see his face because of the shadow from the roof that coincidentally covered his face, obscuring it completely.

"Finally found you!" the man said heavily as he fell to his knees. "I apologize!" he spoke quickly.

Strax looked at the scene without understanding anything, in fact, nothing made sense at this moment; he just thought, "What the hell is this?"

Well, it's not like he had to think much, after all, he had the memories of the old Strax in his head.

"Young Master, this servant has returned," the man said, taking off his hat. Despite looking like a wall, he was reasonably handsome, with white hair and fair skin, his eyes were blue and hadn't yet crossed the age of 30.

[Analysis]

[Name: Jason Gorthan.]

[Age: 36 years]

[Cultivation: Specialist Stage Body Cultivator.]

"Jason?" Strax questioned, remembering Strax's memories and the knight who accompanied him at Duke Vorah's mansion.

"I'm glad the young master still recognizes me; it's been a few years, hasn't it?" He asked with a smile as he stood up.

[The mission has been completed; however, a new chain of missions has been opened. Continue to tread your path; rewards will be distributed at the end of the Act.]

'Was this a mission? Damn, this was just a casual encounter, why did the System turn it into a mission?' Strax questioned. Understanding the system was complicated; he was trying in every way to develop his own logic of how the system worked, but it was completely strange.

'This is starting to confuse me; why did the system give me such a simple mission? Of course, I don't know the reward, but it's strange that something so simple triggered a mission, isn't it? Is this system still broken? Ah, screw it, it doesn't matter, this damn thing wants me to follow my own path? Fine, then stop forcing these inconsistencies!!'

He recovered from his little mental debate and tried to formulate his thoughts. Of course, he still wanted to understand this mission; after all, it had rewards!

"Jason, what are you doing here?" Strax asked with a hint of apprehension; indeed, it had been several years since they had seen each other.

"I'm on a mission; I've come to take you back to the Duchy of Vorah," Jason revealed, and Strax slightly recoiled, stepping back.

Strax's real memories were really confusing him. Just thinking about that place made him want to throw himself off a bridge and disappear. But he couldn't do that now.

"Who requested my return?" He asked, he had no idea who would call him back; after all... just like his past life, most people there hated him too.

Strax waited for an answer, but Jason, after a long sigh, looked into Strax's eyes and commented.

"Xenovia Vorah." The words passed through Strax's mind as if a sword had cut it. He felt his body slightly tremble with fear just from the pronunciation of this name.

"Your older sister, she... she made a personal request to the Patriarch; normally, I... would try to speak with her, but... well, Xenovia is a bit restricted at the moment," he commented, and Strax looked deep into his soul, seeing the former bearer and the moments he had in his "home," or rather, something that could have been his home.

He began to have various visions and insights about the world before he arrived, the years before Strax came to the Baroness's house, and the miserable and agonizing days he lived in the mansion and the properties of the Duke.

Strax... felt a shiver so strong in his soul that it made him tremble just to think about the possibility of returning.

"Damn mission! Was this what you were referring to! Okay, I give up trying to understand this system; I'll just go with the flow."