Three days passed.
Night had already fallen several hours before Nolan finally opened his eyes.
He had allowed himself a long day of rest.
Since his last visit to the Black Dog Tavern, Nolan had only returned twice. Yet, despite the mysterious old mage's words, he hadn't sought him out even once.
Something about that man made him uneasy.
That chilling feeling...
That sense of having been observed by a creature far more dangerous than himself.
Nolan hadn't forgotten.
And, for that reason, he had preferred to keep his distance.
Beside him, Storm was still asleep.
The small creature was crouched against the bed, fast asleep.
Nolan sat up slowly.
His eyes were still half-closed.
"What time is it..." He received no answer, of course.
Nolan watched Storm for a few seconds before smiling slightly.
Then he took the sheet and gently covered his companion's small body.
"Keep sleeping, little guy."
He then got out of bed and went to the bathroom.
A quick shower fully woke him up.
The cold water ran over his face and hair.
A few minutes later, he came out.
He put on a black t-shirt, then a light black jacket over it.
After checking one last time that Storm was still asleep, Nolan went to the door.
He opened it quietly.
Then closed it without making a sound. He didn't want to wake his companion.
Outside...
The sky was perfectly calm.
The moon shone brightly over Xiu, illuminating the city streets.
Nolan walked calmly.
His hands were deep in his jacket pockets.
Despite the late hour, the city wasn't asleep.
On the contrary.
The streets were still bustling.
Streetlights cast an amber glow that illuminated the different districts.
Locals were leaving restaurants.
Groups of friends chatted in front of some taverns.
Nighttime vendors continued to sell their wares.
The aroma of freshly cooked food wafted through the air.
But Nolan...
Couldn't buy anything.
A cold wind suddenly swept across the street.
Nolan exhaled.
A thin white smoke escaped his mouth.
"Damn..." He quickly rubbed his hands together to warm them.
Then his expression grew more serious.
Since his last two trips to the Black Dog Tavern, Nolan had earned practically no new money.
The Rhuks he'd collected during his fight against the Rogue had quickly run out.
At first, Nolan thought this sum would allow him to live comfortably for a while.
But he was wrong.
Life in Xiu was expensive.
Very expensive.
Clothes.
Food.
Tools.
Potions.
Housing.
Almost everything was a significant expense.
And Xiu wasn't a city like Xiertas.
The majority of its inhabitants possessed a certain amount of wealth.
Many belonged to wealthy families.
Others were prosperous merchants who had made their fortunes through maritime trade.
Of course, not all of them were rich.
Some residents came from Xiertas or the surrounding districts.
They tried to survive by running small businesses or doing hard labor.
But Nolan...
He had nothing left.
He plunged a hand into his pocket.
Then he slowly pulled it out.
Empty.
Not a single Rhuk.
His face tightened slightly.
"Great..." He looked up at the sky.
"I don't even have enough to eat."
His expression darkened.
And it wasn't just him.
"Tempête needed to eat too."
Nolan could go hungry for a while.
But he refused to let his young companion go hungry.
"I have to find a solution." He continued walking through the lit streets.
His mind raced through all the possibilities.
Find temporary work?
"Possibly."
But well-paying jobs were scarce.
Go back to fighting underground?
He could certainly make some money.
However, Nolan also knew that the Black Dog Tavern wasn't a place he could just go without thinking.
Every fight could bring him money.
But every fight could also cost him his life.
Dungeons would have been an excellent solution.
Unfortunately...
They had become unusually rare lately.
And this situation severely limited the earning opportunities for Dungeon Hunters.
Nolan stopped in the middle of a street.
A merchant was grilling meat a few feet away.
The smell immediately hit his nose.
Grrrrr...
His stomach protested.
Nolan put a hand on his stomach.
"Don't start..." He stared at the food for a long time.
Then he looked away in frustration.
"I'm going crazy." He resumed his walk.
Despite all the difficulties Nolan faced, there was one thing he was particularly proud of.
One truly important possession.
His house.
It had been built by his grandfather.
And, before his death, his grandfather had bequeathed it to him.
Thanks to this little house, Nolan at least had a roof over his head.
Without it...
He would have been forced to wander the streets of Xiu in search of a place to sleep.
Just imagining that made his throat ache.
"Fucking hell..." Nolan ran a hand over his face.
"Thank you, Grandpa." He glanced up slightly at the night sky.
"Without you, I'd probably be sleeping on the streets, a spectacle for those damn noble bastards." He gritted his teeth.
"I might even have been chased out of town." And this wasn't just a guess.
In Xiu, the homeless didn't actually have the right to sleep freely on the streets.
The city's police regularly chased them away from the wealthy districts and main avenues.
Many ended up leaving the city altogether.
Some took refuge in the surrounding forests.
Others migrated to Xiertas or the poorest districts of the kingdom.
Nolan knew this reality.
And he refused to end up like that.
Fortunately, he knew a place where he could earn a little money temporarily.
It wasn't a huge amount.
It certainly wouldn't make him a rich man.
But it would be enough to buy food and allow him and Tempête to hold out until a better opportunity arose.
So Nolan continued walking.
After several minutes, he arrived in front of a huge building.
A large auto parts store.
Behind the glass, various metal parts, tools, mechanisms, and several machines could be seen, the purpose of which was completely unknown to Nolan.
A small sign was attached to the door.
WE ARE CLOSED.
Nolan studied the sign.
Then he knocked.
Knock.
No answer.
He tried again.
Knock. Knock.
Still nothing.
A third time.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Nolan raised his hand again.
But, just before he knocked a fourth time...
CLACK.
The door opened a crack.
A woman's face appeared.
An elderly woman stared at Nolan suspiciously.
"Who are you, young man?"
Her gaze fell upon him.
"And what are you doing outside at this hour?"
Nolan sighed deeply. "Auntie Rakuzu..." He ran a hand over his face.
"It's me. Nolan."
The old woman didn't move.
Nolan raised an eyebrow.
"Stop this nonsense and open this damn door."
The door slammed shut immediately.
Nolan remained motionless.
..."A few seconds passed.
He then heard several mechanisms unlock behind the door.
CLACK.
CLACK.
CLACK.
Finally…
The door opened fully.
An elderly woman stood before him.
Her hair was completely white.
Her face was lined with wrinkles.
But her body…
was nothing like that of an ordinary old woman.
Her arms were enormous.
Her shoulders were broad.
And her build would undoubtedly have made more than one soldier blush.
Nolan slowly looked up at her.
"Damn…" He didn't even have time to finish his sentence.
Aunt Rakuzu grabbed his arm.
"Hey!" She yanked him roughly towards her.
Then she put her arm around his neck.
Nolan immediately opened his eyes.
"Wait!" The old woman tightened her grip.
"You're disrespecting your elders, you little brat." "Auntie..." Nolan tried to pull away.
"Despite your advanced age..." He gasped.
"You have an iron grip..." Rakuzu smiled.
Nolan managed to continue nonetheless:
"The comet forgot to take you with the other dinosaurs..." Silence.
Rakuzu remained motionless.
Then she released Nolan.
He immediately recoiled, coughing.
"Cough! Cough!"
"You've completely lost your fucking mind..." Rakuzu looked at him.
A warm smile lit up her face.
She placed her large hand on Nolan's head and ruffled his hair.
"Welcome home, my child." Nolan's face relaxed slightly.
"Yes..." Rakuzu turned around.
"Come in." Nolan followed her.
They walked through several corridors before arriving in a large room.
It looked like a bar.
Yet...
At this hour, the place was completely empty.
Not a single customer.
Not a single employee.
Auntie Rakuzu approached a wall.
She placed her hand on a metal mechanism.
CLICK.
Several light bulbs gradually illuminated.
A warm light bathed the room.
The bar was decorated with several antique mechanical parts.
Gears hung on the walls.
Some machines were purely decorative.
Others seemed to still function.
Nolan sat down on a stool.
Rakuzu went behind the counter.
She opened a bottle.
Then she took out two large glasses.
The amber liquid poured into them.
She then picked up one of the glasses.
And slid it across the counter.
Nolan grabbed it.
"Thank you." Rakuzu sat down opposite him with his own glass.
They both raised their drinks slightly.
Then Nolan began to drink.
The cold liquid went down his throat.
He sighed softly.
"Ah..." Rakuzu watched him intently.
"Where did Uncle Zu and Rakuden go?"
Auntie Rakuzu raised her glass to her lips before answering quietly.
"They went fishing a little further out."
She took another sip, then looked at Nolan.
"The shop was closed today, so they took the opportunity to go have some fun. It's been a long time since they've had a day off."
Nolan nodded slowly.
"I see... Uncle Zu hasn't lost his touch after all."
Rakuzu chuckled.
"You're joking, I hope? Your Uncle Zu is practically the only one who can operate half the machines in this place properly."
She pointed to several enormous mechanisms mounted on the walls of the building. Metal parts, gears, and strange magical devices filled a large part of the room.
"Without him, some of these old machines would have been ready for the scrap heap a long time ago."
"I know, Auntie."
Nolan smiled slightly and raised his glass to his lips again.
For a few seconds, silence fell between them. Only the faint hum of the machines still powered echoed through the building.
Rakuzu finished his drink in one gulp before setting it down heavily on the counter.
"Tell me, Nolan… what really brings you here?"
Nolan looked away slightly, feigning innocence.
"Don't I have the conscience to simply come and visit my dear Auntie Rakuzu and Uncle Zu?"
Rakuzu stared at him for several seconds.
Then she picked up the bottle and refilled her glass.
"Yeah, right... and I'm the Supreme Monarch of Xespers."
Nolan burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Honestly, Auntie, you'd be perfect for the role."
"Don't change the subject."
Nolan's smile gradually faded.
He placed his glass on the counter and sighed.
"But seriously... the reason I came here is because I'm looking for work."
Rakuzu immediately stopped drinking.
"Work?"
"Yes. I'm desperately short of money right now."
Nolan crossed his arms and looked at the floor.
"The last few weeks have been... let's just say, quite expensive. And I've practically run out of money to live on."
His expression darkened slightly.
"I also have to think about Tempest." I can't go on living without knowing if I'll have enough money to feed us both tomorrow.
Rakuzu watched the young man silently.
She had known Nolan for a long time. She had known his grandfather and knew perfectly well the conditions in which the young man had grown up after losing his family.
But something else also caught her attention.
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Besides..."
Nolan looked up at her.
"What?"
Rakuzu looked him up and down intently.
"You've changed quite a bit."
Nolan remained silent.
"Have you started exercising?"
He looked at his own body.
Since his awakening, his physique had changed considerably. His once ordinary body had become much more athletic and muscular. Even under his clothes, his transformation was difficult to conceal.
Nolan smiled slightly.
"Haha... no."
He paused.
"Well... sort of."
Rakuzu raised an eyebrow.
"Sort of?"
"But that's not the only reason for my transformation."
Rakuzu's expression immediately became more serious.
Nolan looked at his right hand.
Then he slowly opened it.
A dark aura began to form above his palm.
Black particles appeared in the air, swirling silently around his hand. The temperature around them seemed to drop slightly.
Auntie Rakuzu's eyes widened.
Her glass suddenly slipped from her grasp.
CLUNK!
The glass shattered on the floor and broke into several pieces.
Nolan immediately made his aura disappear.
He looked at his aunt with amusement.
"Your reaction is a bit over the top, Auntie Rakuzu."
But Rakuzu didn't reply immediately.
She continued to stare at Nolan.
For several seconds, she remained completely silent.
Her face, usually hard and mocking, now displayed an expression of profound astonishment.
"Nolan..."
"Yes?"
"You've mastered magic?"
Nolan shrugged slightly.
"Since when?"
"I'd say... recently. Not very long ago."
Rakuzu stood up abruptly from her stool.
"You've awakened your powers?"
Nolan thought for a few moments.
"Awakened my powers..."
He obviously couldn't tell her the whole story.
He couldn't tell her about that mysterious figure.
Or the memories that had flooded his mind.
And even less about the strange truth that had been revealed to him.
The incarnation of Hades.
So Nolan preferred to remain vague.
"You could say that."
He calmly placed his glass on the counter.
Rakuzu remained silent.
Then her face changed abruptly.
A huge smile appeared on her lips.
"It's incredible..."
She quickly walked around the counter and approached Nolan.
"That's excellent news!"
Before he could even react, she placed her two enormous hands on his shoulders.
"Uncle Zu will never believe this!"
"Auntie, calm down a little."
"Calm down?!"
She burst out laughing.
"Little Nolan, who used to hang around my workshop with his grandfather, has become a magic user!"