[Silver Ash] - Become The Strongest In Another World
CHAPTER 291: Tania the Driver

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In the morning, the train finally arrived in Alten.

Noelle who had exited the queue immediately rushed towards the exit gate of the station, and her gaze wandered around looking around.

Alten is a beautiful city, with an architectural style that has crept into the era of the Industrial Revolution.

Although thin yellowish smoke is seen enveloping certain areas of the city, Alten is still beautiful overall.

Noelle bought newspapers and magazines from a nearby store, then immediately walked a random route following a directional marker on the street.

The first thing to do is to rent a room. After that, he could be free to do anything, and even finish his needs in Alten.

Actually, Noelle had no intention of spending a long time in Alten, but this was her first time visiting the capital of a country, so she was a little excited, and decided to stay longer.

Noelle arrived at one of the quite luxurious inns, and rented a single room there. After that, he did not directly enter his room, but instead went to an area of the market that sold some animals for various purposes.

Looking around the shop, Noelle found what she was looking for.

"I'm going to buy this white rat" he said, showing the white mouse in a metal netting cage to the shopkeeper, and the shopkeeper simply nodded without questioning his purpose in buying the rat.

Out of the store with a cage filled with a white mouse, Noelle finally sighed resignedly.

"Let's do this fast."

His figure then melted into black smoke, and again appeared on a park bench a little away from the crowd. This was the place Noelle had just found, and it quite matched the situation.

The inn where he rented the room did not allow any animals to enter, and Noelle also had no intention of lingering with this rat. Therefore, he was looking for a place that could be directly used as a place of action.

Noelle who was already seated finally opened the cage, catching a white mouse that was even smaller than her three fingers combined.

A paper then emerged from the empty air, and Noelle directly attached the paper to the rat's body, and burned it.

For a moment, a groan full of pain came from the rat, but before long the rat's voice finally disappeared, and was replaced by a boy's voice that appeared directly on Noelle's head.

"You're in the capital now? Quite unexpected. I thought you'd be scared and never come to this place."

What the rat said made sense. The capital city of the Republic was one of the places that pling Noelle was wary of at this time. After all, this place was made the headquarters of those Voyagers.

Despite having a ceasefire agreement, Noelle and they have an unwritten rule, which is not to interfere in each other's affairs.

If one of the parties becomes involved with the other party, the ceasefire will be cancelled immediately.

Noelle coming to Alten is actually at risk of breaking the truce.

Although Noelle was hesitant, Voyager was probably watching her from somewhere right now.

"Well, forget about that. What do you want until you have to call me? "

Thankfully 'He Who Loves Fairy Tales and the Past' is by no means a pleasant-talking character. Otherwise, Noelle's safety level would definitely be lower by now.

"It's good to understand." Noelle smiled and handed over some small mushrooms for the rat to eat.

Despite initially resisting, 'She Who Likes Fairy Tales and the Past' seems to like it, as she looks busy biting on the fringes of the dried-up mushroom.

"About your seal, what will I get if I manage to free you? "

" ……… It all depends on the reality of whether or not you managed to set me free."

"Take it if I manage to do it. What are you gonna give me? "

Noelle did not bother to keep up her manners, as she had originally intended to make this an equal negotiation between the two parties. He did not want to get any losses from this, and he also wanted an advantage equivalent to 'He Who Liked Fairy Tales and the Past'.

So, if Noelle manages to remove the seal of 'He Who Loves Fairy Tales and the Past', Noelle will have to gain an equivalent advantage.

The white rat seemed to be confused for a moment, but he immediately understood when he finished devouring the fungus Noelle gave him.

"I can't promise it for now. But, once I'm free, you can ask me anything. Call it a form of gratitude."

That's the answer to 'He Who Loves Fairy Tales and the Past'. Noelle appreciated this negotiation, and intended to do so until the end, considering the advantages she would currently gain were truly abundant.

In order to maintain that advantage, he had to figure out a way to remove the seal.

"That's great. Now, tell me in detail about the seal holding you back."

Although this was in violation of the ceasefire agreement, Noelle had thought of a way to outsmart it, so this was relatively safe to do.

The biggest risk is when Voyager catches her wet before being able to free 'She Who Likes Fairy Tales and the Past'.

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Finished negotiating, 'He Who Liked Fairy Tales and the Past' then left the rat's body, and Noelle instantly caught the slowly conscious rat.

Flames lit up in his hands, and the rat burned scorched without a remnant.

This Noelle did on the instructions of 'He Who Loves Fairy Tales and the Past'. If the rat is not killed immediately, Voyager may be able to detect it, and make Noelle's plan fall apart.

Voyager may have detected the communication, given that this place is their headquarters.

Leaving her seat, Noelle immediately went around the really bustling downtown, unlike all the cities she had visited.

Indeed, Alten could be called the most densely populated city in the Republic, although its density level was not comparable to that of Zeltis in the Kingdom.

Noelle intended to go around the city, but she realized that it was impossible. He had no idea how many Voyager members were scattered in the city, so it would be safer to minimize exploration, although this was a little disappointing.

He reached the market area, and this place was not as bad as he had expected.

Noelle guessed that the market area here must be dirty, but contrary to her expectations, this place is quite clean. It's just that, there are vagabonds sleeping in certain corners, so Noelle soon loses her interest.

There are many types of shops, and many are sold. Noelle bought some skewers of roasted beef, and ate them on the way. Until finally, he arrived at one of the quite closed shops, different from the market atmosphere.

The identification board above the shop door told Noelle that it was a used bookstore, and Noelle without saying anything immediately walked in.

Instantly, the scent of dust and worn paper entered her nose, making Noelle almost sneeze.

The place itself was quite large, but the bookshelves laid out rows lined up there made it feel very narrow.

Noelle noticed that there were some people who were also looking for books to buy here. Most of them may be students who are in search of references.

Noelle walked to the first shelf on the left side, then immediately saw the list of books on display. This shelf is full of novels and fairy tales, something Noelle is looking for.

"Meet."

Without a hint of difficulty, he picked up the book that was on the top shelf, and noticed the cover.

A thick book, with a worn leather cover and page paper. There is a tear in a certain sheet, but it does not destroy the content written in it.

On the cover, the title is 'Shepherd and The Skinwalker'. At the bottom of the title is also written the name of the person who created the work.

Fuu Kafhka's.

Noelle doesn't know how many books Kafhka has published, but there are a few here, which means she has at least some writing experience for several years.

Unfortunately, printing techniques have not been so advanced, so all books really have to be copied one by one by the publisher, and it takes time, effort, and enormous costs. That is why the price of a novel book is so expensive.

Even though it was used, Noelle was confident that the price could reach hundreds of Lunar here.

Noelle flipped through the beginning pages, and found that the opening part of the novel was quite interesting. Kafhka really knows how to write a piece that will make the reader personally want to continue reading further.

The first few pages he had read, and unknowingly someone's hand had appeared beside him, trying to grab the book that was on the shelf before him.

Noelle closed the novel book, took a step back, and let the person take the book she wanted. Till—

"Tania? "

"Who? "

"Gr …."

Noelle was aware of the reason for her confusion, and black smoke immediately enveloped her body.

After the black smoke faded, the one in front of Tania was a white-haired male figure, Noelle Lynneheim or more familiarly known as Souris. Then the black smoke re-emerged, and this time he had turned into Noah Ashrain.

Seeing all those changes, Tania immediately nodded.

"Sou–"

Before Tania finished her sentence, Noelle had already covered Tania's mouth with her own hands.

"It would be a problem if anyone heard and reported the name. Just call me by a name you know other than that."

Tania nodded, and Noelle immediately let go of her hand.

"Noah ... What are you doing here? "

"There's something I need. Then you? What the hell are you doing? "

Noelle did not expect that Tania would call her by Noah's name, but after some thought, it was only that name that she knew. Tania does know the name Noelle, but she is not used to it because she has never used it.

Getting a question from Noelle, Tania pulled back her hand that had grabbed the book on the shelf, and stared at the book cover with emotionless eyes.

"There will be a dungeon forming around here soon, so I'm preparing," he replied.

(Dungeons? )

After everything that happened, Noelle became more interested in the structure called the dungeon.

In his lifetime, only one dungeon had ever entered, and it was a dungeon created by 'He Who Loved Fairy Tales and the Past'.

Noelle still did not know much about the dungeon.

"really? How do you know that? Are there any signs of emergence? "

Because if there is, Noelle intends to find one of them later. He intended to explore other dungeons to gather some information.

Was the dungeon really a natural structure? Or something created by a non-physical entity like a god? Noelle wanted information on the matter, even if she really had no business.

Tania immediately shook her head gently, and replied in a delicate voice, "Navi told me."

"Navis? " ask Noelle. He didn't know if it was a person's name, or something else. This tickled his curiosity.

"Who is he? " Noelle tried asking. However, Tania looked doubtful when asked like that. Noelle felt that she might not want or be able to answer him.

"Well, whatever," Noelle said, shrugging her shoulders and continuing to read the book in her hand.

In addition to bookstores, this place also has other functions similar to a library. Customers are free to read any book that exists, and they do not have to pay for it. But of course, they could not borrow, and had to pay in full if they wanted to take the book home.

Noelle did not rush to pay for her book, and chose to relax for a moment because she had nothing else she wanted to do.

The business of building a house will be done as soon as possible, but not now.

Tania beside him, also focused on the book in her own hands. And it had been a few minutes since that conversation, but neither of the two had tried to talk.

Tania who had glanced at him several times was finally curious.

"What is the book .. interesting? "

"Hmm? Appreciable. I met the author last night, so I was curious, but .. the story itself was beyond my expectations."

Noelle slightly smiled as her finger gently flipped the yellowing sheet.

The story Kafhka brings to this book is quite interesting for Noelle personally. It tells the story of a sheepherder who is possessed by a monstrous monster called 'Skinwalker'. The shepherd could be possessed because he accidentally entered a ruin while chasing one of his sheep.

From the beginning of the story, Noelle as a reader has been told of the herder's main purpose, which is to free herself from Skinwalker.

It's not clear what the Skinwalker's goal is to possess the herdsmen, but Noelle believes there will be some surprising twist to the story. That's why he considers the story presented by Fuu Kafhka interesting to read.

Beside her, Tania was seen focusing on the book titled 'Shepherd and The Skinwalker. His gaze then fell on the name of the writer below him, 'Fuu Kafhka'.

"I know this writer. Once you're done, can I borrow it? "

"Sure, once I'm done."

Noelle doesn't mind. The price of this book might not be much, so he did not have any sense of regret to take it off. Noelle was confident that she could trust Tania for something as trivial as this.

Besides that—

"By the way, do you have any other activities after this? "

—Noelle has a request, so just think of lending this book as an initial payment.

Noelle has been told that Tania is waiting for a new dungeon to appear. However, it will take time. Until the time for that arrived, Tania should have been free.

"I'm quite free," Tania replied without any change to her expression.

"Then ... are you familiar with the city? "

This time Tania looked doubtful. He returned his gaze to the book in his own hands, then slightly tilted his head.

"I came here a few times, but .. I still don't know much. Miss, but I might know more from you."

There was no change to her face, but Noelle could clearly feel a proud emotion emanating from there.

This made Noelle involuntarily form a faint smile.

"Well, then .. can you be my guide? I still have to be wary of the enemy, but maybe going around there won't be a problem."

This time Tania smiled slightly.

"I'll be your guide."

Even if she didn't know what kind of enemy Noelle meant, but being able to help someone who expected her help with all her heart was a joy in itself for Tania.

"Ahh, I want to confirm something, can I see your guild identification card? "

Confused, Tania then took out her identity card, and showed it to Noelle.

(Rank-A .. as expected. That's nice.)

Noelle remembered there were benefits that only A and S rank adventurers could receive. It is the right to recommend others. Despite many difficult requirements, Noelle plans to get Tania to exercise the right.

After returning Tania's identification card, Noelle immediately spoke, "I want you to recommend me. There are many places that only a high rank can visit, and most likely I will go there sometime. For that, I need a license as a high rank."

This isn't a lie. There were some dangerous places that were isolated and controlled by the guild, so that only their top-ranked members could enter there.

Sneaking out can be a problem, which is why Noelle ditched that choice.

"I don't mind, but .. are you sure? "

Tania seemed to be more worried about Noelle than herself. This made Noelle wonder what things should get special attention from Tania.

"That's no problem."

Noelle nodded with strong confidence, making Tania unable to refute any longer. Therefore, in the end Tania could only sigh lightly and nod once.

"We'll go right after this. Tomorrow or tonight would be the worst time to come."

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