Seeking the Sorcerer

Leaving the Imperial Palace was quite simple. As the residence of the Empire's most important leader, there were certainly secret passages within that only royal family members knew about.

Alicia wasn't blind from birth. When she was a child, she often used the secret passages within the palace to sneak out and play, or play hide-and-seek with the maids.

Fortunately, the pawnshop owner woke up very early, so she didn't have to wait in the cold wind. The old lady couldn't endure such hardship.

The brooch also fetched a good price, as expected. There were quite a few pawnshops in the Imperial Capital that knew good quality. If it were in a rural area, such a large ruby would likely have been mistaken for a fake.

Although she couldn't see, as a member of the royal family, she still had a dedicated stylist.

Her stylist had permanently sealed this brooch in a drawer for years because it wasn't very attractive to wear. Few people had seen it, so there shouldn't be any problems.

After selling the brooch, Alicia bought some bread and water, wrapping them together in a gray parcel. She was lucky; she didn't encounter any thugs or bandits on the road. Her current appearance wouldn't scare them off.

With money, everything became easier. She hired a carriage to take her to Romir Town.

Marquis Os's jurisdiction wasn't actually far from the Imperial Capital. It would take about eight hours by carriage, roughly a hundred kilometers.

Yes, the Imperial Capital was at a very high latitude. It was only a little over a hundred kilometers from the icy snowfields. It was very cold in winter, but the Imperial Capital's location wasn't chosen randomly.

It was close to the sea but not too close, near a bay where the Empire's largest ice-free port was located. To the northeast, two continuous mountain ranges formed a natural barrier, capable of repelling enemies from the east.

Behind it lay plains, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, with convenient sea and land transportation. Most importantly, for the past few hundred years, there had been virtually no major natural disasters. Apart from the cold, it was almost a perfect capital.

Actually, a place to the south wasn't bad either, but there was a sworn enemy of the Britannia Empire to the south, making it too dangerous due to its proximity to the enemy.

The town wasn't large, but it was beautiful. Romir Town was located in the only gap between two mountain ranges. In other words, if an army from the east attacked Britannia, this would be the front line, which made Marquis Os's position very important.

She didn't linger in the town for long. She crossed the market, passed over a small bridge, and arrived at a country path. Along the way, she inquired about the Sorcerer. They almost unanimously told Alicia that the person was on the northern snowfields.

The sun today was very pleasant. The warm spring sunlight was gradually reviving the earth. The grass underfoot was lush and growing well. Alicia found that although she had turned into an old woman, her eyesight was still decent, and she could enjoy the scenery and scent of the hawthorn bushes along the way.

She hadn't seen a colorful world for over a decade since she went blind. For her, everything was new.

"That guy actually did one good thing," Alicia muttered. "Well, but I'll definitely settle the score later."

Old people tend to talk to themselves.

However, her gradually aching back left her little energy to appreciate the beautiful scenery.

"I need a walking stick," Alicia said.

She continued walking, trying to find a sturdy branch in the bushes to use as a walking stick. Suddenly, a sound came from the hedge behind her.

First, there were some rustling sounds, followed by heavy groans.

It sounds like a person, Alicia thought.

She reached out her bony hand and pushed aside the bushes. Behind them was a hilly plain with many sheep grazing with their heads down, looking like a pasture.

Not far from her, an old man with white hair and beard lay on the ground, moaning. His shepherd's crook was discarded nearby. He appeared to be the owner of these sheep.

She hurried forward and helped the old man up, letting him sit on a small rock to the side.

"Would you like some water, old sir?" Alicia asked.

The shepherd rubbed his aching back and waved his hand. "No, thank you for your kindness, old mother."

"Old mother?" Alicia said, slightly displeased. "Aren't you an old fellow too?"

The shepherd turned his head and looked Alicia up and down. "Oh, you misunderstand. Although I look old, I'm only in my sixties."

Alicia was about to retort that she was only in her twenties, but she suddenly remembered her current appearance.

Fine, she looked almost ninety now. To him, she was indeed an "old mother."

Alicia grunted a couple of times and said nothing more.

After a pause, she asked again, "How did you end up on the ground?"

"Ah, don't mention it. I picked up a lamb, and its mother butted me. That beast is more fierce than a person when protecting its young," the shepherd said.

"Where's your son? Why isn't your son herding the sheep?" Alicia asked curiously.

The shepherd thumped his somewhat sore thigh and sighed, "He's dead. He got very sick at the beginning of the year. I sold quite a few sheep, but it didn't help."

Alicia was silent for a moment, then sighed as well. "I might end up growing old alone too."

The shepherd looked up at the sound of her voice and asked curiously, "Old mother, the sun is about to set. Where are you planning to go? You're not thinking of reaching the mountain before dark, are you?"

"I want to go to the mountaintop to watch the sunset. Isn't that interesting?" Alicia said, half-jokingly.

"You're not serious, are you?" the shepherd said with some surprise. But then he added, "I have a shepherd's hut on the mountain. If you can't make it down before dark, you can stay there."

As he spoke, he picked up a walking stick from the ground and handed it to Alicia.

"You look like you need this more than I do."

The walking stick was well-made, with a bird's head carved on it. It felt very comfortable to hold, and its height was perfect, as if it were custom-made for her.

"Thank you, you've been a great help."

The shepherd smiled, picked up his shepherd's crook, and walked towards his sheep along the hedge.

Watching the shepherd's retreating back, and then looking at the walking stick in her hand, Alicia mocked herself.

"The good thing about being old is that even a sixty-year-old man has to 'respect the old' towards me."

She began to ascend the mountain again. Soon, the bushes disappeared, revealing a bare mountain ridge. Above it was a heathland, and further up was a steep slope covered with wild yellow grass that looked like grasping claws.

Alicia continued forward with a blank expression. Before long, her old legs began to ache, and her back and knees started to hurt as well.

She no longer had the strength to mutter, only gasping for breath as she continued to walk. However, she couldn't see the shepherd's hut the shepherd had mentioned. By the time the sun had set below the horizon, she collapsed onto a rock, completely unsure of what to do next.