"The newspaper date is from Newborn Moon at the beginning of this year. The destination is correct—this is the Green Lake Region. Most likely not Mikella Blast Furnace City, but Green Lake City."
Not in a hurry to leave, Shade narrowed his eyes slightly and used the thaumaturgy Blood Echo to examine his surroundings. He soon noticed fresh bloodstains. Following them, he found an area partitioned off with red bricks, where pork, mutton, and chicken were stored:
"Not a tavern. Even if a tavern sold food, it wouldn't have such a complete stock. This looks like the storeroom of a restaurant or inn, and it's fairly large. The ingredients and alcohol aren't especially high-end, so this isn't an aristocratic club or one of those upscale restaurants that require reservations. But it's kept very clean, and the ingredients are neatly sorted, which means business here is doing well."
He summed it up inwardly, used Red Butterfly Illusion to disguise himself, and only then headed toward the exit of the Underground Storage Room. Stone steps connected the basement to the floor above, but the door leading upward was not a vertical door like the one in Shade's own basement. It was a trapdoor set into the floor.
Shade gave the door a push. Finding it unlocked, he opened it a crack. Looking through the gap, he saw a ground-level storeroom. Cured meat and peppers hung from the walls, plates and wineglasses sat on shelves, while a sack of soybeans and a mountain of potatoes rested in the corner.
The room was not very large and had no windows. Its door was shut as well. Shade climbed out through the trapdoor, pressed himself against the door, and listened to the sounds outside, confirming that the other side led to the kitchen of this