Lucian returned to his room and lay down on the bed, but he simply could not fall asleep.
He had done plenty today, first enjoying a satisfying fight with Alrissa, then going to rescue his teacher, Sellen.
Afterward, he had gone to the Roundtable Hold to repair his equipment, been summoned by the Two Fingers, and picked up a huge haul of items and Runes, gaining quite a few levels.
The whole trip had been exhausting. Normally, he would have fallen asleep the moment he hit the bed.
But Yanogo's words kept echoing in Lucian's mind.
Yanogo was a man of contradictions.
He would help a stranger like Lucian out of a crisis, yet he would also sell information about Patches, someone he knew personally.
Lucian could tell that his relationship with Patches went beyond a passing acquaintance. Otherwise, he would not have asked what Lucian intended to do, nor would he have hesitated.
Was this a problem with the Nomadic Merchants? At the very least, it was not entirely their fault.
If the world were kind enough that people could survive without selling information about their friends, no normal person would willingly do it.
But in the Lands Between as they were now, in this shattered, chaotic land, a few more Runes might be what kept someone alive.
Lucian had never given it serious thought before.
He had simply continued thinking in terms of the game, pursuing a perfect ending and thus setting himself the goal of bringing peace to this world.
But as he met one living, breathing person after another, he had truly found a sense of belonging here.
Especially after witnessing the tragedy at Castle Morne, Lucian had gained a deeper understanding of just how fucked up this world was.
The Elden Ring had shattered, and