"I'm going to die."
"What should I do?"
"Damn it, I shouldn't have been seduced by that woman."
"But she was so beautiful, so pitiful, how could I bear to refuse her?"
"Yes, the beautiful Daphnel, any normal man couldn't refuse a woman like that."
"So, this isn't my fault, absolutely not!"
The man, huddled in the corner of the bed, muttered to himself nervously, as if unaware that there was an extra person in the cell.
Lex didn't waste time. He walked over and pulled up the man's face, revealing a traditional Loen face. He was a middle-aged man with many forehead wrinkles. Although he looked much more haggard, Lex recognized him at a glance as Spender, the man he was looking for.
"What are you doing!"
Spender forcefully pushed Lex away. Even though he was down and out, locked in a cell, there was still a trace of pride in his bones.
Lex smiled: "My apologies, but I don't have much time and need to confirm quickly."
"Confirm what?"
"Confirm if you are Mr. Spender." Lex took two steps back and said, "So, Mr. Spender, do you want to leave this place?"
Spender was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I can tell you're also a Loen, which makes me feel a great sense of familiarity. So I want to remind you, this is Yedgar Island, and a cleaner can't possibly get me out of here."
Before he finished speaking, he saw a crimson flame rise from Lex's hand. The flame then transformed into a raven, as if by magic. This raven, made purely of fire, flew around the cell once, making the temperature inside the cell scorching hot.
"Beyonder, are you an Beyonder?"
Spender said excitedly: "I know about you. I've met one or two during my travels. They all possess mysterious and magical abilities."
"As you can see, I am an Beyonder. Now you should believe that I can take you out of here, right?" Lex extended his hand, and the fire raven landed on his hand, then transformed back into flame and retracted into his palm.
Spender nodded frantically: "I believe it, I believe it!"
"Please, quickly take me out of this godforsaken place. As long as I can return to Loen, return to Backlund, I can give you all my property!"
"Well, most of it, I mean most of it. I still have a wife and son, at least, let me keep a house."
Lex shook his head and smiled: "I don't want your house, nor your property. I only want one thing."
"the great sea travels."
"the great sea travels? What's that, a novel?" Spender looked bewildered.
Lex coughed into his fist: "It's a travelogue written by an Adventurer named Valen. To be precise, it's a manuscript. Part of it is preserved in a museum in Intis, and the other part is said to be in your collection."
Spender then realized: "I remember now, Valen Singh, a South Continent man. I bought this half of his manuscript when I was traveling in West Balam."
He then said with difficulty: "But that manuscript is stored in my home in Backlund, so I'm afraid I can't give it to you right now. Perhaps, you can rescue me first, and then I'll have someone send the manuscript over?"
"No need for such trouble, we're going to Backlund now." Lex smiled, pulling a book from his clothes.
traveler's almanacs!
Spender thought he had misheard. This place was extremely far from Loen Kingdom, from Backlund. How could they go to that City of Ten Thousand Cities right now?
But then he saw Lex, after taking out the book, place a 5-pound note at the entrance, then walk over, open the book, and say: "Grab my hand."
Spender quickly complied. He grabbed Lex's arm and watched as the cleaner placed his hand on the page.
As Lex infused his spirituality into the 'traveler's almanacs', his and Spender's figures blurred, finally disappearing from the cell.
Five minutes passed quickly.
Magian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Yedgar hadn't appeared during this time. He quickly went to the cell, pulled out the key, and opened the cell door: "Time's up."
The room was quiet.
Magian immediately saw the pound note lying on the ground.
He quickly picked it up, then realized that there was no one in the single cell.
"How is this possible!"
Magian slumped to the ground. Then he remembered Lex's suggestion for him to leave Yedgar, quickly scrambled up, and swiftly locked the cell.
He walked to the guardroom and said to a companion inside: "Mr. Spender wants to focus on his writing, he said not to send him lunch. Also, I have a bit of a headache and need to see a doctor, so you can watch over things for me."
The jailer inside didn't suspect anything and nodded.
Magian quickly left, feeling his pocket as he walked. There were now 12 pounds in it.
A full 12 pounds!
After a moment of daze, Spender came to his senses and found himself in an alley. From the exit, he could vaguely hear the sound of an argument.
It sounded like two women arguing, exchanging various vulgar insults. In the past, Spender would have felt disgusted and left such a place as quickly as possible.
But now, he felt a sense of familiarity, because the two ladies were using the Loen language, with a Backlund accent.
He recalled everything that had just happened, like a dream, soaring in that world higher than reality. In just a moment, he seemed to have truly returned to Backlund.
"Can I go out and look?" Spender asked cautiously, his tone unconsciously becoming respectful. Now, in his eyes, Lex, the cleaner, was associated with words like mysterious and powerful.
"Of course." Lex raised his hand, gesturing for Spender to go first.
The gentleman quickly jogged out of the alley. On the street outside, he saw two ladies arguing, a scruffy middle-aged man hurrying past with a set of tools, and street vendors nearby selling oyster soup, pan-fried fish, ginger beer, and other food and drinks.
Although Spender wasn't completely familiar with this place, it wasn't entirely strange to him either; he had been here a few times for personal matters.
This was the East District of Backlund!
I'm back, I'm really back!
For a moment, Spender choked up and shed tears, but he didn't forget to tap his chest four times clockwise.
Well, he was a follower of the Night Goddess. Lex walked over and gently patted the writer's shoulder: "Now, are you going home?"
Spender wiped his tears and nodded frantically: "We can take a carriage, that will be much faster."
Suddenly he remembered something and gave an embarrassed laugh: "Damn it, I don't have a single copper penny on me."
Lex pursed his lips and said slowly: "I do."