By noon, Houshao'nao was still sitting dazed outside the tavern when Giles burst in, sweating through his expensive robes. "Oy, my little ancestor! Why haven't you left yet? Trying to kill me with worry?"
"Boss Giles? What are you—"
Giles stiffened, remembering his dignity. "The contract states you must complete this mission *swiftly*. Yet here you sit, wasting time. Delays mean deductions from your pay. Understand?"
"Deductions? No, no! I'm leaving now," Houshao'nao scrambled up.
"Good. Here's the name of my inn near Aifar. A contact will arrive in a month—report every two weeks without fail." Giles thrust a crumpled note into his hand.
"Who's the contact?"
"None of your concern. He'll find *you*. Now, ride!"
With a heavy heart—aching for Dier, dreading the unknown—Houshao'nao mounted the donkey, fleeing Giles' shouts.
"Boss, we're really going to Aifar?" the donkey asked, trotting reluctantly.
"What choice do I have? I took his money."
"I meant—what about *me*? You can't leave me in a stable!"
"Relax. I've got 5,000 gold—" Houshao'nao patted his pocket, frowning. The envelope felt light. Inside, only the contract and mission clues remained; the check, acceptance letter, and papers were gone.
"Where's the money? The letter?" the donkey demanded.
"Gone. Stolen," Houshao'nao whispered, blood draining.
"Stolen? By who? That elf—"
"No! Dier wouldn't—" Houshao'nao snapped, though doubt nagged. *Had she?*
The donkey sighed, sensing his turmoil. "Fine. So we're broke, no letter, and stuck chasing a ghost. Great."
Ten days later, they neared Aifar City—magnificent, sprawling, a hub of magic and commerce. Houshao'nao's spirits sank further; without papers, how would he enter the academy?
"Which way to Aifar Academy?" he asked a passerby, pointing to the iconic clock tower piercing the sky.
"Follow the spire," the man said, amused.
At the academy's foot lay a bustling district of inns, taverns, and shops preying on wealthy students. Houshao'nao paused at a mercenary tavern, its guild sigil familiar.
"Boss, what now?" the donkey asked.
"Get my mercenary license updated first. If the academy rejects me, I can still take jobs."
Inside the tavern, a pretty bartender smiled. "Welcome. Mercenary registration?"
He handed over his license and a silver coin. She stamped it without comment, then asked, "Looking for work? The academy posts missions, but… are you sure you want theirs?"
"Why not?"
She leaned in, lowering her voice. "Rumor says the task involves the 'Cursed Dormitory'—three students vanished there last month. No one's brave enough to take it."
Houshao'nao's heart raced. *Vanishing students? Could this tie to Giles' mission?*
"I'll take it," he said, surprising himself.
"Really? The reward's 200 gold, but it's dangerous."
"Risk's my middle name," he lied, ignoring the donkey's snort outside.
As she fetched the mission scroll, Houshao'nao stared at the academy's gates, looming like a judgment. *Dier, are you in there?* he wondered, tracing the outline of the ruby necklace clue in Giles' note.
The donkey poked its head in, ears twitching. "Boss, you're not seriously considering—"
"Shut up. We need money, and answers."
The bartender returned with a sealed scroll. "Good luck. Students say the dormitory's haunted by a failed witch's ghost. She steals souls to finish her cursed thesis."
Houshao'nao forced a grin. "Ghosts don't scare me." *Lies, all lies*, he thought, pocketing the scroll. Outside, the donkey eyed him warily.
"Boss, you're a terrible liar. What if this 'ghost' is real?"
"Then we'll outsmart her. Or run. Fast."
They headed toward the academy, the donkey's bray lost in the city's roar. Above them, the clock tower chimed, its bells echoing through Aifar's streets—a warning, a welcome, or simply the march of time for those foolish enough to chase secrets in a witch's lair.
Somewhere within the academy's walls, Dier adjusted her borrowed uniform, the stolen acceptance letter burning in her pocket, the ruby necklace冰凉 (icy) against her chest. She didn't hear the bells, too busy memorizing spells to survive the night—unaware that the boy she'd wronged was now her best hope… and her greatest threat.
The stage was set. The mission accepted. And in the Cursed Dormitory, shadows stirred, waiting for the next fool brave enough to seek answers in the dark.