Chapter 62: The Thief

The rain was growing heavier.

What had initially been just a gentle drizzle, fine as thread, gradually thickened into a dense curtain.

Deep within the gathering, oppressive leaden clouds, a low rumbling of thunder could be faintly heard brewing.

Xianan and the Halfling were on their way back to the inn.

Lacking rain gear, the two of them walked close to the buildings, hugging the eaves that projected outward.

When there was no shelter, they were not particularly flustered, merely walking at a steady pace.

For Xianan, he was already thoroughly drenched anyway, and his protective armor and gear would be carefully maintained before bedtime in any case; a few more drops or a few less made no difference.

With his Constitution score of 8, short of contracting some spell like "Curse of Disease" or "Aura of Weakness," merely getting caught in the rain would never cause him to catch a cold or fall ill.

As for Alton...

Xianan only hoped the fellow would stay a bit further away when splashing through puddles, and refrain from scattering muddy droplets onto him.

"By the way."

Watching the Halfling, who was taking such lively pleasure in the cool rainwater, Xianan could not help but recall what the other had said just moments ago at the tavern entrance.

"That thing you mentioned earlier, the Goddess of Fortune's sister, is..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Alton abruptly spun around, raising a single index finger to his lips.

"Hush."

"Don't speak of it lightly; she is not nearly as easygoing as the Lady."

Hearing this, Xianan felt a sudden chill in his heart and snapped his mouth shut.

Across this vast continent—whose boundaries ordinary mortals could scarcely hope to see in a lifetime—dwelt a multitude of deities hailing from different pantheons and diverse ancestral races.

Though they might differ significantly in divine might, and the domains and portfolios they governed varied, they all shared one single trait:

A lifespan so immensely long it seemed to span the entire history of a mortal race.

Under such circumstances, the connections between deities grew exceedingly complex and tangled over the course of their journeys through time, which defied ordinary counting.

Even the most seasoned historians found it difficult to clearly trace which events an ancient deity had lived through, or which divinities they were entangled with.

Consequently, regarding the specific relationships among the gods, only the most superficial and inconsequential information was allowed to circulate across the continent.

For example, the famous "Sisters of Fate":

The Smiling Lady [Tymora], who holds dominion over fortune,

and her sister—

The "Maiden of Misfortune" [Beshaba], who symbolizes bad luck.

Unlike her older sister's detached and easygoing—even somewhat childish—demeanor, the Maiden of Misfortune had always been notoriously petty and vindictive in the eyes of mortals.

So much so that in almost all formal occasions within the Kingdom of Servia, whenever a speaker needed to offer gratitude to higher powers, they invariably made sure to include this volatile lady.

Otherwise, she would feel slighted and would broadcast bad luck to everyone present without the slightest hesitation.

Xianan merely wished to take the opportunity to learn a bit more about the world's deities; he certainly had no desire to entangle himself with an entity of such foul disposition who wielded the divine authority of fate.

"Hahaha, there's no need to be so solemn."

Seeing his deadpan expression of stern reverence, the Halfling immediately chuckled and offered words of reassurance.

"Given her temperament, with so many people praying every day, she doesn't even necessarily answer the prayers of her most devout fanatics."

"You didn't even mention her divine name; rest easy, you won't be noticed."

"Besides, aren't I here?"

With that, Alton tossed the lucky coin in his palm and wore a triumphant expression.

Hearing this, while Xianan felt a slight sense of relief in his heart, he could not help harboring some cynical thoughts.

Based on what he knew of the relationship between Tymora and Beshaba, if he were to inadvertently offend the latter, coupled with the fact that he was traveling with a devout follower of the Goddess of Fortune...

The divine punishment he received would probably be multiplied tenfold.

*Whoosh—*

A flash of silver crossed the edge of his vision.

Xianan could not help looking up, only to see a robin with pure silver plumage darting through the dense rain beneath the dark clouds, flashing past as it beat its wings.

Just as a strange feeling arose in his heart, he suddenly heard a flurry of hurried footsteps from ahead.

A slender figure hurried past, lowering its body as if seeking shelter from the rain.

The facial features were blurred beneath the concealment of a hood, revealing only two thin, frail calves beneath an oversized burlap coat.

Assuming it was just a passerby dodging the rain, Xianan subconsciously stepped aside to clear the way.

Yet he never expected that the slight figure, acting as though completely unaware of the two men standing before it, would crash straight into Alton, who was walking in the lead.

Though the Halfling was short in stature, his racial heritage endowed him with extraordinary agility.

With merely a slight twist of his body, he neutralized the impact coming from the front.

He even reached out a helpful hand to steady the other person, preventing a fall.

Clearly not anticipating that Alton could so easily dissolve the momentum of their collision, the slight figure—having thrown their entire weight against the Halfling—suddenly lost balance, as though about to slip the very next second.

And precisely because of this, it exposed the person's youthful, gaunt face, as well as...

A hand reaching toward the empty money pouch at Alton's waist.

"A thief?"

Xianan's reaction was instantaneous, his right hand already resting upon the hilt of the greatsword slung across his back.

Alton reacted even faster. Realizing the person was not a mere passerby, but a pickpocket targeting him, his left hand smoothly shifted from a supporting grasp to a firm grip, while his right leg hooked forward as he applied force with his hands.

*Thud!*

The thief, locked in a stalemate with the Halfling, was instantly knocked flat to the ground.

Muddy water splashed in all directions.

"Good grief, someone actually had the nerve to pickpocket me."

Xianan weighed the two longswords strapped to his back, a puzzled expression crossing his face.

Setting the Halfling aside, just judging by his own appearance and equipment, anyone could tell at a glance that he was an adventurer.

And the other party certainly did not look like someone who had mastered any rogue-class combat techniques.

Were they really that reckless?

Or was there some hidden conspiracy?

He instinctively drew his sword and stepped forward.

The thief's actions proved entirely unexpected. Having been easily tripped by the Halfling and exposed, the culprit showed not the slightest intent to resist.

Instead, rolling twice fiercely in the mud following the momentum of Alton's push, the coarse hemp clothing became caked with filthy sludge.

Then, using both hands and feet, the figure scrambled up and fled in a panic.

Watching the retreating figure, Xianan naturally had no intention of letting the pickpocket escape so easily.

He lunged forward two steps, only to halt abruptly.

It was not because he had discovered some hidden clue and abandoned the chase.

Rather, a thick, powerful hand had suddenly reached out from the street corner.

With a single, iron-clad motion, it firmly grabbed the thief by the back of the collar.

With its toes lifting off the ground, the slender-framed burglar was slowly hoisted into the air like a helpless fledgling.

A golden-haired man dressed in a constable's uniform promptly appeared before their eyes.

"Joey, what have you done this time!?"

A low shout, suppressing boiling rage, echoed through the rain.