He's Definitely Kidding...

Uncle Beard couldn't bear to see Atlas in those miserable conditions, so he led the young man to change his equipment with a new set of clothes.

"Your equipment will be ready in a couple of hours. However, I also noticed that they needed some repairs, so I asked Jack to fix them."

Of course, leaving his equipment in that crazy man's hands wasn't very reassuring to Atlas, but at least he could trust Uncle Beard's words.

"Mmm... Thank you, Uncle Beard. In fact, I was in desperate need. But how much..."

"Don't worry about repair fees. Hehe... A new worker has joined my little place, and surprisingly, he is very skilled even for small repair jobs."

'There are truly crazy people out there... For what reason a blacksmith would come to work here.'

Rightly, Atlas was a little perplexed, but he did not investigate further because a much more critical issue pressed him... why he had appeared in this damn place.

Initially, the sudden request had been vague, but its appearance in Uncle Beard's stable clarified part of the problem.

The friend in need was clearly Uncle Beard, but what was the problem to solve, and how the hell did Nihilir know about his situation?

There were still many things to do, and he wanted to go back home, so he had to solve this so-called problem quickly.

"Uncle... I was passing through this city and came to greet you..."

The embarrassing situation of the stable had now passed, and although it had left an indelible mark on the young man, he tried to avoid that topic at all costs.

"Hmm... it's good that you are here... I think the two of us are really bound by fate. In fact, you appeared just when I needed help. It is true that if you do good, only good things will happen."

'Heck... then it's really all your fault if I find myself once again in this city of crazy deranged...'

 Uncle Beard's following words confirmed his assumptions.

"A disaster has fallen to my dear friend. His daughter has disappeared, and we desperately need someone trustworthy to find her. We have known each other from an early age, and even if our lives have taken different paths, we have remained united as brothers. Seeing him in those conditions pains me. Unfortunately, I'm just the miserable owner of a stable, and I can't help him. However, you... you can help us..."

Atlas looked at the bearded man in dismay and mumbled: 'I can help them? Where does all his trust in me come from?'

"Will you help me?"

'Well... Nihilir threw me here so suddenly... I don't have another choice... there should be a valid reason behind his sudden request.'

It was natural for Atlas to be hesitant to accept a task without knowing the details. Still, after the first task assigned by Nihilir and the absurd reward that followed, he couldn't help but agree with a bit of curiosity: "Of course... we will find a solution..."

"Hahaha... I knew you wouldn't abandon me. You made this day much more radiant. Elisabeth and Aurora will also be relieved."

Atlas's words had indeed been a blessing to him. In fact, that gloomy expression on his face vanished from his face immediately.

Now that Atlas had agreed, Uncle Beard accompanied his story with a good cup of hot tea and some cookies freshly baked by Elisabeth.

Initially, Uncle Beard's request didn't seem so absurd, though as he spoke, the story became increasingly ridiculous.

"As I was telling you... Rose, my friend's daughter, left about a month ago, searching for a rare treasure in a somewhat dangerous place. At first, the journey was progressing well, but about a week ago, my friend lost all contact with his daughter and the group that accompanied her."

'A rare treasure in a somewhat dangerous place... Heck, why is he so vague about such crucial information?'

"Hmm... Uncle, as you know... the world is full of dangers. Embarking on a journey to a dangerous place always involves this kind of possibility. I don't want to be pessimistic, but... if he has lost contact for so long, then it is possible that..."

Uncle Beard knew what he meant by those words, but he insisted on explaining the situation: "I'm aware of it, though... my friend is wealthy. He is so rich that he has access to powerful artifacts. Thanks to it, he is absolutely certain that Rose is still alive."

'Hmm... it should be a Soul Artifact or something similar to the treasure used by my grandparents to keep track of my position and well-being.'

Indeed, this particular treasure was one of the reasons he could freely roam around the world. Because it could constantly make the worries over those two old fellows easy.

'Hmm... wait, if the father is so rich, why is Uncle Beard asking for my help? With a generous reward, who knows how many martial cultivators would rush to save her... '

"Hmm... Uncle Beard, I don't understand. If your friend is so rich, he will surely have sent rescue teams. You shouldn't worry so much... you should know that a bag full of Chaos Stones can solve everything..."

Atlas's words were undoubtedly legitimate, but Uncle Beard shook his head, demoralized: "Mmm!! ... My friend offered a lot, but those few who went vanished into thin air... He also lost contact with the first and second rescue teams."

Atlas felt his heart suddenly stop hearing that terrible news: "What?? ...Have they all disappeared? ...What the hell can I do then?"

"Calm down... although it will be difficult, I am certain you can return unscathed. I trust you!"

Uncle Beard looked hopefully at Atlas's ugly face, but the young man was too upset to answer.

'What a cabbage situation... In what remote place did that stupid girl go?? Why... Why do I have to get in the way...'

While Atlas was lost in his thoughts, Uncle Beard pulled out a large parchment scroll from a bag and laid it over the wooden table.

Inside that scroll was the world map of Oblivion, but not all of the world was present. Only the eastern part of the main continent was visible.

When the map appeared, Atlas was immediately attracted to it.

"Unfortunately... there are still no detailed maps of that place, but there are ancient paper maps containing some information. We do not know if this information is reliable, but it is a good starting point."

The more Uncle Beard spoke, the more incredibly surreal the mission became.

"A place so unknown that there are not even reliable maps... Uncle Beard... Tell me the truth. This girl, Rose... is she crazy?"

"Hmm... Well, I would say desperate, not crazy. Rose has always been a stubborn girl, but she forsaken her intelligent and attentive side this time. I think that not even her father knows his daughter's real goal. It all started as a banal journey in search of treasures, but at a certain point, something pushed that foolish girl to take this dangerous path..."

"Uncle Beard... madness pushed that foolish girl into that damn place! There is no other explanation... Anyway, in what demonic place did she get lost?"

Something strange was happening. In fact, Uncle Beard had talked a lot, but the destination was still unknown.

"Mhm... about that..."

Atlas saw very well that Uncle Beard was reluctant to say it. Still, in the end, the man moved his index finger above the map, indicating an area far to the East, so deep into the East side that his index ended up on top of the edge of the map, in a completely unknown location.

At first, perhaps confused by that absurd request, Atlas didn't quite realize where that place was, but when he noticed the city of the Inflamed Chalice on the map, he discovered that the situation was getting even more perilous than he had anticipated.

"Hehe... Uncle Beard, don't mess around. No sane man would go to that place. Heck, sailors are afraid to even talk about it... It can't be..."

"Mhm... I know it is unbelievable. Yet, she went there... in the deepest parts of that hellish place... "

'No... no... he's definitely kidding...' 

Atlas shook his head several times, but the severe expression on Uncle Beard's face left a sour taste in the young man's mouth.

"I understand your thoughts... and know well how dangerous that place is. But you can do it, I sure of that."

Uncle Beard reassured him with absolute confidence. Still, Atlas didn't know where and how that madman could honestly believe or even imagine a good ending for all this messy situation.

Furthermore, Atlas couldn't help but doubt Uncle Beard and Nihilir's sanity over all this matter.

Receiving no response from the young man, Uncle Beard didn't bother too much. Instead, he continued giving out more information: "There is more... Other than those maps, you will get a treasure that will lead you the way. With that, you will not lose the way crossing those waters. Instead, you will reach Rose easily. Anyway... you don't have much time... if you have to prepare something, you must do it by tomorrow morning."