Master Of Astral Summoner-Chapter 152: Missed Traces

Not long after that, someone called Shaan's name. Without hesitation, Shaan turned his head and saw Chelsie and Nalira running towards him.

"Shaan, where have you been?" Nalira said as she rushed over to him. "We've been waiting for you, but we didn't see you among the group carrying the supplies we just passed."

"Uhm... That's right," Chelsie nodded enthusiastically. "We were really worried because you weren't in the group at all."

"Oh, about that…" Shaan smiled awkwardly as he scratched his head. "I tried to find another route so I could reach the town square faster," he explained. "I managed to find one, and—"

"Shaan?" Nalira frowned, seeing the pain on Shaan's face. "What's wrong?"

"My ankle twisted when I—" Shaan suddenly sat down on the ground. "Ow… ow. I can't move my leg at all."

"Oh no, Shaan, hang on! I'll try to heal your leg."

Chelsie said anxiously.

Chelsie immediately began chanting her healing spell. Within seconds, a golden-yellow light appeared around Shaan's body. The light slowly wrapped around him, and the pain in his leg gradually faded away.

"Uhm… I did my best to heal your injury," Chelsie said softly. "I hope it works."

"Shaan, how are you feeling?" Nalira's expression looked curious. "Better?"

"Yes, much better now." Shaan nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you for your help, Chelsie."

Chelsie lowered her head, trying to hide her face as it slowly turned red. "Uhm… I-it's nothing. I-I just did what I could."

Nalira crossed her arms and looked at Shaan. "...But how did you end up twisting your ankle?"

"When I found a shortcut, I didn't pay attention to my steps," Shaan explained as he slowly stood up. "I twisted my ankle and couldn't move at all. But luckily, Miss Jeshina helped me and guided me until I reached this place."

"Miss. Jeshina?" Chelsie paused for a moment. "You mean, you met the leader of the Twilight Merchanary faction?"

Shaan's eyes widened slightly. "W-wait, how did you know?"

"Uhmm... Nalira and I met her while we were looking for the materials Dr. Marshall needed."

"... That's right. He said he knew Dr. Marshal because they were both faction leaders. She also told us where to find the materials we needed at the time."

"No wonder Chelsie and Nalira were able to get those materials so quickly."

"Uhm... yes, that's right. Miss. Jeshina is a kind and friendly person." Chelsie smiled. "Even though it was our first time meeting her, she gladly helped us."

"That's right." Nalira then walked toward the handcart. "Shaan, let the two of us help you push this cart," she said as she slowly pushed it forward. "Your condition hasn't fully recovered yet, though."

"I-I'll help too."

"Thank you, everyone."

They kept pushing the cart together until they spotted several other handcarts parked near a streetlamp. A staff officer stood nearby, checking each box on the carts one by one. Good—this must be the designated drop-off point. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"...Shaan." Nalira slowly stopped pushing Shaan's cart. "Chelsie and I are going back now. The officer will get suspicious because we've been in the bathroom for too long."

"R-right." Chelsie nodded her head. "Uhm... See you later, Shaan."

Nalira quickly grabbed Chelsie's hand and left, leaving Shaan alone. Shaan then pushed his cart forward by himself until he stopped in front of the officer. A sharp, cold stare immediately greeted him.

"Hey, why did you take so long?" The officer crossed his arms, his glare never softening. "Everyone else already arrived. Why are you only getting here now?"

"Uh… I-it's because I—"

"Argh, forget it. I don't feel like listening to your excuses." The officer waved his hand impatiently. "Now take those boxes and bring them to the designated location."

"O-Okay." Shaan immediately lifted one of the boxes. "So where should I take this box?"

The officer pointed to the side. "Down that alley. The decorators there are running out of supplies, so take it to them as quickly as possible."

"Ah, alright." Shaan nodded. "I'll deliver it right away."

Shaan immediately ran as fast as he could to the location indicated by the officer until he finally saw two women putting up decorations around the small alleyways there. Their faces looked very serious as they arranged the decorative ornaments.

"Here it is—the box of decorations you need. Where should I put it?"

"Just in time," said the green-haired woman as she turned around and smiled. "Place it over there. We'll handle the rest."

"All right. Then I'll be going now. Have a good day."

"Eh, wait a minute."

Shaan stopped for a moment. Slowly, he turned his head back and saw the other woman walking towards Shaan.

"Could we ask for your help? We're short on manpower here, and finishing everything with just the two of us is quite difficult."

"Yes, of course. I can help."

After spending some time assisting the two women, they finally finished installing all the decorations. The women thanked Shaan and left to attend to other tasks. Shaan then decided to sit down for a moment to recover his strength.

"Ah… I never expected decorating to require this much effort…"

Shaan's gaze suddenly shifted when a tall man hurried past him. At first, Shaan ignored the figure, but for some reason, the old woman's words from the materials shop echoed in his mind.

'A man wearing a gray hoodie and a face covering…' Shaan froze. His heartbeat seemed to stop for a few seconds. 'T-this can't be… The description matches perfectly. Could he be the man the old shopkeeper mentioned?'

Using the corner of his eye, Shaan glanced at the man once more—and his face instantly turned pale. The man carried a small box filled with several bottles containing a strange powder that looked eerily familiar.

'Oh no… Is that Verulene leaf powder?' Shaan shook his head. 'But why would he collect so much of it? What does he plan to do?'

Shaan's curiosity grew stronger and stronger until he decided to take action and follow the man from behind. Of course, he had to be very careful if he didn't want the mysterious man to suspect him.

"Huh? What is this man doing in this hallway?" Shaan slowly stopped when he saw the man step into a deserted alley ahead.

'He's definitely planning something. I need to follow him and find out for myself.'