Chapter 203. The Lodgekeeper Departs.

Southern Continent.

Kahra Desert.

Entrance of MadCity.

The heavy transport bus rolled to a stop at the boarding terminal. Its big engine hummed loudly. The air brakes let out a long hiss as dust settled near the main gates of MadCity.

The queue of people waiting to board did not rush forward. Nobody pushed, nobody shoved, and nobody ran to grab a good window seat.

Instead, every single person kept their eyes on the young man in the black hoodie. He was sitting calmly in the metal chair that an enforcer had given up for him just moments ago.

The bus driver hopped down from the cabin door holding a tablet to collect money and scan tickets. He was a scarred veteran warrior who had driven the dangerous routes across the Kahra Desert for over twenty years.

Behind him stood two transport officers in uniform. They adjusted the weapons on their belts, ready to yell at the crowd and force everyone to line up properly like they always did.

Then, the driver stopped.

The whole terminal was dead quiet. Usually, this place was loud and chaotic. Warriors would shout, fight over tickets, offer bribes, or hide weapons under their coats. But right now, nobody made a sound.

Hardened Rank 2 warriors, dangerous rogue warriors, retired crime lords, and wealthy merchants were all standing in straight lines. They held their heads down and refused to make eye contact with the guy in the hoodie, who was just tapping on his phone.

Who the hell was this person?

The driver leaned toward one of his guards and said in a low voice, "What is going on out here? Why is everyone acting like they are about to be executed?"

A merchant standing nearby turned pale. He leaned over to the driver and said, "The Lodgekeeper is getting on this bus."

The driver froze. He almost dropped his tablet. Slowly, he turned his head and looked at the young man sitting in the chair.

"That’s him?" the driver thought. "The guy who killed six neighboring city lords and the former city lord of MadCity? He looks like a normal young man who just woke up from a nap."

There was no intimidating air around him. No scary eyes, no loud shouting, and no menacing feel around him. He was just a quiet young man who looked slightly bored by the dusty wind. But the huge difference between the scary rumors and the quiet guy in front of him made the driver’s skin crawl. His heart was thumping loudly in fear.

This man was the most terrifying man across the Kahra Desert.

Without saying a single word, the driver and the guards backed away. They opened the bus doors as wide as they could. They bowed their heads low, not daring to look up as Aiden stood up and put his hands in his pockets.

"There is no need for such theatrics, sir," Aiden said.

"We wouldn’t dare to be impolite to you, Senior!" the driver replied nervously.

Aiden shook his head with a sigh. Whatever made the guy comfortable...

He got into the bus and found a seat by a window.

Meanwhile, news was spreading fast through the rest of MadCity.

People were constantly refreshing their phones, checking text messages, and reading live posts on private city forums. Notifications popped up on thousands of screens every second as word spread that the Lodgekeeper had boarded the transport.

Deep inside the city lord mansion, members of the Dickinson family, the butlers, maids, and district lords held their phones tightly, watching the updates flood the local forums.

A heavy, emotional silence was over the mansion.

They felt a strange mix of fear, relief, and deep respect. Senior Alex Turner, the Lodgekeeper, had brought absolute terror to MadCity, but he had also eliminated their deadliest rivals, and single-handedly elevated their standing across the region. His leaving felt like watching the departure of a living legend—a storm that had swept through their lives and changed everything forever.

Dickinson’s parents sighed, . "He’s really gone."

"He really is," Dickinson replied. It felt like he was dreaming. The mysterious senior who had caused a storm in the region was leaving. The mysterious senior he met in Rustwater Town three months ago, who had changed the fate of the Dickinson family, was leaving...

"MadCity feels different already," a new district lord—the fellow who assisted the Lodgekeeper and Dickinson to get an apartment when they arrived in the city—added quietly, looking down at his phone screen. "We were living in the shadow of a monster... but it was a safe shadow."

Across the city, big-time smugglers, information brokers, and notorious merchants shared similar feelings as they read the forum posts.

As the bus pulled out of the terminal and hit the desert, a huge, silent sigh went through the entire city.

Through tactical acumen and effortless power, the Lodgekeeper had eliminated six neighboring city lords along with the former city lord of MadCity. His feats and mere presence had forced the remaining surrounding territories into a joint-ownership agreement of the six surrounding cities just to keep the peace. Yet, in his wake, he had created total order. Nobody dared to break the rules while he was around.

"The monster is finally leaving," an old drug kingpin said on top of a story building. He scrolled through a city forum and lit a cigarette with trembling fingers. "I feel sorry for whoever crosses this man wherever he’s off to."

*****

The bus rode across the desert sand with effortless precision, avoiding areas where chaotic beasts lurking beneath the sand lay. The driver was an experienced veteran who knew the route to the southern seaport like the back of his hand.

Once MadCity was far behind them, the heavy silence inside the bus started to break. It didn’t turn into normal talking. Instead, it turned into quiet, fearful talk.

The passengers who were sitting near the back—the ones who had not seen the scene in the queue earlier—were starting to hear rumors from the people in front of them. They kept shooting quick, terrified glances toward the front row. The Lodgekeeper was sitting right by the window on the passenger side, his hoodie cap off.

"Is that really him?" a young warrior in the back said to his friend.

His friend nodded, pulling his jacket up to cover his face. "Look at his hair and his eyes. Black hair, blue eyes. It’s him."

"Are you sure? He doesn’t look like a killer at all. He just looks like an ordinary young man."

"Shut up," his friend said. "Do you want to get us killed? He can probably hear everything you are saying."

The young warrior nodded in fear.

The talk moved through the bus. Everyone was sitting stiffly in their seats. Nobody wanted to move too much. Nobody wanted to drop a weapon on the floor or make a loud noise that might annoy the person sitting in the front near a window.

Up in the driver’s seat, the driver kept both hands clamped on the steering wheel. He didn’t look at the rearview mirror once. He just stared straight at the road ahead, praying that no stupid passenger would start a fight or say something dumb.

Aiden rested his elbow on the window sill.

The car eventually hit one of the main roads that led to the southern seaport. The sound of the vehicle hitting smooth asphalt reverberated through the car.

Aiden was in thought.

He had secured a fake identity. His power was also now at the level of a beginner Rank 3 warrior. He knew that further breakthroughs would take longer, and would demand time and effort. But he was in no rush. He would build his strength, step by step.

The western continent awaited.

With his new identity, although the Cyrenthia Empire and the Paranormal Liberation Order would be searching every nook and cranny for him, they wouldn’t find him.

"When I return, I will be strong enough to find out more about the Order from Vanum Deepsea and Emperor Leonis before I kill them. Also, I will be able to deal with the Cyrenthia Empire military and the industries in the Eldorath Empire that want me dead.

My initial goal was to hit legendary Rank 3 before I return. But, I should be a beginner Rank 4 warrior before I return. As a member of the International Union, dealing with the Paranormal Liberation Order will be easier, and there won’t be any repercussions from dealing with the Cyrenthia Empire military and killing an emperor.

Also, I am not strong enough to take on the Order alone. After securing enough information about them from Vanum Deepsea and Leonis, I will know who in the International Union is their member and the International Union members can join hands and get rid of them after they give off information about their HQ."

Aiden closed his eyes, and let out a quiet breath.

The bus rolled smoothly down the long desert highway, carrying the quietest and most dangerous man in the region toward the western coast.