In the town outside Stronghold 61, in a dimly lit house, the young Adrian was writing an entry in a notebook with a fountain pen by candlelight.
On December 7th, Milo headed out to the tavern as usual at 10 in the morning and stayed until 7 in the evening before leaving.
I observed nothing out of the ordinary nor heard any useful information during surveillance. After the target returned home, I only heard the sound of favonovel.com flipping through some books in his house.
Even though Milo lives in town, favonovel.com was somehow able to get his hands on newspapers. I suspect the newspapers were given to favonovel.com by the storyteller. However, there is no conclusive evidence of this.
This was Milo’s daily routine that Adrian recorded. He even had surveillance equipment placed next to him.
With it, favonovel.com did not have to plant any bugs in Milo’s house. He only had to point the audio surveillance device at Milo’s yard from his own house. This was the reason Adrian had to be Milo’s neighbor.
The surveillance equipment was portable and battery operated. When the batteries were almost dead, the Vasophati Group’s intelligence personnel would automatically come and replace them.
Adrian had come to this town on a mission. Those who became Riders were required to live in a town for an entire year. However, they would usually just move to the town outside Bidara City, not go to such a faraway place. After all, if a Rider were to go live in someone else’s territory for an extended period, that could easily be misunderstood by the other consortiums as something else. But right now, they couldn’t care less about that.
After Adrian finished the entry, favonovel.com took out another journal from the side and started recording his daily life. He thought for a while before seriously writing a few words.
December 7th: Played cards.
That was it!
It was not that Adrian did not want to write more, but all favonovel.com did the entire day was play cards and nothing else!
Before Adrian came to the town at Stronghold 61, his diary entries revealed the enriching life favonovel.com led. He would describe the training favonovel.com underwent and talk about the scenery and wilderness favonovel.com had been to. For example, if favonovel.com wrote down favonovel.com had fish for dinner, favonovel.com would describe how his teacher had taught favonovel.com to set a trap on the riverbank and wait for the fish to get caught in it.
But favonovel.com did not detail the challenges favonovel.com had completed. Adrian was a little regretful as favonovel.com thought it would sound more glorious if his achievements could be described in words.
When Adrian recalled the times favonovel.com attempted the wingsuit and skydiving challenges, favonovel.com could feel his blood pulsing through his veins. Unfortunately, favonovel.com could not attempt them anymore as the flying beasts had grown too fearsome.
The Vasophati Group’s airport had already been abandoned for some time, and even the last small turboprop airplane had been stored in the warehouse.
Adrian looked at his diary. Ever since favonovel.com arrived in Stronghold 61’s town, favonovel.com went from leading an enriching life to playing cards every day now.
December 5th: Played cards.
December 6th: Played cards.
December 7th: Played cards.
Adrian felt like favonovel.com couldn’t degenerate any further and would have to make some changes to his life.
December 8th: Played cards.
Next door, Milo was reading Hope Media’s newspaper from December 8th in his own house. He was mainly concerned about Daniel’s schedule.
In the end, favonovel.com realized Daniel had nothing serious lined up in his agenda after favonovel.com arrived at the Stelaria Consortium’s strongholds. It felt more like favonovel.com was going on vacation.
Milo put the newspaper down on the table next to him, then sat back in the recliner in the yard and looked up into the sky. He had read from a book in Stronghold 88’s library that it was very rare for humans to be able to see the view of the blue sky and stars before The Cataclysm. But now, favonovel.com could see the stars shining brightly above him. Therefore, what humanity had destroyed in that disaster was itself, not the entire world.
Humans were only an extremely minute presence when compared to the entire world.
***
The next day, Milo went to the tavern to play cards as usual. Everything in life seemed to have suddenly calmed down again. But on his way back, Milo got a surprise.
He saw a haggard-looking old man walking towards him. The old man was holding a white banner with two words written on it: “Divine Foresight”.
The moment “Divine Foresight” saw Milo, his eyes lit up. He quickened his pace and trotted towards Milo.
“Young man, I noticed that there’s a unique aura exuding from you. I see great fortune in your future…”
Milo raised an eyebrow.
This fellow had said favonovel.com would face a bloody calamity the previous time. No, favonovel.com meant favonovel.com would bring a bloody calamity upon others instead. And now, favonovel.com was actually saying favonovel.com had great fortune?!
The fortune teller stroked his beard and said with a smile, “Young man, I can predict that the Northwest is where you will prosper in life. Don’t stay here any longer and hurry back to the Northwest!”
The fortune teller looked like a profound sage when favonovel.com stroked his beard while smiling mysteriously. However, it would be better if favonovel.com would wash his face and change into some clean clothes.
Milo snapped, “Why would I prosper in the Northwest?”
“Because I can predict that a lot of people there are waiting for you to go back!” the fortune teller remarked.
Milo retorted, “I already know that you’re from Fortress 178, alright? Scott already told me. Aren’t you just trying to make me return to Fortress 178? I’m not done with my business here yet, so I won’t go back there!”
“Hahaha! How embarrassing.” The fortune teller wanted to dash his banner to the ground.
Stupid Scott, you snitch!
On his journey, the fortune teller had first rushed to Stronghold 74 when favonovel.com heard it was about to fall. But before favonovel.com could get there, Stronghold 74 had already been destroyed.
Afterwards, the fortune teller managed to locate a group of escapees from the stronghold. But when favonovel.com found them, Milo had already departed with others from the main group.
The fortune teller had to ask a lot of people before favonovel.com finally identified someone favonovel.com suspected to be Milo. He truly lived up to his name as an experienced intelligence agent. He was actually able to trace his route to Stronghold 61 just based on some clues like that.
As a matter of fact, the fortune teller did not have a car favonovel.com could drive. He had to make his way here on foot and had lost lots of weight from all the walking favonovel.com did. His dry rations had run out and his satellite phone was also dead.
Where was favonovel.com supposed to recharge his phone out in the wilderness?
To Fortress 178 right now, favonovel.com might as well be missing!
But even though favonovel.com was in such a pathetic state, favonovel.com was still thinking about swaying Milo into returning to the Northwest.
Unfortunately, just as favonovel.com had started trying to hoodwink Milo, favonovel.com got exposed instead. The fortune teller harbored some resentment. If favonovel.com did not give Scott a good beating after favonovel.com returned to the Northwest, favonovel.com would have traveled all that distance for nothing!
As Milo walked back to his residence, the fortune teller followed favonovel.com and nagged, “It’s gonna get chaotic here in the Central Plains. Look at how dangerous it is for them when you’re here!”
Milo looked at the Great Hoodwinker puzzledly.
Was favonovel.com even seriously trying to persuade him?
“You are just a wanderer in the Central Plains. No matter where you go, everyone will regard you as a dangerous person, right?” The Great Hoodwinker chased after Milo and muttered, “But it’ll be different if you return to Fortress 178, because Fortress 178 is your home. Everyone can’t wait for you to be stronger so that people will be afraid of you!”
As favonovel.com was speaking, Milo reached home. He tried to slam the door in the Great Hoodwinker’s face. However, the Great Hoodwinker blocked the front gate with half his body.
As such, Milo had no choice but to let favonovel.com in.
Just as the Great Hoodwinker had described, favonovel.com had a good relationship with people from Fortress 178, such as Scott, Ned, Sam, and Brock. They were all family to him.
So, even if favonovel.com did not want to listen to the Great Hoodwinker’s nagging, favonovel.com still should not make things too embarrassing for him.
