Published at 12th of August 2026 7:29 am

Chapter 1921: Another Name

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Adam woke up to the stench of rotten wood and mold.

His eyes fluttered open, his vision still filled with darkness. For a brief moment, disorientation covered his mind. Then his eyes narrowed.

[Illuminate]

The small cellar finally came into view.

Adam was already on his feet, circulating mana from his core. When he looked around and saw no immediate danger, he slowly lowered his hands.

How long was I out? He wondered.

’Hey, Val. How long was I asleep?’

He sent a mental transmission. But he received no response. Then he looked inward toward his spirit sea, and found that the little guy was sprawled comfortably among the pristine petals of the Lotus, snoring contentedly.

Adam subconsciously smiled.

At least, someone’s not miserable, he thought in amusement.

He examined his wounds. The internal injury to his lung had healed. As for the fractured ribs, he didn’t bother regenerating them proactively. He figured it was best to let that injury heal naturally.

Active regeneration consumed a considerable amount of mana, far more than he was willing to spend. Especially considering his current situation where every last drop of mana mattered.

Adam slowly, cautiously spread his senses outward. The building was still empty and dilapidated. There were no monsters inside.

I wonder if the monsters have deemed this house a forbidden zone because of Isabella.

He unsealed the entrance to the cellar, put away the talisman, and headed upstairs. The Sphere of Resonance was still active as he looked for any sudden threats.

As he arrived before the portrait of the woman in black, he noticed that the woman wasn’t there in the painting!

Adam’s eyes slowly widened in surprise, and he involuntarily took a few steps toward the portrait. Inside the painting world — or rather, ink world, as Isabella liked to call it — he could still see the furnished bedroom, the wooden floor, the crimson curtains, the antique furniture.

He even saw the seating area where he and Isabella had spoken for an entire night. The silver tea set still rested on the small table between the two chairs. The only thing missing was the subject of the painting.

Where is—

His thoughts came to a halt, and he rapidly retreated a few steps.

The door to the bedroom soundlessly opened. Isabella, looking prim and proper as ever, entered the room with a polite smile on her face. When she saw Adam, her eyes lit up, and she quickly drew closer.

"Ah, there you are!" Her voice echoed through the canvas.

Adam’s attention wasn’t even on her. Instead, he stared intently at the slowly narrowing gap as the door closed. Beyond, he caught a glimpse of a world of shifting, abstract colors that reminded him of the spirit world.

"I thought you wouldn’t return," Isabella continued. "It really does get lonely here. The guests I receive from time to time have absolutely no manners! They’re not fun."

Of course, they’re not fun when you’re trying to trap them for eternity!

Adam cursed inwardly.

He wove a few hand seals and created a faint, soundless barrier around the portrait and himself. Then he asked in a hushed voice, "Can you travel to other portraits?"

"I can," Isabella replied gently. "Though I’d rather not travel far away. One time I got lost in the passage between paintings, and it was very scary."

"How did you find your way back then?"

"A school of fish guided me back to my little world," Isabella said matter-of-factly, as though her words were supposed to make all the sense in the world. Both worlds.

The corner of Adam’s lips twitched. He didn’t try to make sense of the woman’s words. If what he’d experienced inside the painting was any indication, then the ink world was very similar to the spirit world.

The more one tried to make sense of it, the more their senses seemed to abandon them.

Hell, he wasn’t even in a position to judge. He himself had been once guided by a pod of dolphins to a floating island, where he had first found Valerian.

To say he was immensely curious about the ink world would be a severe understatement. Curiosity was the hallmark of a Magus, and Adam was more curious than most.

But no, this was not the time to learn about the mysteries of the ink world.

"What can you tell me about this city?" he asked solemnly.

"Hmm." Isabella tapped her chin, her eyes glowing with mischief. "I can tell you a lot, but... why should I?"

Adam suddenly had the urge to destroy the painting.

"What do you want in return then?" he hissed. "And, no! I am not coming over to have tea again!"

"That’s rude." Isabella pouted. "Who would ever miss an opportunity to have tea with such a lovely lady like myself?"

"Fine, suit yourself." Adam snorted.

Then he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Isabella reached out with her hand, almost panicking. "I’ll tell you what you want to know! And in return..."

"In return what?" Adam turned back to her, his eyes gleaming with skepticism.

Isabella fidgeted with her fingers, trying to act all cute and innocent. Adam didn’t buy that at all. If anything, he thought she was quite the mummer.

"In return, all I ask is that you talk to me," she said with a coy smile. "Talk to me more about yourself, about the world you live in, about your hobbies, and other things."

Adam’s lips twitched again.

So she’s just a chatterbox?

It made sense to him given that one of the rules to get out of her little world was to spend the entire night talking to her.

He sighed before saying, "I can’t talk to you every day. You may not have noticed, but this place is teeming with all kinds of monsters that would love nothing more than to sink their teeth into my flesh."

"Then take me with you!" Isabella said, her eyes round and innocent.

Adam snorted.

"You must think I’m crazy!" he blurted out. "After what you tried to pull? There’s no way I’d trust you!"

Isabella pouted.

"Well... it was worth a shot."

Adam looked at her deeply and sighed again.

"How about this?" he began. "I’ll bring you "guests" from time to time. And in return, you will tell me what you know about this place. Sound good?"

"Splendid!" Isabella clapped her hands.

It would appear she really liked the idea, as only a moment later, she chose to divulge a little bit of information about this place.

"Well then, Cillian," she began. "I’ll be generous and tell you first about this city."

Adam didn’t bother correcting her. He listened with rapt attention.

Isabella’s lips turned into a conspiratorial smile, and she said:

"This city these people call Adventurers City once had another name. Many, many years ago, this was the royal capital of Valcourrone, seat of the Kingdom of Valouis, ruled by a voracious monarch, His Majesty King Louis of the House d’Aubigny."

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