Ash continued to walk across the yellow-brown grassy plains with Jagu for a week. He also always tried to walk close to the trees that marked the border between the two regions.
Sometimes they encountered some wild animals, but this time, Ash easily managed to handle them alone without Jagu's help.
If he saw another player on his Game Map, he would immediately hide in the bushes or up in the trees.
He didn't want to fight other players as he didn't know their levels. He only wanted to return to Sassi quickly to complete Gabriel's request, retrieve his quest items, and level up soon.
His Skill level increased rapidly, as did the development of his muscles and his height.
So, he only needed to find the quest items, reach level 10, and quickly choose an Advanced Profession.
Upon reaching the mountainous area right by the river that flows into the ocean, he avoided the river's flow and started climbing the mountain.
At this moment, it was safer for him to stay on land, considering his bad experiences with water.
He also tried to adjust himself to two views, one was the view he saw with his own eyes, and the other was the view provided by Jagu.
From the top of the mountain he climbed, he could see much farther into the various regions of the world of Finding Objects.
Several castles stood on the land, with many rivers flowing into the sea, dividing the land into different parts. Several large and small boats could be seen sailing there.
The castles varied in size, with three of them not too far from Sassi.
He was certain that one of the three nearest castles was controlled by Drogo.
Using his binoculars, he observed one of the castles closest to him.
The castle looked enormous, standing by the large river. Its walls were brown, with climbing plants adorning some parts of the outer walls.
Many people appeared to be active within it. Ash estimated that the place was inhabited by several thousand people.
This was different from Sassi, which was home to around five hundred people, most of whom were elderly and children.
As he put his binoculars back into his Inventory, he sighed and began walking again.
On the fifth day, he could already see the beautiful white walls of Sassi from a distance.
"Look, Jagu. We've finally arrived," he said to Jagu, with a wide smile.
Jagu rubbed his head against Ash's leg to show his agreement.
"Let's go home," Ash said, then walked faster towards Sassi. Jagu followed him, jumping around like an excited dog, sensing his master's joyful mood.
However, when he was almost there, Ash didn't hear the sounds of children playing. When he entered the small town, he saw that it was completely empty.
What made his blood run cold was the sight of several damages here and there, as if a battle had taken place in the town.
Panicking, Ash ran up the hill. When he reached John's house, he found the door broken and the items inside the house in disarray.
"Uncle John! Uncle John!"
He shouted, calling for his uncle, searching for him but couldn't find him.
Confused, he tried to understand what had happened.
He ran to all the houses, including the inn, but he didn't find anyone there.
The same went for the Town Hall, with windows and doors broken and shattered.
Matheus, who would usually greet him with a wide smile at the reception desk, was also nowhere to be found.
Sassi looked like a dead, empty town, with not a single person in sight.
"What happened? Where did everyone go?" muttered Ash with a confused expression.
Jagu, who was following him, ran into the Town Hall, sniffing the floor and then whimpering softly. Ash approached him, saying, "What did you find, buddy?"
On one part of the floor, near the podium, lay a large cloth with the words Sassi Hunters written on it.
Ash recognized the cloth as the banner that was always placed above the podium, a source of pride for the people of Sassi for their hunters.
The cloth had bloodstains on most of it.
Holding his breath, Ash picked up the cloth and smelled it. He recognized the distinct scent of blood.
John's words echoed in his mind, from when they had defeated all the Jiahao group's men.
"They will disappear soon because this is in the game. At most, in a day, everything will be clean again."
The cloth slipped from Ash's hands, and he sank to the ground, feeling weak.
It meant that someone had attacked and killed all the inhabitants of Sassi.
And that also meant those who attacked had also killed his uncle.
He sat there for a long time, without moving and without making a sound.
***
That night, Ash sat on the wall inside Sassi, the same place where he had sat after the victory celebration with the Jiahao group.
One of his hands held the amulet necklace given to him by his uncle.
His heart ached deeply, remembering his uncle, whom he had just found. And he had just begun to feel the affection from another family member besides his mother.
He had already gone around and tried to find clues about who killed all the inhabitants of Sassi, but without any results.
It seemed like the game had thoroughly cleaned up all the places.
However, he had one clue, although it was not yet proven to be true.
Drogo.
The Captain's Diary mentioned that Liliana was a spy from a large group led by Drogo, based in one of the big castles in Finding Objects.
He then clenched his amulet tightly, his jaw tensing.
The only thing he could do for the kind and friendly inhabitants of Sassi was to go to Drogo's headquarters and destroy them all.
He looked back at the star-filled sky in the distance and whispered, "I will avenge them all, Uncle. And I will also get out of this game to tell my mother about you..."