This wasn't going as well as he hoped.
Molan let out a small sigh of disappointment as he walked through the bustling streets of Tier Lumina. He had been walking around for the majority of the day, asking locals about anything they knew about the Soulstone, the Chosen, or any information that could help go towards his book. So far, no one was able to help all that much, and the lack of knowledge was starting to irritate him. He always wondered why he had a strong curiosity when it came to these things.
No... that's not the proper way to word it. It was passion. Had to be. The reason he wrote books on superstitions, fables, and other topics with hard to obtain information felt like a game to him; the type of game that he just couldn't stop playing, and one he was good at. The rush and excitement he would feel when finding out new information, the feeling of accomplishment that would wash over him when he would look over all his notes before combining it all into a new book before releasing it to the public. It's what he yearned for, and loved to do in his life.
But now...
Molan pulled out a small blank book and flipped it open to the first page. Written on the top was "The Secrets of the Soulstone" in somewhat fancy cursive writing. The rest of the page consisted of common knowledge the average civilian knew. This book was supposed to be brimming with new and exciting information, but he barely had enough content to fill up a page. With some frustration, he closed it and put it away.
There had to be a way to obtain this information. The problem was no one knew anything. There was only one way to find any information.
"I have to find one of those... Chosen."
Surely one chosen by the Soulstone would have SOME idea on what's going on... right? Please be right.
Where would he even find one anyway? There couldn't be that many, and Molan didn't think they'd stick out too much. He had heard that they were all coming to Tier Lumina, but where would they be in this massive city? Maones was big and prosperous, but nowhere near like this; finding them could take days.
As he rounded a corner pondering on what to do, a child ran past him, almost colliding with the much taller man. Where was that kid's parents... allowing him to roam free like that. Looking forward he saw what could be a potentially dangerous situation. 3 men, talking to 1 girl who looks like she's barely the age to be considered an adult. It was weird on how they stood over her, but it confirmed his fears when they drew swords. 3 grown men ganging up on a girl like that... what could the reason be?
From where he was standing, he couldn't hear everything. Something about stealing...? Did she steal from them? This was none of his business, but he felt strangely interested in the girl; she seemed pretty fearless facing them, and there was something about her he couldn't quite figure out.
Molan jogged over deciding to help.
Stepping in between them with his arms outstretched, he faced the three men.
"Now now gentlemen, there is no reason for violence. Come now, put your swords away." He tried convincing them. They still looked irritated and growled at him, still brandishing their swords.
It looks like he had to make them leave.
Molan reached towards his side where his hand brushed past the handle of his sword, Shi Wei... and pulled out a small bag of gold.
He held it up to the man in front.
"I overheard you had something stolen from you. Please, accept this as payment to leave this girl be. I'm sure there's more money in this pouch than you need to cover whatever was taken.
The two men in the back looked a bit surprised but confused at the sudden offer, and the man in front pondered before snatching the money from Molan with a grunt. He turned to leave, and his goons followed him.
With a smirk of victory, he turned to face the girl, and with a slight bow asked, "Are you okay miss? They didn't harm you, did they?"
Molan wasn't sure on why he did such a thing, but this girl was interesting in ways he couldn't understand. Maybe she could be of help to him somehow.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Molan Lassiter... maybe you've heard of me?" He spoke with a smile.