Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

Chapter 273 : The Wild Heart Sanctuary [2]

'So, it really was something they used,' Adrian thought, his suspicions confirmed. 'But what exactly is it?'

He then noticed the beasts unusually gathered in one place, around the spot the scent was coming from. 'Are they attracted to the scent or is there something else?'

Adrian decided to investigate further, moving cautiously around the aviary to see if he could find any more traces of the strange scent. After a few minutes of searching, he identified four or five other spots where the faint chemical smell lingered. Each time, he noticed that the birds were similarly drawn to these areas, their behavior more agitated than before.

Curious about the beasts' reaction to the scent, Adrian carefully rubbed his finger against one of the scented spots, picking up a small trace of the chemical. He then approached one of the bird-type beasts, a medium, half-of-height creature with shimmering blue feathers. He held out his hand for the beast to sniff.

The bird cocked its head, eyeing Adrian curiously, but when it caught the scent on his finger, it only blinked and then turned away, seemingly uninterested. Adrian tried the same with a few other birds, but each one had the same nonchalant reaction. The scent, while unusual, didn't seem to provoke any immediate aggression in the birds, leaving Adrian puzzled.

'So, the smell alone isn't enough to trigger them... Was it something else? Or maybe it needs to be combined with something specific?' Adrian mused, still trying to piece together the puzzle.

It could be just a scent placed by the staff according to order and he was overthinking it as well. Since the novel only wrote the late part of the incident, where Aurelius helped Irithel, he could only search for answers himself.

With these thoughts in mind, Adrian decided it was time to regroup. He made his way back to the entrance, where Irithel and Miss Jenny were waiting for him.

"Did you find anything?" Irithel asked as soon as he approached.

Adrian smiled helplessly, shaking his head. "Nothing concrete. But the beasts are really more agitated than before."

Miss Jenny sighed softly. "As I said, it's a tricky situation. Thank you for looking into it, though. For now, let's not dwell on it. There's still work to be done, and I trust you both to help with that."

She turned to Irithel, giving her a nod. "Irithel, can you teach Adrian about the tasks you'll be doing today? It'll be good practice for him, and I'm sure he'll pick it up quickly."

"Of course, Miss Jenny!" Irithel responded enthusiastically. "Come on, Sir Adrian, let's get started."

As Miss Jenny left them to their duties, Irithel led Adrian toward the first task of the day, explaining the ins and outs of caring for the various beasts at the aviary. Adrian learned intently as he might need it in the future and discover the reason.

Time passed and soon lunchtime arrived.

They reunited with Miya and Finn who were surprised and delighted to see them. It seems they were taking care of the young beasts just like the last time.

Mrs. Rena also appeared in the middle of the lunch, her expression solemn. She only greeted them with a smile and left.

After the lunch, Adrian decided to visit and talk with her.

"Finn, where is your mother's office?" Adrian asked as they walked. "I wanted to tell her something."

"Ah, ok, I will take you there."

Mrs. Rena's office wasn't far from the kitchen, as she was also the head chef, responsible for overseeing the meals and the well-being of the staff and beasts alike. Finn led Adrian down a short hallway, the scent of freshly baked bread lingering in the air, until they reached a modest wooden door.

"Here we are," Finn said, stopping in front of the door. "I still have some tasks to finish, so I'll leave you here. Good luck, Brother Adrian."

Adrian nodded. "Thanks, Finn. I'll see you later."

As Finn walked away, Adrian took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Mrs. Rena's voice called from inside.

Adrian opened the door and stepped into the room. Mrs. Rena looked up from a stack of papers on her desk, her expression softening into a smile when she saw him. "Student Adrian, what a surprise. Is there something wrong?"

Adrian shook his head, closing the door behind him. "Not at all, Mrs. Rena. I just wanted to talk to you about something."

She gestured to a chair across from her desk. "Please, have a seat. What's on your mind?"

Adrian sat down, leaning slightly forward. "I was working in the aviary this morning, and I noticed a few spots that had an odd smell. I wanted to ask if you use any specific scents in the aviary?"

Mrs. Rena nodded, her expression thoughtful. "Yes, we do. It's a special blend we use to help calm the beasts. The aviary can get quite lively, especially when we have a lot of visitors, so we've found that a mild scent helps to soothe them."

Adrian nodded, realizing he might have been overthinking the situation. "That makes sense. But I wanted to confirm because I heard about the incident last week with Mr. Hawke and the beasts. The spots I noticed had a more chemical and odd smell and so I wanted to know it."

Mrs. Rena's brows furrowed in concern. "A chemical smell, you say? That's odd. We've never used anything like that before. Are you sure it was different from the calming scent we use?"

"Um... Since this is just my second visit, I don't know if I am talking about the same thing."

Mrs. Rena's brows furrowed deeper as she considered Adrian's words. "If what you have noticed is a chemical smell that's different from what we use, that's definitely concerning. We've always been very careful about what we expose the beasts to, especially in the aviary. I'll need to look into this."

Adrian nodded, sensing her genuine concern. "I thought it was worth bringing to your attention, especially after what happened last week. It might be nothing, but I didn't want to leave it unchecked."

"Haha, thanks student Adrian." Mrs. Rena leaned back in her chair, her eyes distant as she thought. "I appreciate you noticing and bringing it up. I'll conduct an investigation myself and see if there's anything unusual in the aviary's supplies or if anyone has been using something without my knowledge."

Adrian gave her a reassuring smile. "If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know. Irithel and I are planning to visit regularly, so we'll help in any way we can."

Mrs. Rena returned his smile, though it was tinged with another emotion. "I'll take you up on that offer. You may return to your work now."

With that, their conversation wrapped up, and Adrian left the office.

'Guess, she still prefers to keep it for herself...'

'Let's wait till the next two weeks, if she doesn't ask, then I'll have to use my 'hidden card'.'

'A card that can solve her problems and even help to profit for both of us...'

With his mind running with different thoughts, Adrian returned to his workplace. Ignis and Noxy were still at the place where they left them. The two were leaning toward each other and sleeping.

It looked so incredibly cute that Adrian was sure if he took a video and spread it on the internet, they would become famous overnight. unfortunately, this world had no internet or mobile phones.

'Sigh... I miss the Earth...'

'My brand new Universe Phone, the affordable yet one of the best gaming laptops...'

'...'

'Is there even a way to return back...?'

Tap... Tap...

"(0)-(0)"
Exclusive content from m,v lem|p,yr

"Wow, so cute!"

Adrian's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Irithel and Miya.

"I wish I could capture this moment!" Miya made a regretting expression.

'!'

'Right, there may not be cameras or phones, but there are alternatives!'

'Haha, good, good.'

_________

(A/N: Thanks, Dear Readers. We reached the 1M views milestone. I can't express how much your support means to me. Whether you've been here since the beginning or just joined our journey, each and every one of you has played a part in making this story what it is today. Your comments, feedback, and encouragement have fueled my passion to keep writing and improving with each chapter.

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