Chapter 67: Strength and Insignificance

Confident? Perhaps.

He thought to himself that he did indeed seem stronger than at their first meeting, or perhaps safer, with more assurance in his heart; first, the Foul Skin had already undergone practical testing on a Fifth-level Apprentice, then there was the Abyss Bedroom Space which allowed advance or retreat at will, stockpiled with Fruit, Worm meat, and Dragon Blood, and finally he still had a Demon Dice he had never truly used, which he could stake on a single throw in a life-or-death crisis.

Hearing the little dark-skinned Elf put it that way, he suddenly discovered that he seemed capable of it too; compared to their last meeting, he had mastered more Spells and wielded them more proficiently.

But the timidity, or rather caution, that had always accompanied him was very hard to discard; he considered it a good thing and saw no need to discard it completely — it was precious survival experience gained tremblingly, as if walking on thin ice, from his days as a weak, powerless little Kobold bullied by his own kin.

"My friends all call me Luge; you may call me that too. Last time there wasn't time for a self-introduction; my apologies." Luge said generously.

"Friends? Including those Kobolds?" the Elf smiled mockingly.

It seemed that in a Wizard's eyes, being friends with a group of Kobolds was a very astonishing thing.

"No, no, no, don't be so narrow-minded; friends are precious, don't limit their scope," he said, waving his hand to produce a Spellbook, "even it, a Spell, is likewise my friend, my cherished possession; learning and casting Spells is likewise communicating with me; as a Wizard, don't let your thoughts be shackled — even every blade of grass and tree here could be our friends."

Clap clap! The Elf actually applauded him.

The little Kobold tilted his head back proudly with a slight smile.

"A good perspective; I think you're suited to researching Mind Magic, after all those fellows are all quite strange," the Elf Wizard Apprentice said with a smile, "You can call me Ganaya; as for my full name, I didn't remember that thing until after I turned five."

Listening to Ganaya's words, Luge suddenly recalled the various legends of the Long-lived Race; curiosity urged him to inquire, even to ask how old the Elf before him was now, but in the end he held back and did not ask.

"I want to invite you; of course you can refuse, after all being a Kobold here might be very important to you, so don't be afraid of offending me—" the Elf Ganaya said.

"I accept your invitation."

Luge spoke, but his gaze went to the Passage behind Ganaya; the Half-Man stood there at some unknown time, nodded to him in greeting, then slowly disappeared.

Simultaneously, the Half-Man's voice transmitted secretly, telling him to accept the Elf's invitation.

"You haven't heard what I want you to do yet." the Elf said.

"Then, what do you want to invite me to do? What is the reward?" Luge said seriously.

The Elf did not speak immediately, instead sizing him up once more from head to toe.

She turned and walked toward a distant Passage.

"Inviting you to explore that City together, though there is no reward," she said as she walked, "that City has already faintly manifested; that little Chong Ren is certainly nearby; I originally wanted to find some Kobolds to use, and conveniently call on you since you speak Kobold Language, and could give you some appropriate reward, but since you treat them as friends, I won't let them be sent to their deaths; I'll spend some Magic Stones to hire those detestable Lizardman Mercenaries."

Luge was stunned for a moment; so the one with value wasn't himself.

He jogged a few steps to catch up to the Elf's pace.

"What is the going rate for a hundred Kobolds at your command? Can it be exchanged for books of Spell Knowledge?" he tried asking.

"Can give some Magic Stones." the Elf said without turning her head.

Hearing this, Luge did not continue the conversation.

He sighed inwardly; Kobolds really aren't worth much.

The two wound their way along, yet their speed was not slow.

Luge's mood was also good; at this moment he felt he was realizing his original dream, heading toward those cave depths he had long wanted to explore back when he was carefully scavenging for food; at that time he thought, once he had the strength to face danger, he would follow these Passages to their End, to see where these four-way eight-direction Passages ultimately led.

He had replenished Spells twice along the way, and it had already left him dizzy.

A cluster of firelight appeared ahead; drawing closer, it was a Bonfire about to go out.

"Keep up; fall a step behind and you're on your own."

She spoke and abruptly threw something into the fire.

The previously half-dead flames suddenly surged to over a person's height.

She brought Luge and charged straight through; as he hit the flames he subconsciously closed his eyes, an instant of spinning disorientation, and a trace of that sensation Luge knew well, the one he only felt when crossing a Spatial Door.

A single leap across, and when he opened his eyes again, he only felt a sudden openness.

A vast, spacious Underground Space; beside it was actually a place like a small Camp where Lizardmen stood guard, with people going in and out.

But what most drew his gaze was a bottomless large Pit in the distance; the size of that pit could rival the Hunting Ground the Kobolds couldn't traverse in several days; looking up, he saw no boundary; where they stood was the Edge of the pit, and directly above the great pit floated an illusory City — it was the faint light emitted by this City that let him barely grasp the pit's immensity. Surrounding their foothold were countless Passage entrances; that far-off unclear place was surely also rows of Passage entrances; who knew which one might lead to that Kobold King's Red Horn Tribe.

A familiar figure sat by the Bonfire.

The moment Luge crossed the Bonfire he thought of this person — that Wizard Apprentice with superb culinary skill who had given him Roast Meat last time.

"Meeting again." the man said, poking the Bonfire.

Since their last meeting Luge had noticed that this man, whether speaking or eating, rarely let his gaze leave the flames before him, as if they were his gentle lover.

"Fire is his friend; in your words, it also resolved my years of confusion." the Elf came to the Bonfire and sat down.

"Thank you for your hospitality last time; the taste was simply delicious."

Luge praised, and also sat down by the Bonfire.

In the distance someone entered that Lizardman-guarded small Camp, and quite a few people, like the three of them, chose to rest in unoccupied spots; these people actually all appeared to be Wizard Apprentices. The great rear of his Kobold little paradise had already become this scene.

He also saw several Wizard Apprentices with guard-like figures beside them, each wearing armor and carrying a Sword.

"This detestable fellow, really knows how to make Magic Stones, actually doing business in a place like this..." the Elf muttered, looking at the Lizardman Camp.

"Don't complain, Ganaya; we should all thank him; although he is indeed disgusting, like a natural freak rather than a Reform — oh, I'm not talking about you." the Fire Man said.

Luge chuckled, shrugging to show he didn't mind.

"It's him who spawned and cultivated so many Lizardmen in various zones, consuming large amounts of those Worms," the Fire Man continued, "otherwise it would be even harder for us to find that little Chong Ren."

Luge listened from the side, listening until he suddenly realized.

The reason he no longer starved was actually because of the little Chong Ren — the countless aunts of the little Crybaby Worm, those Worm Women joining hands to cast a Secret Art in an instant to plant brainless Fat Meat Worms everywhere to help the little Chong Ren hide.

He had not starved to death back then, surprisingly, just because this group of Wizard Apprentices were hunting Chong Ren.

(Chapter End)