Chapter 83: Early and Late

Two tall, powerfully built figures sat at the dining table eating heartily; they still didn't seem quite used to eating with spoons, and one of them even bit a chunk out of a cup while drinking, but Luge just sat opposite them smiling as he watched the two wolf down their food — these two were precisely Aijin and Dasha.

"Don't rush, you can have my portion too; if it runs out we can order more. This time Aijin's ordering, so let's get a serving of Worm Shell Mixed Stew!" Luge said with a laugh.

This was already the third day since meeting that noble young master Lorigo from Fanxing City; the two burly kobolds had also been living outside the Abyssal Bedroom Space for two days now. This tavern was pretty much the place the three of them had visited most often.

Luge's words made Aijin's hand holding the spoon tremble; she still seemed somewhat nervous, even far less at ease than Dasha — a detail that caught him by surprise. As for Dasha, if that guy hadn't still been adjusting, he'd already be able to support himself; the three of them walking down the street had already been approached several times by people actively inviting Dasha to join up, mostly mercenary groups, word being that two Underground Cities had been clashing frequently lately and might go to war.

Aijin raised her hand to summon a server and placed the order smoothly, even remembering to get a portion for Luge without prompting, plus a cup of Sour Mushroom Wine.

In truth that pock-faced server was even more nervous than Aijin; unlike Luge, the two kobolds were more intimidating in both build and appearance, and they carried an indescribable air of wildness — Luge gave off a more approachable vibe. Though the two of them were unusual among kobolds, they still retained a hint of that wild nature.

These past two days Luge had also found a place resembling a Black Market, with some small items smuggled out of the Underground City, but nothing touching the Supernatural yet; most of it didn't interest him. He only bought a few Biography Novels there, said to come from the boudoir of a certain book-loving noble lady; he skimmed through them and tossed them to Aijin and Dasha to read. After mastering the Common Language they could recognize characters too, but some things they still couldn't comprehend when reading — though that didn't matter, it was all part of the adaptation process.

The clanging of ding-ding-dang-dang could be heard from far away.

"Boss, is my order ready yet?" Luge shouted.

After eating and drinking their fill, the three of them headed to the town's smithy; the furnace flames made the smithy the brightest spot on this street.

Under the admiring gazes of Aijin and Dasha, Luge used the coins in his hand to exchange for a longsword and a heavy hammer for them.

The longsword went to Aijin, the heavy hammer to Dasha — both extremely fitting for their temperaments, making them look three parts more fierce.

Transplanted bioluminescent growths lined the roadside; everyone had a tacit understanding, and almost no one trampled or damaged them.

The three walked home in high spirits; Dasha's bulk often drew sidelong glances from passersby brushing past.

When they were nearly home, a person walking toward them caught Luge's attention; the other party also looked at the three of them curiously. Neither side spoke; they simply brushed past each other ordinarily.

This might be a Wizard Apprentice, Luge thought.

He hadn't clearly sensed any Mental Power Fluctuation from the other party — just a feeling in his heart.

The three returned home; Aijin and Dasha chose to go back to the Abyssal Bedroom Space, wanting to get used to their newly acquired weapons, and the lighting there was also better suited for reading.

Luge, as usual, first made a circuit of Kalu's room.

Again, nothing gained.

He returned to his own room and was just about to start Meditating when a knocking sound suddenly came from outside.

"Are you Lord Luge? Young Master Lorigo sent me to tell you the departure time has been moved up." A young mercenary stood respectfully outside the courtyard gate.

"When?" Luge didn't waste words either.

"If possible, please come with me right now." The mercenary finished and made a respectful inviting gesture.

Luge nodded, glanced back once at Kalu's room, and followed the mercenary away at a measured pace.

When he saw Young Master Lorigo again, the other's mood seemed a bit off, but he still greeted him with a smiling face.

"Lord Luge, due to some reasons we must depart ahead of schedule this time; I hope you can agree." The handsome Young Master Lorigo said.

"Of course no problem."

He surveyed the people in the room; Spellcasters really did seem hard to find — aside from the red-haired woman, there was still only him alone.

"These are the promised Spell Notes." Lorigo held out a scroll with both hands.

Luge took it and unrolled it right there on the spot.

It was a notebook of insights from reading spellbooks; a quick look showed it only discussed usage insights and conjectures about the Phantom Sound Technique, nothing else particularly remarkable.

Luge was somewhat disappointed, but still carefully rolled it up and put it away.

Even so he returned a smile and said, "This reward I'm very satisfied with."

Young Master Lorigo seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said, "Please rest here for a while; once everything is ready, we'll set out."

Luge nodded, and the room was soon left with only him inside.

He closed his eyes and pondered, listening to the busy sounds outside.

This was his first time being employed by someone, and also his first time going out to explore a Ruins.

He only hoped everything would go smoothly.

If things didn't go smoothly, then he could only hope his own abilities could handle whatever went wrong, he thought.

Who knew how much time passed.

The door was knocked from outside. He opened his bright, spirited eyes.

A party of nearly two hundred people slowly set out on the road; this number far exceeded Luge's imagination.

At this moment he was sitting alone in a Worm Cart; the space was very cramped. A six-legged worm had a woven crude carriage box mounted on its back. There were only two such Worm Carts in the whole party — his and that young master's. Young Master Lorigo's was a bit less spacious, crammed with the young master and the red-haired woman. The two Worm Carts were positioned near the front of the party, led by an Insect Keeper.

Luge yawned.

This little worm swayed and twisted, nearly lulling him to sleep.

This worm would absolutely be great at babysitting.

He pricked up his ears; from time to time he could hear someone in the party being attacked by Burrowing Worms, but fortunately these guys were experienced and could handle it in time. Supposedly it would get better once they got farther from the town; these Burrowing Worms sensed ground vibrations from below and lunged out to attack prey. They liked to lurk near the various towns of Yuanwo, posing a threat to the townspeople, and also barely counted as a line of defense for the towns against Underground Beasts.

Luge gradually adapted to the Worm Cart's rocking and took out the Ear Planting Technique he'd set aside for a long time and started reading it.

This was a Small Spell that could make mushrooms or plants grow temporary false ears, usable for eavesdropping.

He remembered Young Master Lorigo saying they chose this Yuanwo town because that Ruins wasn't far from here; they just had to wait for a specific time to see it.

He couldn't focus properly here, and this journey probably wasn't long enough for him to learn this Spell anyway, so he just skimmed through it briefly.

He also planned to take another look at the Light Spell later, to see which one was easier to pick up.

(Chapter End)