Luge approached the great boulder step by step, scanning the surroundings. He looked left and right, but he did not see the desiccated thing anywhere.
Just as he was puzzling over it, a burly figure charged out from the side, with several tall lizardfolk at his side. The figure swept past, but when the lizardfolk saw Luge, they came shrieking and squealing toward him.
Bang! One lizardfolk was sent flying! The burly figure doubled back and stopped in front of Luge.
“You're the one?” Baonte asked, looking him up and down.
The several lizardfolk to one side shifted restlessly, swaying back and forth, but in the end they lined up obediently behind Baonte.
“Do you speak the kobold tongue?”
Baonte's eyes lit up as if he had thought of something, and he asked in a low voice.
Luge shook his head.
He chose to tell a small lie. Since they all believed he was a kobold who had been modified by a brutal, inhumane mentor, it was perfectly normal for him not to understand the kobold tongue. He did not want to get entangled in the affairs of these showy, high-leaping apprentice wizards. After all, judging by Baonte's posture, it was surely nothing good.
If they all sat down and shared insights on learning spells, Luge would be willing to join, but he felt that was only a pleasant daydream.
Bang!
Baonte wasted no more words and simply left, with several lizardfolk hurrying after him.
Luge watched his burly back curiously. Especially those lizardfolk who were like little lackeys; the one who had been knocked flying earlier only now got up and scurried after them.
He hurried to the great boulder, lowered his head and looked around again. When he looked up once more, the Half-Man was already before his eyes.
“I have waited a long time for you.”
The Half-Man remained in that state where he could neither blink nor move his mouth.
Luge looked at his already intact head, wondering whether he should give the Half-Man a new nickname.
Just as Luge was thinking this, the Half-Man slowly stood up. Under Luge's gaze, he moved his hands and feet slightly, then leaped down from the boulder. As he leaped down, he also completely shed that illusory state, and now looked like a normal person.
“I still need to thank you for the little gift you sent me. It let me escape this state a step ahead of time,” the Half-Man said.
Fine—his mouth, eyes, and such still did not move. He was still not a normal person, Luge thought.
“Was it that desiccated thing?” he said.
“Yes. It was the corpse of a child of the world. And its world should no longer exist. To others, it is no different from an ordinary corpse, but to me, it has some use.”
As he spoke, the Half-Man moved his shoulders, hands, and feet, seeming to greatly enjoy the feeling of being able to move again.
“What kind of person is a child of the world? A world's child?” Luge asked, looking up.
“A sorrowful person. When the world flourishes, they often do not appear; even if they do, they are bound. They are most easily born when the world declines, yet they often cannot turn the tide. The child of the world born when a world is on the verge of collapse is the most sorrowful of all. The world's darker side also influences them, making them far weaker than a normal child of the world. They often struggle to grow up, sickly from childhood, just like the world they inhabit. Their fate is already sealed, and the mission of their birth seems to be only to witness the fall of the world they belong to.”
As the Half-Man spoke, he moved his hands and feet, and his figure became somewhat illusory again.
“After the world is destroyed,” Luge said, looking at him, “will everything disappear?”
“Of course not. As long as you are strong enough, you can endure it, but you will be subject to many restrictions, and there will be many inconveniences afterward.” Seeing Luge's strange look, the Half-Man continued, “I know what you are thinking. I am a person of the Earth Cave world. That is certain.”
Luge blinked.
“Work hard. Work hard to become a powerful wizard. You will see many more things—very interesting, very interesting things.”
As he spoke, the Half-Man took out a bottle of deep crimson potion and handed it over.
“What is this?”
Luge had actually already guessed, but he did not take it.
“Dragon blood potion. It is your reward, and also my thanks for that unexpected gift,” the Half-Man said, seeming somewhat curious about Luge's action. “Just one small bottle is enough. Drinking it is equivalent to bathing in a pool of dragon blood. It will be enough for you to successfully become a dragonborn kobold. After that, you will not need to worry about your lifespan for a long time, and you can calmly continue your wizard studies.”
“Um, this...” Luge opened a spatial door and allowed a trace of aura to seep out. “I already have dragon blood—a huge pit of it, from a powerful variant dragon. Actually, I want the pure kind... I saw it in a diary before. That pure kind seemed to be very good.”
Luge's words made the Half-Man fall silent, as if he had encountered a small difficulty.
“That sort of thing is generally what bloodline wizards pursue. It is good that you think this way. Maintaining one's true self while pursuing power is something every wizard should possess. It seems your goal is very lofty,” the Half-Man said with a sigh. “Although a slight influence on personality may seem insignificant, and a wizard's willpower is enough to suppress it, when one truly reaches far into the distance and looks back, every bit of insignificance has an effect along the road.”
The Half-Man put the potion away.
“I will think of a way. I should be able to manage it. I will come find you.” With that, the Half-Man walked into the distance without looking back.
Luge opened his mouth, watched the figure disappear at the end of the passage, then looked at the bare boulder beside him.
That was fine, he thought.
This time, he could go back and meditate in peace.
No one had better come and disturb the great kobold wizard. He amused himself with the thought as he started back.
Maybe when he got back, he should sleep first. These past few days had been too tiring, he thought.
The Half-Man suddenly being able to walk and jump was somewhat beyond his expectations. After all, he had only sent a face that had originally belonged to the Half-Man back from the Abyss by way of sacrifice. He did not know the principle, but it felt magical. At the same time, it meant that the tacit employment relationship had ended. At least when it came to errands, he no longer needed anyone else's help.
Besides Aisjin and Big Dumb Hum, the little one in the nurturing bag should also bathe in dragon blood.
Thinking of this, he opened a spatial door right there on the road.
“Little guy, did you miss me? Your dragon-blood feast is here.” Holding the nurturing bag, Luge made another small pit nearby and set aside a separate blood pool for little bug brother.
The nurturing bag vibrated in his hand.
“I know you're very smart, but after bathing in dragon blood, anything could happen. That's why we must complete the contract in advance before I can give you a dragon-blood bath and let you soak in it.” As he spoke, Luge took out the contract stone he had gotten from Baonte.
At the same time, he took out the Black Codex and flipped through the companion familiar contract method recorded in the Demonic Mark Meditation Method.
As for whether the clever little insect would refuse and leave him, he had never considered it. He believed the other was a smart bug; if it really refused, it could just wait for an extra meal.
He turned the mouth of the nurturing bag downward, and something that looked like an insect egg and also like an eggshell fell out. It was about half Luge's size.
It landed steadily in the pit, but clearly the pit was a little too small.
He paused for a moment and set down the Black Codex. While gently stroking the shell to answer the eager warmth from inside, he leaned closer to look. He discovered that this egg-like thing bore some of the characteristics of the dead egg he had found in the Gray Longneck Holy Lord's nest that day, such as those few markings.
Chapter 64