Two tall, sturdy figures sat at the dining table, wolfing down their food. They still seemed unused to eating with spoons, and one of them took a bite out of a cup while drinking. But Luge just sat across from them smiling. These two voracious eaters were Aisjin and Big Dumb Hum.
“Don’t rush. You can have my portion too; if you finish it, you can order more. It’s Aisjin’s turn to order this time—let’s have a Bug-Shell Stew!” Luge said with a laugh.
By now it was the third day since they’d met that noble young master from City of Stars, Lorigo, and the two burly kobolds had also spent two days living outside the Abyssal bedroom space. This tavern was the place the three of them came to most often.
Luge’s words made Aisjin’s hand holding the spoon tremble. She still seemed somewhat nervous—far more so than Big Dumb Hum, which was a point beyond his expectation. As for Big Dumb Hum, if it weren’t for his still needing to adapt, he could already support himself. They’d run into people several times on the street who came up to invite him to join them, mostly mercenary bands. Supposedly two Earth Cave Cities have been in constant friction lately and may go to war.
Aisjin raised her hand to call over a server, ordered smoothly, and without needing a reminder ordered a portion for Luge as well, plus a cup of Sour Mushroom Wine.
Actually, the beefy-faced server was more nervous than Aisjin. Unlike Luge, the two kobolds were more intimidating both in build and appearance, and there was also that indescribable aura factor; Luge came across as more agreeable to others. Although the two of them were rather special among the kobold people, they still retained a trace of wildness.
These two days Luge had also found a place like a black market, with some small items obtained from Earth Cave Cities, but nothing in the supernatural range. Most of the things there didn’t interest him; he only bought a few biographies, supposedly from some book-loving noble lady’s boudoir. After a quick read he tossed them to Aisjin and Big Dumb Hum to read. Once they’d mastered the common tongue, they could both read too, but some things still couldn’t be understood when read—though that didn’t matter, it was all a process of adaptation.
The clinking and clanging could be heard from far away.
“Boss, is my order fixed up?” Luge shouted.
Having eaten and drunk their fill, the three came to the town’s blacksmith shop; the fire in the forge made the blacksmith shop the brightest place on this street.
Under the admiring gazes of Aisjin and Big Dumb Hum, Luge used the coins in his hand to trade for a longsword and a heavy hammer for them.
The longsword went to Aisjin, the heavy hammer to Big Dumb Hum—quite fitting for their temperaments, and it made them look all the more fierce.
Along the roadside there were some transplanted glowing things; everyone had a tacit understanding about them, and very few people trampled or damaged them.
The three walked home cheerfully; Big Dumb Hum’s build often drew sidelong glances from those they passed.
When they were almost home, a person walking toward them caught Luge’s attention. The other also glanced curiously at the three of them; the two sides exchanged no words and simply passed each other by, unremarkably.
This might be an apprentice wizard, Luge thought.
He hadn’t clearly felt any fluctuations of mental power from the other—it was just a feeling in his heart.
The three got home. Aisjin and Big Dumb Hum chose to return to the Abyssal bedroom space, wanting to get used to their new weapons, and the light there was also more suited to reading.
As usual, Luge first went to take a look around Kaliu’s room.
Once again, nothing.
He returned to his own room and was just about to begin meditating when a knock suddenly came from outside.
“Are you Lord Luge? Young Master Lorigo sent me to tell you that the departure time has been moved up.” A young mercenary stood respectfully outside the courtyard gate.
“When?” Luge didn’t waste words.
“If possible, please come with me now.” The mercenary finished and made a respectful inviting gesture.
Luge nodded, glanced back at Kaliu’s room, and followed slowly behind the mercenary as he left.
When he saw Young Master Lorigo again, the other man’s mood seemed somewhat off, but he still greeted Luge with a smile.
“Lord Luge, for some reasons, we need to set out earlier this time. I hope you can agree,” said the handsome young master.
“Of course, no problem.”
He sized up the people in the room. Spellcasters really did seem hard to find; apart from the red-haired woman, there was still only him.
“This is the spell journal as agreed.” Lorigo handed over a rolled-up bundle with both hands.
Luge took it and unrolled it on the spot.
It was a journal of insights from reading a spell book. A quick look suggested it only covered some experience and ideas on using Ghost Sound, nothing else particularly special.
Luge was a little disappointed, but he still carefully rolled it up and put it away.
But he still returned a smile and said, “I’m very satisfied with this reward.”
Young Master Lorigo seemed to let out a breath, and said, “Please rest here a while. Once everything is ready, we’ll set out.”
Luge nodded. Soon he was the only one left in the room.
He closed his eyes and pondered, listening to the busy sounds outside.
This was the first time he’d been hired by someone, and the first time going out to explore a ruin.
He just hoped everything would go smoothly.
If it didn’t go smoothly, then he could only hope his own abilities would be enough to deal with the rough patches, he thought.
He didn’t know how long had passed.
The door was knocked on from outside. He opened his bright, spirited eyes.
A party of nearly two hundred people slowly set off; this number far exceeded Luge’s imagination.
At this moment he was sitting alone in an insect cart, the space very cramped. A kind of six-legged bug, with a crudely woven carriage mounted on its back. There were only two such insect carts in the whole party—his and the young master’s. Young Master Lorigo’s was a little more spacious, with the young master and the red-haired woman squeezed inside. The two insect carts were near the front of the party, led by an insect keeper.
Luge yawned.
This little bug twisted and swayed, nearly sending him into dreamland.
This bug was definitely a good hand at lulling a child to sleep.
He pricked up his ears and could hear from time to time someone in the party being attacked by burrowing worms, but fortunately these fellows were experienced and could deal with them in time. It was said things would get a bit better after getting away from the town; these burrowing worms felt the vibrations of the ground below and burst out to attack prey. They loved to haunt the vicinity of the various towns in the Abyss Den, posing a threat to the townspeople, and also barely counted as a line of defense the town had against subterranean beasts.
Luge gradually got used to the swaying of the insect cart and took out the Ear Seed spell he’d set aside for a long time to read.
It was a minor spell that could make a mushroom or plant grow temporary fake ears, usable for eavesdropping.
He remembered Young Master Lorigo saying that the reason he could choose this Abyss Den town was that the ruin wasn’t far from here—it only had to wait for a specific time to be seen.
He couldn’t concentrate here, and the journey probably wasn’t long enough for him to learn this spell, so he just flipped through it briefly.
In a while he also planned to look again at the Light spell, to see which one was easier to get the hang of.
Chapter 83