Chapter 71 - 69: The Strongman King of Heitai Town

Chapter 71: Chapter 69: The Strongman King of Heitai Town

「The next day.」

The rising sun cast a brilliant golden light as the morning mist dissipated. A mild breeze blew—a perfect day for an adventure.

Outside the small wooden cabin, the Mushroom Squad and its extended members were geared up and ready to depart.

Since they had stashed plenty of supplies near the Dome Pillar, they were able to use more of their backpack space for merchandise from the Golden Sword Hu Grocery Store.

They didn’t just stock up on more medicine and emergency rations; they also brought along various sundries like simple Sharpening Stones, Lighting Pine Oil, Compasses, and Alarm Bells.

The goods were worth a total of 5 Silver Coins. Including the 2 Silver Coins owed from their last purchase, Furen fronted the entire 7 Silver Coins.

Add to that the Gold Coin he’d borrowed yesterday... and Furen had now become Lu Wei’s biggest creditor.

’This made perfect sense.’

’After all, the company is like a family, and its growth depends on everyone.’

’Employees naturally have an obligation to help their boss through tough times.’

"Is everyone ready?"

"Alright, let’s move out!"

After a sweeping glance at the group, Lu Wei turned, locked the courtyard gate, and gave the order to depart with a grand flourish.

However, aside from Zovir and Anna, who each carried a small backpack, the other three didn’t seem very excited.

Mirana’s lack of excitement was understandable. As a Black Iron Level Adventurer, she must have been on countless adventures and was likely used to it by now.

But surprisingly, Bai Ya and Furen also looked listless and worried.

"What’s wrong? You two don’t seem very happy,"

As the team leader, Lu Wei always paid close attention to his members’ morale. He immediately asked with concern, "Did you not sleep well last night?"

’Yes!’

’That woman made me so angry I couldn’t sleep all night!’

Bai Ya turned her head away, her lips pressed tightly together as she remained silent.

Furen, meanwhile, mumbled with a gloomy expression:

"Lu Wei, I really want to go on the mission with you all."

"I’m a Warrior. If I don’t fight, how can I call myself one?"

"Please let me go..."

’I knew it. This again!’

’Give me a reason to say yes. A Gold Coin, for instance!’

"I already told you yesterday, your task is also very important."

Lu Wei’s expression turned stern. "Digging foundations, felling trees—who else can do that work but you?"

"Besides, Bai Ya, Zovir, and Anna don’t have much fighting ability. What if some ill-intentioned customer shows up?"

"You’re the only one who can protect them!"

"What, are you suggesting you’d abandon them in a dangerous situation?"

"No, no, of course not!"

Furen quickly waved his hands, then tentatively suggested, "What I mean is, why don’t you stay behind, and I’ll go on the mission with Mirana..."

’Hmm?’

’As long as you’re not afraid of dying, I have no problem with that.’

Lu Wei shot him a sideways glance. "Fine by me. Go ask Mirana. As long as she agrees, you can go."

"Great! You said it!"

Furen was overjoyed. With an excited expression, he immediately ran over to Mirana.

Bai Ya’s eyes lit up with delight. She secretly watched the two of them, silently praying for Mirana to agree to Furen’s request.

Then, she watched as Furen’s expression shifted from excitement to shock, from shock to pleading, and finally, from pleading to fury.

"Don’t you look down on me!"

"One day, I’ll become the greatest Warrior on the continent!!!"

"Definitely!!!"

Furen’s face was beet red as he walked back, his expression saying it all—

his Power hadn’t earned Mirana’s approval.

In truth, you couldn’t really blame Furen.

After all, he had mastered a Combat Skill, and with his Power and Physique Attributes both likely above 10, his overall combat strength easily put him in the top 20% in Heitai Town.

Unfortunately, in Mirana’s eyes, that still wasn’t enough.

Or perhaps, Mirana had a greater need for Lu Wei’s abilities in Reconnaissance, surveillance, and ambushing to support her.

As for direct combat...

Let’s put it this way: in a one-on-one fight, no monster in Gelan Forest could likely withstand a full-power blow from Mirana and her 31 points of [Power].

...

...

The journey passed without incident.

However, Zovir and Anna’s stamina was quite poor, forcing the group to rest from time to time. As a result, by the time they reached the Dome Tree, only the last sliver of the setting sun remained on the horizon.

The two young slaves felt extremely guilty about this.

"Sorry, Mr. Lu Wei..."

"We’ll be sure to train hard from now on so we don’t slow you down..."

Though he was so exhausted he could barely stand, Zovir kept his head down, pulled Anna along with him, and quietly apologized to Lu Wei. He promised they would do their best to improve and become more competent "workhorses" in the future.

’Just look at that!’

’Such dedication!’

’But talk is cheap. Why did it take them a full minute to get out just a few sentences?’

’Are they trying to sneak in a rest?’

"I believe you."

Lu Wei urged them in a gentle voice, "Alright now, go and help Bai Ya prepare dinner."

"Yes, right away."

The two nodded and immediately dragged their exhausted bodies over to Bai Ya, helping her wash the food ingredients and gather firewood.

Only then did Lu Wei retract his gaze, satisfied. He sat down on a rock and began to reorganize his pack.

They had two missions to complete on a very tight schedule, so after discussing it with Mirana, he had decided they would head straight for Moon Creek Forest that night.

That meant their packs needed to be streamlined accordingly.

They only needed two days’ worth of food, and they’d pare down the rest of their Equipment as much as possible. Medicine, however, had to be plentiful.

Then there was the Crossbow...

Lu Wei unhooked the Crossbow from the side of his pack. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to leave it with Furen and Bai Ya.

He had originally bought the Crossbow to make up for the Mushroom Squad’s lack of ranged firepower.

But now, due to a "change in party composition," it was temporarily useless.

After all, it was just him and Mirana, and neither of them could act as a tank. So naturally, the concept of "ranged support" was moot.

Once a fight broke out, they would both have to charge in.

Therefore, rather than have the Crossbow add to his own weight, it was better to leave it with Bai Ya so she’d have some means of self-defense.

’I’ll have to remind her to make sure she can distinguish friend from foe before she shoots, though.’

’With just 1 point in Perception, there’s no telling she won’t end up shooting Furen.’

’Sigh. If our haul this time is as good as the last, I’ll consider giving the Pendant back to her.’

’I can’t use the Summon Undead Skill anyway, and the Attribute bonuses from the Pendant are just icing on the cake for me.’

’...’

With these thoughts in mind, Lu Wei set the Crossbow aside and quickly finished organizing his pack.

It was now half as heavy as before, and the remaining space was reserved for loot.

He looked up and surveyed the area. Bai Ya had already hung the pot and was slicing mushrooms into it; the little girl, Anna, was cutting dried cheese on a nearby rock; Zovir was squatting by the campfire, using a Flint Box to start the fire; and a dejected Furen was setting up Alarm Bells around the edge of the camp—

...sticking forked branches into the ground, running a cord around them, and tying on a few black bells that had been coated with a matte material.

It was mainly to guard against wild beasts and monsters.

Lu Wei’s gaze swept around the camp, finally landing on the "Gold Coins, Sword, pepper powder" sign, which was posted four meters up a tree.

The sign and the adjacent Kobold head were both intact, which meant they hadn’t been attacked by monkeys these past few days.

But below the sign, there seemed to be... hmm?

After a brief pause, Lu Wei stood up and walked over to the sign. There, on the tree trunk, he saw two newly carved lines of small text.

[What is this? ↑↑↑]

[I don’t know. ↑↑↑]

"..."

’Unbelievable. They’re using it as a damn message board, aren’t they!’

[This is a grocery store! You two idiots! ↑↑↑]

Indignant, Lu Wei drew his Dagger and quickly carved a line of text.

But after a moment’s pause, he immediately scraped the line away and carved two new ones.

[It’s a grocery store! ↑↑↑]

[Everyone is welcome! ^_^]