Novel Full Chapter 80: A Long Journey
Chapter 80: Chapter 80: A Long Journey
By the time Zelir returned to Black Stone Town, the last of the evening glow was being swallowed by the mountains.
Lanterns lining the streets flickered to life, one after another, and the entire town seemed to burst with activity.
The still-charming tavern proprietress stood at her door, beckoning to customers. The aroma of various snacks drifted through the air amidst a stream of people flowing back and forth, their shoulders brushing against each other.
At a street corner, a Minstrel with bright eyes sat on a small stool, a weather-beaten Lute cradled in his arms.
Today, he was going to tell the tale of the "Evil Dragon of the Lingluo Mountain Range," which was also everyone’s favorite story.
And so, more than half the street was filled with people, all standing on their tiptoes and craning their necks to get a better look.
The lingering sound of the lute rang out, accompanied by a raspy yet captivating voice.
"The Giant Dragon’s breath burned the earth, its claws tore the heavens asunder...
The hero drew his Divine Sword, shimmering with Holy Light, and advanced without fear!
He crossed muddy swamps and climbed frozen, snow-capped mountains.
Thorns tore his battle robes, but could not stop his unyielding conviction.
The hero declared: ’For my love’s smile, for the peace of the Kingdom!’
He roared before the Dragon’s Nest, the light of his sword rising like the scorching sun!
The Evil Dragon cried out in pain, its blood splattering everywhere!"
Reaching the climax of the song, the Minstrel gave a fierce sweep of the strings, striking a rousing chord!
The crowd felt as if they were there, as if they could truly see the hero battling the Evil Dragon. They erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.
The Minstrel paused his playing at the perfect moment. He smiled, took off his hat, and placed it in front of him.
"CLINK CLINK CLINK..."
Copper Coins rained into the hat. Zelir, caught up in the atmosphere, pulled two Copper Coins from his pocket and tossed them in as well.
A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.
The rain came down in torrents, a slanted wall of water. With a great RUSH, the once-packed crowd scattered.
People scrambled for the nearest eaves, seeking shelter from the rain. The Minstrel hastily gathered his Lute and hat and vanished around the corner in a flash.
A black stray cat darted out from behind a wooden barrel at the end of the alley, leaping onto a nearby windowsill in just a few bounds.
In just a few short moments, the once-bustling street was open and empty again, leaving only the rain-slicked flagstone path.
Zelir pushed open the main door of the Night Flower Inn, shutting out the wind and rain.
"Good evening—oh my... Zelir, you’re soaked!"
Zelir was greeted by Aurora’s ever-energetic voice; she was back on the night shift now.
Aurora came trotting over with a clean towel.
"Hurry, go warm yourself by the fireplace. What would you like to eat tonight?"
"The usual."
Zelir smiled. "Beef shank in red wine sauce."
"You got it!"
...
「In the early morning.」
The sun had already climbed to the windowsill, and the incessant chirping of birds filled the air.
Zelir sat up. After a few minutes of light Meditation, he shook off the last vestiges of sleepiness and felt completely refreshed.
He pushed open the window. The sky was as blue as if it had been washed clean, and the fresh air, cleansed by the downpour, rushed in to meet him.
Yesterday’s rain seemed to have wiped away all the dust from Black Stone Town. The scenery outside looked as if it had a filter on it, with the colors appearing much more vivid.
A night of high-quality, deep, dreamless sleep had restored Zelir to his optimal condition, wiping away all his accumulated fatigue.
"Well then..."
Zelir stretched, his joints letting out a series of crisp CRACKS. "Time to prepare for the path to advancement."
With a flicker in his eyes, his Attributes panel appeared.
Level 8 (55/275)
Power: 65
Agility: 61
Constitution: 68
Spirit: 71
Intelligence: 90
Perception: 30
Charm: 51
Lucky: 41
Talent Skills:
Technique Celestial Calculation.
Spring Overclocking and Magic Contract were both waiting to be unlocked.
In his task queue, Healing Skill was already at 83%, and Extraction Skill was at 72%. These two Level Four Magic skills would be fully analyzed in another two or three days.
Then there was the Great Creation Skill. Analysis progress: 1%.
Zelir shook his head, pushing aside thoughts of such a distant goal.
He still needed 220 experience points to level up.
’It’s not too much. If I can take out two [Difficulty]-rated Demons in one mission, that should be enough. That’s probably the level of a two-star Junior mission.’
’If that doesn’t work, I’ll just do one more.’
’There’s nothing wrong with taking a slow and steady approach.’
With a goal in mind, he no longer hesitated to act.
The first teammate Zelir thought of was Hill.
With Hill around, his range of mission choices would be much wider. He could even take on a three-star Junior mission.
After washing up and eating the fried egg and savory meat pie breakfast special prepared by Aurora, Zelir left the Night Flower Inn.
It was broad daylight, so Zelir figured there shouldn’t be any unexpected trouble. He headed to Number Seven, Dark Alley Street alone.
At the entrance to the alley, even under the bright, clear sky, the place felt somewhat gloomy.
Last night’s rainwater had not yet completely dried, and a pungent, fermented smell hung in the air.
From beneath a pile of empty boxes, a filthy rat shot out with a SWISH, darted past Zelir’s feet, and disappeared into the darkness of another corner.
Zelir frowned slightly. Following his memory, he found Number Seven, Dark Alley Street.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...
It was still the five-knock secret code.
A moment later, a soft CLICK sounded from the door. The familiar small sliding panel was pulled open again, revealing a pair of wary, scrutinizing eyes.
"I’m looking for Hill." Zelir said, holding out the black feather token.
But the person inside didn’t take it, merely tossing out a cold sentence.
"She’s away on a long trip. Can’t deliver a message. Stop looking."
"Away on a long trip...?"
Zelir was taken aback for a moment. "Then may I ask when she’ll be back?"
The person inside couldn’t even be bothered to answer. The panel was slammed SHUT, and the other side of the door fell into dead silence once more.
"What’s with the attitude..." Zelir’s eye twitched. He felt a strong urge to blast this rotten door down with an Arcane Missile.
’Away on a long trip...’
’I wonder what Hill is up to. Could she have accepted some secret assassination mission? Or maybe she got into trouble and is lying low?’
Zelir guessed wildly for a moment before letting out a soft sigh.
’Looks like I won’t be able to recruit her for the team on this mission.’
Zelir had no choice but to head to the Red Beard Inn to get Marcus, and the two of them went to the Adventurer’s Association together.
Amid the bustling crowd, Zelir also spotted a conspicuous figure—Gak.
He was the same as ever, built like a small mountain. The Broad Axe on his back, however, had been replaced with a new one that looked to be of much better quality.
Although Zelir already had some understanding of a Warrior’s self-healing abilities, he was still shocked once again to see Gak looking so hale and hearty.
"As long as you Warriors still have a single breath left in you, can you all just slowly come back to life?" Zelir couldn’t help but turn and ask Marcus.