Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 86: Tiger Head and Snake Tail

"Great Faceless One, your face can simultaneously show sorrow and joy. You are both merciful and cruel. You can transform into countless sinners, or into the whip of punishment. You are the supreme light within the prison, and you control both punishment and redemption..."

The strange people around the camp suddenly knelt on the ground and shouted loudly. It was a little noisy at first, but after a few sentences it turned into a uniform shout.

Some young mercenaries were stunned with shock, only some old guys were still gritting their teeth and carrying out the final executions one after another on those knocked down by Ruger.

Of course, Ruger would not really act like in the adventure novels of the wandering knight. Watching the enemy moving in front of him, he quickened his pace and walked through the crowd of people who were shouting loudly. He raised his hand and sent two fire bombs to the places that were a little further away that he could not take care of.

If there really is an enemy in secret, he must be hating him to the core.

The guy who was trying to block the attack from a distance suddenly stopped and was bitten on the ankle by a clever insect that emerged from the ground. The companion magic pet followed Ruger's orders and did not fully reveal its strength. It only helped a little, but the nimble guy was still cut into two pieces by the big sword swung by Aisijin.

Until the last guy who was shouting loudly fell to the ground, no new powerful enemy appeared.

This surprised Luger greatly.

Was he scared away? he thought.

Ruger walked slowly back to the camp, and wherever he passed, he would attract attention. People on the road would make way for him, and some mercenaries would even salute him from a distance.

The same thing happened when he came to Lorigo. The young nobleman who had just experienced a life-and-death experience had shining eyes when he saw him, and his excitement was beyond words.

"Is this the end?" said Luger.

Ruge's words temporarily extinguished Master Lorigo's excitement, and the red-haired woman beside him slowly shook her head.

Ruger also felt a sense of anticlimax stuck in his throat. If he were not there today, that agile guy would probably have a hard time getting past the red-haired Myrtle.

Were you really scared away by his methods?

Then we face a new problem: should we continue to wait here for the legendary ruins to appear?

As for the so-called redeemer, the assassin, and why they wanted to kill Lorigo, Ruge didn't care at all.

Several mercenary leaders also came over to report the losses. They looked at the red-haired Myrtle, then looked at Ruge in awe and saluted.

Then, they suppressed their anger and made accusations. Perhaps it was out of fear of the noble status, or perhaps it was because of fear of the two spellcasters. The three team leaders did not go too far, but only expressed their dissatisfaction, believing that the young master had concealed something from them, which was an unacceptable deception, and that the damage tonight was completely beyond the agreed scope of exploring the ruins.

Luger stepped aside and watched quietly.

At the same time, I am also waiting for the young master's decision.

Because these team leaders are not just asking for compensation, then the young master will not hesitate, they have already revealed their willingness to withdraw in their words.

From their conversation, Ruger learned that the so-called Redeemers were a mysterious cult that had only recently emerged in the catacombs where Starry City lay. The unfortunate inhabitants of the Abyssal Caverns were so bold they dared to confront them, while those in the numbered catacombs would have been terrified to their knees. While the Redeemers believed the catacombs were a prison, they also fervently worshipped a figure called the Faceless Man, whom they regarded as their savior. The conversation lasted a long time.

It was not until Luger was about to fall asleep leaning against Dashaheng that a result finally came out.

The employment relationship continued, but the mission was changed. The exploration of the ruins was abandoned, and the task became to immediately escort the young nobleman back until the bright numbered cave area could be seen.

Luger was not surprised by this. He just silently noted this place down, thinking it might come in handy in the future, or he could tell Kalu about it when they had a chance to meet again.

The remaining group of a hundred or so began to turn back. They lacked the initial urgency they'd felt when rushing to their destination, but to Ruger's surprise, the atmosphere wasn't dead. Many mercenaries were still chatting and laughing along the way, their spirits high after learning their employer had increased their pay. Perhaps the biggest change was the awe with which they gazed at his bug-car frame, lowering their voices as they passed by.

An assassination that started off well but ended poorly, an adventure that started well but ended poorly.

Ruger sat in the woven carriage, thinking about his first mercenary journey.

He lowered his head, ripped open his clothes, and touched the faint, swirling patterns on his body. After getting used to them, he found them quite beautiful, as if some kind of transformation was taking place. After the battle, the swirling patterns seemed to have darkened slightly. He remembered the mention of a spell on stinking skin that would leave a near-constant odor after prolonged use. However, this had never happened to him. Perhaps the effect had also changed slightly in him.

He recalled the various spells he had mastered.

Since Mental Effervescence exhibits different effects than normal spellcasting after solidification, would there be wizards specifically experimenting with this? For example, they could gather some newly promoted wizard apprentices, offer them some benefits, and then have them make sacrifices to solidify their collected zero-level spells one by one to see what happens. However, collecting zero-level spells is difficult. As Karyuu's diary says, someone somewhere might come up with a new zero-level spell in the time it takes to eat a meal.

If you want to be rigorous, you can also use a different group of people for comparison, such as new wizard apprentices with and without spell compatibility, to solidify the same spell. Without dedicated experiments, it is difficult to obtain certain data, because many apprentices will change their spells after solidification and will not actively publicize them.

After the initial excitement, a layer of gloom shrouded the mercenary group, but as the journey home came to an end, the spirits of these guys became high again.

Some of the supplies for setting up the camp were abandoned. In theory, the return journey should be faster than the outward journey, but some injured people brought the speed back to normal.

It was time to rest again, and the team gradually stopped.

Ruger looked at the surrounding environment and recalled the route he took. Perhaps this would be his last rest.

As soon as he entered the tent, the red-haired woman came in.

"They might have succeeded..." she whispered, "I've been keeping an eye on them all the way, and there seem to be more and more people in the team..."

Ruger looked at her, and seeing her serious expression, he gradually understood what she meant.

He laughed and said, "You mean, those mercenaries couldn't even notice there was an extra person around them? Then you're sure that there's nothing wrong with me?"

She actually shook her head.

"Master Lorigo asked me to tell you that he wants to invite you to visit Starry City." The woman looked at him without blinking.

(End of this chapter)