Chapter 96: Chapter 96
The middle-aged man had a look of astonishment on his face that turned to delight when he saw that Eru was smiling at him. “Now, can you tell me what’s your request?” Eru asked. Sitting beside Eru, Ling’s lips curled up into a small smile, ‘So young yet so eloquent. It’s like he’s done this before many times in his life; what a genius.’ If only Ling knew that Eru had already experienced similar things from his previous life.
The middle-aged man was flustered for a while before finally managing to recollect himself, “I’m sorry about before, I’m Lan Di. I’m a humble farmer from a small village northwest from here.” Eru nodded, “Can you tell me your request, Mr Lan Di?” Eru asked. “Hum, it’s like this. Some times ago, we were just minding our own business, ploughing the fields like usual. Then, one day, suddenly something horrifying happened to us”, the middle-aged man told Eru. Sensing the fear inside the middle-aged man’s voice, Eru leaned his body inward, “What happened?”
The middle-aged man was about to continue when he stopped suddenly. Lan Di’s hands trembled as he used his trembling and shaking hands to cover up his face. “It’s, it’s, it’s not human, I’d tell you. That thing is not human”, Lan Di suddenly broke down crying. Ling held Lan Di’s arm with a gentle touch, “Calm down, old man. If you did not tell us what it is that we’re going to be dealing with, how can we prepare for it?” After Lan Di heard Lian’s words, he held back his tears as flames of determination flared inside his eyes.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. So when we were ploughing the field, someone, no, something approached us. It looked like a human. We all thought that it was a foreigner, judging by how it did not speak our tongue. We treated it warmly at first, but it all changed when it saw our village. Suddenly, it went mad. It transformed from a humanoid form into a monster with bat wings”, explained the grey-haired, middle-aged man, Lan Di, with dread in his voice.
Lan Di took a deep breath before continuing his harrowing story, “Its nails grow long, and its teeth grew, like the fangs from a lion. It used them to hunt us, kill us. I watched this all happen to my horror. Luckily, just as it was about to kill me, a young scholarly youth appeared in front of me, driving the creature away. I was about to thank that young scholar, but he, too, disappeared.” Then, Lan Di looked at Ling and Eru with worry in his eyes, “We thought that it ended like that. However, signs of the creature appeared again when one of the guards sent by the governor after we reported this incident died. He died in a similar way to the previous victim. And that’s why I, no we, come to you. We requested that you find this demon and kill it before it could destroy any more lives”, Lan Di begged as he bowed. His head reached the table, showing his sincerity and helplessness towards Eru and Ling.
Looking at the grey-haired, middle-aged man in front of him, Eru felt sorry for him. Eru reached his hand, gently patting the middle-aged man’s back, “Please stand up. You don’t need to do this, Mr Lan Di. We are adventurers, after all. If you send a request and if we feel that we could finish it, then, of course, we will accept your request, right Ling?” Eru said, his eyes darted to Ling, demanding her answer. ‘Although this is my test, there’s no rule if the examiner joined me in my test,’ Eru looked at Ling with sly eyes.
Being the smart woman she is, Ling immediately understood what Eru was trying to do. ‘How clever. If it were any other person, I’d be annoyed, but if it’s you, I’m fine,’ Ling thought. She bit her lips while looking at Eru before nodding, “Yes, Eru was right. We, as adventurers, had an obligation to help those in need. For a price, of course.” Eru slightly trembled when he saw Ling’s action before he shifted his attention towards the grey-haired, middle-aged man, “See, Mr Lan Di? Even the guild master will help you. What more do you need?” Eru flashed a smile.
Lan Di smiled back in gratitude, “Thank you, thank you.” Eru rubbed his nose, “So, when can we depart?” Ling tapped her glabella, “As soon as possible. Pack up your belongings and meet us at the main gate. We’ll depart before the sun reaches its peak.”
“Aye, aye, Ma’am.”
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Inside the Peace and Quiet Inn, Little Yu was sweeping the floor when suddenly her sixth sense was tingling. She immediately ran towards the inn’s entrance before bowing and greeted with her usual charming smile, “Welcome!” Eru walked in and saw the familiar sight in front of him, “It’s just me, Little Yu” Eru giggled at this young lady’s antics. “Oh, it’s just you”, Little Yu said, disappointed. Eru patted Little Yu’s head, “Yeah, yeah, it’s just me.” Little Yu pouted, “I’m not a child!” Eru chuckled, “I know, I know. By the way, Little Yu. I’m going to be away for a little while; take care of my room, will you?” Eru informed.
Little Yu’s shoulders dropped, her eyes reddened a little, “You’re leaving already, customer?” Although Eru only stayed at Peace and Quiet Inn for quite a short time and most of that time, he was outside of the inn, Little Yu enjoyed serving a customer since usually, the inn did not have any customers. Eru shook his head, “Not for long. I’ll be finishing my mission first. Then, I’ll head back here as soon as I can.” Eru liked this young girl before him. She always had a charming and warm aura around her, making one comfortable around.
Little Yu’s expression brightened, “Okay. For now, how about some lunch?” Eru scratched the back of his head. Eru was about to refuse, but when he looked at Little Yu’s puppy dog eyes, he reluctantly agreed, “Sure. I’ll wait at my usual spot.” Little Yu’s lips curled up into a wide smile, “Okay!” she said before skipping to the kitchen. After Little Yu left, Eru immediately headed towards his room and packed his stuff. He only brought the necessary stuff and left the rest of his belongings inside the room.
After a while, Eru finished packing before strapping a backpack to his back, “Right, I think that’s all I’m going to need.” Eru came out from his room and sat beside the window on the second floor, waiting for his lunch. As Eru enjoyed the sight beyond the window, he heard footsteps ascending the stairs. “Customer, here is your food!” Little Yu cheeringly said. “Fried noodles, steamed tofu and a rice dumpling coupled with your very favourite tea”, Little Yu said as she put down the food one by one. “Thank you, Little Yu”, Eru thanked and flashed a smile at Little Yu. “Your welcome”, Little Yu replied with her usual radiant smile before descending the stairs joyfully.
After Little Yu left, Eru looked at the food before him, “Looks delicious as always. Alright, time to dig in!” Eru gobbled up his food immediately. He started with the fried noodle first before trying the steamed tofu. After finishing them all, Eru ate the rice dumpling, and before long, the plates in front of him were all empty. “Ah, this is life”, Eru rubbed his belly, satisfied. “The food in this inn is incredible. It’s quite close to mother’s cooking”, Eru muttered. Then, Eru got up, strapping his backpack and sword; Eru was preparing to leave. However, just before he could, someone approached him.
“Oh, brother Eru. What a coincidence”, a familiar voice greeted Eru. Long, the young scholarly youth stood before Eru with a smile on his face. “Oh hello,” Eru greeted back, “I’m sorry I couldn’t chat right now. I need to hurry up. I had a mission to complete.” The young scholarly youth nodded in understanding, “I know. And that’s why I’m going to follow you.” Eru’s eyes widened in surprise, “What!? You’re going to do, what!?” The young scholarly youth chuckled when he saw Eru’s expression, “Come, hurry up. Or we’re going to be late”, the scholarly youth said as he opened up his umbrella.
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On the way to Tailwind City’s main gate, Eru had been in a sour mood. ‘What the hell, what the hell. Why is this happening to me? I have to deal with both the rambler and the pervert?’ Eru thought as he followed the young scholarly youth slowly and reluctantly, ‘I guess it’s kind of my fault for saying that in the first place but for this guy? How the hell did he know?’ Eru hesitated for a second before opening his mouth, “Are you sure you want to follow me? You know that this is going to be dangerous, right?” Eru warned. The young scholarly youth just smiled at Eru.
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