bookbashuk Chapter 86 Gray Rock Village
Chapter 86 Gray Rock Village
Following Rom's slightly limping steps, still bearing the marks of his "old arrow wound," Ollie muttered a complaint about the earlier interruption:
"Master, why are you stopping me from continuing? I wanted to tell Uncle Luo Lan about what you did back then—"
"Shut up."
Rom interrupted Ollie again, but his voice was devoid of any anger. He seemed to be adjusting his words before slowly adding:
"Kid, there are many ways to tell a hero's story, but none of them is to embellish your own."
Once again being "scolded" by his master, Oli angrily kicked a small pebble away, his eyes catching a glimpse of white that had been following Luo Lan two meters behind.
A snow-white ragdoll kitten.
The boy's attention was instantly diverted:
"By the way! Uncle Luo Lan, you also have a cat? What's its name? It saw so many ghouls just now, and it didn't even bristle. That's amazing!"
Having already prepared her answer, Luo Lan replied briefly:
"Because it's not an ordinary kitten, but a magical pet."
No explanation is the best explanation; a "magical pet" can save a lot of words.
Ollie couldn't help but take another look at the kitten.
"Wow! A magical pet! This is the first time I've ever seen one, it's amazing..."
The white kitten silently stepped over the decaying leaves, each step precise to the millimeter, still closely following Luo Lan's side.
In response to Ollie's shouting, Rom turned around and glared at Ollie from the front:
"Stop dawdling, brat! Get out of here! Shouting in the woods in the middle of the night, do you want to get yourself killed already?"
Luo Lan, who was discreetly observing the environment with [Heat Vision] constantly activated, didn't care about Ouli's noisy chatter. After all, apart from the ghouls from before, there were no other monsters around.
"It's alright, there's no danger nearby. This is a good opportunity for Ollie to tell me about Grayrock Village?"
Having received Luo Lan's affirmation, Ou Li suddenly became excited:
"Listen up, Uncle Luo Lan. Our village may be small, but the tavern owner's spicy steak is absolutely amazing! Also—the western mine has been experiencing a lot of activity lately, so if you want to take on a quest, the village chief will definitely be happy to. And, and..."
The boy's voice sounded particularly clear in the night breeze as he spoke and hopped forward.
Veteran Rom seemed to have been roused by Ollie's liveliness and chimed in:
"Indeed, although I miss the days of being an adventurer, life in Grayrock Village isn't bad at all. I spend my days walking through the forest, clearing out those starving monsters, and then returning to the village for a bowl of hot soup. Having people who need your protection—that in itself is—"
Rom paused, seemingly searching for the right words:
"Perhaps it's another meaning of 'adventure'."
A night breeze blew through the forest, carrying away some of the blood and putrid smells left behind by the ghouls.
The moonlight shone down, clearly outlining the four figures traveling together:
A weathered old soldier burdened with old wounds and hidden ailments, a nervous and inexperienced young apprentice, a mysterious white-haired traveler, and a white kitten that doesn't look real.
The three people and the cat chatted idly as they gradually disappeared into the woods.
……
……
About twenty minutes later.
The shadows of the trees gradually thinned out, and the forest came to an end.
The terrain of the canyon and jungle becomes relatively flat here, and a slightly desolate little village appears before Luo Lan's eyes.
The night was deep, but the bright moonlight of the large silver moon in the sky illuminated the outline of the village clearly.
The most conspicuous thing is the large area of abandoned mining facilities piled up like mountains on the outskirts of the village.
The rusty, massive iron wheels, the broken conveyor belts, and the minecarts half-buried in the mud resembled dead steel behemoths, lying silently outside the village's sphere of influence.
These are the remnants left from the prosperous "Gray Rock Town" a thousand years ago, but now they can only be eroded by wind, rain and time.
After passing this graveyard made of iron lumps, you will see a simple wooden fence.
The logs, some thick and some thin, were sharpened at the top and stuck crookedly into the ground, enclosing the entire small village.
Just look at the gaps in these loose wooden fences. Let alone keeping out fierce monsters, even a strong wild boar could probably break through them.
But this seemingly superfluous village fence actually has a string of bone amulets hanging every few steps.
These amulets were polished to a very smooth finish, with twisted runes drawn on them in an unknown red pigment. They shimmered with a faint, otherworldly aura under the moonlight—[Beast Repelling Amulets], which could be used to ward off low-level beasts corrupted by chaotic energy.
At this moment, Gray Rock Village was deathly silent; the villagers were already fast asleep.
Apart from a torch burning on a two-story wooden watchtower at the village entrance, there was no other light in the entire village.
Rom, the leader, stopped in front of the wooden fence:
"We've arrived. But wait a moment, the village fence is already closed at this time."
Rom stepped forward and waved his hands dramatically twice at the wooden watchtower where the firelight flickered:
"Willard, your night patrol is over. Open the gate."
Rom had barely finished speaking.
The sound of footsteps treading on wooden planks came from the observation tower.
A head with a messy beard and pointed ears poked out, peering down by the firelight. The voice was steady and wary.
"Are there outsiders?"
Ollie spoke before Rom could, tilting his head back and shouting:
"This is Uncle Luo Lan, he's really strong! He helped us clear out the ghoul horde, he's not a bad guy!"
The people on the lookout tower were silent for two seconds, seemingly sizing up the heavily armored man standing next to Rom:
"Welcome to Gray Rock Village, outsider. Remember, don't cause trouble."
As soon as he finished speaking, several bone amulets hanging on the wooden fence suddenly moved without any wind, colliding with each other and making a crisp "click-clack" sound.
A faint, visible green magical glow spread along the wooden fence.
The once dry wooden fence seemed to come alive instantly upon being exposed to the green light. The bark of the wood rippled, and the vines at the roots, as if revived, pulled downwards with all their might.
"Shhh—"
Several thick wooden fences, as if living things were burrowing into the ground, quickly retracted into the soil, leaving a gap in front of Luo Lan and the others that allowed two people to walk side by side.
As Rom led the way through the gap, he pointed towards the watchtower and explained:
"Willard Night Owl, he used to be an old half-elf buddy of mine in our adventure party. He knows some druidic skills from the Emerald Council, and his oak wine is quite good. If you have the chance, I'll introduce you two."
Luo Lan nodded.
The three people walked across the dirt road leading into the village. Most of the buildings in the village were constructed using a mixture of stone and logs, a rugged architectural style designed to withstand the cold and wild animals.
After walking a short distance, Rom stopped in front of a low wooden house.
The house was built entirely of logs that hadn't been peeled, and the base of the walls was covered with patches of grayish-green moss.
Rom raised his rough palm, pressed it against the door, which was full of cracked wood splinters, and pushed hard:
"Luo Lan, the tavern owner is probably asleep by now, so you can rest here for now..."
The wooden door made a creaking sound.
The air inside seemed stuffy and not very fresh; a mixture of stale sweat, a strong smell of rust, and the musty smell of old leather assaulted the people outside.
"This is the guardhouse where Slee and I often stayed during training. Although it's a bit simple, it's well-equipped with daily necessities and food."
Rom stepped aside, making room for him to enter the room.
Luo Lan didn't pay much attention to the unpleasant smell in the small house, and simply replied:
"Well, having a place to stay means we don't have to camp, which is already very good."
"Hehe, I'm glad you don't mind, uncle. Come with me..."
Led by Oli, Luo Lan arrived at a small house with a hard bed.
After instructing Ah Mao to remain on guard at night, Luo Lan fell into a deep sleep.