Chapter 533: Almost Friendly Chat
It is very possible to notice scouts, especially when they take as little care to hide themselves as I did. I had been expecting a visit from the invaders.
At nightfall, I moved to a more promising campsite with views on both them and where I'd been watching.
My time with the Hyenadae had taught me to recognize laughter; the night owl had excellent hearing, not all of which is in the shape of their ears. <1>
"I can hear you." I said in Achean. "Come forward, we are on the same side."
The kobold cursed at me in his language, and did no such thing.
"I know you think you're being stealthy, but you're just wasting time."
Now, let me be honest here. I didn't want to speak with him or her. I didn't want them on the same hillside. Kobolds terrified me, as they should have.
It isn't just their second tier tissues; I had those. In most cases, it was just a free plus one to your statistics. Those were easy enough to come by.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Mike_Kochis
Mike_Kochis I realized something today. I owe you, the readers, a formal apology:
I haven't been paid for almost a year now. This is because I, the author, am in violation of my contract; I have not posted a chapter a day. There are many reasons for this, but among them is this. I do not consider myself a professional author; it's something I do, but isn't how I make a living.
I'm not apologizing for that. How I live my life is my business. I do, however, owe you, the readers, a full and formal apology for something else.
For that year, I've continued posting the usual endcap. Thank you for stones, for gifts, for pens. The truth is, I don't get the gifts. Even if you were to pay for stones, I wouldn't get money for them. I realized today that those haven't mattered to me for a while. It's been a chore, something writing adjacent that has been taking away from the joy of knowing what I write is being read and enjoyed.
I am sorry for continuing the normal endcaps, making you think that mere stones and gifts were more important than you, the readers. The stones matter to me only as a confirmation that you, the readers, continue to value the work I put into each chapter.
But please, if you are paying for those stones, please stop or spend those valuable stones elsewhere. I don't expect to ever get a paycheck from Webnovel, Inkstone, or their parent companies ever again.
And I'm okay with that. I don't write this for profit. I write because it's something I can do that brings (not always pleasure, but at least something that generally improves your life) to you, the readers.
As always, thank you for your readership. It means more to me than money; your continued readership is treasure of a different kind.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone