Bab 22: Chapter 22
The defeated Cavalry of Orcs and Wolves had left two big piles of trash which might contaminate the environment, so the smart young wizard Palin managed to recycle a few very valuable objects from the trash.
Two broken wizard's robes needed to be repaired; once mended, the robe would give its wearer an affinity to Fire Energy. Judging from this, the two Orc wizards were probably specialized in practicing Fire spells.
There were also two broken magic wands that could increase range. There was no point in repairing them, but the two almost intact magic gemstones were quite valuable---in fact, the most valuable object in a range-increasing magic wand was the magic gemstone. The wand itself was just a piece of carved wood, which was not difficult to make.
He also found an unbroken Space Pocket which belonged to the second Orc wizard that was killed, which held a good stash of money. This guy had probably been the leader among the three Orc wizards and a Jefecito in the gang of bandits. He had hundreds of gold coins as well as a few extremely valuable gemstones, which were probably worth two thousand gold coins in total. The Space Pocket itself, which was an advanced object that could reduce the weight of the stuff it contained, may have been worth five to six hundred gold coins.
Apart from these five objects, the rest was just a pile of crap. Palin tried his best to sort out the objects the two wizards used to practice the spell, but he only managed to get the objects that was worth two gold coins at most.
"Enough, it's dark already!" shouted Gerrard, watching Palin hold a torch and try to find something valuable from the pile of repulsive flesh. Gerrard felt a bit of sympathy for him and yelled at him, "If you don't have an early night, you will feel listless tomorrow!"
Palin thought very highly of Gerrard, so he said yes and trudged back unhappily.
"They are specialized in practicing Fire spells; they should've at least had an amulet made of a red crystal with them--but I didn't found any," Palin said guiltily. "It must be due to my lack of knowledge about magic, otherwise I could definitely recognize it!"
"It's fine, you are still very young. It is already very good of you to be able to find so many objects!" Gerrard smiled and comforted him, and he gave a magic gemstone and two robes to Palin. "These are for you. The robe just needs a bit repair and it'll be just fine, and you can make a magic wand with the magic gemstone."
"...But these are your spoils of war, I can't possibly take them!" Palin was in a daze and refused to accept.
Gerrard shrugged and said happily, "Then make them my investment in a soon-to-be great wizard, and when you become strong, you can return this favor to me."
Palin hesitated a while, and finally accepted the gift. In fact he knew clearly that even if he became an advanced wizard one day, he would never be of any help to "Brother White". He was incredibly powerful, and Palin would only be able to help him when he pushed past the limits of the human body and stepped into the legendary world of the immortal.
"Brother White, I am wondering if I may ask you a question..." Old Soth leaned over and hesitated.
"Just ask. If I have the answer, I will tell you."
After getting Gerrard's permission, Old Soth still hesitated a bit. He looked around and whispered, "You have entered into the 'Legendary World', haven't you?"
Gerrard was in a daze for a moment. He wanted to shake his head, but he wasn't sure if No was the right answer, so he began to contemplate.
What did it mean to be legendary?
As Gerrard himself recalled, the so-called legendary status meant the ability to push past the limits of the human body; to be free of birth, caducity, sickness and death; to be immortal and incredibly powerful; the ability to decide the fate of a certain country by himself; essentially, to become a super powerful man who stood above the checkerboard of the world, able to influence the state of affairs in every nation across the world.
So, am I a man of that type of strength?
Freedom from old age and death are realistic to me. In fact, I've already died. My body was a creation of Oscar's: even if the body ages or becomes damaged, His Majesty can surely fix or rebuild it. Judging from this, I am indeed free of old age and death.
As for being incredibly powerful, I think I'm qualified in this regard too. It was true that I hadn't realized this earlier, but the more battles I've experienced, the more I feel how strong this body is. I can run faster than a horse; I've shown greater strength than a bear or a tiger; my body is as firm as armor; and even if I'm hit by a strong spell, my body can withstand it and I don't get injured but only suffer a tiny scratch on my skin...if this doesn't mean I am powerful, then what is being powerful?
So I am already a legendary man of great strength?
He laid out his hands and looked at the rough, big and thick palms, feeling very surreal.
A few days ago, he was still a wanted criminal, hiding in a desolated small village at the brink of civilized society and living a poor life. There, he was pushed aside by the ruler of the village, and his life was dull and measly.
But now, a few days later, he'd totally transformed. He had become incredibly powerful, and this was something he had never dared to dream of; he had also become the first follower of a great God who could foresee the future. Now he would be able to live an extremely rich life. All of this was the gift given by Oscar.
The giant finally managed to think this through and felt relieved. Then he smiled calmly. "I don't know if I really fit into the category of the so-called legendary" he replied in a very low voice, "but I believe that I have found the right way. As long as I continue to walk this path, I will reach legendary status one day."
Old Soth and Palin had sensed a change in Gerrard. Now he was breathing very steadily, like the magnificent mountains that existed steadily in a certain place, resolute and unmoving. This was all very admirable, which was something they had never seen before in Gerrard.
Maybe Gerrard wasn't legendary, but one thing was for sure: he had indeed grown mentally stronger and stepped into the world of the powerful.
With his amazing talent and capabilities, once he had stepped into the world of the powerful, it was only a matter of time before he'd become a real legendary man of strength.
That night, the experienced Old Soth recalled the calm face of the giant and started to laugh. He had witnessed a key step in the "birth" of a legendary man of strength, and this was a story he could show off to his offspring so it could become a part of family history. He believed that if he could make friends with such a kind and legendary man of strength, it would definitely do his family some good!
Thinking of this, he sighed. How envious I am! If only I could also become a legendary man of strength..
Meanwhile, young Palin didn't think as much as Old Soth did. He just smiled, encouraged himself, and made his mind up to be a brilliant wizard one day, becoming as strong as Brother White.
The fire of inspiration had been lit and would blaze in this young man's heart in the coming years. No doubt this would become his motivation to persist in the future. Whether or not he would end up as strong as Gerrard in the future, he would still feel proud and happy when he recalled this moment at the end of his life.
While Old th and Palin were smiling, "Bloody Hands" Ruhr paced anxiously, like a beast kept in a cage. He was no inexperienced fool. He had known how powerful Gerrard was, and it worried him to make an enemy of such a strong man. But when he thought of the legendary treasured object Gerrard had with him, he became greedy again.
On the one hand, this was the biggest crisis he'd ever faced; on the other hand, this was his opportunity to get a legendary treasured object. Ruhr now had no idea what he should do next.
"Old Burke, what do you think?" he asked his adviser Shaman, who was also the second in charge of the gang of bandits.
Shaman was the oldest and most experienced man in this gang of bandits. After being asked, he kept as silent as he always was and didn't give any valuable suggestions.
This was exactly how Ruhr expected him to react. Ruhr was walking around the temporary camp and was facing a dilemma. On the one hand, he wanted to withdraw for the safety of the gang; on the other hand, he wanted to risk everything he had. So he made a bet.
"Those bloody pickpockets! I knew they could never be so good as to bring me good news for free!" He was complaining, feeling resentful and annoyed at finding himself in this dilemma.
He had lost two wizards, including the leader of the wizards under his command. This was a big loss for the gang of bandits. But he would feel great regret if he gave up now, since it would also damage the gang's morale (not to mention his reputation).
He thought of waiting for a better opportunity to seize the treasured object the giant had with him...but he was terrified. He couldn't decide whether to take this last chance when it occurred to him that the giant was as powerful as a god of war.
"If I order them to enter into a life and death struggle with the giant now, they'll probably run for their lives right away..." He sighed deeply, then found a stump and sat down. He rubbed his forehead and began to contemplate.
Giving up was far from a good idea, while fighting recklessly with no regard for the consequences was no good either. What should I do to get what I want? Ruhr spent the whole night thinking this.
All these years, "Bloody Hands" Ruhr had been proud of his ability to be heartless, cruel and smart. He'd always despised those who travelled around the country by relying on their wisdom and intelligence, but now he resented himself for not being clever and failing to come up with the perfect solution.
He kept thinking and thinking and didn't even realize he'd been up all night until the sun came out. Since he had over-strained his nerves, he felt dizzy and stood up unsteadily, then decided to go to the creek nearby to wash his face and feel refreshed. At that moment, the scout who had been tracking the movements of the commercial corp returned.
"Boss, they have set out again. It seems that they are heading to Gold-Panning Town."
"I see. Let's follow behind them. Remember, do not get close to them until the right moment arrives," Ruhr ordered. This helped his subordinates relax and cheered up the members of the camp a bit.
When the gang of bandits walked passed the village in the distance, where the commercial corp had camped the day before, Ruhr suddenly came up with an idea. It wasn't very practical, but there was no harm in trying. If he succeeded, he could probably make a fortune!
He asked a subordinate to come over and whispered something secretly in his ear. The subordinate's green face immediately turned white, and he shook his head so hard that his head was about to fall off.
"I was only asking you to deliver a letter, what on earth are you afraid of!"
However, the subordinate was still shaking his head and looked frightened to death. After being threatened by Ruhr and lured by the promise of great wealth, the subordinate unwillingly agreed to follow the order. Then with a fearless expression on his face, he rode off on his wolf to catch up with the commercial corps.
"Okay, let's stop here," Ruhr said to his subordinates. "We can stop now; if everything goes well, the giant will come to us."
The gang of bandits instantly became alarmed and bewildered, and Ruhr could see it on their faces. This made him so angry that he wanted to cut their heads off one by one!
After a while, the subordinate who was sent to deliver the message came back, and right behind him was the intimidating giant, who was walking rather casually.
"Big guy!" Ruhr shouted. "I want to do business with you!"
Hadiah
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