[Vol. 8] Chapter 228: Damn!
"Uncle, you're kind of naggy, you know... Don’t worry, don’t worry, I really care about staying alive."
Even though she answered casually, Violet flew in the sky with her white wings spread out. But deep down, she took Bevis's warning seriously.
A person who controls the laws... that probably means someone like a god, right? From how it was described, this kind of self-contained space feels a bit like a divine realm. Could it have been left behind by the god who killed the World-Devouring Serpent?
But what would be the point of doing that?
Since they didn’t bring any extra people along, the three of them simply flew through the air. In just a short time, they had already left Saint Laos City and arrived above the mountains where the ruins’ entrance was located.
Calling it a “mountain area” might be a bit much. It was nothing like the truly massive ranges like the Chaos Magic Valley. From above, it just looked like a few small hills, each a few hundred meters tall, grouped together in a wavy landscape.
Because of the recently unearthed ruins, the place had become unusually lively. Near the wide open space at the entrance to the mountains, some early arrivals had already built fences, wooden stakes, and even started piling up walls to mark out a large base where travelers could rest and resupply.
This area had also become a hub for people entering or leaving the ruins to trade supplies or sell cheap items they found during their adventures.
Right now, just from sensing the energy below, there were clearly over a few thousand people active in the area. There were stalls, traders, and even some simple blacksmiths and general stores starting to take shape. If the ruins stayed open and continued to produce things of value, then with time, this place might actually grow into a busy little town.
"Master, are we going down there? Or are we heading straight to the ruins' entrance?"
"Mm... good question~"
Now that they had reached the place, Violet didn’t seem in a rush. She turned to look at the Sword Saint, who was flying beside her by using his sword to ride the wind, and asked:
"Come to think of it, I forgot to ask, Bevis, have you been here before?"
He shook his head.
"Back when I was training under Her Majesty the White Dragon King during the Mythical War, my brother and I were still pretty weak. We mostly stayed inside the Dragon Tribe territory to learn and grow.
Later on, when we went out to travel, we followed Her Majesty’s orders to avoid the major conflict zones between the two sides. Even when we heard that the final battle might happen in the ruins, we were worried and decided to go check. But something happened in the Chaos Magic Valley, my brother died, and I fell into a deep sleep for over a hundred years to fight off the snake’s blood infection.
By the time I woke up, everything had changed. The entrance to the ruins had vanished. So… this is actually my first time seeing this place up close.”
"I see..."
The priestess murmured and nodded, like she had made up her mind about something.
"Then I think we should find a local guide first. The ruins have been open for more than half a month, so some of these adventurers must have figured a few things out. There’s no reason not to make use of their experience~"
"Exactly. Better safe than sorry."
Of course, even though they planned to find someone with a bit of experience to lead the way, Violet and the others weren’t going to waste time wandering through the busy camp to recruit someone. They were outsiders and didn’t know anyone here, and doing things the usual way would waste time, energy, and probably get them scammed.
That’s why Violet had already thought about this yesterday, and made some preparations.
………………………………………
“Knock knock knock~”
Outside a small wooden cabin built on the edge of the settlement near the mountain, the black-haired girl who had just landed from the sky raised her hand and knocked on the door.
“Bang bang bang bang!”
After knocking for a long time and still hearing no movement inside, the priestess, who had been knocking politely, changed her approach and started pounding on the door with her hand. The loud, grating noise seemed like it was going to smash the flimsy wooden door to pieces. Finally, a grumpy and annoyed voice shouted from inside:
“Noisy! What are you making all that noise for?! It's early morning, can’t you let people sleep?! Damn it... If you break my door, you’d better pay for a new one!”
There was the sound of someone hurriedly getting dressed and footsteps moving quickly. After a while, the door barely hanging on its hinges creaked open just a little. But when the person inside came into view, the three people waiting outside were surprised.
“It’s a woman?”
The Sword Saint frowned slightly. The angry shouting just now had been deep and rough, full of energy, clearly the voice of a strong man. But when he saw the girl standing there, wearing revealing clothes with some red marks faintly visible on her skin, he immediately realized what was going on. His expression became awkward, and he turned his head to the side.
“So vulgar…”
Hearing this, the priestess, who had already vaguely guessed the situation and wasn’t bothered by it, glanced at him with a bit of amusement and surprise.
Whoa, whoa. This Sword Saint has lived over 300 years, right? Don’t tell me he’s never had any contact with women? Hmm… no, that can’t be it, he has a daughter. So… a man of pure love?
Wow, that’s rare. With his power and status, beautiful women would throw themselves at him. If he still sticks to his values, he’s way better than a certain womanizing guy who’s also lived for over 300 years.
Yep, a true master who climbed to the top through his own effort really has a much stronger mindset than those cheaters with system powers. Not bad, not bad~
The pretty girl seemed used to scenes like this. She didn’t say a word, only gave the three a blank glance, didn’t greet them, and just walked out. Her figure quickly disappeared down the road in the early morning light.
Finally, the real source of the shouting earlier showed up.
He was a rough-looking, dark-skinned middle-aged man, clearly someone who had spent years under the sun and wind. He looked to be in his thirties and wore only a long coat, exposing his muscular chest and abs. His short blond hair was messy, and his face still showed signs of someone annoyed after being woken up.
“Damn it, didn’t I say come after noon?! Interrupting my morning fun… You guys must be asking for—”
Grumbling, he came to the door, ready to scold them some more. But when he saw the three completely unfamiliar faces, he froze slightly.
“Huh? Who are you? Got the wrong house?”
The priestess just smiled and looked at him closely.
“Are you Aldrich?”
The just-woken-up man nodded automatically, still confused.
“Yeah, that’s me. But you are—”
“Blue Butterfly Sword sent us to you.”
“Blu—what?! Damn!!!”
For some reason, as soon as Aldrich heard that name, his face turned pale. Without thinking, he tried to slam the door shut and turn around to escape!
But Violet clearly expected this. She was faster.
“Xiao Guang, go!”
“Hmph, trying to run?”
With just one powerful kick from the dragon girl, the already fragile door was torn off its hinges and shot out like a cannonball. It pierced right through the wall and flew out of sight!
The blonde girl disappeared in a flash, and a second later, there was a sharp, painful scream from inside the house. When she reappeared, she was holding Aldrich by the collar of his coat with one hand, like a chick being grabbed, and dragged him out effortlessly.