Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 113 Stars and Waning Moon

He was almost finished with breakfast when some more stones were knocked off the low wall in Luger's yard.

He moved a small round table from the living room and placed it under the ugly, crooked tree. He enjoyed an omelet made from the eggs of subterranean beasts while simultaneously eating a rib cooked in a special spicy and sour sauce, creating a unique sensory experience. Each numbered subterranean region cultivates a large variety of crops that require sunlight to grow and survive, sustaining humanity's diverse culinary delights. Legend has it that these crops were brought from the surface world in the distant past, evolving and being eliminated to form their current state.

Of course, Ruger believed that wizards must have been involved in the production of crops and seeds, since wizards were involved in the establishment of the underground city.

The unique nature of these underground cities means that certain things can only be found in human territory, nowhere else in the wild. There are no seeds, no suitable environment, and no one to carefully tend to them. Of course, it's not just humans who enjoy these crops. For example, the dark elves, those pointy-eared city-states, buy large quantities of spices from humans every year, and various uniquely flavored wines are also a favorite among the pointy-eared.

Ruger finished the last bite of meat and watched the two burly men go back and forth. He couldn't help but admire the superhuman stamina of the person beside him. If these were two ordinary people, they wouldn't even need to get injured; just taking turns hitting each other with hammers would leave them too exhausted to stand up.

Swish! Blood splattered!
Cui Fanke, with his missing arm, used a metal bandage to parry, but if he made a slight mistake, a bloody gash would appear on his shoulder.

"Haha, Cui Fanke, you're finished! A warrior is no match for a knight after all." The man laughed as he gripped the sword hilt with both hands, his arms flashing as he unleashed five consecutive sword strikes, leaving a trail of afterimages.

Sparks flew as Cui Fanke's severed arm's metal collar was repeatedly chopped.

creak!

The door to the room next to it was opened.

Ruger turned and smiled at his new neighbor. The witch apprentice looked blankly at the two who were locked in a fierce battle. She raised her hand and pointed, and the two who had been fighting for a long time instantly collapsed to the ground.

After the witch apprentice finished doing all this, she glanced at Luger, who was laughing heartily, and turned back to her room.

After laughing, Luger strolled to the side of the street and squatted down in front of the two men with a smile on his face.

He grabbed one person's arm and shook it; it looked sore and weak, as if it had been stewed in a spicy and sour sauce.

"How do you feel?" Ruger asked.

The two were not unconscious; they were just lying there, both looking at him.

Cui Fanke seemed to have known about his strangely-looking new neighbor beforehand, so he was relatively friendly and said, "I feel very tired. It's not that I don't have the strength, it's that I have absolutely no strength left. It's even more tiring than being chased by a group of subterranean beasts... traveling without sleep..."

Ruger nodded, signaling him to continue and share more of his feelings. Then he looked at another person, who seemed indifferent to him.

Luger smiled.

Tired? Just tired?

He asked a few more questions.

Then, an idea struck him. He smiled and pointed, casting a Bull Power spell on Cui Fanke as if to give it a try.

“You can try it and see if you’ve recovered now,” Ruger said.

The other person next to him stared straight at Ruger, seemingly surprised by his identity as a spellcaster, but then seemed to realize something and let out a soft hum.

The moment the spell landed, Cui Fanke made a move. He first clenched his fist, and when he heard Luger's words, he tried to stand up. He was clearly not fully recovered, but he was able to get up unsteadily in the surprised gazes of the people around him.

"Thank you, powerful spellcaster," Cui Fanke said politely.

"Thank you, Mr. Fang."

The little guy ran over and tried to hug his father's strong leg. Ruger smiled and patted the little guy's head.

On the little guy's father's eyes, he saw the circular marks he had heard about before. Those were marks left around the pupils of people who drank a brightening potion to adapt to life in the underground city. This meant that this Mr. Cui Fanke came from the Abyss. But the little guy's eyes didn't have them; he was already a standard underground city dweller living in the sunlight.

"Could you...could you help me stand up too?" the other man asked, grinning. He tried to use his sword for support, but found he couldn't even hold it steady.

“Of course,” Ruger teased, “but the courtyard wall will still need the two of you to repair it.”

The two of them gave an awkward laugh.

Luger unleashed another powerful strike, sending the man to his feet.

Watching the two stagger towards the low wall of the courtyard, he pondered the effect of the spell. It seemed to have only amplified their already exhausted state. If it was a spell with that kind of effect, then even without his intervention, they should be able to recover after a rest.

He stepped back onto the recliner, glanced at the three men repairing the courtyard wall, and then continued reading the spellbook on writing techniques.

Yes, there were three of them, and the little one was helping his father with the chores.

Daisy brought over a plate of fruit and placed it next to Ruger, then took out two more pieces to give to the little guy.

Luger watched all of this with a smile.

Life seemed to be getting more organized.

But Luger knew in his heart that all of this was temporary, illusory, and that he was still the one waiting for an opportunity to go to the Wizarding Realm.

Two days passed quickly.

As Daisy, like many others in the city, prepared for the Star Festival, news quickly spread throughout the city.

Twin Moon City will send a large delegation to visit Star City. It is said that the most outstanding daughter of the Marquis of Twin Moon City is on the delegation, and some even say that the delegation is led by this daughter of the Marquis.

Although the underground cities are not subordinate to each other, there is still a significant difference in strength between Twin Moon City and Star City. Star City governs ninety-eight numbered underground districts, which are ninety-eight towns of varying sizes. Beyond that is a ring of uncounted Abyss Districts. Twin Moon City, on the other hand, governs an underground domain with over two hundred similar towns. The size of an underground domain is not solely determined by how well the ruler manages it; there is an upper limit, which is the size of the light stone overhead.

The Star Festival has finally arrived.

The entire underground city was plunged into three days of darkness, but thankfully there were still a few stars overhead.

The happiest people were naturally the children.

The children who grew up in the underground city seemed to find the continuous darkness, which was neither day nor night, quite novel, and they all ran out of their homes to play in the streets.

When the festival begins, people sing songs and light bonfires in the streets and alleys.

Ruger moved the old deck chair under the tree, glancing at his spellbook while soaking in the festive atmosphere. Neighbors gathered in Trevanko's yard, the gates wide open, and around a large bonfire, they brought out their food and began chatting and sharing drinks.

A small figure was crouching by the courtyard gate.

“Mr. Fang, are you coming? My mother has prepared lots of meat pies,” he said.

(End of this chapter)