Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 142 Light and Rain

The attic window closed again, but occasionally the wails and roars from across the street could still be heard.

The woman named Elena didn't seem to like drinking. After taking the mushroom wine, she put it aside, took out a purification potion, gathered her long hair, poured it over her head, and then shrugged her shoulders in a comfortable way.

"Remember, whatever you do here, don't get wet in the rain," she said with a smile.

She didn't actually get wet; she only got a little wet when she walked along the eaves and roof ridge.

“Thanks for reminding me,” Ruger said.

“Don’t be so rigid, little puppy,” the woman said with a serene smile, but her words were unrestrained and bold. “How about this? To thank you, you can ask me three questions. You must have a lot of things to be curious about since you’ve just arrived. Of course, if you dare to offend me, you can ask some even bolder questions.”

The woman, named Elena, who looked like a young girl, chuckled after she finished speaking.

“Of course, I’m just a wizarding apprentice, so don’t ask me anything beyond my knowledge, or I’ll consider it a wasted opportunity for you…” Elena added with a smile.

Rather than answering questions, she seemed more interested in teasing her new neighbor before dawn to relieve boredom.

Ruger nodded, ignoring the other person's teasing, and began to think seriously.

The first question is the biggest one I have today.

"What is that blood rain? Is it dangerous to get it on you?" he asked.

“You cunning boy, I’ll let you off with one question this time, because I don’t know what that blood rain is either,” she laughed. “But it’s best not to get involved, especially when you’re not feeling well. Of course, some people are just unlucky, like that guy Nuondo. He’s been doing pretty well lately, but he just got caught in a little rain and went off his feet. So during the rainy season, try not to go out, especially if you’re going to travel far out of town and into those wastelands.”

She opened the bottle of mushroom wine next to her and continued, "After the rain, you also need to be careful about the damp air in the city. In the first few days after this, purification potions will sell very well. I imagine that when Newton wakes up, he will be heartbroken and go crazy again. He smashed a lot of things in the shops, and he may miss this opportunity to make money."

Ruger recalled the way old Lunther rubbed his hands together and nodded knowingly.

“Oh, I almost forgot, you know, once you get past that phase of ignorance, you always subconsciously assume that newcomers should know too,” Elena said. “I forgot to mention the most basic point about Blood Rain, which is that it will only have a significant impact on people like you. Normal wizards and superhumans will not suffer serious consequences, as long as they drink some purification potions. Of course, normal wizards are the minority here.”

Ruger followed her gaze and looked at himself, then suddenly realized.

"Bloodline wizard, bloodline modifier?" he said.

Elena smiled and nodded, then held the bottle of sour mushroom wine to her nose and smelled it. She frowned slightly, as if the sour smell made her shoulders tremble.

Ruger recalled seeing far more bloodline modifiers than normal on the streets, and these were just those whose bloodline characteristics were easily recognizable.

"What kind of place is the City of Burning Blood in Miss Elena's heart?" Ruger thought for a moment and asked.

"What a cunning fellow, asking me such a vague question again."

She finished speaking with a smile, then mustered her courage and took a big gulp of the sour mushroom wine, which made her close her eyes tightly because of the sourness.

Ruger waited silently by her side for a while before she recovered.

She took another small sip before speaking, "This is the holy land and also the graveyard of bloodline modifiers. The light of the blood sun can stabilize their bloodline, which causes people on the verge of bloodline collapse to gather here in search of a way to survive. They dare not leave here if they cannot find a solution. Some bloodline wizards, even those without any abnormalities, will come here to try to salvage their experiments that are about to fail. It is said that the blood light also has some effect on adults above the level of formal wizards, so there are some powerful wizards in the city."

“It’s a holy place, only because it’s important. Most of the people gathered here are just barely surviving. This land offers no hope; it’s a gathering place for losers,” Elena said, looking at him slyly. “I hope I didn’t scare you, little puppy.” Ruger smiled. He really hadn’t been scared, nor could he have.

He knew about those wizards who were frantically modifying themselves; he had not only heard of them, but had also vaguely seen them in the memories of a wizarding apprentice. Among them, the modification and rejection, bloodline conflicts, and other situations were all problems that could cost them their lives.

This place called the City of Burning Blood really is a sacred place.

Ruger glanced at her red eyes from time to time. Ever since the beginning of the discussion about those modification experiments, he had been thinking about her special eyes.

"Little puppy, my eyes weren't modified, you know." She took another sip of wine, her brows furrowing from the sourness.

“And you, Miss Elena, one last question: what brings you here?” Ruger asked after a moment’s thought.

How much you can gain from this question depends entirely on the other person's mood; they can elaborate on it at length or simply brush it off with a casual remark.

Elena's face instantly darkened, but she still maintained a smile.

“You’re really being offensive!” she laughed. “Of course you can say that. Mr. Lenser knows about my situation. I’m different from you. I don’t have any life-threatening problems. I came here just to remove the bloodline from my body. And I’m not a bloodline wizard. I haven’t been modified by anyone else. These are just inherited from my ancestors, including these eyes and these sharp teeth.”

"Of course, there are some other abilities as well..."

As she spoke, she waved her hand, and Luger felt the blood rush to his head, and for a moment he felt dizzy.

Elena lowered her hand and giggled.

Ruger fell asleep very late, and after only chatting for a short while, it was already getting light.

As dawn broke, the light sphere in the dome became even stronger, allowing those in poor condition, such as Old Lunser, to move around freely.

That's a really sad thing, Ruger thought.

This is practically like finding a cage for oneself, willingly crawling into it. Of course, once inside, as long as one pays more attention and follows the rules, one can save their lives—a cage that one can freely enter and exit, but no one dares to leave.

He understood now. The question Old Lunser had asked him a few days ago—whether he was a "Left-City Person"—was clearly due to some modified individuals on the verge of collapse who dared not leave the city. From this perspective, Old Lunser was in relatively good shape; at least he claimed he could go out of the city to deliver goods.

But interestingly, crimson light is beneficial, while blood rain is harmful.

Elena got up, sealed the bottle, and put it into her storage pocket.

"I just hope Mr. Lenser won't ask for too many magic stones, otherwise Newondo will definitely complain about me." She said as she walked towards the attic door.

“My name is Ruger,” he said.

"Okay, I got it. I hope you don't die anytime soon, and I also hope you never go crazy like them. That feeling of losing your mind and your sense of self must be terrible."

Elena said, opening the door and walking out.

(End of this chapter)