Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 148 Disgust and the Strange

After many days of trekking.

The three finally stepped into the territory of Blood Castle, and the towering ancient castle on the distant mountain came into view.

Ruger glanced at old Lenser again, despite the old dog's repeated assurances of safety. He claimed the shop trading with Lenser was connected to a local vampire lord family. According to old Lenser, these vampires were a group of bloodline wizards whose future was restricted; their bloodline wasn't from modification but from their ancestors. However, old Lenser said there was a theory in Bloodburn City that their supposedly nonexistent ancestors were merely experimental creations of some wizard.

Although these vampires were not modified bloodline wizards, they craved the power of the City of Burning Blood more than ordinary bloodline wizards, as it seemed to bring about some strange changes in them, thus giving rise to conflict.

A very peculiar, loosely connected relationship exists. Wizards and other extraordinary beings in the City of Burning Blood come and go, changing batch after batch over thousands of years, even longer than that. No one has ever forcibly organized them, yet they have repeatedly resisted and disrupted the vampires' attempts to occupy the City of Burning Blood. This peculiar, loosely connected relationship means that even if individual vampires go to live in the city, no one will care. But once the vampires become unruly and gather in large numbers, using other means to seize the City of Burning Blood, they will be driven out again.

Gradually, an instinctive aversion developed between the two sides that lasted for countless years. However, the identities of the residents of the City of Burning Blood were not fixed, which caused the vampires to transfer their aversion to some wizards whose bloodline modification characteristics were obvious, such as the guy with a dog's head on his neck.

And I even saw two of them at once.

Ruger had noticed several people passing by his pack animal would glare at him fiercely, their eyes turning blood red as they stared at him.

This is different from Elena, the attic neighbor, whose eyes were always blood red.

“Don’t be afraid. The old vampire I traded with is the current lord’s distant cousin. We’ve been dealing with each other for decades, and apart from a few minor unpleasant incidents at the beginning, there haven’t been any problems.” Old Lunser curled his big dog mouth, once again showing his disdain for Ruger’s cowardice.

Green leaped lightly onto Ruger's back, just as he had done the whole way. Occasionally he would sit down for a chat or eat while riding on the beast's back. His shoes were provided by the apprentice spell seekers of the Temple of Knowledge. According to them, there were several items to choose from, but everyone's situation was different. He ended up choosing these shoes, which had a good amplifying effect on three spells, including Lightness of Movement.

The Lightness Spell is the easiest to identify and there's no need to hide it. As for the other spells, Ruger naturally wouldn't presume to ask, only knowing that Green's figure was indeed light and fast.

As more and more people appeared on the road, so did the malice that began to surface.

Seeing this, old Lenser took out a badge and put it on his chest, which finally suppressed some of the disgust in his eyes.

Ruger reached out his hand to his uncle.

“What for? This is the only badge I have. It was given to me after working with that old miser for decades. He probably thought I was in bad shape and was afraid I would die and cut off his source of income,” Old Lunser said. “Once you get there, try to stay home as little as possible. There won’t be any problems. The main difficulty is the return trip. That’s when you can really make your mark.”

Enjoying his journey, Green watched the uncle and nephew with a smile.

Luger sat on the back of the pack animal, his body swaying slightly with its steps. He was now very natural and relaxed when riding the pack animal.

Listening to old Lenser's words, some questions that had always been on his mind began to surface.

What kind of bloodline wizard will Old Lenser be? Or is he, like some mad wizards, a masterpiece of a perfect combination of various modifications?

In addition, Ruger was also curious whether old Lenser could still maintain a human-sized head when he was in good condition.

It sounds like it could be possible.

Perhaps in their eyes, I am also a strange person, a weirdo who was transformed into a kobold by my mentor in order to increase the carrying capacity of the dragon bloodline and reduce the chance of rejection, Luger thought to himself.

Furthermore, they may be considered to have been experimental subjects, since there are many bloodline modifiers struggling to survive in the City of Burning Blood who were once experimental subjects of some wizards.

Ruger recalled the dark elf lady he had met before, as well as several other wizard apprentices, who had all made similar speculations about him.

Being in the Blood Fortress territory, they dared not let their pack animals run wild. They strolled along until the blood sun began to darken before finally arriving at the truly prosperous area of ​​Blood Fortress.

Old Lenser's badge came in handy, and the three of them successfully entered the small town at the foot of Bloodfortress.

The chaotic and filthy territory before him was truly unbecoming of a vampire. Ruger glanced at it and curled his lip.

They put away their six-legged pack animals and began to wander around the city, led by old Lunther.

The power of the Blood Sun's light here has weakened to a certain extent. According to Old Lunser, the vampires live here because they are waiting for their ancestors to undergo that impossible resurrection. There is also a theory that their attempt to invade the City of Burning Blood is not only for themselves, but also for their ancestors to resurrect more quickly. However, only the most powerful vampires in their clan probably know the specifics. Perhaps the few formal wizards above the first ring who have lived in the City of Burning Blood for many years also know something.

The three of them came to a slightly cleaner street and stopped in front of a shop.

Ruger looked up at the sign in front of the door, which depicted a medicine bottle and a sharp tooth.

Green stood to the side, looking up just like him, truly like a passerby on a journey.

Old Renser had already pushed open the door and gone inside.

"You old codger, I knew you'd come after that rain. Are your experiments really that lacking in magic stones?" said a wrinkled old man dressed in all black.

“I’m worried those blood-borne infected will take your head off…” Old Lenser said as he walked.

The shop door closed again, and for a moment the sound became indistinct.

Luger looked up at the ancient castle on the mountain and felt that it had a similar concept to the cave in the City of Burning Blood, as if living at a high place and being closer to the Blood Sun would bring more benefits.

“Let’s go in too,” Ruger said.

Passersby occasionally glanced at him with disgust, but only at him. Green was completely implicated by him. He felt that if Green had revealed his identity as a seeker of the law, he might have received different treatment.

After all, the vampires near the City of Burning Blood are not just blood-sucking monsters. They consider themselves bloodline wizards and orthodoxly cultivate their own meditation methods, although most of their spells are related to blood control.

As Luger entered the room, he noticed that there seemed to be a soundproofing array there as well.

Old Lenser was arguing with the neatly dressed old man in all black, seemingly because the price of the old dog's head had deeply hurt his partner of several decades.

"Your nephew? Why do you have to turn his head into a dog's? Is this the only type of bloodline modification your family bloodline is suitable for? Hahaha!" The old man in black laughed loudly. He looked wrinkled and withered, but his laughter was full of energy.

“You two go and rest in the back! There’s a room that this old guy has been saving for me all these years in the back yard,” Old Lunser said, grimacing as he tossed over a breeding bag. “Let all the pack animals out and let them rest in the yard.”

Ruger reached out and caught the culture bag.

The old man in black, who was laughing fiercely, took out a bell from the side and shook it.

Luger, however, could not hear a sound.

A young man, also dressed in black, walked out from behind and waved to Luger and his companion with a smile.

When the young man in black saw them coming, he led the way. Luger and his companion followed him through the back door of the rather old three-story building and arrived at a spacious backyard.

"Are you... from the City of Burning Blood? Are you Mr. Lunser's new apprentices?" The young man in black suddenly spoke as he walked ahead.

The blood-red sun had already begun to darken.

“I am old Lenser’s nephew,” Ruger said. “This Mr. Green is a friend of ours who is traveling with us.”

(End of this chapter)