Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 189 Calm and Afternoon

How could Luger let old Lunther off so easily? Even if he wanted to stop, his curiosity wouldn't let him go, and of course he wouldn't do anything out of line.

He began to gradually lower his standards, from the difficulty of the questions to the level of detail in the answers. With the old dog's knowledge, he could see more and further than a naive young wizard apprentice like himself.

"I still want to ask you!"

Old Lenser stared at him intently, making even the thick-skinned Luger a little embarrassed.

“You! And that Green! That mysterious apprentice seeker of the law…”

Old Doghead stared at him even more intently, leaning forward and resting his elbow on the dining table, making the table wobble violently.

"What did you do? Hmm? At first, I thought that the awakening of that old guy from the third ring of Blood Fortress might have something to do with you... But gradually, I realized that I might have underestimated you two. During the days you disappeared, you were definitely in the Black Prison of Blood Fortress!"

Old Lenser wanted to pour himself some wine, but when he reached out, he found that the bottle on the table was empty. He snatched Ruger's glass, which still had a little bit left, and gulped it down to moisten his throat.

"Do you know why? Hmm?"

Old Lenser leaned against the table with his elbow across his arm, glancing at Ruger with a sidelong smile.

"The reason I can connect you two is because I know Blood Castle well enough. I know that Black Prison and why it can imprison so many people, even some of them who are formal wizards or above."

Old Lunser hummed.

"That's because of that guy! That..." Old Lunser paused and lowered his voice, "The vampire ancestor of Blood Fortress! That lord, the Black Prison was a trace he left behind. Of course, it wasn't a prison he deliberately designed; it was just a simple structure built by his descendants using the terrain. But you are also the only people to escape the Black Prison in hundreds of years... You, the Black Prison, something unprecedented in a hundred years, that lord's appearance, everything is too coincidental! So you, you little dog, must be a participant!"

Ruger stroked his chin, pretending to listen attentively.

Now that everything is over, there's nothing to hide, but there's absolutely no need to publicize it either.

Ruger still remembered the messenger who had spoken with the Blood-Robed Wizard in mid-air on equal terms. He particularly resonated with the messenger's parting words, especially the statement that defeating a powerful enemy didn't require immense strength. Sometimes, sufficient understanding of the opponent's background was enough to accomplish many things. This included not only one's own magical abilities but also the traces of their past.

Therefore, there is no need to publicize things that are no longer worth worrying about.

“Heh heh, it’s just that some things are still hard to connect, and I lack some details, but it’s better not to know these things,” old Lunther said. “If it weren’t already over, I wouldn’t have asked a single question.”

Luger suddenly realized that old Lenser's words had been a roundabout way of waiting for him here.

"Understood? Don't ask questions about certain things! Don't worry about what kind of adult's experiment it is. As long as it benefits us, that's fine. Just enjoy it. Even that ancestor of Blood Fortress, who is beyond the reach of ordinary people, used this place to recuperate and sleep. Blood Sun was restricted and had no effect on high-level wizards, so he slept in the bloodlines of countless low-level descendants for nearly a thousand years, and also made some other small experiments along the way..."

As he spoke, Old Lunser took out another bottle of wine from his storage pocket. It was the kind of precious wine he had seen before, which had a calming effect and could also slightly prevent blood disorders. It seemed that he was in high spirits for wine today.

There happened to be two glasses in front of old Lenser, and he raised his hand to pour more than half a glass of wine into each one.

Ruger was chewing over his words.

"So, Uncle, you do know some things, you just didn't tell me. Is that a fair interpretation?" Ruger said, with a mischievous intent to tease old Lenser.

But that's true, and old Lenser only said he didn't want to talk about those things, he never said he couldn't make him so angry he was trembling.

Old Dog didn't respond, but merely glanced at Luger, then picked up his glass and took a small sip of his drink.

Ruger also picked up his wine glass and savored it. The uncle and nephew sat there for a whole day, listening to the fine rain outside. Neither of them mentioned the shop, nor the window that needed repair, nor the floor by the window that was soaked by the rain. When it got completely dark, the two of them tacitly went back to their rooms to rest.

This was also the first time Ruger had failed to complete his meditation plan.

The flowers, plants, snakes, insects, rats, and small subterranean beasts in the apothecary's cultivation room also inexplicably faced a day of hunger.

However, in old Lunser's words, occasionally going hungry can also promote their growth and let them experience the irregular and crisis-ridden life of being born and raised in the wild.

The continuous bloody rain continued for three more days.

Three days later, at Elena's request, Jaxsay was buried. Ruger and old Lenser quietly buried him on a not-so-high mountain in the city, not near the teleportation array or the caves, but on a small hillside far from the mountain road. This was Ruger's suggestion, which also fulfilled Jaxsay's wish to live in the City of Burning Blood forever.

Two consecutive long periods of rain kept many people indoors to rest, and even after the rain stopped, there were still few people on the streets.

The excessively humid air caused by the blood rain made it even more unbearable for some people. Some people even went out on the streets to hoard more mutated purification potions. The two consecutive long periods of rain had already frightened them.

Luger and old Lenser were thus kept busy.

A few days later, the streets gradually regained their liveliness.

Everything seemed to have returned to normal.

Old Dog Head Lunser was busy in the breeding room above.

Luger, who had just been put in charge of the shop, was idly lying on the counter, while the old statue opposite him was still basking in the blood-red sunlight.

Ruger rested his chin on the counter, casually flipping through Lesser Sharpness spells with his arms outstretched, while his mind was preoccupied with another zero-ring spell, Spirit Hair Nourishment. This minor spell, which he had obtained from the Hair Herder's Ascension Ritual, was finally ready to be put on the agenda. He even considered putting aside his Lesser Sharpness studies, but he held back, knowing that mastering it shouldn't be too far off.

Regardless of whether he chooses the Ascension Ritual for the Fur Shepherd in the future, he intends to strictly follow the requirements of the Ascension Ritual after learning the Spirit Fur Nourishment Ritual, and insist on using spells daily to cultivate the fur on his body to the level required for the ritual, which is to be prepared for any eventuality.

Old Lunsel's busy work came to an end, and he came downstairs.

"Uncle, are you really not going?" Luger glanced at the old dog.

As the blood rain ceased, some cunning individuals, after waiting quietly for several days and seeing that the unusual rain did not return, secretly left the city and headed towards Blood Fortress. The various shops, goods, magic stones, and the private stashes of lords' families there became undefended targets. There might be some minor obstacles like magic arrays, but those wouldn't stop the hungry wolves of the Burning Blood City. They would then discover that everywhere were wizarding geniuses skilled in all sorts of techniques.

Most of the vampires who died here before did not have any personal storage pouches, which further convinced the people of Blood City that their treasures were left in the Blood Fortress territory.

To Ruger's surprise, the usually astute old Lenser remained calmly in the shop, showing no intention of leaving the city.

“I dare say some reckless guys set off before the blood rain even stopped. You know, not everyone is a bloodline modifier in bad shape,” Old Lunser said slowly as he walked down the stairs. “Some deliberately lagged behind. They were too lazy to plunder themselves and wanted to intercept some people who had to return to the City of Burning Blood. But in fact, they all lacked understanding of the Blood Fortress. Don’t forget that Black Prison. Those who escaped were the first to plunder the Blood Fortress.”

Ruger sat up straight and gently applauded old Lenser, who loved money but wasn't blinded by it.

Old Lenser glanced at him, then went to the shelves to restock, saying, "Going there now would just mean risking your life to scavenge for scraps. We'd be better off making more specialty potions. Those guys who can't afford them normally will come back and spend the money they make this time..."

Ruger nodded repeatedly in agreement with old Lenser's words. At the same time, he noticed that the neighbor outside the shop, the lady with the black and white cat head, had returned and was whispering to the old man with the statue. They seemed even more affectionate than the hardworking and brave uncle and nephew.

(End of this chapter)