Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 196 Time and Growing Up

Ruger had originally wanted to subtly try to talk to old Lunther about magic, but seeing the situation, he could only obediently shut his mouth. Of course, the better option would be to shut him up with food, which would be the truly smart thing to do.

The beautiful and serene lady was still busy. Luger saw many delicacies he had never seen before, and he gradually went from nervous to expectant, waiting for everyone to sit down and start enjoying the food on the table.

Ruger sat at the table, scanning the dishes one by one, then looked up and met old Lunser's annoyed gaze.

"What should I call you?"

Ruger looked at old Lenser and said in a low voice.

Old Dog Head opened his mouth.

“Jenny, you can call me Aunt Jenny,” the woman said slowly as she placed a bowl of soup at the back of the table. “May I call you, little Ruger? I think your uncle has a lot to tell you, but that’s not his fault. You don’t need to ask any questions or worry about it. Just focus on your own things…”

The woman sat down in the chair, looked at Luger gently, and then glanced at old Lenser.

“Of course, Aunt Jenny.”

Luger barked obediently, and the old dog opposite him twitched its eyelids.

Ruger maintained his smile, glancing around from time to time, sometimes at the unfamiliar dishes, sometimes at Ms. Jenny beside him.

He felt that Ms. Jenny seemed somewhat different today.

“What a perceptive little fellow. You can think of the person in front of you as an alter ego of mine,” Ms. Jenny laughed, glancing at old Rensel. “This little fellow is quite good and worth your time to nurture.”

Old Lunser's face twitched, and he said, "The time has not come yet, and according to the agreement you are not allowed to come and interfere."

“I didn’t interfere. I just came to see you and have a meal with you,” said Ms. Jenny. “You and Rug are usually too busy at the shop, especially Rug, who is busy brewing potions and meditating. You don’t know how to take care of yourselves. Anyway, this is just an avatar. Alright, let’s start eating. I put a lot of effort into it and brought some things that you absolutely can’t eat here. You haven’t had them for decades. I wonder if you will like them.”

Ms. Jenny gave the order.

The three of them started moving their hands that were holding the cutlery.

Ruger first spotted the most uniquely shaped purple meat roll, which looked like a flower. He took a small bite to taste it, then stuffed the whole thing into his mouth.

"That's Nine-Turned Muscles, from a peculiar beast. It's made from the muscles that naturally accumulate when it's frightened. Its body structure is very special, but getting them frightened isn't an easy thing to do," Aunt Jenny explained softly with a smile as she watched Ruger enjoy eating it.

Ruger listened attentively while eating, nodding in agreement.

It has a crispy texture, which is great, and it's also a little soft and chewy inside. It has a unique flavor that's hard to describe.

Ruger ate one dish after another, and every now and then Ms. Jenny would explain how much care she had put into the ingredients and dishes. Old Lenser remained silent, but Ruger, of course, wouldn't let Aunt Jenny, who had worked so hard to prepare, be left out, so he nodded and tried his best to respond while eating.

"As for this..."

The woman paused suddenly as she spoke, then blinked.

"I'm so sorry, little Ruger, I have some things to take care of. It was a pleasure having a meal with you."

As Jenny spoke, she swayed, opening a dark, murky slit, and vanished into it, the slit closing behind her.

Ruger froze, but his hands continued their previous movements, and he had already touched the plate containing the strange muscle rolls.

Suddenly, old Lunser slapped Ruger's hand and snatched the food from the plate.

Meeting Luger's questioning eyes.

“You should eat less of these things, as they won’t do you any good,” old Lunther said. “They are all strange beasts created by the fusion of monsters from the Nightmare World and subterranean beasts.”

As he spoke, old Lenser tore large chunks of food from his plate.

Ruger stared at the old dog's head quietly for a while. "Will she... come back?" Ruger asked.

Old Man Lunser munched on his food, saying, "Not necessarily, it's hard to say, but there's no need to worry too much. Her sense of time is different from most people. She might be doing something small and then suddenly realize that many years have passed since we last met. She's always late or doesn't know the time, which is why she's developed an impatient habit. Even though we agreed on a time..."

Old Lenser seemed to be bothered by the fact that the other party had arrived so early.

Ruger recalled what Ms. Jenny had said, and it seemed that it was normal for him not to know some things, and there was no need to ask. He wondered if old Lenser had misled her, which was a good thing for Ruger, saving him a lot of unnecessary worries.

"Uncle, what is the Nightmare World like?" Ruger asked curiously.

He first learned about the Nightmare World in a booklet he bought before entering the Mystery City. The booklet contained speculations about the process of discovering the world of knowledge, and mentioned the Nightmare World. It was the confirmation of the existence of the Nightmare World that inspired later wizards to boldly hypothesize and explore, ultimately finding the world of knowledge where danger and opportunity coexist.

“Hmm, this tastes really good. It’s been a long time since I last had it. Nightmare World… if you can describe it clearly, it’s not Nightmare World,” Old Lunther said, chewing. “Generally speaking, there… places that look normal may be very abnormal, and places that look abnormal may be very normal.”

Luger tilted his head, indicating that he did not understand.

"Have you been there?" Ruger asked.

"not at all."

Old Lenser shook his head decisively.

In return, he received a glare from Ruger.

Ruger stopped talking and started working with old Lenser on the last bit of food left on the table. It has to be said that this strange lady was quite a good cook.

Rumble!
The entire Old Lenser Pharmacy began to shake.

Old Lenser didn't even have time to put down his cutlery before he leaped down the stairs and rushed out.

Ruger picked up the last piece of sausage and leisurely walked to the window to look outside.

Many people stood on the rooftops, while others floated in the air. Everyone seemed confused, and the entire City of Burning Blood was shaking.

Ruger crunched on his sausage, watching the people discussing it in a panic.

The sound of chains rattling began to come from the dome.

This made those people even more panicked, and it also made Luger further abandon the idea of ​​leaving the house. Some of the people who were originally standing on high ground also hurriedly began to run into the house.

The booming and clanging of chains continued until late at night, when they gradually subsided and showed signs of stopping.

Strangely, this time no blood rained down.

Ruger stood by the window watching, unable to concentrate on meditation in this situation.

When the ground stopped shaking, the chains also stopped making noise.

Old Lenser then brought back some rather unbelievable news from his sources.

The City of Burning Blood seems to have grown a lot.

This has never happened before, at least not even to those old folks who have lived here for hundreds of years.

This so-called growth doesn't just refer to the mysterious city walls that enclose this area and can resist the disturbances of blood beasts and subterranean beasts, but rather to the influence range of the Blood Sun, which is exclusive to the City of Burning Blood. You should know that standing outside the City of Burning Blood, you can clearly feel the weakening of the Blood Sun's influence, as if an invisible hand is binding the special power of the Blood Sun within the City of Burning Blood.

Ruger saw old Lenser's worries, but at the same time he thought of something else: if the vampires of Blood Fortress had arrived a little later, they might have been able to enjoy the days shrouded in blood sun without having to fight at all.

Is this sudden and inexplicable change a good thing or a bad thing?
(End of this chapter)