Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 480 Deterrence and Charm

Ruger thought for a moment. The teacher probably thought that Mahama would go to the abyss alone. That place, with its low-lying terrain, was a land of the weak, inhabited only by weak demons. Anchoring there would allow Mahama to have a period of adaptation.

As Ruger pondered this, he fiddled with the Gray Bullet spell in his hand, the five condensed Gray Bullets sometimes merging into one as his fingers twisted.

He would occasionally study this little spell that no one else would recognize along the way; it was his only pastime besides observing his own mutilated state.

Mahama had something else to say.

Luger suddenly stopped, flipped over and straddled him, sitting comfortably on one of his shoulders.

Mahama immediately shut his mouth.

This was something the two had agreed upon before setting off. Demons are as wondrous as humans. Pure friendship between demons is possible, but it is extremely rare, even rarer than encountering a demon who can tell human jokes. So the two agreed that in certain scenarios, Mahama, this variant of the demon that doesn't resemble a demon, would be Luger's tamed mount. In the demon world, strength is paramount, and no one would question this.

Since yesterday, Luger has gradually sensed something was different; it seems they have entered that lord's territory.

This was also something that excited Luger. Although he didn't have a so-called demon's real name, he really was like a demon, able to slightly sense the lord's aura.

A whooshing sound of wings flapping.

A huge, black, strange bird landed.

The mount Mahama stopped, and the rider on its shoulder naturally stopped as well, turning its head to look at the enormous, monstrous bird-demon.

The strange bird tilted its head, staring at the two of them, but its gaze lingered more on the seated Luger, since Luger looked no ordinary demon and possessed a powerful mount.

“Gentlemen, four blood crystals will be enough for me to take you to Shattered Bone City. Otherwise, you will have to travel for a long time.”

The strange bird suddenly spoke, in a deep-sea language with an accent.

This surprised Luger. He had been dealing with silly guys lately, which made him feel a little out of place. He had almost forgotten that this was a world with an Abyss Language, a complete and efficient language. Language represents civilization and communication, even though the civilization of demons was distorted and deformed and passed down through bloodlines.

"No?" the big bird sighed. "Then a magic stone will do, at least this big."

The giant bird raised its claws and moved them in front of the two people, as if afraid they wouldn't understand, and even gave them a loose grip.

Ruger suddenly looked up at the strange bird, which was standing on one leg. The bird swayed violently, flapping its wings, but eventually fell backward.

After a commotion, the strange bird lay down on the ground.

This is a new use that Ruger discovered during his travels these past few days. Originally, after he became the Miserly Demon, he only had a deterrent effect on low-level wizard apprentices or lesser demons. The same goes for the patterns on his body; staring at them would make people dizzy. They only had some effect on low-level apprentices or ordinary people.

Throughout the hunt, he observed his own changes every day. It was the first time he had maintained the form of the Miserly Demon for such a long time. Gradually, he mastered the method of using his eyes and mental power to intimidate his targets. Or perhaps he was already capable of this, but he had not fully mastered the changes in his abilities before.

"grown ups……"

The strange bird began to tremble when it saw Luger jump off its mount's shoulder.

The slow footsteps, the ferocious smile, and those curved horns all made the strange bird tremble uncontrollably at that moment.

Ruger strolled up to its large beak, gently tapped its sturdy beak, then withdrew his hand, stroked his chin, and examined the creature.

The black and red beak was still stained with bits of meat and blood that had been dried for who knows how many years, and it had a strange, fishy smell.

The awkward Abyss accent made Luger decide to change his own accent. Perhaps he didn't need to pronounce words so clearly, as it sounded too formal and standardized. Although demons' knowledge comes from bloodline inheritance, each demon has different habits and body structures. Demons who don't like to talk usually sound awkward when they suddenly speak Abyss.

Suddenly, a tall figure appeared on the other side of the bird's head, raising his clasped hands high as if he could smash the giant bird's head to pieces with a single blow.

The large bird trembled so much that it could no longer speak. Ruger stroked his chin and spoke for the first time in front of this strange bird. As soon as he spoke, the mount opposite him, which was raising its fist, understood tacitly that it needed to change its accent.

"Get up and take us to Shattered Bone City, and I will spare you."

Ruger chose a not-too-bad level, somewhere between the strange bird accent and the original standard.

The strange bird didn't get up immediately, but instead rummaged around in its wing, and after a while, it pulled out a simple leather bag.

Ruger frowned slightly.

He knew what it was, of course, but found it rather strange.

Through the open bag, one could see several blood-red stones, as well as several magic stones of varying sizes that did not appear pure or orderly.

"Gentlemen, please grab my paws."

After the strange bird stood up, it spoke respectfully in an abyssal language with a strange accent.

Luger nodded.

The powerful mount in the strange bird's eyes grabbed a bird's leg, not the claw that the other party had specified.

Luger, taking advantage of the situation, supported the bird's leg and remained seated on his mount's shoulder.

The strange bird's eyes darted around, and it flapped its wings and took flight.

The direction they flew in confirmed that they had not gone the wrong way.

As the strange bird flapped its wings, Luger could feel the power of its wings, but it didn't fly very high, which was even somewhat shameful for a bird. But all of this was understandable, because that height would have increased the sinking force considerably, and the strange bird seemed to have found a comfortable height limit for it to soar through the sky.

Upon closer inspection, the sky above the abyss wasn't particularly low; it was several times higher than the domes of many underground cities, yet there was a pervasive sense of oppression.

Perhaps the twisted and insane nature of demons is a result of this repression.

During his wanderings, Ruger discovered the wonders of this abyss. It wasn't just about making things heavier; this power could even change the trajectory of his fireballs, causing them to fall earlier, especially the higher they went. Fireballs launched close to the ground fared much better, as if the high sky was a forbidden zone where everything was supposed to fall.

When a place that could hardly be called a city, resembling ruins, came into view, Ruger knew he had arrived at his destination.

Examining it closely from the air, it didn't seem to be any kind of ruins, but rather a cluster of weathered remains of a giant beast or a group of giant beasts, which looked like scattered, broken, pale low walls from a distance.

Ruger sensed the so-called lord's aura more clearly, but since he was not a true demon and the other party was not a true lord, the feeling was not very obvious.

Just like on the road, Mahama seemed completely unaffected. Perhaps only when he was close to a powerful creature would he feel that kind of mental pressure.

The strange bird swooped down and left the two of them in a corner of Shattered Bone City.

Then it flew away without looking back.

Suddenly, a demon with the same curved horns, but much coarser and uglier, came to Ruger's side, hunched over.

Luger looked at it with equal curiosity; the creature was wearing a bulky set of clothes.

"Tsk tsk! Oh dear, from up there I thought it was some oddly shaped little devil... Hmm, shorter than the Flame Demon, but much taller and more imposing than a little devil. Look at those curved horns, that robust body," the demon circled around, then suddenly leaned closer to sniff, "There's a hint of a dragon's aura, and this intoxicating stench, oh, it's really charming, comparable to a rare male succubus..."

(End of this chapter)