The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 115 The Absurd Truth (Please Subscribe!)

When the words "Great Desert" were mentioned, the gravel fell silent for a rare moment.

Even his drinking became slow, and in the end he even put down his glass, giving Tang Qi a strange look:

"He even told you this kind of thing?"

“Black Serpent? No. This is what I heard from that mage named Nova—when we were being put into the prison cart, he approached us and struck up a conversation, seemingly trying to learn about the secret treasure you were carrying from Black Serpent.”

Tang Qi spoke frankly and made no attempt to hide his curiosity.

“I also tried to find out what you experienced in the desert, but Black Snake was unwilling to tell me.”

"You'd be better off stabbing him to death than letting him bring it up himself."

"So what did you gain in the desert? Something that even caused your entire team to fall apart—[Sandalwood Forest's henchmen]."

"Come on, stop asking about this kind of thing, it won't do you any good."

"The more you say that, the more curious people become."

Tang Qi felt that the rubble was deliberately teasing him.
"For the sake of the twenty days we've spent together, at least satisfy my thirst for knowledge, okay? At worst, don't tell me you've obtained any treasure—I'm a bard, only interested in the story itself."

Whether it's the legend of the 'Land of Gods' or the 'Forgotten Kingdom', both have endowed this wasteland with a unique mystery.

Let it be like a woman still full of charm, lying quietly on the boundless ruins, pouring sweet and long-aged wine onto her neck, flowing along her veins into the white and deep canyon.

It seemed to be tempting every seeker of knowledge, igniting the desire in their hearts, trying to greedily pluck it from her.

not to mention--

Tang Qi was also particularly concerned about the existence of the Golden Kingdom.

The artificial life form capable of seeing through illusions, and the technology it represents.

The prosperous yet lost land described by Chenxi...

If there is a legend of a 'Forgotten Kingdom' in this world, which led to the wasteland that blocks the east and west of the continent, perhaps only the [Golden Kingdom] is qualified to be considered.

Now, the excitement of uncovering history makes his gaze burn even more intensely, making the gravel feel uncomfortable:
"What good will it do you know? Do you want to venture deep into the desert? You can't even handle the orcs outside the Southern Great Wall."

"Just something to have with drinks."

Don't you dwarves say that it takes a hundred years to make a new friend?
That was also a century of gradual 'understanding'.

Listening to each other's stories is also a process of 'getting to know' each other.

"I never said I wanted to understand you."

"But can't I want to understand you?"

"Can you please stop making this weird way of saying 'cut off his goatee'? I don't like tall people, and I especially don't like men!"

"Looks like I'll have to write you in the guide as a dwarf who likes both tall people and men. Heh, now you're definitely not going back to Ironforge, since you'll become a disgrace to the dwarves..."

The gravel couldn't help but slam its hand on the table:
"Someone like you think you can recruit me into your group?"

“The moment you expressed that you didn’t intend to join the team, I no longer had that idea.”

"What if I can't find a suitable team?"

"Then won't you be the one begging me to get you involved?"

"Screw you……"

On second thought, it seemed to make sense. Feeling somewhat aggrieved, Broken Stone downed the dark beer in his glass in one gulp.

"Okay then. I can tell you what happened back then—as long as you tell fewer of those unfunny jokes in the future."

Tang Qi knew what he was referring to, but shook his head and denied it:

How do you know they're not funny? Are they too funny?

"Shut up! Fine, I give up, I give up!"

Sui Shi realized that he should never negotiate with Tang Qi, otherwise the guy would only push his luck.
"But you need to understand, I'm telling you these things not because I consider you a 'friend'—"

"I just find you somewhat agreeable, and you're acting like a madman, recklessly risking your life. I'm afraid you've really lost your mind and led a bunch of worthless bastards to their deaths in the desert."

"What kind of adventurer are you if you don't take risks?"

"Yes, that's the same spirit we had back then."

He snorted coldly and then fell silent for a while.

Only after the dense bubbles in the wine glass calmed down, as still as his mood, did he finally sigh:

"What did that rising star say again?"

"It is said that the [Sandalwood Forest's Henchmen] are the only team that ventured deep into the Great Desert and emerged alive with the secret treasure."

Instead of handing the treasure over to the employer, you got into a fight over its ownership and ended up parting on bad terms.

Now, the entire team's reputation is known to everyone, and everyone is curious about what you found in the desert and what kind of treasure it is.

"How could a rumor spread like this?" Sui Shi couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

"rumor?"

"A complete and utter rumor."

"Not a single fact?"

"That's not quite right. At least one thing is true—we were indeed the only team to make it out of the desert."

The smile on the pebbles' face was meaningful; in Tang Qi's eyes, it seemed more like self-mockery.

"Do you know why?

Because we were scared.

"What?" This was an answer Tang Qi hadn't expected.

"Do you know why Black Snake didn't say a word? Because in his opinion, this matter is too damn shameful—"

Ten renowned teams were invited to undertake the mission of exploring the desert ruins.

Nine teams ventured deep into the ruins in search of the so-called secret treasure.

The last one, [Sandalwood Forest's Henchmen], fled with their tails between their legs on the third day after entering the ruins, because someone had died.

"..."

"Why were we the only team that made it out alive? Because we were afraid of dying!"

Once the floodgates were opened, the gravel began to chatter on and on.
"Black Snake felt ashamed. But compared to losing his life like the other nine teams, this was the best possible outcome—"

【The Crown of the Far North】, 【The Call of the Abyss】, 【Making Money to Visit Brothels】... Back then, which of those wasn't more famous than us?
And what was the result? They went in full of ambition, but in the end, they just became a handful of dust in the ruins, piled up in some corner, disappearing without a trace.

Tang Qi then realized and said:

"So there was no treasure at all." "No! Not only did we get nothing on that trip, we also lost Faltto's life, Markwin's leg, my eye, Sharti's magic—and the future of the Black Serpent."

"What do you mean?"

"He wasn't going to live much longer anyway."

Grabstone glanced at the glass of wine beside him, and finally removed the eye patch that had been covering his one eye the whole time.

Tang Qi saw the empty eye socket.

A faint, dark light lingered in his eyes, refusing to leave.

"He took the fatal wound for me, but I still lost an eye."

And he...maybe he can hold on for another five or ten years? Who knows?

But it's like being under an inescapable curse, causing our bodies to deteriorate irreversibly—

"If Markwin hadn't known some healing magic, we wouldn't have even made it out of the desert back then."

After putting the blindfold back on, the dwarf let out a cold snort.
"That's why he hastily disbanded the team, making everything fall apart on bad terms."

Let me go with him again and take care of all the funeral arrangements...

So do you understand now? This so-called 'treasure' is nothing more than a rumor fabricated by a group of greedy but cowardly individuals.

It is precisely because these people are even more incompetent and fearful than us, lacking even the courage to step into the vast desert, that they have made us losers the topic of their conversation.

So... don't even think about that vast desert again. You're no more capable than we were back then. Preserve your short life; that's more important than anything else.

Despite the dwarf's attempts to dissuade him, Tang Qi finally understood the sincerity of the black snake's advice that day.

The moment when Nova asked him what he had received.

He didn't hide anything from anyone—

"Nothing."

That means there's really nothing there.

There were no legends, no treasures, and not even the courage to take the risk.

Only the 'losers' who, at the very beginning of the adventure, left that lost ruin because of fear and helplessness.

Tang Qi then realized that not every adventure can have a dramatic journey, a thrilling process, and a triumphant ending.

The more outlandish and magnificent the rumors about Black Serpent and his companions became, the better.

This makes the truth seem even more cruel and absurd.

This silence lasted for a very long time.

"you're right."

Tang Qi also sighed.

"The Great Desert is a topic that is beyond my current reach."

"..."

The gravel did not respond to him, nor did it feel relieved to have dissuaded an ignorant person.

For some reason, he suddenly realized that 'understanding' a person didn't seem to require 100 years.

At least at this moment, he had already guessed what Tang Qi was going to say next:
"But, when I possess greater power someday, I must venture in and explore it, no matter what. Otherwise—"

"Otherwise, wouldn't we have lived in vain?"

Shattered Stone chuckled, glanced at the empty seat beside him, and continued the conversation.

"As expected, you—no, we're all the same. 'Even if we die on this road, at least we won't regret it,' right?"

"of course."

“We all thought that way until we were actually going to die on the road. You’ll have to go through that day sooner or later.”

Shattered Stone shook his head, not believing Tang Qi's boast at all.

Tang Qi, however, said:

"But what if I've already died once?"

Only by facing death can one truly understand the meaning of life.

When they met Tang Qi's calm gaze, even the broken stones hesitated, their certainty fading—

Perhaps, this human being is even more pure than he imagined.

"Yeah……"

So he raised his glass to Tang Qi.

"Before you prove it to me, you better not die in some unknown corner."

Otherwise, I'll laugh at you for the rest of my life!

"how can that be possible?"

Tang Qi touched the dwarf's glass and drank the last of his stout in one gulp.

"Even if I die, I will die at the highest point in the world."

"At that time, even if you crane your neck and look up, you won't be able to find me!"

"roll!"

The dwarf no longer hesitated to share his beer, snatched Tang Qi's glass, filled the empty glass, and then smashed it in front of him.

Tang Qi was too lazy to say anything more, raised his glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

He knew that after tonight, Shattered Stone would leave Dragon Tail Pass and embark on a new journey.

He's the same, except he goes a little later.

A temporary separation will not erase the time spent together.

At least for now, he only needs to cherish this night.

……

early morning.

When Tang Qi was groggily woken up from the table, he could no longer see the figure of the rubble.

Instead, it was another short man who kept calling out in his ear:

"Mr. Tang Qi, the 'propaganda expert' I mentioned has arrived. Aren't you going to see him?"

(End of this chapter)