The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 17 It really wanted to live.

As the most commonly used language and script on the mainland, mastering the common language is not a very difficult thing.

The prerequisite is having enough wisdom.

Kobolds are obviously not included.

As humble descendants of the legendary dragons, they use dragon language, but mostly they can only make some guttural sounds or plosive sounds, sometimes mixed with tongue clicks and strange "hissing" noises, thus forming one or two short phrases.

And it is limited to expressing a certain intention.

For example, "charge," "keep up," "help," "run away quickly"...

These words cannot be used to form a long sentence containing a subject, verb, and object.

But the kobold, dressed in a long robe and easily distinguishable from the other members of his tribe, seemed to be afraid that the black snake would misunderstand.

He was instructing his people in the obscure dragon language while simultaneously translating for himself in the common language:

"...And the cellar, bring them all here!"

Upon hearing his command, one of the kobolds seemed to freeze in surprise and turned around:
“Xi Geth Varyk? (There, the stone)”

"Rua! That's right!"

The robed dog-headed man waved his hand solemnly, signaling his tribesmen not to waste time. The latter could only scratch the back of their heads and leave in bewilderment.

Seeing that the two mercenaries had stabilized the situation, Tang Qi was no longer so cautious. He quickly pretended to be panicked and ran over, which was noticed by Sui Shi.
"Poets, didn't we tell you to stay obediently at the entrance?"

Tang Qi was panting heavily, as if he had really encountered an accident:
"We've been attacked!"

"What!?"

The two mercenaries' expressions changed simultaneously. Shattered Stone rushed towards the robed kobold, grabbed its robe, and spat as he did so.
"You have accomplices?! You dare to play us for fools?!"

The kobold was shorter than the rubble, and besides, it had already witnessed the other's abilities—

It had originally gathered all its people and stood ready in this resting area, attempting to overwhelm the two with a swarm of dogs.

Until he saw the tower shield coming straight at him, smashing several of his comrades to pieces.

Now it was clearly terrified and hurriedly explained:

"We, all, are here!"

It laboriously formed a circle with its arms, pointed to its remaining thirty members of its kind, and repeated itself.
"all!"

Tang Qi also explained:

"It wasn't a kobold, it was a yellowish-green blob of slime, like a ball of snot!"
It started by eating the kobold's corpse, then it tried to attack us. I escaped while the jackals were fighting it!

At this point, it's not appropriate to explain in too much detail.

Even the most logically sound lie will always have flaws.

That's why we need to leave room for interpretation, giving them room to fill in the blanks, which also makes it easier for people to believe us.

"Predator, us, monster!" shouted the dog-headed man who was being lifted up.

Both mercenaries were seasoned adventurers. After hearing the description, they exchanged a glance:
"Ochre-frozen monster?"

They had seen this kind of mud monster before.

But in the past, the task of judging environmental dangers and taking precautions was always entrusted to Markwin, that old knight-errant.

So much so that they were completely unaware that there were also Ochre Frost Monsters lurking in this cave.

“The jackals can’t handle that thing. I’ll go take a look.”

Shattered Stone picked up the spiked hammer and tower shield, then looked at Tang Qi.

"Poet, lead the way!"

Since the conflict between the two half-baked individuals was so obvious, they didn't even bother to ask why Tang Qi abandoned the jackal and ran away alone.

Who cares about the life or death of their enemy?
Tang Qi nodded repeatedly and returned along the same route with the broken stones.

Instead, it was the rubble that exclaimed in surprise:
"Poet, your kindness is almost inhuman."

Why didn't you just lead me around in circles in the tunnel?

"If we go later, maybe we'll see how he died?"

So they weren't in cahoots after all?
"I still prefer seeing him cry and beg for help."

Tang Qi wasn't sure if the other party was testing him, so he just made a joke.

It wasn't until the two reached the open space at the entrance and saw clearly that inside the bloat of slime was only a human skeleton with a few bits of flesh attached, that Rui Shi slapped his forehead:
"It seems he can't cry even if he wants to."

Tang Qi certainly didn't need to take a detour.

He estimated that it would take at least 20 minutes to travel back and forth in the tunnel.

That was enough for the Ochre Frozen Monster to digest the corpse completely.

"This is troublesome. We were acquaintances, after all. Should we at least provide him with a proper burial? Only when his soul rests in peace can he be reborn..."

Shattered Stone stared at the jackal's ribs and pondered.

"Perhaps one day a necromancer will visit, prop up his skeleton, and serve as a skeleton soldier—how could that not be considered a 'rebirth'?"

Tang Qi had no interest in collecting the bodies of his enemies.
"Sorry, it was just a joke."

No, I like your humor.

Thinking of that scene, the pebbles couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"As for this mud monster... let it fill its belly and crawl back into whichever crevice it's in."

It wouldn't seek out living people to eat unless it was starving—adventurers' armor is tough and easily causes indigestion.

Shattered Stone patted Tang Qi on the shoulder: "Let's go back."

Tang Qi felt somewhat relieved and made one last probe:

"Speaking of which, aren't you all allies? The jackal is dead, isn't your reaction a little... too calm?"

"Companions? Perhaps."

But Lao Tzu and the thugs in Black Reef Harbor can't see eye to eye.

This group of people, having been suppressed for so long and accustomed to fear, do everything with a sleazy, cowardly air, like a rat-headed fish in a stinking ditch—

Have you ever seen that thing? It's a specialty of Black Reef Harbor, a carnivorous fish with a head that looks like a rat.

They usually eat small fish and earthworms found in ditches, but the meat is firm and delicious; if you cut off the head, you can even dip it in seasoning and cook it raw.

The gravel stomped its foot and spat.
"He might be quite capable, but if we weren't bothered with other clients at the same time, I wouldn't even bother inviting him for drinks—"

Who on earth would dress up like a bandit at a time when they should be enjoying fine wine?
He has absolutely no idea how enjoyable it is to appreciate wine! All he does is brandish his weapons and scare the common people—what's the point?

Well, the stone was holding back a lot of things, clearly harboring resentment for a long time.

"A carnivorous fish used as food..."

Tang Qi smacked his lips.
"Big fish eat little fish, that really suits him quite well."

The jackal was completely digested, and the two didn't linger. When they returned to the black snake, they found the kobolds carrying out boxes of star plums.

He could even see a cave entrance where a robed kobold was hitting one of his tribesmen and cursing.
"...Useless, slow, and inefficient!"

Although that's how it's translated, Tang Qi always felt something was off.

The tone of this 'insult' was much less guttural and hissing, and even sounded more melodious.

Black Snake, after listening to Shattered Stone's account, merely narrowed his eyes, glanced at Tang Qi, and then muttered to himself:

"It's a pity we're missing someone who can do the dirty work."

Come to think of it, that jackal's limited understanding of the dungeon doesn't seem like that of an adventurer who has faced life and death alongside the rubble and the black snake.

Tang Qi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then shifted his gaze to the dog-headed men who were walking over in pairs, carrying wooden boxes.

The topic was brought back on track:

"So Xingmei has been found?"

The black snake pointed to the wooden box:
"They stole it. They said the number of flesh worms in the cave was decreasing, forcing them to go out hunting. Since it was only a few kilometers away from the town, they set their sights on Xingmei."

Shattered Stone laughed loudly: "When we came out of the tunnel, these kobolds were still trying to fight back, until I smashed their heads."

Tang Qi believes there are still some unresolved questions, and offers this reminder:
"That kobold is a bit strange..."

"Too smart?"

The black snake wholeheartedly agreed.

“Every species has its outstanding individuals. This theft was probably orchestrated by it—I’ve never seen a talking kobold before.”

After scolding the kobold-headed man for a while, it quickly ran over, a human-like, ingratiating smile on its face:
"20. All, count them!"

Then another box was pulled out, filled with a shallow layer of gold coins, about a few dozen in total.

On the gold coins lay bows and arrows, short blades, swords and shields, and even a high-quality short leather coat and a pair of neatly plated armor, each the size of a human and stained with blood.

It looked very much like the legacy of adventurers; Tang Qi could even guess that there were warriors and rangers in the group.

But their weaponry was so complete that even the kobolds' bone hammers couldn't dent a single inch in their plate armor.

How did they manage to slip up and fall into the hands of these kobolds?
Or is it that Black Serpent and Shattered Stone are stronger than I imagined?
"Stealing? No!"
Kuru, apologize!
Everything is yours!

The robed dog-headed man pushed over the inheritance, bent his knees, and knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Surrender! Spare my life!"

I can tell.

It really wanted to live.

(End of this chapter)