Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

Chapter 186 The Market

I feel like it might also be a kind of magical barrier.

This road leads to ruins that Alsterd frequently used, so the sandstorm was some kind of natural barrier to block the road.

After the sandstorm, the ecosystem here is completely different from before.

The scorpion only has one tail and didn't encounter the entire marching swarm of ants.

The sudden silence was a stark contrast to the previous situation, and most people would probably think they had lost their way.

It's known that when humans move in places with nothing to serve as landmarks, even if they feel they are moving in a straight line, they often end up circling back to where they started. This is supposedly because the stride width of the dominant foot and the weight-bearing foot is different.

However, such problems are nothing to Yue Ren. The various magical eyes he obtained from Chishilica allow him to perceive many details, making it impossible for him to get lost.

After continuing on for a short while, a huge rock formation appeared before us, about fifty meters high.

The word "rock shelter" subconsciously came to mind.

Although it can't quite be called a sheer cliff, climbing it would certainly take some effort. These massive rock formations stretch all the way to the horizon, with no end in sight.

In most cases, teams will need to find a suitable gap to squeeze through or simply go around it.

However, this did not stump Yue Ren: using new techniques combined with wind magic, and without even needing to enhance his jump with magic, he shot up like a rocket and arrived at the top of the rock formation.

Before I could even marvel at how useful magic was, an unusual shadow appeared at my feet, gradually growing larger.

I instinctively bent down to dodge, but by a hair's breadth, something swept past my head.

At the same time, a chill ran down the back of the Yue people.

Looking up, I saw a sandy monster with the head of an eagle and the limbs of a lion. It flapped its huge wings and landed after creating some distance between itself.

"Griffin"

It seems this place is the other side's territory. Well, it makes sense that flying creatures live in high places.

The lion beast is a B-rank monster and cannot use magic.

However, possessing extremely strong physical abilities and decent flight capabilities, and with a range of movement spanning three-dimensional space and being quite fast, he should be a formidable opponent for magicians.

They often act alone, but can also form groups of two to five individuals by finding mates and having offspring.

Possessing high intelligence, and exhibiting a high level of cooperation during hunts, griffins forming a group are considered equivalent to Grade A.

In addition, griffins maintain a strong sense of territory even towards their own kind.

If it's a distance of about a day's journey, other griffins don't seem likely to come from afar to attack.

Looking at the other's large body and strong wings, Yue Ren suddenly had a good idea!

So, half an hour later, the Yue people boarded the world's only airplane.

The method is naturally very simple: just give the other person a few bumps on the head and then give them some benefits.

Unlike the red dragons that lived in groups, the griffins, which at most lived in family units, made this method of travel possible.

Then this monster, which was considered very dangerous by other adventurers, became the Yue people's temporary transportation partner.

With the help of their Warcraft partners, the Yue people quickly found something besides the yellow sand.

Below the cliff is not a desert; although there are not many trees, there are still some.

It is a land similar to a tropical grassland, but with less grass.

Then, in the distance, a certain scene can be vaguely seen.

A vast lake, and rooftops covered with white cloth around the lake.

We've arrived at the market.

From above, the market looks like a donut.

The tents surrounding the large lake were made of sugar powder, and then another ring of green plants surrounded it.

The ground was no longer a desert, but a reddish-brown earth that seemed to lack nutrients, with many fist-sized stones scattered around it.

However, the road ahead is finally much easier for TOEFL test takers.

The temperature has also dropped significantly, and the two sides of the rock shelter are completely different, making it a logical choice to build a market here.

Unaware of the surrounding area, the Yue people released their temporary mounts, knowing that their size would likely be mistaken for enemy attacks if they flew there rashly.

The latter left after affectionately nuzzling Yue Ren's cheek one last time.

It didn't hate the Yue people; in fact, it was somewhat grateful. On one hand, the Yue people were indeed stronger than it and defeated it with their own strength. On the other hand, the Yue people gave it some benefits, using "non-action transformation" to help it heal many of its hidden injuries. Therefore, this lion did not dislike the Yue people.

Perhaps if they have the chance to meet again in the future, the other person will still recognize him.

And so, the Yue people began their journey on foot.

When we arrived near the market, it was already evening. Bats flew around in the air above the reddish-brown ground; they were just ordinary bats.

After walking a while towards the market, the cry of a griffin suddenly came from afar.

The Yue man initially thought it was the same griffin that had come looking for him again, but after investigating, he discovered that it wasn't. Instead, it was another griffin, and it was in a state of battle.

Driven by curiosity, Yue quickened his pace and soon spotted several people and griffins.

Four humans vs. five griffins.

No, to be precise, it wasn't four people, but six.

Two people were already lying on the ground, another person was crouching with their head in their hands, and the rest were fighting the griffin.

It was actually three against five. The remaining three were wielding broadswords and displaying excellent teamwork, but they were clearly showing signs of fatigue.

An adventurer team? The situation doesn't look good.

The Yue people felt this was a good opportunity. They were about to reach the market, and these adventurers dressed in local costumes must know some basic information. Saving them would help them integrate into the community more quickly.

Even if the other party doesn't thank him, asking some basic questions should be acceptable, right?

Without further hesitation, he raised his hand, aimed at the griffin high above, and released an ice spike. With the help of compressed wind magic, he hit the target in a very short time, instantly creating a hole in its body. Although it did not die immediately, it was still falling down with feathers falling, and it was clear that it would not survive.

One ice spike after another.

The second griffin was defeated in one hit, but the third one dodged after anticipating its attack.

The griffin discovered the presence of the Yue people, but the problem was that there were also armed men in front of it.

By the time the monsters realized what was happening, the other humans also realized that helpers had arrived.

"Drink it all!"

The warrior suddenly leaped up, using the terrain as cover, to intercept the griffins that were about to fly towards the Yue people.

The last griffin, its attack interrupted, tried to escape, but taking advantage of this opening, the Yue people struck it from behind with ice spikes, delivering a fatal blow.

After the battle ended and he confirmed that there was no danger around, Yue Ren approached the group of people.

"Is it... over?"

The man, who was huddled on the ground, raised his head.

He looked around, observing his surroundings with a clear expression of relief, and the warriors who had fought the griffins returned to his side.

"What are you doing! Go find it right now!"

The man gave instructions to one of the soldiers, who then fled at full speed and disappeared without a trace.

"Seriously... this is really bad luck. Why are there griffins even in a place like this?"

""

The man who gave the instructions led the remaining two people to the Yue people's side.

"I'm truly saved. Thank you."

"6

The man was wearing a long red robe with a yellow overcoat that resembled a bathrobe.

With a headscarf wrapped around his head and a red dot on his forehead, he perfectly fit the image of a so-called desert merchant.

He was thin and had a rather long beard, but he lacked authority and instead had a petty air about him, making him seem less like a fierce fellow.

"It's okay. We're all human, and we should look out for each other in dangerous places."

"Generally speaking, people would probably leave someone to die if they encountered such a situation."

That makes sense. After all, if a team or individual isn't very strong, getting involved in someone else's conflict could easily put themselves and their team in danger. It's just that Yue Ren is an exception.

Since the other party expressed their gratitude in the language of the God of War, the Yue people responded in the language of the God of War that they had learned from Rudeus.

May the grace of the wind be with you.

The man said only this sentence before quickly turning around and leaving, heading towards his fallen companion.

The remaining two were wearing red armor, with a thick, skirt-like waistband hanging from their lower bodies.

Compared to the average equipment of the Central Continent, their equipment was much more robust.

The weapon hanging on her waist was a curved sword with a wide and thick blade, and a length far exceeding one meter. Swords with this kind of feel are often seen in the Demon Continent, and should be very effective against large monsters.

When facing a massive enemy, if you can't aim for a fatal spot, a weapon that can inflict huge wounds is the best choice.

"Are you a magician? That's rare."

The person who said this was a burly, strong man. He had a large tattoo on his face and wore an eyepatch over his left eye.

He was nearly two meters tall and probably around forty years old. Every move he made gave people the feeling of being very experienced.

"I suppose so, but my main profession is actually 'a bard'."

As he spoke, he took out his flute and played a tune. The beautiful music was like a handful of sweet dew poured into everyone's hearts, making them feel much better.

"That's really impressive. To know such powerful magic at the same time, no wonder you dared to come to a place like this alone."

The other person was a woman. She kept staring at the Yue people and saying such things.

Her skin was light black, and she wore a breastplate and a skirt-like waistband. Although her muscles were hidden under her clothes, they were quite well-developed. She was probably in her early twenties.

"After all, I have an inspiring dream of traveling the world, so how can I not learn some skills to help me?"

Upon hearing this, the group nodded unconsciously, agreeing that what was said was true, and at the same time, they became slightly more enthusiastic towards the Yue people.

"6

...My name is Barry Badham, thank you again.

"My name is Yue Ren."

"Really? If there's anything wrong..."

"Hey! What are you guys dawdling about!"

Before Barrybadem could finish speaking, the merchant who had spoken earlier shouted at them.

"Hurry up and go find the goods!"

"Oh dear, I'm sorry I have to go now... My master will definitely thank you later."

After speaking, Barrybadem and Carmelita both ran towards the merchant.

The three of them discussed things briefly, then split up and disappeared into two groups, their destination apparently not the nearby market.

And so, the Yue people's plan to obtain information fell through.

He hadn't expected that the injured would be left unattended as well...

I checked on their companion who was still lying on the ground... he was already dead.

No wonder they seemed uninterested in treatment; they probably already knew what was going on.

One of the victims was a young girl who looked to be only about eighteen years old. She was likely bitten on the head by the griffin's sharp beak, leaving a large hole in her forehead, and she must have died instantly.

Yue Ren wondered if there was a culture of abandoning corpses on this continent, or if the corpses here were simply not meant to become immortal.

However, such behavior can only be described as barbaric in two words.

The body was cremated using magic and then buried in the ground.

It seems the only way to get information is through the market.

After walking for some time, they finally arrived at the market.

When we entered the market, the sun had already set.

However, the surroundings were still bright because bonfires were lit everywhere, just like a festival or temple fair.

The ground around the campfire was covered with a carpet-like cloth, and men and women sat on it happily to eat.

Everyone wore headscarves, and their clothing included a variety of colors and patterns, but all possessed a strong and unique ethnic character.

Seeing others eating makes me feel hungry too.

This is the same phenomenon in any world. That being said, shouldn't we find a place to sleep first? As Yue Ren was assessing the situation, a man called out to him.

"Hey! Hey buddy over there, wanna grab something to eat? We're serving meals for just three sandwiches!"

It seems he's selling leftovers from his own people.

The Yue people, who didn't have many demands, immediately accepted his offer; after all, they couldn't think of any good ideas on an empty stomach. Just as they were about to sit down on the tarpaulin, the man soliciting customers stretched out his hand to them.

"Please pay first, as the food is ready."

He took out three copper coins from his pocket and handed them to him, but the man looked suspicious.

"What is this thing?"

"They are copper coins from the Kingdom of Lanoa."

"What country is that? This kind of thing can't be used."

Sure enough, given the global circulation, it's no surprise that currencies from other countries can't be used here.

"Is this thing okay?"

She took back the copper coin and then took a gold bean from her pocket and placed it in the man's hand.

The man soliciting customers picked up the gold bean, examined it closely, even bit it once, and then said thank you with satisfaction before going to solicit other customers.

It seems they acknowledge the value of gold.

The Yue people sat down on the cloth.

"Here you are, sorry to have kept you waiting!"

The service was alright, but the food was served even though we didn't order anything.

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