Those Who Jump Die Early

"Human kid, are you in a good mood?"

The story was over, and it was getting late. As Ruby got up to leave, Dragon suddenly spoke.

"Yeah, I've always wanted to understand Mayona better. I feel like I saw another side of her."

"Oh? And what do you want to do with that understanding?"

"Analyze her behavior patterns so I can get the upper hand when she bullies me."

"...Are we going to tell them that the white-haired one spends all her days doing nothing and being a parasite?"

Dragon widened his single eye in surprise. After a moment's thought, he decided he didn't want to lower his intelligence by continuing this conversation with Ruby. The sight of those ignorant people worshipping her made Dragon feel annoyed. That white-haired one always bullied the two of them for fun. The great Dragon absolutely had to find an opportunity to ruin her reputation.

"We'll probably get kicked out if we do that."

Ruby shook his head. Just as he was stepping out the door, he suddenly heard the storyteller Hubba speak again.

"The story session has ended, and it's time for our daily joke submission! Everyone, feel free to tell me any interesting jokes you've heard or thought of. Hubba's stories are limited, and I want everyone to hear fresh tales every day. Today's first prize is a Level 3 Mo Beast – the Twin-Clawed Beast – which the boss spared no expense to acquire from the Tidal Empire!"

A large block of ice had appeared next to Hubba at some point. Through the ice, one could clearly see a bizarre-looking Mo Beast frozen inside. It was at least 1.5 meters long, and its two massive claws looked incredibly aggressive.

Hearing the name "Twin-Clawed Beast," Ruby felt a sense of familiarity. He hadn't expected it to be a creature from Earth, like a lobster. However, there were true dragons in this world, and this creature couldn't possibly be related to them, hence its scientific name.

"These sea Mo Beasts are incredibly ferocious and difficult to capture. One pinch from their claws can sever an adult's arm, but their meat is incredibly delicious. In inland empires like the Sacred Continent, only Nobles can afford to taste it."

Hubba patted the ice block beside him. The audience below was startled by the boss's generosity. A Twin-Clawed Beast this large – they probably couldn't buy it even for a thousand Gold Coins – and he was using it just to exchange for a story. Of course, only those in the storytelling profession could understand the charm of stories woven from words.

"Oh! This gentleman looks confident."

Hubba felt a hint of disappointment as he saw the audience members looking eager but no one stepping forward. However, he soon spotted a spiky-haired individual walking up with a stack of papers and exclaimed happily.

"I'll take the lobster."

Ruby handed the stack of papers to Hubba and then had Dragon put away the large ice block. It wasn't that he was looking down on these Otherworlders; their storytelling skills were simply terrible. They were so engrossed in magic that not many had the imagination to write novels. It was absolutely impossible for them to surpass the national treasure he held in his hand.

What he offered was, of course, an Otherworld story called [Journey to the West]. Ruby had always thought that the literary development of this world wasn't great. In his early days, he had planned to write something to make a living, but then things got busy and he forgot. However, the manuscripts were still stored within Dragon's memory, so this was a perfect opportunity to use them. Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to give it all away; he only provided the first twenty chapters, which was enough in exchange.

"Wait..."

Hubba's first instinct was that this person was here to cause trouble. But before he could call out to Ruby, his eyes were drawn to the words on the papers. Unlike the usual Magic Power paper, this paper seemed more ordinary, and the text was handwritten. It could be read without injecting Magic Power.

Just seeing the title made Hubba unable to look away. His hand unconsciously flipped to the next page. For the next while, no matter who called him, he wouldn't wake up. He was completely captivated by the story in the book. It took him several hours to carefully read the first twenty chapters. By the time he came to his senses, it was already midnight, and the person who had given him this masterpiece had long since disappeared.

"Ruby! Where did you go? It's long past dinner time!"

When Ruby returned to the Grand Cathedral, he was met with the pouting face of the Archmage girl. She pointed at the completely dark sky, venting her dissatisfaction. Beside her, Tinasha looked content, as if she was happy just to be by Mayona's side.

"Phew, I went to get ingredients. We're having seafood today."

A strange sense of regret welled up in Ruby's heart. It was truly difficult to connect the person in front of him with the great image depicted by the storyteller in the teahouse.

"Seafood?"

Mayona mumbled the word, her eyes lighting up. She had seen the word "seafood" on Dragon's recipe before, but Dris couldn't possibly buy seafood. The only seafood available was Aqua, and the Archmage girl had no desire to taste what a Mermaid was like.

"Are we going to cook it here?"

When it came to lobster, it had to be grilled. However, given how large this lobster was, there were many ways to cook it. Having an open space would be convenient for the process.

"What do you think the Church is? Even if His Holiness the Pope doesn't mind, we should go home."

"Home?"

"Yes, my house in the Imperial Capital."

Mayona nodded. Because her mind was focused on the food, she wasn't in the mood to walk back slowly. She simply grabbed Ruby's hand and used Spatial Movement to go directly there.

"This is your house?"

Ruby gazed at the manor before him, lost in thought. What met his eyes was a vast expanse of green lawn. In the center of the lawn, a path leading to the house was paved with sparkling Magic Crystal Stones. Although it was only a three-story building, its horizontal area was terrifyingly large. As far as the eye could see, there were more than twenty windows arranged horizontally.

He felt like he had been deceived by the Archmage girl in some ways, and quite badly at that.

"Mm."

"You said you were homeless..."

"That's right. But I've already donated it to His Holiness the Pope. He hasn't used it yet, so it's fine to stay for a few days."

Mayona playfully gave Ruby a sly smile. The Archmage girl had thought of her excuse long ago, and Ruby was helpless against her.

"Ruby, come with me for a moment."

Mayona didn't give Ruby a chance to react. She gently took his hand and led him to the back of the house. The previously flat ground was slightly raised, as if something was buried there. A bouquet of white flowers was placed in front of the mound of earth.

"Your teacher?"

Ruby quickly figured out what it was and, combining it with the slightly sad expression on Mayona's face, tentatively asked.

"Yes. I insisted on burying my teacher here so I could see her every day... It seems His Holiness the Pope has already been here."

Mayona bent down and pulled out the weeds growing on the mound. As the burial place of a Saint of Magic, it was indeed a bit rudimentary. However, at the time, no one dared to oppose Mayona's decision, nor did anyone dare to provoke a Saint on the verge of collapse.

"Was His Holiness the Pope very familiar with your teacher?"

"With His Holiness the Pope? Just ordinary childhood friends."

PS, Please collect and recommend.

PS, Ruby: There was once a Saint of Thieves, and now the grass on her grave is two meters tall.

PS, Thanks to book friends Mo Yu Xiao Mo for the 5000 reward, Mr. Mantou Jun for the 500 reward, and Qiu Feng Ye Ying, Quan Qiu Leng Tian Qi, Xiao Meng Chen for the 100 reward.