The chill of late autumn had grown increasingly noticeable. Compared to the last time he had come, Copper Nail Alley was much quieter.
After the little accident at The Goblin's Head That Jumps, He Xi left considerably earlier than expected.
He first returned to Scarlet Waterfall Alley and enjoyed a steaming hot lunch. Then he called Zoya and Bruce and leisurely made his way to Copper Nail Alley.
Even so, he still arrived much earlier than the agreed time.
What surprised him, however, was that when he was almost at the entrance to Rocknor's stone house, he saw the two familiar Land Birds and that tall figure from a distance.
There was no comparison without contrast.
This reminded him of his two encounters with Belt. Without exception, that guy had been late every time.
"Captain."
"Woof!"
"Galen, Zoya, and Bruce." Hulk turned around with a faint smile. "You're here so early?"
"Aren't you here early too?"
Hulk smiled at that. "No, I originally planned to take a lap around the area before coming over. But then I remembered I wasn't meeting Belt this time. I was afraid you might have to wait, so I hurried over first to take a look."
It seemed Belt's reputation for unreliability had long since become common knowledge within the team.
They took the bag of rubies down from the Land Bird's back and entered the shop.
Compared to last time, the shop was completely empty.
The gnome shopkeeper, Rocknor, was still standing on a specially made tall stool. At that moment, he was completely absorbed in carving a gemstone with a set of precision gear tools.
So much so that He Xi and the others stood there for quite a while before he suddenly noticed them, jolting in fright.
"Gold Shield above! Next time,