Chapter 16

Gerald and Sui Xiong naturally had no idea that they had already been targeted by the Thieves Guild of Glimmerstone Town.

After selling off some of the valuables scavenged from the ruins of White Leaf Village, they had scraped together about ten gold coins. They only managed to get that much because Gerald's imposing appearance had terrified the grocery store owner, forcing him to pay up.

"That old man is a crook, selling a whole bag of stuff for so little!" Sui Xiong grumbled indignantly. "A total profiteer!"

Gerald, however, was quite optimistic. "Your Majesty, ten gold coins is quite a lot. The villagers usually calculate their daily expenses in copper coins."

"Ten copper for one silver, ten silver for one gold... thinking about it, we have a thousand copper coins, so I suppose it is quite a bit. Let's go buy you some gear; that robe of yours is no different from a beggar's rags."

"Let's not bother. The gear I could buy with ten gold coins wouldn't even be as sturdy as my own skin." Gerald scratched his head and gave an honest, simple smile.

Sui Xiong was speechless. He wondered if he hadn't been precise enough when crafting Gerald's body, or if he had skimped on the neural circuits in the brain. Why else would such a large head contain such simple and peaceful thoughts? The guy didn't seem like this when he was a ghost.

But then he reconsidered; there was no rule saying a big head meant high intelligence. Perhaps Gerald was just naturally dim-witted, and his brief period of cleverness as a ghost had been the exception.

Forget it. As long as he was looking after him, the guy wouldn't get sold off even if he was a bit slow. Let nature take its course.

Gerald, of course, had no idea what Sui Xiong was thinking. He walked down the street with his backpack, taking up nearly half the lane due to his massive, hulking frame. Everyone they passed cast sidelong glances, and more than a few people were whispering behind their backs.

"Look! That guy is huge!"

"Not just tall, look how thick he is! His arms are thicker than our waists!"

"How much does a guy that big eat in a single meal..."

"Though he's tall and bulky, his movements are incredibly agile. He's a natural for martial arts! If we could recruit him into our squad and train him a bit, he'd be a top-tier expert! Missions would be a breeze from now on!"

"The Giant race is known for their straightforward and bold nature, and their innate talent is top-notch. It's rare to encounter such a fine talent in this small northwest town. I must find a way to guide him; even if he cannot join my lord's banner, I must at least ensure he doesn't stray onto a wicked path!"

"Eh! Where did a giant come from in this place? He doesn't look like an ordinary giant; he might even be a young shaman. Tsk tsk, perhaps I can use this simple-minded fellow to contribute to my lord's cause..."

"What a vibrant aura of life! He is clearly a natural-born druid! If I can persuade him to accept our philosophy, I will pass on everything I have learned. Even if I die, the druid organization of the Four Northwest Towns will have a successor!"

"Heh heh heh, this big guy would make excellent material. If used as a base, he could perhaps be refined into a Death Knight strong enough to sweep through the Silver rank... or maybe even the Gold rank..."

These people were not speaking loudly, their voices lost in the general clamor of the street, and even with Gerald's keen senses, he couldn't detect them. However, Sui Xiong could.

The chatter and gazes of ordinary folk were one thing, but there were several stalkers with extraordinary strength who triggered his natural instincts. With his powerful perception, even if they were far away and speaking in whispers, it was as clear to him as if they were shouting right in his face.

"Gerald, a few people are watching you," he said to Gerald via telepathy.

"Your Majesty, I'm so big, it's only natural for people to notice me."

"Big? I think you're quite average. It's just that they are too short..." Sui Xiong muttered, completely unaware that his perception of height had become severely skewed. "But those few aren't ordinary people. Let me introduce them to you one by one."

"See, the first one is the guy sitting at the table in front of the inn with a few others. He wants to recruit you."

Gerald didn't even look, replying casually, "That must be a team of adventurers. Such adventurers are common; I was one myself back in the day."

"Oh, so he wants to pull you into a party. Understood. The second one is the old man in the worn armor standing at the entrance of that dilapidated little shrine. He wants to guide you to be a good person."

Gerald glanced over and saw the old man smiling at him, as well as the silver scales and shield emblem on the shrine door. He smiled and said, "That is a guardian of the temple of the Wielder of the Scales—the God of Justice. The God of Justice is a famous benevolent deity; they are one of the few righteous factions in this northwest region."

"That's not bad, at least we don't have to worry about them selling out their teammates. The third one is the fruit vendor by the side of the road. He wants to exploit you. It's strange, though—a fruit seller in this place with actual skills? His combat ability is likely even higher than that old man in armor!"

Gerald was secretly startled. He glanced over with the corner of his eye and said, "I don't know this person, but this area doesn't produce fruit. Being able to sell fruit here is proof of his strength in itself. I suspect he's from the Thieves Guild or the Smugglers Association. Most of them worship evil gods and are not easy to deal with!"

"In other words, a scumbag who would steal your gear. Stay away from him! The fourth one is the thin guy resting by the side of the road, wearing a simple leather robe and leaning on a wooden staff with a sprout on top."

"Your Majesty, that is a druid. They follow the path of balance, neither good nor evil. But in this area, their actions tend to lean toward the righteous faction," Gerald explained.

"So, in other words, they're the type who say, 'I'm not a good person, but it just so happens that everyone I hate is a villain,' right?"

"Exactly."

"That's fine then. He's friendly toward you and wants to pass on his skills to make you his successor."

Gerald was delighted, but after a moment of thought, he shook his head. "Although I would like to learn some druid skills, I already serve you, Your Majesty. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to get involved with those who worship the nature pantheon."

"What a pity..." Sui Xiong sighed and continued, "The last one worth noting is the one standing in the shadows by the side of the road, wrapped in a black robe. He harbors pure malice toward you and wants to use you as material to refine a Death Knight."

Gerald stopped in his tracks and turned to look in the direction Sui Xiong indicated. Sure enough, a black-robed figure was hiding in the corner, secretly spying on him.

Seeing Gerald look his way, the black-robed figure pulled his robe tighter to cover his face.

"Your Majesty, it's him, right?"

"Correct."

Gerald immediately took a long stride and charged toward the black-robed figure, shouting, "Necromancer, defiler of corpses! How dare you plot against me!"

The black-robed figure had never expected his distant surveillance to be discovered, let alone his identity to be seen through. He was startled. Seeing Gerald charging toward him with the momentum of a tiger descending a mountain, he didn't even think; he activated a magical item. A circle of white light enveloped him, and he vanished without a trace.

"Damn it!" Gerald was only a step away from catching him, but the guy had escaped. He was furious. "It's a teleportation spell! These casters are as slippery as fish!"

"I can track where he went. Should we pursue?"

Gerald hesitated for a moment before giving up on the tempting suggestion. "The places mages teleport to usually have many magical traps, or it might even be their organization's headquarters. Better not to invite that trouble..."

This minor conflict was unremarkable, yet it caught the eyes of many interested parties.

That necromancer was definitely no weakling; he was a ruthless character in Glimmerstone Town with quite a bit of notoriety. Yet, in front of Gerald, he hadn't even had the ability to fight back, not even managing to finish a spell before using his trump card to save his life.

Gerald's speed was truly terrifying; there was at least a street between them, yet he had charged over in just a few steps. And to be able to detect the necromancer's plot from such a distance... this giant, who looked so honest and even a bit dim-witted, clearly possessed astonishingly keen perception and extraordinary reflexes. Add that to his wall-like physique, and his strength and constitution were undoubtedly immense. Aside from his intelligence, which might be slightly lacking, he was practically a perfect talent!

Consequently, the temple guardian in the old armor walked straight out of the shrine toward Gerald. But before he could reach him, the fruit vendor had already sidled over.

"Sir, would you like to try a piece of fruit?" he asked with an innocent smile. "The first one is on the house."

"Why?" Gerald asked cautiously.

"A necromancer who desecrates corpses is a common enemy to us all," the peddler said with a smile. "You gave him quite a scare; it's worth a piece of fruit on the house."

Gerald shook his head. "I wouldn't dare eat your fruit."

Without waiting for the peddler to react, he walked straight away.

The peddler stood there awkwardly, his gaze turning sinister for a moment before he sneered and returned to his stall. By the time he stepped behind the counter, he had reverted to his previous appearance—all smiles and harmless.

Gerald hadn't gone far before the elderly temple guard captain appeared before him.

"May the Scales of Justice ensure your efforts are rewarded," he said. "Young man, you possess extraordinary physical constitution. Are you interested in learning some combat techniques?"

"Combat? I already know how," Gerald said.

"But I believe what you've mastered are merely crude and simple skills, such as Power Attack or Leap Slash," the old man said with a smile. "Admittedly, with your physique, relying on such techniques alone is enough to make a name for yourself, but why not learn something more advanced? I can teach you more efficient combat arts that will allow you to fell enemies faster while minimizing your own risk of injury."

"Injury?" Gerald laughed. He casually picked up a short blade from an adventurer's stall selling odds and ends and swung it at his own arm.

The sharp blade struck his undefended arm with a dull thud, as if it had hit hard wood. When he lifted the blade and returned it to the adventurer, everyone saw that his arm was completely unscathed, without even a single mark.

Seeing this, more than one person cried out in shock.

"Natural Armor!"