Chapter 16

Gerald and Sui Xiong had no idea that the Thieves Guild in Glimmerstone Town had already set its sights on them.

They sold some valuables they had salvaged from the ruins of White Leaf Village, scraping together about ten gold coins. They'd only gotten that much because Gerald's imposing appearance had scared the shopkeeper half to death.

"That old guy was such a crook! We sold him a whole bundle of stuff, and he gave us next to nothing!" Sui Xiong fumed. "What a rip-off!"

Gerald, on the other hand, took it in stride. "Your Majesty, ten gold coins is quite a lot. The villagers usually count their daily expenses in copper coins."

"Ten copper coins to a silver coin, ten silver coins to a gold coin... Now that I think about it, we've got a thousand copper coins. That does sound like quite a lot. Then let's buy you some equipment. That robe of yours looks practically no better than a beggar's rags."

"Maybe not. The equipment we could buy with ten gold coins wouldn't protect me as well as my own body does." Gerald scratched his head and gave a simple, honest grin.

Sui Xiong was speechless. He wondered if he'd skimped on the details when making Gerald's body, perhaps not putting enough circuitry in the cerebral cortex. Why else would someone with such a huge head have thoughts so simple and easygoing? Gerald hadn't seemed like this when he'd been a ghost.

Then again, it wasn't as if a bigger head meant a higher IQ. Maybe Gerald had always been a bit dim, and had only gotten smarter for a while after becoming a ghost...

Oh, well. Sui Xiong would keep an eye on him. Even if Gerald was a little slow, he wouldn't let anyone take advantage of him. Let things run their course.

Of course, Gerald had no idea what Sui Xiong was thinking. With his backpack slung over his shoulder, he strolled along the street. He was so tall and broad that he took up nearly half the road by himself. Everyone turned to stare as he passed, and more than a few people whispered among themselves.

"Look at that! He's so tall!"

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

"He's so huge. How much must he eat in a single meal...?"

"He may be tall and strong, but he moves with surprising agility. He'd make an excellent martial artist! If we could recruit him into our team and train him a little, he'd become a top-tier expert. Our missions would be much easier from then on!"

"Giants are known for their straightforward, hearty nature, and their talent is second to none. To find such a promising young man in a remote town in the Northwest is a rare opportunity. I must try to guide him. Even if I can't bring him into my lord's service, I can at least keep him from going astray!"

"Huh! Where'd a giant come from around here? And he doesn't look like an ordinary giant, either. I bet he's a young shaman. Tsk, perhaps I can use this simple-minded fellow to advance my lord's cause..."

"What a powerful aura of life! He's clearly a born druid! If I can persuade him to embrace our ideals, I'll pass on everything I've learned. Then, even if I die, the druids of the Four Northwest Towns will have someone to carry on their work!"

"Heh heh heh. This big fellow would make excellent material. If I used him as the raw material, perhaps I could create a death knight powerful enough to sweep through the silver rank... Maybe even the gold rank..."

Their voices weren't loud. Lost amid the general hubbub, they were impossible for Gerald to make out, even with his keen senses. But while Gerald hadn't noticed them, Sui Xiong had.

The ordinary townsfolk's voices and stares were nothing. Several of the people watching Gerald were exceptionally powerful, and Sui Xiong had sensed them instinctively. With his formidable perception, once he picked up on them, he could hear them clearly even from far away, even when they spoke softly—as if they were shouting right in front of him.

"Gerald, a few people are paying attention to you," he told him telepathically.

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

"Big? I think you're pretty ordinary. They're just unusually short..." Sui Xiong muttered, completely unaware that his sense of scale had become seriously skewed. "But those few aren't ordinary people. I'll introduce them one by one."

"See that first one? He's sitting at a table outside the inn, eating with a few others. He wants to recruit you."

Gerald didn't even look. "They're probably a group of adventurers. You see adventurers like that all the time. I used to be one myself."

"Oh, he wants to team up and go adventuring with you. Got it, got it. The second one is the old man in worn-out armor, standing by the entrance to that rather shabby little temple. He wants to guide you into becoming a good person."

Gerald looked over and saw the old man smiling at him. He also spotted the silver-white scales and shield emblem at the temple entrance. He smiled and said, "That's the head guard of the Temple of the Wielder of the Scales—in other words, the God of Justice. The God of Justice is a renowned good deity. They're one of the few forces for good in the Northwest."

"Sounds good. At least we don't have to worry about them stealing our loot. The third one is the fruit vendor by the road. He wants to use you. Funny that even a fruit seller around here has some skill. I suspect he's even better in a fight than the old man in armor!"

Gerald was secretly startled. He glanced over cautiously. "I don't know him, but fruit doesn't grow around here. Being able to sell it here is proof enough that he's capable. I'd guess he belongs to the Thieves Guild or the Smugglers Association. Most of them worship evil gods, so they're not easy to deal with!"

"So, in plain terms, he's a bastard who'd steal our loot. Let's keep our distance! The fourth is that skinny fellow resting by the roadside. He's wearing a shabby leather robe and leaning on a wooden staff with buds sprouting from the top."

"Your Majesty, he's a druid. They follow the path of balance, neither good nor evil. But around here, their actions tend to lean toward the good," Gerald explained.

"So they're the 'I'm not a good person, but it just so happens I hate bad people' sort, right?"

"Exactly."

"Good. He's friendly toward you and wants to teach you everything he knows, so you can become his successor."

Gerald brightened, but after a moment, he shook his head. "I'd like to learn some druidic skills, but I already serve you, Your Majesty. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to join up with them, since they follow the Nature Pantheon."

"What a shame..." Sui Xiong sighed, then continued, "The last one worth mentioning is the person standing in the shadows by the road, wrapped in a black robe. He's completely hostile toward you. He wants to use you as material to make a death knight."

Gerald stopped and turned to look in the direction Sui Xiong had indicated. Sure enough, a black-robed figure was hiding around the corner, secretly watching him.

When he saw Gerald looking, the figure tugged his robe up to hide his face.

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

"That's right."

Gerald immediately strode toward the black-robed figure, roaring, "Necromancer who desecrates corpses! How dare you plot against me!"

The black-robed figure had never imagined that anyone could notice him spying from so far away, let alone see through his identity. He was startled. As Gerald charged toward him like a tiger coming down a mountain, he didn't hesitate for a second. He activated a magical item, and a ring of white light surrounded him. With a whoosh, he vanished without a trace.

"Damn it!" Gerald had nearly caught up, but the fellow had gotten away. He was instantly furious. "That was a teleportation spell. Spellcasters are as slippery as fish!"

"I can track where he went. Want to pursue him?"

Gerald hesitated, then turned down the tempting offer. "A mage's teleport destination is probably full of magical traps. It might even be the headquarters of his organization. Better not to invite trouble..."

The little clash had seemed insignificant, but it caught the attention of many people with an eye for talent.

That necromancer was no pushover. He was quite a tough character in Glimmerstone Town and had a fearsome reputation. Yet he hadn't been able to fight back against Gerald. He hadn't even had time to chant a spell before using his trump card to save his life.

Gerald was incredibly fast. The two of them had been at least a street apart, yet he'd covered the distance in just a few strides. He'd also detected the necromancer's plot from so far away... This giant looked so honest that he seemed almost stupid, but clearly he had extraordinary perception and remarkably quick reflexes. And with a body as broad as a wall, he was obviously strong. His constitution went without saying. He was practically perfect—except that his intelligence might be a little on the low side!

The head guard in worn-out armor promptly came out of the temple and headed toward Gerald. But before he could reach him, the fruit vendor had already walked over.

"Sir, would you like some fruit?" He smiled in a harmless, friendly way. "Your first one's free."

"Why?" Gerald asked cautiously.

"That necromancer who desecrates corpses is everyone's enemy," the vendor said with a smile. "You gave him a fright, so I thought you deserved a free piece of fruit."

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

Without waiting for the vendor to react, he left.

The vendor stood awkwardly where he was. His expression turned sinister for a moment, but then he sneered and returned to his stall. By the time he was behind his cart, he'd gone back to his usual harmless, smiling self.

Gerald had only gone a short distance when the elderly head guard reached him.

"May the just scales bless you with a fitting reward for your efforts," he said. "Young man, you're in extraordinary physical condition. Would you be interested in learning some combat techniques?"

"Combat? I know how to fight," Gerald said.

"But I'm sure the techniques you know are rather crude and simple. Powerful attacks or leaping slashes, for instance." The old man smiled. "With your physique, those techniques alone would be enough to make you famous. But why not learn something more advanced? I can teach you more efficient techniques that will help you defeat your enemies more quickly while avoiding injury."

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

The sharp blade struck his unprotected arm with a dull thud, as if it had hit a piece of solid wood. When he lifted the sword and handed it back to the adventurer, everyone could see that his arm was completely unharmed—not even a mark on it.

More than one person cried out at the sight.

"Natural Armor!"

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