It Was Fine Before, Not Now

It Was Fine Before, Not Now

Five pages in a row were all about the great achievements of someone named Naluye, each more exaggerated than the last. By the end, the man was practically a savior.

Only then did Dole finally remember. Wasn't this the human Demon War God, Naluye? Then this book...

He flipped it over and looked at the title. His mind immediately buzzed. This was an introductory reader that had circulated among humans hundreds of years ago!

Whether warriors or mages, they had once shared a common name long ago: superpowered warriors. But people generally no longer called them that. Warriors were called warriors, knights were called knights, and wizards were called wizards. Only when they were grouped together were they called superpowered warriors. Back when he was still in school, his teacher had often bragged about such things.

Seeing this reader, Dole knew he had found treasure. He turned to look at Aoduo, only to see that he had quietly finished the vegetable balls and was sitting there silently, watching him.

At that moment, Aoduo crawled over to Dole's side, lay down, and continued licking his hand.

Dog Aoduo was truly thinking, Damn it, I'm a dignified Abyssal Demon Hound, yet I have to work hard at imitating a real dog and curry favor with a human. If other demon hounds found out, where would I put my dog face?

Sigh!!!

But judging by Dole's expression, he seemed to know what this book was. The effect was pretty good!

Looking at his shocked little eyes and his stunned expression, it felt absolutely amazing.

Dog Aoduo was delighted inside, as though he had done something extraordinary. His heart was full of joy, and his dog eyes curved into crescent moons.

But it was almost dark already, and the sky had grown so dim it was hard to see. Though Dole had countless questions in his heart, there was nothing he could do now. As for taking the book outside, he did not dare. If those nobles or warriors saw it, he would probably be killed on the spot.

The thought sent a shiver through him.

Where had this dog carried the book from? This book had not been seen for hundreds of years. How could anyone still have one? Could it have come from a noble household in Duomeng City?

In Duomeng City, only nobles and wealthy families had the qualifications and means to practice martial arts. The only families that might have preserved books from hundreds of years ago were City Lord Link's family and Deputy City Lord Aoun's family. Only their lineages were old enough that they might possess such books.

But neither the city lord's family nor Aoun's family had high-level wizards. They only had warriors. Now that he thought about it, this book must have come from somewhere else.

The sky gradually darkened until he could no longer see anything in the room. Dole gave up on reading any further. As for lamps, there were only a handful in the entire slum. Even if someone had one, it would not be for reading, but for work. He remembered that Aunt Annie's family had an oil lamp, but she only used it at night to sew clothes for nobles. Normally, she could not bear to light it.

The poor people in the slum were truly poor. Most could not even afford clothes, much less buy lamp oil to read at night. Such a thing was unimaginable to ordinary people. In their eyes, working was what they were supposed to do. Reading was something only nobles and wealthy people could do. They were not worthy of it.

At that thought, something unusual stirred in Dole's heart. Why could they do it while he could not? It was unfair.

Once he thought of that, Dole's mind became active.

He climbed up and went to the head of the bed, in front of Aoduo's doghouse. He gathered the other books Aoduo had stolen into his arms and placed them beneath his pillow. No matter where Aoduo had stolen these books from, he would read them all, and he would read them carefully.

With that thought in mind, he soon fell into a deep sleep.

In the darkness, Aoduo's eyes glowed brightly. Watching Dole fall asleep, he slowly stood up. His tail stopped wagging, and his body became straight and rigid.

He looked outside. The sky had only just turned dark, and people were still moving about, so he restrained himself and slowly sat back down.

Magic crystals were good things, filled with all kinds of elemental energy. As long as he had enough elemental energy, he could recover quickly. But the magic crystals in the mine Dole went to contained only a tiny amount. He estimated he could drain them in three to five days, but something was better than nothing.

After a day, he could feel that his injuries had improved considerably. He was no longer in the same state as before, all thanks to last night's trip to the Magic Crystal Mine. How wonderful it would be if there were a small magic crystal mine.

With that thought, Aoduo turned his gaze outside, eagerly waiting for time to pass.

An hour went by. At around ten that night, Dog Aoduo slowly stood up and came before Dole. As usual, he gave him another burst of magical radiance, then retreated to the door and looked outside. By then, the slum had become utterly silent. Apart from a few dead-drunk drunks, no one was out and about.

Seeing this, he quietly opened the door and swiftly slipped out. Before long, he reached the outskirts of the city.

The mine was unchanged from yesterday, with only a few traces left behind from the day's labor. When Aoduo arrived, he discovered one difference from yesterday: part of the mine had been excavated.

There was no one at the mine at night. It was silent, save for the chirping of insects. In the tranquil mountain valley, only stones kept him company.

Aoduo did not lower his guard. He carefully prowled around the area once. Once he confirmed there was not a single person nearby, he relaxed. He released his spiritual power deep underground and began his daily work.

Absorbing the mine.

No, not absorbing the mine. He was absorbing the minute elemental energy within the mineral vein. If he were in the city, he could only swallow magic crystal ore into his stomach and slowly absorb it. Otherwise, the magical fluctuations would easily draw attention. But here, with no one around, he could absorb it openly.

Soon, another night passed. Just before dawn, he quietly slipped back into the city.

After absorbing energy all night, he felt his injuries had recovered a little more, and he was very pleased.

Quietly slipping back into his doghouse, Dog Aoduo let out a breath. In truth, he knew that there was no real power in this city. At most, there were only first-level beings. With his current second-level strength, he could come and go as he pleased.

But caution was the ship that sailed for ten thousand years. It was a human proverb, and he deeply understood its meaning.

He pretended to lie down. About half an hour later, Dole woke up.

Just like yesterday, Dole repeated everything he had done before. He met Uncle Dodu at the market, then headed toward the mine. He still remembered what had happened yesterday, so when they reached the entrance, he quietly looked around. Only after failing to spot Aoduo did he relax.

When Uncle Dodu saw that Dole was acting strangely, he finally could not hold back after they reached the riverbank. "Dole, why are you acting so sneaky?"

Dole shrugged. "I hit Aoduo yesterday."

Dodu was immediately startled. He warily looked around. Seeing neither Aoduo nor his father, he sighed in relief, then said to Dole in shock, "What's wrong with you? Why did you hit Aoduo?"

Dole said, "I was hungry. I need to eat my fill to have the strength to work. Two vegetable balls a night aren't nearly enough. I want to eat meat too. Aoduo used to be allowed to take my money, but not anymore."