Chapter 283: Checking

"This wasn't supposed to happen, Ned."

Instead of training for the day, Roy favored Ned to help Otik and the rest of the humans to read the symbols on the Gate.

His training went smooth, or much better since Ned had been using both his mana and energy to infuse the broken Butterfly. Giving the broken sword an aura as though could cut to anything it touches.

As for the Gate, Ned was 70% complete with the help of the others. Ned wondered if the Gate was functioning even though it was decades untouched. But it seemed like he won't be there to see when it happens.

Ned bent, checking the other symbols. Aside from its weird patterns, and swirls, and circles, the rest Ned couldn't read. That must be why Kon Sas Koron needed Gogmurch since before he was captured, the old goblin general was doing some of the reading on the Gate.

The three humans stood behind Ned, trying to etch to their minds everything Ned has been doing on the Gate.

Roy stood closely behind him. Maybe, he felt guilty with his actions or the decisions his Queen made.

"She was supposed to take the young arachne," Roy continued. "And let Moloatiss examine her. Not use her as a bargain."

Ned stood, and sighed, and walked to the door.

With the Gate almost complete, Ned thought as he leaned at the edge of the door. Of course, she will use Katolin as a bargain. Also, it's better than Moloatiss couldn't lay his fingers on Katolin.

"It's fine," Ned said after a long pause. His eyes gazed at the three humans, Otik aside, as they pondered things on the Gate. "I would do the same. Look... "

Ned nodded towards the Gate to let Roy examine it.

"It is almost complete," Ned continued. "She was taking all the advantages she got. For all she knows, the moment I left the Hive I might run off and not fulfill the end of my deal. She was even admirable since her judgment was not based on grudges. Completing the Gate was the most logical thing to do."

Ned left the room and proceeds to his chamber. There, food was waiting.

She was even giving me this food? Ned thought. Is this the way she says her sorry?

The aroma coming from roasted meat whiffed the still chamber. Food Ned never had seen was lining the dishes over a wooden table. Aside from the roasted meat, there was a food that was molded in sphere form and seemed to be fried until brittle. Another dish was served that what looked like to be a dry seaweed glazed with something like white foam.

"This better be good."

Ned had started eating until full and laid to rest on his bed.

After he got the Silk Road from Kon Sas Koron, he rarely took it off as it cleanses itself as long as Ned was imbuing his mana onto it.

From time to time, he was changing the form of the Silk Road aside from his common Hunter's clothing. If it's too cold, he could focus his mana and change the form of the magic item and turned it into a scarf that wrapped his body. And if he was feeling down, which was most of the time, he focuses and changes the form to what he called 'weird' the first time he saw it after Kamma introduced it to him before the Jump to Earth. It was a Kimono with green and black squares that reaches under his waist when wore.

"Ah, Japan," Ned said as he stared at the ceiling with the bluish stones attached to it. "Too bad it's not possible to go there anymore."

Instead of letting himself down, Ned focuses and checked his spatial ring.

His thoughts went inside the boundless inventory with his items remained floating in an orderly manner.

Seeing the thousands of medium grade mana stones floating in front of his bodiless thought, he sighed.

He doesn't need to count the stones. Since it was inside his inventory, everything about it was engraved in his memory. There were 19, 899 mana stones left. It all happened to dwindle as Ned needed to cope up with his training before they were sent underground. And from there, he was using even more mana stones to supply his aggressive loss of mana not knowing he was using almost all of it.

Ned sighed. He still needs to pay Twali and the Hallowguard team. As he checks his mana stones, his head spins with the remaining gold coins he had. After he bought the short-short Boom, and paid for the food in the inn, and paid the shopkeeper 90 gold coins for the mask, Ned was left with 8 gold coins, 6 silver, and a meager 3 copper. some of to were even spent to buy things before they start the raid. Ned shook his head and almost smiled as he paid a good amount of gold coins after he and Sasani ate at an inn and with her marriage proposal.

I wonder how is she? Ned thought thinking of Sasani, perhaps she was busy being Swift.

Then there was Kurashinpi: the 90 gold coins magical item mask. A plain-looking and half-broken with a hole over the right side. Its jagged edges looked like something of unfinished craftsmanship. Ned reached for the mask and turned it over and saw the hollow dent inside.

"Looks like I'll be using you more."

Ned pushed the mask to his side and was followed by a dark ribbon almost half a meter long. It was the remnant of the black-to-black cloak Lady Darcey gave him.

"She'll be scolding me once she learned that the cloak was burned to a strip."

Yet Ned smiled.

"I'll be thanking her instead."

Without the cloak, Katolin might be dead since half of her body was saved by the cloak.

Then there was the Tokens: Master Will's personal token, Ser Edwin Tulor, and the Selection Token from Griffith Academy, and the Token of Time to Loot pirate crew.

"I almost forgot, I'm a pirate. And... academy, huh," Ned sighed as he turned the Selection Token over his fingers. "I do not have the reason to go there anymore."

Ned paused and remembered his first companion back at the O'rriadt.

Toni, he thought. I hope you're doing well. I'll have a lot to tell you once we met again.

"And Xi," Ned said with a smile as he remembered Xi being reckless yet filled with pride. "Better luck next time. But, still, I hoped to see you soon."

And there was Coco. Now that Ned was remembering Coco, he could not help but chuckle as he remembered the thieving cat cuddling between the breast of all the females he met.

"You flimsy feline," Ned said and chuckled. "You'll be having a good time with Naari."

He then sighed, remembering the short, yet cheerful moment of him with the friends he made in O'rriadt.

"Kamma," he whispered. "Slowly, I am fulfilling your wish."

[All she ever wanted was for you to survive and leave the Empire Ned.]

Ned nodded, so it seems that's what she really wanted.

"Freedom," Ned said with a smile.

[It does not matter if it's Earth or Earlfgard.]

ICE's voice seemed to be consoling.

[As long as you are happy. Either place will do.]

So it seems, Ned thought. Then, frowned sensing the mysterious boxes floating inside the ring. He could feel different pressure coming from the invisible boxes.

"Oh, Calahir. You're full of surprises."

Ned brushed the box that bumped him from behind.

It seemed that the boxes were not bound by the laws of the spatial inventory as they float freely inside. And no matter how Ned tried to open, touch, or control them. It seemed that they were untouchable inside.

Then there was Praha's Cube. The Cube according to Roy came from a Limbo.

Ned tilted his head.

Limbo? Ned thought.

"Limbo?" he then said. "Does that sound familiar ICE?

[Unless Heaven and Hell is real in this world.]

[Then Limbo is familiar.]

[But, even for me, I doubt Limbo is real in this world.]

Perhaps there was another meaning to it.

Not that I can help it. He thought as he observed the Praha's Cube before him, floating.

"The Library is our next goal," he said. "To the Capital it is."

[Then what about the Hunter Exam?"]

Nd sighed and said, "There's that. I need to pass it."

[And if you do.]

[You will be the youngest Hunter.]

"You like to listen a lot, don't you ICE?" Ned said. "All that information was according to Roy."

[Do you believe Roy?]

"No," Ned said without hesitation. "But he is the closest we have to our goal. Even though it is obvious that he was hiding something. Still, he proved himself to be useful."

[So you were using him?]

"We both use each other."

[What do you mean?]

"Well," he noted. "I am using Roy to reach for my goals as to how I am using Edwin. And in return Roy uses me... It seemed that he was trying to fulfill something he once did but failed."

[And what is that?]

"Testa."