Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The man tumbled, bloodied and wailing in agony.

The once somewhat raucous tavern suddenly fell silent.

Numerous gazes were fixed upon him.

“There are monsters in the mine, they’ve devoured so many people, it’s terrifying!”

The man who had managed to climb to his feet cried out for help.

“They’re all dead, all dead, those monsters are too horrifying.” The man seemed mentally shaken, having suffered severe trauma.

“What happened at the mine?” A group of drunks seated next to a large table quieted down, and those nearby who didn’t also fell silent. A somewhat older man with a commanding presence, his graying beard giving him an air of authority, stood up and inquired.

“We were asleep at night when a monster, snake-like, burst in out of nowhere, larger than a bull. Poor Pete had just gotten up from his bed, and the monster swallowed his head and upper body in a single gulp.

“I rushed out and saw that there were many more monsters just like it in the mine. If those monsters make it to town, we’re done for.”

“Hahaha, Ral, it seems like you had a nightmare. I’ve been mining for five years and never seen any monsters, and we have so many people here, what’s there to be afraid of?” A heavily intoxicated man stood up, patting his chest, although his stance was swaying and his cheeks were beet red. “Come on, you lead the way, I want to see if my pickaxe is harder or that monster’s head is harder!”

Monsters?

Lynn’s expression slightly hardened. This world was indeed unsafe.

He only hoped it wouldn’t delay his journey tomorrow.

When he heard that the monster was somewhat snake-like, Lynn’s initial thought was of the monster his teacher kept. If that lizard had been seen hurriedly in the dark, it might be mistaken for a snake, and that monster feasted on humans— perhaps it had sneaked out for an unsanctioned feast.

But then he heard there were several of the same monsters in the mine’s open area. Lynn realized his speculation was likely incorrect. Unless that lizard monster had several companions.

The tavern’s patrons bickered for a while, and eventually, a dozen or so miners, who appeared to be the most sober among them, left the tavern. From their conversation, it seemed like they were preparing to make a trip to the town’s church.

The remaining drunks, who had already imbibed heavily, were accommodated in a communal bunk room behind the tavern to rest.

Lynn finished his meal, then rose and went upstairs to his room.

***

Outside the small town, at the mine.

Rows of shanties had been constructed there for the miners’ lodgings. However, at this moment, chaos reigned around these shanties.

People were scattered everywhere, fleeing in all directions. In an open area, bathed in the soft light of the moon, stood a peculiar creature, about three meters long, silver-gray all over, resembling an earthworm and yet like a snake. Its silvery-gray head swayed from side to side.

It seemed to be discerning the scents in the air.

After a moment, as if it had determined its direction, the monster directly burrowed into the ground. The solid earth seemed as soft as mud, and the monster easily disappeared into it.

“But why haven’t any of our ancestors who went there come back?” Andina bit her lip, puzzled.

“And now there’s a plague outbreak in the territory, and the kingdom to the north is invading us, it’s war,” Andina continued. “Is Father sending us away because he’s in danger and wants us to take refuge?”

Dolores didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at her words.

Her little sister was truly innocent.

“If that were the case, would Father blatantly let you leave the family’s territory like this?” Dolores reassured her naive sister.

Andina was initially taken aback, thinking that her big sister had a point.

If it were really so disgraceful, would Father have openly allowed Uncle Dempsey to lead a squad of knights to follow them?

Uncle Dempsey was renowned as one of the great knights from the northern territories of the kingdom.

In the Duke of Luanweihua’s territory, there were hundreds of knights in total. Among them, Uncle Dempsey stood above the rest. He was one of the three prominent knights in the duchy and held the title of Storm Knight.

She had heard that Uncle Dempsey had once led a ten-man knight squad and defeated over a thousand bandits head-on.

In the adjacent room, with a sword in hand, Dempsey stood close to the door, behind it.

The inn’s corridor had wooden flooring, and footsteps on it were unusually distinct. However, the footsteps in the corridor at this moment had a deliberate and subdued tone, and they gave him an inexplicable sense of strangeness— it didn’t quite sound like a person.

The owner of the footsteps clearly had considerable weight as their steps on the floor were particularly heavy, accompanied by a faint dragging sound. It seemed like the person was also dragging something while walking along the narrow corridor.

In Dempsey’s mind, an image formed— a tall, slow-moving man, dragging something heavy along the corridor.

Dempsey furrowed his thick brows, his body tensed, like a sword poised to strike.

Next door was the young lady’s room. If the owner of the footsteps stopped at her room’s door, he would break the door open at the fastest speed and swing his sword.

In his mind, Dempsey visualized the layout of the inn’s corridor, calculating the angle at which he should strike if he rushed out and planning the subsequent moves if the opponent dodged.

Meanwhile, in the corridor, Lauren turned his head, a bit puzzled, and looked at the wall beside him.

Ever since he had transformed into a lizard-man, he noticed that his hearing had become incredibly sensitive. In the inn, he could hear the soft breathing of women, the panting of men, the coughing of elderly people, and even the very faint breathing behind the wall just a step away.

Was someone hiding behind the wall?

Lauren scratched his head, his face full of confusion.

——

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