Chapter 309: The Disease That Grows Feathers on the Philtrum 4
TL/Editor: raei
Schedule: 5/Week Mon-Fri
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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In the dim underground city, there were roughly twenty abandoned stone dwarves.
They were sitting defeated in the ruins, dying with no tools or strength to mine edible stones.
Han Se-ah hurriedly distributed stones from her inventory among them.
Grandpa Gigi, who had asked who was there upon hearing our footsteps, was in relatively good shape.
Most of the stone dwarves were so old and starving that they couldn't even react as we approached, only gasping for breath.
If Grace hadn't detected the stone dwarves, we might not have saved even half of them.
"Well, I thought there might be other cities."
"That's a vacuum stone, isn't it? And finely crafted at that."
Convincing the stone dwarves who had regained some strength was easy.
Han Se-ah wanted to start talking about the Demon King and the tower as if she was possessed, but there was no need.
All we had to do was show them the modified vacuum stones.
The vacuum stones, which decomposed dirt and rock and left behind only rare minerals, were part of the stone dwarves' identity.
The moment they saw the flashlight-shaped magical tool, the stone dwarves believed in us.
They whispered to each other in their old, hoarse voices, thanked us, and then disappeared into the distance.
Even though they were hungry and exhausted, they must have still been stone dwarves because, after filling their bellies, they walked away slowly but steadily.
"Is it okay to just let them go?"
"They probably know their own condition. Besides, there weren't any monsters in the passage we came through."
Kind-hearted Irene voiced her concern about sending the elderly dwarves off alone, but it seemed there was no need to worry.
Humans might die from stomach shock after eating on an empty stomach, but the stone dwarves, being made of stone rather than flesh, looked much sturdier.
With the stone dwarves gone, only our party members remained.
According to Grandpa Gigi, there was a city above us, so we could either go up the stairs and cause a ruckus or quietly return and prepare further.
"So, what now? Do we head up and take a look at the city?"
"That depends on what you decide, Hanna. What's your plan for the harpies?"
In this situation, the most important opinion was that of Han Se-ah, the player and hero. It was time to call "go" or "stop," and she naturally called "go."
We had entered the underground city expecting a fight but found no resistance. We could use this place as a forward base, but that wouldn't make for good streaming content.
Whatever direction the plan changed, causing a ruckus in the Harpy Empire's city had to come first.
Turning back now would definitely incite the viewers' wrath.
-That's right, lol. What's there to fear? We have Roland on our side.
-It's so dark, it reminds me of the old caves.
-Night vision mode or not, maybe Han Se-ah was right to want to turn the lights on.
-But if there are no monsters or harpies, can't we just turn on the lights? Why are we fumbling around in the dark?
-Are you children of darkness? Turn on the lights!
"...It doesn't seem like there are any enemies, so I'll use a light spell."
"Well, it's my own money, so the compliments are mine. If you're jealous, log into Heroes Chronicle, recruit a 5★ Saintess candidate, and start playing."
[Gold Thief Han Se-ah donated 10,000 won!]
Does that mean you're starting a fundraising session with that sarcastic remark? (I genuinely don't know)
[Senior Citizen Organ Thief Han Se-ah donated 5,000 won!]
Ah, the return of sarcastic Han Se-ah.
With just one word from Han Se-ah, the viewers quickly became rowdy.
I moved the chaotic hologram window to the corner of my vision, pulled the robe down low over my face, and advanced forward.
Even though we were disguised as adventurers who had been recruited, if things went wrong, we'd certainly be attacked or arrested, so I took the lead.
It seemed like a high-quality robe, as it covered my shield and mace without feeling uncomfortable.
Come to think of it, we probably shopped at the market street on the 43rd floor, so could this robe have been made by the stone dwarves too?
"...Wow, it's bigger than I thought."
"It does look like a city built by stone dwarves."
As soon as we stepped out of the cave, we could see a tall stone building towering high.
The rectangular buildings we saw in the underground city were carved into the mountainside, which was impressive.
True to their harpy nature, with wings instead of hands, they left all construction to the stone dwarves.
Even as slaves, the stone dwarves hadn't abandoned their craftsmanship, and beautifully constructed buildings stood above, while harpies busily flew overhead.
None of the harpies were naked upon closer inspection.
The soldier harpies wore armor, and the non-soldiers wore sweater-like garments covering their upper bodies.
They appeared far more civilized than the harpies of the Kingdom.
Of course, looking at the ground told a different story.
"...Are those shackles?"
"I'd heard about it, but seeing it like this feels really awful."
"Move fasterrr—quicklyyy—move ittt!"
Below the soldier harpy threateningly clicking his bladed talons together, stone dwarves chained up in shackles were being herded in a line.
Whether grouped by age or ability, they were bound together like dried fish and transported somewhere.
While all the harpies flying in the sky, from the black named-grade eagle harpies to those in armor, looked neat and clean, the stone dwarves on the ground were visibly dragging their worn-out shackles around their necks and ankles.
The only silver lining was that there were other adventurers like us, quietly wandering around the corners of the streets in their robes.
Whether recruited as combat personnel or seduced by the harpies' charms, they were still second-class citizens below the harpies and were careful not to offend them by hiding quietly.
As a result, the harpies who saw us discreetly moving around the city merely glanced at us like street bugs and then flapped their wings and flew away.
"Over there, I think we should head toward the most extravagant building."
"It certainly stands out. Even if they are civilized, they can't help liking shiny things."
"Well, humans also like shiny gold and jewels. Even nobles build their mansions extravagantly."
"...Not in the North."
At least there weren't any stone dwarves being brutally executed in the streets or kidnapped humans being tortured and eaten.
If this were more like the Aztec Empire than the Nazi Empire, would Han Se-ah's stream have blown up?
With those thoughts in mind, we walked toward the luxurious building towering in the distance like a skyscraper.