Chapter 65: Rainy Night

Heavy rain poured.

Howling fierce wind interwove with the booming thunder illuminating the night sky, spinning and circling in the heavens above.

"Splash!"

Worn-out leather shoes that had been worn for who knows how long suddenly fell, stepping into a roadside puddle.

Instantly splashing up countless dirty water mixed with foul black mud.

Joey tightly wrapped himself in that linen coat, large as a cloak, covering his frame.

Head lowered, hiding his cheeks under the hood.

But his feet didn't stop for a moment.

Without even needing to look up to find his way, like a sewer rat, he skillfully navigated through the intricate and complex alleys.

Borrowing the moonlight occasionally seeping through the rain and mist, and his own fairly good vision.

He could clearly sense that, along with his continuous deeper penetration, the originally hard and solid stone brick floor under his feet gradually became rough and soft gravel road surface, and finally muddy dirt roads.

In the corner of his eye, the neat brick and tile houses on both sides of the road originally lit with warm lights also accordingly transformed into dilapidated wooden huts with only blurred outlines in the darkness, and small grass sheds swaying and moaning in the wind and rain.

He didn't stop.

His home wasn't here.

Thinking back many years ago, Joey had once had a fairly reassuring place to stay.

But after his parents died, that place became his uncle and aunt's love nest, and he became more like an outsider.

Nothing to miss.

Not knowing how much time had passed.

Not until the night under the fierce wind and storm became increasingly dark, and the few lights in the small town gradually extinguished.

Did those two thin legs constantly moving over puddles finally stop, sinking deep into the muddy ground.

What appeared before him was a yellow-brown small tent patched in various places.

"Home."

Casually scraping the mud clumps on his shoe soles against a rock to the side, Joey lifted the tent's door curtain and quickly walked in.

He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Although the tent top had sunk down a large piece due to accumulated water, fortunately this tent's material was fairly tough and didn't leak.

A rare bit of joy emerged in his heart.

He moved out a stool from the corner, stood on it and stood on tiptoe, his right hand gently pressing upward on the depression, letting the accumulated rainwater slide down from both ends of the tent.

His fingertips transmitted a moist, thick, cold sensation.

Come to think of it, this tent was a gift from Ingram.

Supposedly from some adventurer who'd already retired long ago. Seemed like they urgently needed money, and in the end, it benefited him.

He couldn't help recalling the sheriff's frowning face scolding him earlier.

Joey curled his lip.

Although basically useless, he knew the other party had always been helping him.

To a certain extent, he also often took advantage of this relationship between them.

He pulled out a piece of black bread he'd just bought this afternoon from his chest.

The outer shell originally hard as a brick, moistened by rainwater, although colder, had also softened somewhat, making it more convenient to eat.

Hiding the deflated money pouch from Ingram, kept close to his body, in a corner of the tent, Joey dragged out from who knows where a废旧的火炉 and skillfully lit a fire for warmth.

He wasn't an idiot either.

The two adventurers he'd encountered today—one of the short ones who liked to smile stupidly looked dumb and easy to deceive.

The other was somewhat frightening, keeping a straight face, cold, with two longswords on his back, looking like someone not to be trifled with.

In the past, he'd probably avoid them before it was too late.

The reason he'd dared to actively approach earlier was because he knew Ingram was nearby.

Even if he failed and got caught, as long as he wasn't killed on the spot, as long as he made a little noise, the other party would come help him out.

It was just a pity that not only was he caught red-handed, he'd also accidentally chosen a poor wretch who'd just lost all his money at the gambling house.

Thinking of this, Joey, gnawing on the black bread in his hand, couldn't help cursing under his breath:

"Stinking gambler!"

In the moist air, sparks flew. The furnace fire struggled to start, burning feebly and listlessly.

Feeling the waves of warmth coming from in front of him, Joey's face showed a thoughtful expression.

"Next month is the annual Midsummer Festival. The market should soon get lively."

"When the time comes, I'll go try my luck. Maybe I can run into some fat sheep from out of town..."

"Thud!"

A dull footstep from outside the tent suddenly woke Joey from his musings.

"Who!?"

He lowered his voice and shouted.

No answer.

But that footstep, which sounded exceptionally clear amid the torrential rain, drew ever closer.

Joey instinctively drew a rusty short dagger wrapped in rags from his waist, gripping it tightly with both hands.

"Who is it? Speak up!?"

Still no answer.

But the footsteps suddenly stopped.

Sitting in the corner of the tent swaying in the fierce wind, through the faint orange-red firelight.

A burly, hulking figure stood quietly outside the door curtain.

"Bang!"

......

"Bang!"

A large hand full of calluses slammed forcefully on the table.

"Let me tell you, back then when I faced that cave bear, I didn't even blink. With one slide tackle..."

An adventurer reeking of alcohol, face flushed red from drinking, one foot on a chair, shouted boastfully at the top of his lungs.

"Hahaha, didn't you say before that you circled to the side and used a dagger to pierce through its spine? How come after a few days you've changed your story again?"

Someone beside teased.

"Hey, you don't understand! That cave bear..."

I sat at the dining table, a half-drunk cup of clear water in front of me.

Feeling the warm current slowly spreading through my filled stomach to my entire body, I couldn't help but comfortably narrow my eyes.

The halfling Alton beside me was listening with great interest to the adventurers at the same table boast.

Even occasionally plucking a few strings to accompany and set the mood for the stories the adventurers told.

"Hey, did you all hear? Recently something strange happened in Karanfor."

As if already tired of that cave bear with hundreds of ways to die, an adventurer at the table suddenly lowered his voice and asked mysteriously.

"This tiny town, what could happen? At most two people die. No big deal."

A teammate said dismissively. Working as an adventurer, long accustomed to the cycle of life and death, an ordinary murder case's appeal wasn't even as great as a random goblin by the roadside.

"Don't rush, listen to me."

"According to my friend who's a guard in town, the deceased had all the bones in an entire arm extracted!"

"Clearly not a single wound visible on the outside, just left with a strip of rotten flesh!"

Boom—

Thunder roared outside the window. The halfling even timely pulled a string high, producing quite appropriate horror sounds.

That adventurer telling the story was immediately startled into a shudder.

Then looked somewhat awkwardly at Alton:

"Buddy, at this time you don't need to..."

"Knock knock knock!"

Urgent knocking interrupted the other party's words.

The originally clamorous room immediately quieted down.

Gazes looked toward that wooden door lightly shaking in the knocking.

Posting one chapter first, more tonight!

Thanks to zzZachary for the League Leader reward!

There will be bonus chapters!

But might need to wait a few days.

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