Cthulhu Gonfalon Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Chapter 16

Translator: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Nyoi_Bo_Studio
It would certainly not occur to Gerrard and Sui Xiong that they had been followed by the Association of Thieves in Pyroxene Town.They gathered 10 gold coins by selling some worthwhile items collected from the debris of the White Leaves Village. Even though the money was not much, they could get it only because the owner of the grocery store was scared by Gerrard’s imposing appearance.
“That old man is really cheating. A big bag of items for such little money!” Sui Xiong said angrily, “He couldn’t seem more like a profiteer!
Gerrard, on the other hand, was actually very open-minded, and replied, “Your Majesty, 10 gold coins isn’t a small amount of money. The villagers usually use copper coins.”
“10 copper coins for a silver coin, ten silver coins for a gold coin… So we have a thousand copper coins, and indeed it seems to be a lot. So, let’s buy some equipment for you, for your gown is no different from that of a beggar.”
“Forget it, the equipment that could be bought with ten gold coins is not as good as my own defense.” Gerrard scratched his head again, smiling in an honest way.
Sui Xiong was speechless. He feared that when he made Gerrard’s body, he did not make his head sophisticated enough, having added fewer circuits. Otherwise, why would such a big brain be so innocent and peaceful? This guy did not seem to be the same as when he was a ghost.
But he remembered that a big brain had never been equivalent to high intelligence, and perhaps, Gerrard had been a stupid person, and was only clever for a brief time after becoming a ghost…
He thought, Forget it. I can look after him, and this guy, even stupid, would not be sold. So be it.
Of course, it was impossible for Gerrard to know the thoughts of Sui Xiong. He carried his backpack and walked on the streets. Because he was too tall and strong, he alone occupied no more than half a street, and wherever he went, all the people glanced at him, with more than one person gossiping secretly.
“Look! That guy is really tall!”
“He’s not only tall! You can see how strong he is, and his arms are thicker than our waists!”
“He’s such a large person, how much does he eat for every meal…?”
“Although this man is tall and strong, his actions are very flexible, so he has great potential for practicing martial arts! If we can recruit him to our team, with a little training, he will be a top master! Afterwards, our task will certainly be a lot easier! The giant clan has very blunt character and superb talent. In this northwestern town, it’s hard to find such a talent. I will try to lead him. Even if I can’t bring him under my lord’s command, at least I will not let him go down a road of evil!”
“Gee! Where are the giants from? Looks like he is not a normal giant. I’m afraid he is a young shaman. Gee, maybe I could use this simple-minded guy to contribute to the cause of our Lord…”
“How strong is this giant! This is clearly a heaven-sent Druid! If we could convince him to accept our ideas, I would certainly teach him what I have learned, so that even if I die, the Organization of Druid of the four northwestern towns can have its successor!”
“Wow, this big man could be a very good resource. We might be able to make refined death knights that are powerful enough to sweep off the silver-level knights… Perhaps, maybe the gold-level ones…”
The voices of these people were not loud, and mingled together in a blanket of sound, so Gerrard could not perceive them despite his good hearing and sight. However, even though Gerrard could not detect them, Sui Xiong was aware of them.
Though many of the people watching and remarking Gerrard were average in nature, there were several extraordinary men examining him, which Sui naturally sensed. Because of his strong senses, those who spoke far away or very lightly could be heard just as clearly as if they were yelling in front of him.
“Gerrard, there are a few people watching you,” he said to Gerrard through his mind.
“Your Majesty, it’s normal to be noticed, since I am big.”
“Big? I think you are average, while they are too short…” Sui Xiong muttered, totally unaware of their distorted understanding of height. “But those are not ordinary people. Let me introduce them to you one by one.”
“Hey, the first one is eating with a few people beside the table in front of the hotel. He wants you to join them.”
Gerrard even did not look at them and casually replied, “That should be a team of adventurers. Such adventurers are very common, as I also had a background in risk-taking.”
“Oh, so they are trying to absorb you so that you can play games all night. I understand. The second one is the old man in old armor in front of a little worn-out temple, who wants to guide you to be a good man.”
Gerrard looked over and saw the old man who was smiling at him, and also saw the silver-white balance and shield sign at the threshold of the temple. He then said with a smile, “That is the master of balance. That is the God of Justice; Chief guard of his temple. The god of justice is a well-known good God, who is a kind of rare good force in this northwest region.”
“That’s good, at least you won’t worry that they’ll betray their teammates. The third is the fruit seller on the roadside, who wants to take advantage of you. It’s weird because a fruit seller in this place has skill, which I’m afraid, is even higher than the armored old man’s!”
Gerrard was surprised, looked carefully from the corner of his eye and replied, “I do not know this person, but this area does not produce fruits. Selling fruit here could be a proof of strength. I guess this person is perhaps from the Association of Thieves or Association of Smugglers, most of whom believe in evil gods. So it’s difficult to get along with them!”
“To put it bluntly, he’s a pissant who is capable of using black equipment, so let’s keep away from him! The fourth is the thin man sitting on the roadside, resting. That is, the one wearing a simple leather robe, with a wooden stick, on the top of which a leaf bud grows.”
“Your Majesty, that is Druid, who follows balance. They are neither good nor evil. But in this area, their behavior tends to be good,” Gerrard explained.
“That is to say, ‘Although I am not a good person, I happen to hate the villains’, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“That’s fine. He is kind to you and wants to give you all the skills you need to be his successor.”
Gerrard was joyful. After second thought, however, he shook his head and continued, “Although I also want to learn Druid’s ability, I have begun serving Your Majesty, and it’s inappropriate to go with them who believe in the natural god.”
“What a pity…” Sui Xiong sighed and continued, “The last one to note is the one covered by a black gown standing in the shadows on the roadside. He’s completely malicious to you and wants to use you as a resource, refine you and make you into a death knight.”
Gerrard stopped, turned around and looked in the direction that Sui Xiong indicated, and really saw a man in black hiding in the corner, secretly peering at him. Seeing Gerrard, the man wearing a black gown pulled his gown and covered his face.
“Your Majesty, it is he, right?”
“That’s right.”
Gerrard immediately rushed toward the man in the black gown, shouting, “You necromancer who defies corpses, how dare you impute me?”
The man in black didn’t expect that he would be noticed, or be recognized when he saw Gerrard in the distance, so he was suddenly startled at the exclamation. Seeing Gerrard aggressively rushing towards him, he, without any hesitation, directly activated a magic item that enveloped him in a circle of white light, and he disappeared without a trace.
“Damn!” Gerrard narrowly caught up with him, but the guy escaped. He was very angry, and shouted, “It’s a spell to send people to other places, and the caster is really cunning like a fish!”
“I can track where he is going. Shall I chase him?”
Gerrard hesitated and gave up the tempting suggestion, replying, “The place where the mage is headed is most likely a magic trap, and might even be the headquarters of their organization. We’d better not get into that much trouble…”
This little conflict was inconspicuous, but it attracted a lot of people. The necromancer was definitely not weak, and in Pyroxene Town, he could be considered a notoriously tough guy. However, in front of Gerrard, he did not even have the ability to fight back, and even before he had time to chant the spell, he directly used his life-saving trump card.
Gerrard was too fast. The two were separated by a whole street, but he managed to lunge over it in a few steps. And at such a distance, he could also find that the necromancer was plotting against him… This seemingly simple, honest, and even somewhat stupid big man from the giants apparently had a keen sense of awareness and unusual agile reaction. Considering that his strong body was like a wall, his power certainly would not be weak, let alone his physical strength. Except for his intelligence, he was probably perfectly talented!
So the chief guard wearing an old armor went straight out of the temple and walked up to Gerrard. But before he got to Gerrard, the fruit seller had already approached him.
“Sir, would you like to eat a fruit?” He smiled in an honest way, and offered, “I can give you one for free.”
“Why?” Gerrard asked cautiously.
“The necromancer that traitors corpses is our enemy,” The seller laughed and said, “You scared him off, so you deserve this fruit.”
Gerrard shook his head, “I don’t dare to eat your fruit.” Saying this, he left before the seller responded.
The seller stood there awkwardly. His eyes were dark for a while, but then he returned to his stall, sneering. When he returned to the stall, he had already restored the previous appearance, smiling honestly.
Gerrard did not go far before the elderly chief guard of the temple came up to him. “May the just balance bless you with rewards for what you have done,” He said, “Young man, since you are physically extraordinary, are you interested in learning some combat skills?”
“Combat? I can do that.” Gerrard responded.
“But I believe that what you have mastered is some crude and simple skills, such as aggressive attack or jumping or chopping,” The old man said with a smile. “Admittedly, with your body, those skills are sufficient to make you famous, but why not learn something more advanced? I can teach you some more efficient fighting skills that would allow you to knock down enemies faster and avoid hurting yourself.”
“Getting hurt?” Gerrard laughed, picking up a short knife from the adventurer’s grocery stall on the roadside, and cut off his own arm. The sharp blade cut the defenseless arm, making a dull noise like cutting into hardwood. When he lifted the knife and returned it to the adventurer, everyone noticed that his arm was intact, without even a single trace.
Seeing this, more than one person exclaimed, “Natural armor!”