Chapter 140

Chapter 140 - Caw-caw

Carrick had quite a fortunate day today.

He was in good health and in the prime of his life, but he didn't choose to look for work at the labor market. Ah... he had been there before and caught the eye of a bandit group, even becoming their vanguard. However, after a failed robbery, all the monsters in that small team perished, except for him.

That was a very long time ago.

After that, he retired and continued robbing in Ye Falar using the "knowledge" he learned from the bandits.

He only robbed in the lower markets of Ye Falar and never ventured into the luxurious districts. He had never even been to those areas.

Carrick was extremely cautious.

He didn't rob where he shouldn't, nor did he take what he shouldn't.

This was a "code" an elder taught him when he was still part of the bandit group. Unfortunately, that elder died right after imparting this wisdom, falling victim to greed during a robbery. He had been cautious all his life, only to make a mistake by robbing where he shouldn't and taking what he shouldn't.

Since then, Carrick had truly been incredibly cautious.

After looting, he spent the money quietly, mainly on food. He didn't want to hunt himself; after that incident, he had a reflexive fear of leaving the district where he lived.

One could call him a coward, but he was genuinely scared after that robbery.

The world outside was terrifying!

Recalling the lone incident from long ago when he ventured out, Carrick's robust body trembled.

He instinctively pulled back his cloak to inspect his arm. The skin on that limb was pockmarked, as if it had been corroded by something...

It always hurt here. Whenever he recalled that incident, his joint had been crushed back then. Although it had healed, it was said that such an injury would cause excruciating pain during rainy days. Fortunately, this was Ye Falar, a dry climate with no rainfall. As long as he remained here, he wouldn't suffer so much.

Carrick paused, then gently touched the pendant around his neck.

He decided not to dwell on it any further.

Instead, he began to inspect his day's spoils.

Today, he visited three markets, plundering one prey and two packages.

The prey was still relatively fresh, albeit a bit small. Baring his teeth, he tore off a piece of flesh with skin from the corpse of the dead magical beast, chewing as he inspected the other two packages.

He was cautious, never daring to rob the strongholds of the local tyrants at the markets. After traveling between various bazaars for so long, his usual targets were the weak and newcomers, but he would never repeatedly rob the same stall, allowing them to eke out a living – that was the way of robbery.

Carrick opened the first package. He had snatched it from a corner stall in the eastern market without knowing what it contained; it was simply something he grabbed on a whim.

The package was tightly bound, requiring some effort to open. The moment Carrick saw its contents, he sneezed.

Inside were many things resembling dried grass, emitting an acrid smell that had just overwhelmed him.

Wiping away the tears that had welled up in his eyes, Carrick cautiously sniffed at the odor again.

"It seems to be… some kind of legendary spice, right?"

As a monster who had only ventured outside once, Carrick, despite his age, was still rather inexperienced.

But during that single mission, he had tasted the local roasted meat. It wasn't the dry Ye Falar roasted meat seasoned only with salt, but instead drenched in wine, smeared with honey, and finally sprinkled with "spices." That flavor...

Tsk, tsk! He couldn't forget it even now.

Though it wasn't food or money, snatching up the spices was still a decent accomplishment.

Carrick whistled and set the parcel aside before opening the last one – if it could even be called a parcel.

Unlike any package Carrick had seen before, this one was "sewn" together! It resembled a belt with a bulging middle section, clearly containing something inside. However, after examining it for ages, Carrick couldn't figure out how to open it!

In the end, he simply sliced it open with his claws.

Out tumbled...

What kind of magical beast was this?

Carrick was dumbfounded.

Poor Carrick, who had grown up in Ye Falar, had never played with toys, let alone dolls, so the concept of such things didn't exist in his mind. He had also never seen a frog – or if he had, he wouldn't have recognized it. Alright, Hei Dan's doll was crudely crafted based on Jiujiu's original creation for him.

There, on the dirty ground, rolled the odd creature – a little croaking monster sewn by the strange beast, Black Egg, from another world.

Carrick cautiously examined the peculiar object, confirming it to be inanimate before seizing it and squeezing for a while. Eventually, he sliced open the doll's belly, revealing the cotton inside.

Hei Dan's observation was meticulous. Jiujiu had once sewn him a frog doll that had broken, exposing its white cotton stuffing. Hei Dan remembered this and replicated it when "crafting" a doll for his uncle, so now "Gua Gua" also had a "cotton-filled" belly.

However, Carrick was unfamiliar with cotton. After a moment of hesitation, he grabbed a handful from the "monster's" stomach and tasted it.

"Ugh!" He promptly spat out what he had just ingested.

It was an utterly useless and inexplicable thing – such was Carrick's judgment.

All for this package that had made him run for miles!

He recalled where he had snatched the parcel from – two unfamiliar monsters at the third marketplace. It was their first encounter, and they were pulling a strange cart loaded with goods. They kept their money in a hidden compartment on the cart.

The shorter monster seemed particularly formidable, while the taller one was more manageable. They usually stuck together but occasionally separated when nature called.

"Surveillance" and "observation" were crucial lessons Carrick had learned from his time with the robbery group. His knowledge was limited but sufficient for his needs.

Next came "patience."

When the formidable short creature had left for the restroom, he promptly approached the stall and decisively reached out his hand.

By the time the vendor abandoned his stall in pursuit, he instinctively realized that he might have snatched something he shouldn't have.

What he held in his hands were two items: one was a bulging package, while the other was... a tiny, pitch-black magical creature.

He was familiar with this creature.

It was a creature born from the convergence of magic essence, barely distinguishable from a magical beast. However, there was a chance it could grow larger, thus barely qualifying it as a magical creature.

In the darkest corners of Ye Falar, such small creatures would occasionally emerge. They possessed little intelligence and almost no chance of maturing, often being devoured by other magical creatures soon after birth. Ye Falar was home to many of these young magical creatures, and in times when food was scarce, consuming them was not considered illegal.

He had tasted a few himself when he was young; they were quite unappetizing. Once he had the means to catch better prey, he never touched them again.

Nonetheless, for the young magical creatures of Ye Falar, these small creatures served as decent sustenance. Hence, despite their unpleasant taste, they were swiftly captured whenever they appeared, making them rare sightings.

Between the two items, Carrick chose to discard the tiny creature.

This was a test, a choice to be made.

The pursuer had been relentlessly chasing him, clearly indicating that he had taken something of great importance. Uncertain which of the two items was the reason for the chase, Carrick discarded the small monster.

By getting rid of one, if the pursuer was appeased, he could keep the larger package safe.

If not, he would discard the remaining one as well.

Fortunately, the pursuer didn't continue the chase.

Perhaps the small monster was the very reason for the pursuit, or maybe the attacker was content with retrieving part of what was lost.

In any case, Carrick fled with the remaining package.

Although it later proved to be useless.

"Misfortunes are inevitable in business, especially when you're dealing with ventures without initial investment," he muttered to himself, recalling the wisdom shared by his predecessor. Carrick lit a fire and began roasting meat.

The source of the meat was the prey he had plundered, and in his cave, he now had salt and spices to enhance the flavor.

As the meat neared readiness, Carrick extended his claw to crush the dried grass in the smaller pouch nearby. The delightful aroma instantly filled the entire cave and wafted out into the adjacent garbage dump.

A grotesque frog doll, its white belly exposed with tufts of cotton, lay on the ground as Carrick devoured a spice-laden roasted chunk of meat.

The scent of the grilled meat was enticing, reminiscent of days long past.

When he had his fill, Carrick carried the skeletal remains of his prey towards the cave entrance.

There was still some flesh on the bones, whether from his incapacity to consume more or from disdain, it was unclear.

Outside, the night was deep, and a purple moon hung in the sky like a natural lantern. The stench of the garbage heap filled the air, abruptly satiating the seven-tenths fullness of Carrick's stomach.

Scanning the surrounding trash heap, he casually tossed the skeleton away before retracing his steps into his lair.

After he left, countless shadows leaped out from the corners of the garbage pile.

These were a group of young monsters dwelling near Carrick.

Drawn by the aroma of his roasted meat for quite some time, they eagerly awaited Carrick's "leftovers."

Unlike other monsters who consumed even the bones, Carrick often left remnants behind, scraps that, though meager, were just enough to sustain these fledgling hunters with their fledgling hunting skills.

The skeletal remains, infused with the scent of flesh and spices, were swiftly devoured by a group of young monsters.

Carrick, huddled within the cavern, half-closed his eyes, preparing to slumber, listening to the sounds from outside.

He didn't ponder about what tomorrow would bring.

Each day was a replica of the last; he'd deal with whatever came his way.

The lingering aroma of spices still permeated the cavern, and as Carrick inhaled, his thoughts drifted back to his late mentor.

He couldn't recall the creature's appearance anymore.

Yet, that creature was the only one who had ever shared food with him.

When he was young and on the verge of starvation, the senior had once thrown him a skeleton.

Just like the one he had tossed away moments ago.

Carrick's eyes were nearly closed.

A sudden splash of green caught his vision, and upon opening his eyes, Carrick picked up the green object. It was a green... The hair tie, an unfamiliar accessory to this bald-headed monster.

But that didn't hinder his appreciation for the color.

Living in Ye Falar, a land devoid of green, many local monsters found themselves drawn to it.

He recalled stealing a green candy from a young monster peddler.

That green wrapper was still hidden underground in his cave, buried away.

No, he hadn't really stolen it. He had paid for it, with a bone coin.

Playing with the green hair tie, Carrick drifted back to sleep.

After he fell asleep, the patterns on the green head tie began to wriggle as if they were alive. Like serpents, the designs slithered up Carrick's arm, covering him entirely with a web of symbols. Suddenly, he jolted awake, drenched in sweat!

Staring in shock at the patterns covering his body, he tried to shake them off, but to no avail! Instead, they only grew more dense!

His eyes bulged, bordering on popping out of their sockets. Amidst his terror, Carrick heard a voice.

"Croak!"

A crisp, clear "croak" echoed.

Next, he noticed the strange creature on the ground had somehow propped itself up.

Its abdomen was still torn open, but it managed to sit upright.

Its hind claws and posterior rested on the ground, while its slender front paws also pushed against the earth.

"Croak!"

It called out again.

Then, with a powerful thrust from its hind legs, the magical beast leaped directly towards Carrick.

As it jumped, Carrick saw what appeared to be its mouth region split open, revealing a massive, abyss-like maw that suddenly gaped wide.

And then...

There was no sign of Carrick in the cave anymore.

He had been devoured.

The monster that had swallowed Carrick suddenly grew a size larger.

"Caw!" It let out two more croaks before leaping out of Carrick's lair.

Its heavy body bounced across the heap of trash as it headed west. With each leap, the creature's size diminished, and by the time it returned to its original size, it had already crossed several alleys and turned onto a particularly clean and secluded path.

It was a road that many would be familiar with—precisely the one Ji Huan took every day on his way home.

Squeezing through the gate's narrow opening, it landed with a thud in Ji Huan's courtyard.

Ailuo Ka glanced in the direction it had fallen, then turned its head back.

The monster continued its hops, passing through the front door of the house and then straight into Ji Huan's bedroom, landing beside his bed.

"Caw!" It called out once more.

"Caw-caw." A tender voice echoed from the darkness, and it was none other than Hei Dan, sitting on the large bed.

Ji Huan slept soundly beside him. Hei Dan sat alone on the bed, calling out Jiujiu's name for quite some time.

Until Jiujiu reappeared before him.

With its small body lying on the bed, Hei Dan stretched out his hand towards the creature downstairs.

Jiujiu submitted obediently, allowing itself to be lifted up, then it spat out a green hair tie at Hei Dan.

"Hee-hoo!" Hei Dan was overjoyed.

Gently patting Jiujiu's tiny head, Hei Dan placed it back onto its usual spot on the bed. Then, he nestled back under the covers, wrapped his arms around Ji Huan's arm, and drifted off into a dreamland once more.