Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A few slices of the rye bread bought from the town last week were still left. There were also three potatoes on the kitchen floor. Pelan walked over to a rough clay jar, lifted the wooden lid, and scooped out a large cup of dried peas that had been soaking since yesterday.

Tonight's dinner would be pea and potato stew.

After washing the potatoes and adding them to the pot with the peas, he covered it. Pelan took out a book and sat attentively beside the iron pot, keeping watch.

When the sweet aroma of starch began to seep from the gaps in the lid, Pelan tasted the stew and slightly narrowed his eyes.

It smelled fragrant and tasted comforting. This flavor went perfectly with the rye bread!

Thinking this, he placed the remaining bread slices next to the potatoes, letting them absorb the aroma and juices to become soft.

Pelan picked up the patient's portion of food and walked briskly to the alchemy room.

Before he even entered, the unique aroma of peas and potatoes had already seeped inside through the door crack.

"Boy, you haven't even heard of the great Necromancer Saint Ixuhuels? How ignorant! But I won't teach you how to write his venerated name, because you're not worthy yet. For now! Just learn the common language properly. For example, 'potato'—I bet your dinner tonight is mostly that..."

Lou Guanyue listened with a faint smile. Long, stilted, and hard-to-follow sentences poured into his ears, but that didn't stop him from understanding the word "potato," as he had been eating this food for three consecutive days.

Tonight's dinner was indeed potatoes. He had already smelled that earthy scent some time ago.

Sure enough, not long after, Pelan entered carrying a bowl of pea and potato stew.

He sat quietly on the bed, listening to Yi Lao tell stories, occasionally nodding along with a faint smile on his face. It was unclear whether he truly understood.

Still, finally being able to tell someone else about Ixuhuels's life story must have made Yi Lao very happy. It meant more people would learn about that great figure.

On days when Pelan was busy, Yi Lao often corralled the three cute little neighbors to recount his and his master's memorable adventures.

Unfortunately, although low-level undead possessed intelligence, it was clearly not high enough to comprehend such complex and thrilling tales.

The Dark Elf Sipo was the only intelligent being who visited the small cabin, but he was a devotee of the Goddess of Life and naturally disliked that vast horde of undead creatures. Whenever Yi Lao started to mention them, Sipo always managed to slip away in time.

But he wouldn't have to worry about that next time he visited, because Yi Lao had already found a suitable audience.

With that thought, Pelan placed the bowl of pea and potato stew in front of Lou Guanyue. "Yue, dinner."

"Thank you." Lou Guanyue looked calm. He picked up a spoon and poked a piece of stewed, soft potato. Finally, he looked up and smiled at Pelan. "I'm not hungry. You eat."

"Haha, I knew it! Besides a weirdo like you, no one could stand eating potatoes every day!" Yi Lao said bluntly.

Weren't potatoes soft, sweet, and delicious? Pelan glanced at the man and read the poorly concealed reluctance on his face.

Alright, he probably wanted to try other flavors.

Pelan thought for a moment and asked, "I'm going to the town market tomorrow. Is there anything you'd like to eat?"

"Market?"

Thanks to the magic book constantly chattering in his ear, Lou Guanyue wasn't unfamiliar with this term. He asked, "Can I go together?"

"No." Pelan shook his head in denial. "You're injured." Even if he had improved, he hadn't recovered enough to run and jump.

"I think I'm fine now." As Lou Guanyue spoke, he prepared to get off the bed and take a few steps. He had just risen when Pelan pressed him back down.

He showed a puzzled expression, only to see that bowl of yellowish-green paste-like food reappear before him.

Lou Guanyue: "..."

"Don't waste food. Finish your dinner first. Tomorrow, I'll buy more bread from Mrs. Mapel." Pelan advised with a serious expression.

Lou Guanyue twitched the corner of his mouth. "No, I really..."

"Yue, patients can't be picky eaters. That's a child's privilege." Pelan emphasized the words "picky eater" and "child." He slightly tilted his head and, sure enough, saw Lou Guanyue's smile freeze for a moment.

Lou Guanyue gripped the spoon and, ignoring that the potato was still a bit hot, quickly took a bite.

It was sticky and carried a raw, earthy astringency.

Lou Guanyue chewed expressionlessly. Under Pelan's watchful gaze, he picked up the large bowl and "enjoyed" a sip of the broth, quickly finishing it along with the softened rye bread.

Pelan was quite satisfied with his attitude. After checking his body, Pelan left with a rather grave expression.

When Pelan went to clean the kitchen, Lou Guanyue released a wisp of spiritual sense to glance into his storage pouch.

Among a pile of rare treasures, a radiant, bowl-shaped artifact incongruously contained a yellow, mud-like substance—precisely the food he had just "eaten."

Lou Guanyue tossed the potatoes along with the container into a corner, planning to completely destroy the "evidence" when he found an opportunity.

The next morning.

Pelan stood before the dressing mirror, carefully adjusting his wide hood and cuffs.

He drank the pre-prepared disguise potion. In the mirror, the mage with fluffy black hair instantly transformed into a rather unremarkable-looking youth.

A pair of quite lively brown eyes blinked. He brushed the slightly long hair, which nearly covered his eyes, behind his ears. Confirming the disguise was flawless, he picked up the items prepared for consignment and left the room.

Just as he pulled open the door handle, he bumped into a certain not-so-well-behaved patient.

"Good morning, Pelan."

The surprise on Lou Guanyue's face flashed by in an instant. Soon, he wore a smile again, greeting Pelan as if nothing was amiss.

Pelan frowned slightly. "Why are you here?"

"I'm going to the market too." Lou Guanyue blinked. "I finished that bowl of potatoes seriously yesterday."

This sentence spun twice in Pelan's mind before he understood its meaning. He frowned uncertainly.

Had he said last night that finishing the potatoes would allow him to go to the market?

Pelan didn't answer immediately. He reached out and pressed his hand against Lou Guanyue's chest. Upon contact, he felt the man stiffen slightly for a moment.

Pelan focused on examining his physical condition. Surprisingly, the vitality that had been slowly draining yesterday had now "stagnated." It seemed an endless surge of power had emerged within him, resisting the nearly irreversible death.

Pretending not to see Pelan's puzzled look, Lou Guanyue repeated, "Pelan, I want to go to the market with you."

Pelan's eyes flickered, his expression changing several times. Finally, he pursed his lips and said, "Alright."

Hearing his answer, the smile on Lou Guanyue's face deepened a bit.

On the way to the town, Pelan didn't speak. His mind was entirely occupied by the anomaly within Lou Guanyue's body.

Lou Guanyue ignored his probing gaze and curiously observed the surrounding black forest.

The trees in the Nightglow Forest were a deep green, almost black. In this dark forest where almost no sunlight could penetrate, the trees grew exceptionally thick, tall, and lush. Even the smallest one was too large for a single person to wrap their arms around.

If someone could fly out of the dense, overlapping layers of branches, they would discover that the Nightfall Forest is an endless black ocean.

Passing by the lake blooming with Glowing Orchids, the eerie and narrow path gradually widened, and occasionally, patches of sunlight could be seen filtering through the gaps in the leaves, spreading across the road.

The brilliant sunlight dazzled Pelan, snapping him back to his senses. He took out a small bottle of disguise potion and handed it to Lou Guanyue. "This is a transformation potion."

Lou Guanyue held the small vial, shook the deep red liquid inside, and slightly raised one eyebrow. "Transformation potion?"

Worried that he might not recognize this type of magical potion, Pelan explained in detail, "Yes, this potion can alter the user's build and appearance. The effects can last a whole day. The only drawback is that it cannot change the user's voice."

He added, "Your hair is too conspicuous; you should probably cover it up."

Lou Guanyue gave a slight nod, seeming to process this information. After a moment of silence, he asked, "If it's just a matter of hair, can I not drink it? I can change my hair color."

As he spoke, his black hair slowly faded in color, turning into the same flaxen shade as Pelan's.

Pelan expressed slight surprise, "Of course, it's up to you."

After walking a bit further, they made it out of the forest and turned onto another, wider dirt road.

More and more travelers appeared on the road. Even at the edge of the town, unfamiliar faces multiplied, with carriages passing one after another, and occasionally, lively adventurer parties could be seen.

"Something wrong?" Lou Guanyue suddenly asked.

Pelan paused, then slowly shook his head. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Seeing this, Lou Guanyue didn't press the matter and followed Pelan into the town's most bustling, crowded, and noisy market.

"Hey! Travelers and weary friends, come try Old Buck's Wheat Ale! With a kick strong enough to wake a dead-drunk dwarf! Refreshing and thirst-quenching, five copper coins a cup!"

"Sausages for sale! Pork sausages smoked with Northern Continent spices for a full seven days!"

"Silverleaf grass from the Moonlight Marsh, just three silver coins per plant! Pelan, want to buy some?"

As usual, the town's residents remained very enthusiastic.

In just this short stretch of road, Pelan felt many more eyes on him, though most were directed at Lou Guanyue beside him.

The clothes he wore, made of imitation wool, were left by Pelan's teacher and didn't fit well. The loose flaxen trousers were also slightly too short. However, this out-of-date, rustic jacket and pants did nothing to diminish his handsomeness.

Along the way, shy girls kept pretending to sneak glances at him, then sweep their eyes over Pelan beside him, acting as if they'd just looked over by accident.

Moving a bit stiffly along the shaded path, he arrived at Glen's forge. Fortunately, there were fewer people here. Seeing them enter the blacksmith's shop, most onlookers withdrew their curious gazes.

Pelan immediately felt much more relaxed. A soft chuckle came from beside him, and looking up, he saw Lou Guanyue smiling and watching him.

For some reason, Pelan sensed a hint of mischievous amusement in his smile.

Their eyes met for a moment. After a while, Pelan looked away first, striding into Glen's workshop.

Glen was very happy to see him. "Good morning, Pelan! Oh? Who's your friend there?"

Hearing this, Pelan paused and nodded almost imperceptibly. "His name is Yue."

"Hello." Lou Guanyue imitated Pelan and greeted Glen. He picked up a curved knife nearby, lightly flicked the blade with his finger, and praised, "Clear and resonant, with a lingering sound, no impurities at all. Good material and excellent craftsmanship!"

"Oh, you understand forging?" Glen's eyes showed obvious delight. "This steel was brought back by a mercenary team from deep within the Nightfall Forest. For it, I ran to the Mercenary Guild three whole times!"

Lou Guanyue's smile remained unchanged. "I only know a little about it."

"You're a truly humble person!" Glen remarked. As if remembering something, he suppressed his desire to have a good exchange with Lou Guanyue and pulled a money pouch from a drawer.

"This is the payment from last time, a total of one hundred and eight silver coins and sixteen copper coins."

Pelan, as usual, took out another batch of alchemical products from his pocket. "Please take care of these as well."

"It's my honor to serve an alchemist," Glen responded politely.

Pelan put away the money and casually asked, "Has something happened recently? The town has suddenly gotten a lot busier."

"You don't know?" Glen blurted out in surprise. "I heard there are clues to Austin's treasure in the town. The guild has already posted a bounty; anyone providing clues can receive a reward of one thousand gold coins!"

"Austin's treasure?"

Author's Note:

----------------------

I'm back! There will be another chapter later, a bit delayed! Working hard on writing~