Chapter 88

The little boy was short and thin, his clothes and body covered in dirt. He took a step back in fear as he saw the warrior with a shiny shield approaching. Black Mountain Imp pursed his lips, crouched down to look at the boy's face, and took out three gold coins from his waist. Just as he was about to place them in the bowl in front of the boy, he was stopped by the silkworm gatherer.

Black Mountain Imp made a puzzled expression at the priest, but the silkworm gatherer just shook his head, took out a silver coin, and shook it in front of the boy, smiling and asking, "Excuse me, is there a place called Shoe Nail General Store nearby?"

The little boy stared at the silver coin in front of him, his voice stuttering from nervousness, "Um... t... that's... just a little further ahead, the first alley on the left, the one with the sign hanging."

"Thank you~" The silkworm gatherer gently placed the silver coin in the boy's hand, reached out to pat his messy hair, and turned to leave with Black Mountain Imp, leaving the boy excitedly looking at the silver coin reflecting the sunlight in his hand.

"In the slums, three gold coins would only bring trouble to a little boy," the silkworm gatherer explained to Black Mountain Imp as they searched for the alley the boy had mentioned.

"I understand that, but..." Whether it was out of frustration with the current situation or a sense of helplessness at not being able to change it, Black Mountain Imp was somewhat downcast, "Why does the game world have to set such realistic scenes?"

"This is the embodiment of reality in the game world. If this world weren't real, it wouldn't have such a strong appeal," the silkworm gatherer said, his eyes fixed on the other end of Oak Street, "But in the game, players are the most powerful force. Over time, who can say that players won't have the ability to change these situations?"

Hearing the silkworm gatherer's words, Black Mountain Imp's low spirits instantly turned to excitement, "That's right, that's right. When I have the power in the future, I'll definitely kill all the slave traders in Faerun, drive the Red Robes back to their homeland, and renovate the slums here in Westgate..."

The silkworm gatherer listened to Black Mountain Imp's grand ambitions, nodding in agreement, but inwardly smiled, thinking, "Thank goodness Fang didn't come here, or he would definitely pour cold water on you."

The route the little boy gave was correct, and the two quickly found the target alley. They saw a broken, shoe-shaped wooden sign hanging from the eaves, which would easily be mistaken for an ordinary piece of rotten wood if not examined closely.

After the silkworm gatherer confirmed that no one was following them, Black Mountain Imp stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"It's us, Turner."

After a long while, the tightly closed wooden door slowly opened. "Stinky Fish" Turner peeked out from the crack, opened the door a bit, and said, "Come in quickly!"

The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously drew their weapons. Black Mountain Imp kicked the door, sending Turner tumbling. Black Mountain Imp and the silkworm gatherer quickly rushed into the house in a combat formation, confirming there were no ambushes. The room was filled with a choking tobacco smell. The silkworm gatherer waved to clear the white smoke and then turned to close the wooden door.

"Ouch!... That old thing, Somanthu, only knows violent people!" Turner rubbed the large bump on his forehead, cursing angrily.

"Sorry," Black Mountain Imp quickly helped Turner up, "We were being followed on the way, and we dealt with them, so we were worried about an ambush..."

This kind of thing couldn't be ignored. NPCs in the game have their own backgrounds, and it's hard to tell if they are friends or enemies until you figure it out. Turner grumbled, pressing the bump on his head, and squatted on a chair, looking at the two well-equipped people in front of him without saying anything more.

"We are looking for some clues, and Lord Somanthu said you are his friend..."

"Who is his friend! That old scoundrel, he's lived for hundreds of years and still hasn't had enough! He just causes trouble for others, he should have died long ago!"

Black Mountain Imp mentioned the task in hand, but was rudely interrupted by Turner after just a few words. He glanced at the silkworm gatherer, and both had a puzzled look: from this attitude, it was clear that Somanthu and Turner knew each other, but their relationship didn't seem good, and there seemed to be a real grudge.

After a brief silence, the silkworm gatherer said, "At least please listen to us patiently, okay?" Turner, though still breathing heavily, did not interrupt the elf priest.

The silkworm gatherer organized his thoughts and continued, "We accidentally found a skeleton in an underground river and followed the clues to Lord Somanthu. Somanthu confirmed that the skeleton belonged to one of his old friends and entrusted us to investigate the truth of what happened back then..."

"What skeleton!" When he heard that the skeleton belonged to Somanthu's old friend, Turner suddenly looked up, his dim eyes tightly fixed on the silkworm gatherer, his whole body exuding a wild animal's aura.

The silkworm gatherer was taken aback, gripped the mace in his hand, and then stared at Turner's expression, answering, "It's the body of a druid, Somanthu's old friend, Syd."

Hearing Syd's name, Turner was stunned, as if he had guessed the answer but really didn't want it to be true. His expression showed a hint of confusion, and he let out a long sigh, leaning back in the chair, powerless.

Black Mountain Imp and the silkworm gatherer knew there was a chance, so they didn't speak rashly. The old man Turner took out an antique pipe from somewhere, lit it, and took a strong puff.

After a long time, Turner spoke, his voice unusually hoarse, "What was Somanthu's old title?"

"Silent Knight!" The silkworm gatherer quickly answered.

"Hmm..." Turner exhaled a long white cloud of smoke, stretched his thin body while squatting on the chair, and stared blankly at the ceiling, "You can say Syd's name and that old title, which only the Red Robes who love tattoos know, so I believe you."

"This has nothing to do with that old Somanthu, I'm helping Syd!" Turner added angrily.

There's hope! Black Mountain Imp quickly chimed in, "That's good, thank you. What clues can you provide? Oh, by the way," Black Mountain Imp suddenly remembered a message from Fang Yi, "Our friend once fought the Red Robes in Thay, do you know anything about them?"

"Red Robes too?" Turner hit the wooden table next to him with his pipe, and Black Mountain Imp looked at the worn-out tabletop, worried it might be punctured, "You really know how to get into trouble, but worry about the enemy in front of you first!"

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