Chapter 24 of 100

Chapter 24

16 min read3,962 words

Zhao Mai flipped through the dictionary, struggling to explain the whole story. He described how the half-orc Soru had spat in his eye, how he had ambushed him after being injured, and how he had tried to strangle him. It took him a long time to finish, and then he waited for Karl to ask questions. But the old ranger said nothing and silently walked out.

He doesn’t believe me, Zhao Mai realized. People always have doubts about things they haven’t seen with their own eyes, and questions arise in their hearts. The normal process is to ask questions and gradually form their own judgment based on the storyteller's answers. But Ranger Karl didn’t ask any questions, which meant he had already formed his own subjective answer and was just going through the motions, not really listening.

Soon, only Zhao Mai and Storage were left in the tree hollow, with the latter still lying on his back, fast asleep. Zhao Mai gently picked up the dog and stroked his belly. Storage shivered awake, then struggled to turn over and gently licked Zhao Mai’s fingers.

“You will always trust me and help me,” Zhao Mai said seriously to the puppy. “Believe me, even if we rely on no one, nothing can trap us. As long as I have food, you won’t go hungry.”

Storage barked twice, seeming to have endless confidence.

Zhao Mai thought for a moment. If he were in Ranger Karl’s position, facing someone who had turned everything upside down in just two days, he probably wouldn’t have a good feeling either. Staying here wouldn’t be beneficial. Moreover, Zhao Mai didn’t think he could ask Karl to teach him combat skills anymore; it was already difficult to even have a conversation.

He decided to leave and explore places with more humans. Though he had nothing, not even the spare shield, he wasn’t without skills. Using Storage’s favor, he asked the giant snake to guide him, and Zhao Mai carried back a burlap bag of coarse salt from the cave.

Next came the hard work: grinding, boiling water, filtering, and boiling the salt. Zhao Mai’s T-shirt was completely ruined, feeling like a mop on his body, especially with a skin-irritating itch, making it unsuitable to wear. However, this shirt had earned him over ten pounds of refined salt. He left two pounds as a farewell gift for Karl, and the rest should fetch a good amount of money in town.

Though it was a bit of a parting on bad terms, out of politeness, he still went to say goodbye. Ranger Karl had thought “Mike” would leave, but he hadn’t expected him to come and say goodbye. The etiquette and behavioral norms from the ancient Eastern country moved and respected Karl. He put down the salt bag and immediately took out a set of equipment to give to Zhao Mai.

It included a leather armor, a short sword, a one-handed axe, and an iron-inlaid wooden shield. Though these weren’t new items, they were enough for Zhao Mai.

The gnome wizard Greens Mumu was completely uninterested in the weapons; he stared intently at the bag of refined salt. The white salt with a hint of green was of quality comparable to the elves’ alchemical salt. Even the two pounds in front of him were enough to qualify as an auction item. Looking at the young man’s tied bag, there should be over ten pounds inside, a considerable fortune.

Even the forest rangers didn’t know that the gnome village had already begun to interact with the outside world, though they still kept their location secret. With the increasing population, the demand for land was growing, and the protective magic barrier needed to expand. However, the village lacked the manpower to cast the spells and the resources to maintain the barrier. Gnomes, being naturally small and lacking strength and speed, were at a disadvantage against any wild beast; a leopard cat could kill many gnome children. The barrier was their only safety shield.

Gradually, the village became more crowded, and relying solely on farming and foraging was no longer enough to maintain the past standard of living. To prevent life from becoming a prison, the gnomes began to consciously interact with the outside world, trading some of their “gadgets” for needed supplies to support the village.

Just as humans have a talent for commerce, gnomes have a significant advantage in illusions. They used illusions to create things—mostly toys—that sold well, which was much easier than working hard in the fields for a year.

But with communication, even through a narrow channel, the outside world began to gradually influence the originally peaceful life of the gnome village, and Greens Mumu was one of those with a more significant shift in thinking. Using illusions to change his appearance and secretly traveling with merchant caravans, he witnessed the prosperity of the human world and understood the power of money.

With gold coins, he could buy more magic scrolls, more powerful wands, and the gnome village could have more resources for expansion, changing the current困境. If he could achieve all this, he could become a hero of the village, even an elder, leading the village to prosperity and strength.

To accomplish this noble and grand goal, he was prepared to do everything, even at the cost of everything. When he saw the fine salt, he knew his opportunity had come. The salt caves of the Healthy Forest were no secret, but the mineral salt inside was extremely unpalatable, and the cost of detoxification was very high. The gnomes had also prepared some, but the cost and the product were completely disproportionate. Guarding the salt mine but unable to eat salt, this pain had deeply penetrated their bones. If there were a highly skilled transmutation wizard in the village, the situation might be better. But most gnomes were illusionists, and illusions were mostly deceptive, unable to change the essence of things.

The young man in front of him could produce a large amount of fine salt, which the gnomes had already confirmed. Working alone for a day, from mining to the final product, he could produce over ten pounds, which was no different from directly making gold coins. The gnomes didn’t understand the principle of rarity, but they knew the more they made, the more money they would have.

“You can’t leave,” the gnome interrupted the two who were saying goodbye with gestures and simple common language, suddenly speaking.

The ranger’s eyebrows furrowed, and he turned to look at the gnome. “This is none of your business.”

“He knows I’m here. If he leaves, it will expose the relationship between the village and the forest rangers. Then people will know that they can find our village through you, which could endanger the village’s safety.”

“I won’t expose your village’s location, and this has nothing to do with Mike.”

Zhao Mai couldn’t fully follow their conversation, but he could sense the change in the atmosphere. He asked the ranger, “What does this person want?”

Greens had enough stamina and said directly, “I am a gnome, not a human, watch your words. If you want to leave, you need to provide a guarantee. You look poor, so why not use your salt-making technique as collateral? If we hear within a certain time that you’ve revealed information about the gnomes, the collateral will be ours.”

Excited, the gnome spoke quickly and urgently. If it weren’t for Ranger Karl slowly explaining, Zhao Mai wouldn’t have understood at all.

Looking at the gnome’s flushed cheeks from excitement, Zhao Mai laughed in anger. Even if it were a robbery, at least it should be a big, strong man, bare-chested with an axe, preferably with a line like “This mountain is mine.” A little bean, not even as tall as his leg with his hair and hat, couldn’t even reach his face without stacking up. What confidence did he have to rob him? Just with that chopstick-like wand?

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