Chapter Seventy-Six

"Um, let me interject. It's just that these two are amazing, while I'm a complete waste." Ghost Duke quickly raised his hand: "Besides being used as bait, I'm of no use at all."

"Is he being modest?" Natara chuckled at the guy's expression, since he looked a bit like a free-roaming canine.

"No, really not." Ghost Duke quickly shook his head to show that he was being honest: "Really, I'm not kidding."

“It’s alright, it’s fine even if he’s not counted.” Dedely waved her hand: “I can take on two, no problem.”

This wasn't just arrogance; she held a high position in the mercenary guild, and practically everyone knew her. This was mainly because there weren't many mercenaries as good-looking as her, coupled with her exceptional strength and fondness for drinking and playing cards. Her good relationships with others contributed to her excellent reputation.

She certainly looked reliable, considering the huge knife she was carrying on her back. Judging by how she carried it, you'd think it was made of paper.

"But is there any danger?" Denos hesitated for a moment before asking, "Will the people here steal supplies?"

“No, not at all, and soldiers will protect me when I go out.” Natara hesitated for a moment before saying, “But the person I’m meeting makes me very nervous, and my boyfriend is someone who can’t be seen in public. So I’ve been planning to hire a few bodyguards. Should I come with you? I’ll give you a 5% discount on this order.”

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go now!" Denos stood up in surprise, looking very happy.

He knew how much he wanted, and if the expense could be reduced by even a small percentage, it would seem much less. The money saved would become his own personal stash after a chat with Yak.

Although saving money is useless, he always felt that he should bring some material things home when he went back to show that he hadn't been slacking off.

And so they prepared to go out, with Ghost Lord following behind them.

Come to think of it, he might actually be of some use. He thought, wouldn't it be great if there were ever a time when someone needed to sacrifice themselves for something?

So, this place sells explosives, right? If you strapped some explosives to yourself, you might be useful as a human bomb.

He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out the round thing.

Those were genuine gold coins that were not in circulation. The denomination was simply too large; they couldn't be used without being hammered down into regular gold coins.

He wondered what he had done to deserve this, since Ark had placed it in his hands during a free moment yesterday.

He said this was his salary, and everyone on the wagon would receive a wage based on their contribution. Even those who didn't contribute would receive a base salary. It wasn't that he was generous; it was just that every caravan offered this price when hiring. The risk was simply too high, and without a high-paying job, no one would do it.

But why should he be able to get a gold coin? He originally thought that a small, tattered bag would be good enough, but what he held in his hand was a real gold coin.

This stuff isn't completely uncirculated; after all, merchants often handle large transactions. In those situations, real gold coins might be useful. But Ghost Duke didn't buy anything while shopping earlier because nobody could make change.

Perhaps I should have gone to a blacksmith to have it hammered into smaller coins a long time ago. Ghost Duke also knows a lot about money in this world. Although I know less, I have seen a lot of money.

So, I wasn't flustered by this windfall; I just felt that if I didn't use it soon, I'd probably lose it due to my serious injuries.

However, even if you buy them, it won't do any good. Those things, like money, will disappear when you lose consciousness.

Then take it and buy some food... It seems there are no drugs in this world, the only thing that brings pleasure is candy... Oh, Denos has some tobacco, but I haven't smoked much these past few days, probably because I think it's a bit too expensive. I've been spending a lot lately, so I'm trying to save money.

"Then let's buy some tobacco for Denos. That's settled then." Ghost Duke put the gold coins back into his pocket. Now that he had decided what to do with them, he'd look for a tobacco shop. He thought he'd seen one earlier?

After all, he had paid close attention to him; among this group, only Denos and Ghost Duke were relatively close. Because at least this guy wasn't dangerous or extremely unpredictable. If you disregarded his immortality, he was just a normal human being.

Aside from speaking a bit strangely, the team is full of monsters now, so having a human like himself might make him feel closer.

Of course, don't discuss lifespan in front of Denos; it's the only topic that will make him feel empty. After all, only his lifespan is finite, very finite. Even Deedris, who has the second shortest lifespan, has two to three hundred years more. If you don't mind his good looks, living to over five hundred isn't a big problem.

And him? He should be grateful if he lives to be a hundred in such an environment.

Ghost Duke was thinking this when he slowly stopped.

Because before they even realized it, they had already gotten separated from them.

It's possible that protecting that guy is itself a paid operation. If it's an operation, they'll carry it out very seriously.

After all, they received the money.

However, it was obvious that he wasn't on the list of those who completed the task, so he probably didn't have high expectations and didn't even come back to look for himself when he got lost.

Perhaps they never existed in the first place?

Ghost Duke had this feeling, a very strange feeling, because he was now walking alone on a very strange street. There were monsters, people, everything that should be there.

But because he got lost, he felt he shouldn't be there.

These thoughts often appear in its mind, seemingly out of nowhere. Yet, it feels terrified, terrified of its own thoughts.

What if all of this is fake? It's not impossible. I've been through a lot myself, but there's always this sense of emptiness.

It's as if all the joys and sorrows, the partings and reunions, are all an illusion.

Were those all just figments of his imagination? He frowned, wondering if he might have gone crazy from being in this state for too long.

After all, I used to write novels; I made up stories, a lot of them. They were all fictional.

So even if everything around me is a figment of my imagination, it doesn't seem so hard to accept.

Perhaps from the very beginning, he was all alone, and no one ever took him in...

His hand, which was in his pocket, inexplicably touched something he had never seen before.

When he took it out, he was stunned to see a lighter, and then he realized it was Denos's.

It also came with a note like this.

"You're spacing out, you're not paying attention. Go back first, the flames can take you back."

Because the note was a small piece of paper, and I don't know what it was written on, it was written in a cramped way.

At this moment, a sense of reality overwhelmed Ghost Lord; it was clear that none of this was something he had imagined, but something that truly existed.

He turned on the lighter in his hand, and the flame burned and swirled in the air.

Even though there was no wind, it was stubbornly leaning in one direction.

That was the direction of the inn where they were staying, as Denos had told him.

When did I remember... wait, something seems wrong?

Oh right, it's me. The lighter in my hand doesn't seem to be very enthusiastic about its work; it looks like it's about to go out if I don't leave soon.

But I'd like to stay a little longer. This city is truly magnificent. It's been so long since I've seen a city like this since I came here.

Was it in the Holy City last time? What were you doing there again? Oh, my arm was accidentally taken there, and my main body was severely damaged. So I recovered there.

That's a nice city, just like here. You can get plenty of food there, and you meet nice people there too.

But I always feel like something is missing.

Yes, I've been feeling a bit listless since this morning. What am I missing?

I walked back to the hotel where I was staying and went into my room.

My own room? Oh, I actually have my own room now?

There were such places before I was reincarnated here, but this is the first time I've had the chance to live in such a comfortable environment since coming here.

But after living here, I don't know why, I just feel like something is missing.

It was something I'd always had, but it just disappeared these past few days, and I feel a little nostalgic for that feeling.

I went into the room, locked the door, rushed into the bathroom, and jumped into the bucket. Then I turned on the valve, letting the water fill the bucket and soak myself.

After being soaked, I seemed to calm down a bit.

Think carefully, what do I actually have? What have I lost?

What do I still have left?

Ugh, this is so annoying. The more I think about it, the more annoyed I get.

Now that we finally have a quiet moment, let's not do this anymore.

Hey, hey, hey, which heartless bastard is orchestrating my fate? Is it fun to toy with me?

I felt anger, an indescribable anger, even though I hadn't felt this way in a long time.

I feel so bad, so bad.

*Smack*

For some inexplicable reason, I actually slapped myself.

Wait, it seems like the missing thing has returned?

I don't know where I found the knife.

Blood splattered on the mirror, and there was also a reflection of myself kneeling on the ground in pain.

But it seems like I'm laughing, even though it hurts so much, why am I laughing?

It hurts so much.

But it feels so real.

It hurts so much.

I'm so happy!

......

"Are you sure it's okay to send Ghost Duke away alone?" Dedeline looked at Denos, who seemed to be paying close attention to the changes around him.

"Maybe, that guy won't get hurt no matter what, right?" Denos looked at her with a bit of helplessness: "Um, why don't you move forward a bit? If someone uses a large prop to ram into us, it won't be easy for you to handle things here."

“Mr. Denos, there’s no need to be so serious,” Natara said, looking at him. “There was no way anyone would have attacked us.”

“As Ark said, it’s always good to be careful when doing things.” Denos’s eyes shifted slightly, then quickly returned to their original position. Occasionally, he would touch his carotid artery to check his pulse and see if he was under any illusionary spells.

He used to be a very lazy guy, but once he figured out what he was supposed to do, he completely changed his personality.

Yak once said that this was somewhat like a combination of his parents' personalities; the combination of unreliability and extreme rationality would theoretically result in a normal person.

But unexpectedly, it turned into a mixture of solid and liquid, with almost no trace of fusion, only under certain conditions would one feel a strange contrast.

At first, Denos tried to argue, after all, neither his father nor mother had left a good impression on him. He himself had been handed over to Ark at a young age.

If he had the chance to meet them again, Denos would definitely punch his father hard, and then sit down with his mother for a nice meal and a chat.

In short, at least the personality traits he inherited from his father enabled him to work well.

"Speaking of which, where should we get supplies?" Dedeline looked up at the magnificent building and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is it there?"

If you're heading in the right direction, then that's the most likely outcome.

It was a place like an iron fortress, located in the very center of the city.

If nothing unexpected happens, that fortress is the safe zone.

A safe zone of such terrifying size, and a fortress of such exaggerated size.

“Yes, the materials won’t get contaminated if they’re stored in the safe zone.” Natara looked at Deedri’s suddenly excited expression and asked, somewhat puzzled, “What’s wrong with you?”

"You mean we can get to the very back of the safe zone?" Dedeline swallowed to calm herself down.

"Is that so? You've never been inside the safe zone?"

After a moment of silence, Deedri lowered her head and nodded.

Indeed, no. Even if there were any, they would only have stayed in crowded shelters for a short period of time during the centralized evacuation.

You can't see anything inside, and no monster will be able to see it.

Because in a sense, it is a place that truly belongs to humanity. It is a paradise that God prepared so that His people could live better.

All monsters are considered corrupted, so why would a corrupted creature be qualified to enter Heaven?

But Dedeline had always wanted to see what was inside—the endless wheat fields, or perhaps the cattle and sheep being raised there.

If there truly is a heaven in the world, it can only be said to be inside it.

Thinking about it this way is really excessive. Humans are so petty, thinking that heaven belongs to them, so they don't let monsters in.

But this time, maybe we can get a good look at the safe zone...

"Dedeline, about forty meters to your right, there's someone in a very dangerous position."

"Can you please not get annoyed at times like this?"