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Chapter 69
Chapter 69: An Interesting Little Discovery, Disguise
2024-11-18 Author: Amnesty L
Inside the borrowed house.
Tang Zheng sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, his eyes slightly closed as he pondered his next move.
*Gkch... Grrrk...*
The lesser soulhound lay under the bed, gnawing on a goblin's leg bone. Its teeth made a faint grinding sound as it worked, as if sharpening them.
The corpse of the goblin from earlier had clearly been devoured by the soulhound, leaving only this single leg bone.
Suddenly, the lesser soulhound's grinding paused. It lifted its head, looking toward the door. Then, it turned back to the wooden bed and saw that Tang Zheng had already opened his eyes.
The footsteps were light.
A flicker in his eyes, Tang Zheng glanced down expressionlessly at the bone in the lesser soulhound's mouth.
*Crack!*
The soulhound's teeth clamped down, easily crushing the seemingly tough goblin leg bone, and it swallowed the pieces in a gulp or two.
"Scentless."
Tang Zheng raised his arm in a sweeping gesture.
The faint, bloody scent that permeated the air in the room instantly vanished without a trace.
*Knock, knock.*
A gentle knock sounded at the door.
Tang Zheng rose from the wooden bed. With a soft click, the door opened.
Enri, holding a wooden tray with both hands, saw Tang Zheng and lowered her head. "My mother asked me to bring this food over," she said softly. "Thank you, Lord, for your help today."
"I've already eaten, actually," Tang Zheng said, glancing briefly at the food on the tray.
At his words, Enri was momentarily at a loss for what to say.
Seeing Enri grow even more nervous, Tang Zheng opened the door wider. "Come in, then."
Enri breathed a small sigh of relief. She entered the room and placed the wooden tray on the old wooden table.
After setting the tray down, Enri glanced at the lesser soulhound lying under the wooden bed. Her body stiffened as she saw it sizing her up.
She knew it posed no danger to her, but she was still a little scared. After all, it was a very dangerous monster.
Tang Zheng didn't close the door. Instead, he pushed it open even wider before walking back into the room.
"Um, Lord, I'll just leave the food here for now..."
Enri clasped her hands over her lower abdomen, her voice a little anxious.
"If you're not in a hurry, there are a few things I'd like to ask," Tang Zheng said gently as he walked to the wooden table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
He hadn't expected Enri to bring him food, but since she was here, it was a good opportunity to confirm the stories about the adventurers from before.
A small village like this couldn't hide any secrets. Besides, the Village Chief's words needed to be verified.
"All... alright." Enri hesitated for a moment, then nodded and sat down as well.
Tang Zheng looked at the food on the table. It was a milky-white soup with diced meat, a rather peculiar combination.
"I will accept this kindness." Tang Zheng picked up a nut that looked like a pine nut, cracked it gently between his fingers, and tossed it into his mouth. "These nuts are good," he said bluntly.
Upon hearing this, Enri subconsciously sat up a little straighter, her eyes visibly brightening.
In truth, both the thick, meaty bean soup and the nuts gathered from the dangerous forest were things her family rarely splurged on for themselves.
But Enri was well aware that in the eyes of the young lord before her, such food could probably be described as meager.
Before bringing it over, Enri had thought he might not even touch it. But even if she expected that outcome, proper etiquette still had to be observed.
It was just like how everyone in the village helped each other; no matter how big or small the favor, a gesture of thanks was always required.
For Enri, this was the simplest of principles.
Tang Zheng, however, didn't give it that much thought. After casually tasting a nut, he began asking about the adventurers.
Enri clearly hadn't sought out the information herself; most of what she knew was gossip from other villagers, and it was more or less the same as what the Village Chief had said.
Tang Zheng nodded in understanding.
"Um, Lord... you're not an adventurer, are you?" Enri suddenly asked in a small voice.
"Oh? And how did you know that?" Tang Zheng replied.
Seeing that her question wasn't dismissed, and being at an age full of curiosity about the outside world, Enri couldn't help but quietly repeat parts of the conversation she had overheard between the Village Chief and another person when she was sent to deliver the food.
"I see." "Indeed, I am not an adventurer," Tang Zheng chuckled softly.
A moment later, a happy expression on her face, Enri picked up the untouched bean soup and the portion of nuts—from which only one had been eaten—and left the room.
*Click.* Tang Zheng closed the door again, an amused expression flashing across his face.
He had suddenly noticed something he'd missed before.
Enri's hair color was distinctly different from that of the other people in the village.
The dominant hair color among the people of Carne Village was brown or dark brown. Enri's parents and her younger sister, Nemu, all had dark brown hair.
Only Enri's hair was a lustrous chestnut-gold.
Of course, this was a minor detail.
Tang Zheng walked back to the wooden bed and patted the lesser soulhound's head. "You've served your purpose."
"Awoo?" The lesser soulhound looked bewildered, not understanding what Tang Zheng meant.
Naturally, Tang Zheng didn't explain.
His sudden decision to take in the lesser soulhound was not just to have it dispose of the large number of goblin and ogre corpses in his item box, but also as a form of disguise for himself.
Or, one could say, it was a way of actively revealing a piece of information.
When one's strength was too low, lowering one's profile was the best choice.
But for the foreseeable future, he would be active within this world's human societies, so lowering his profile was no longer as necessary.
Any activity would inevitably leave traces.
Just as he had been inexplicably targeted by Eight Fingers before, some trouble simply couldn't be prevented by trying to avoid it.
In this otherworld—a place that seemed stable on the surface but was actually chaotic both internally and externally—someone unobservant was always bound to cause trouble.
If he kept a low profile only to suddenly cause a major commotion, it would attract even more attention.
The mere existence of the lesser soulhound was enough of a deterrent, but not an overwhelmingly strong one.
The Bone King's approach was worth referencing, but Tang Zheng was aiming for a different effect.
The Bone King established the adventurer team Darkness to quickly build his reputation and become famous, allowing him to swiftly infiltrate human society and obtain intelligence.
However, Tang Zheng was not just facing the humans of this world, but also the future arrival of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
As he had said before, this information war had already begun!
Tang Zheng's greatest strength at the moment was his close-combat ability. Most likely, it would remain his strongest asset until he acquired the special class, "Valkyrie."
Therefore, Tang Zheng planned to disguise his primary combat style as that of a magic caster.
However, he was still unsure whether to disguise himself as an arcane magic caster or a divine magic caster.
All the spells he currently knew, except for [Lesser Heal], were arcane in nature. But he had already revealed that he could use healing magic.
That was why he was conflicted.
Of course, he could also pretend to be a magic caster who had mastered both schools; there were plenty of such casters in this world.
"What a pity," Tang Zheng sighed softly, thinking of Enri.
After realizing Enri had considerable talent for command-type classes, he had actually considered recruiting her.
But for Enri to master a command-type class and increase its level, she would need a small army to command and train with, at the very least.
However, Tang Zheng didn't have the means to provide that.
"There really is so much to consider," Tang Zheng muttered, rubbing his temples as his head began to ache.
"Awoo," the lesser soulhound whined, looking up and nuzzling his leg.
(end of chapter)
2024-11-18 Author: Amnesty L
Inside the borrowed house.
Tang Zheng sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, his eyes slightly closed as he pondered his next move.
*Gkch... Grrrk...*
The lesser soulhound lay under the bed, gnawing on a goblin's leg bone. Its teeth made a faint grinding sound as it worked, as if sharpening them.
The corpse of the goblin from earlier had clearly been devoured by the soulhound, leaving only this single leg bone.
Suddenly, the lesser soulhound's grinding paused. It lifted its head, looking toward the door. Then, it turned back to the wooden bed and saw that Tang Zheng had already opened his eyes.
The footsteps were light.
A flicker in his eyes, Tang Zheng glanced down expressionlessly at the bone in the lesser soulhound's mouth.
*Crack!*
The soulhound's teeth clamped down, easily crushing the seemingly tough goblin leg bone, and it swallowed the pieces in a gulp or two.
"Scentless."
Tang Zheng raised his arm in a sweeping gesture.
The faint, bloody scent that permeated the air in the room instantly vanished without a trace.
*Knock, knock.*
A gentle knock sounded at the door.
Tang Zheng rose from the wooden bed. With a soft click, the door opened.
Enri, holding a wooden tray with both hands, saw Tang Zheng and lowered her head. "My mother asked me to bring this food over," she said softly. "Thank you, Lord, for your help today."
"I've already eaten, actually," Tang Zheng said, glancing briefly at the food on the tray.
At his words, Enri was momentarily at a loss for what to say.
Seeing Enri grow even more nervous, Tang Zheng opened the door wider. "Come in, then."
Enri breathed a small sigh of relief. She entered the room and placed the wooden tray on the old wooden table.
After setting the tray down, Enri glanced at the lesser soulhound lying under the wooden bed. Her body stiffened as she saw it sizing her up.
She knew it posed no danger to her, but she was still a little scared. After all, it was a very dangerous monster.
Tang Zheng didn't close the door. Instead, he pushed it open even wider before walking back into the room.
"Um, Lord, I'll just leave the food here for now..."
Enri clasped her hands over her lower abdomen, her voice a little anxious.
"If you're not in a hurry, there are a few things I'd like to ask," Tang Zheng said gently as he walked to the wooden table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
He hadn't expected Enri to bring him food, but since she was here, it was a good opportunity to confirm the stories about the adventurers from before.
A small village like this couldn't hide any secrets. Besides, the Village Chief's words needed to be verified.
"All... alright." Enri hesitated for a moment, then nodded and sat down as well.
Tang Zheng looked at the food on the table. It was a milky-white soup with diced meat, a rather peculiar combination.
"I will accept this kindness." Tang Zheng picked up a nut that looked like a pine nut, cracked it gently between his fingers, and tossed it into his mouth. "These nuts are good," he said bluntly.
Upon hearing this, Enri subconsciously sat up a little straighter, her eyes visibly brightening.
In truth, both the thick, meaty bean soup and the nuts gathered from the dangerous forest were things her family rarely splurged on for themselves.
But Enri was well aware that in the eyes of the young lord before her, such food could probably be described as meager.
Before bringing it over, Enri had thought he might not even touch it. But even if she expected that outcome, proper etiquette still had to be observed.
It was just like how everyone in the village helped each other; no matter how big or small the favor, a gesture of thanks was always required.
For Enri, this was the simplest of principles.
Tang Zheng, however, didn't give it that much thought. After casually tasting a nut, he began asking about the adventurers.
Enri clearly hadn't sought out the information herself; most of what she knew was gossip from other villagers, and it was more or less the same as what the Village Chief had said.
Tang Zheng nodded in understanding.
"Um, Lord... you're not an adventurer, are you?" Enri suddenly asked in a small voice.
"Oh? And how did you know that?" Tang Zheng replied.
Seeing that her question wasn't dismissed, and being at an age full of curiosity about the outside world, Enri couldn't help but quietly repeat parts of the conversation she had overheard between the Village Chief and another person when she was sent to deliver the food.
"I see." "Indeed, I am not an adventurer," Tang Zheng chuckled softly.
A moment later, a happy expression on her face, Enri picked up the untouched bean soup and the portion of nuts—from which only one had been eaten—and left the room.
*Click.* Tang Zheng closed the door again, an amused expression flashing across his face.
He had suddenly noticed something he'd missed before.
Enri's hair color was distinctly different from that of the other people in the village.
The dominant hair color among the people of Carne Village was brown or dark brown. Enri's parents and her younger sister, Nemu, all had dark brown hair.
Only Enri's hair was a lustrous chestnut-gold.
Of course, this was a minor detail.
Tang Zheng walked back to the wooden bed and patted the lesser soulhound's head. "You've served your purpose."
"Awoo?" The lesser soulhound looked bewildered, not understanding what Tang Zheng meant.
Naturally, Tang Zheng didn't explain.
His sudden decision to take in the lesser soulhound was not just to have it dispose of the large number of goblin and ogre corpses in his item box, but also as a form of disguise for himself.
Or, one could say, it was a way of actively revealing a piece of information.
When one's strength was too low, lowering one's profile was the best choice.
But for the foreseeable future, he would be active within this world's human societies, so lowering his profile was no longer as necessary.
Any activity would inevitably leave traces.
Just as he had been inexplicably targeted by Eight Fingers before, some trouble simply couldn't be prevented by trying to avoid it.
In this otherworld—a place that seemed stable on the surface but was actually chaotic both internally and externally—someone unobservant was always bound to cause trouble.
If he kept a low profile only to suddenly cause a major commotion, it would attract even more attention.
The mere existence of the lesser soulhound was enough of a deterrent, but not an overwhelmingly strong one.
The Bone King's approach was worth referencing, but Tang Zheng was aiming for a different effect.
The Bone King established the adventurer team Darkness to quickly build his reputation and become famous, allowing him to swiftly infiltrate human society and obtain intelligence.
However, Tang Zheng was not just facing the humans of this world, but also the future arrival of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
As he had said before, this information war had already begun!
Tang Zheng's greatest strength at the moment was his close-combat ability. Most likely, it would remain his strongest asset until he acquired the special class, "Valkyrie."
Therefore, Tang Zheng planned to disguise his primary combat style as that of a magic caster.
However, he was still unsure whether to disguise himself as an arcane magic caster or a divine magic caster.
All the spells he currently knew, except for [Lesser Heal], were arcane in nature. But he had already revealed that he could use healing magic.
That was why he was conflicted.
Of course, he could also pretend to be a magic caster who had mastered both schools; there were plenty of such casters in this world.
"What a pity," Tang Zheng sighed softly, thinking of Enri.
After realizing Enri had considerable talent for command-type classes, he had actually considered recruiting her.
But for Enri to master a command-type class and increase its level, she would need a small army to command and train with, at the very least.
However, Tang Zheng didn't have the means to provide that.
"There really is so much to consider," Tang Zheng muttered, rubbing his temples as his head began to ache.
"Awoo," the lesser soulhound whined, looking up and nuzzling his leg.
(end of chapter)
