Chapter Thirty-Five: Jotes the Dwarf
Moria was exceptionally enthusiastic and friendly towards Li Wen, his fellow devotee of Glor.
Li Wen really wanted to ask him why he bothered getting involved in her affairs if he had his own objective in seeking out the ghost fairy.
But thinking about it again, she was now also a member of the Glorious Spectrum Series. Nohow outrageous Moria might be, he couldn’t possibly brand her a heretic. Thus, his intentions should have been sincere; he genuinely felt the place was too dangerous and thus offered to accompany her.
Since a strong ally was willing to lead her into a dungeon, why should she refuse?
So Li Wen readily agreed.
“Thank you, fellow believer, for offering your aid. My companions and I will remember your kindness. You may call me Mephistopheles.”
“No need for such formalities, just call me Moria,”
Moria responded with a hearty smile.
“I’ve told you all I know. I shall not keep you two any longer. Please, go ahead.” Grandma Martha cackled a few times and then dove into the mirror, disappearing from sight. It seemed she did not wish to converse further with Moria.
“Do you know the location of that ruin?”
It was only then that Moria asked.
“I don’t, but someone does.”
Li Wen walked out of the treehouse and saw two people whispering beneath the tree, looking shifty as if discussing some illicit business. Coincidentally, Li Wen recognized them as the Wild Mage who had previously attempted to “fish” and his accomplice.
As for why they were here, Li Wen could only attribute it to Moria.
“Who are they?”
Upon hearing this question, Moria, who had followed her out, appeared helpless. He brushed his forehead slightly. “Them… two Wild Mages blinded by greed. I’m planning on taking them to Leicester City. Apparently, the Magic Association there takes in and disciplines such individuals.”
Moria walked down the stairs and directly towards the two people.
“What are you doing?”
Upon hearing Moria’s voice, the two were instantly startled. It appeared this Eldest Son of the Holy See cast a significant psychological shadow over them.
“N-nothing!”
“That’s good.” Moria said with a hint of relief. “I’ll take you to Leicester, as long as you behave… Of course, before that, you’ll have to accompany us to the Underground Ruins in the Black Forest. Don’t worry, I’ll guarantee your safety.”
The two Wild Mages displayed smiles uglier than tears. Rather than going to Leicester, they wished Moria would let them off the hook. But this was clearly impossible.
“You’re bringing them along?”
Li Wen knit her brows.
These two Wild Mages, a man and a woman. The man was scruffy and dressed in rags, looking more like an unlearned middle-aged fraud than a noble and mysterious Mage. The woman was shorter and rather unremarkable, making it understandable why she was the one who acted.
Wild Mages were those who embarked on the path of magic without a master or guidance. They were generally very weak, and due to the lack of instruction, many would stray down the wrong path. If the Fire Mage from the Forbidden Institute that Li Wen had encountered before were here, he could easily kill a hundred such Wild Mages.
If it were a matter of academic knowledge, any comparison would be even more impossible.
“Is there a problem?” Moria asked, puzzled.
After some thought, Li Wen shook her head repeatedly.
Since Moria had already said he would be responsible, she would leave it all to his handling as the Eldest Son of the Holy See. After all, this time she just wanted to watch the show.
Li Wen retraced her steps, looking for the Dwarf stall owner from earlier. Moria followed without a word. The two Wild Mages exchanged glances, and under Moria’s oppressive presence, they also followed.
The Dwarf stall owner was still at his stall, with the same items on the tattered cloth. Clearly, he had not yet had any customers.
Therefore, when several people arrived at his stall together, the Dwarf stall owner did not show any joy at the arrival of customers. Instead, he thought someone had come to cause trouble.
“I have nothing!”
The Dwarf stammered, reaching out to protect his stall.
“We mean no malice,” Moria quickly said.
Because he was wearing the Knight attire of the Holy See, Moria’s words carried considerable credibility. Thus, the Dwarf lowered his guard and crouched to the side, his fingers of both hands intertwined nervously.
“I can do anything for you, but you mustn’t take my things… at least not all of them.”
Moria reassured the timid Dwarf,
“As I said, we mean no malice, nor will we take anything from you.”
At this point, Li Wen couldn’t stand it any longer. She picked up the conversation and said directly to the Dwarf, “Do you remember where you found these items? Especially this bottle of potion.”
The Dwarf licked his dry lips. He still recognized Li Wen. While her attitude wasn’t exactly friendly, she didn’t seem like a bad person.
“I remember some of it. It was very dark there, only people like us could go in.”
“Then take us there. I will give you a reward…” Li Wen’s thoughts turned, and she realized her money was all spent. Apart from her staff, she had nothing else to trade. So, she changed the subject, “This Knight, my dear fellow believer, he will protect you.”
“And a reward that satisfies you,” Moria picked up seamlessly.
The Dwarf stall owner hesitated, primarily because he couldn’t abandon his stall. He had no companions here. If he left the stall, the items on it would surely be stolen.
Seeing this, Moria spoke directly, “I’ll take everything you have. Name a price… Never mind, look, is this enough?”
He took out a gold coin engraved with a crown-like sun pattern.
This was not any currency popular in the secular world but an equivalent voucher commonly used in the hidden world, jointly issued by the Sunset Compilation Society and the Alchemy Association. Its common name was Sun Crown, or Sun Crown for short.
The secular value of one Sun Crown was roughly equivalent to 22 pounds sterling in Arthur’s time. In the hidden world, its value was somewhat higher.
The Dwarf’s throat felt dry. He was a man who knew value, and the worth of this Sun Crown already greatly exceeded all the junk on his stall.
“This is too valuable. Jotes is willing to… serve you, sir.”
The Dwarf quickly took the gold coin, cradling it in his arms as if it were a precious treasure.
“Now, can you take us?”
Li Wen watched Moria casually present a Sun Crown and thought, this is truly fitting for a Holy See Knight.
“Yes, yes, no problem. I will take you, in Jotes’s name.”
The Dwarf, Jotes, said cautiously. He wanted to wipe the dirt and grime off Moria’s goods, but Moria didn’t care and put them directly into his pocket.
