26 – A Rogue

"Our mayor saw the rabbit flying around this city yesterday. As we know, a rabbit with a golden bottom is a delicacy like no other in this world…." The armored guard continued to read the scroll.

Alan was still observing the crowd, and finally, he found a female player waving her hand to him. She stood on another bridge a few yards from the young man.

[Haruna] The black-haired girl in a ponytail wore a gray outfit. She didn't carry a large melee weapon, magic staff, or archery equipment. Maybe she's a rogue.

Alan's mind back to yesterday's incident when a rogue was about to attack Celia, who was showering.

Alan wasn't looking for new members but was wary of other players. They come to this world without knowing anything, have to survive, and are desperate.

They could do the unthinkable.

"….so our mayor will give 1000 gold coins to whoever manages to bring that rabbit to him alive and unharmed!" The armored guard continued. "That's all. This announcement is a direct mandate from our mayor, Albert Woodpark!"

The people dispersed. The weapon bearers looked enthusiastic. It was obvious they wanted to get that large amount of prizes.

"So what do you think, Alan?" Celia asked while grimacing. "Are we going to participate in the contest?"

Alan chuckled. "Do you have the heart to hunt another rabbit? Well, we have to resupply our goods and visit the propeller maker. And maybe after that, we'd better get a nice dinner instead. I'm not interested in joining."

Celia breathed a sigh of relief. After yesterday's traumatic incident, the young man doesn't want to hurt that girl's heart even more.

"Good morning." Haruna, a player that Alan had found earlier, approached them. With a seductive voice, she asked, "Do you need a partner to join you in the contest, Mr. Aldrych?"

Suddenly, the girl with the Japan nuanced face linked her arms to Alan's.

The young man's arms could feel the springiness and softness of the girl's breasts, which were quite full although not as big as Celia's.

"W-what are you doing?" Celia stuttered to see that.

"Sorry, miss. But I can see from afar that you two aren't a couple, right?" Haruna moved her finger to Alan's chest. "Besides, something like this is natural."

"Excuse me." Alan let go of the rogue's hand gently. Yes, maybe he felt nice being treated like that. But he didn't want something like yesterday to happen again. He couldn't trust strangers. "We don't need a new member yet and have no intention of participating in the contest."

Before Haruna could speak again, Alan turned around and asked Celia. "Let's go."

They walked away from Haruna, who could only freeze. Celia just gave the rogue a slight nod.

***

With each carrying a bag filled with supplies on their back, Alan and Celia entered a shop full of propellers and some other parts.

"Excuse me." Alan greeted but received no answer. It wasn't until the second try that a thin, bespectacled man walked out the door at the back of the shop.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you because I was playing with my son in the back." He gave a friendly smile. "Welcome to Igor's. I am Igor himself, the shop owner. Unfortunately, we don't have any wind crystals at the moment. We used to make those things for boats, but after we were lifted into the sky, the demand increased, while crystals became scarcer."

"Ah…." Alan was a little taken aback by that lengthy explanation. "Well, we have a wind crystal. How much money do we have to pay for the cheapest propeller?"

Igor adjusted his glasses. "Complete with the steering wheel? About 300 gold coins, sir. And that takes about three days."

Instead of responding to the shop owner, Alan turned his head back. "I know you're there."

Haruna peeked in from outside and smiled. Alan felt her landing on the ground just now.

"Please don't bother us anymore." Alan gave a warning, then spoke to Igor again. "I have a blueprint for making a propeller, but I don't really understand it. I don't mean to be your competition in this business, sir. I just want you to give us some hints. We'll pay you, but sorry, we can't give you much money."

"I will take any job." Igor took a deep breath. "To be honest, ever since we came to the sky, sales have been bad due to the scarcity of materials."

"Great." Alan took out his blueprint and opened it in front of Igor.

The shop owner readjusted his glasses again. "Yeah, I need to give this thing some notes."

***

It took Igor a long time to give explanations and notes. Alan and Celia just came out of that shop in the afternoon. They found that Haruna was still waiting outside.

"You really don't want my company, Mr. Aldrych?" The rogue used her seductive tone again. One of her fingers pressed to her lips, and she slightly bowed. "I can provide more service, you know."

Even a wink from her could not tempt Alan. He said to Celia instead. "Let's buy some food for dinner."

Because of Alan's rejection, Haruna froze again, fixed in that sensual pose.

"S-sure." Celia followed Alan while grimacing at Haruna's state.

Just as Alan took a few steps, he felt something on the ground. Something was landing softly, but it differed significantly from Haruna's landing.

This time he could feel a unique aura that couldn't be described in words.

"Wait a minute." Alan turned around, walked past Haruna, and headed to the back of Igor's shop, which was the source of the aura.

He found a boy petting a flying rabbit curled up on the ground. The rabbit then flew in circles above that boy's head, and that's when the aura that Alan felt on the ground disappeared.

"Please, no more wandering around, Noms." That boy, maybe not even ten years old, looked worried. "People are looking for you to cook you."

That long-eared beast landed on the ground again, and Alan could feel that aura for the second time.

Haruna and Celia, who had just arrived there, gasped hard.

Yes, the flying rabbit butt's color is gold.