Stupid Lady

Traveling through the forest in the dark was by no means an easy errand. Holy animals roamed everywhere, pits were disguised by rotting leaves, and poisonous mosquitoes and thorns proved to be annoying threats. This was especially hard on Steelberg, who was too exhausted to even straighten his back. To everyone's surprise, he neither groaned nor complained, and simply followed tirelessly behind Han Jin. Such a display of willpower earned Steelberg considerable respect from his companions. Although they walked the same path, Steelberg was the only non-professional among the group, and naturally had the hardest time keeping up.

Luckily for them, Sunier had joined the group. With her impressive night vision, she led the group in front and served as both a guide and a scout. If not for her, the group would have suffered even more. As for the rest of the team, Moxinke guarded the rear with his giant sword on his shoulder, while Han Jin, Cessacioun, and Steelberg walked in the middle. They marched through ten miles of forest, which although was a tense journey, was finished smoothly. The group only decided to rest when dawn was near.

Hearing the word "rest," Steelberg immediately crawled into a hole in the tree and dropped dead. Soon, his snores echoed out.

"You all should rest first. I'm not tired yet," Sunier pointed to the hole and said. The fact was, there was only one hole, so how could she sleep side by side with the men?

Cessacioun yawned as he crawled into the hole. He was also tired, he fell asleep immediately. Outside of the hole, Han Jin lightly patted Moxinke on the shoulder and gestured to the side. Moxinke understood instantly and pretended to casually walk beside Han Jin.

After they walked for more than thirty meters, Han Jin opened his mouth and was about to speak, but he immediately stopped and moved another forty meters. He remembered that Sunier not only had astonishing eyesight, but also good ears. When he was sure they were a safe distance away from the tree, Han Jin asked, "Why did you lie?"

"When did I lie?" Moxinke was confused.

"You told them I am a prophet."

"Oh... You mean that?" Moxinke laughed. "If I didn't say you were a prophet, then what are you? A magician? You can't even cast a fireball. A warrior? You don't even have any weapons, let alone fighting strength. A hunter? A thief? None of them fits you, except a prophet."

Han Jin frowned. "You could have just told them that I'm a nobleman who has fallen out of grace."

"Who would respect you if I say that? To tell you the truth, I recognized you when we were at Miss Keeley's store. That's when I became curious. I'm wondering how it's possible for a person to change so drastically in such a short amount of time." Moxinke lowered his voice, "Raphael, do you wish to be disdained by others as you were in Radon Town? I have learned from when I was only a little kid that it's a very unforgiving world out there. If you don't have any skills, and can't serve any purpose, ha… then good luck."

Han Jin let out a sigh. He knew very well what Moxinke meant.

"Did you notice that Cessacioun used his magic a few times to speed up Steelberg when he was too exhausted to walk? If you are just an ordinary noble good-for-nothing in his eyes, do you still think he will waste his magic power for you?"

"I know." Han Jin nodded.

"A prophet is a leader, a sage, that can lead people out of desperate situations, but naturally, there's no guarantee they will always be right." Moxinke cracked an uncanny smile. "You see where I'm going with this? That's why prophets are so respected!"

"If my prophecy turns out to be true, it is a testament of my wisdom. If not, then it's just fate, not something one can resist. Is that what you meant?" Han Jin smiled.

"Ah, so clever. Seems that you indeed have the potential to be a prophet. Ahaha..."

"But you have the badge to prove your identity. How should I prove that I am a prophet?"

"Nothing." Moxinke said with a smile, "In the Elvish language, a prophet is a wise man that can see the future. In fact, everyone could be a prophet. The key is convincing people to believe what you say. But don't worry, I will help you with that."

"If so, I only have one question left."

"What?"

"Why are you helping me?" Han Jin asked flatly.

"That… is complicated." Moxinke scratched his head. "My master once told me that I'm crafty, but nowhere near smart enough to accomplish great things. But you are different. You have such a brilliant mind. Your wisdom, my sword, we can make the best team! So..."

"That's not what you said last time."

"Heh??"

"Last time, you told me your teacher had said that you were dumb and should make more clever friends to learn from them." Han Jin smiled. "There is a big difference between 'dumb' and 'crafty'."

"Are you kidding me? That was so many days ago; why do you still remember?"

"Of course!" Han Jin didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Well, I am even more convinced of your wisdom now!" Moxinke patted Han Jin's shoulder with a solemn face. "I am sure we have a bright future ahead of us!"

"Before we step into said brilliant future, could you answer my question? Please be honest."

"Haha… well then…." Moxinke gave a meaningful smile. "You have such an amazing appetite. It's impossible for an ordinary person! So I am one-hundred percent sure you must be the son of a dragon and a human! Though you look impoverished at present, since you are half-dragon, you are bound to… What? Don't you believe me??" Moxinke noticed the strange expression on Han Jin's face before he could even finish his speech.

"I see, seems that your 'craftiness' is quite limited as well." Han Jin shook his head helplessly. "Shouldn't Miss Keeley have investigated me if she had hired me to deal with the dwarf for her? And you? Didn't you ask her about me? I was born and raised in Radon Town. Both of my parents are ordinary nobles from Radon Town; don't you know this? A half-dragon? Really? That's your conclusion?"

"It is indeed really hard to win the trust of a prophet." Moxinke smiled bitterly. "I know you want to know my motive, right? Okay… The fact is, I have no real motive at all. I just want to be friends with you."

"Then why didn't you say that instead of making up a bullshit story." Han Jin's face was full of a teasing scorn. "And the story you came up with is quite horrible. I suggest you practice doing that with some kids when we get to Beitman."

"You… believe me?" Moxinke was puzzled.

"Why wouldn't I?" Han Jin asked back. Though he had to admit that people usually met new friends and cooperated with each other based on common interests, sometimes a person might just simply want to be friends. In fact, the former friendship was quite fragile, because as soon as the common interest disappeared, friends might instantly become enemies, while in the latter case, the friendship could last despite the difference in power and money.

Moxinke looked quite low spirited after that. He didn't expect Han Jin, who was so good at making deductions, would believe the least reasonable reason of all. Him trying to come up with an excuse for so long was a pure waste of time!

"We should go back, otherwise they will get suspicious."

"I'm going to go find something to eat. You go back first," Moxinke said dully.

"Yes please. The more the better"

"You just ate a whole boar last night! Is that still not enough for you??" Moxinke was almost driven crazy.

"And I suppose you didn't notice me running all night?" Han Jin retorted smoothly.

"You never cease to amaze me!" Moxinke let out a long breath and walked into the depth of the woods.

When Han Jin got back to the tree, Sunier was sitting on top of one of its branches, humming an unknown tone. Her voice was clear and melodious when talking, but turned soft and gentle while singing, as if she was singing a lullaby. Listening to her with his back against the trunk, Han Jin's eyelids started to turn heavy, and he eventually drifted into sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Moxinke's voice suddenly woke Han Jin, "Get up! Get up!"

"What's the matter!" Cessacioun said in an annoyed tone. It was quite understandable, since no one would want to be bothered while sleeping.

"Light the fire. I don't have kindles," Moxinke said in a straightforward tone.

"..." Cessacioun sighed with a frustrated expression on his face. He then stood up and staggered out of the hole. But when he saw the game on the ground, his sleepy eyes suddenly lit up. "Back-feathered lizards? A delicacy! How did you catch it?"

"I took it from two human-faced eagles. Ha, what a lucky start to the day," Moxinke said proudly. "You can go back to sleep once you are done with the fire."

"You had the guts to provoke two fifth-grade holy animals at the same time? You really are bold!" Cessacioun automatically ignored the second half of Moxinke's sentence. He instead sat down firmly and cast a small fireball to ignite the prepared branches.

A moment later, Sunier came back with a bundle of twigs in her arms. When she saw the burning branches and the two cleaned back-feathered lizards on the bonfire, she couldn't help shaking her head and sighing, "What a pity..."

Back-feathered lizards were a delicacy famed for its fresh and tender meat. Its fighting capacity was poor, thus it was ranked at the bottom of the food chain for holy animals. What's worse, they would always react slowly to danger, making them easy prey to be hunted. Wild back-feathered lizards were near extinction for that reason, and those commonly sold in the market were mostly domesticated. Therefore, if they brought these two wild back-feathered lizards to the city, they could probably fetch a sizable price.

Han Jin was not aware of the preciousness of the back-feathered lizards, otherwise he would definitely tried to keep them both. Cost efficiency, people, cost efficiency!

"Pity for what? Be glad we have things to eat in the first place." Cessacioun laughed, but as soon as he finished his words, he looked up at Han Jin and sighed, "What a pity."

"Raphael, no, Master Prophet, please go on your sleep," Moxinke nearly pleaded.

"I'm not sleepy now. Even if I was sleepy, I would be wide awake once I saw food in front of me," Said Han Jin truthfully. He was now having a double desire for food - one for physical needs, and the other, mental needs.

"Sunier, why not have a walk with our prophet?" Moxinke shot Sunier a warning glance. Unfortunately, the girl was totally confused by such an abrupt suggestion.

"Why?" She didn't get angry but asked out of curiosity.

"You will know soon."

"Tell me first," Sunier insisted.

"You… You will regret this," Moxinke said in a painful tone.

Sunier looked at them, her face filled with confusion.

"Steelberg, come out and eat, if you still plan to." Moxinke thundered.

The snoring sound in the hole halted suddenly, and Steelberg immediately rushed out a second later with half-opened eyes. Everyone that had lived with Han Jin would have learned the same lesson on the first day: no matter how much food there was, you must fight for it, or else Han Jin would finish them in no time. If you didn't, you would have to go with an empty stomach until the next meal. 

Sunier sat by the bonfire, and with a slight twirl of her finger, a sparkling dish plate appeared out of nowhere into her hand.

Moxinke and Cessacioun quickly looked at each other. They both knew what Sunier had used: a space ring!

Then a dinner knife, fork, and other tableware appeared one by one. At last, Sunier took out a very delicate knife and wiped it with a pure white handkerchief. Her movements were elegant and natural, giving others a feeling beyond description. If it was not for her ugly face, she would undoubtedly be a beautiful picture in these dark woods.

Moxinke and Cessacioun forced themselves to divert their attention to the back-feathered lizards. It was impolite to stare at a girl like this.

"Smells delicious." Steelberg wrinkled his nose exaggeratedly.

Moxinke grabbed his sword and pierced the skin of the back-feathered lizards lightly with the sharp end, revealing strips of white meat. "Nearly done."

Sunier raised her knife, but when she turned around, her body went stiff. In front of her, six hands were scrambling to tear the meat off of the back-feathered lizards. In the blink of an eye, one side of the lizard was completely gone.

Sunier stood there in a daze. She had never seen such bad manners. A moment later, she shook her head and turned to Han Jin.

By contrast, Han Jin was the gentlest one. He waved his hand, indicating for Sunier to cut the meat first. She then carefully cut off a piece of meat from the prey and went to the other side of the tree, sat down, and enjoyed her food.

She was not used to eating together with those savages.

In fact, she had made the right decision, otherwise she would surely have choked herself if she saw the way Han Jin wiped clean his food. When she finished nibbling the meat in her dish and went back for some more, she was shocked by what she saw: nothing was left except the bones on the ground. Moxinke and the other two men were lying on the ground, humming and stroking their bellies in satisfaction, while beside the bonfire, Han Jin was still trying to look for more to eat among the bones.

Sunier bit her lip, put away her tableware into her space ring, and went into the depths of the woods.

"Where are you going, Sunier?" Han Jin asked in a loud voice.

"Taking a walk."

"Don't go too far." Moxinke sat up in a hurry.

"I know."

"Moxinke, the back-feathered lizards... are they holy animals?" Han Jin asked slowly.

"Yes, they are second-grade holy animals."

"What about the wild boar?"

"It depends on which kind of wild boar."

"The one you caught yesterday."

"That's not a holy animal."

"I see." Han Jin nodded his head. He had sensed that the back-feathered lizard contained more energy than the wild board, but he wasn't sure about the exact amount. He wouldn't know unless he measured out the same amount of meat from both with a scale.

"Cessacioun, it's your turn to lead us tomorrow," Moxinke said in a muffled voice.

"Okay."

"Over the hills is the Pill Town of Beitman. Please let there be no mishaps before we get there," Moxinke looked helplessly. "We definitely won't be able to deal with the consequences!"

"Do you mean Sunier?" Han Jin smiled.

"Mmm, I thought she was an experienced huntress yesterday. Who knew she..." Cessacioun's head shook.

"Cessacioun, are you familiar with Beitman?" Moxinke asked.

"Mmm, quite familiar. What's the matter?"

"Take a guess. Which rich family is the lady from?"

"How would I know that!" Cessacioun hesitated for a moment. "I don't know of any lady that would enjoy something as boring as going into the woods."

"Not only boring, but also stupid." Moxinke puffed out his chest. "Fortunately, we are all good men, otherwise… haha!"

"I think she is wearing a mask. Have you ever seen such a strangely ugly woman?"

"Since you mention it... I noticed too!"

In the distance, out of the men's sight, Sunier was standing quietly behind a tree, as if she was listening to something. After a while, she finally turned and continued to go deeper into the woods.