Chapter 9 Departing (1)

Leaving the Red Leaf Inn, Lynn had an extra deerskin bag in his hand, and the bag swayed slightly as he carried it. Inside, it was filled with silver coins, a total of 185 pieces.

He paid 55 coins as a deposit, and the remaining 37 would be paid upon reaching the destination.

Having sold six flintlock muskets and having ten remaining, at the price of 40 silver coins each, it amounted to a considerable sum, a “huge amount” relative to commoners. However, for nobles and wealthy merchants, 400 silver coins were not much. Sometimes, a luxurious feast could cost even more than that.

Back on the mountain, Lynn arranged a room for Lauren.

Then, he returned to his own room and began to tidy up.

In fact, there wasn’t much to tidy up.

Apart from a few pieces of clothing and a black bundle for storing clothes, he put the money bag inside the bundle.

Lighting a candle, Lynn continued to study the diary that teacher Angley had given him.

From this book, Lynn learned a lot.

Moreover, behind the subject of mutation studies, there was a progress bar.

Although the progress bar was currently stuck at 2% without advancing, Lynn understood that it was because he hadn’t learned enough to push the progress from 2% to 3%.

The feeling of learning with a progress indicator was truly intriguing, filling Lynn with anticipation for further studies.

After reading for a while, Lynn extinguished the candle and lay down on the bed to rest.

He had been busy all night and even went to the town.

Now, after returning and reading for a while, it was already late.

The next morning.

Lynn got up and prepared breakfast.

“Teacher Angley.” Lynn heard footsteps behind him, and as he turned around, he saw his teacher, Angley.

Today, Angley woke up relatively early and had a good complexion on his face. When he heard Lynn’s greeting, Angley just nodded faintly and walked past him.

Soon after, Lynn saw Angley heading towards the hallway where the detained materials were kept. He withdrew his gaze, knowing that some things were not within his purview.

Not long after, agonizing screams echoed from inside the hallway. Lynn’s eyelids twitched vigorously, and his hands trembled slightly as he stirred the pot of soup.

Lauren, who stood in the corner of the kitchen, swayed his tail and lowered his head, his eyes filled with fear.

Taking a deep breath, Lynn composed himself and continued cooking the food calmly. Earlier in the morning, he had cooked all the food in the kitchen, preparing a large pot of a sumptuous breakfast, thinking it would be the last meal for the imprisoned prisoners. But now, it seems unnecessary.

Angley returned to the kitchen, and a faint hint of blood filled the air around him.

“Teacher, the carriage has been arranged. It’s on the main road, a little way down from the foot of the mountain,” Lynn said.

“Hm.” Angley nodded lightly.

“Teacher, I also spoke with the innkeeper, and they will prepare food on the way. I gave them some extra money to make the food as good as possible,” Lynn continued.

“You handle those matters,” Angley replied nonchalantly, seemingly unconcerned.

After breakfast, Lynn entered the laboratory and found all the experimental equipment neatly packed away.

Angley was dressed simply in a black cloak with gold trim, and a plain black velvet long-sleeved shirt. There was no visible sign of any packages on him. Lynn knew that his teacher had spatial equipment.

The experimental equipment in the laboratory must have already been stored in Angley’s spatial equipment.

As they walked down the hallway, Lynn couldn’t help but glance into the depths of the hallway.

The hallway was quiet, and all the room doors were wide open.

A faint smell of blood wafted in the air.

Gazing at the room furthest inside, Lynn noticed that its door was also ajar. However, there was nothing following behind the teacher when he had come earlier.

A shiver ran down Lynn’s spine.

In Angley’s eyes, human lives were merely numbers.

Glancing back at the deserted hallway, Lynn turned back and returned to the kitchen.

“Don’t let this food go to waste,” Lynn said to Lauren, who was squatting on the floor.

Lauren crouched on the ground, his long tail balancing him like a stool, extending from behind his back to the ground. The sturdy-scaled tail supported his body.

“Finish this food,” Lynn poured the soup and porridge from the bucket into a bowl, and Lauren picked up the bowl, drinking it all in one gulp.

Then he smacked his lips and extended his emerald-green tongue to lick the soup from the corners of his mouth.

Lynn looked at Lauren and then at the remaining half of the iron bucket. He felt that spooning it into the bowl one ladle at a time was somewhat unnecessary, so he simply handed the bucket to Lauren.

“You just drink straight from the bucket.”

At first, Lauren used a spoon to eat, but he soon found it inconvenient.

He simply lifted the iron bucket and swallowed mouthfuls directly.

As the food rushed down his throat, Lynn watched Lauren’s neck swell and thicken almost twice its original size. It seemed that after transforming into a lizard-like being, Lauren’s body had undergone some changes—including his appetite.

“Master’s culinary skills are truly amazing,” Lauren complimented, patting his slightly bloated belly after finishing the food.

“Daily task completed: Cooking (1), Cook a complete pot of food.”
“Completion: Qualified”
“Reward: 5 general experience points.”

A message flashed in the corner of Lynn’s vision.

Lynn nodded without showing any emotion, “As long as you can eat it.”

However, he glanced at Lauren and felt that something might be amiss. It seemed like this guy was showing signs of becoming a glutton.

During this journey, he didn’t know if the food provided by Ted would be enough for him.

Hmm. But lizards are cold-blooded reptiles and have a strong resistance to hunger. He wondered if Lauren had inherited this natural endurance.

Angley had already gone upstairs from the basement.

Lynn looked at the kitchen, considering packing some things to take with him. But after observing for a while, he felt that there wasn’t much worth taking. After all, they weren’t valuable items.

When they arrived at the new place, he could easily acquire some new ones.

He then took another look at the place where magical herbs were cultivated.

Lynn noticed that the Purple Phoenix Flower, which was being cultivated there, had also been taken away by the teacher.

Well, it seemed that all the magical items had been taken away by the teacher.

“Let’s go,” Lynn said.

Lauren followed behind Lynn.

Suddenly, Lauren grabbed Lynn’s shoulder.

“Master, be careful. I feel like… something is watching us,” Lauren said.

Lynn squinted his eyes and stopped in his tracks.

In the quiet hallway, the spiraling stairs led upward, and only the flickering candle flames on the walls provided a dim illumination.

As he gazed, Lynn noticed something amiss.

The candle flames burned, casting a warm orange glow on the walls. The interplay of light and shadow was evident, but at the corner, a massive shadow seemed out of place.

There was supposed to be nothing there, but a large, shapeless shadow obstructed the passage.

A presence, invisible to the eye, stood in the corner of the hallway.

Lynn’s heart tightened.

The shadow slowly wriggled.

Shifting from the wall’s corner, the shadow gradually moved, altering the interplay of light and shadow until it gradually engulfed the area in front of him.

Lauren’s body trembled slightly, showing his fear. However, he mustered his courage and positioned himself protectively in front of Lynn.

“Master, you run first when the time comes.”

“It’s alright, no need.” Lynn had a hunch about what it was.

Right in front of him, on the deep gray wall tiles, the air began to distort.

A gigantic head emerged gradually from the surrounding air, taking form before his eyes.

Its orange pupils were as large as fists, with black lines crisscrossing within them. The dark, vertical pupils stared fixedly at Lynn.

Semi-transparent scales obscured its true appearance, displaying an array of mixed colors.

The dark red core undulated, seemingly discerning Lynn’s scent.

After a few seconds of staring, the colossal head slowly retracted backward.

The scales blended gradually with the surroundings until it disappeared from sight.

Just like that, right before Lynn’s eyes, the mysterious figure gradually disappeared from view.

The shadows on the wall moved slowly, and the light returned to its original state.

“W-what was that? Is it a monster?” Lauren stammered, his long tail swaying slightly behind him.

Lynn’s mouth twitched, finding the scene before him somewhat incongruous.

Could you please not wag your tail so fast while saying that?

——
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