Chapter 16: Expensive Fruits

“Princess?”

Nosia was not suprised seeing that Steel knows her identity, because the relationship between the dwarves and the elves is quite good. Except for the dark dwarves, of course!

The dark dwarves are the ones who sold their soul to the devil, a race that has been spurn away by all other dwarves!

“I am not a princess right now, just Nosia.” Nosia’s mouth was slightly raised, especially after seeing Hall’s surprised expression.

Nosia’s smile is beautiful! That very warm smile on her face, even the curvature of the corner of her mouth, it was so perfect. Hall was so attracted, that he could not look away.

“Master!”

Looking at Hall who was staring at Nosia, Lina was a bit taken aback.

“Hey, is this a space ring?” Hall finally notice the ring, and try to change the subject.

When Steel have a proper look at Nosioa, he immediately wanted to say something about his feelings! Nosia’s beauty shook him, he felt like the ground just disappeared and he is free falling.[1]

“Well, it’s a space ring, and a Royal one at that. Unlike the space bag it has much bigger space. I don’t know when I can have a ring like that…” Steel said.

“Let’s go. We should get out of here quickly, the leader of the Devil’s Mercenary group will be back anytime now.” Hall said.

They get busy for awhile. With a couple of horses found, they used them to travel out of the valley.

After they left the valley, everyone could not help but feel relieved.

It is not a good idea to travel in the darkness inside the Deathly Wasteland, but everyone does not care right now.

After all, the danger in staying in that fortress is too great, and Hall would rather come out and try his luck than wait there for death!

“Hall, where are you going now?” Steel asked. His beard was flying around in the wind, he held it in his hand and turned to look at Hall.

Hall took out a map and looked at it, “Well, we want to enter the Dukedom of Gilardino through Carlin. You?” Hall said.

“Where at Gilardino?” Steel nodded. “Well, if there are shops of our Black Iron dwarves, I can go there first, and then leave the Geely Empire to go to the Fire Empire!”

“You want to go to the Fire Empire?” Hall looked at Steel with amazement, wasn’t this too much of a coincidence.

“Well, when I was caught by that group, I feel ashamed with myself, so I want to go back and train myself again.” Steel said.

Turning his head and looking at Nosia, He saw that she had put on a black loose cloak and a hat on, but even so, it could not cover her beautiful figure.

“I want to go back to the Dark Forest, otherwise if my mother cannot find me, she demand and explaination from Girona.” She said.

Explanation?? Hall estimates that a war will occur rather than an explanation!

“Since the route is clear, we should go North first, hoping that we will not encounter spirit beasts or the head of the Devil Mercenary Group before reaching the Dark Forest!”

……..

Hall entered the space again, and then absorbed the three first-class magic crystals into it. There was no change in the space this time though. It did not give him an additional summoning slot, remaining at 6/6.

At Hall’s appearance inside the field, the six storm wolves immediately got excited, and all came to Hall so he can pet them.

“How vast is this place? Where are its boundaries?” No matter how much Hall explores and experiments with this place, there was no change in its appearance. In exasperation, he had to leave the place.

……..

After a night of heavy riding, they covered a good distance away from the fortress and they did not encounter any spirit beasts. The group decided to find a place to rest, since even if they are not tired, the horses are.

“These are just ordinary horses! If it was a dwarf goat or a spirit beast as a mount, it’s speed and endurance would have been good!”

Steel was lying on the grass while gazing at the sky. “And if there was a Sky spirit beast for a mount, it will be even more powerful! The Human’s Dragon Knight! Our Dwarven Gryphon Knight! The Elven Eagle Knight! They are all powerful mounts! Unfortunately, I am super clumsy, or I would had learnt on how to control the Gryphon…” Steel said dreamily.

Hall did not speak. He found out that he knows very little about this world, even through the memory of previous Hall, he can not find any knowledge about a Dragon Knight!

Hall took out the dry food for them to eat, and Nosia took out a couple of very beautiful yet very strange fruits.

“Elven fruit! Oh, this is a treat!” Steel excitedly exclaimed as he reached out for the fruit.

Looking at Steel who took a big bite from the fruit while the red juice dripped to his beard. Hall thought that it was wrong for him to praise his beard when he met him.

“This is a red jade fruit! It is super delicious! Man we all loved to eat it back home!” Said Steel.

Seeing that Lina was also enjoying the fruit, Hall also took one to take a bite.

Delicious! Fragrant, crisp, sweet! And it seems it gave you a warm feeling when you finish it.[2]

Seeing Hall’s expression, Nosia smiled and said, “Was your body warming just now? This is the effect of the fruit. We often eat these, because you can percieve the magic in this fruit much easier!”

“Magic? You mean, the feeling just now…” Hall took another bite and chewed it, closed his eyes and felt the changes happening in his body.

Soon, he found that after the fruit reach his abdomen, the heat would spread, although it was subtle.

“Does it mean that all elves are magicians?” Hall asked.

Hahaha!

Steel couldn’t help but chuckle louldy. Hall looked at him with dissatisfaction, but found that Nosia was laughing too.

Seeing Hall’s appearance, Lina quickly explained, “Master, you have forgotten it, you have eaten this alot before, The Master, your father, spent a lot of money to buy them! These elven fruits are very precious! At least ten gold coins a pound!”[3]

Ten gold coins a pound!

Hall glanced at the fruit in his hand. This is not a fruit. This is a gold coin!

Hall thought, isn’t the reward on my head fifty gold coins? With it I can only buy five pounds of these.

And they don’t even guarantee a path to a magician… All those gold wasted on me…..