Ezra had accepted a challenging task by volunteering to negotiate with the merfolk. His uncle had already failed to impress them, and one more wrong move from him was sure to put the Romanovs on their bad side. Unlike the dwarves, who always had close ties to the Romanovs and trusted Aurelia and Lord Sebastian, the merfolk had only settled in Aranor quite recently. While they were gradually adapting to the idea of living with humans, there were still many obstacles in their way. Before Ezra could even begin to negotiate with the merfolk, he had to get acquainted with their habits, traditions, and beliefs to avoid insulting their culture. This, however, was a lot easier said than done because only a handful of people in Aranor had close ties with the merfolk since most citizens preferred to stay away from these fishy hybrids. Ezra spent the whole morning searching his father’s private library for books on merfolk. And after a great deal of looking, he managed to find two books belo
There was a gradual shift in scenes as Ezra passed the last bakery on this side of town. The brick houses were gradually replaced by old, dilapidated huts and cottages made of wood and clay. This was the older part of town, which had been abandoned three decades ago when Soreta flooded its banks, causing tremendous destruction. The only ones who continued living here were the merfolk since they were amphibious creatures who could swim as efficiently as frogs and even breathe underwater. Most of the merfolk were fishermen and preferred to live close to freshwater rivers and lakes. However, the merfolk settled in Aranor had even dug up ponds within the walls to expand their territory. Ezra soon spotted the leafy shacks built by the merfolk around the two small ponds. Standing around the pond was a group of bipedal hybrids whose upper bodies were nearly fishlike and lower halves resembled the humans. Having rarely had the chance to see the merfolk from up close, Ezra stared at the cre
Ezra had seen his father fishing in Lake Onorio, but fishing in an open river was a lot more challenging. The water currents were strong, and the fish were quite agile and lively. As Glup led Ezra to his favorite fishing spot, the other merfolk watched with keen interest. It wasn’t normal for humans to catch fish alongside them, and most preferred to stay away due to their strange appearances and habits. Ezra knew he could not step out of line as his uncle had already made a mess of things, so he followed Glup quietly and listened to every word that came out of his mouth with extreme patience. “Fish clever and quick. But merfolk more clever and patient. To catch fish, you use lure and wait and wait more. When ripple on water, fish close. When crow feather move, fish trapped. You pull and pull. Bring fish out of water. Simple catch,” Glup explained, using his limited vocabulary. Though the instructions were simplistic and rudimentary, it was enough for Ezra to get started. He watc
Competing with a merman in a fishing contest was the last thing Ezra wanted. He knew the merfolk had specialized eyes which helped them see many feet under the surface of water on a clear day, and their reflexes were also much faster than that of an average human’s. Ezra wanted to avoid any kind of confrontation with the fishermen’s guild, but fate seemed to have decreed otherwise. He had already tried his best to dissuade Oshaka, but the chieftain was as adamant as they came. Left with no choice, Ezra was eventually compelled to accept Oshaka’s terms and enter the fishing competition. “I current chieftain. I go first!” Oshaka declared before marching off. One of his followers quickly joined him with an hourglass containing gray sand. Oshaka turned around and raised his harpoon, and cried in a croaking voice, “Libak Wupuk Oshaka! Wuzuk Bluwub Oshaka!” As soon as the hourglass was flipped, Oshaka descended into the river. Raising his arms, he pulled his harpoon back and narrowe
Ezra wanted to ask Marlin about the monocle and learn more about cursed relics, but since he was surrounded by merfolk, he decided to keep his queries to himself for now. Impressed by Ezra’s humility and compassion, Oshaka invited Ezra to join him for a feast, but he politely declined the offer. Handing his father’s letter to the chieftain, he relayed the message and took his leave after receiving a positive reply. “That was expertly handled. You not only managed to win the merfolk to your side but also obtained a cursed relic,” Marlin whispered as Ezra walked away from the merfolk settlement. It was rare for the Gunsmith to praise Ezra, and he relished the opportunity. But instead of getting carried away, he retained his focus. “I still need to acquire the basic crafting components,” Ezra replied, analyzing his enchanted six-shooter. Marlin’s mouth and eye disappeared once more as Ezra reached the bustling market. The local firearms merchant had a small stock consisting of simpl
The new firearm was ready now, but it was still in its basic form. Just like any other gun crafted by a level E Gunsmith, the Pepperbox revolver too had the potential to be imbued with an enchantment. And Ezra had already obtained the item required for enchanting the weapon. Selecting the weapon’s blueprint on his system panel, Ezra tapped on the enchantment option. A translucent yellow circle swung open, emitting a bright golden aura. It had an empty slot in the middle and was surrounded by three concentric rings. [Enchanting available.] [Please add a relic to enchant the weapon.] Ezra carefully reached out and gently inserted the pirate’s cursed monocle into the empty slot within the glowing disk. Almost immediately, the circle changed color, turning from dazzling yellow to tarry black. The three rings around it now displayed three different glyphs encircled by archaic letters. [Relic detected!] [Relic added: Pirate’s cursed monocle.] The ring of light suddenly started spinni
Ezra could not believe what he was hearing. Soul gems were extremely rare gemstones that were often used by sorcerers and mages to trap Greater Souls from their fallen enemies. And a single Greater Soul was as valuable as five hundred Lesser Souls. If Ezra could get his hands on the Soul Gem, he could feed the trapped souls to his Spirit Companion and increase its level even further. However, one thing still confused Ezra. Goblins weren’t known to possess any magic, so it could only mean that they had either raided a mage’s quarters or some unfortunate magic caster had wandered into their midst by mistake. If it was Aurelia, Ezra would have trusted her blindly, but since it was Ramel asking him to join him for an adventuring quest, he felt hesitant to agree. Ramel too noticed the uncertainty in Ezra’s eyes, and he quickly changed his tone. “Come on, now. You know how difficult it is to get an apology out of me, but I’m trying really hard to make amends and become a better person,
As Ezra disappeared inside the smoke, the arch started vibrating and emitting a faint green light, indicating the dungeon had been invaded and was now off-limits for other adventurers. On the other side, Ezra found himself inside an old cave formation with damp, mossy walls and overhanging ledges which led to higher levels. Unlike the wolf dens and bear caves, this dungeon did not offer a straight path to the other side. The narrow tunnels and sloping trails created a complex network of paths, some leading to the center of the cave and others misguiding invaders to dead ends and chokepoints. It was dark inside the cave, but Ezra could faintly make out his surroundings from the light cast by the distant bonfires. Although Ezra hadn’t seen any goblins yet, the unmistakable stench of rotten eggs and fish made it amply clear who the denizens of this dark hollow were. “Clearly the goblins are not too conscious about personal hygiene or sanitation,” Marlin whispered as the cursed eye