A Living Armour Owns A Tavern - Chapter 40 Square One

Gus felt dejected after what Victor has said. He knew Victor has done the right decision because he would’ve done the same thing.

“Mr. Gus, I will need to return to Tenrocks City tomorrow, because I need to finalize the Contracts with the Merchant Guild. If there is anything else you want to show me, then now is the right time to do so.” said the Merchant Nico.

“Mmm… I want both of you to come with me, I do have something to show you,” said Gus.

Rhoanne and Nico simply sighed and followed Gus. They were right to guess that what he is about to show, is nothing short of another miracle.

“Isn’t this the Novice Dungeon?! It looks different. It’s very clean, but still, it’s an entirely different dungeon!” Rhoanne noticed that there were wooden doors with unique decals at the front of the entrance. The Design is beyond them since its based on what Gus has encountered back on Earth. The Dungeon’s foundations are all different from before as well. What once seemed to look like a dreary cave entrance, now looks like a square mud house with doors and torches.

“Gus, what did you do this time?” asked Nico.

“It’s what WE did actually. That’s not even the surprising part yet, come on in!” Gus invited the two, inside the peculiar mudhouse. They were both surprised that the inside looks nothing like the dungeon they entered a few days ago. There were no signs of dust, moss or even cobwebs. It’s simply a spacious square area of mud with torches on the side as light. Mysteriously, the air inside the dungeon has changed as well. The air was simply comforting as if the Dungeon itself has had a change of heart.

Gus led them down the second floor of the dungeon. Nico and Rhoanne started to hear noises they were familiar with. Rhoanne subconsciously drew her sword and stood in front of his employer, Nico. But when Rhoanne finally had a clear image of what’s in front of her, It made her drop her sword to the ground.

Nico pinched Rhoanne on the back.

“Ouch! Boss! what gives?!” said Rhoanne as she scratched her back.

“I’m just making sure I’m not sleeping Rhoanne,” said Nico as he approached closer to take a better look.

There were three large animal pens inside. The Creatures are separated by walls made of rock from each other. The Creatures were roaming freely and comfortably since they have ample light, food, and water. They are feeding on corn which Gus bought from his system. Since the corn came from the System, therefore it is rich in Pure Mana. The Creatures were intoxicated at their food which made them extremely domesticated.

“Cockatrice?! Wild Boars and Horned Rabbits!” Rhoanne was amazed at the number of creatures that were walking around in their pen.

“Did you drag these creatures down here to cultivate? I hate to break it to you Mr. Gus, but no one was able to successfully cultivate these wild creatures,” said Nico.

After hearing what Nico said, Gus approached a cockatrice and killed one with his sword. Not a moment sooner, another cockatrice spawned in the cockatrice pen.

The Merchant duo was speechless at what they saw.

“The more you kill, the more it would take time for the creatures to respawn, so I doubt it can feed a whole city instantly,” mentioned Gus.

“By Gods! Mr. Gus, this… this is fascinating and dangerous… very dangerous… Just one word about this place and they will do everything in their power to claim this place for their own!” said Nico.

Gus nodded at the Nico. “Exactly! And that’s the reason I need to show you all of this. YellowLeaf doesn’t have the power to defend itself from an invasion. I was already considering if I should ally with Phanzal’s Royalty for protection…”

“NO!”—- yelled the merchant duo.

“You do not want to make friends with the current King of Phanzal. He is corrupt and vicious!” said Nico.

“Boss is right Mr. Gus! He is also the reason why we can’t do business with Phanzal City. We already had a fair share of troubles from him.” added Rhoanne.

“I see… Anway, let’s go back upstairs. I do believe I have a perfect drink to share with you for moments like this!” said Gus.

The Duo both looked at him suspiciously, as if Gus was to show something miraculous once more.

“Don’t worry, it’s just ale. Since your leaving tomorrow, I figured we should celebrate, and make a toast to our successful business ventures!” said Gus.

Gus also wanted to drink his stress away. If he doesn’t do something about the Dungeon, then the defenseless Yellowleaf Village will be in serious trouble. To make matters worse, He failed to acquire the property to complete his mission.

As they made their way upstairs, they were surprised to see the children with two tied up individuals riding on a wheelbarrow.

“Mr.Gush! Um, We can explain!” Gretel is once again fumbling with her words.

“Agh! I told you guys, not to go here!” – said Griffin

“Children, what is going on?” asked Gus.

“Well, you see…” Cindy stepped up and confessed everything to Gus.

She started her story about why they were in the forest, and about their encounter with the two injured fugitives and the Phanzal Guards.

“Rhoanne, Please watch them for a bit. I’ll get them something to drink. They look like they need water very badly.” asked Nico.

“Yes boss!”

As Nico stepped out of the dungeon, Rhoanne reprimanded the kids of their actions.

“Little Griffin, Think properly before doing something foolish next time. Your siblings might have gotten hurt or killed by getting involved with people you barely know. I’m disappointed in you Little Griffin.” said Rhoanne.

Griffin was just standing there gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

“You don’t know what it feels like to have nobody helping you!” Griffin stormed out of the Dungeon in anger.

Rhoanne was shocked at Griffin’s reaction.

“Little Griffin…”
for visiting.

“I’ll talk to him, Ms. Rhoanne, Please watch over the children.”

Rhoanne simply nodded at Gus and continued to tell the children the consequences of their actions.

As Gus exit the first floor of the dungeon, he saw Griffin sitting down under a tree with his head tucked in his knees. Gus sat beside the sobbing Griffin.

“The moment I saw them hiding in the bush, they reminded me of my parents. I was too young to remember properly, but I recall that we were in the forest, running from people who wanted us dead. My father gave his life, so my mother and I can run away. We were hiding and running for days until an arrow shot straight to my mother’s heart. I watched her die in front of me. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t feel anything. I can only watch my mum on the ground while they shot arrows at me. I stared at my mum as long as I could, before passing out. I woke up and realized I was sleeping in the Orphanage bed for days. That’s how I met Ms. Sarah and the others.”

“Little Griffin, I admire your kindness for helping other people, but as a man, you cannot endanger the ones you love by helping other people so blindly. Could you live with yourself if something happened to your siblings?”

“Then how do you protect people, Mr. Gus? How do you protect the people who are in need?” asked Griffin.

“You can’t Little Griffin. No one can save everybody and that’s life. If you love your siblings, you protect them first. Protect them from not just others but sometimes yourself too. Okay?”

Griffin nodded and wiped the snot off his face. Gus then ruffled his hair and gave Griffin a good pat on the shoulder.

“Now, come on! they’re waiting for us inside.”