One-Eyed Monster

Chapter 29: Chapter 29 Farewell

The usually lively tavern at the foot of Guru Mountain was unusually quiet today.

Those Treasure Hunters who usually played the role of wandering bards seemed to have collectively decided to keep their mouths shut.

The usual scenes of bickering, laughter, and squabbles in the tavern had vanished without a trace, replaced by sighs, lamentations, and endless daydreaming.

What was even more unusual was that today the tavern was filled with twice the usual crowd...

The tavern owners were not adequately prepared for this sudden situation. The wine stored in the cellar, originally reserved for the Deep Winter Season, was gradually dwindling today. The Treasure Hunters drank their sorrows away with a fervor that rivaled their eagerness to find White Cloud Fruit. On one hand, the tavern owners grimaced as they sought help from wine merchants in Gaga County via Mail Birds. On the other, they gritted their teeth while counting each copper coin.

The tavern owners never cared about any unusual occurrences on Guru Mountain. Their only concern was whether their money bags remained full. So, to some extent, they were quite thankful for the odd strangers residing in Lubin Tavern.

These strangers acted insanely today, driving the Treasure Hunters down from Guru Mountain. The means they employed weren’t much different from how they chased people out of Lubin Tavern. Naturally, the effect was evident. There weren’t many Resistors. Those Treasure Hunters who were preparing to go up the mountain returned crestfallen to the tavern. Those who were already on the mountain also returned via the same path, their faces sullen.

The reason for the Treasure Hunters’ cooperation with these strangers was obvious. None among them wanted to end up wrapped in snakes or inexplicably turn into a duck-billed creature...

Watching the people descending the mountain, Milo couldn’t help but think about the separation of impurities from substances. These Treasure Hunters are like impurities within an object—dispensable, their presence at times affecting the purity of the material. In this world, perhaps only a genius like Chief Kuyi Tulan can fully utilize the function of such impurities.

An Alchemist’s sensitivity to impurities is akin to a child’s reaction to candy. Too many impurities would arouse an Alchemist’s disgust, just as too many candies would rot a child’s teeth. Milo squinted at the sun overhead. Noon was approaching, and less than a third of Dawn Peak on Guru Mountain had been cleared. It will likely be this time tomorrow before the Alchemy Array can be laid out around Dawn Peak, he estimated. Although impurities can never be completely removed, the remaining amount absolutely must not affect the Alchemy Array. The pace of clearing these impurities needs to be accelerated.

As Milo quickened his pace of clearing the impurities, Igor found himself in a cave, staring bewilderedly at something incredible.

After half a day of analysis, deduction, and calculation, Liko, Pita, and Igor had finally devised an escape plan.

Although this plan might not work, it was more acceptable to Igor than the idea of swimming out of the cave through its water channel and into the Guru River downstream.

Of course, Pita kept muttering that this plan would work best with a Hunter’s help...

But none of the three possessed any Hunter skills. In the end, treating a dead horse as if it were still alive, they steeled themselves and proceeded with the plan.

The most crucial step of this plan was essentially a ’grand illusion’—the creation of a decoy.

Igor looked at the ’Igor’ lying on the ground, an indescribable sense of dismay welling up inside him. ”Senior Pita, is one of my eyes really bigger than the other? And are my lips really that thick?”

”None of that matters, kid Igor. What matters is whether those bastards outside believe it,” Liko comforted him. In a way, Liko had made a prime contribution to this plan. If not for his complaint about ”needing a second Igor,” this plan might still be lurking in some corner of Pita’s not-so-small imagination.

”If we had a Hunter to add a layer of illusory disguise, it would be perfect,” Pita said, seemingly quite satisfied with their creation.

”This...” Igor stared at the scarecrow, speechless.

The three of them had painstakingly assembled a scarecrow in the cave using the limited materials available. The dried grass Liko used for bedding and the last of the firewood set aside for the bonfire all became parts of this ’Igor’.

Igor even contributed his own coat and vest.

Pita drew a face on it meant to resemble Igor. Of course, the effect of this drawing, as evident from Igor’s bewildered expression, was uniquely... unconventional.

Their plan was brutally simple. While it didn’t adopt Liko’s impulsive suggestion to fight their way out directly, it wasn’t far from it.

This was the plan:

Liko and Pita would first walk out of the cave with Scarecrow Igor. Then, they would create the illusion that Igor was a troublesome burden. They would lift Scarecrow Igor and throw it onto the path leading down the mountain. This action, along with Liko, Pita, and the scarecrow itself, was intended to attract the attention of the increasingly frustrated and bewildered Earth Wolves outside. They anticipated that the pack of Earth Wolves would react as before, pouncing on Igor’s figure upon sight. During the chaos, while the Earth Wolves were preoccupied with Scarecrow Igor, Liko, and Pita, the real Igor would slip out of the cave and climb up the mountain. If the scarecrow failed to distract the Earth Wolves, Liko and Pita would then cover the rear, holding off the Earth Wolves who had been tirelessly pursuing them all night and through the morning.

In other words, Liko and Pita were to cover Igor’s escape.

To put it another way, Liko and Pita would have to part with Igor for a short time.

”Here,” Pita said, tucking a map into Igor’s clothes. ”This is a map of the routes up and down Guru Mountain that I’ve drawn over the years. I’ve put it on a piece of animal hide so it won’t get ruined by water. Although you don’t really need a map to climb Guru Mountain, it’s always better to be prepared. After all, this represents years of my hard work as a scholar.”

”Senior Pita...” Even though I’ve only spent less than two days with Liko and Pita, I deeply feel the sense of responsibility these two veteran guides possess, Igor thought. This moment feels like parting with old friends.

”Kid Igor, I don’t have anything to give you,” Liko, typically gruff, said, suddenly growing sentimental. ”I don’t know why you’re climbing the mountain, but I hope you find what you’re looking for. You should know, you made the right choice picking us as your guides. The path we’ve chosen up the mountain has no forks; just keep climbing straight up, and you’ll reach the summit.”

”Senior Liko...”

In their many years of guiding, Liko and Pita had rarely encountered someone with Igor’s kind of pure-heartedness. In less than two days, they had not only reveled in his respectful use of ”Senior” but also found themselves enveloped by his heartfelt trust.

For a long time, whatever Liko and Pita said on Guru Mountain had been treated like air; no one paid attention, much less took them seriously. But Igor’s unquestioning faith helped rekindle their long-buried self-respect. This rekindled pride was what made them willingly shield Igor from the pursuing Earth Wolves.

It had to be said, Igor was a lucky fellow. It was a mystery how he had managed to navigate the paths to Guru Mountain before, for his innocent nature practically screamed ’naive’—almost to the point of having ’fool’ written on his face. Yet, his luck held. After reaching Guru Mountain, he met Liko and Pita. And then, of course, there were the Earth Wolves from Black Mountain...

After a tearful, snot-filled farewell hug, Liko and Pita grabbed Scarecrow Igor and headed towards the cave entrance without looking back.

The words ”Take care” and ”Remember to find us to settle the bill when you come back down the mountain” still echoed in Igor’s mind. I don’t quite understand the connection between those two phrases, he thought, wracking his brain, trying to make sense of it.

The clamor of the Earth Wolves outside the cave had significantly subsided. Most of them now lay listlessly on the road, whining.

Liko and Pita were just about to create some commotion when the scarecrow in their hands suddenly became uncooperative. In no time, ’Igor’s’ head tumbled and rolled onto the ground.

”Is this your handiwork?” Liko asked in surprise.

”Weren’t you supposed to be the one who secured it?” Pita retorted.

”How could this happen? This is a complete disaster!”

Their argument quickly attracted the attention of the Earth Wolves. Along the mountain path, figures slowly rose, one by one, their gazes fixed on Liko and Pita.

”Damn you! You always blame me for everything!”

”And you’ve made so few mistakes yourself, have you?”

Liko and Pita threw down the remaining parts of Scarecrow Igor and, once again, started grappling, soon tumbling and rolling together on the path.

And just like that, the plan was ruined.

At that very moment, a voice suddenly echoed from mid-air, startling Liko and Pita and simultaneously alerting the pack of Earth Wolves.

The voice was long, drawn-out, and carried a deceptive quality: ”That guy has fled down the mountain! Why aren’t you chasing him?!”

The entire group, including Liko and Pita, shivered. They scrambled to their feet and rushed down the mountain.