ushernet Chapter 95: Rock Fortress
Chapter 95: Rock Fortress
Finally free from danger and able to take a good rest, Eck and Johann quickly fell asleep.
Next to the two of them, neither Charles nor Medusa slept.
Medusa, due to her boundless energy, kept her eyes fixed on Charles. Charles, on the other hand, was kept awake by his worries about the upcoming actions.
"We are only about half a day's journey from Rock Fortress. There are many guards of the Serpent Empire stationed at Rock Fortress. It is highly likely that we will be attacked by those Serpent people."
Although Charles already possessed The Pale Mask,
he couldn't shake the feeling that The Pale Mask couldn't guarantee his absolute safety.
Medusa, after hearing Charles's murmured words, smiled and said, "Master, if you allow me, I can easily kill all the Serpent guards in Rock Fortress."
Although Medusa was the Queen of the Serpent people,it was evident that she cared much more about Charles.
Charles shook his head.
"Your actions will only expose our whereabouts, and this time, we are not here to kill. We are here to find the treasure I need." he said.
After saying this, Charles muttered to himself.
"Maybe I'm worrying too much. I already have The Pale Mask, so my identity won't be easily discovered." With that, Charles closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
At the crack of dawn the next day, when the sky had just begun to lighten, Little Green roused everyone from their sleep.
"The sun is up. We can continue our journey now." Little Green said, distributing water and food to everyone while suggesting to Charles.
Charles nodded. "We indeed need to move quickly. The midday heat in the Desert of Sands is unbearable, and the nights are too dangerous.
We can only speed up our travel in the early morning and late afternoon. If we don't reach Rock Fortress today, we'll have to spend another night in the perilous wilderness."
After all, Eck and Johann were right beside Charles.
So Charles had to pretend that his strength wasn't particularly formidable. He needed to project concern about the potential monsters they might encounter at night.
At this moment, Eck suddenly asked Charles.
"Even if we encounter monsters in the Desert of Sands at night, your two companions can handle them, right? Last night, that lady drove off the desert scorpions."
Although Eck wasn't strong enough to clearly see Medusa's movements, he could sense that it was Medusa who repelled the desert scorpions last night.
Before Charles could respond, Medusa passed by both Charles and Eck.
"You are mistaken. I didn't drive away the desert scorpions. I merely heard your calls for help and provided assistance." Medusa said.
Naturally, Medusa would never admit that it was she who had driven away the desert scorpions.
After all, before they set out, Charles had explicitly instructed her to remain inconspicuous.
With that, Charles led the group into Rock Fortress.
Eck and Johann were very familiar with Rock Fortress. They quickly found the inn where they had stayed before.
At the inn's front desk, Eck and Johann got into an argument with the innkeeper.
"We clearly agreed before that if we returned, we wouldn't have to pay for the rooms again. Why are you going back on your word now?"
Despite his injuries, Johann held his own in the argument with the innkeeper.
After a series of unfortunate events, Johann had very few resources left. He really hoped to save every little bit he could.
Although Eck still had some resources left, he was also unwilling to use them to repeatedly pay for the rooms.
"We are members of The Explorer's Association. If you continue with this unreasonable behavior, we will report your actions to the Association. After that, the Association will ensure that no other members stay at your inn." Eck threatened.
Unlike Johann, Eck didn't engage in a loud argument.
However, he didn't show any leniency toward the innkeeper and went straight to threatening him.
Faced with their threats, the innkeeper's attitude remained resolute.
"Tell whoever you want. In the entire Rock Fortress, ours is the most luxurious inn. If members of The Explorer's Association don't stay here, it's their loss."
Having said that, the innkeeper intended to throw Eck and Johann out.
At this moment, Charles finally stepped forward. With a smile, he addressed the innkeeper, "We have five people staying this time. Normally, you should give us a discount, right?"
The innkeeper scrutinized Charles and, upon determining that Charles wasn't particularly powerful, arrogantly replied.
"Our inn doesn't offer any discounts. Even if you fill every room, I won't charge you a single coin less."
Charles felt a tinge of anger starting to rise.
So he stepped back, allowing Medusa to step forward and face the innkeeper.
Upon seeing Medusa, a stunning beauty, the innkeeper's face lit up with a bright smile. "If you check into our inn, I will give you a discount."
Medusa, hearing this, allowed a slight smile to play on her lips.
She moved very close to the innkeeper and lowered her voice, saying, "You will arrange for us to stay in the best rooms, and you won't charge us anything."
Upon hearing these words, the smile on the innkeeper's face vanished swiftly.
From the innkeeper's perspective, Medusa was deliberately overstepping her bounds. He was about to hurl an insult at Medusa.
However, before he could utter a word, he felt his eyeballs pop out of their sockets. A wave of intense nausea followed, causing him to vomit everything he had eaten that day.
When Medusa had spoken to the innkeeper earlier, she had discreetly used her curse skill. The innkeeper was now suffering from the Serpent's curse. Such a curse was notoriously difficult to break.
Moreover, Medusa was the Serpent Queen herself, and only a handful of individuals could break a curse she personally cast.