NOVEL NEXT Chapter 83: Is This An Ambush!?
Byung didn't waste any time in carrying out his idea. He assigned Naz and Naruz to watch Drekk because they were the only two who could keep him under control.
And he gave a strange order. Should Drekk threaten the lives of others, they had permission to take his life if they couldn't stop him with force.
It was a lot harder to fight to hold someone back rather than fighting to kill them.
Byung removed any rule that would put these two in danger because if Drekk wasn't going to follow along, then he had to be killed.
Byung found a well-fed horse. It was easier to care for the horses due to the increase in their overall food intake.
But it wasn't him going to ride it. It was Maui, and Byung would be seated on her shoulder.
Gribnox was getting back to it. He was able to walk around now, but he wasn't back at 100%.
But Maui wasn't stupid enough to go without her face covered because she knew the others would have put a hit on her.
There was no body, and the party they sent out to retrieve her never came back, which could only mean one thing.
They were killed, and this made Maui a target, which was why she had worn a cloth over her mouth to hide her tusk.
She knew it would be hard to recognize her if her lower face was covered, so she did just that.
"Are you sure you are up for this?" Byung asked her, to which Maui nodded to confirm she was fine with doing this.
She was still banged up from her previous encounter with the orcs, but Byung knew he needed her because her presence would give him authenticity.
They were off, and the security tightened. Byung hoped he had done enough to keep Drekk in check because Drekk must have known he needed Byung more than Byung needed him.
-
Byung and Maui arrived after a few hours of travel, and the place was less crowded during the day, which was to be expected as people had jobs even in this world.
Byung noticed they got a lot of attention because they were wondering what an orc was doing with a goblin.
Maui got off the horse. She expected a harsher reaction, but they were more shocked than disgusted because they were used to seeing goblins.
"Hey, is this goblin bothering you?" A male orc questioned, trying to impress Maui because a single look at her body was proof of her superior genetic makeup.
Maui sighed before punching him right in the face, knocking the orc out with a single punch.
"W-What the…!? A punch is all it took!" Byung thought to himself because this orc looked stronger than her due to his denser muscle mass.
She didn't even attempt to hit a weak spot. It was done with brute force.
Everyone knew she was the real deal, and in that regard, no one attempted to bother her again.
Byung made a mental note not to piss her off ever as they walked into the bar, but Maui noticed something.
She ripped off the cloth covering her mouth, and there was not much of a reaction from those around her.
"Just as I suspected, they are keeping things under wraps," Maui muttered under her breath, but this made things easier as it meant she could use her connection without fear.
She walked to the bartender, and the orc quickly greeted her. He had seen enough goblins to not be spooked by Byung.
However, he recognized Byung because he was the goblin that managed to have Maui and her stooges for a night.
It was worth remembering a goblin like that, but there was something different about him.
This wasn't because he was on Maui's shoulder but because his features were slightly different.
Goblins were so ugly that they looked older than they were right from birth due to their heavily wrinkled face.
Byung was either getting younger or this was in his head, but Byung had fewer wrinkles than he did the last time they met.
"Maui, what are you doing here? It has been a while," the orc greeted her with a broad smile.
Byung noticed his tusks were cut but didn't comment on it.
He knew this might make him self-conscious, but also because he wanted Maui to handle this interaction seeing as she had history with him.
Maui didn't speak, and Byung knew this was his cue as he dug into his pocket to bring out a portable pouch.
The bartender looked at him suspiciously, and Maui wasn't sure how much he had or what he was worth, but a gold coin should be enough.
However, Byung surprised everyone when he brought out all 15 gold coins he owned.
Maui was surprised but had to snap back into character right away as she redirected her focus on the bartender.
"We need something done," Maui said, and this was all he needed to know given the context of the situation.
He looked past them, and Maui noticed he had locked eyes with another orc.
"It isn't me you will give that to…" the bartender informed them, showing they had a way they did things here, and this would also grant him plausible deniability as there would be no record of him receiving dirty money even though his share would find its way back to him in the form of a generous tip.
This orc was different. He could tell right away he was bad news, but this could also serve as proof that he was the real deal.
"Follow me," the orc instructed them, and Byung realized there was no turning back right now.
They needed to be smuggled across past the orc-dominated area undetected.
Byung had no idea what lay ahead, but he was once a human, so he understood how these humans think.
Maui noticed there was something strange. The orc must have recognized her. It was subtle, but she could feel him monitoring her despite her being in his peripherals.
"Where are you taking us?" Maui asked, but the orc suddenly stopped after taking them into a more secluded place.
"You are Maui, aren't you?" the orc questioned, but the way he said her name like he was trying to confirm.
If he was a regular here, there would be no way he wouldn't know her.
"I am…" Maui responded right away without hesitation, and Byung could tell by this orc's body language he knew something he wasn't telling them.
"They sent you, didn't they?" Byung finally spoke, and Maui immediately froze in her tracks upon hearing that.
"Borg sends his regards," the orc said, but just as he was about to attack, Byung leaped from Maui's shoulder and landed on his.
"You're a mercenary… You worship money, not loyalty," Byung was quick to offer an alternative to violence.
"Now, let us discuss your price," Byung added, and this seemed to make the orc reconsider his actions.
"You cannot afford me," the orc said, dismissing Byung's offer, but Byung showed him 15 gold coins.
"How about now?" Byung questioned, and the sheer greed of the orc was satisfied by this amount, which meant Borg had paid lower.
Maui, meanwhile, was still trying to process how fast he was because she didn't realize he had left her shoulder until he spoke.
However, it could also be because she was focused solely on the orc in front of her, so she missed his movements.
The orc accepted Byung's offer, and Byung knew as long as he had him on payroll, there should be nothing to worry about even though he had given him all his money.
[Ding!]
[Spend 15 gold coins. 5x Critical Hit!]
[75 gold coins received!]
[Spent at least 15 gold coins on a creature from a different race!]
The rebate system came in clutch, and Byung realized he was underusing his system in its entirety because he was too focused on getting the goblins updated with civilization that he didn't realize he could use others to achieve these goals faster.
However, who the goblins could interact with was limited, and Byung knew there was a strong chance this orc would still report to Borg after all is said and done.
Byung looked at Maui, and she stretched forth her palm, to which Byung stepped on it as she placed him back on her shoulder.
"There is plenty more where that comes from…" Byung said, and the orc smiled. One could see the greed on his face.
"You must be the goblin he spoke about," the orc said, and Byung had no intention of denying this.
"That is right, I'm Byung," Byung officially introduced himself to this merchant.
"You will stay here until night falls. I will get you where you need to go," the orc said, putting the gold coins in his pocket.
"That is fine," Byung responded. Maui's first instinct wasn't to negotiate; it was to fight back, but watching how easily Byung de-escalated the situation was eye-opening.