NOVEL NEXT Chapter 236: Blacklungs
With that payment, Siderius only had 3 Gold Coins, 56 Silver Coins, and 87 Bronze Coins.
He had used up some of the amount previously. Two gold coins were given to the Collector to gain his favor toward the Grove.
A few dozen more silver coins were wasted on miscellaneous tasks like the Quest Office and some materials Siderius needed.
"You really are rich, huh? Having gold coins on you." Erin smiled.
"Not as rich as you, I assume."
Erin shook her head. "I'm broke. These extracts weren't cheap to acquire."
"Well then. Shall we meet again." Siderius went to the door as the carriage opened up to let him go.
"Shall we meet again." Erin waved at his disappearing silhouette.
She watched as he climbed onto Red and dashed away in the night.
Erin sighed. She could feel that Snow didn't trust her anymore. He even had a hidden hatred toward her, toward all witches. That should be the case after what happened to him.
She just wished it wasn't that way and that she still had a friend.
Erin hugged her arm tight and leaned on the frame of the carriage as she cried.
Then she wept. Her weeping turned into scream as it blew away all the trees surrounding the carriage.
Thus, she was alone once more. Her virtue, or her addiction, was Loneliness.
She hated it. She hated to be alone. But somehow it had become her path of corruption.
She chose to oppose it. But Fate had a funny way to arrange things. As in the end, she was always going to be alone.
Siderius rode far but he could still hear her. He looked back to see the trees of that area leaned away.
Space Manipulation could only be achieved by very rare, very special witches.
The kind of contradicting corruption that Erin had. Siderius knew that Erin was genuine. But that would only fuel her power even more.
She was destined by her power to go down this path. Even if she hated it. The more she hated it the more powerful it became.
Erin had no escape. Sooner or later, she would become a calamity. A type of witch that would end the world. The true agent of chaos.
When that day came, Siderius would be sure to be there and end her.
"Consider it the last thing that this friend will do for you, Erin. I will release you if there comes such a day."
There was a chance that she wouldn't become a calamity. But that would require a twist of fate that could change the base nature of the witch. Siderius had never seen that before.
Once again. Siderius continued on his lonely road. He, too, was burdened with loneliness. However, he chose this path voluntarily.
Days went by.
Siderius traveled by day. Rested by night. And meditated whenever he had the chance.
The Heart Rose was very effective at combating Psychosis. He used all of the first and second bottle, keeping only the third for future experiments.
Each bottle lowered Siderius' Psychosis by ten points.
[PSYCHOSIS -10]
[PSYCHOSIS -10]
[PSYCHOSIS LEVEL: 55/150]
Of course, Siderius didn't consume the entirety of the two bottles in one go. He spread it out to avoid any unwanted side effects and also monitored his condition.
The meditation also helped in lowering the Psychosis, even though it had lost much more effectiveness than before.
[PSYCHOSIS -4]
[PSYCHOSIS LEVEL: 51/150]
Siderius couldn't meditate a lot while on the road. Still, he made sure he at least spent two hours each day for meditation. Only four points dropped naturally by meditation. The conversion speed was extremely slow.
He also felt that the Ring of Urge was coming to an end as well. For this mutation, Siderius might need one more additional ring to conquer the beast.
On the third week of travelling, Siderius reached Blacklungs.
It was a city of stench. Piss, fish, and other filthy odors filled the street.
It was warmer here as it was farther from the North. The snow was thinner and the air was soaked with the smell of salt.
When he entered Blacklungs, there were no gates nor guards. Blacklungs were open for all travelers to come and go.
Siderius got a few side glances as he entered. But no one dared to cross him. They were smart enough to see the high-quality leather armor he had on his body and the sword on his waist.
Siderius stopped at a tavern and jumped down from Red. He didn't tie Red to the pole and just let it stand at the water trough to drink some water.
Red was properly trained. It wouldn't run away on its own. Leaving it free also made sure that it could run away from danger.
Red also grew an additional size for the last few months. It was reaching its adulthood and would soon be totally matured.
The same went for Siderius. This sixteen year old body was still developing. With all the training and tonics he drank, the body developed even more unusual than normal.
He gained at least an additional ten centimeters after all this time, making him reaching the upper end of height in the kingdom.
"If it continues like this, I might even reach two meters or even more."
His body was also well-proportioned with a lean muscular exterior. He could still get bigger but that also needed a stronger Strength Anabolism Tonic.
As Siderius entered the tavern, people glanced at him. He was unfamiliar. And unfamiliarity in this city meant trouble.
Siderius approached the bar counter.
"I need a room and some food." Siderius slid a silver coin on the table.
The bartender lost his colors. He quickly snatched the silver coin and whispered.
"Are you crazy? Don't show your coins here! You will get robbed!"
Siderius simply smirked. He ignored the bartender's advice and repeated. "Room and food."
The bartender sighed in defeat. Another fool who didn't know the real world. He thought that Siderius was another stupid noble that was going to get himself killed.
A similar one just got kidnapped a few days ago.
"Got any horse?" The bartender said.
"I do. He is outside. Look after him well. Not a single scratch, understand? Or there will be consequences."
The bartender pouted his lips. "Yeah. Yeah. I will take care of the horse well. You have my word. But I can't guarantee your safety."
"No need. I can protect myself."
The bartender gave Siderius the key and he went upstairs.
A few scoundrels looked at him like a white sheep ready to be butchered. They already had a plan on how to do it.
Siderius didn't care much. It was better if they didn't do anything stupid. If they did, their coins would be Siderius'.
He opened the window of the room. Lycan climbed down from within his cloak and ran around.
"Go and keep a look out for Red and the area around. Come back to me if there's anything wrong." Siderius said.
Lycan saluted him then darted to the window outside, running on the rooftops.
Siderius lay on the bed, fully-equipped and had no intention of removing his armor.
"Finally, a real bed. I hope no one is stupid enough to disturb me."