Wizard: I am a goblin

Chapter 114 Cold Water and Hot Tea

An unassuming pocket lay quietly on the riverbank, the overflowing river water splashing onto it, yet it remained completely dry.

swoosh-

The pocket opened, and a pointed ear popped out, followed by a green face and then a whole goblin.

Gebu stopped and patted his backside. Not bad, no limbs missing. Just completely soaked—it's so cold!

He refreshed his mask and then observed his surroundings.

The river carried him downstream to the mudflats. It was still late at night, and there were no signs of beastmen or dwarves around.

Not far away, something was stuck in the rocks, being washed by the water, making a rhythmic clattering sound.

It's a dwarven crossbow. It's quite sturdy; after being washed so far by water, apart from a few scratches, there doesn't seem to be much damage.

This Dulin…sigh. I don’t know how to evaluate him. At the crucial moment, Dulin was still thinking about saving me. Although his mind wasn’t quite clear, his heart was good. If he had just stayed hidden and ignored Gebu’s life or death, there might have been a sliver of hope for him.

However, those beastmen have such keen noses that it was only a matter of time before they discovered him.

Good people don't live long. Gebu sighed. Good luck, dwarf brother.

Gebu picked up the crossbow and stuffed it into his dimensional bag—the shape of the thing was a bit awkward; it was too wide to lay horizontally and too long to lay vertically. The halfling had to pull and push it with considerable effort before he could finally put it in.

In the distance, faint lights shone from the town. At night, without any landmarks, it was difficult to judge the distance.

Alright, let's go.

Gebu slung the dimensional bag over his shoulder, summoned the Big Eye to stand guard on his head, and walked toward the direction of the lights.

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One foot is deep, the other is shallow.

As dawn broke, Gebu returned to the inn.

He climbed the steps wearily and saw the little girl sitting in front of the house, her head buried in her knees, fast asleep.

"Hey, hostage." Gebu nudged her shoulder.

"..." the girl mumbled a reply, still fast asleep.

"Hey!" Geb called out in the girl's ear.

"Oh dear!" The hostage jumped up with a start, rubbed his eyes, and was overjoyed to see the halfling in front of him. "Gebu...Gebu's back?"

"What are you saying? Do you think I can't come back...?"

Before the halfling could finish speaking, the little girl rushed up to him and gave him a big hug.

"...Huh?"

Having just escaped death, spent half a day in the river, and then traveled at night, her body was freezing cold—but the little girl's body was hot and burning, like a small furnace.

It felt quite comfortable, Geb thought. His dejected mood after losing Dulin had subsided somewhat.

The little girl hugged him tightly for a long time, until Gebu was almost out of breath, before she finally let go.

"I thought you had escaped... or been caught and slaughtered... gutted like a little pig and roasted on a pole..." the hostage said, wiping away tears.

"You f***ing...are you cursing me, kid?" Gebu poked the girl's cheek, and she finally stopped crying and started laughing.

"It's good that you're back. I've been waiting for you for a while, and I even fell asleep."

"Why are you waiting for me?" Gebu asked.

"Before dawn, the caravan's kind lady sent someone looking for you. The dwarf told me to keep watch at the door, and when you returned, he told you to go find them—saying it was urgent."

"A solid-hearted lady? I'm more like a hollow-hearted lady, there's no such person!" Gebu scratched his head. "Ah, a stone-hearted one, is that right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Let me wash my face first... and have something to eat..." Gebu was about to open the door when the little girl blocked him with a serious expression.

"The dwarf said it's a matter of life and death!"

"..."

"Fine, fine! I'm too busy to handle this!" Gebu stamped his foot, turned around, and went downstairs again.

The world is full of complexities! Every second, several lives are lost, and Magnubie's backside is a nightmare!

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He rushed to the salt and iron caravan's encampment, where the guards led him into Lady Stoneheart's tent. As soon as Gebu lifted the curtain and went inside, he saw an uninvited guest.

"Hehehe."

A weasel?! A beastman?

"You...you!" Gebu immediately took a half step back, preparing to defend himself. He looked closely and saw that although the beastman in front of him still had the same cunning appearance as last night, his beastly features had faded a lot. His original fur had turned into mottled yellow skin, and his claws had been replaced by human fingers.

These people can change their form, so it seems they are not as savage as one might imagine.

"It seems I don't need to introduce ourselves." Lady Stoneheart calmly poured herself a cup of tea. "Judging from your reaction, what this Ansar man said is true."

Good heavens, these beastmen are fast! I just arrived in town and they've already sent people over.

But what is this weasel doing here? Isn't it afraid of being arrested by the guards as a freak? Even in human form, the beastman in front of him is still hideous and very conspicuous.

"What did she say to you, Lady Stoneheart?"

Before Stoneheart could reply, the weasel suddenly interjected, "We've captured a dwarf! Father Gebu demands gold for his ransom!"

"Dulin isn't dead?" Geb blurted out. Madam Stoneheart didn't react, but her hand, which was pouring tea, stopped.

The weasel blinked at the halfling, its mouth stretching to the tips of its ears.

"1000 gold coins, hehehe, or I'll kill the dwarf."

"Who are you kidding! Dulin might already be dead!" Geb retorted bluntly.

"We have evidence, plenty of evidence—dwarf, show it to him!"

Lady Stone Heart raised one hand slightly and said to the weasel:

"Alright, Ansar, we understand your demands. Please allow us a moment to discuss this. Once we have a decision, the guards will bring you back. Rest assured, the Salt and Iron Caravan will not abandon one of its members; you will receive your gold."

"Hehe, alright, alright, I'll wait. Female dwarfs and halflings, don't try anything funny. If you do, we'll chop the male dwarf up and feed him to the wild boars."

After saying this, two guards came in and led the weasel out of the tent. The beastman and Gebu brushed past each other, she sniffed at Gebu, and winked slyly at the halfling.

Geb took a step to the side in disgust, refusing to look at the repulsive beast.

After a moment, only the female dwarf and Geb remained in the tent. Stoneheart gestured for Geb to sit at the table, and the halfling did as he was told.

The two sat facing each other. The dwarf woman didn't speak immediately; she first poured tea for Gebu. Watching him drink a couple of sips and see some color return to his face, she then spoke:

"If you don't mind, Gebu, explain to me what exactly happened between you, Dulin, and those Ansar people?"

Gebu paused, looking at the dried mushroom slices floating in the teacup, and hesitated for a moment.

Should I tell her or not?

This made things even more complicated. Dulin was captured by the beastmen and used as a hostage.

These people didn't kill the dwarf outright; instead, they traded him for money, which shows they weren't mindless beasts. Combined with their previous conversation, their ultimate goal in coming here was to obtain gold. However, the priest's promise wasn't kept, and they didn't even hunt the scorpion—they've started a kidnapping business.

It seemed they had also reached a dead end. Gebu thought.

Lady Stoneheart before him was undoubtedly trying to protect Dulin. He knew that joining the caravan meant his interests would be tied to the dwarves, and these beastmen were enemies of both the caravan and Gebu.

Moreover, knowing that Dulin was still alive... he thought, "I should try to save him if I can." He wasn't sure if he and Dulin could even be considered friends...

So, what exactly is a friend?

I don't want to see him die; maybe that's what friendship is all about.

Gebu took a sip of tea and exhaled a puff of white steam. He looked up at the dwarf and said:

"Madam Stoneheart, here's the thing, Dulin and I went out of town on business..."