Chapter 38

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Chapter 38: It Is a Bit Touching

As she stepped through the city gate, Lin Lin looked up and realized why this city had such strict checks.

This city looked so different that even someone like Lin Lin, who didn’t know what the world was supposed to be like, could tell how special Padre Port was.

Colorful balloons floated above them, lush flowers filled the streets, sweet scents filled the air, and Lin Lin even saw a rabbit Orc with long ears driving a real pumpkin carriage past them.

The sky of Padre Port was already bright blue, sunlight comfortably shining on the people, the sea breeze brushing against their faces, seagulls flying overhead, and the streets they walked on were beautiful paths made of various pebbles and shells.

It looked like a castle from a fairy tale.

Lin Lin heard from the wizard Daniel, who traveled with the knights, that magic needs to be treated carefully and should not be used just because of feeling hot or cold, or out of laziness.

It can be inferred that the more traditional wizards believe magic should not be used for everyday life.

Here in Padre Port, a girl in a flour-dusted apron from the bakery just brought out some samples of sweets, and the bell hanging at the bakery’s door began to ring, catching the attention of passersby.

A three-meter tall balloon toy shaped like a bear was handing out balloons to people, and the balloons had a flyer for the circus performance hanging from their strings.

Lin Lin looked up and walked toward the balloon bear. When the balloon bear saw her, it bent down and handed her a red balloon that matched the color of her eyes.

Lin Lin tied the balloon’s ribbon around her wrist, opened the circus brochure, and a light pink butterfly flew out. Once it landed in her palm and stopped flapping its wings, she realized it was made of paper.

"The circus performance is still a while away," Lin Lin said with a hint of disappointment as she walked back toward the orca brothers. "Magic seems to be quite common here."

"This place was just a thriving fishing port city about ten years ago, so magic must have been rare," Allen said as he shielded his eyes from the sun and looked toward the fountain in the center of the city.

Lin Lin also looked at the fountain, where there was a giant statue. It was a statue of a chubby girl about five or six years old, holding a polaroid camera. The statue was crafted with great emotion; even though the camera covered most of the girl’s face, you could still see her joyful spirit and bright smile through her raised pinky finger and pointed toes.

This statue really brings joy to people. Lin Lin couldn’t help but admire the city’s leader; he really knows how to lift the spirits of the travelers.

Lin Lin has already seen many tourists taking pictures in front of the statue.

Unlike Lin Lin’s relaxed mood, the orcas felt a bit uncomfortable in this city surrounded by magic.

"There is energy all around, as if we are wrapped and bound by something, like humans walking through water," Allen explained to Lin Lin and showed her his forearm.

Lin Lin looked down and stared at Allen’s revealed arm.

It was a very clean forearm, covered by a thin layer of muscle. The skin was so transparent and fair that the veins and blue lines beneath were quite noticeable.

Lin Lin also had no knowledge of magic, so she furrowed her brow, trying to find any trace of magic that might be causing a negative effect on Allen.

While Lin Lin was studying, Allen smiled and reached out to gently ruffle her hair, "Actually, there is no real change in appearance! It’s just that my mood is a bit bad."

Lin Lin became furious, tugging on Arthur’s sleeve, angrily pointing at Allen, and reporting to her brother among the orcas.

Allen calmly said, "Yay! Brother will never hit me!"

Then, Arthur quietly took back the bag of coins meant for his brother from the Moonlight Clan.

Allen’s eyes grew wide, and the blue in his pupils became a little brighter, "Brother, I will cry, I really will cry."

Lin Lin said sternly, "No crying!"

The watery light in Allen’s eyes held back once more.

Seeing Allen’s bag of coins, Lin Lin thought of something: they might not be able to afford a nicer inn.

Lin Lin, a human who came from another world, had lived through hard times, but had never been poor.

With the Demon King first and then Safir, and even witnessing the Knight Commander offer a fivefold salary, Lin Lin had always lived freely, never expecting to face such a tight situation.

The prices in Padre Port were quite high. Lin Lin thought about how tourist cities often have this problem while carefully confirming with the other person, "Is it 3 gold coins for one night?"

"Yes," the receptionist replied confidently about her hotel, "Just look at our decor, our quality, we have a gourmet breakfast in the morning, and special red wine in the evening."

Lin Lin hesitated for a moment; she had already inquired with three hotels, and the prices were all similar.

Seeing Lin Lin’s hesitation, the receptionist wanted to persuade her further, "Our hotel has been rated as an excellent five-star hotel by the city; it is very different from a one-star hotel like ‘Blue Ocean,’ which is extremely cheap."

Ah… Lin Lin quietly put away the gold coins she had planned to take out.

Coincidentally, it seemed like she found a suitable hotel.

After asking around, she finally found the Blue Ocean Hotel.

Contrary to her imagination of it being run-down, it was a strong and well-crafted wooden building, but only upon getting closer did she notice that the whole house was a bit short.

This doubt completely vanished when she saw the owner sweeping the floor at the entrance.

The owner is a dwarf.

Lin Lin had read about the characteristics of dwarfs in a book: they are short and stout, live underground, and enjoy drinking beer. The person in front of her, who had built a house above ground, was clearly an exception.

When Lin Lin finally approached the dwarf and smelled the lingering scent of alcohol on him, she realized that sometimes people do need stereotypes.

When the dwarf saw the guests arrive, his red-nosed face lifted the brim of his thick hat to welcome them inside.

Although the building was a bit short, Lin Lin didn’t mind the height; she could walk around without worrying about bumping her head.

The killer whales were different.

Allen bumped his forehead on the door frame when he entered the inn.

As she walked into the inn, the strong smell of barley beer hit her; the dwarf had made the windows quite narrow, and there were two potted plants on the windowsill.

Unexpectedly, Lin Lin saw two familiar young people sitting on a wooden bench in the inn’s lobby.

They were the boy and the girl who had stopped her at the city gate of Padre Port.

Lin Lin remembered that the girl was named Sharon, a sorceress, and the boy… was a bit of a weirdo.

Unlike Lin Lin, who had a strong impression of the two, Sharon clearly remembered the orca brothers, "They were the troublemakers I saw at the city gate…"

The words that followed got stuck in her throat; this blonde girl with twin ponytails clearly realized she wasn’t saying nice things.

It was obvious that the two of them lived quite frugally; there was a task list printed on brown paper laid out on their wooden table, and each had a serving of mashed potatoes, eating it with small bites dipped in sauce.

Lin Lin went to the front desk, where the dwarf owner was already seated, his thick beard covering most of his face.

"Excuse me…" Before Lin Lin could finish her sentence, the dwarf owner pushed a list of room rates and food prices in front of her.

A room costs one gold coin per day, including vegetarian meals, and if you stay for five days, you get one extra day for free.

Now this is the kind of prices this world should have! Lin Lin generously ordered three large servings of fried chicken.

The orcas didn’t rely on this to fill their stomachs; they had eaten enough at Demon King Castle and didn’t need to eat during this time. So the orcas sat around the only big table in the inn, lazily leaning back in their chairs to relax.

After sharing a wooden table with the troublemakers, the girl became a bit more nervous, while the boy seemed very relaxed.

Lin Lin pushed one plate of fried chicken in front of the two boys, one in front of the orca, and kept the rest for herself.

Hehe, she was eating two servings all by herself.

Sharon, who had been very nervous, felt a little better after sitting next to a sister. She lowered her head slightly and whispered a thank you.

Lin Lin smiled, interested in what the boy said about "the Demon King coming to this city", "You are so young to be mercenaries. Won’t your parents worry?"

Sharon smiled as she began to enjoy the fried chicken, eating while answering, "Compared to being mercenaries, it might be more fitting to say we are a brave team on an adventure."

Noticing Lin Lin’s confused expression, Sharon took the initiative to explain, "But since the Demon King hasn’t made a move in over a hundred years, the word ‘hero’ has become quite unfamiliar to everyone."

Lin Lin realized that the "hero" Sharon talked about was the traditional hero who fights dragons and slays the Demon King.

The accountant from the Demon King Castle felt very mixed emotions.

Lin Lin carefully looked at the boy who was also eating fried chicken. He had a patch over his left eye, and his right eye was a light amber color. He was not shy at all and introduced himself to Lin Lin, "Hello, I am Sandy, the Guardian of the World, who has inherited the Hero’s Sword and the ability to see beyond time."

Lin Lin’s expression was serious, "Hello, I am Lin Lin, the Guardian who has inherited the Spirit of Accounting and maintains the Five Insurances and Two Funds with Thirteen Salaries, and works four days with three days off."

The future Guardian of the World and the Guardian who works four days with three days off had a warm and friendly meeting in a cheap hotel.

Allen rested his chin on his hand, thinking that Lin Lin was clearly having fun but always kept a serious face.

Sandy gave Sharon a knowing look.

Sharon slowly covered her face, completely giving up, "I am Sharon, the Princess of Light and the Listener of the People."

Lin Lin suddenly felt that everyone at the Demon King Castle was quite easy to get along with. Dealing with people who were a bit eccentric really required throwing away any sense of shame.

"What mission are you on?" Lin Lin looked at the brown parchment laid out on the table.

Grateful for Lin Lin changing the topic, Sharon quickly answered, "A little boy has lost his cat, and he is willing to pay five gold coins for us to find it."

Hearing about this reward, Lin Lin was also eager to take on a couple of tasks.

"Let’s go see what good tasks there are soon," Lin Lin said excitedly.

"Padre Port has a curfew at night," came the dwarf’s raspy voice.

Lin Lin turned around to look at the boss, who was already drinking from a beer mug.

So the dwarf could talk; she thought he couldn’t speak the common language.

"Why?" Lin Lin asked, "I think the safety here is quite good."

It’s not just good; it’s practically at the level of an amusement park.

"It’s not a matter of safety," the dwarf burped, "It rains here at night, and it’s close to the sea, making it unsafe to go out. There have been past incidents of tourists going missing."

"Does it rain every night?" Lin Lin found the weather quite interesting, "It’s sunny today; will it still rain tonight?"

"Yes, during the day it is sunny, and at night it is rainy. It has been like this for many years," the dwarf answered. Since there were no other customers, he slowly finished the last drink in his beer glass and then leaned on the front desk table.

–

The rooms for staying are on the second floor, with one room for Lin Lin and one room for the orca brothers.

The hall and stairs were kept very clean, and it was clear that the owner loved plants, as they were placed everywhere.

When they reached the second floor, the outside had already grown dark, just as the dwarf owner said—it started to rain at night.

In the warm light of the street lamps outside, they could see fine raindrops falling to the ground.

On the stairs to the second floor, Lin Lin was first, followed by Allen who was stretching.

"Even though it is raining, I still feel unwell," Allen said, moving his body. He asked Lin Lin, "Are we going out tonight? Let’s see if there’s something exciting!"

Ah, you really are something. You say not to do it, but you’re the one who insists on causing trouble.

"I’m not going out, and I suggest you don’t go out either," Lin Lin said, "If you disappear, I won’t know where to find you."

Allen clicked his tongue twice, "Don’t be scared, it’s not every day we get to see something so interesting."

Lin Lin would definitely not fall for such an obvious trick, "You don’t need to try to provoke me; I won’t be fooled."

Allen still wanted to persuade her, "If you don’t trust me, believe my brother. He’s very reliable."

Lin Lin turned her head quickly, about to tease Allen, but she found that the people behind her had changed; Allen and Arthur had swapped places, pushing Arthur behind her.

In front of the seemingly serious and formal Arthur, Lin Lin really couldn’t be as relaxed as she was with Allen.

After sharing a glance with Arthur, she quickly looked away, "Arthur isn’t like you; he doesn’t enjoy being in the spotlight."

Arthur slightly tilted his head, almost unnoticeably.

Lin Lin entered the room.

Unlike the orcas, Lin Lin is a human, so the boss gave her a big room with a bed.

By the time Lin Lin finished washing up in the bathroom, the king had found a comfortable spot next to the pillow.

But clearly, the hotel mattress did not meet the Princess and the Pea’s standards, so he brought his own black Demon King blanket, wrapping himself up like a fluffy bird’s nest.

Lin Lin looked at a square patch of black next to the pillow.

It’s not nice to say, but it really felt like there was a piece of stinky tofu sleeping beside her.

Letting her hair down, Lin Lin went to pull the curtains.

Outside the window was a dim light, and there were no pedestrians on the road.

Lin Lin stared at the shiny floor, and suddenly she felt the mist spreading on the ground after the rain fell.

"Your Majesty," Lin Lin spoke up.

Dressed in a robe, a silk eye mask, and a nightcap, Your Majesty the Demon King emerged from the blanket, flapping his wings as he came to Lin Lin’s side, "What’s wrong?"

Lin Lin asked, "Did I see it wrong? I feel like I saw white mist."

"I’m sorry, I can’t see," the king replied, "maybe I’m blind."

Lin Lin took off the silk eye mask from the king’s eyes, "Can you look again?"

The king flew close to the glass, flapping like a moth drawn to the light, and after flying around it, he shook his head, "I can’t see it, maybe I can only see it when it’s complete."

"Maybe I saw it wrong," Lin Lin said, reaching out to let the king sit on her shoulder.

The lights went out.

In the dark, Lin Lin closed her eyes.

Suddenly, she heard the king’s crisp voice, "You don’t have to be afraid, I will protect you."

How should I say it? I’m a little moved.

But I’m more afraid that I might roll over in my sleep and accidentally hurt you.