Chapter 375

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Chapter 375: Awakening Like a Dream

Along the way, Daggett remained silent and didn’t mention the dark stone anymore, but at least he agreed to guide them properly.

Jesse and Greed didn’t speak much either, just kept a close watch on him. They took turns sleeping, wary of any sudden outbursts from him.

When they returned to Loch Modan, the lush green trees and the moist breeze from the lake refreshed them a lot. Jesse finally gained some energy and occasionally pointed out the right direction.

They arrived at Thelsamar around noon. From far away, the scent of roasting meat and bread wafting through the town made Jesse’s stomach rumble.

He looked at Daggett and Greed, who seemed to be hungry and uncomfortable. The food they brought from Uldaman was almost gone on the night they left. They didn’t eat much on their way back until yesterday when they found a piece of bread in their bag to share and ease their hunger a little.

When they arrived at the inn, they didn’t fancy anything fancy like roasted meat. They ordered some slices of bread and cheese to fill their stomachs. After eating a few plates, Greed leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and tilted his head, looking like he had finally come alive.

"I’ve made up my mind," Daggett suddenly said. "By relying on that thing, I am not truly myself."

He picked up a piece of Thelsamar cheese with the rind still on, stuffed it into the bread, and put the whole thing in his mouth, saying, "I’m going to start a new life. An adventurer can’t always dwell on past great adventures. I need to look forward."

"I will compensate you, Daggett. Name your price!" Jesse said. "After all, it is also a valuable artifact."

"Compensate? I don’t know how much it’s worth," Daggett shook his head. "I have never intended to sell her, nor have I sought to know her value from others."

Jesse took out the Elemental Stone wrapped in gloves from his bag and placed it on the table, saying, "Take this, Daggett. I know Elemental Earth is quite valuable material. This can compensate you to some extent since we broke something you cherished. Also, you are a very good guide. We can’t let you go empty-handed."

He looked at his gloves and asked, "Is what you said true, mage? Can that thing really affect people’s minds with evil?"

Jesse whispered, "Think about the you before you met her, then think about after you met her, and now look at yourself, Daggett. You can see that I also know some shadow spells, so I understand how these things work. I think deep down you already knew, you just didn’t want to face it."

Upon hearing this, Daggett looked towards the counter and shouted, "I’ll have a Thunderbrew, boss, from Kharanos."

"I’ll have one too," Greed waved his hand and said.

After a while, the boss placed two drinks on the counter and looked at Jesse. Jesse shook his head and said, "No thank you, I’ll pass for now."

Daggett took a big gulp, slammed his glass on the table, and said, "Though unwilling to admit it, I felt relieved after that Wildhammer blow."

"You’re welcome," Greed raised his glass and wiped his beer-soaked beard.

"As for compensation, forget it, mage," Daggett tucked his gloves into his coat pocket, placed the cooled Elemental Stone on the table, and said, "I’m too lazy to ask an Alchemist to forge this thing for me."

"You’re right, mage, I can sense the evil hidden in that thing, even if it’s left abandoned in that temple, I can’t forget it."

"Thinking back on my past self, even returning empty-handed from those ruins brought me satisfaction and joy from the thrill of adventure and the knowledge gained. Considering it now, the impact of this stone on me is indeed a terrible disaster."

"Tomorrow I must hurry back to the Ironforge Excavation Site, my brothers are waiting for me."

Daggett drank all the wine in one gulp, looked at the empty glass and said, "That was truly a memorable experience, both of you are good people indeed. I’m sorry for what I said earlier, I must have been out of my mind."

"Just a stupid rock, darn it, maybe I should find a woman."

With that, he took off his hat, bowed to the two of them, grabbed a loaf of bread, and left the inn.

"How did you know so much," Greed said. "About that stone, and the woman on it."

"The library, right?" he quickly added.

"Or what?" Jesse said. "As a mage, don’t I sometimes need to explain things we encounter on our journey? Otherwise, why would I be wasting time at the Wizard’s Sanctum?"

Greed asked, "So tell me, who is the woman on it?"

"A goddess named Sarah," Jesse said. "She can enchant hearts, drive people mad, possibly related to some shadow creatures. Do you know about those shadow monsters? The ones said to be buried beneath the Amani Empire and Tirisfal."

Anything related to the Old Gods always leads to madness, confusion, killing, and bloodshed, similar to the dark weapon used by the witch Modgud to destroy Grim Batol during the Battle of the Three Hammers.

If the dwarf brings back this stone to Kharanos or Ironforge, who knows what serious problems it might cause.

After all, if Jesse and Greed didn’t show up at the Ironband Excavation Site, that old adventurer would have been separated from that thing forever.

"I’ve heard legends about these monsters," Greed nodded and said, "It’s no wonder he seemed like a madman when he retrieved this stone from that cave, gave me the creeps. We saved him for sure."

"I hope he truly feels that way," Jesse said. "But let’s talk about you now. What did you experience in that chamber? I’ve been curious all along, especially worrying about that dwarf on our journey."

Greed nodded and said, "At first, I didn’t feel anything… but later, after passing out from hunger a few times, each time I woke up, I found I wasn’t as hungry or tired anymore."

"But there was something in that chamber… or buried in the earth, that could rejuvenate me, I felt like I never needed to eat or drink again."

"Then why are you still eating and drinking?" Jesse pointed at the cup he held.

"It’s different now!" Greed took a sip of his drink and continued, "Once I realized my skin, hair, and eyes weren’t quite right, the door suddenly closed, and then the statues around me came to life. I knew why – they envied me, envied me for reclaiming their pride. Haha! You know the rest – I stood up, defeated them one by one, knocked down the huge stone statue that tried to ambush me, and completely conquered that chamber."

Greed spoke lightly, but Jesse knew it wasn’t easy, especially considering his numerous scars.

Considering how the tall Rockjaw Trogg hit Greed on the head with a hammer, leaving no damage, who knows what kind of battle left those marks on his stone skin.

The dwarf murmured, "Everyone says that Muradin’s incarnation on the battlefield is truly god-like, but I still have a long way to go. I don’t believe this god is almost as tall as a human. So, this is just the beginning. Watch, maybe one day I can reach the level of Muradin Bronzebeard. At least, I am the first Wildhammer I know who can awaken this power, even though my kin are not interested in ancient creations or seeking their own bloodline."

Jesse looked at him and said, "According to what those adventurers say, even Bronzebeard hasn’t been found with that power for a long time."

Greed nodded and said, "Because it’s indeed not easy, to find such a deeply buried temple, to break through the monsters’ blockade… I really don’t know how you thought of coming here. Without you, I wouldn’t have known how many lifetimes it would take to get such an opportunity."

"Even without saying all this, when the statues in the stone hall stood up in front of me, I thought everything was over. Because my body was as stiff as turning into stone…no, it turned into stone, I could hardly even stand up. Until I heard you shout my name, I remembered that if I let those clumsy statues be knocked down, wouldn’t it be a joke for you? Damn it…how could I just give up like that."

Jesse looked at the groups of Bronzebeard Dwarves gathered in front of him drinking and chatting, and said, "Not only will I laugh at you, but I will also take you back to Aerie Peak and tell them how you were beaten up by a group of stone men, making you famous."

Greed laughed and reached out his hand, giving Jesse’s shoulder a strong pat.