Chapter 81

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Chapter 081: Greed’s Future and Past

After taking a sip of light beer, Greed shook his head, took a deep breath, and said, "Although I can move normally now, both my legs and hands are a bit disobedient. I plan to rest for a while and wait until I fully recover before taking on tasks again."

"I agree," Jesse said. "Since you earned some money before, you can enjoy a few days off."

Holding his cup, Greed asked, "What are your plans for these days? By the way, how did it go with entering the Wizard’s Sanctum? Did the king help you apply personally?"

Jesse took a sip of his drink and, looking at Greed who seemed eager for gossip, said helplessly, "How could that be possible? I just sent a letter to them asking to be apprenticed. It’s not official yet, but Malin already taught me a spell to practice."

"Really? What spell? Show me." Greed set down his cup and beckoned.

Jesse stretched out his left hand, whispered "Liusa," and focused on his fingertips.

Suddenly, an arcane sphere gathered above his fingertip, emitting a bright light that caught the attention of the people around. Jesse quickly retracted the light.

"Impressive!" Greed clapped his hands twice. "You already learned a Light Spell so quickly?"

"Just saying a magic spell." mumbled Jesse.

Greed asked, "For you, casting such a small spell is really easy, right? After all, it’s simple, isn’t it, huh?"

Jesse smiled without confirming, but he felt that this dwarf seemed to be quite tolerant of the power of shadows.

The dwarf picked up a piece of fish and threw it into his mouth, saying, "Honestly, this trip to Redridge… made me think a lot. Not knowing any magic spells, it’s really difficult to fight those monsters. Not to mention, even the monsters can cast spells now. Even with pure strength, with the help of the elements, they become even more powerful. What kind of logic is this! But things happened like this, a seasoned warrior like me got knocked down like a wild dog, and an Orc who knows magic won."

Jesse remained silent, observing what conclusion he intended to draw.

Greed squinted his eyes and asked, "Do you think I can learn some magic too?"

Jesse chuckled and asked, "You’re in your sixties or seventies and just now thought about learning some magic?"

"Didn’t you say before that one should keep learning even in old age?" the dwarf said. "But, I really doubt if I have any talent in that area. But that’s secondary. Actually, Jesse, during these times we’ve been out together, I realized an important issue about myself – that I’ve mistakenly taken the gryphon’s power as my own."

The smile on Jesse’s face slowly faded away. In that moment, he seemed to understand why this dwarf in front of him, even blind in one eye and unstable with weapons, still looked down on this and that, daringly charging at any enemy without hesitation.

He understood more deeply why he held such strong resentment towards himself for not being able to be a Gryphon Rider anymore.

"I’ve been a Gryphon Rider for too long," Greed said as he took a sip of wine. "I’ve been fighting with Amani Trolls while riding my gryphon since years before the Dark Portal opened. By the time the Orc War began, I had almost forgotten how to fight on the ground. The gryphon had become my legs, my wings, my everything."

"It hit me when I rode the mare you got from the Mage Quarter. I felt a familiar sensation. The animal beneath me made me feel like I was back in the Hinterlands, except this time I couldn’t control it. Just like how I can’t control my own body now. I… can’t explain it."

"When the Orc knocked you down, I was thrown far away. As I got to my feet, I wanted to command my gryphon to fly back and save you, because I knew I couldn’t reach you in time on my own. Only when I realized I wasn’t on the gryphon anymore did I remember I still had my bow and arrows. In other words, I’ve been away from the gryphon for years, but I still can’t break free from that habit. I don’t want to continue like this. Arcane, fire, and all… I’m only halfway through my life, I can’t just settle for mediocrity. By the way, do you think I could join the church?"

"It’s hard to imagine, but you can try," Jesse said. "But don’t you admire Danath Trollbane so much? He’s not a priest, not a Paladin, doesn’t use magic, yet he can defeat unimaginable enemies with just his sword. Didn’t you say at Great Lake Farm that you wanted to improve yourself with me? Why did you suddenly give up on your dream?"

"My injuries, Jesse," Greed said helplessly. "No matter how I train, I can’t stop the trembling, not to mention this eye. When that Orc charged at me, I couldn’t even judge how far away he was, I had to guess based on experience. I really don’t know how far I can go like this."

He bowed his head, not lifting it for a long time, only seeing his beard moving.

"Have you thought about going to Quel’Thalas to ask?" Jesse suggested.

"Ask about what?" Greed raised his eyes and looked over.

Jesse said, "About how to restore your blindness… and the problem with your hands."

Greed chuckled dryly, but his expression darkened almost immediately.

He stuffed a piece of fat into his mouth, almost gagged on the greasiness, took a big sip of beer to calm down before saying, "How is that possible? I admit, those crazies who study who-knows-what all day might actually have a way, but why would they be willing to help a dwarf like me? I absolutely will not seek help from any elves, even if it means death. You might as well let me die blind!"

Jesse coughed helplessly, "You’ve hooked up with so many elven girls, and not a single one is willing to help you figure something out?"

Greed squinted at Jesse for a moment and said, "There aren’t that many anymore."

Jesse took a sip of his drink and teasingly said, "I thought since you’ve come up with a theory for both above and below the bed, the sample size should be convincing."

"She just wanted pleasure, if you catch my drift? We each got what we needed!" Greed said, "After enjoying herself, the next day she went and did her own thing, I don’t want to help her kill anyone, and she definitely wouldn’t want to help cure my illness, it’s that simple."

"She?" Jesse asked, "Singular?"

Greed coughed, took a deep breath and said, "They, it’s they, my common language isn’t great."

"Have you ever dated a fairy?!" Jesse asked in amazement.

"Get lost!" Greed slammed the table and shouted, "Dating? Damn… Those whore’s pointy ears, I’ll cut them off… Cut them off and thread them around my neck! Who needs dating, screw that!"

Jesse couldn’t help but chuckle, while Greed stared at him with a sneer, took another sip of wine, only to find his glass empty, so he started shouting at the sommelier again.

"Not the light one! Not the light one! I want a dark beer! Dark!"

Then he turned to Jesse, pointing at his glass, and roared, "You, drink with me!"

Hearing this, Jesse couldn’t hold his composure, and seeing the dwarf so angry, he quickly took a sip as well.

Seeing Greed’s expression, he thought this guy must have been fooled at some point.

The elves of Silvermoon City were known for their extravagance and indulgence, not sparing even their own kind, let alone outsiders. Perhaps to the elven lady in Greed’s memory, he was nothing more than a miniature humanoid pleasure tool.

But why was Greed so angry? Isn’t it about mutual satisfaction, both of us enjoying it?

Or, did he truly put his heart into it?

The dark ale arrived, and Greed took a big gulp, then slumped in his chair, staring blankly behind Jesse. He belched after a long time.

Jesse said, "Do you remember what you said, that even elves will help others, but only when they have to?"

Greed’s eyes slowly turned towards her, asking, "How do you make them help?"

"Well, at least we need to meet an elf first," Jesse said, picking up a piece of Goretusk fat with her fork.

"Are you sure?" Greed grumbled, "Will the elf definitely have a way to cure the aftereffects of my poisoning?"

Jesse said, "I asked an Alchemist, and she told me that elves have been fighting trolls for many years. There should be many injured like you, so they may have lots of experience in handling such cases. By the way, how did your eyes…get hurt? Were they blinded or damaged?"

Greed took off his eye patch and said, "I just can’t see anything."

Jesse glanced at his invisible eye, feeling a bit cloudy, like a slight cataract, but not as pale. It didn’t seem too severe at first glance, but compared to the normal eye next to it, it looked a bit eerie. No wonder Greed covered it up.

"It really is worth asking." Greed whispered, "But in the end, it’s just a guess."

"Don’t be so negative, you are questioning the foundation of a civilization that has existed for thousands of years." Jesse said, "I’m thinking, don’t limit your vision to Stormwind, or even within the kingdom. There are many elves in Dalaran, at least more than in Stormwind. I want to ask my boss… No, now it should be my teacher, if there will be any opportunities to travel to Dalaran at the end of the year without spending my own money to sail to Lordaeron."

The dwarf’s eyes lit up, "Really? The benefits of your job are too good! Can you also help me get a free ticket?"

"Um…"

"Forget it, it’s good to save someone’s money."

Jesse said, "Anyway, when I get to Dalaran, I will find a chance to ask for you, just ask… Those elves shouldn’t be so hostile that they won’t even talk to me, right?"

"I’m not holding out much hope." Greed picked his teeth with a fork, "Speaking of which, the meat here is not as delicious as Redridge, eat at the inn in Lakeshire once, then come back here, it won’t taste good anymore."

Jesse didn’t feel like evaluating how the food in one place tasted, his thoughts were already flying to Dalaran at this time.

Returning home at night, the imp was still copying books non-stop, it looked like he had already copied quite a lot.

Jesse picked up a card and randomly chose a word. He slowly read aloud, "Arnak."

"No no no," Saenor said. "This is still in Common, master. To pronounce Demonic, you must use the specific accent of Eredar. Follow me… Ah-NAK!"

As Saenor pronounced "Ah", it sounded like a series of explosions in his throat, almost like a laugh. And when he said "NAK", it seemed like he was biting off something hard.

This simple word made Jesse feel very challenged.

"It’s too complicated."

"Being able to recognize its complexity shows that the master has a great talent for Demonic," imp said. "You must pronounce it accurately… You must remember the pronunciation rules, this is essential to fully unleash the power of the spell with Demonic magic!"

Jesse followed imp’s pronunciation and said, "Arnak." Imp clapped and said, "Yes, yes, that’s the feeling! Eredar can enhance their pronunciation with magic, thereby increasing the power of their spells more than ordinary people, but I can’t do that, I’m just an imp."

Jesse nodded and read, "Arnak… meaning tragic."

What effect would it have if "Fereckert" was pronounced in this way?

He wanted to scare the imp directly, but when he saw how busy it was, he thought that if he frightened it and it jumped out of the window and set fire to a few houses, it wouldn’t be worth it. So, he let go of the idea.

"I need a pronunciation rule," Jesse said. "Can you write down a pronunciation rule chart?"

"A pronunciation rule chart for Demonic?" the imp turned to stare at Jesse and said, "Are you kidding, master?"

Jesse wasn’t bothered by the imp’s sarcasm. English words and their pronunciations come from many different older languages, blending numerous special pronunciations. Demonic blends the original languages of countless bizarre demons from the Twisting Nether, and the vocabulary of its primary language, Eredun, might not make up a high percentage of Demonic’s words.

Each demon’s language has its own way of pronunciation. If Demonic has any pronunciation rules, it might require writing another book.

Jesse flopped onto the bed, feeling all achy and tingly. The cold autumn breeze from outside brushed over his chest and belly, slowly easing away the day’s fatigue.

It would have been even better without the constant demonic smell emanating from the imp.

"You go back into the bag and take a nap."

"Can I rest now? Great!" the imp excitedly crawled into the bag.

Now, it’s perfect.

Jesse comfortably closed his eyes.

His belly feels a bit full.