novelraw Chapter 127: I’m Not the Kind of Person Who Expects Rewards for Doing Good
Chapter 127: I’m Not the Kind of Person Who Expects Rewards for Doing Good
Having caught Haley’s attention, Leon was at that moment riding his bike toward the library.
“Hey, Gunther, I’m back again.”
The moment he stepped inside, Leon greeted the library’s curator with practiced ease.
“Mr. Leon, welcome. Here to read, or to donate this time?” Gunther’s eyes lit up. After all, the number of townsfolk who visited the library regularly was small. But Leon was different—he was both a reader and a donor.
“I’ve brought you some interesting things to appraise.”
Leon glanced around and saw the place was empty except for the two of them. Without hesitation, he pulled from his System Backpack the relics he’d dug up in the Abandoned Mines yesterday.
A heavy, metal-plated Dwarf Helmet and two Dwarvish Scrolls.
“Looks like you’ve started exploring the Abandoned Mines,” Gunther remarked, immediately drawn to the artifacts.
“Mr. Gunther, your eye for detail is as sharp as ever,” Leon said with admiration. He also couldn’t help thinking that, sure enough, when it came to big shots, his ability to pull items out of thin air from his System Backpack didn’t even raise an eyebrow.
Gunther explained, “Dwarves generally live only in underground mines. Knowing that makes it easy to guess where you’ve been when you bring in relics from Dwarvish civilization.”“That reminds me—I’ve got a question. Last time you gave me something that unlocked a special ability. It lets me see these ghostly things called Ancient Spots. Wherever one appears, it means something valuable or ancient is buried beneath it. But in the mines, I can’t see them at all. Do you know why?”
Leon hadn’t come just to donate relics—he also wanted answers about his special ability, the so-called Ancient Mystery.
“That’s an interesting question. If you’re curious, I can tell you a bit about it,” Gunther said, looking up at Leon. He pulled over two chairs and gestured for Leon to sit.
“What’s your opinion of Yoba?” Gunther asked as soon as Leon sat down.
“The Creator God. The world was made by Him,” Leon replied.
“Yes, that’s the legend of Yoba. But aside from Yoba, do you think it’s possible other deities exist?” Gunther continued.
“I’m not sure. I’ve never studied mythology,” Leon admitted.
“All right, let me put it another way. Ancient Spots exist because of echoes of life from ages past—remnants of resentful spirits who died unnatural deaths and whose remains are rejected by the earth. Yoba is the Creator God, the beginning of life and the light. The opposite of life—death, or darkness—belongs to another deity entirely. That bone shard you received earlier came from His remains.”
Gunther delivered the revelation as if it were nothing, but Leon was stunned.
“Since this deity’s fall, His name has been forgotten. But I can say for certain that He had absolute dominion over the dead. That’s why, after gaining the Ancient Mystery, you can see Ancient Spots.”
“As for the mines, they’re different. Yoba built them as a personal treasure vault for His love of forging. Because of Yoba’s rules, the power of the death deity—His opposite—gets rejected there. That’s why you can’t see the resentful spirit remains, the Ancient Spots, in the mines.”
Gunther then stood, picking up the Dwarf Helmet. “Dwarves once served Yoba directly, acting as guardians of the mines. They weren’t protecting the ores—they were protecting the mines’ peace. To them, every dangerous creature other than humans and dwarves was a threat and an enemy.”
“So that’s why dwarves and shadow people fought the Elemental War?” Leon asked.
“Yes, that’s one of the reasons. There were others—elemental opposition, conflicting beliefs—these all played major roles,” Gunther explained.
“If the dwarves believed in Yoba, what about the shadow people?” Leon pressed.
“Possibly that nameless deity. I’m not sure—I’ve had little contact with them,” Gunther admitted.
“I do know a shadow person who seems to follow Yoba,” Leon said, thinking of Krobus.
“You mean Krobus from the sewer?” Gunther gave Leon a look. “How did you even get into the sewer? The key is in my possession.”
“Uh… I went in through the sewer drain,” Leon confessed, realizing he’d let something slip.
“Curiosity is fine. But be too curious about unknown places, and you could land yourself in danger,” Gunther warned. “If the one down there hadn’t been Krobus but a normal Shadow Marauder, you’d be in trouble.”
“There’s the Wizard’s Tower in the Coal Forest. If something happened, Wizard Rasmodius would probably help me,” Leon explained. Part of why he’d dared go into the sewer was knowing Krobus was a lawful, good-aligned individual—and the other part was knowing Rasmodius was nearby, a big shot he could lean on.
“Oh? You even know the Guardian? No wonder you’re so bold.” Gunther nodded in understanding, then studied Leon for a long moment before silently pulling out a rusty key.
“Next time, use the key to enter from the sewer entrance by Pelican Town’s graveyard. I’d planned to give it to you after you’d donated sixty relics, so you could meet Krobus, the special merchant down there. But I guess the surprise isn’t needed anymore.”
“Ahem… thanks.” Leon accepted the key somewhat sheepishly and stowed it in his backpack.
“With these three items, you’ve donated a total of five relics,” Gunther said, waving a hand. “I’d planned to give you a gift as thanks—but for now, this key will have to do.”
“That’s fine. I’m not the kind of person who expects rewards for doing good,” Leon said righteously. In truth, remembering that the five-relic reward was cauliflower seeds, he didn’t care much either way.
Gunther, thinking Leon was serious, beamed. “Mr. Leon, your noble character truly impresses me.”
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