novelraw Chapter 242: You’re Really Laughing?
Chapter 242: You’re Really Laughing?
Abigail’s answer completely threw Leon off.
He had guessed that maybe old man Linus was secretly watching over her, or that Wizard Rasmodius was monitoring the whole time to make sure she reached him safely.
But instead, Abigail said Linus had given her a charm.
From what Leon knew of Linus’s ability to disguise himself and keep a low profile, the old man probably looked like nothing more than an ordinary homeless wanderer to the residents of Pelican Town.
The only people who knew his true nature were likely Leon himself, Wizard Rasmodius, and Marlon from the Adventurer’s Guild.
Given that, Abigail actually believed a charm from a wandering old man could guarantee her safety, and then happily marched into the mines to find him. Should he call her naïve, or just big-hearted?
Still, looking at the pitiful Abigail, Leon didn’t feel right scolding her for being so careless. Instead, he asked, “Let me see that charm.”
Obediently, Abigail pulled out a purple, inverted-triangle-shaped emblem. It was surprisingly heavy in the hand.
Strong Arcane Defense Charm (Treasure): A precious charm crafted with Iridium Ingots as the main material, infused with large amounts of magical metals and gemstone essence. The arcane energy contained within grants the holder the strongest protection. Due to special magical rules, only the person it is designated for can use it.
Seeing this note in the system’s appraisal, Leon finally understood why Linus had felt so at ease letting Abigail come to find him.But this clearly didn’t seem like Linus’s handiwork. It was far more in line with the capabilities of a certain petty wizard.
That led Leon to a rather telling conclusion — the rumors about this petty wizard’s romantic escapades might not be baseless after all.
It was a fine item, but unfortunately, only Abigail could use it. Leon returned it to her and seriously instructed, “This charm is very valuable. Keep it with you at all times.”
“Ah, I thought it was just a little trinket Mr. Linus gave me to comfort and encourage me,” Abigail said as she carefully took it back, her tone a bit teasing.
“This charm really can protect you,” Leon shook his head, then asked, “Do you really want to go down the mines with me?”
“Mm.” Abigail nodded. If she were alone, she probably would’ve taken the elevator back by now. But with Leon here, she felt confident.
Now that he knew she had a safeguard that could ensure her safety, Leon had no reason to refuse bringing her deeper into the mines.
He was certain the charm had more than just defensive properties — most likely, Rasmodius had embedded a spatial coordinate into it, so he could teleport Abigail away to safety if she was attacked.
After all, of all Rasmodius’s magic, the one that left the deepest impression on Leon was his teleportation. There was no way this charm was just a defensive shell.
“You’ll have to listen to me, and don’t wander too far,” he warned her before leading her to the staircase shaft.
“This is the stairway to the next level. Usually it’s hidden under rocks. You have to find it before you can go down.”
“Mm, mm, mm.” Abigail nodded rapidly like a diligent student in class, looking so eager to learn that Leon almost wanted to praise her.
“We’ll climb down in a moment. The stairs are about four meters. You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”
“I’m not afraid. Should we go now? Do you go first, or should I?” she asked excitedly.
“Before we go, don’t you think you should bring your weapon?” Leon pointed at a longsword lying nearby — the one he had knocked from her hands earlier. It had been sitting there for several minutes.
“Oh!” Abigail gave a sheepish laugh and ran to pick it up. She hooked it onto the special buckle on her belt, then returned to Leon’s side.
Leon shook his head and went to the edge of the shaft, climbing down first. At the bottom, he looked up to watch Abigail descend, ready to catch her if she slipped.
Fortunately, she was well-trained enough, climbing down with no trouble. When she landed, she looked at Leon, then at the mine around them, and couldn’t help but remark, “It’s so dark.”
From level 31 onward, the soft brown dirt no longer covered most of the ground. Instead, the floor was solid rock, the same color as the walls. The light was much dimmer too, making it hard to see.
“Stay close to me and be careful,” Leon said before pulling out his pickaxe and starting to mine.
The steady clang of metal on stone rang out. Abigail watched in amazement as Leon shattered a large rock in just two or three strikes.
“Why do these big rocks disappear into the ground when you break them? And why do they only leave a few small stones behind?” she asked curiously.
“That’s just how the mines work, I guess. I don’t know. It’s always been that way when I mine,” Leon said, a bit puzzled himself.
After all, he’d never seen anyone else mine before. Without a point of reference, he had no idea how a normal person without system tools would do it.
“Can I try?” Abigail asked, her curiosity piqued.
“Go ahead.” Leon handed her the pickaxe, wondering if the system’s tools could be used by someone else.
Abigail chose a bronze-colored ore rock and swung at it with all her strength.
Clang!
Nothing happened to the rock. Instead, the rebound force made her release the pickaxe and clutch her aching hand with a pained grimace.
Leon silently picked up the pickaxe, broke the ore in a couple of strikes, and pocketed the two copper ores that dropped, pretending he hadn’t seen anything.
“You can laugh if you want,” Abigail muttered, her cheeks red.
“I’m not laughing. I just think maybe you’re not cut out to be a miner,” Leon teased.
But despite his words, the corners of his mouth betrayed him, and Abigail caught it. She protested indignantly.
“You’re really laughing!”
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