novelraw Chapter 289 Rome Stories February 15 New Share
Chapter 289 Rome Stories February 15 New Share
The first thing Leon did upon passing through the remote forest was check on his tree sap collectors. Once he confirmed that the three collectors were still a third away from being full, he headed straight through the forest, crossed the slope at the northern foothills, and found Linus, who was already up and mending his clothes by the campfire.
“Morning, old man.”
The moment they met, Leon greeted him warmly, then sat down on the other side of the fire, watching Linus work.
Being stared at made Linus uncomfortable. He put down his needle and the piece of clothing and said, “Are you really that eager to suffer?”
“I haven’t even eaten yet, so how do I know it’s suffering? For all we know, it might be delicious.”
Leon replied matter-of-factly, while noting with some amusement that Linus really had remembered their earlier conversation.
He hadn’t even said anything yet, and Linus already knew why he was here—for that earlier talk they’d had about how to cook the mutated carp.
It was an unspoken understanding between them.
“Forget it. Young people never realize just how much trouble curiosity can bring them until they pay for it. Give me the fish.” Linus sighed helplessly and held out his hand.
Leon immediately pulled out the grotesque, Cthulhu-esque mutated carp from his backpack and handed it over. Linus’s expression of distaste was plain for anyone to see, but he still set about cleaning the fish according to his own method. After gutting it, he disappeared into his tent and soon emerged with a pot, setting it over the campfire.“You could have just sold this fish, you know. Throw it into the shipping bin, and the Traveling Merchant’s Guild would find you the perfect buyer. With its rare appearance alone, it’s worth at least 1,000G. But no—you insist on tasting it. I don’t even know what to say to you.”
As he started cooking the fish, Linus didn’t stop scolding him. He had the air of a strict elder who’d start swatting Leon’s backside with a cane if he had one on hand.
Leon could only smile sheepishly and listen while his eyes stayed fixed on the pot.
Linus quickly noticed Leon wasn’t really listening. His beard practically bristled with annoyance, but in the end, there was nothing he could do to enforce some “tough love.” So he too focused on the pot, waiting for the lesson to come from the fish itself.
Eventually, the steel pot’s lid began to rattle from the steam building up inside. Linus extinguished the fire and, in full view of Leon, lifted the lid.
A swirl of dark green vapor rolled out, carrying with it an eerie scent—not foul, not fragrant, just… indescribable.
Leon peered into the pot. The soup was green as well, though a paler shade than the smoke. It looked slightly thick, almost like matcha jelly.
The color and the strange smell made Leon uneasy. Instinctively, he said, “How about you taste it first to check the seasoning?”
“You made this mess. You taste it.” Linus ladled out a bowl of fish soup, meat included, and handed it to Leon.
“This isn’t going to kill me, right?” The soup reminded him of that potion Rasmodius had given him after he’d activated Forest Magic—hardly reassuring.
“You won’t die, don’t worry.” Linus waved his hand. “Go on. This is what you wanted. And don’t worry about running out—this whole pot is yours. No one’s going to fight you for it.”
“Alright, I’ll drink.” Leon didn’t hesitate further. If it wasn’t deadly, then at worst he’d just feel lousy for a while.
He trusted Linus wouldn’t leave him to die—just let him suffer enough to learn his lesson. That was the advantage of having a powerful elder watching your back.
With that thought, Leon took a big gulp of soup. To his surprise, it wasn’t bad at all—rich with fresh fish flavor, a hint of sweetness, and a faint spicy kick.
“Hey, this is actually good.” After waiting a moment and feeling no ill effects, Leon grinned. “Old man, you should try some. It’s really tasty.”
“I know it’s tasty. But don’t you feel like something’s off?” Linus asked.
“No, I feel fine. Is it something about my appearance?”
“See for yourself.” Linus sighed, pulled a small mirror from somewhere, and held it up.
Leon stared. Green. Literally green. His skin and eyes were now a shade of teal, though his hair was still black. In the reflection, he looked like the Mask, except his features were still his own handsome ones.
He was surprised, sure, but not frightened. Apart from the color change, he felt perfectly fine.
“So, aside from turning green, no other side effects?”
“That’s for you to figure out. Aren’t you worried this green might never go away? You could end up a little green man.” Linus looked at him in disbelief.
“It’s probably not permanent. If it was, you’d be more anxious than I am.” Leon smirked. “By the way, since when did you learn to add subtitles to your own speech? In neat print, too. Trying to accommodate the hearing-impaired?”
“Alright… so on top of turning green, you’re hallucinating. That’s about what I expected.” Linus facepalmed. “Rasmodius, better get over here. This kid probably has no idea what’s going on with himself right now.”
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