Chapter 44. Adding one more

Ivan and Delfino stayed in the village of Lizardmen for a few days and rested well. At the same time, he recovered his body and mind, which had been exhausted from intense battles.
Although there was damage, they found the altar of the sleeping snake god Morna and felt her gaze. That’s why they gave their utmost consideration so that Ivan and Delfino could stay without a lack of anything.
However, if there was one disappointment, it was the food.
They couldn’t adapt with the food culture of the Lizardmen.
Apart from having a good sense of sight and smell, they do not have a developed sense of taste. Because of that, their meals were meant to fill their stomachs, and there was no particular taste.
It was eaten raw, or sometimes cooked over a fire.
That was all. There is no such thing as seasoning.
Ivan and Delfino did not have a very luxurious taste. However, it was not easy to eat the intestines of a deer dripping with blood or a frog caught during winter hibernation.
Eventually, Ivan opened the inventory.
“Come to think of it, I’ve talked about gomtang before. I’ll try making that one.”
He made a fire and placed a large pot on top. Then, the beef bones were boiled and the meat was cooked. It took a lot of work, but the fragrant smell wafted out, so it felt like the effort was being rewarded.
When I took a bite of pickled vegetables similar to kimchi that I bought at a certain store, the taste was very good. Drinking hot soup in winter seemed to relax my body.
Ivan and Delfino were cooking and eating like that, and sometimes Ferocious Tooth came and ate together.
“Human food is fun, but do you really need to spend so much time making it?”
“Well, it’s for the taste.”
Delfino, who was about to explain, bit his mouth. It was a puzzled expression, not knowing what to explain.
“You have to move too much to eat. You need a lot of clean water and a lot of firewood to make a fire. I don’t know why you do that to fill your stomach.”
For humans, food is not just to satisfy hunger. It is a pleasant act that makes you feel happy in itself.
To prove that, Ivan made and served his secret soup, but Ferocious Tooth only tilted his head.
After all, his taste buds weren’t very sensitive, so he didn’t seem to notice any particular taste. He just felt amazed because it’s a new taste.
“It doesn’t taste very chewy, but the warm soup isn’t bad. By the way, wouldn’t it be okay to just drink hot water?”
Unfortunately, Ivan, who had not mastered cooking skills, thought he would not be able to impress him.
While resting like that, Ivan continued to meditate.
It was to match the flow of the world with the magic that swirled inside his body, coloring the world with his own idea. It was not so easy to actually bring out the many secret knowledge engraved in his head.
He had a lot more to do. Even the once broken vessel had to be carefully repaired and adapted to the changed senses. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com)
The world he saw through one eye was quite different. It took time to fill in the blind spots in the field of vision and to regain the distorted perspective.
He made an eye patch out of leather, and the feeling of it sticking to his face was awkward and strange.
Ivan ran his fingers through the rough skin and let out a low swear word.
“Shit, I lost an eye while being crazy.”
He was sure that his choice was not wrong.
He thought that later, when he encountered a wall that was difficult for him to overcome, he would use the skill points he saved to overcome it, but in the end, to survive immediately was the problem.
He thought he got a little bit stronger, so he started looking at the future, and that seemed to be his greed.
It’s not a way for a guy like me to prepare for the future. He drew a big picture for nothing, but in the end became like this.
Ivan regretted it for no reason. It’s like engraving the regret in his wounded eye.
Delfino asked in a worried voice as he was stroking his eye patch.
“Why? Do you have any pain?”
Delfino used to check over and over again, whether he was worried that Ivan had a wound that Delfino couldn’t heal. Knowing this, Ivan put his hand away from his eye patch.
“It’s just that I’m not used to it.”
“That eye…”
Delfino had a very complicated expression.
Since it was engraved by God himself, it can be said that it is a glorious stigma, but it is, after all, an eye. He also did not know whether he should rejoice or grieve as a worshiper of God.
“No need to worry too much. It’s not like there’s no way to restore this eye.”
“It is not uncommon to erase the stigma engraved by God himself.”
“But there are more than five way that come to my mind.”
Of course, all five methods were difficult enough to cause him to swear, but anyway, the fact that there is a way the most important thing.
“I’m not dead. So I can turn things back.”
Ivan muttered as if speaking to himself.
Yes he is alive. As long as he is alive, he always has an opportunity.
When the body recovered properly and adapted to the changed sensation, the Lizardman Chief, Crouched Flame called them.
“Did you put on a new eye patch? It suits you. You look like a seasoned warrior.”
“If I had been a little more seasoned, I wouldn’t have worn an eyepatch. What’s going on?”
“Your share has been decided.”
In the meantime, it seemed that they had explored the abandoned city of Naga and the altar of the snake god Morna. As expected, there were quite a few treasures in it, some of which were to be given to Ivan and Delfino.
The Crouched Flame pointed to a fair amount of gold and jewels.
“Many of what was inside was a tribute to our god, the Great Snake Goddess. We can’t give it to outsiders. Instead, we prepared a corresponding amount of gold and jewels.”
Ivan nodded his head with a serious expression on his face.
“Okay.”
To be honest, he wanted to negotiate, but he put up with it because it had to do with the snake god Morna. If you say ‘please give more’ to the goddess the Lizardmen worship, a sword will be lodged in your stomach.
Gold and gems alone were a considerable amount. Considering that he did not actually participate in attacking the ruins, that alone was a great favor.
Besides, that wasn’t all they had prepared.
A dagger engraved with a snake pattern, a bracelet studded with red gems, and two necklaces made of twisted gold.
“The dagger of the Snake Summon contains the soul of a snake. Golden snakes will appear and protect you if you infuse it with mana.”
As if demonstrating it, the Crouched Flame instilled mana. Then golden snakes appeared around him and fluttered their tongues.
Although not fatal, those snakes have a venom that paralyzes the opponent. In a dangerous moment, you may be able to buy a very short time.
“That doesn’t suit me. I think it would be better for you to have it.”
At that, Delfino made a strange expression. It seemed like it was very difficult for the priest of Arun, the god of light, to carry a dagger with the pattern of Morna the snake god.
However, it was true that the dagger was useful, so he nodded and accepted it.
The bracelet was a shield. A treasure that reveals a hidden shield when you infuse it with magical power. This was a bit vague.
It was obviously a precious item, but it was because the use was very subtle.
When Delfino used it, he basically lacked the ability to use a shield, and when Ivan used it, it didn’t feel very attractive to him who took out a weapon from his inventory anyway.
‘Still, it’s a treasure, so it’s probably better than a mountain of shield from an ordinary weapon shop.’
When Ivan wore the bracelet, only two necklaces were left.
“These are things that block the heat and cold and filter out toxins to a certain extent. When you inject mana, they spit out cool, clean water. Perhaps the most needed treasure for travelers.”
When he heard those words and hung it around his neck, it felt like it was actually blocking the cold of winter quite a bit. It was like something prepared by those who were sensitive to external temperature changes. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com)
“We are now planning to create a new area around the violent lake. We cannot abandon the altar that communicates with our gods.”
And this blocked the way for the Orcs to cross the mountain range. If you want to go round the Lizardman’s realm, the road is too long and rough, so you won’t give up easily, but you won’t be able to push the Lizardman away. Greenskin had too many fronts to fight.
The Crouched Flame stared at Ivan.
“You are a very mysterious person. In just a few days, the momentum has changed completely.”
“People always change. It wasn’t the way I wanted it to be.”
“That’s right. You have to change to survive.”
The Crouched Flame straightened his back. And he shouted with a dignified attitude.
“I, the tribe of the Red Valley, make a formal request. May our warrior accompany you on your journey!”
thud! thud! thud!
All the warriors around them responded by stomping their feet.
They all looked at Ivan’s mouth. He waited for him to answer.
“Do you know what my purpose is? What kind of adventure it is?”
“I don’t know! But all I know is that the great snake goddess awaits you. Your path, will one day reach her. Then our warrior want to be with you.”
With those words, someone stepped forward.
A warrior who can protect his body while fluent in the common language, and an existence that Ivan and Delfino would not find uncomfortable.
Ferocious Tooth asked to be a companion.
“Warrior of the Red Valley, Ferocious Tooth! I want to join you on your path!”
thud! thud! thud!
As if to urge an answer, the surrounding warriors rolled their feet. Ivan glanced at Delfino while calmly accepting the magnificent and dignified performance. Now he was not alone. He had to listen to his colleague’s opinion.
When the Crouched Flame spoke, it was the language of the Lizardmen, but he shouted in common language. So, knowing roughly what the situation was, Delfino nodded his head.
“Accept it.”
“Are you okay?”
“He’s a good and strong warrior. We can trust our back to him.”
If Delfino said so, Ivan couldn’t refuse him. He was still gritty and anxious to have someone to join him, but he had to get through it.
“It’s dangerous, I can’t guarantee your life.”
“No problem!”
“The orcs would be a joke. Evil warlocks or arch demons, mythical monsters, and world-famous villain will stand in our way.”
“That’s thrilling!”
“Sometimes you may have to beg for your life like a dog. There might be a hellish situation where you have to kill and extort someone because you don’t have a loaf of bread or a sip of water.”
“I will eat my blood and my flesh!”
Ivan put on a serious expression in response to Ferocious Tooth.
“Alright. Then I’ll ask you one last time.”
“What is it?”
“I’ll decide the path. If I tell you to live, then live. If I tell you to die, then die. Can you do that?”
Ferocious Tooth showed the teeth worthy of his name. It was his own laugh.
“That’s nothing big. I will do that.”
Ivan held out his hand. And Ferocious Tooth grabbed his hand. (TN: Whoooo. Welcome my second favorite character!!)
The Crouched Flame, who had been watching them, nodded his head, rose from his seat, and made a loud declaration.
“Blessings on the path ahead of the warriors! Start the festival!”