Book 1: Chapter 60

Alan Pioneer News “And that makes for another viral video on Alcast! Except this one is also posted on several other video sharing sites!” Alan exclaims while pointing both of his hands at the screen between him and Rodrick that immediately changes to show the video. One where Aqua completely shatters the common sense of the natives on Oceana in their Hunter’s Guild. “Our good ol’ Aqua back at it as she shatters the common sense of everyone! Not just us from the Alliance, but even the natives feel her common sense shattering skills!” “Well, I’d expect no less,” Rodrick says with a nod of his head. “She is a Bloodliner after all. There’s no way any native could possibly keep up with her. Especially not so soon after their initialization.” Alan nods his head as the video continues to play between them. Then he leans over the counter and says, “You’re right about that, but when are you going to pay up for losing that bet?” His words make Rodrick tense up, only to ask, “What might you be referring to?” “Of course I mean our bet! What Bloodline Aqua is!” Alan says with a wide grin on his face. “Our bet was whether she was of the Kraken Bloodline or of the Abyssal Orca Bloodline. And we both won and lost according to the birth certificate submitted by the Abyssal Orcas.” “Yes, so that means the bet should be null-” Rodrick begins, only to be interrupted. “Nuh-uh-uh, you’re not getting out of this that easily bud!” Alan exclaims while waving a single finger back and forth. Meanwhile the screen continues showing Aqua shattering common sense left and right. “We both lost, so we both need to pay up!” Rodrick looks left and right, clearly trying to find a way out of this. “And some of our viewers gave me a very good idea!” Alan continues with his grin growing ever wider. “You remember how my punishment was to stop talking about when you lived under a rock that one time?” “Yes...” Rodrick answers while warily looking at Alan, sensing that something is about to go horribly wrong for him. “Well, the money is in my wording!” Alan exclaims with a clap of his hands. “I said I would stop talking about that instance of it! Not this next instance! So go ahead and spend two days living under a rock so I can talk about it!” A look of despair covers Rodrick’s face as Alan laughs out loud and Aqua continues breaking common sense on the screen. Even after the video turns into her current broadcast. Aqua “So you’re saying I can’t study this armor?” the blacksmith says with a pout on his face that really doesn’t befit his age as he rubs his head. “Really?” I form an X with my hands in front of me and repeat, “No. I came to return your armor, and I already repaid you for its use. But my armor is off limits.” Meanwhile my tour guide who is for some reason here again – and was arguing with the blacksmith when I arrived, which I’m beginning to wonder if is their normal discussion – just nods his head to himself on the side. Muttering something about secret clan armor being impressive. This all started when I walked in and found them both arguing again, only for them to shut up when they saw me in my new armor. Shocking the hell out of them. And more specifically, shocking the hell out of the blacksmith. But in a different way from those at the guild. He instantly rushed at me and started feeling up my armor all over the place, pissing the hell out of the chat and honestly me as well. Enough that I slammed my fist into his head, forcing him straight, jaw-first into the ground. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. After all, his feeling up my armor was also feeling me up in the process since I’m wearing it. And now the chat... [Kill him.] [He must burn.] [Burn him in the hottest fires possible.] [Burn him so badly the fire will somehow burn underwater.] [Just rip his head off. That should work.] [I’m going to smash him to a pulp when Oceana joins the Alliance.] ...is on a bit of a witch hunt. Or a blacksmith hunt? Either way. They seem even more upset than I am. That said, since I’m currently upset with him myself, I don’t exactly defend him. Not that I would’ve in the first place considering that it’d require me to speak out loud to do that. And I’m not gonna be labeled someone who talks to themselves just to talk to the chat. I kind of wonder how he’d feel if he knew his actions were broadcast across the entire Alliance? That thought gives me pause as I realize the entire Alliance just saw that. Then I glance at him once more before socking him in the head again, confusing the hell out of him when he climbs back to his feet. “What was that one for?!” he asks with a frown while covering his head. The tour guide just nods his head, saying, “Totally deserved. You get way too focused in on armor whenever you see something new and shiny. I’ve been telling you it would kill you some day. I just never thought it’d be this way.” I glance between them with a frown on my face. Excuse me, who’s killing who here? I’m not killing anyone. Although a glance at the chat makes me realize his words might not actually be that far from the truth whenever the world officially joins the Alliance. Maybe they’ll forget about this by then? Who knows. “Oh, and tour guide,” I state while turning towards the tour guide, making him blink at my words. “I made over ten thousand crowns from my first hunt, so I should be set. Thanks for the help until now. Is there anything you want in repayment?” “You do remember my name is Jaleth, right?” the tour guide mutters before nodding his head and opening his mouth, only to suddenly freeze when my words finally register in his head. “Wait, did you just say ten thousand crowns from one hunt!? What the fuck did you hunt and where?!” I frown and ask, “Is that what you want in repayment? It’s not as much as I thought...” His eyes widen and he says, “No-wait, huh? I just, what?” I tilt my head, wondering what’s going on with him. Actually, what’s going on with this entire city? They’re all acting strange today. They weren’t like this yesterday. I mean, I get that I’m hunting and bringing back a lot more than the other hunters here. But does that really warrant reactions like this? Then again, I never really cared much for my economics lessons back in high school. So if this is having a bad effect on the economy here or something, that could be the reason for their reactions. Or maybe I don’t understand because I’m used to seeing people strong enough to shatter mountains with a punch? Making the idea of people being shocked by seeing me hunt some fish odd to me. “Would you mind meeting with my group tomorrow?” the tour guide asks while tilting his head. “That’s all I want in return. And for you to consider joining our group.” “That’s all?” I ask while tilting my head again. Then I shrug when he nods before saying, “Sure, I’ll meet them. Not so sure on the joining part, but I’ll at least keep it in my mind.” Probably. “As long as you meet them, I’m sure you’ll want to join us,” the tour guide says with a nod of his head and an oddly determined look on his face. “Please meet us at the entrance of the castle Anomaly nearby tomorrow evening. You know where it is, right? We passed it on the way here, so I thought we could hunt in there as a group to show you that we mean business.” I blink at that before thinking about the broken dungeon I spent all day hunting monsters in. Uh... I’m sure it’ll be fine. There are still plenty there, even after I hunt there tomorrow afternoon. “Yeah, I know it,” I tell him with a lazy smile as I put that out of my mind. “I’ll see you there tomorrow, tour guide.” He smiles before looking slightly awkward and asking, “Um, how long are you going to call me tour guide?” I smile at him and answer, “Do you want my answer to that or the one you want to hear?” A brief silence fills the air before he says, “I’ll see you tomorrow then, Aqua.” Completely backtracking. I nod at him before leaving the blacksmith’s shop after dropping off that temporary armor, then heading back to the inn. Honestly, the main reason I’m calling him that is because I can’t remember his name. I'm bad at remembering names after all. It's why I call the cranky grandmother what I call her. And the other miner guys the, well, other miner guys. Really short names can be fine sometimes though. Like Jen. And sometimes some random names stick, like Rhett. But I’m not going to go to the trouble of identifying him every time I see him to remember it. Plus tour guide just fits him. And with that thought in mind, I enter my room after paying the innkeeper, strip out of my new armor, and go to sleep for the night.