Chapter 148: Chapter 147: An Unwelcome Half-Elf

The merchant ship docked, and the captain immediately went to discuss mooring fees and other miscellaneous matters with the harbormaster.

Although they were supposed to rest here for a while, the ship certainly wouldn’t linger. It would leave as soon as the necessary purchases were made, at most letting people go ashore for a breath of fresh air.

Colin and the others paid it no mind, walking down the gangplank to the shore.

The moment he set foot on the docks, he felt as if he were stepping on cotton and nearly fell into the sea.

After so long at sea, his body had grown accustomed to the feeling of the ground swaying beneath his feet. He was actually finding it difficult to adjust now that it was perfectly still.

"Losing your footing already, Colin?"

Colin glanced at Kase beside him. The guy was standing stock-still, an uncomfortable expression on his own face. "I’m fine, Kase. You don’t look so great yourself."

Orelia, who seemed perfectly fine, looked at the two of them in confusion. "If you’re not feeling well, why don’t you wait here for a bit, gentlemen?"

"Not feeling well? Why wouldn’t we be feeling well?"

"I’m perfectly fine."

The two of them spoke as they headed into the city.

Kase had been here before, so he knew the way to a tavern and took the lead.

Upon entering the city, they could clearly feel a warmth rising from below, as if the entire city were fitted with underfloor heating.

As they walked the streets, they often saw Gnomes.

They gathered in twos and threes, their conversations punctuated every few sentences by bursts of sharp, piercing laughter.

These "Gnomes" were not humans with dwarfism, but a genuine Alien Race.

They were slightly taller than Halflings, but their disproportionately large heads created the illusion that they were shorter. These little fellows had an avant-garde fashion sense, favoring brightly colored clothes and styling their hair and beards into all sorts of bizarre shapes.

It was said that Gnomes were mostly skilled at tinkering with machinery, so in Holy Tear City, with its ubiquitous hot water pipes, these little fellows were very much in their element.

Before long, the trio found a tavern called the "Mist Land."

Strangely, there were scorch marks on the wall by the tavern’s entrance, and nailed to the heavy door was a wooden plank that read, "Half-Elves Not Welcome."

"Hmm... I don’t remember this being here last time. Don’t tell me this place has gotten even more hostile to Alien Races." Kase sniffed and pushed open the tavern door.

Just inside the door stood two burly bouncers, iron-bound clubs hanging from their waists. They spotted the trio and issued a warning: "Don’t even think about causing trouble, you ’halves’."

"We’re just here for a drink. Of course we won’t cause trouble." Colin jutted his chin toward the door. "What’s the deal with that sign?"

"Happened a few days ago. A Half-Elf set someone on fire right at the entrance."

"Set someone on fire?"

"That’s right. She just pointed her finger, and those two poor bastards burst into flames. They were burned so badly they’re half-crippled now. Haven’t seen them in days." The bouncer continued, "Go on, get your drinks. But don’t let your Demon and Orc friends go poisoning the kitchen or starting a massacre."

"Of course not."

With that, Colin led the other two into the tavern. He ordered food and drinks, planning to relax for a bit.

They each ordered fish soup, bread, and some oysters.

Here, the oysters were served shucked on a plate, accompanied by a few lemon wedges and some minced garlic.

The taverns in Thousand Masts City sold oysters too; you could even find them at roadside stalls.

Colin expertly squeezed lemon juice onto an oyster, added a dab of garlic, then brought the shell to his lips. With a flick of his knife, the tender, juicy meat slid into his mouth. Any hint of brininess was completely routed by the fragrant garlic and lemon, leaving only the fresh sweetness of the ocean.

After eating a few, Colin found himself missing oysters served with minced garlic, chili, and vermicelli noodles. Over here, however, no one ate them that way—everyone preferred them raw.

While they were eating, some sailors from their ship came in.

These fellows used their wages to order some beer and oysters. They slurped them down, juices flying, as they loudly recounted the events on the ship, giving a highly embellished and dramatic retelling of Colin and his companions’ heroics.

The other patrons in the tavern kept glancing over at their table, curious to see what the badass who had "danced" with Fishmen on deck looked like.

Kase took a sip of beer and looked over at the table of bragging sailors.

The Half-Orc seemed to recall something, and his expression grew serious.

"What are you looking at?" Colin asked casually.

"I was just thinking, Colin... seems like only a few months ago we were fighting those weeds, the kind I could take out with a single swing of my axe."

Kase said, "It’s gone by in a flash. Winter Wolves, Gnolls Paladin, Scorpion-tailed Lions... Before we knew it, we’d fought so many monsters. Last night, you handled being surrounded by several Fishmen with ease. You’re completely different from the person you were before."

"You’ve got to make progress."

"That’s true. What do you think our opponents will be in a few more months? Mammoths? Demons? Dragons? Or something even crazier?"

"I doubt we’ll run into anything like that..." Colin sensed something was wrong. "Haven’t you been training well lately? That time in the Endless Wilderness, and when you fought the shark on deck, you did great. You faced down piles of Skeletons and a thrashing shark all on your own."

"I’m just saying... even though I could help you hold off that shark last night, what about when we face those really powerful enemies? I’m... not scared, exactly. I just feel like I..."

Kase steadied his Insect Shell Shield, which was leaning against the table, and gave an awkward laugh. "Just forget I said anything. Chill my beer for me, Mage."

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Orelia also stopped, cupping her drink and staring blankly at the two of them.

’I feel like even if I gave my life, plus this shield, I still wouldn’t be able to help you.’

In his mind, Colin finished the sentence Kase had left hanging.

’It must be what the captain said, combined with everything that happened on the ship, that’s making him think like this.’

But they bickered so often that, for a moment, Colin couldn’t think of anything comforting to say.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; he just couldn’t find the right words. Anything he thought of felt wrong.

After a moment, he spoke up again. "Do you remember how you felt when you fought those Skeletons and that shark? It’s like what the captain said about Barbarians who can fight with rage and enter a Frenzy. I feel like you were in a state just like that."

"That’s just your imagination. I could still feel my hands... shaking."

Kase said, "Lady Rime is watching me through the Essence of Nature. Maybe I could only enter a Frenzy like you described in a place where the Essence of Nature isn’t so active. Maybe. Perhaps it was a little better that time in the Endless Wilderness, but it was just a fleeting moment."

"You can’t think like that."

Colin said, and then silence fell over the table.

Now he was at a complete loss for words. After all, he’d never been in a state like that himself. Anything he said would just sound like empty words.

Hearing Kase speak like this made Colin sad as well.

But there was nothing to be done.

The punishments of the Gods, in this world, were like natural disasters—floods, typhoons, earthquakes. When they came, you could only endure... or die. There was no third option.