Chapter 51

Chapter Twenty-Five The Annoying Pogas

In the most densely built area of the Central Workshop, craftsmen bustled about on the main road.

On one side of the road, I tightly held a large paper bag in my arms, stretched my head to the opening of the bag, and sniffed lightly with my little nose.

… It smelled quite good.

Then, I reached into the bag, pulled out a small pastry still steaming hot, and examined it back and forth in front of my eyes.

The skin was crispy, and it looked like it would taste great.

I then swallowed it whole.

“Chew… chew…”

After a moment, I narrowed my eyes like a cat, revealing a blissful smile.

“Peppe, is it good?”

A trembling voice came from my ear. I turned my head and looked at Pasifal, who had dark circles around his eyes. His face bore a flattering smile, but with half of his face swollen, he looked rather ugly.

Good? Even if it were good, I wouldn’t tell him.

I deliberately frowned, and Pasifal’s expression instantly changed, his eyes becoming uneasy again.

After a while, once I finished chewing and swallowing the food in my mouth, I relaxed my expression and nodded at him.

“Mm.”

This bag of pastries was something he bought specially for me after I lectured him, running all the way to the street corner. Supposedly, these were well-known snacks in the Cold City. Though they were far from the captain’s cooking, they were still pretty good.

Pasifal let out a long sigh of relief. “Are you still angry about the spice?”

“I don’t know.”

“Stop being mad— I’ve already given you a whole bag.”

“You threw it away, garbage.”

“… Should I pick it up again?”

“No.”

“Then stop being mad.”

“No.”

Actually, I wasn’t really angry. I just found his behavior quite amusing.

Besides, if he thought I was easy to please and got the impression that any problem could be solved by giving me some food, he might start bullying me like Carlos does.

No, Pasifal was different from the despicable knight Carlos. He couldn’t beat me, so he definitely wouldn’t dare do that.

Anyway, it was right not to show happiness immediately.

“Alright, let’s go after we’re done here.”

Duke Scalliger, standing aside, turned and walked ahead of me. In that instant, I saw him grin.

What was he laughing at?

I took another pastry from the paper bag, bit off a piece, and as I chewed slowly, I recalled my previous behavior. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it.

He certainly wasn’t laughing at me; perhaps it was because of Pasifal’s comical face.

Throughout the journey, Pasifal kept talking, spouting meaningless trivialities. No matter how I ignored him, he eventually slumped his arms, looking dejected and following behind the duke silently, as if life held no meaning for him.

This scene didn’t last long, and soon we arrived at a special building.

The structure looked like an old, dilapidated fortress. Unlike the nearby factories that had been clearly refurbished, its walls were covered with moss and withered vines, giving it a strong sense of age.

A row of Suntel soldiers in leather armor and cloaks stood on the wall, armed with crossbows. As we stepped onto the stairs, they immediately assumed a defensive stance. After recognizing us, someone signaled from below.

“Creak—”

The massive wooden door of the fortress slowly opened from inside. Duke Scalliger waved to the person above and led us into the fortress.

The interior space was vast. Inside the high-walled courtyard, people pushed ore carts through piles of rubble, seemingly sorting them. Following the duke to the other side of the square, passing through an archway into the inner wall, countless wooden racks filled the view, displaying a variety of strange weapons.

I curiously stopped, lowered my head to hold the paper bag in my mouth, and randomly picked up a spear-like weapon from a rack, feeling its weight in my palm. It felt much heavier than ordinary weapons.

“All the strange weapons displayed here are prototypes designed by the workshop. Each one is a testament to the artisans’ hard work,” the duke said from ahead. I nodded and gently returned the weapon to its place.

“But your weapon, personally designed by me, will surely be superior to those displayed here.”

“Thank you.”

Actually, I only wanted a sturdy scythe that was durable. I hadn’t expected the duke to take such interest in my affairs. This was largely due to Angel’s request, but more importantly, I think he treated me like his own daughter.

My emotions were complex. I wasn’t good at accepting kindness from strangers, just like when I first met Grandma Claire. Unprovoked kindness always made me feel uncomfortable, and I always wanted to repay them quickly.

But the duke… he seemed to lack nothing. I couldn’t think of what I could offer as repayment.

So I continued following him, passing through a long corridor, and finally stopped in front of a brand new wooden door.

The duke knocked lightly.

“Pogas, open the door, it’s me.”

After waiting a moment and sensing no movement inside, he changed his knock to a harder one.

“Pogas, have you been drinking again!”

At this shout, a clatter came from within.

“You don’t need to hide the liquor, just open the door.”

The sound of objects colliding continued, and after a while, the wooden door finally opened.

A giant bald man with red nose and thick chest hair, towering over two meters tall, swayed slightly with a bottle in hand, his gaze somewhat dazed as he slowly scanned outside. Seeing the much shorter duke, he grinned, revealing a scarred face.

Corner of the mouth.

“Skaliger! Ha, what wind blew you here?”

As he spoke, he tried to give the duke a bear hug but was pushed away disdainfully.

“Don’t try that on me. How much did you drink today?”

“Not much, not much, just a few bottles! Percival, why are you here too… Oh, what happened to your face?”

The burly man stepped forward two paces, his rough hand rubbing Percival’s head roughly, messing up his hair. “Did you go and cause trouble again, uh, to someone else’s little sister and got beaten up by her father? Hahaha, you’re quite something.”

“No, Uncle Pagos…”

Percival smiled uncomfortably, glancing furtively at me, and quickly looked away when I glared at him, patting his hair. “I don’t do those things anymore…”

Pagos smacked him on the head.

“Bullshit, you think I won’t notice. The famous playboy of Winter City, to have such a quick change of heart…” He stopped halfway through his sentence when he noticed me standing quietly to one side. “Hey, this little girl, uh, looks familiar.”

Pagos first showed a puzzled expression, then his eyes widened like a bell, staring in disbelief, shaking his bald head forcefully, blinking several times before looking back at me.

“…Pepe! You’re little Pepe!”

His coarse voice startled me.

What, does he know Peylo too… Wait, what are you doing…

In my terrified gaze, Pagos became wildly excited, charging towards me like a bull.

Wh-wh-what—!!

I trembled in fear, immediately wanting to turn and run, but Pagos was too fast. In a few strides, he was right in front of me, raising his big hand to slap my shoulders, the force almost making me fall to the ground.

“Pepe, you’re back! Haha, hahaha—”

His mouth reeked of strong alcohol, making me dizzy and nauseous. The hand gripping my shoulder was rough, so I immediately crouched down, curling up, tightly holding the paper bag to my chest.

“You’re hurting me.”

Seriously, what is this giant doing, being so rough, I really want to hit him with an ice spear.

“Oh oh, sorry, Pepe.” Pagos scratched the back of his bald head apologetically, then laughed heartily. “Hahaha! Skaliger, you found your daughter back.”

“Pagos, let’s go inside.”

“Right, look at my head, hehe! Come in quickly, it’s cold outside.”

Seeing the duke follow Pagos inside, I slowly stood up, extending my small hand to smooth out the wrinkles in my clothes, then opened the paper bag to check if the snacks were flattened before reluctantly entering the house.

The smell of alcohol was very strong inside; the table and floor were littered with empty bottles, and many boxes were scattered haphazardly, creating a terrible mess.

“When did Pepe come back, where did you find her?”

“Not us, the Holy Church found her in Silgaya recently.”

Looking at Duke Skaliger’s smiling face, I felt some resentment.

He doesn’t deny that I am Peylo.

“Hahaha! Little Pepe, what did you go to Silgaya for, did you go play with the crown prince?”

…What?

Who is the crown prince? Is Pei Luo familiar with him?

“Pagos, can you drink less? If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll send you to the mine as a laborer.”

“Hahaha! Skaliger, when did you become so stingy? It’s been a long time since I saw Pepe, I’m just a bit happy.”

Be happy then, don’t go crazy.

“Come here, Pepe, let uncle take a good look.”

Wait, what are you going to do… Don’t come closer!

Pagos’ massive body completely overshadowed me, who only reached his lower abdomen. Seeing the menacing giant before me, I hurriedly hid the paper bag behind me, wondering what he was about to do—

Then he extended both hands to pinch my cheeks and pulled them apart.

“Pepe, did you miss your uncle Pagos?”

!!!!

It hurts!

This old rascal dares to pinch my face!

“Damn—!!”

Anger surged into my chest, I was about to explode, and I raised my hand to punch his lower abdomen.

A muffled thud sounded, Pagos immediately released his hands and took a step back, then rubbed his stomach, looking puzzled.

“You hurt me!” I shouted loudly, my heart slightly quaking.

That punch wasn’t light, yet he only took a step back and seemed fine.

“Pepe, why did your strength uh, increase?”

Pagos scratched his head, seemingly wanting to make another move, when the duke quickly pulled him back.

“Pagos, she doesn’t remember anything from before.”

Pagos’ eyes widened in surprise.

“What? Pepe, what’s wrong, don’t you recognize me? I’m your gentle uncle Pagos, I changed your diapers when you were little.”

“I don’t recognize you,” I thought for a moment and added, “I hate you.”

Changing your sister’s diapers, how can you call yourself gentle?

This person is truly detestable.

Pagos froze instantly.

Seeing the situation becoming dire, the duke quickly changed the subject.

“Pagos, I need a moon crystal.”

“Moon crystal?” Hearing the duke’s words, Pagos immediately shifted his attention. “What do you need a moon crystal for? Could it be…”

“Yes, preparing for the Thirteenth Moon.”

“Thirteenth Moon! Haha, the Central Workshop is finally going to produce the thirteenth moon blade, who is it for this time?”

The duke pointed at me with his hand.

“For her.”