One-Eyed Monster

Chapter 50: Chapter 48: Kadi’s Doubt

Sol’s story gave Igor some insight into why he had been bound. Although, fundamentally, he was not an enemy of the Sol family, his relationship with the lightning-infused stone was indeed complicated. Albeit unjustly caught up in this situation, the thought of being able to assist this pitiful ancient hunter brought Igor a measure of solace, making him feel that the world was somewhat fair after all.

”I regret what happened to you,” Igor said sincerely. ”I hope you will be reunited with your brother soon.”

”Thanks,” Stan Sol answered tersely, remaining hidden beneath his purple robe, only his shining eyes visible.

”I don’t understand,” Kadi, who had been silent for a while, suddenly exclaimed. ”There are many parts of your story that don’t make sense!”

”Er...” The look Igor gave Kadi was filled with sympathy. This confirmed his earlier suspicion that the unfortunate one-eyed man had utterly failed to grasp the intricacies of the tale.

”Shouldn’t you have gone to find Rostov? Why did you come here, to Guru Mountain?”

”I, need, leverage,” Stan said, surprisingly patient with this creature.

”Leverage?”

”He means he can’t just go see Rostov directly. Meeting Rostov requires certain conditions,” Igor patiently explained to Kadi. Besides sympathy, he also felt a twinge of guilt. Though it wasn’t his fault Kadi was embroiled in this messy affair, he couldn’t dismiss the possibility that his own misfortune was contagious.

”But why would Rostov want to kill your family? There’s no reason! Your brother was helping him. Why would people who help each other try to kill one another?”

”Leverage. Control. Leverage,” Stan replied, his answers always brief.

This time, Kadi learned his lesson and turned to Igor. Stan’s short, halting answers did little to clear his confusion; only Igor’s careful interpretations could help him grasp the subtleties.

”Well...” Igor, too, struggled to understand the cause and effect. He couldn’t fathom why Governor Rostov would act against the Sol family. In his mind, Governor Rostov was as steadfast as a mountain. The governor’s majestic figure was a symbol of stability; under his protection, people lived in peace, happiness, and prosperity. Everyone praised the Lord Governor. He had given many poor children the opportunity to study at Yonder Travel Academy and found work for the throngs of refugees in the Imperial Capital. He also provided a platform for many ambitious individuals...

”Perhaps there’s some misunderstanding,” Igor suggested, finding it hard to reconcile the image of Rostov, a man as solid as a mountain, with that of a murderer.

”I still don’t understand. Shouldn’t people who help each other be friends? How could friends kill each other?”

”Exactly! Friends shouldn’t betray each other. If the Lord Governor truly has such a cruel heart, the next time I see him, I’ll teach him a lesson.” Clearly, the image of a murderous governor had severely unsettled Igor’s Scale of Faith, much like a whispered, disturbing tale from a kind old grandmother might.

”The truth... is always... concealed. Like this... cave,” Stan said quietly. ”Appearances... always... deceive... the eye.”

”Sigh, it seems we’ll only find the answers when we see Rostov in person,” Kadi said, plopping down and scratching his chin with his bound hands.

Stan’s words intrigued Igor. After all, he had encountered a strange cave before. He shifted his body and craned his neck. ”Can outsiders not see this cave?”

”Correct.” Stan retrieved two stick-like objects from his robe and slowly grilled them over the fire. ”Cave, has Concealment Spell. Outside, Alchemy, exchange of scenery.”

Igor had never heard of an alchemical technique like ”exchange of scenery.” He wanted to ask more, but a rich aroma filling the cave made him change his question. ”What are you roasting? It smells like meat.”

”Zhì Rou Grass. Grows, below giant eagle nests. Difficult, to hunt.”

The stick-like Zhì Rou Grass swelled as it roasted over the fire, slowly blooming like a flower, its petals spreading layer by layer until it formed a spherical blossom.

Stan plucked the roasted, ball-shaped flower, divided it into two, and handed a portion to Kadi and Igor.

”Dinner. Enjoy.”

”Can’t you untie us? Eating like this is a bit awkward,” Igor complained.

”No.” Stan smiled. ”I, am, very, cautious. Cannot afford, a loss.”

Strangely enough, Stan’s broken, seemingly incoherent speech patterns were quickly understood by Igor. Stan’s utterances seemed to conjure pre-formed images that unfolded before Igor as he spoke.

For instance, this time Igor envisioned a young man, burdened by his family’s vengeance, warily scanning his surroundings, fearing attack from any stranger...

Kadi, unfortunately, was not so fortunate. He was still wrestling with Sol’s story, the Zhì Rou Grass in his hand doing little to distract him. He instinctively bit into the flower, chewing while wondering why he was tied up.

Something’s not right, an idea suddenly struck Kadi, and he picked up on a discordant note in the story. ”You say you need leverage to meet Rostov, but what I told you has nothing to do with that! Even Igor’s involvement seems minor!”

A wave of sympathy washed over Igor again. He chuckled, tears welling in his eyes. Finally! This guy finally realizes he’s an innocent bystander! It took him long enough!

Stan slowly tore off a petal of the flower and popped it into the mouth hidden under his purple robe, then slowly lifted his head. ”I, just, cautious. Alien Species, must be, even more so.”

Igor, with the quick understanding of a seasoned interpreter, conveyed the gist to Kadi: ”It’s because you look different from us, and you happen to be with me, this unlucky fellow. We don’t trust you. We’re afraid you’ll run around screaming for help, so we tied you up too, just in case.”

Igor had thought Kadi would struggle to understand, but unexpectedly, Kadi just said, ”Oh,” and his ears drooped.

”You understood that quickly?” Igor was incredulous.

”He means it’s like when I’m on a hunting task from that old fellow Kevin. Say I’m hunting a deer, but there’s a noisy grouse nearby. To stop the grouse from squawking and scaring off the deer herd, I have to catch the grouse too.”

This bizarrely apt comparison made Igor abandon any thought of refuting it. Whether deer or grouse, once caught, they face an unimaginable fate. Kadi making such a comparison suggested he viewed his current situation very pessimistically.

In fact, Kadi had not fallen into despair. He was just a bit puzzled.

This is Guru Mountain. Even with my eyes closed, I know the way. I won’t be manhandled on my own turf without a fight. I’m weighing a lot of things now, like whether I should do as Kevin always told me and try to knock these two out. Of course, I really don’t want to. Igor and I have talked for so long; the seed of friendship has taken root in my heart. Hurting a friend would be unthinkable.

But I’ve completely exposed myself! This hunter might even auction me off in public. In other words, I’ve made a huge mistake. In Kevin’s eyes, this mistake is disastrous. If it can’t be rectified in time, Kevin and the others will be dragged down by it, completely exposed to this hunter. Even if Kevin and the others could easily solve the problem then, the punishment I’d face... I daren’t even imagine it.

Should I really knock them both unconscious?

However, this rope on my hands is really tough. Stan seemed to say it’s called the Binding Beast Rope. My hands are bound by this Binding Beast Rope now. If I can’t get free, there’s no way I can knock these two out as Kevin instructed.

Besides, I don’t want to knock Igor unconscious.

Kadi mulled it over, feeling he had to come up with a new plan. There aren’t many options. One is to lead the enemy into an encirclement, then find a way to escape with Igor. That encirclement is the biggest trap on Guru Mountain, the biggest one Kevin and the others set up.

But Stan... judging from his peculiar story, he doesn’t seem like a cruel enemy. Although I still don’t get many details in his story. For example, what’s the connection between the Sol brothers and that lightning stone? I can’t understand how a mere rock could dredge up so many past events.

Kadi was lost in his chaotic thoughts, unsure what to do.

”Finish eating. Rest well. We’ll continue, at daybreak.”

”Where are we going?” Igor didn’t understand why Stan was still leading them up the mountain.

”To find, another, guy. Related, to the stone. He, is, the leverage.”

Igor understood Stan was talking about Hustace.

”You mean, Hustace is also on this mountain?” Igor found it hard to believe.

”Yes. His, Spirit Power, is declining.”

Igor didn’t understand why Hustace would come to Guru Mountain. He remembered that young master ought to be in the academy’s laboratory, tinkering with strange and wonderful things, like this very stone.

Kadi was racking his brain, wondering whether to escape or attack. The risk of escape was less than attacking. His hands were tied, and he had no idea how strong his opponent was.

It seems the only way is to lure him into the encirclement, and then I’ll escape with Igor.

”I’m sorry about your story and what happened to you,” Kadi suddenly blurted out, leaving Igor, who was beside him, rather confused.

This guy’s a bit slow on the uptake, isn’t he? Igor thought.

Stan remained calm, tightening the purple robe around himself and watching the bonfire flames dance in the cave. In his heart, Kadi was a troublesome issue—not too big, not too small. The trouble wasn’t dealing with him, but *how* to deal with him. The appearance of this Alien Species had disrupted his plans and rhythm. He had no idea how to handle this one-eyed fellow.

”I, too, feel, regret. About, you,” Stan said to Kadi.