indianbanksassociation #313 - Maybel and the Wall of Heart
#313 - Maybel and the Wall of Heart
"To think it took eight days just to learn the most basic language, it's truly unbelievable!"
Anger!
"We came all this way, and you haven't done anything? Seriously, wouldn't it be faster if I just taught you?"
Anger!!
"And what are we doing next? Please hurry, I'm very busy too."
Anger!!!
Whether it was Zun Zun's imagination or not, the elven beauty's 'tsundere' attitude was even more pronounced than before.
Zun Zun was starting to crack.
He was already worried about how to return to the world of "Konosuba", and having someone constantly chattering in his ear was incredibly annoying. Adding to that the torment of the past week, his mental state was reaching its breaking point.
"In that case, Miss Elga, please attend to your own matters."
"...Eh?"
Hearing Zun Zun's words, the elven beauty wore a dumbfounded expression, clearly not expecting to be dismissed.
"I already possess the minimum knowledge required for this world, and I have a clear goal of what to do next. Miss Elga no longer needs to accompany me."
"But, but..."
"If it's about gratitude, there's no need. Bringing me to Mount Dordo was enough to repay that debt. If anything, I should thank Miss Elga for her help."
His words were quite blunt.
The feeling of being kicked out was very strong.
It seemed heartless, but Zun Zun felt he was much better than Dao Qiyangjie, who turned and ran without a word. At least he was giving her a heads-up, wasn't he?
The elven beauty immediately puffed out her cheeks.
"Ah, is that so! I understand, I understand! It just so happens that I also have something to take care of. If I'm not needed, that's perfect, no need to waste time!"
She gave Zun Zun a deep look.
"Idiot!"
She cursed before turning and leaving.
Zun Zun kept watching her departing figure until she disappeared from sight, then sighed helplessly.
This is a bit of a headache.
In ACG, the focus of the 'tsundere' attribute isn't on the 'tsun' (the aloofness), but on the 'dere' (the sweetness) that is revealed layer by layer after peeling back the facade. Honestly, Zun Zun did have some feelings for the elven beauty, but it was only to the extent of 'having some feelings'. He never even considered developing anything deeper with the elven beauty.
Moreover, it was impossible to reciprocate.
Zun Zun wasn't oblivious. It was precisely because of this that he wanted to nip any budding feelings in the bud.
He stretched out his body with a big yawn.
Next, he needed to think about what to do.
For Dao Qiyangjie, this other world was like an open-world game like "The Legend of Zelda". Although there was a requirement to return home (rescue the princess), the final task could actually be done or not. Furthermore, he wasn't even clear on how to return home, so he wasted a lot of time searching for a method.
But Zun Zun was different.
This other world, for him, was like a linear level-based game like "Black Myth: Wukong". Having already known how to return home and having a clear goal, he would definitely be able to reduce a lot of time.
Dao Qiyangjie took more than three years to understand this principle, while Zun Zun... he'll say a number.
He must return to "Konosuba" in three months!
-----
"Retract that previous statement! Six months to get home will be a success!"
Ha... ha... ha...
Zun Zun gasped for breath, walking slowly step by step on the mountain road, his speed getting slower and slower until he had no strength left.
Damn it!
He didn't expect the journey to be so far.
Even traveling by magic, it still took nearly half a month. The other world not only has a large map, but the transportation is also extremely inconvenient. Can't there be teleportation arrays or something? If this place must be compared to the Middle Ages, then it must be the early Middle Ages.
Damn it, if only there were mounts or something...
Even "Konosuba" had teleportation arrays and carriages. In this world, due to insufficient productivity, transportation naturally wouldn't become developed, so going anywhere was almost entirely on foot.
No wonder the elven beauty took him to Mount Dordo on foot back then.
After traveling continuously for half a month, Zun Zun couldn't stand the filth on his body, so he decided to go to the nearest town to clean up first.
He arrived at the town.
The people of this other world all had high appearances. Although good looks aren't necessarily justice, Zun Zun did receive considerable preferential treatment.
After checking into the inn and having lunch, Zun Zun thought about it and still went to the Adventurer's Guild.
Originally, he had planned not to take any side quests, quickly run to find the Firemane Dragon and seal it, and continuously strengthen himself until he could open the space-time passage.
But now it seemed he needed to change his plans.
Money was still more important.
Back then, Dao Qiyangjie didn't help with the poison dragon, so he didn't get a reward. The money from the sale of the other parts, sold by the elven beauty, was split fifty-fifty, which was why Zun Zun was able to stay at the inn and have a hearty lunch.
As the time he spent in this world might become longer, he had to consider how to live in the future.
As an excellent magic tool master, Zun Zun's first thought was to sell magic tools to make money. However, thinking about how Dao Qiyangjie was treated as a demon and hung up for punishment for making a water bottle that violated religious beliefs, Zun Zun thought about it and decided to sell something more conservative.
——Healing potions and energy potions.
The highest-grade healing potion in Konosuba had a production cost of 100,000 Eris, and the selling price was 300,000 Eris. However, in this world, it could only be sold for 1,000,000 copper coins—which, when converted, was only 100,000 Eris.
It was actually at cost price!?
Where was my hard-earned money? It seemed that in this world, healing potions were very developed, or perhaps there were many healing abilities, so the demand for potions was low. Zun Zun didn't explore these things further.
However, energy potions sold for 10,000,000 copper coins. As expected, this kind of thing was popular in every world.
He silently put away several large-volume orders.
Although it was said to be 10,000,000 copper coins, it actually wasn't as much as he imagined. There was paper money, and there was also a 100,000 large copper coin, which was quite convenient to carry.
During this time, Zun Zun also heard about something.
To the west of the town, at the [Shrine of Flame], where the legendary dragon Firemane Dragon was sealed, some anomalies had appeared. Many people suspected that the dragon was about to be resurrected, so they hoped that adventurers with strength would go there to strengthen the seal.
Great.
Finally, before this chapter turned into a monotonous account, he heard useful information.
So, in order to adjust his condition, Zun Zun ate and drank his fill today and went to bed early. The next morning, he set off, preparing to face the Firemane Dragon in the best possible condition.
However, it was useless.
It took three full days to run from the town to the village. All the time was wasted on running. This place was indeed a different world.
"Hello, hello! Esteemed and powerful adventurer, the legendary dragon Firemane Dragon is about to be resurrected at the Shrine of Flame in the west. If things continue like this, our village might be burned to ashes."
As soon as they met, the village chief warmly greeted him.
"Esteemed adventurer, I wonder if you possess powerful sealing techniques that can strengthen the seal of the Shrine of Flame?"
"Sealing? Isn't it supposed to be subjugation?"
"Well... first of all, the Firemane Dragon cannot be destroyed. Secondly, the conditions required to defeat the Firemane Dragon are very harsh, so we can only seek to strengthen the seal. Of course, that's probably just a drop in the bucket."
The village chief's expression was very unsightly.
Finally, seemingly unwilling to give up on Zun Zun—the only adventurer who had come to help in months—he took the initiative to lead him to a corner of the village, a place bordering the forest.
This was a towering tree.
It would take at least ten people to embrace it to barely encircle it, and at the base of this tree was a wooden door. Within a five-meter radius, one could feel a chill.
The village chief introduced, "We also considered defeating the Firemane Dragon, but only the Frost God Sword, passed down through generations of the Ice Clan in the village, can do it. However, communicating with the descendants of this clan is a bit of a hassle..."
Speaking of this, he spat in disgust.
He seemed very displeased with the Ice Clan.
This kind of feeling was understandable. After all, always living in the village without engaging in productive work and being supported by others, grudges would build up over time.
He pushed open the door.
A bone-chilling aura rushed towards him.
The interior of the tree hollow was a world of ice and snow. Interlaced transparent crystals exuded coldness, and on an ice bed surrounded by ice sat a beautiful young woman.
Her ice-crystal-colored eyes were bright, revealing a trace of unapproachable coldness. She wore a long blue dress, and her skin was as white as snow, as if even the blood flowing beneath her skin had solidified into frost.
Not far away was a long sword wrapped in ice. Zun Zun, sensitive to magic, immediately recognized that it was something like a divine artifact.
"When I was little, on the summit of Mount Margid, I saw scattered flowers with my mother. They were so beautiful..."
The young woman's tone was low, as if she didn't care about anything.
The village chief also said helplessly, "As long as the ice in this girl... Mabel's heart hasn't melted, the seal of the Frost God Sword cannot be lifted."
It was precisely because it was so troublesome that they didn't think about defeating the Firemane Dragon.
Normally speaking.
If it were a normal player, they would treat Mabel as an NPC who issued quests and run off to find the quest items. But the downside was that there was no guarantee what kind of messy quests she would issue next, slowing down the game's progress.
As for abnormal players like Dao Qiyangjie, they would directly go and deal with the Firemane Dragon, clearing the level with their own strength.
Zun Zun wanted to be a little easier when fighting the Firemane Dragon, and he didn't want to look for any quest items, so he cleverly took a shortcut.
"Ta-da!—Barrier Breaker!"
Zun Zun took out a very useful magic tool, stuck it on the Frost God Sword, and the ice melted instantly.
The village chief exclaimed in surprise, "This is!?"
"Hmph, hmph, hmph, the Barrier Breaker actually neutralizes magic power factors and converts them into the most ordinary magic power, so whether it's an invisible barrier or the ice surrounding the Frost God Sword, it can be easily broken! That's how it is, so... Miss Mabel, may I borrow the Frost God Sword for a moment... Oh, oh, oh, it's freezing!"
Still gloating, Zun Zun threw the Frost God Sword away in the next second, and then saw the ice rapidly growing, reconnecting with the ice house again.
"How could this be..."
Zun Zun suddenly remembered that Mabel's ice actually changed according to her mood. Looking at the Frost God Sword, which was several times thicker than before, he really wanted to shout at this shut-in in front of him:
——Just how thick is your heart's wall?!