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Chapter 51: The Intense Gaze
🕑 Added 2025-02-04 08:03:12 +0000 UTC
As the sun set in the west, the day quickly passed.
Birds flew slowly toward the woods.
The sky gradually darkened.
The clouds were almost completely dyed a brilliant crimson, casting the dusk over the bustling labyrinth city, signaling to the people that the day was coming to an end.
At this time, adventurers from the Dungeon began to return, making the entrance to Babel Tower lively.
Because there was only one entrance and exit to the Dungeon, adventurers would naturally gather with others on their way out.
Blake was among them.
Perhaps because they had fought and killed monsters all day in the Dungeon, now finally able to relax their tense nerves, adventurers leaving the Dungeon were all noisy, creating a buzz.
Walking through the crowd, Blake was receiving curious glances from adventurers around him, with some even snickering.
“Is that the guy who’s rumored to have sparred with the Sword Princess? Looks like just a rookie…”
“Really, he doesn’t even have a proper piece of equipment…”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, and he even has a small person supporting him. I don’t know what that kid is thinking.”
Indeed, compared to those around him who were wearing various pieces of equipment, Blake looked incredibly shabby.
He was only carrying a standard iron sword and was dressed in plain clothes.
Adventurers who enter the Dungeon usually have some form of gear on, and even rookies often wear at least some cloth armor with basic defensive abilities, carrying either a sword or a knife.
But Blake looked like he was out for a walk rather than adventuring in the Dungeon, which naturally invited mockery.
“Blake is not…”
Hearing the surrounding voices, Lili's expression froze, her face showing an angry look. After spending so much time in the Dungeon today, she had come to understand Blake's character, and his strength was undeniable. Even the Sword Princess was willing to ask for his guidance.
This was her first time encountering such a gentle yet powerful adventurer. Now, seeing Blake mocked by some inexplicable people, Lili felt very uncomfortable.
“Lili, let it go. If you stoop to their level, you’ll only lower your own status.”
Blake gently pressed Lili’s head and shook his head, speaking calmly. If a dog bites him, he can’t bite the dog back. The most he could do was put the dog down.
“Mm.”
Upon hearing this, Lili hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Then, Blake and Lili left the square.
A short while later, they passed by the "Hostess of fertility" tavern.
“Excuse me, adventurer, you dropped something.”
At that moment, a crisp voice sounded, causing Blake to freeze for a moment. He turned around and saw a beautiful young girl in a maid outfit with short gray hair, holding a small magic stone in her hand.
“This should be yours,” she said with a gentle smile.
“Ah, thank you.”
Blake’s crystal-blue eyes looked at the girl, a strange glint flashing in his gaze. He had guessed the girl’s identity, but he didn’t expect that the technique originally used on Bell, the protagonist of the story, would now be applied to him.
He had been too lazy to even pick up Minotaur magic stones, let alone such items dropped by goblins.
But since the girl had some intention, Blake wasn’t going to embarrass her directly, since she didn’t have any ill intentions.
“Blake-sama…”
Lili naturally thought of this as well. Her gaze shifted back and forth between Syr and Blake with a strange expression, as if she wanted to say something.
However, Syr interrupted her in the next moment.
"I'm Syr. What's your name?"
"You can call me Blake. Are you a worker here?" Blake asked with a light smile.
"Yes. Would you like to stop by here tonight?" Syr said with a smile, her moist eyes sparkling enchantingly.
"Sure, it looks nice. I'll go home first and bring my goddess along."
Hearing this, Blake nodded slightly, then turned around and waved before walking forward with Lili, gradually disappearing into the sparse crowd.
"Hehe, Syr, is that the person you were waiting for this morning? What a fine young man. Have you fallen for him nya?"
A brown-haired, brown-eyed cat-girl maid with a playful smile approached Syr, whose face carried a gentle expression.
"Don't talk nonsense. I'm just curious about him," Syr said helplessly, rolling her eyes at Anya, the silly cat-girl.
"Hehe," Anya chuckled mischievously at Syr's exasperation, seemingly thinking of something inappropriate.
"Syr, what are you thinking about?"
Nearby in the tavern, a young elf girl named Liu, carrying a tray, glanced at the scene, shook her head, and continued working.
...
"Blake-sama, why did you accept her magic stone?" Lili asked with confusion as they walked.
"Sometimes, men need to tolerate women's lies. Besides, it's nothing bad—just a promise to have a meal there," Blake replied with a shrug and a smile.
"Blake-sama, you're too gentle. You'll suffer losses that way," Lili said helplessly.
"Suffer losses? I don't think so. After all... Hmm?!"
Blake was about to say something when he suddenly stopped, his brows furrowed. Turning around, he gazed at the upper levels of Babel Tower in the distance.
As someone skilled in sensing magical energies, Blake clearly felt it.
Just now, a gaze descended from the heavens, scrutinizing him like an omniscient presence.
Initially, it was just an ordinary gaze, much like others in the surroundings.
However, for some reason, that gaze suddenly trembled, then transformed into something as intense as molten lava.
If he had to describe it in one word, it was scorching.
So scorching it felt maddening, as though it could consume him completely.
The heat of this gaze even caused a faint stinging sensation on Blake's back!
"Could it be... her?"
A figure flashed through his mind as Blake narrowed his crystalline blue eyes while gazing at Babel Tower.
