DMS Chapter 216

Flinx and the four powerful adventurers assigned to guard Riverside and defend the town against powerful monsters continued talking about various subjects.

Since the four adventurers had been generous in sharing information with him, Flinx told them about his experiences delving into the final floor of the Dungeon of Mara several times a day.

He described the different types of boss monsters he had encountered there, including various dragons: the usual fire dragons, burrowing earth dragons, swift air dragons, deadly lightning dragons, and venomous poison dragons.

Aside from dragons, he also described some of the other boss monsters that appeared, such as high-level lich lords, vampire lords, ghoul lords, and various types of high-level undead.

Even though Ishmael, Remuel, Bursa, and Doreen were considered some of the most powerful diamond-rank adventurers, they were amazed that Flinx had battled those boss monsters alone.

To the four adventurers, it confirmed that Flinx's power was probably already above the diamond rank. The fact that he had no interest in undergoing another ranking-up test confused them. Who didn't want more power?

But to Flinx, local political power was something he had no desire for.

Soon, Flinx's water elemental returned, carrying five high-level mana stones and eight medium-level mana stones. After dismissing his water elemental, he handed the mana stones to the adventurers.

"They're your loot!" Ishmael exclaimed, even though Doreen was looking at the mana stones with obvious desire.

Flinx wondered how the adventurers used them. He wanted to ask, but doing so would reveal that he lacked knowledge that most people probably considered common. He knew that it probably wasn't a major issue since many people already knew he was a foreigner, but mana stones seemed to be a fundamental resource in this world. It would probably be suspicious if he didn't know how they were used.

Of course, Flinx knew some of the basics. Mana stones could be used for crafting, but beyond that, he knew very little. He also wasn't about to mention that he and the other Earthlings used them as currency on their System Shopping Site.

"I don't need them. You can sell them for gold coins and distribute the proceeds among the tourists as compensation for facing a dangerous situation that could have cost them their lives," Flinx told Ishmael.

The adventurer smiled and accepted the mana stones.

The other passengers who had been listening to their conversation suddenly broke into huge smiles. Mana stones, especially high-level ones, were worth a fortune. It meant that they would receive a considerable amount of money from the adventurers.

The passengers weren't worried that Ishmael and his companions would keep the mana stones for themselves. As diamond-rank adventurers, they had too much pride to do something like that, especially when so many people were aware of the situation.

When they arrived in Riverside, Flinx was grateful that he wasn't required to go to the local equivalent of a police station. All the passengers had witnessed the attack, so they could provide testimony about what had happened.

Ishmael and his group were also aware of all the details of the incident.

The sun was still relatively high in the sky, so Flinx decided to continue exploring the town. He was delighted when he found a local bookstore that sold novels. He wanted to see how the works of local authors differed from those written by authors on Earth.

He browsed through the books but found the novels somewhat disappointing. He understood why, though. Unlike Earth, where the World Wide Web exposed people to countless ideas and cultures, local authors were usually limited to the regions where they lived. That probably restricted their imaginations.

Most of the stories were love stories between peasants and nobles, while the adventure stories usually followed a commoner who became an adventurer and eventually gained great power.

Flinx still bought a couple of novels that seemed somewhat interesting. That seemed to pacify the shop owner, who had begun glaring at him after Flinx spent so much time browsing without buying anything.

After he left the bookstore, the sun had fully set.

Flinx went to one of the nicer-looking restaurants and ate dinner. Afterward, he returned to the room he had rented to rest for the night.

Inside his room, Flinx decided to read the books he had purchased from the local bookstore. However, after reading a few chapters, he gave up.

The two books were simply that awful.

He left them in the room, intending to abandon them there, and continued reading his Saga of Recluce novel until he became tired enough to sleep.

The next day, Flinx decided to leave Riverside Town.

He had no desire to delve into the local dungeon. He wanted to continue his solo journey through the wilderness.

He also decided to follow the roads again instead of relying on a map. He randomly chose the eastern gate of Riverside and decided to follow the road wherever it happened to lead.

Flinx also chose not to say goodbye to anyone, including Rheingold. There was a chance the corporal would insist that he remain in town longer. He also decided not to meet up with Ishmael and the others.

Thankfully, he hadn't made any plans with them, so he could leave with a clear conscience.

When he reached the eastern gate, Flinx didn't want to be stopped, so he cast Invisibility and quietly left the town. Once he was far enough away, he dispelled the spell and continued along the road at a leisurely pace.

The pleasure he felt at finding himself alone on the road again was greater than he had expected.

Flinx would have to return to Ilioven that night to replenish the inventory of Olivia's shop, but he pushed that thought aside for the moment.

The road he had chosen was particularly beautiful. The lake stretched along his right, while the forest to his left was adorned in the colors of autumn.

Unlike before, Flinx encountered a few travelers on the road. Some were heavily guarded merchants, while others were caravans of what appeared to be farmers transporting their produce to the town.

Most of the travelers ignored him, while some went so far as to regard him with suspicion. A few even asked whether he needed help, as though traveling alone was the result of some unfortunate circumstance.

Flinx was still being guarded by an invisible wind elemental flying above him, while Pip continued scouting the surrounding area.

His familiar reported several monster sightings, but they were deep inside the forest. Most were relatively weak creatures such as goblins, kobolds, and giant spiders.

Pip also informed him that it had spotted several fishmen along portions of the lakeshore.

Flinx didn't do anything about the lake monsters since they were still far enough away from the road. He didn't want his solitude interrupted by unnecessary violence.

Because it was autumn, the wind was chilly, but Flinx enjoyed the cool air. His clothes were more than enough to keep him warm.

When noon arrived, Flinx decided not to stop and simply continued walking.

As the sun began to set, the view of the lake became gorgeous. Flinx decided to set up his Galder's Log Cabin beside the lake so he could enjoy the scenery while reading his novel.

He placed the cabin beside a large boulder and decided that the distinctive rock would make a suitable landmark.

After taking several pictures of the cabin beside the boulder and confirming that he could teleport back to the location without any problems, Flinx returned to Ilioven to replenish Olivia's shop's inventory.