LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 221: Coincidence
Like a fisherman showing off his catch, Lucian dangled the organs in the old man's direction.
"If you're hungry, you can eat this."
The old man ground his teeth, feeling an urge to beat up the smiling youth's face.
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"Brat, has anyone ever said you have a punchable face?"
Lucian blinked, seemingly in deep thought for a moment.
"Now that you mention it, a few people have."
In actuality, the number exceeded a hundred thousand.
As the old man felt an ever greater urge to beat up Lucian, the latter, on the other hand, turned the rabbit on its chest, cut into its rectal area, and removed a few pieces of granule-sized poop.
The old man's face turned green, feeling the urge to vomit. He began wondering if it was the right idea when he expressed his willingness to eat the young man's food.
Ignoring the softhearted old man, Lucian walked to the tub and dipped his finger to check the water's temperature.
'Hmm. It's not hot or cold... just perfect.'
Lucian pulled the tub away from the campfire and washed the rabbit clean of all its blood.
Once the rabbit was properly clean, Lucian set it aside on a clean chopping board and began processing a second rabbit.
Normally, starting a campfire and cooking food in a forest was extremely dangerous, causing any Mage to think twice before doing so.
The smell of food and the fire was a beacon to all Magical Beasts, practically inviting them with open arms to a sumptuous feast.
However, Magical Beasts were not the only species that would be attracted.
Suddenly, amidst the crackling fire and the soft rustle of leaves, a distinct sound of a twig breaking was heard.
"Show yourself." The old man shouted in panic. He slowly moved towards Lucian, as if he could give him protection.
Lucian glanced at the old man and internally sighed at how utterly useless he was besides being able to drive a carriage.
Though… Lucian was not much different from the old man. He was powerless to protect himself, much less a dead weight like the old man.
Nevertheless, Lucian stood up with his kitchen knife drawn in a defensive position. If he was going to die, he would die swinging.
Compared to his outward stance and expression, Lucian was smiling internally.
"Hahaha, friends, don't be frightened. We saw the light from your campfire and caught the smell of raw food. We couldn't help but approach. Who would have thought we would meet fellow adventurers out here?"
Accompanying the voice, two young men walked out from behind a tree.
One was tall and muscular, while the other was short and slim. Both were clad in shiny armor.
Despite their noble and handsome appearance, the old man was still scared.
"W-wait. Stop right there."
The taller of the two who had previously spoken smiled bitterly and raised his arms up.
Simultaneously, the short young man raised his arms.
"We mean no harm." He said.
Upon hearing this, Lucian breathed out a sigh of relief, but his internal smile grew wider.
'You two actually showed yourselves. It will make things easier.'
Lucian voiced out, pleasantly surprised, "You two are also adventurers?"
The tall one nodded and introduced himself, "Yep. My name's Lucius." He then pointed to his brother, "This is my younger brother Luke."
Luke smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you."
Lucian placed his knife down and bowed slightly with his right hand over his chest.
"My name is Drake Von Bu, but most call me Alchemist Drake."
That was the name and identity he had assumed for this disguise.
Lucius raised an eyebrow.
"You're an Alchemist? My brother and I had thought you were a chef. Haha."
Luke also laughed.
Lucian chuckled.
"I may be a Beginner Rank Alchemist, but who said I can't dabble in another profession?"
"Alchemist Drake is amazing. You look the same age as us, yet are so skilled." Luke exclaimed in awe.
"Haha, I might appear young, but I'm already way past my hundreds." Lucian shook his head in lament.
Lucius frantically waved his hands.
"N-no, no, Alchemist Drake is still young."
"And what about the elderly gentleman? What's his name?" Luke suddenly asked.
"Pei Buhan." The old man introduced himself, but his tone was less than polite.
'So that's the old man's name, huh.'
Meeting the old man was by pure coincidence.
After Lucian had left the walls of Qingyun City, he had been minding his own business, calmly walking toward Yanming Mines, when he suddenly felt the need to relieve himself.
Without the support of Mana to alleviate such inconveniences, Lucian had to answer nature's call the old-fashioned way.
But since Lucian had long since shed emotions like embarrassment or dignity, he did not mind, relieving himself on the side of the road.
Of course, he had his back facing the road, knowing full well only his wives were allowed to see his baguette… but for the System, it was not enough, and he ended up receiving an earful.
The one-sided verbal beatdown went something like this:
[How utterly disgraceful.]
[What if someone passes by? What would your wives think?]
[And don't get me started on your hygiene. Are you really a chef or a hooligan?]
[Why am I stuck with someone so unworthy of bearing the title of Transcendent Chef.]
By the time Lucian had finished relieving himself, the System had also finished venting, and that was when he met the old man, who thought he wanted to hitchhike with him. With no reason to refuse, especially because the old man was only in the Mana Condensation Realm, he accepted.
In hindsight, he really did look like a hitchhiker.
If not for the old man mistakenly believing him to be an Alchemist, he would have never stopped to give him a ride.
The old man was still wary of them, so he continued. "Mind telling this old man how long you two were watching us from the shadows?"