After work, start to speedrun the other world-Chapter 120 - 26: Hybrid of Dwarf and Monster

"Hey, are you here to subdue the immortal serpent too?" a familiar voice called out from behind, prompting Xi Mu to turn his head and look.

The newcomer was a one-armed swordsman, wearing a tattered cloak, with one hand resting on his katana, and donning a wide-brimmed hat.

He tilted his head slightly, revealing a face full of scars beneath his hat.

"Why not travel together since we’re both human?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"You don’t know your way around, do you? You’re looking for someone to guide you?" Xi Mu seemed to have instantly seen through the one-armed swordsman’s real intention.

"Hahaha... Is it that obvious?" the one-armed swordsman laughed sheepishly before he frankly admitted.

"I’m indeed not too familiar with the rules of the underground world." He pointed at a train station not too far away, and at a train traveling along a river of magma.

"Thinking about a vehicle traveling on a river of fire is strange, isn’t it?"

"Once you’re familiar with it, you won’t find it strange anymore," Xi Mu replied as he turned back and continued walking towards the train station.

He recognized the one-armed swordsman who had greeted him; another adventurer who was here to subdue the immortal serpent, aiming to become a hero, and carve out his place in the world.

Undeterred by the knight’s cold demeanor, the one-armed swordsman approached even more enthusiastically, not minding the knight’s lack of interest.

After all, he was genuinely unfamiliar with the underground world, and most of those he met were dwarves, which led to some racial barriers in communication.

Stepping into the train station, the one-armed swordsman followed closely behind Xi Mu, learning how to buy a ticket, how to proceed to the waiting area, and how to board the train.

Eventually, he successfully got on a train bound for the city where the subjugation of the immortal serpent would take place.

"Brother, the underground world sure is interesting," the one-armed swordsman remarked, watching the scenery outside and feeling the hot wind blowing in his face.

"What technology allows the train to travel on a river of fire?"

"..." Xi Mu didn’t explain, resting his elbow on the armrest and propping up his cheek with one hand, seeming somewhat lost in thought. This was just a flight of fancy by the game’s creators, who wanted to have a train travel over magma before deriving the so-called technology to do so.

The official explanation was that the train used the natural heat of the magma to boil water into steam, which then propelled the train along the tracks.

As for a more detailed explanation, he hadn’t taken the time to research it. After all, he only needed to know that the underground world had advanced steam engine technology.

The train traveled on, with the steam whistle sounding long and loud, accompanied by the train’s acceleration and the spreading waves of molten lava.

The scenery outside the window rapidly receded.

After a while,

the train passed through a long tunnel, and the view suddenly opened up to reveal the towering city walls and a prominent slogan, "Gear City Welcomes All Benevolent Visitors."

Gear City.

This city was famous for its technology, selling all sorts of novel items, which in turn made Gear City’s tourism industry quite developed.

"Finally arrived," the one-armed swordsman said, eyes squinting subconsciously and hand on his katana as he gazed at the prosperous city that had come into view.

He turned to Xi Mu and asked,

"Brother, shall we sign up together?"

"I just want to kill the immortal serpent; signing up has no meaning for me," Xi Mu shook his head, then added meaningfully,

"If I were you, I wouldn’t sign up either."

The task of subduing the immortal serpent wasn’t meant to be completed by one player alone but was a convergence of warriors from all over the world.

Those who succeeded in subduing the immortal serpent would receive Gear City’s promised generous reward and also become the heroes sung about by wandering bards.

Wealth and fame, at the moment of subjugating the immortal serpent, would take one to the pinnacle of life, a temptation hard to resist.

It was a choice between a mundane existence and gambling one’s life to become a hero.

"Without signing up, you can’t get the promised prize money," the one-armed swordsman leaned back in his chair and sighed in frustration,

"I’m different from heroes... like you, brother."

"You know me?" Xi Mu appeared a little surprised, and the one-armed swordsman awkwardly smiled before his expression turned serious,

"Ahtal, your name is now quite famous. The bards have been singing about you a lot these days. It’s impossible not to know."

"That’s really... unexpected," Xi Mu laughed, though he wasn’t surprised at all about becoming famous so quickly.

After all, his teacher was Hecate, the strongest Astrologer in this world, who had a very special status among the community of Astrologers.

Since Anfis, a true wandering bard, was his teacher’s sycophant, it was easy to understand why Xi Mu became famous so quickly.

Fortunately, the bards didn’t parade his photo around, telling his story to the audience, or he would probably be gawked at wherever he went.

People knew of his existence but didn’t recognize him in person.

"You... probably don’t care about fame or wealth and just act out of goodwill," the one-armed swordsman scratched his head, "But for people like us, it’s the wealth and fame that motivate us to subdue the immortal serpent."

He was straightforward about it.

"I came to the underground world to gamble with my life for wealth and fame, to be the center of attention, to be respected in any country, and to deeply interact with noblewomen," he confessed.

"There’s no need to feel ashamed; it’s only human nature," Xi Mu smiled, showing no disdain for what the one-armed swordsman had said.