Jörmungandr leapt down from the tree, walking toward her master. Her eyes scanned the surroundings—there were corpses everywhere. But one thing she couldn't understand was why her master spared the three surviving bandits. He could have easily killed them.
"I did it because I was out of mana and energy. Don't complain!" Crowne grumbled, as if he could read Jörmungandr's thoughts.
Jörmungandr shrugged her shoulders. She didn't really care much about it. She simply didn't understand. But now her master had answered her unspoken question directly. She crouched down, rummaging through the pocket of one of the bandits.
"What are you looking for?" she asked, following Crowne's actions without knowing his real purpose.
"Take whatever you can! It would be a waste to leave valuable items behind like this. They'll cry if we abandon them," Crowne replied.
"Objects don't have emotions, do they?"
Crowne stood up, glancing at another bandit whose body he had not checked yet. He walked over. "You don't understand the language of objects, that's why you can't feel it. If you could, you would know that they feel sad when left behind."
He sat down and began inspecting the bandit's clothing. Noticing the weapon looked shinier than the others, he took it without hesitation. Afterward, he checked the back of the bandit's shirt and searched every possible place.
"The saddest thing for an object is to be left to rust. That's like a hell of loneliness for them," Crowne added.
Jörmungandr glanced at him. She felt her master was lying, but his expression showed no sign of jest. His face was serious, as if what he said was the absolute truth. Jörmungandr scratched her head.
She shrugged again and stood up after finding a few silver coins and a shiny ring. She tossed them to Crowne, who caught them with ease.
"Ah, you're finally starting to understand."
Jörmungandr didn't answer. She simply watched, since there were no more corpses left to check. Not long after, Crowne stood as well, gathering everything he had collected in one spot.
He opened his system screen again. He already knew what he wanted to choose this time.
[Inventory Ring V.1]
[Price: 2,000 Market Points]
[Purchase: Yes. No.]
Without hesitation, he bought the ring. Then he stored all the items he had just collected inside his newly bought Inventory Ring. Now he needed to decide what to do with the bandits' corpses.
He piled them up, preparing to burn them. But just then, a carriage stopped not far from where they stood.
"What happened here?" a voice asked.
Crowne turned, and when he saw the face of the man who had spoken, his expression revealed surprise. It was a face he was very familiar with—Supreme Magus Zamond. He wore a luxurious magical robe.
The robe was of extraordinary quality, crafted from material both durable and resistant to attacks. Supreme Magus Zamond also carried a long staff to aid his walk. But it was no ordinary staff—it was crafted from wood thousands of years old.
Crowne tensed, ready to attack, assuming Supreme Magus Zamond recognized his identity. Yet, judging by the man's reaction, Crowne sensed that Zamond did not know him.
"Ah, we were just attacked by bandits. Luckily, we managed to win," Crowne replied calmly.
Supreme Magus Zamond tilted his head, glancing at the corpses behind Crowne. He nodded. "Ah, I see. Thankfully, you're safe. Recently, there have indeed been many bandits roaming the roads." He walked closer, looking Crowne up and down. "Are you unharmed?"
Crowne raised his arms, spinning his body. "You can see for yourself!"
Zamond nodded. "Good." He turned back toward his carriage, but his eyes lingered on Jörmungandr. He stared at her for quite a while, before continuing on. "You have a strong companion. You'll be fine."
He boarded the carriage again and was about to depart, but the carriage stopped near the bandit corpses. Zamond chanted an incantation and pointed his staff at the pile. A moment later, immense flames erupted, consuming the bodies.
Within seconds, the corpses were gone—reduced to ashes. The carriage continued forward. Zamond waved his hand. "Be careful! Never let your guard down, for there are many villains in this world!" he called out.
Crowne nodded. "Thank you."
The carriage grew smaller in the distance until it vanished from sight. Crowne stood silent for a few minutes before turning to Jörmungandr.
"You actually restrained yourself. Thank you," Crowne said.
But Jörmungandr was still staring at Zamond's carriage. Her expression was deadly serious. Crowne found it strange. It wasn't like her to act this way. Normally, she was indifferent, never interested in anything.
To her, everything in this world was nothing but toys she could destroy at will. But this time, she didn't even blink.
"What's wrong?" Crowne asked, his own face serious.
Jörmungandr turned her gaze to him. "There's a strange aura inside that carriage. I sensed something familiar."
Crowne tilted his head. "Something familiar? What do you mean?"
Jörmungandr stayed silent for a few moments before answering. "I don't know either."
Crowne glanced in the direction where the carriage had vanished. He stared for a long while but sensed nothing. He shrugged. If even Jörmungandr didn't know, then how could he?
"Will it endanger us?"
"I don't know," Jörmungandr replied flatly.
Crowne couldn't come to a conclusion. The information was far too vague. He turned around and started walking again.
"Forget it! Seems like you're just mistaken," Crowne said.
Jörmungandr nodded. "Ah, perhaps."
**
"What's wrong?" Zamond asked.
The man beside him shook his head, then looked forward again. "I felt as if I saw an old friend. Perhaps I was mistaken," he replied.