With the shark goblin dealt with, there were no major threats left inside Gulf Town.
Even though Wu Shuang was injured and couldn't use his right hand, he was still far stronger than when he had first arrived. It wasn't just his stats; having Mia's assistance was like gaining an extra set of limbs.
Thus, their pace of exploration and mapping was extremely fast. Coupled with their clear objective and not wasting time looting, they pushed Gulf Town's map completion past 30% in less than two hours, completing the side quest for map exploration.
However, they still hadn't located the pawnshop. They had even made their way all the way to the docks, where they discovered several boats anchored along the shore and a massive number of corpses floating on the ocean's surface.
Wu Shuang didn't draw close. Casting his Appraisal Spell from a dozen meters away, he found that they were all Zombie Goblin's Minions. Unwilling to invite trouble, he refrained from taking the risk to inspect them.
Given the sheer volume of corpses, combined with those submerged in the water, Wu Shuang felt as though nearly half the town's population had been dumped into the sea. No wonder the odor was so foul—the entire town reeked of a rotting, fishy stench.
"Mia, do you think we might have guessed wrong? The pawnshop might not be in this area."
Wu Shuang spoke, his lips pale, sweat beading heavily on his forehead, and his footsteps unsteady.
"Wu Shuang, you have a fever. The wound is infected."
Mia warned him, pressing her cheek against his neck; he felt scalding hot to the touch.
Wu Shuang frowned. He was well aware of his condition—his right hand burned with an agonizing pain that clung to him like a maggot on a bone, impossible to shake off. Yet he couldn't stop now.
He gulped down half a mouthful of Bitter Tincture. The liquid helped dull the pain and clear his head; as for the side effects, that wasn't something he could afford to worry about right now.
"Let's go check the town center. That should be the most prosperous area, so the pawnshop might be located there.
If we still can't find it..."
Wu Shuang left the sentence unfinished, but his meaning was crystal clear: they would have to amputate his right arm.
They had brought disinfection supplies with them and prepared for the worst from the start; he couldn't let a single hand drag down his entire body.
The two set off once more, with Mia on high alert while Wu Shuang examined the handbook's map.
Because they had explored so much of the area, the town's outline, location names, and even street names were now visible, making it easy to spot the town center.
This town had likely been home to tens of thousands of residents. While nowhere near a metropolis, it was fairly prosperous, especially for an era with such underdeveloped technology.
"We're here. Up ahead is the town square, and the clock tower is right here... Found it!"
Wu Shuang's eyes lit up as he finally spotted the words "Pawnshop" on the map. He made a move to rush over in his eagerness, but Mia called out to stop him, the strands of hair wrapped around his body tightening.
"Hold on, there's something over by the square!"
Mia warned, and Wu Shuang caught sight of it just in time, quickly ducking back behind a wall and poking half his head out to observe.
"There's still a monster in this town...?"
Wu Shuang muttered with a frown. Sitting in the middle of the square, right beneath the clock tower, was a giant figure seated on the ground. He looked to be about two and a half meters tall, burly, and draped in a dark gray robe.
That alone wouldn't have been so strange, but the weirdest part was... rats were constantly scurrying in and out of his robe, with a massive swarm surrounding him. He himself was holding the corpse of a living corpse, tearing it to pieces to feed the rats. The entire scene was thoroughly bizarre.
Wu Shuang cast his Appraisal Spell on him.
【Bell Ringer Joe】
【Description: Joe is an orphan of Gulf Town who grew up in an orphanage. Born deaf, he was also unable to speak, leaving him with an unsociable personality.
When he grew up, having never been adopted, the director of the orphanage helped him find a job ringing the bell. He thoroughly enjoyed the work, living alone in the clock tower and rarely interacting with anyone, quietly ringing the bell for over a decade.
People witnessed him feeding the rats on more than one occasion. Appearing to treat the rats as his friends, he became even more alienated by the surrounding townsfolk.
When strange events began plaguing the town, no one bothered to inform Joe. Later on, each time he rang the bell, it brought him immense trouble. Eventually, the clock tower collapsed, burying him for three days; he survived only because the rats fed him. Since then, he has never dared to ring the bell again.】
"A bell ringer...?"
After reading the description, Wu Shuang felt that this seemed to be quite a special character, so he took a couple more looks.
"Well? Did your Appraisal Spell turn up anything?"
Mia asked. By now, she knew Wu Shuang possessed the Appraisal Spell, as he had explained the reason behind that forced kiss to her—though recalling it now was still a bit... well, best not to mention it.
"This guy might be deaf and likes rats. Let's ignore him for now and loop around from the side."
Wu Shuang whispered, deciding to detour around and leave the odd man alone for the moment.
...
Taking about fifteen minutes, the two took a long detour and arrived at the pawnshop. They hadn't run into a single living corpse along the way, perhaps because the bell ringer had killed them off, like the one he was holding in his hands.
In any case, Wu Shuang reached the pawnshop smoothly. Instead of heading to the warehouse in the back, he entered the shop itself.
Shops in a small town like this usually doubled as residences. The pawnshop was no exception, with the second floor typically serving as living quarters.
Climbing in through a broken window, they made their way up to the second-floor bedroom, where they finally discovered large sheets of Blessed's Shedding scattered across the floor and bed.
However, the room wasn't completely empty. Five or six rats were nesting inside, but the moment they saw Wu Shuang, they scattered completely. Mia had originally intended to strike—after all, those creatures were hardly pleasant—but Wu Shuang stopped her, worried it might attract the bell ringer.
The Blessed's Shedding had been gnawed on by the rats, riddled with holes and even reduced to scraps in some places. Fortunately, the appraisal results indicated that its function remained unaffected.
Taking the Blessed's Shedding, they moved to a rat-free room to treat his wound. Applying the fragmented, holy shedding over his injury, they wrapped it in multiple layers before securing it with linen cloth.
After about an hour, Wu Shuang felt his condition improving. It was no illusion—his Health had begun to climb back up. The stuff really worked!
Wu Shuang looked down at his right hand. Although it had taken some effort, he had managed to save it in the end.
Rate on N.U.
