Chapter 10: Harvest Before the Mountain Climb
「At the foot of Guru Mountain.」
Igor shaded his eyes with his hand and stared into the distance. He had prepared climbing tools according to Liko and Pita’s suggestions. Of course, the crude tools were mostly provided by them.
Liko and Pita were puzzled. The young man had paid 30 copper coins without haggling, addressing them respectfully as ’seniors’ all the while.
If it had been anyone else, Liko would have questioned their motives for being so generous; after all, their guide service was only 10 copper coins. Why offer us 30 coins? What’s your angle? he would have wondered.
Pita might have also suggested, "We only provide guidance. You can hire others for matters like fighting monsters or finding White Cloud Fruit."
However, being addressed as ’seniors’ seemed to have a tranquilizing effect. It pacified Liko and Pita’s suspicions, which contradicted years of caution accumulated through their struggles on Guru Mountain. They quickly let down their guard, their carefully constructed defenses crumbling before those deferential words as they basked in the sweetness of the treatment.
Those calls of ’senior’ were just too pleasant to hear!
Besides, the young man had no additional requests and simply insisted, "This is all the copper coins I have left. Seniors, please take good care of me during the journey."
In Liko and Pita’s experience, such exorbitant pay often signaled ulterior motives. They should have unleashed a barrage of inquiries. Liko might have even exhausted his spiritual power to tap into his unpolished Fighter’s Environment Sensing Skills, and Pita might have talked himself hoarse setting all sorts of verbal traps.
However, being addressed as ’seniors’ inflated their egos. They felt like bears that had successfully stolen fresh honey, constantly licking their paws in delight.
While ascending the mountain, Liko and Pita remained immersed in the sweet sound of being called ’seniors.’ They no longer saw Igor as a client but more like a junior—no, more like a disciple.
"This won’t do," Pita said earnestly, patting Igor’s backpack. "Carrying this backpack everywhere, aren’t you tired?"