Whitestone town couldn't really be called a town; even calling it a village was a bit of a stretch. It only had a little over thirty households, scattered around a small valley. It was so small that even an ordinary village was bigger, making its designation as a town somewhat exaggerated. However, at the entrance to the small valley, there was a huge white stone, perhaps giving Whitestone its name.
Before arriving in Whitestone, Rody and his mother had seen seven or eight people with donkeys carrying various items, fleeing for refuge, so the locals paid no mind to Rody’s arrival. When Rody, with his mother, went to the only tavern in town to inquire who the town mayor was, several drinking fellows burst into laughter. A burly man approached, reeking of alcohol, and said, "Whitestone is no place for a little brat like you, understand? Go back to your mother's lap and suckle! Just by looking at your incapable face, I can tell you're a spoiled rich kid from the city! A mayor? Do you think every place in this world needs some damn mayor?"
"No mayor is fine." Rody's mother quickly intervened, "Rody, since this is a free land, let's build a small wooden hut to live in!"
"Eh? What a beauty!" The burly man’s drunken eyes lit up at the sight of Rody's mother and leered, "Young and beautiful lady, is there anything Bruce can help with? I have a spacious and warm wooden hut, with bear skin on the floor, a soft bed, and a velvet quilt, guaranteed to make you never want to leave once you've slept in it…"
"Sir, your behavior is extremely impolite. Please show some respect!" Rody's mother cut him off, angrily.
"You just don’t know me yet. If you knew my strengths, you would definitely change your opinion of me!" The burly man grinned cheekily, while his companions roared with laughter, filling the tavern.
"This is my money..." Suddenly, Rody stretched out his hand, displaying two shiny gold coins, dazzling everyone.
"What do you mean? Want to buy my house? I'm not selling! Haha, what's money? What I want is a beauty, not the almighty gold of a rich brat, understand? Move aside, kids shouldn't interrupt adults!" The burly man, smug and ignoring Rody's gesture, kept leering at Rody's mother with a sleazy gaze, like a night wolf eyeing its prey.
"Bang! Bang Bang!"
Rody punched the burly man in the groin, and before he could react, kicked him twice more in the same spot.
The burly man's eyes bulged out, his mouth agape, but he couldn't make a sound. Clutching his groin, he tried to scream in pain but his knees gave out, and he knelt before Rody. Rody drew his dagger and struck the man hard on the forehead with the handle, then kicked him in the face, sending him crashing to the ground. Rody raised the dagger, his eyes coldly scanning the astonished patrons, and sneered, “These two gold coins are compensation for his medical expenses. Make sure you collect them for him.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Hahaha…” Instead of helping, the burly man’s companions burst into laughter, banging on the table.
“Interesting kid, really stinks of arrogance!”
“Let’s see if Bruce’s strength turns into a weakness, ah ha, haven't had such fun in a long time! I was wondering why this damned town never had anyone interesting. Finally, there’s someone.”
“If that big lecher Bruce really gets castrated, I'll buy drinks for everyone to celebrate!”
“Kid, I support you, go for it! We're waiting, waiting to cheer for you! Hahaha…”
Rody coldly surveyed the crowd and thrust his dagger towards the burly man's groin. If anyone thought he wouldn’t dare because he was a child, they were gravely mistaken. If they had been to Kolo, they would know that the third young master of Kolo had a talent for ‘bird-hunting,’ and due to Rody's sudden attacks, at least thirty had been sent to the medical center with crushed ‘birds.’
Suddenly, a hand reached from behind and grabbed Rody's wrist. This sent a chill through Rody; he remembered there was no one behind him. Only his mother was beside him, and she couldn’t possibly catch up with his movements. Who was trying to stop his attack?
Rody turned and almost jumped in fright. Behind him stood a tall woman with minimal clothing, wearing a tank top and short leather shorts, revealing a full and fiery figure. Beyond her mature femininity, there was something terrifying about her. Rody, brave as he was, felt his heart quiver at the sight of her horrifying tattoos.
Her body was covered in tattoos, including her face. A scorpion with bared fangs crawled down her right cheek from her smooth forehead. On the other side of her face was a terrifying demon bee. Her slender neck and arms were adorned with sinister, man-eating snakes, one on each side, coiling and baring venomous fangs so realistically that they seemed alive. Above her abdomen was a giant, greedy spider; although half of the spider was hidden inside her shorts, the mere thought of the mysterious private area being the mouth of a spider with venomous fangs would terrify any man.
Her long legs were adorned with strange insects Rody had never seen before, all eyes, twisted, as if they could see into one's soul. Rody turned around and immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
"No knives allowed in my tavern. Other than that, drinking, gambling, and finding women are all fair game, understand? Those are the rules, my rules!" The woman's appearance and figure were completely ruined by tattoos, but she had a pair of beautiful large eyes, the only part of her that still had a hint of humanity. She belched, spraying Rody with the smell of alcohol, and said, "You can stay here, but you’ll have to clean, and don’t expect me to pay you!"
"It hurts so bad..." Before Rody could respond, the burly man on the ground suddenly struggled to stand up, gasping in pain, "Lucky I had my fighting spirit to protect me, otherwise my balls would have been smashed by this stinking kid."
"Get lost, I get annoyed just seeing you guys!" The tavern owner grabbed another bottle of wine, guzzled it down, and then furiously threw the empty bottle at the burly man, who, terrified, clutched his groin and fled in a sorry state. Rody was stunned; the burly man had withstood his full-force strike. Although Rody’s punch wasn't very strong, hitting such a vulnerable spot would be fatal for an ordinary person.
It was unexpected that the burly man could not only get up but also run away. It seemed that Whitestone, this remote town, was not just any ordinary town.
"This place seems quite nice, and the people are kind. Rody, let's settle down here!" Rody's mother's words provoked a round of loud laughter from the crowd.
"Kind? Ahaha, what an interesting woman to say the people here are kind!" Someone banged on the table and whistled loudly.
"This place is a haven for ruffians, hoodlums, rogues, lechers, villains, bandits, idiots, dog shit, trash, and human scum. Even the little ants here belong to the evil faction! Kind? Listen, don't you pigs feel ashamed hearing such words that describe saints?" The woman finished cursing and somehow produced another bottle of wine, gulping it down again.
"Actually, I quite like the term 'kind.' From now on, everyone call me Kind Isaac!" A man in black cawed with laughter.
"We think 'Jack the Ripper' suits you better..." the crowd laughed uproariously.