Chương 127: Chapter 125 – Ferndale Underbelly.

"(˶°ㅁ°)!!"

"Calm down, Gleam. They aren't dying; that's just their stomach rumbling," Alexander commented as attention shifted to the youngest girl. Her tummy rumbled which was a natural occurrence among humanoids. To Rusty, who neither needed food to sustain himself nor sleep to function, this seemed highly unfavorable. Humans appeared weak, burdened with countless vulnerabilities. While they slept, they were defenseless against surprise attacks.

They could even be rendered unconscious by fumes or by simply burning the air around them. And yet, despite all these weaknesses, they had somehow managed to conquer parts of this strange world he now lived in.

"(>﹏<)""Do I have any food for humans? Hm… let me check…" Rusty accessed his storage system. During his journey, he had passed through monster encampments and come across fallen adventurers. These adventurers often carried rations such as dried meat, bread, and water tucked away in their supplies. It was not anything fancy, but for this child the taste probably would not matter. For a moment he removed himself from view to open his hidden storage.

After rummaging through his inventory he pulled out a few pieces of dried meat and a small loaf of bread wrapped in cloth. Along with them, he had a leather water bottle taken from one of the many adventurer corpses he had come across in goblin or orc encampments. There was one table remaining in this house, it was missing one leg but after using some nearby bricks, it regained its function. However, before he could place the items on it, Alexander called out to him.

"At least put something clean over the table first, Rusty."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes, they might get sick from the dust."

"Humanoids are really troublesome…" Rusty sighed inwardly, his eyes flickering slightly as he begrudgingly followed Alexander's advice. Within his inventory, he found a clean cloth devoid of dust and laid it over the table. Only then did he place the food and water on it. The children, who had been silently watching him, stared at the meager meal with wide eyes.

"Eat now." Just as expected, the children were a bit apprehensive about taking this meal from a stranger. They were young but knew well that poison and other drugs could be mixed into such food. However, they also were aware that they were at Rusty's mercy. Gleam moved down to the ground and urged the children with her antennae to take the meal.

"(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)" The youngest girl was the first to move, drawn by the scent of food. She hesitated only for a moment before taking a small piece of bread, nibbling at it cautiously. When no harm came, the other children followed suit, their hunger outweighing their lingering fear. The oldest boy took the dried meat, splitting it evenly among them before drinking sparingly from the water bottle. Rusty observed them quietly, making mental notes of their behavior. So?"

The boy flinched at Rusty's sudden question, swallowing hastily before answering.

"So… what?"

"You were about to tell me about the forces that control this city." Rusty reminded him. Now that he had smacked two people around to get them out of his home, he needed to find out which faction they belonged to. There were a few people in this city he could not afford to cross. One was likely the city lord, and another was the leader of the adventurers guild. Beyond that, he was not sure who else he needed to avoid. The oldest boy hesitated, glancing at his siblings before turning back to Rusty.

His expression was wary, but he understood that withholding information wouldn't help them.

"The city's controlled by a few major groups." The young man began, his voice low as if he was afraid that someone would hear them.

"The city lord rules from the central district, which is also called the noble district, but he doesn't really care about what happens in the slums or lower districts. If you don't cross him or the guards, they won't care. We like to call him the round baron but better not say it out loud or you'll get in trouble." Rusty nodded as the children laughed at the noble's nickname. He continued to listen, hoping that Alexander and Aburdon would remind him later if the name proved to be important.

It was already clear that nobles were not to be trifled with, and the same applied to the guards. Unless he had official business, he would not be allowed to enter the central district which would lower his chances of getting in trouble.

"The merchant's guild has a lot of power too. They own most of the trade routes and even the guards sometimes listen to them more than the city lord. They keep things running, but they don't really care about people like us. As long as they make their profits, they look the other way when bad things happen." Rusty took this information in. The merchant's guild could be useful to him if he intended to start his workshop.

Having a neutral party with economic influence meant he could find potential clients without getting too entangled in city politics.

"Then there's the adventurers' guild. They do their own thing, but they don't mess with people unless they're paid to. If you don't bother them, they don't bother you." Rusty nodded his metallic head, trying to ignore the munching sounds some of the children were making. As he listened, he finally stopped the youth from continuing and asked a direct question.

"I see. Does this place have a Thieves' guild?" Before the young man could continue further, he asked a direct question and received a quick answer.

"No, I don't think so…" The boy shook his head. Perhaps the chaotic state of the city had prevented the thieves guild from establishing itself. It was also possible that there were simply not enough profits to be made from stealing, as the settlement was barely surviving. There was little to gain from people who were already poor.

"But there are others like them."

"Like them? Are they together with those two?" The boy nodded and finally started explaining who Rusty got involved with. If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"They belong to the Black Hound." Rusty stood still, processing the boy's words. The name "Black Hound" was unfamiliar to him, but judging from the boy's cautious tone and wary expression, it was not a group to be taken lightly. He remained silent, waiting for the child to continue.

"The Black Hound used to be a group of mercenaries, they were hired by the lord a few years back to clear out bandits and protect the city's borders, but once the contract ended, they didn't leave." He listened but noticed that something didn't add up so he quickly asked.

"Bandits? Not orcs or barbarians?"

'Oh, you're catching on, Rusty. Well done.' Aburdon's mocking voice resounded inside his helmet as he complimented him in his own twisted way.

"I think they were supposed to, but something went wrong, and a large number of them died. Later, I heard they settled in the lower districts and started working for themselves. At first, they just acted as muscle for merchants and nobles who needed extra protection, but over time, they became something else."

'So we are facing mercenaries that got lazy. That explains why two people with classes were looking for children. This boy must have gone through a lot, he doesn't act his age.' Alexander realized that the child, probably eleven or twelve, was acting far more mature than he should. He was able to stay mostly calm in such a situation and knew a lot of critical information about the settlement that would help him survive. He probably knew well who not to anger.

"Interesting. Anyone besides these Black Hounds?"

"Well… they are on the top, but there are many smaller groups here and there." The boy continued his explanation, painting a vivid picture of the city's hidden underworld. Many criminals operated in secret, largely because the lord cared little about what happened in the slums and lower districts. This also meant that Rusty would have to watch his back, as he wouldn't be getting much help in these lawless areas.

Apparently, young children here were often used for pickpocketing merchants and unsuspecting newcomers who didn't know any better. Even if they were caught, they usually got away with little more than a slap on the wrist since they weren't adults. Low-level thugs exploited them in various ways, from transporting illicit substances to being sold into slavery. A pleasure district was also beginning to take shape in Ferndale, offering prostitution and gambling to keep adventurers and mercenaries entertained.

This, in turn, encouraged them to stay and help defend against monster attacks, or at least, that was how his guides interpreted it.

'Nice, thugs, criminals and mercenaries… Well, at least we probably won't have to worry about a permit to sell anything here.'

'Are you sure about that? I've heard that your human lords are especially savage when it comes to collecting taxes.' Aburdon replied to Alexander and to Rusty's surprise the two actually agreed on something for once.

'... You might have a point.'

"So that's how it looks…" Rusty leaned up against one of the walls and started thinking. He wasn't sure if helping these children would come back to bite him later, but one thing was certain: he had already drawn attention to himself. If the Black Hound thugs had reported back to their group, it was only a matter of time before someone higher up decided to check on what had happened. For now, though, the immediate problem was the children. He had given them one night of shelter, but what came next?

His original plan had been simple: secure a base, establish a workshop, and operate without drawing too much attention. But life never seemed to work out that easily.

"What's your name?" Rusty turned his visor toward the oldest boy. The boy hesitated, still unsure of Rusty's true intentions. But after a moment, he answered.

"Rolo." Rell gestured to the others.

"My sister, Natia." He pointed to the youngest girl, who was bouncing around with Gleam and having a good time. Then he pointed to the other two children, who were another boy and a girl.

"And the twins, Ria and Isan."

"Twins? They don't really look alike." Rusty knew what twins were, but to his knowledge, they were supposed to look the same. However, these two didn't even have the same gender. Their heights were also different, and the only trait they shared was their brown wolf-like ears which identified them as a person from the beastmen tribes.

'Why are you asking for their names Rusty? We got what we needed, it's best if we remove them from 'your' lair.' Aburdon seemed unhappy that he was asking personal questions. The demon lord quickly identified that Rusty wasn't removing them as quickly as he liked, there was a chance that he had changed his mind after Alexander pestered him to help these rascals.

"Do you wish to remain here?" He posed a question to the oldest boy. It wasn't out of the goodness of his heart but due to how badly this home here looked.

"You'll let us stay? But why?"

"I've just bought this place, but as you can see, it's not in good condition. If you stay, you'll work. The place needs to be cleaned, reinforced, and organized. If you do that, you can sleep here and have more food. But if I find you slacking, you're out. Understood?" Rusty did his best impression of an adult. He had been analyzing the speech patterns of humanoid creatures for a while now, and with his new head, he could finally speak fairly easily.

His body movements had also become more human-like, allowing him to blend in more naturally. Rolo's eyes flickered with surprise, but he quickly masked it. He glanced at his siblings, who looked hopeful, especially Natia, who had clearly grown attached to Gleam. Exhaling slowly, he gave a nod.

"We'll do it."

'The boy is truly commendable. He must have been through a lot in his life.' Alexander seemed elated about this fact, but just like before, Aburdon protested.

'Bah, we do not need those brats loitering around here. What if they steal something while we are gone?'

'Steal what? There is nothing here but rubble Aburdon, we'll be fine and I'm not planning to let them stay forever.' While Rusty allowed the four to stay for now, that did not mean they could remain forever. Once the cleanup was done, he would make them leave. He was still a monster, after all, and living with four humanoid creatures under the same roof was dangerous. Sooner or later, they would realize something was off about him and perhaps even report him to the guards.

For now, he just needed someone to watch over his new lair while he visited the Ferndale Dungeon. Now that morning had arrived, he wanted to see what kind of monsters lurked inside and how quickly he could progress to D rank.

"Good. Then, start cleaning. Get rid of any debris, and organize what little furniture remains. If there's anything salvageable, set it aside. Understood?"

"T-thank you, sir."

"Just call me Ru… I mean, Edmund." The children nodded, and without hesitation, they set to work. Rolo directed his siblings efficiently, clearly accustomed to taking charge. Natia, despite her small frame, eagerly picked up broken wood pieces, while the twins began sweeping dust after finding an old broom in the corner. Rusty watched them for a few moments before turning away.

"I will be leaving for a while, I might be gone for a few days." He was not sure what he would encounter in the dungeon, but once there, he intended to stay as long as possible to increase his levels. Perhaps the street urchins would be gone by the time he returned, which would make things easier.

"Where are you going?" Rusty had no obligation to answer, but since he was entrusting them with his lair, it seemed reasonable to offer some explanation.

"The dungeon." Silence followed his statement. Rolo's brows furrowed, and the twins exchanged nervous glances. Natia, however, simply continued playing with Gleam, seemingly unbothered.

"The Ferndale Dungeon?" Are you… you're planning to go in there alone?" Rusty nodded.

"Yes."

"That's… dangerous…"

"That's fine. I am not that weak. Now take care of my home. If you need a place to hide, go to the basement. The door there is quite sturdy. Now, Gleam, let's go."

"(• ᴖ •)" Gleam seemed a bit saddened when he called her over, but leaving her here alone was out of the question. Natia was just as sad, but with Rolo's help, they managed to separate the two. With that, the monster duo set off toward the dungeon. Things were progressing well for now, but soon, that peace would have to be earned…