Cthulhu Gonfalon

Hopes carried his suitcase to the accommodation arranged for him by the mining department. This was a four-man room, and one of his roommates had already arrived and was reading a book on his bed.

Looking at his roommate’s soft and silky hair as well as his pointy ears, Hopes could tell that he was of elvish descent. He was probably from a long line of elves too as he could sense the natural magic revolving around his roommate.

As a quasi-caster in the direction of the druid, Hopes could demonstrate a few tricks of natural magic but could not carry out high-level ones. He could sense that his roommate was definitely stronger than he was and was either a natural wizard or druid of a certain class, at least middle class in fact.

What was a mid-class druid doing here as a miner? Hopes was confused but felt too awkward to ask, and thus, he simply greeted him politely.

The roommate, Sid, was a quiet man. After introducing himself, he sat quietly and continued to read without any intention to make small talk. Luckily, Hopes was also not a talkative person, and he decided to mind his own business and explore his surroundings after storing his luggage.

As it had been a rather spur of the moment decision, he had only brought along a few simple belongings. Upon hearing Clito explain that they would be undergoing training for a period of time, he decided to buy more lifestyle items that he would need.

Toothpaste and a toothbrush, easy-to-wash underwear, a washbasin and other simple toiletries, and a hot-water bottle that was easy to use but not convenient for long-distance transportation… When he returned, a second roommate who had just arrived stared on in shock.

“Why… why do you have so many things?” the thick and dark man asked.

“Is it really a lot? The four hot water bottles are for us, one each. The other two are for common use. The four washing basins are also for the four of us, just as the toothpaste and toothbrushes are. However, I only bought underwear for myself, if you all need that, you will have to buy it yourself…”

The man had the sudden realization that Hopes was being extremely generous and thanked him frantically and offered to pay for some of it.

“It’s alright. We can make claims for the purchases we have made, so these are not on my own expenses. If I could, I would, but I don’t have that much money to treat everyone!” Hopes bantered and winked.

The big man couldn’t help it and laughed as well, and this broke the ice instantly.

His name was Ruby, and he was an immigrant from the Commonwealth. Unlike Hopes and Sid, he was not a science graduate, technical worker, but rather a retired explorer.

“Retired? Are you very old?” Hopes asked in confusion.

“No, I’m only 30 years old. However, I became an explorer when I was 16. It has already been 14 years… I wanted to earn some quick money and return to my hometown to enjoy a nice, quiet life but earning money is tough. When I finally earned enough, in the end… sigh!”

Evidently, he had a sad past. Ruby sighed and said, “Anyway, I’m retired. I came here because I learned some wilderness and survival skills in the past, and thus, I signed up as a miner. I’m not really sure how I got selected for this trip though.

“You must be extremely talented then!” Hopes exclaimed.

“Talented? Compared to Sid, I’m nobody. He’s the true talent.” Ruby shook his head in disagreement.

Hopes was caught by surprise, and he turned to glance at Sid with admiration.

Sid, upon being mentioned, sighed and put down his book. “Don’t namedrop me, I’m far from talented! If you really want to name names, our team leader Uncle Clito is the true talent. Compared to him, I’m just like an ant along the roadside.”

“Uncle Clito? Isn’t he quite young, about our age?” Hope asked in surprise.

“Young? His daughter just got engaged a while back and is preparing to get married next year, and you call him young? He just looks young.” Sid laughed.

Hopes was shocked as he did not imagine Clito to be more than 25, let alone have an engaged daughter.

“Did he marry and have children early?” Ruby asked.

“Yes, he did marry rather early, but his daughter is rather mature already and could even be said to be late to marry. Sister Yue is 26 going on 27 this year; she’s not that young. I remember there was a period of time where Uncle Clito was scared that she would never get married.” Sid appeared to be rather familiar with Clito, and he explained slowly.

“Afterwards?” Ruby pressed on curiously.

“Afterwards? Afterwards, he made sure to set his daughter up for several blind dates, and Sister Yue had been extremely dissatisfied and even threatened to walk out… Aunty Nice had to convince her to stay. Later on, she somehow managed to get a boyfriend, and out of the blue, they announced that they were getting married. Uncle Clito had been furious at that time as he felt that Sister Yue had been conned somehow, and he had nearly ran out to give her boyfriend a beating…”

Hopes thought about it and felt like he could empathize with Clito. As a father, it was natural to worry for his daughter, be it the case of being without a boyfriend or with a dubious man. When Hopes’ big sister had gotten married, his father had had the same doubts.

“Honestly, Uncle Clito is just too paranoid sometimes! Aunty Nice is already 60, and she still hasn’t found her other half, but she isn’t worried about it at all.”

Hope blinked at Sid, feeling as if he had misheard him.

He turned to look at Ruby, who wore a similar look of disbelief.

For someone to be almost 60 and not be wed, that meant it was probably impossible! She was already considered an old woman!

Sid was an observant man, and he immediately guessed what they were thinking and laughed. “Don’t misunderstand, Aunty Nice is a dominant spirit like me and has a long life. She is also an advanced mage. In a few years, she will enter the Legendary Realm. Being 60 means nothing to her.”

Ruby and Hopes immediately understood their misunderstanding and laughed.

After the joke had passed, Hopes questioned Sid curiously, “From the way you speak, it sounds like you’re rather familiar with Leader Clito and the rest?”

“Yes, I grew up with Sister Yue. Our parents were both workaholics and usually left us to our own devices…” Sid replied.

“What background are you from?”

“Me? I’m just an ordinary half-elf. My parents were Principal Felix’s first batch of students, and they built Pyroxene Town with her. Afterwards, they settled down in the town, got married and gave birth to me. At that time, Uncle Clito and Aunty Nice was already living here, and Sister Yue was already born as well. As for me… I guess I can be considered as part of the first batch of Pyroxene Town’s kindergarten.”

At this point, Sid burst out laughing and said, “According to some bards, I’m considered a pure native of the Republic.”