On the final night, at the third hour, Night Sanger decided to abandon the wicked idea he had harbored. He merely altered the appearance of Sandwin, giving him a more rugged countenance, and replaced his armor with a simple black set.
"As for the name, there's no need to change it. After all, you've been dead for twenty years, and encountering someone with the same name and surname in the world is not uncommon," Night Sanger reassured Sandwin, who was momentarily stunned by his new face.
"Alright, then how should I address you?" Sandwin furrowed his brow. He couldn't bring himself to bow down like other undead to a master; it was a challenge to his principles.
"Call me the boss," Night Sanger waved his hand dismissively, squatting near the pile of neatly organized equipment.
Excluding the ones that had decayed, there were still over two hundred pieces of equipment on the ground, barely usable. The majority were standard-issue long spears and swords, constituting about sixty percent. There were also thirty finely crafted steel crossbows and fifty shields.
Curiously, Night Sanger picked up a steel crossbow, though labeled as "fine steel," only the bow and mechanism were made of steel, while the body was crafted from red date wood. The most remarkable feature was the bow, composed of three pieces of fine steel strips fused into a curve. Night Sanger tried pulling it, finding it required substantial force.
"This is a foot-powered crossbow; you need to use your feet to draw the string," Sandwin explained, demonstrating the technique with another steel crossbow.
"Unfortunately, there are no bolts; otherwise, I could show you its power." With a gentle pull of the trigger, the crossbow string returned to its place, creating a subtle breeze.
Night Sanger shook his head. While the crossbow seemed powerful, his current strength was insufficient to operate it, let alone the slender goblins.
After attaching the crossbow to a goblin's back, Night Sanger sifted through the pile of longswords. Using his item appraisal skill, he easily assessed their quality. Among the mediocre and standard longswords, one with a peculiar name caught his eye.
[Exquisite Enforcer's Sword]: A well-crafted longsword known for its durability, often worn by city enforcers.
Night Sanger flicked his fingers against the blade, producing a crisp sound. Despite its rough appearance and the system's ordinary description, it stood out compared to the ordinary weapons on the ground.
Unable to find a scabbard, Night Sanger gripped the sword in his hand and had the goblin skeletons hang the remaining equipment on their bodies.
Unused for now but potentially useful in the future.
However, the comical sight of goblins, standing at 80 centimeters tall, carrying shields on their backs, wielding one-meter-long swords, holding one-meter-eight spears, and even having crossbows hanging from their chests, made for a rather amusing spectacle.
Seeing Night Sanger struggling to carry more, Sandwin raised an eyebrow, sensing a foreboding presence.
"By the way, how do you replenish your soul energy?" Night Sanger suddenly turned and pointed at a winged fish hanging from a goblin's shoulder.
"Is it by devouring those fish?" Sandwin shook his head, "It's getting dark now; I'll show you."
Following Sandwin out of the church, the two quickly reached another city gate that Night Sanger hadn't explored before.
"This is the battlefield ruin from the previous battle with the undead. I've scavenged most of the bodies and weapons, but since the second year, the geology here has changed," Sandwin explained.
Night Sanger looked at the dark city below, numerous water puddles reflecting silver light like mirrors under the moon.
"Are you referring to a swamp?" he inquired.
"I prefer to call it the Blackwater Swamp," Sandwin nodded. "After the corrupted land decayed, large amounts of black water emerged, turning the land below the city into muddy terrain. Subsequently, strange creatures appeared, and it's thanks to these beings that I've acquired enough soul energy."
With that, Sandwin stepped out of the city gate.
"Interested in joining me for a hunt?"
Night Sanger glanced at the night sky and nodded. As the boss, he couldn't let his subordinate look down on him; he drew his sword and followed.
However, after only a few steps, he halted.
Outside the city, Sandwin knocked on his armor. Suddenly, a nearby quiet water puddle began to churn like boiling water. With a splash, a black shadow swiftly lunged towards Sandwin.
"Be careful!" Night Sanger observed clearly; the black shadow was as large as two horses. Armored scales covered its back, and its four claws were as sturdy as human legs. The claws gleamed with a cold light, but the most terrifying features were its jagged, bloodstained jaws and the pair of vertically slit, green eyes.
It was an enormous crocodile!
Yet, Sandwin neither retreated nor dodged; instead, he opened his arms and embraced the crocodile's head, gently stroking its head like petting a cat.
Night Sanger: ...
"Don't be afraid; this is my pet Blackwater Crocodile. I call him Steeltooth. See its teeth? I personally embedded them!" Sandwin proudly extended his hand to caress the crocodile's large mouth, showing off to Night Sanger.
"A pet?" Night Sanger raised an eyebrow.
"No, it's a mount."
Sandwin chuckled and sat on the crocodile's neck, pulling Night Sanger up. Only then did he notice a specially made saddle on the crocodile's neck.
"According to undead standards, I should be a Death Knight. Since I'm a knight, how can I not have a mount?" Sandwin patted the crocodile's head, somewhat proudly.
"It took quite a bit of effort to tame it initially, but thankfully, with Steeltooth, I could endure these gloomy days."
"Come on up; I'll take you to my exclusive hunting ground."
Night Sanger cautiously mounted the crocodile, gripping Sandwin's armor. With a gentle shout from Sandwin, Steeltooth paddled its limbs, swiftly running forward.
One had to admit that the crocodile's running speed far exceeded Night Sanger's imagination. A well-bred horse might rival it, but an ordinary horse would be no match. Moreover, the Blackwater Crocodile was agile, easily navigating through patches of ghost grass. Mud and water puddles posed no obstacle; it could traverse, step over, swim, and leap, demonstrating adaptability to various terrains.
However, Night Sanger's buttocks were slightly sore due to the scale-like protrusions on the crocodile's back. Fortunately, their destination wasn't far, and soon they arrived at a swamp filled with ghost grass.
Listening to the deafening croaking in the distance, Night Sanger covered his buttocks and looked at Sandwin.
"Welcome to my hunting ground. I'll treat you to frog legs later. Let me tell you, I've been eating them for over a decade; the taste is exquisite!" Sandwin halted Steeltooth, grinning.
Night Sanger glanced ahead, scratching his head with a somewhat reluctant tone:
"Big brother, those seem to be to
ads, right? Also known as common toads. You..."