Slime Immortal.

Chapter 44 Arno's Instructor

Iron Boots Town.

Warm sunlight filtered through the dusty windows of the Old Oak Tavern, casting a shadow on the wooden tables and tin cups filled with ale.

In a corner of the pub, the atmosphere was particularly lively.

"Cheers! To our survival and our prosperity!"

Kelvin held up his glass, a genuine smile on his face that he had never seen before.

"cheers!"

Bloom slammed his big, fan-like hands on the table and laughed, his face flushed.

"Hahaha! For that stick from little Ella."

Ella's face flushed red, she was excited but also a little embarrassed.

"Uncle Bloom, stop it... I was just waving around in fear."

Kelvin drank the beer in his glass in one gulp and breathed a sigh of satisfaction.

"Guys, we were able to come back alive this time and make such a big profit. Besides our good luck and good cooperation, we also have to thank one person."

He paused, his voice filled with genuine gratitude, "'Miracle' Arno! He was the one who showed us the way."

"Yes! Cheers to 'Miracle' Arno!" Bloom raised his glass again.

"Cheers to Mr. Arno." Ella also echoed softly.

At the corner of the bar, a traveler holding a glass of water paused slightly when he heard the name "Miracle Arno".

The lady has long light brown hair, which is simply tied behind her head, revealing a face with slightly cold and hard lines but very heroic.

He sits as straight as a javelin, and even his low-key dress cannot conceal the military temperament and subtle aristocratic demeanor engraved in his bones.

Her companion, a seemingly capable and neat soldier, was observing his surroundings vigilantly.

Alice put down her cup, turned around, and cast a calm gaze towards Kelvin's table.

"Sorry to bother you all. I haven't been to Ironboot Town for a long time. I heard you mention 'Miracle' Arno... Who is he?"

Kelvin was speaking excitedly when he heard someone approach him. It was a lady who looked extraordinary and heroic. He immediately responded enthusiastically:
"Oh? Have you also heard of the legendary figure from our Iron Boots Town?"

"Has this Mr. Arno ever been a squire of a knight?"

Kelvin's eyes lit up and he slapped his thigh.

"Yes, yes! It's him! Arno Belmonte! Do you know him?"

Alice shook her head slightly.

"No, I just heard of this name. Thanks for telling me."

"Wish ya'll good luck."

She stood up and nodded slightly to Kelvin and the other two. Then, she walked straight to the door of the tavern with her adjutant and pushed it open.

The afternoon sun lazily shines outside Tiexue Town. In the distance is a hillside that has been cultivated into terraced fields, dotted with golden wheat waves and emerald green orchards.

In the near distance, a clear stream gurgles by, several windmills turn slowly, and smoke rises from the farmhouses with white walls and red tiles, creating a tranquil and peaceful pastoral scenery.

Alice and her adjutant walked out of the town gate and stood by the road. She took a deep breath of the air that was fragrant with earth and grass.

Adjutant Karen followed behind her and couldn't help but whisper, "Sir, that Arno in the tavern just now... is he really the young man who was in the Border Guard Corps reserve?"

"It should be him."

"'Miracle' Arno... being able to survive in such a place and find a way to make money is indeed a 'miracle'. It's just a pity..."

"What a pity?" Karen was puzzled.

"Petrosis. That's why he had to withdraw from the knight training."

"This is a slow and cruel curse of the nobility. It requires expensive alchemical potions to delay its onset, and there's no cure. No matter how much wealth you possess, I'm afraid it won't buy back a healthy body... for too long."

“It’s a pity he could have become an excellent knight… May Cardos have mercy on this poor talent.” As the two were talking, the sheriff of Ironboot Town, a middle-aged man wearing a leather breastplate, came running up, panting.

"Captain Alice! You're here. Why did you go to the tavern?"

Alice turned around, her expression regaining its businesslike calm.

"Good afternoon, Sheriff Wheeler. I'm just stopping by to see the adventurous atmosphere of Ironboot Town and get a feel for the local situation."

She changed the subject and her tone became serious, "Also, we received the latest report from the Border Guard Corps."

"The weather station has observed signs of large-scale magical riots in the Corrupted Miasma Mountains, which is likely to cause continuous heavy rain."

"Summer is approaching. Ironboot Town is located in the lower reaches of the valley and close to the swamp forest. You'd better prepare in advance."

Sheriff Weller's face sank, and sweat broke out on his forehead. "Yes! Yes! Thank you Knight Alice for the reminder! I'll arrange it right away!"

He did not dare to delay, so he hurriedly bowed, turned around and ran back to the town.

Watching the sheriff leave, Alice said to Deputy Karen: "Let's go, we still have a mission."

Karen looked at the sheriff's receding back, and couldn't help but look towards the swamp forest.

"Sir, shouldn't we check out the swamp and those corrupted lizardmen that are suddenly roaming around the reedy banks?"

"No, corrupted creatures are extremely difficult to deal with. They have strong vitality. Killing them is very time-consuming. Besides, that swamp..."

She paused, as if recalling something.

"It's far more dangerous than it appears. Without a detailed map and sufficient anti-venom potions, rushing into the swamp and getting lost is tantamount to seeking death."

Adjutant Karen was clearly shocked when he heard this.

"Even you...are not sure you can get through that swamp?"

In his mind, this knight from the border garrison, who was powerful and had firm faith, was almost a symbol of omnipotence.

Alice glanced at Karen, her eyes calm and composed. There was neither anger at being questioned nor any boasting in her eyes. She was just stating the facts.

"My strength is enough to deal with most threats on the periphery, but if I want to go deep into the core area and face unknown monsters and poisonous fog and find a way out alive, the success rate is very low."

"Even a powerful legion commander wouldn't do such a stupid thing."

She jumped onto the horse with smooth and agile movements.

"The mission is crucial. Those cunning 'Rusty Key' guys won't foolishly wait for us in the ruins of the outpost. Catching them won't be easy. We can't let this clue go."

She pulled the reins and gazed calmly at the rotting mountains in the distance, shrouded in mist, looking gloomy and mysterious.

Only she herself knew that tracking down the Rusty Key, a thieves' guild active in the border ruins, was not the only purpose of her trip, nor even the main purpose.

The ruins of the outpost, this place name weighed heavily on her heart.

It was once a border fortress during the glorious days of the White Horse Kingdom. However, due to frequent and uncontrolled magical riots, it became a deadly place and was abandoned by the kingdom.

For more than a decade, it has become a graveyard for adventurers and a hotbed of illegal activities.

She took on the task of tracking down the thieves, ostensibly for the Border Guard Corps' duty.

But deep down in her heart, what drove her to this borderland was her brother who disappeared in Ironboot Town more than ten years ago, a legion knight who also believed in Cardos.

She recently received some clues that her brother was last seen at the ruins of an outpost.

There has been no news for more than ten years, no one has seen him alive, and no body has been found after his death.

This time, no matter what dangers and secrets are hidden in the ruins, she will go in.

Even if all she found in the end was a weathered skeleton, she had to give him and her family an explanation.

Alice clutched the silver sword pendant on her chest.

Witnessed by Cardos, courage and protection are her vows that she will never betray.

(End of this chapter)