I'm not a goblin Frankenstein's monster.

Chapter 85 Stinky Street (Seeking first subscription)

Although the skinny thug was itching to do something, he dared not disobey and had to suppress his temper.

The two followed the oblivious Tom at a distance, like two damp, snarling dogs, as they turned into the alley that seemed particularly dark even in the daytime.

This alley has a well-known, fitting, yet unpleasant name in the town: Stinky Street.

Just hearing the name is enough to imagine its environment.

The alley was narrow and cramped, with crooked, low shacks haphazardly built with wooden planks and broken bricks on both sides.

The ground is always covered with a layer of sticky black substance that is hard to tell if it is mud, oil, or something else, mixed with the smell of garbage and a faint odor of excrement.

Several broken drains lead directly to a shallow ditch in the center of the alley, flowing with foul-smelling dirty water.

Light struggles to penetrate, making it dim even during the day, and by evening it is like a monster's esophagus, devouring all light and dignity.

This is where the town's poorest population gathers.

Penniless errand runners, prostitutes struggling to survive, dockworkers with nowhere to go after unloading cargo, and those who are the worst off...

A down-on-his-luck adventurer who can't even afford the cheapest hotel.

Anyone who has managed to accumulate some wealth will move away from here as soon as possible.

Damp, dirty, chaotic, and dangerous are its labels.

However, for a country boy like Tom, who had just arrived in the small town as a "drifter" in the north, was short of money but wanted to send as much money home as possible, the incredibly low room rates were its only, and fatal, attraction.

The ten copper coins saved from a month's rent meant a few more loaves of black bread for the family in the distant countryside.

At that moment, Xia Lin, who was on her way to the "Stonehammer and Spirits" tavern, caught a glimpse of Little Tom turning into Stink Street, thanks to a reminder from her friend Woody.

And those two clearly malicious "tails" at the back.

The boy's innocent, hopeful smile, still lingering on his face, contrasted sharply with the naked malice in the eyes of the thugs behind him.

He frowned.

Xia Lin had a good impression of this diligent errand boy, and Tagan also seemed to take good care of this fellow countryman's child.

Logically and emotionally, within his capabilities, and knowing that the other party was just two street thugs who had lost money gambling, not monsters or professionals, he didn't mind lending a hand.

He followed silently, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far, observing calmly with his eyes.

At the same time, he was also taking stock of the cleanliness of this "civilized street".

"It really is—terrible," Xia Lin thought to himself.

The adventurer's inn where he stayed was simple, but it had a private room and a fairly comfortable bed, and it was at least clean and safe.

The "Bard's House" where the halfling Ezio lived, and the "Tree Hole Inn" chosen by the elf Lia, both had excellent environments.

But if those makeshift shacks that barely provide shelter from the wind and rain can be considered hotels in this stinking street—

Xia Lin recalled memories from her past life of those cheap hourly hotels near train stations in small county towns, their neon lights flashing.

The air was always murky, the room was so cramped that it could only fit a bed and a table, the walls were as thin as paper, and the snoring and arguing from next door could be heard clearly.

There were even those "dormitory rooms" where dozens of people were crammed together, a mixture of sweat, foot odor, and all sorts of strange smells.

Moreover, there were occasional unexpected knocks on the door from women in the middle of the night, disturbing their rest, making their living experience extremely difficult.

In contrast, Jasmine's Adventurers' Inn is practically a five-star business hotel.

However, for Tom, the boy who was carrying money to send to his family and was completely unaware of the dangers at hand, this place might be the first foothold he set foot in this town, striving to survive, carrying his initial hardships and hopes.

Just as Xia Lin was pondering this, preparing to intervene before the thugs made a move, "Ouch!"

"Bang! Thump!"

Two short, startled cries and a muffled thud of flesh being struck hard suddenly came from the depths of the alley ahead, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.

But this voice—it doesn't seem to belong to Little Tom?

Xia Lin felt a chill run down her spine. Judging from the noise, it sounded like the voices of two thugs who were following her.

He immediately quickened his pace, quietly turned a street corner piled with junk and looked toward the source of the sound.

He was slightly taken aback by what he saw in the slightly wider dead-end alley.

A familiar, tall figure stood there like a city wall, almost blocking half of the alley entrance.

At his feet, the skinny thug was already lying stiffly on the ground, having passed out before his "boss," his eyes rolling back in his head.

Meanwhile, the tall, scarred thug known as "Boss" was being held by the collar by a giant hand and slammed against the damp brick wall like a chick, enjoying the one-on-one service from the orc in front of him.

The thug's face was swollen like a pig's head, blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were filled with fear.

Little Tom was completely unharmed, sheltered firmly behind that broad back, and clearly unaffected by anything.

"Spare me—please spare me—I was wrong, I won't do it again, I'll never do it again—" the scarred thug begged for mercy, his words slurred.

"There will be a next time?" The orc's voice was deep and rumbling, clearly angered by the other's words.

He grabbed his other fist, as big as a sand bowl, without any hesitation, and generously added a few more blows as a reward to the other party.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two more solid "educational" blows, the force perfectly controlled, enough to inflict excruciating pain on the thug without actually killing him. The scarred-face thug's head lolled to the side, and he followed in his companion's footsteps, completely losing consciousness.

The orc Garu released his grip like throwing away a broken sack, letting the other slump down against the wall.

He turned around and faced little Tom, who was stunned with fright.

That orc face, which usually looked somewhat fierce and was covered with short, stiff bristles, tried to force out what he thought was a relatively benign expression.

But the effect was significantly diminished by the dim lighting in the alley.

"Alright, it's nothing."

Garrut tried to keep his voice down, though it was still loud enough for little Tom to hear, "From now on, be more careful when you walk on your own, and pay attention to safety."

Little Tom finally came to his senses from the sudden change and visual shock.

He glanced at the two unconscious thugs on the ground, then at the orc adventurer in front of him who exuded an astonishing aura of oppression but had kindly saved him.

The descriptions of orcs' brutality and savagery that he usually heard from adventurers in taverns flashed through his mind, but he found that they did not match the scene before him at all.

"Thank you so much! Thank you so much!"

Little Tom realized what was happening and quickly bowed, his voice trembling with nervousness and excitement.

He didn't dare linger. After thanking them again, he carefully bypassed the "obstacles" on the ground and quickly ran out of the alley that had left him terrified.