Monster Paradise Chapter 25: Danger Descends!
Tyrant continued running for another six hours before the sun started to set.
It was an uneventful six hours which was in large part thanks to Tyrant's oppressive aura. The Crimson Aurum Desert was a One Star Hinterlands and as such, very rarely had any sightings of monsters above BlackIron. Being a Three-Star BlackIron, Tyrant was standing at the peak of this desert's food chain. Most monsters would actively try to avoid him.
The desert temperature rises dramatically during the day and such most predators choose to lay low and rest during this period. They would wait for the temperature to drop after sunset before heading out to hunt for prey. As such travelling during the night is not a wise decision.
Furthermore, with Tyrant's speed during the day, they had no need to rush during the night.
After recalling Tyrant, Lin Huang brought out his backup ogre.
Seeing this, Fatty Yin couldn't help but ask Lin Huang," Brother, how many minions do you actually have?"
"That's a secret." Lin Huang replied without turning around as he continued pitching his tent.
"Couldn't you just buy an instant tent? It's a waste of time to manually pitch a test." Fatty Yin asked Lin Huang as he sat atop a rock.
"Broke. Can't afford it."
This wasn't Lin Huang being rude. The instant tents Fatty Yin was talking about were a type of Equipment. A top quality tent cost as much as a BlackIron Equipment. Lin Huang was naturally unable to afford this a few days ago. However to Fatty Yin, this seemed to be Lin Huang's attempt at showboating.
"If you told me you had insufficient money to advance into BlackIron, I would believe you. However, not being able to afford an instant tent? I find that hard to believe. One of these day I'll visit your home and see how poor you are. If you really cannot afford tent, I'll pay for your advancement into BlackIron!" He was clearly confident that Lin Huang was exaggerating his poverty and therefore made such a bet.
Paying for a person's advancement into BlackIron was a huge drain on one's resources after all. A normal person require two hundred million credits in order to acquire the required Life Crystals. This was the main reason why a portion of Humanity could never advance into the BlackIron realm.
Lin Huang laughed as he heard this, "I'll pass on the building inspection but I can send you my accounts once we get out of here."
" Wait you're not joking are you? You are that poor?!" Fatty Yin started to panic as he heard this. Lin Huang mutely smiled at him. Seeing this, Fatty Yin hastily explained, "I'm just kidding with you. It's just a joke, don't take it too seriously."
Lin Huang ignored him and focused on pitching his tent. When his tent was finally pitched, the sun had set.
Fatty Yin continued sitting on the rock with an awkward expression on his face.
"Where's your tent?"
"About that… … Last night, it was blown away by the wind…" Lin Huang scratched his head and averted his eyes as he said this.
"Oh… Well, start making dinner." Lin Huang pretended not to hear him and continued on. He stretched his back lazily and muttered to himself, "After eating, I'll head to bed right away. Such a tiring day."
"What about me?" Fatty Yin looked at Lin Huang pitiful as he continued on, " What about we share the tent for the night?"
"Screw that, you're on your own." Lin Huang immediately rejected him.
"It's cold at night! Look at my delicate body, if you made my sleep outside, I would freeze to death. Can you really live with yourself then?!"
"It's okay. If you're feeling chilly, you can hug that Sand Ogre while you sleep." Lin Huang quipped.
"He's a lot fattier than you, perfect for hugging. Just perfect for your tastes."
"I would rather freeze to death…" He furiously shook his head as he saw the sand ogre leering at him.
Deciding to change the subject Lin Huang said, "Stop lazing around and start making dinner!"
"I've got no appetite for food. Not gonna cook today." Fatty Yin looked away as he said this. Looks like Fatty Yin is throwing a tantrum.
"Just start making dinner, I'll think of a solution for you once we are done eating."
"No way, you have to tell me what's your solution first if not I'm going on a strike." Fatty Yin crossed his arms as he said, waiting for Lin Huang's explanation.
"The solution is… I have an extra tent." Lin Huang laughed as he revealed his solution.
"You're not joking with me right?"
Lin Huang did not continue explaining but instead took out the cylindrical container of a tent, from his storage space.
"Why didn't you say so earlier!" Fatty Yin scolded Lin Huang in a light hearted tone.
"I'm not like a certain someone who did not even prepare a backup tent." He said as he started emptying the contents of the cylinder onto the desert floor. "After dinner, you can set it up yourself. I'll be asleep by then.
Hearing this, Fatty Yin got down to cooking.
Night had fallen by the time the pair finished their dinner. The stars illuminated the sky as they painted a beautiful sea of stars in the night sky. The ground had finally become cold as the chilly desert winds cooled the surrounding temperature.
Lin Huang commanded the ogre to guard the perimeters while Fatty Yin continued with his clumsy tent pitching.
After half an hour, he finally pitched a "tent". The entrance looked slanted and the entire body was on the verge of collapsing. At its side, was a pile of unused parts. However, Fatty Yin did not care. He was tired and decided to make do with his "tent". The dust storm from the previous day had taken a toll on his stamina.
Hearing the snores of the fatty, Lin Huang shook his head and smiled, murmuring to himself, " What a trusting fatty… he fell asleep so quickly in the presence of stranger. He must've been really tired..."
Lin Huang on the other hand, was not that tired and did not sleep till a few hours later.
As the temperature continued to drop, a thin layer of frost started forming on the desert floor. Under the red and purple illumination of the planet's dual moons, the entire desert gave off an aura of tranquil coldness.
Suddenly, the ogre stood up and started sniffing around. He had picked up a scent. As he locked onto the direction of the scent, he peered in that direction. While he was unable to discern what it was, he could see a blur heading towards them. The ogre started shouting as he ran towards Lin Huang's tent.
*Awoo Awoo Awoo!*
Lin Huang swiftly got to his feet as he heard the warning shout. He slept fully dressed in case of emergencies.
Peeling open his tent flap, he started surveying the surroundings. As he looked in the direction of the ogre's finger, he face paled.
He rushed to the fatty's tent and attempted to tear it open. Failing to do so, he took out his combat knife and slashed the tent apart. He desperately shouted at the Fatty while slapping him, "Fatty! You god damn potato, get up! Stop sleeping or we're both dead.
Credits:
Special thanks to 7STARDARK BLADE! The first ever patron of Catato Patch Translations.