bookandnovel Chapter 90 Ticket to Meat, Your Name is Ticket to Meat
Chapter 90 Ticket to Meat, Your Name is Ticket to Meat
The halfling took the sapphire ring off his hand and gently placed it on the floor. Then he waved to the child.
"Come here... This is your mother's belongings, and it rightfully belongs to you."
The little girl hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked over, squatted down, and looked up at Gebu.
Geb nodded.
The little girl reached for the ring—in an instant, the ring flew up and disappeared from her fingertip.
"Hey!" The hostage hurriedly reached out to grab it, but the ring seemed to have its own will, dodging the girl's hand and flying around to Gebu's hand instead.
The child's eyes were brimming with tears as he sobbed.
"You're playing me again... I..."
The little girl's emotions went from heaven to hell. After riding the roller coaster several times, she finally got tired, slumped down, and tears streamed down her face.
Seeing that he had done enough, Gebu finally put the ring away.
"Child, this ring is yours, but you can't protect it. I'm just holding it for you temporarily... Think about it, if you carry it with you, what if someone takes a liking to it and tries to steal it?"
Gebu said earnestly, placing his hand on the child's head and patting it.
"You cry, you shout... waiting for someone to come and save you, but what if no one comes? What will you do then?"
"..."
"...I kicked him in the groin!"
The hostage was silent for a few seconds, then raised his face and said angrily.
"Well, I knew it..." Gebu thought to himself. This girl is really stubborn.
"Let me tell you, little girl, if there really were a bad guy with ill intentions towards your precious child, he wouldn't give you the chance to kick him in the groin—he'd smash your head open with a hammer while you were sleeping, and then steal your ring... Have you ever seen a watermelon?"
The child, with red eyes, nodded.
"It's like smashing a watermelon, *smack*, and your head is gone. A red mess on the ground."
Gebu vividly described the scene of his head being smashed, which made the child even more distressed, and he opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.
"No matter how powerful you are, can you guarantee you won't fall asleep?" Seeing that his lie had worked, Geb quickly added fuel to the fire. "I won't hide it from you, you've seen it all. I can protect you, and your ring—I'm a wizard, very powerful! My magic can turn goblins into humans."
The child looked at him without saying a word. Gebu quickly performed a face-changing act with the mask for the child—the little girl had expected it, but was still startled.
"Wizards... Father Matthew from my hometown said that all wizards are evil... all bad people..."
"I, Gebu, am not a bad person. Would a bad person rescue you from the kobolds? Would a bad person keep your mother's precious ring safe? Would a bad person hold you back from falling off the roof?"
"I don't care about your jewelry, but I can't let it harm you. Do you understand, little one?"
"I am not evil, I am profoundly kind."
Gebu's eyes were burning, and he sang a string of grand words that even moved himself.
Why am I so kind? I'm practically a saint!
The child saw that the halfling in front of him did not harm him, but instead teased and comforted him. He didn't know how to react and looked conflicted.
"I heard that the Sword Maiden is going to take you to Silverwater City to find your grandmother—but she's busy guarding the caravans and can't take care of you at all... So, are you going to work as a waitress in this inn for the rest of your life?"
The little girl lowered her head and muttered:
"Dove said that if I'm quick and nimble, I can help out in the caravan... but I know she's just trying to comfort me... Waaah... the caravan doesn't want children at all... Waaah... even the innkeeper thinks I'm clumsy, but I've never done any manual labor before... my hands hurt so much, the water is so cold... the stables stink, and the haystacks are so prickly... I want to sleep in a bed... Waaah..."
The child became increasingly aggrieved as she spoke, her sobs as unpleasant as a boiling kettle. Gebu patted her back without saying anything, simply letting the little girl vent her emotions.
Sigh, what a poor child.
But you know what, she's quite proactive.
Gebu looked at the messy room. The little girl had been busy all night, turning the whole room upside down except for the dimensional bag on her body and under her bottom. She didn't know how she pried open the wooden board on the door, and she also tore off the cloth on the window... She had been up all night, but she hadn't woken him up.
This kid has a knack for thievery, Gebu thought.
Since she already knows his secret, and it's not good to kill her, he might as well take her in as a follower.
The child certainly wasn't as good at fighting as him, but she was much smarter, and humans are especially less wary of little girls, making it easier for them to do things.
Hmm...maybe I should transform into a little girl instead of a halfling...
Loli Goblin...
Uh... that's a bit disgusting. I don't want to try to act cute with a fake voice.
Gebu gently stroked the child's head—
"Cry...cry, cry it all out."
"Mommy...I want my mommy..."
"Yes...yes, I shouldn't have mentioned your mother. I'm sorry, I was in a hurry and said things without thinking."
The little girl looked up and wiped her nose on Gebu's leg.
"I can't argue with you... Oh, I shouldn't have called you stinky Ge Bulin..." the child muttered.
"It's nothing, it's nothing..." Gebu took a piece of cloth from the side and used it to wipe the girl's nose. "Use this, don't use my pants... I don't have many clothes to begin with."
"Blow—"
"Feeling better?" Geb asked.
The girl nodded.
"Let me tell you, I want to join the Salt and Iron Caravan—if you can promise not to reveal my secret, you can be my follower, understand? The Sword Maiden can't take you, I'll take you to Silverwater City to find your grandmother."
The girl's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously.
"Steam, steam it?"
"Blow your nose."
"Blow—"
"Of course it's true."
"I..." The girl hesitated for a moment, about to say something, "A ring...a ring..."
"I'll keep it safe for you on the way. I'll return the ring to your grandmother when we get to Silverwater City."
The little girl thought for a moment, pursed her lips, and was still hesitating.
Seeing that only one round remained, Gebu steeled his resolve and said:
"You'll be my lackey, and I won't let you work for free—how much does the hotel pay you per day?"
"Five copper coins," the child said.
Good heavens, that's outrageous—five copper coins can only buy two loaves of bread, not even enough for cheese.
"I'll give you two silver coins a day, including food and lodging," Gebu said. This was about the price for hiring a laborer with no skills, so it was quite generous to pay a child this much.
"We even get paid!" the child exclaimed incredulously.
"Of course, as I said, I'm a very kind person... Of course, for safety reasons, I'll keep your wages safe. If you want to buy anything, just tell me and I'll deduct it from your account."
The girl nodded. This child still lacks social experience—he can't get real money. In the end, it all comes down to Gebu's mouth.
"You'd better keep your mouth shut. You can't tell anyone I'm a goblin or that I can use magic, understand?" Geb said, then, not satisfied, he sternly threatened the child, "If I find out, you'll never be able to go home again! And forget about the ring!"
"I...I understand." The hostage nodded.
"Okay... My first task is to run around and see where there are lots of people, where it's lively, and where people like to spend their money... Come back and report to me around dinner time tonight."
The little girl wiped away her tears, stood up, and hummed in agreement.
"Also, I'm hungry, bring me some food and water." Gebu waved his hand. "After I leave, tidy up the house... You made such a mess, you have to take responsibility for it. Um... that's about it, go!"
The girl obediently walked to the door, about to go out—but then stopped.
"What's wrong?"
Gebu wondered if she had realized what was happening and regretted it.
The girl hesitated for a moment, then stammered:
"Gebu... thank you."
"You're welcome. By the way, what's your name...?"
"My name is Tani..."
"...Let's just keep calling you 'Meat Ticket' from now on. I'm too lazy to change it."
"I……"
"Go! Hostage! I'm starving!" Gebu pushed the child out with a wizard's hand.
After shoving the bewildered little girl out of the room, Gebu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Good grief, I almost got out of control by a kid... Luckily, I had a quick thinking moment.
"As expected of me," Gebu thought to himself, feeling smug.
Hey, if the result is good, then everything is good!
Child labor, got it!