The Hero Turned Into A Potato And The World Fell To Ruin

Liu Ji was somewhat perplexed by what Yaine had just said.

He scrutinized hard, scanning up and down, but couldn't see what made these small hunched creatures with tiny eyes, large noses, and thick shells "good-looking."

If Liu Ji had to describe them, he would probably say that these little critters sure looked strange.

However, Yaine had said that these children were indeed good-looking. While these children weren't extremely handsome and pretty in terms of the Earthwalker race, at least none of them were ugly.

This was very strange.

As Earthwalkers lived underground for long periods, they had much weaker vision compared to other races and relied mostly on the senses of smell and hearing. Because of this, when choosing partners, appearance was hardly considered, and the general consensus was that Earthwalkers looked however they liked since they couldn't see.

Usually, one out of every three Earthwalkers would be particularly unappealing.

Could earthwalkers on this side of the desert be more concerned with looks? Yaine wondered.

However, there was another oddity too: while children on the streets were plentiful, not a single able-bodied adult could be seen.

"Don't overthink it. We've got to get some information first." Osar and the others had caught up to Yaine at this point. "I don't see any other outsiders here, so it would probably be very conspicuous if Nox and the others came by before."

"That's our best bet, then." Yaine nodded. "Eh? Where's Mervant? Off being a lone wolf again?"

"Yep, just let him be. Who knows, he might come back with some good news," Osar said as he pushed open the tavern door.

As soon as he stepped in, the noisy tavern fell silent.

At first glance, the entire place was filled with old earthwalkers playing chess, making it seem more like a senior citizen center. Moreover, for a tavern, there wasn't a single hint of alcohol in the air. On the contrary, steaming cups of hot water made the place seem especially healthy.

Osar looked around, nearly blurting out a "sorry to disturb." He had never seen a tavern with such a vibe before, and he felt incredibly awkward.

Just as he stood there blankly, the elderly earthwalker behind the counter rang a bell, catching his attention.

"Hello there, visitor from the outside," the old earthwalker greeted with a smile, his voice raspy yet energetic. "Come, have a seat. There are still some open spots inside."

"Ah, okay." Osar scratched his head and signaled the others behind to follow as he entered the tavern.

As their party entered, the surrounding elderly earthwalkers began whispering among themselves, clearly curious about the newcomers.

Osar and the gang sat themselves at an empty table in the back before the first old earthwalker, who seemed like the owner, brought a menu over and placed it on their table.

"My apologies. It's been a long time since we've had outsiders here, and they're all a bit curious," the old earthwalker said. "Whatever we can have is on the menu. Just let me know if you need anything. Or rather, if there's anything you want to know."

"Um, kind sir, before that, may I ask what currency you use here?" Yaine asked.

"Currency? Oh, some places still use crystals for transactions, but we don't need that here." The old earthwalker chuckled. "The church funds us, and it's always these old fellows here for some food and drink. We haven't charged for anything in a long time."

Hearing this, the group exchanged surprised looks.

"Sir, forgive me for asking," Calidora spoke, "this place is supposed to be a tavern, right?"

"Yes, indeed." The old earthwalker nodded. "But we stopped selling alcohol long ago due to food shortages. You'll have to make do with what we have."

"That's fine, but…" Osar scratched his head. "Don't the youngsters, I mean, the able-bodied ones, not the kids, come to the tavern?"

"Able-bodied youngsters? Oh, you all still don't know, huh?" The old earthwalker chuckled while offering an explanation. "They're not in the city. Any healthy young person joins our heroic defense army when they are of age to fight on the front lines."

Everyone froze up when this was said.

"Everyone has to join the army regardless of whether male or female? How long has this been going on?" Yaine frowned.

"Ever since the underground monsters invaded this city around three hundred years ago," said the old earthwalker with a sad sigh. "The church says they're monsters from another world, and we've been fighting them for centuries."

"So, you're all surviving veterans from the battlefield?" Osar asked, puzzled.

"No, heh heh. Most of us were unfit for battle and had to stay in the city," said the old earthwalker as he lifted his left hand to reveal a wooden prosthetic. "Those who went to the front lines fought until their last breath. It's their honor to die in battle."

The group exchanged glances again, their brows scrunched up in frowns. This explanation seemed too strange.

No discharged veterans? Fine assuming they all chose to die in battle. What about the wounded then? So many years of men and women sent to the frontlines, yet there was no end to the fight? It just didn't add up.

Moreover…

"What about the children in the city?" Girunini asked. "Where do they come from?"

"They're the offspring of our heroic warriors," the old earthwalker explained. "The church brings back the children born from the warriors' unions at the front lines and sends them to the city. As such, it's the duty of everyone in the city to raise them.

"Speaking of which, there are some unscrupulous folk here who kidnap children to mine for crystals. They truly are disgusting traitors of the race.

"But, coincidentally, not too long ago, some outsiders came and smashed those scum's mining operation…"

At this mention, everyone's attention was immediately drawn away from the other odd details.

"Those people!" Osar slammed his hands on the table and nearly jumped up from excitement. "Um, sorry, I just wanted to ask, do you know what they looked like?"

"Hmm, let me think…" The old earthwalker rubbed his chin in thought. "I didn't see them myself, but I heard there were three of them. The leader's a short man carrying a huge book. As for the other two, one wielded a bow, while the other had a sword and shield…

"Later on, I still heard rumors that the bow-wielding outsider seems to still be wandering the mines until now."