Chapter 864 (2/2)
Clearing his throat, Ed spoke again with the red flush of intoxication infusing his cheeks. “Is such a fellow really worth all the time and attention heaped upon him? As long as he is isolated, I don’t see why this is such an ordeal. Simply tire him out and knock him down. It should be almost impossible for one man to pierce the defense shell erected by Donnyton, regardless of Skills.”
“Unfortunately not,” Donny said with a sigh. “That’s what makes our run-ins with the Nemesai so dangerous every time. Most of Donnyton’s training is focused on making the soldiers ready for monster attacks. Although they use Skills, it’s mostly a matter of physical superiority and size. Attacks are generally powerful but predictable.
“Not so against people. They have Skills, they are mobile, and they generally can the hard defenses and strike where you are weak. For all that I think we will win, Randidly won’t make it easy.” Donny rubbed his chin. “In terms of Agility… it will be hard to keep up. Trapping him would be a high priority, and that will definitely need a plan.”
Alana drummed her fingers against the table. “We’ve only really given Stan rather low-stress engagements to control so far. Things he has felt far away from. With how nervous he is-”
Donny waved a hand. “We can’t coddle him forever. Besides, his problem started with something Randidly said to him, didn’t it? Perhaps a chance to redeem himself is exactly what he wants.”
Ed nodded emphatically in agreement. “Exactly! A man needs to fight his enemies. Perhaps not physically, but in a direct fashion! It’s only by facing your foe that you grow to understand him. Take this Randidly character, for instance. Now I won’t obviously bother to force it to a duel, but I will do my damnedest to stand up for my moral code. He might waltz into town thinking he owns the place, but-”
“Yes yes,” Sam said dismissively. “But we haven’t discussed the most important detail. I’ll be creating armor for Randidly, so I feel somewhat conflicted to be here-”
“You aren’t seriously suggesting that your armor would shift the outcome of the fight?” Ed scoffed. On cue, Bekany tittered.
Regina sighed. “Oh, he definitely is.”
“To compare a well-equipped man to a barehanded one is to compare a cannonball to a grape,” Sam growled, his eyes narrowed and locked upon Ed.
Mrs. Hamilton sighed; it seemed that all hope of a productive discussion had been lost for the night.
Ed leaned forward and pointed his thick finger at Sam. “You need to stop treating this man like he’s some sort of incarnate of god. He’s just some punk kid that was at the right place at the right time. Now sure, he’s stronger than the average, maybe even currently the strongest person on Earth. But how long will that last? He’s just one man! And probably arrogant to boot. I’m starting to rethink meeting him…”
Donny chuckled. “You don’t have a choice, Ed. You might think you do, but you don’t. That’s just the type of guy he is. As long as you remain in Donnyton, he will creep his way into your life without you even noticing.”
*****
At the crack of dawn, Ed snuck out of bed, careful not to wake his wife. Not only to save himself from the nattering but because Ed had a secret life. One that he kept secret from his wife not to keep her from finding out what he did, but to prevent everyone else from finding out that the thing he did was done by him, Ed.
With a little application of illusion, he erased his own mustache. For several long seconds, he stared sourly at his reflection in the mirror. Without his fine mustache, he just looked… old. And balding. Shaking his head at the sacrifices he made for his love, Ed snuck out of his home.
This all was necessary because Ed had made his money creating the sewer system of Donnyton and then expanding it to Franksburg. With all the shit flowing between two booming cities, he established a super large waste treatment center between them. His wife believed that he spent most of his days down South at that facility, running experiments to make the conversion of human waste more efficient.
That wasn’t the case. Because Ed had a dream.
A dream that was wholly incompatible with the man who was known as the lord of shit.
Humming softly, Ed strolled across Donnyton toward the Northern portion of the city. At this time of the morning, there were a lot of individuals flowing down from the mountain toward their work. Due to the steady flow of bodies, he was simply lost in the throng.
It was only outside his secret shop that Ed paused. He twitched his invisible mustache. Was there something… different about his door?
Ed considered it for several seconds. Then he harrumphed. Probably the contractor used cheap paint, and the color was washing out in the sun. That’s what Ed would have done. Tsking at being taken advantage of, Ed unlocked the shop and walked into the store.
After all, he needed to get a start on the day’s baking. For whatever reason, there was an increase in customers for the past two days. Perhaps that black-haired young man was right. Perhaps a change was coming to Donnyton.