🌷Chapter Four: The Desert Wild Lily (2)

Upon hearing the man's words, the cyborg sprang to his feet as if electrified, a chilling sensation coursing through him like a venomous snake's gaze.

Instinctively, he recognized the formidable presence of the man before him. Though he appeared relaxed, his entire being seemed to meld seamlessly with the flower field, like an immovable rock. Without the cyborg's precise enhancements, it would be nearly impossible for an ordinary person to pinpoint his exact location.

Attack first! The cyborg swiftly drew his dagger, launching a ferocious double strike at the man.

Still seated, the man merely flicked his right hand. Two flashes of silver, and the cyborg’s attack was effortlessly deflected!

Leaping back to create distance, the cyborg finally saw the silver glint in the man's hand—a dagger with a brass handle, gleaming with lethal sharpness. The brass handle was crafted into a vicious knuckle-duster, with gears that could extend and retract the high-carbon steel blade at will.

“The Concealer!” the cyborg exclaimed, recognizing the weapon.

“Didn't expect this little thing to be so famous,” the man remarked, twirling the dagger with a hint of surprise.

“Why do you have that dagger? Where did you get it?” The cyborg felt a bitter taste in his mouth, grateful for his electronic voice that masked his anxiety.

“Surprising, isn't it? You know of him, the one whose name cannot be spoken.” The man’s expression turned serious, prompting the cyborg to step back, gripping his dagger tighter.

“Hahaha, relax, relax. Look at you, one sentence and you're already on edge. You're still such a fledgling,” the man suddenly laughed, breaking his serious demeanor.

“Though that name is taboo, what does it matter to me? No need to be so tense, you're scaring these beautiful lilies.”

“A cyborg unfamiliar with this flower field indicates you're not from the Cyborg Laboratory.” The man looked at the cyborg with amusement, sniffing the air before continuing, “Though your modifications look just like Laba Laboratory’s work, there's a fatal flaw.”

“Laba Laboratory’s cyborgs have a rotten odor due to their bodies' continual decay, caused by congenital diseases. They use flower scents to mask it.”

“But you, you have no such smell, meaning your body isn't decaying. Damn, who did this to you?” The man seemed shocked by his own deduction.

The cyborg stayed silent for a long time, not answering the man’s question, instead asking in his electronic voice, “Who are you?”

Expecting no straightforward answer, the man smiled wryly. Just as he was about to speak, his body stiffened again, and a faint blue flame flickered at his neck.

This time, close enough, the cyborg heard a long, hidden fart from beneath the man’s collar.

Embarrassed, the man laughed awkwardly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

“Sorry about that, it's a detox reaction from poison. I can’t control it,” the man explained, still a bit sheepish. “But I burn off the gas with this neck lantern, so there's no smell!” He inhaled deeply through his nose to prove his point.

Watching the man's antics, the cyborg couldn't help but lower his guard slightly.

“Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Gulaba, the legendary bard who has made countless maidens cry!” The man struck a dramatic pose.

“Gulaba? The greatest mercenary, the Undying Sword Saint?” The cyborg had, of course, heard this famous name.

“Mercenary? Sword Saint? No, no, I am a bard, a lover of all things beautiful.” Gulaba corrected him sternly. “Come on, say it with me: bard!”

Ignoring Gulaba's insistence, the cyborg recalled the temple’s rumors about this comical Sword Saint. He was the top-ranked mercenary for years and held the longest winning streak in the orc gladiator arenas. Unlike the typical orc gladiators who wielded massive swords or axes, the equally burly Gulaba was famed for his dagger. And he never resorted to trickery, always engaging in a brutal exchange of alternating strikes with his opponents, never dodging, until one yielded or fell. Over three years and a hundred matches, he astonishingly maintained an unbeaten record.

But what truly made him infamous was his romance with Gula, the Rose Knight Captain. During the Desecration War, they fought together against the Lizardmen Desecrators. Gulaba fell for Gula at first sight, courting her relentlessly, even reciting poetry for her while chasing enemies on the battlefield. The aloof knight finally had enough and, as a battle was ending, turned on him with her signature move, “Stealing the Spear!” Gulaba, caught off guard, was impaled but survived, becoming only the second person to live through that attack.

Thinking of Gula, the cyborg’s breath grew heavy, and his mechanical fingers clenched, producing a grating noise. Realizing his lapse, he quickly relaxed his hands.

Gulaba noticed and was about to ask when a commotion arose at the edge of the flower field. They exchanged a glance and fell silent. The cyborg crouched and slowly retreated to the edge of the flowers, while Gulaba, drawing his breath in, seemed to vanish, blending in like a common roadside stone.

In the faint starlight, a group of figures became visible. Men and women, in mismatched attire from various factions, moved forward. The cyborg's night vision revealed their lifeless expressions, like puppets. Many had peeling skin, exposing green scales beneath, and a faint rotten smell wafted towards him.

“Lizardmen Desecrators!”