System of the Beast Slayer [litrpg Adventure]
Copyright© 1999 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 169
“What do you want with this harmful thing?”
The Witcher tapped the weed-covered oval head with his dagger, as if considering where best to cut.
“Why not roast it and divide it up? I’ve never eaten an octopus this large.”
“Careful, sir, careful, do not damage it.” Linus Pitt cried out in alarm, then turned to the others and raised his voice. “Do you know how precious this octopus, no, this mollusk really is?”
“You’re saying this thing is a rare animal?” The woman held her son close, her eyes unfriendly, while the boy stole nervous glances at the octopus. “To me it just looks like a common octopus, only bigger.”
“Absolutely true. Think carefully, have any of you ever seen an octopus in a river?”
“Hmph.” A contemptuous snort came from the crowd. “Are you addled in the head, protecting a thing that nearly killed someone?”
“Rare or not, anything that eats people cannot be spared.”
Linus’s face shifted through red and pale, though he swallowed his irritation and spoke with earnest restraint. “Most of you here are people of Cintra, living by the Yaruga. Then you should also know how much this river has changed.”
“Stop circling around it. What has that got to do with anything?”
“Please, a little patience,” Linus said. “In the past few decades, the condition of all rivers, including the Yaruga, has worsened beyond belief. Have you noticed how many fish you used to see and catch as children have vanished entirely?”
“Have they?” Most lowered their heads and fell into thought.
“To speak plainly, I have conducted surveys. Fifty years ago the Yaruga still held more than two thousand five hundred fish species. Now there are fewer than twelve hundred left.”
“The Whitefin Fathead is gone forever. Carp are gone. So are Blackfish, Sisala Fish, Striped Loach, Redbelly Dace, Longwhisker Poplar Fish, Imperial Shovel Fish...” Linus’s voice suddenly rose. “This giant octopus may well be the only one left in the Yaruga. If we kill it, we may be destroying an entire species with our own hands.”
“Hiss...” Someone sucked in a breath. “Is it really that serious?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized his hatred toward the kraken had eased.
After all, they themselves had not suffered direct harm from the monster.
“Of course.” Linus faced the crowd and spoke with solemn conviction. “And that is the conservative version.”
“But it nearly killed my little Brugge, and badly wounded that brave sailor.” The woman would not let it go. “It cannot be let off so lightly.”
Linus replied with calm generosity, “I am willing to offer compensation for the harm done to both of them...”
“Forget compensation for the moment.” Adonis limped over with the help of his companions. “Whatever else happens, that monster absolutely cannot be released back into the river.”
“Well said.” The sailors answered in one voice. “Otherwise how are we supposed to keep doing business on these waters?”
To that, Linus patted his chest in assurance.
“Of course I do not intend to simply release it. To be honest, once we reach Verden I plan to take it north to Oxenfurt and keep it in a laboratory while I study its physiology and habits.” Linus explained, “It will spend the rest of its life in glass and never harm anyone again.”
Once Linus had spoken that far, the voices against him all but disappeared.
“Finished discussing it?” Roy wiped the slime from his hands and smiled at him amiably. This thing did not quite qualify as a monster. None of its attributes reached 10. Killing it would not advance his class progression, only earn a little experience. Sparing it was no great loss.
“Then it’s our turn. What price are you offering?”
...
“A pleasure doing business.”
The Witcher was grinning like a flower in bloom. Two hundred Crowns, for hardly any effort at all. His little treasury was back up to two thousand.
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