Lord of the Time: I Can Reincarnate Infinitely

Chapter 506 506: Crazy Guard

Caleb strolled through the bustling streets, the noise and chaos of the city a stark contrast to the quiet solitude of the alley he had left behind. As he navigated through the crowd, his mind raced with the practicalities of his new existence in this unknown world.

"Money," he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible over the din of market sellers and chattering passersby. "I'll need funds to sustain any sort of investigation into this place." Despite his extraordinary powers, which could easily turn any bank vault or royal treasury into an open treasure chest for him, Caleb scoffed at the idea of using his abilities for such crude measures. "No, that's not the way. There's no elegance, no challenge in brute theft."

As he pondered his options, Caleb approached a local, a man named Juni, who was busily unloading goods at a market stand. "Excuse me," Caleb began, his tone friendly yet measured. "I'm looking for advice. What kinds of jobs might pay well in this kingdom?"

Juni paused, sizing Caleb up with a quick glance from head to toe. His eyes lingered on Caleb's worn and aged appearance, his skepticism clear. "Jobs for a well-paying position?" he echoed, his tone incredulous. "Look, old man, most who earn well here are mages, warriors, or adventurers. Not exactly the careers for... someone like you."

The dismissal was sharp, almost biting, but Caleb didn't miss the respect Juni hinted at towards those professions. "Adventurers, you say?" Caleb pressed on, undeterred by the rebuff. "And these adventurers are looked up to?"

"Yeah, they're the heroes of our tales," Juni responded, half-distracted as he resumed his unloading. "They fight monsters, discover treasures, and some even say they uncover secrets of the old worlds. But let's be real, it's no job for the frail."

Caleb nodded, a thin smile playing on his lips as he turned away from Juni, who shrugged and went back to his work. "Respected and well-paid, then," Caleb mused quietly to himself. The idea of becoming an adventurer wasn't just appealing for the income; it could also provide the perfect cover for exploring the power structure and secrets of this new world.

As he walked away, Caleb's mind was already turning, plotting his next steps. "An adventurer, then. Let's see where this path leads."

Turning away from the trembling guard, Caleb continued his journey to the guild, leaving a stunned crowd.

"How could that guard get so shaken up by an old man?" one woman whispered to her neighbor, her eyes wide with curiosity. The group around her nodded in agreement.

They really couldn't understand what they kust witnessed. The strong, usual arrogant guard was embarassed and looks terrified as if he saw a ghost?

"Is there something wrong with the guard's brain?" another spectator chimed in, half-jokingly. "Maybe he ate a bunch of cocaine or something, and his mind's all scrambled up!" Laughter erupted from a few in the crowd, the theory absurd enough to lighten the mood momentarily.

Meanwhile, the guard, now standing, brushed dirt off his uniform, his cheeks flushed with a mix of anger and humiliation. He overheard the comments and could no longer hold his silence. "You don't understand!" he blurted out, his voice cracking under the strain of his fear and frustration. "That old man... he's not normal. He's a monster!"

The crowd's laughter faded into a puzzled silence. The guard, desperate to validate his reaction, continued, "I saw it—I saw a mountain of corpses behind him, screaming and wailing! It was like looking into hell itself!"

Skepticism painted the faces of his audience. An older man stepped forward, shaking his head. "Sounds like you're just making excuses for being scared of an old man. Who would believe such a lame reason?"

The guard's plea hung in the air, met with disbelief and dismissive shrugs. The crowd slowly dispersed, leaving the guard to stew in his own rattled nerves.