[I will teleport you to a deserted place close to a city. After that, it's up to you]
"Alright."
Sakura and Keiichi closed their eyes. They had made some preparations, but they didn't need much. According to Yato, they could access the system normally in this world.
"See you on the other side," Keiichi muttered.
-
[Good luck. You guys can use the system normally in this world, but be careful]
Keiichi opened his eyes and saw that he was completely deserted. Other than bugs, he couldn't see anything. Insects were similar to scorpions, but there were no scorpions in their world.
Sakura was in the same situation.
"There doesn't seem to be anything relevant there. Let's head towards the city." Keiichi said.
"Okay, but which way is the city?" She asked.
…
"We don't know, do we?"
"Damn it! Yato didn't leave any clues about this!" Keiichi complained.
…
"Wait a moment; I have an idea." Sakura showed a smile. "Maybe I can determine the city's location using the wind!"
"What… Hold on, are you thinking of using the wind to detect the entire environment around you? But this on a large scale…"
"Exactly! I can try, but I've never used an element that way, so I don't know if I can. However, the mana expenditure is too great— Wait… do you feel it?" Sakura cut off her explanation and started to look around her with a lightened expression.
Keiichi closed his eyes and felt his surroundings. His expression gradually changed into a smile.
"It's mana! I really feel mana in the environment!" he exclaimed.
In Sakura and Keiichi's world, the environment had no mana. All the mana they used came from their magic cores. It's an entirely different feeling.
"I feel more comfortable," Sakura muttered. So, she closed her eyes and tried to "connect" with the wind. Making something of that level required very high elemental mastery and a lot of mana. Sakura always trained her mastery with all the elements!
-
"Good, very good." Yato smiled.
"Master, you seem happy for them," Yerin commented.
"I look like?"
-
Sakura continued with her eyes closed for 10 minutes. Until the air began to get agitated in the surroundings. A slow wind blew across the desert. Sakura's mind was suddenly agitated. She took a deep breath as images of different places in the desert flashed through her head.
It's like she's in several places at once, but that's not true.
"Argh!" In a few seconds, her mind felt overwhelmed with so much information. Her mana was depleting at an alarming rate. She felt an Infernal pain in her head, but she kept trying to find something useful.
"Sakura, stop! You're going to die!" Keiichi immediately transferred his mana to Sakura with a worried expression.
…
"Sakura-"
"I found it!" Sakura fell to the ground, breathing heavily. However, she had a smile on her face. "Let's head in that direction. There's a road over there. It'll probably take us into town."
"...Understood." Keiichi waited for Sakura to recover her energy, and the two left.
*BOOMM!*
The sonic boom signaled their moment of departure.
-
"There's something strange about this world. How can a desert be so big?" Keiichi questioned. They would have crossed a few cities at their current speed if they had been in their worlds, but here the desert didn't seem to end.
[This planet is big. More than 100 times bigger than your planet]
"What?!" 2x
Surprisingly, the system responded. The answer shocked both of them. More than 100 times! This planet is giant.
[You arrived]
Keiichi and Sakura noticed that they had left the desert a while ago. Hence, it was already possible to see a big city at the end of the road.
"...It's beautiful."
They stopped and watched the city from afar.
"It feels like the Middle Ages period. However, there are things I've never seen! Can we go in-"
"Hang on." Keiichi interrupted Sakura. "Have you forgotten that we are not of this world? We don't know the customs of these people, and we don't know if we're going to need any kind of identification. We don't know anything."
"You are right." Sakura showed a thoughtful expression. She looked at the city again, more specifically, the gate. "I'm seeing people in tattered clothes; maybe they're refugees. We can try to infiltrate them."
"...All good." Keiichi thought it was a good idea.
-
"...What's going on? They don't allow refugees in?" An old man asked the man in front of him.
"Looks like the recent Vortex surge has brought a lot of refugees here, so they're overcrowded." The man replied with a sad expression.
"I-Impossible… The church would never abandon the common people! They'll definitely let us in!"
…
"So they really are refugees…" Keiichi muttered. Sakura was beside him.
"Looks like we need to gather information first. According to the man, we may be dispatched." She said.
"What do you plan to do?" Keiichi asked.
"Let's try to get in legally. If it's not possible, then…"
"We will break the rules." Keiichi submitted.
"Correct."
-
In a darkened room, an elderly woman watched a crystal ball. Her expression was severe, and her mood didn't look good.
"Ma'am, is there a problem?"
The elderly woman turned to the concerned maid and replied, "I'm fine."
"I'm afraid we won't be able to hold out any longer. *Sigh* Our country has suffered heavy losses. And it looks like the Vortex won't disappear any time soon." The elderly woman spoke.
The maid showed a thoughtful expression and said, "We can ask for help from the church-"
"The church is not on our side! They are on the side that benefits them the most. We are an emerging country. The superpowers just want one less competitor."
…
"Maybe I- !!!"
The woman widened her eyes before finishing her sentence. She looked out the window towards the line of refugees.
"Ma'am?"
"We are leaving."