When Fufu finally opened her eyes, it was already noon. At first glance, she thought: Being able to see people moving around must mean that she is still alive and has not been captured by Malik's men. Fufu is still wondering whether the rescue last night was real. She tried to sit forward but felt pain and tightness in her right shoulder.
"Fufu," Ya shouted and ran towards Fufu.
"Ya? Did we really escape?" Fufu asked.
Ya nodded and said with a smile, "We did escape."
Fufu closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she opened her eyes again and asked, "Who helped us?"
Ya pointed to the five Tanzanies and Bong sitting around a small campfire eating lunch. "They helped us," she said.
Fufu looked at the five Tanzanies. She didn't recognize any of them except Yul, who was sitting facing her. "I recognized him from last night," she said, looking at Yul. "He is the one who comes to save us."
Ya said, "They are all here to save us. Oh." She pointed at Michio. "That monk brother is called Michio. Without him, the others wouldn't have come to help us. The one next to him is called Abrafo. The one sitting next to Abrafo is called Bong." She pointed at U-ri. "Bong is U-ri's nephew. Without U-ri, you may die of your injuries. Next to U-ri sits Yul, the one who saved you last night. Next to Yul is Hajime. Without Hajime, none of us will made it out alive."
Fufu looked at Hajime and said, "I thought when Malik's men were shooting at us, I saw a bolt of lightning passing by us. It turned out that the bolt of lightning was the white-haired man."
Ya said, "He saved everyone, but he was sick, and after saving us, he also passed out. He woke up an hour earlier than you. Let's go see the saviors."
Fufu looked at Ya and shook her head at her innocence. "Did you ask who they were? Why did they suddenly want to save us?" she said through gritted teeth. "What if they are another group of merchants who want to rescue us from Malik and resell us elsewhere?"
Ya said, "They are not merchant. They are travelers heading to Zans City."
Fufu tapped Ya's forehead. "One day, you will get into a lot of trouble and even get yourself or others killed because you trust others too easily." She rolled her eyes at Ya. "It was your fault that we were captured by Malik's men. Now, you believe what those six men told you."
Ya said, "They are not bad people. If they were bad people, they would not have saved me from Malik's men in the first place. At first, they were not going to help me rescues you and the others, but the monk Michio convinced them to help. I have tested them." She moved herself closer to Fufu. "None of them are interested in sleeping with me."
Fufu rolled her eyes at Ya. She asked, "None of them, not even the old man?"
Ya nodded and said, "Especially the old man."
Fufu clasped her hands together and began to crack her knuckles. After stretching, she stood up and walked over to the people sitting around a small campfire a few feet away from her.
"Oh, you're awake," U-ri said, looking at Fufu with a smile.
"I'm here to thank everyone for saving our lives and helping me treat my wounds," Fufu said. She found an empty seat between Abrafo and Michio and sat on the rock. "You six may have learned who we are from Ya."
"Merchants," Yul said.
"Indeed. Let me introduce myself properly. I am Fufu, daughter of Baqer, the current lord of Maka City," she said.
U-ri said, "We were passing travelers heading to the city of Zans. We happened to pass through this area. We came from the north."
Abrafo said, "We decided to help Ya because we met merchants like Malik's men on the black market in a certain place in the north called Land of the Alpha."
Fufu laughed and said, "You must have been in Zhul City. Those idiots still calling themselves Alpha and selling people on the open market."
Hearing these words from Fufu's mouth, the four Tanzanies and Bong tall turned to look at Fufu, because the familiar words they usually heard came from the mouth of a woman wearing leather armor.
Fufu noticed that the people sitting by the small campfire was looking at her. She asked, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Michio scratched his bald head and said with a smile, "The tone of your voice is so familiar..."
Yul looked at Fufu and asked, "In Maka City, is there a large library with records about Dreake Kingdom?"
Fufu looked at Yul strangely and asked, "Why do you ask that?"
Yul said, "We're looking for information on Kinigan Island."
Fufu asked, "What are you going to do in Kinigan Island?"
Yul said, "We heard about it from people in the market, so we were interested to see if Kinigan Island was actually an island or just a myth like everyone mentioned."
Fufu asked, "So, this is the main reason why the six of you are heading down south to Zans City?"
Bong said, "Yes, that is the only reason. To thank us for helping you and your subordinates, this is not too much to ask, is it?"
Fufu turned and looked at Bong, then at Yul. "That sounds reasonable to me, and I don't want to owe anyone anything. Once we get to Maka City, I will allow you to read whatever you want on one condition."
U-ri asked with a smile on his face. "What conditions?"
Fufu said, "Copying of the books you have read is not allowed."
U-ri said, "Well my lady, I do record my adventures for educational purposes, is that okay?"
Fufu thought for a moment and said, "Yes, as long as you write in your own word, instead of copy the book word for word."
U-ri smiled and said, "So, when can we take off?"
"As soon as you are ready, we can set off. It will take two days from here to the first village," Fufu said.
After lunch, the five Tanzanies and Bong set off with Fufu and her people. When they crossed the first hill, the five Tanzanies and Bong soon realized that the road to Maka City was not smooth. Hajime and U-ri rode on the back of a wolf. Hajime had earlier suggested flying them to the first village, but Yul refused. At first, Yul refused to let Hajime summon any animals, but due to the terrain, Yul agreed that Hajime could only summon only a wolf, and Hajime must call back his hawk.
Hajime and U-ri sat comfortably on the wolf's back, while the other walked, so seeing the others wiping the sweat from their foreheads, Hajime felt a little guilty.
Hajime looked at Yul walking side by side with the wolf and said, "It would be faster if we flew there instead of walking."
Yul looked up at Hajime and said, "You just recovered. Maybe tomorrow."
"Fufu said it would take two days to walk to the first village." Hajime said. "We have only been walking for half a day now, and there is still a long way to go."
Yul looked up at Hajime and said, "Except for this, you can't summon anyone else." He gently patted the wolf's side. "No need to beg anymore." He quickened his pace, walking in front of the wolf, towards Abrafo and Bong.
U-ri said, "Listen to Yul. You have no idea how worried he was when you passed out."
Hajime said, "I just think it's better for everyone if I fly us there."
U-ri said, "Now, you have to do what's best for you."
Hajime asked, "U-ri, do you think Meiji will be born early?"
U-ri said, "I don't know. It seems that Master Budi and Master Yuuto had already decided when to take Meiji out. Since your pregnancy is not a normal birth, it's hard to say."
Hajime said, "Lately, I always feel like something is bothering me, but I can't put my finger on what it is." Hajime sighed. "We have been traveling for nearly a month, and we are only five months away from the birth of Meiji."
U-ri asked, "Are you worried that something would go wrong with our little Meiji?"
Hajime said, "I don't know. I'm not a normal person. I keep wondering if Meiji will be thrown in prison like Huoyan, and I can't shake this feeling off my shoulders."
U-ri smiled and patted Hajime's left shoulder. "It's normal for parents to worry about their children, but don't worry too much," U-ri said. "You are an excellent mage, and Yul is human, so our little Meiji will be an ordinary child with powerful abilities like you."
Hajime said, "To be honest, I just want him to be an ordinary person no magic abilities."
U-ri asked, "Why?"
Hajime said, "Taking danger mission from your king is too dangerous."
U-ri smiled and continued stroking his beard. He looked up and found a lonely mountain standing far ahead. He turned sideways and found Bo walking beside the wolf, and asked, "Son, what is that mountain in front of us call?"
"Oh, that's Mount Zin," Bo said. "Maka City is at the foot of that mountain."
Hajime said, "You mean we are near Maka City."
Bo said, "We can see Mount Zin from here, but it's still far from Maka City. Due to the dangerous terrain, we have to take many detours. It takes a day to get from the first village to Maka City."
U-ri said, "Oh, I see...thank you, son." He reached into his bag, took out the Book of Life, and began to write.
Hajime stared at Mount Zin, and suddenly there was a humming in his ears. When the humming sound started, Meiji, who had been well-behaved all day, began to writhe and kick in Hajime's stomach. Happiness suddenly welled up from Hajime's heart, Hajime smiled and continued to look at Mount Zin.