"You made up your mind?" Dean asked. His face showed neither excitement nor sadness. It was a professional look, giving nothing away.
Rain nodded, playing with his cup of coffee. The private area of the coffee shop inside the underground building provided comfort, easing his otherwise guilty conscience. He couldn't help but feel that he was abandoning his troops.
No. No. NO!
He was only doing the right thing. His troops would have a better chance of survival if they were taken care of by a higher-level territory.
It was the best thing he could do for them.
"Don't feel bad. After all, your safety is your top priority." Dean brought out his tablet and showed Rain a large map. "This is what we have mapped so far in the Spirit Realm."
Rain was amazed, for the Spirit Realm was huge. So huge, in fact, that it might be bigger than Earth.
"What are those blank spaces?"
"Areas that we haven't mapped out yet," answered Dean. "We call them the unknown lands. It's very dangerous in these parts, so don't ever think of going in there."
Dean handed the map to Rain, who felt very grateful.
"Are you sure you want to give me something this important?"
Dean nodded. "We give it to all players, so it's fine. Anyway, would you mind telling me where your territory is located on the map so I can send it back to the association? We still have to post your territory and see if any players are interested in it."
Rain's heart sank. "Eh? Is that how it works?"
Dean nodded. "Though we're an association, we don't impose anything on our members that they don't want to do. After all, taking in a territory requires huge resources and time to develop, so our players need to think twice before taking one on."
Rain didn't like the sound of that.
"Don't worry. All players want to expand their territory, so I'm sure yours will be taken in no time."
"Uhm . . . even if my territory is in the barren wasteland?"
"That's right, even if your territory is in the barren wasteland . . . wait. WHAT?!" Dean's poker face cracked for the first time. Then he stifled a laugh. "I must have heard it wrong. Where was your territory located again?"
". . ." Rain looked to the side and pointed to the very south of the map, far away from all the mapped areas.
Dean's smile faded and his face darkened. He then adjusted his glasses. "Hmm . . . we might have a problem."
"What do you mean?" Rain's voice shook a little.
Dean released a heavy breath. "There's no easier way to say this, but . . . the Barren Wasteland is an area no one wants. You're not the first to be transported there and definitely not the first needing rescue."
"And . . . ?" Rain sensed there was a big 'BUT' coming.
"And . . . the players who took territory in the barren wastelands didn't have a choice but to give it up. Barren wastelands are characterized by limited to no water and infertile soil; they are desolate places of extremes. Because of this, very little grows, and the scrub that does manage to survive provides minimal nourishment. There is a scarcity of everything — just unending nothingness.
"Transporting resources and troops to and from there also takes up a lot of time and resources. In short, the land yields very little and is too expensive to maintain. Our players had no choice but to abandon the territory. Since then, any territories in the Barren Wastelands have been banned from their list."
"M-meaning . . .?" Rain's voice trembled.
Dean crossed his arms and stared at Rain seriously. "I'm afraid . . . we will have a problem convincing the other players to take your territory."
"Uh . . . what if I give it to them or something?"
"That's not how it works. Whether your territory is conquered or willingly surrendered, the opposing side still has to pay a large volume of Soul Elixirs to transfer the territory into their name. Without that, you'll remain a Lord and your territory will remain yours to defend."
"N-no way . . . is there another way?"
". . . If you know a player in the association who might help you, that could work, but as it stands, it looks like you'll have to defend your territory until someone takes an interest in it."
". . . And that would take?"
Dean shrugged. "Days, or even months."
Rain's shoulders dropped. "Can you not send help? I'm not asking for much, just something to get started, like maybe a house and a fence," Rain said.
Though he was troubled because things didn't go according to plan, part of him was relieved that he got to keep his territory and troops.
Dean took a deep breath. "I will raise your concern with the higher-ups. But don't get your hopes up too much. Your location is very far from the rest. Even our nearby territories are thousands of miles from you. You're separated by sea, and teleporting there would cost so much."
"So you're going to let me die?" Rain asked, straight to the point.
"I'm not saying that. I'm just saying it might take time," Dean said as he stood up. "In the meantime, I suggest you ask for help in the forums. Maybe you'll stumble upon a benevolent player in there."
Rain didn't say anything more as Dean bid his farewells.
"By the way, if you haven't already visited, there's a marketplace on the lower section of this building. Feel free to go there. Some of our veteran players even set up shop down there, so it's a good place to start building relationships with them. Who knows, someone might take pity and take you in," he added before leaving.
Rain masked his fears behind a face kept still, yet they were there all the same, growing with every second. He had really thought the player association would help him, but he guessed they wouldn't if they didn't have something to gain from it.
Rain understood that concept, but still . . . didn't they care if he died at all?
He guessed that one human's life was worth nothing compared to hundred liters of Soul Elixirs.