It turns out, the safest route is to go along the borders of other territories, just rowing in the territory of the Samel house, and whenever we see danger, we move to another territory since the guards accept and understand this. Because of Aldo's breakthrough idea, my (Veritas) group reduces the journey from 12 days to 3 days. However, unfortunately, we are suddenly chased by a group of lizardmen. Normally, we would fight them since our non-human strength and superior weapons would be enough to overpower them, if they hadn't sent a thousand pursuers. So, our group runs for our lives, climbing through the high trees.
"Why are they chasing us for so long?" Auburn glances at the large, scaly lizardmen chasing us closely.
"Maybe we are invading their territory. Although they have a human form, the behavior of lizardmen… is still that of reptiles, and like many other animals, reptiles have an extremely high territorial instinct, often fighting to the death to protect their territory. Such behaviors are observed in species like Komodo dragons and some types of snakes," Aldo responds, still holding the girl, who clings tightly to him with a scared face.
"But we've run 50 km already, is their territory that big?!" Helzard complains.
"Actually, each lizard tribe's territory is usually very large, often overlapping, and spanning across the entire region, and we are in the middle of their territory," I add to Aldo's explanation.
"My goodness, no wonder people say this territory is the autonomous nation of the lizardmen!" Fermos sighs.
Luckily, a squad of guards in another territory waves at us to come over. Our whole team pushes forward as fast as possible towards them. Seeing this, the lizardmen stop and withdraw. We reach the place, breathing heavily from exhaustion, while Auburn and Fermos sit down on the ground. A guard hands us goatskin water bags. Auburn, Fermos, Helzard, Aldo, and I immediately grab them and drink quickly. Helzard then gives the water bag to the girl, who smiles lightly and politely takes it before drinking.
"You seem to be adventurers, right?" the guard, with his hand on his hip, asks us. He wears chainmail armor, arm guards, leg guards, separate chest armor, without a helmet, holding a spear with an axe blade beside it. The other guards are dressed similarly, apparently the standard guard outfit of this territory.
"Yes. Sir, whose territory is this?" Helzard responds and asks back.
"This is the Grand Duchy of Hedoni, of the Hedon family," the guard replies, "May I ask, where are you heading?"
Helzard suddenly looks at me, Fermos, and Aldo.
"He's just being polite, no need to be too cautious," I say.
"We want to go west," Helzard nods and turns back to the guard.
"You want to go west? But currently, the western nobles are tightening the flow of people between the west and the entire empire. I advise you to prepare a substantial amount of money to enter the west more easily and quickly. Each person should prepare 20 silver coins," the guard shares sincerely.
"For what?" Helzard's eyes light up mischievously.
"Yes, for that, you understand quickly," the guard smiles warmly in response.
"May I ask further, will you tax us for accidentally stepping into this territory because of what just happened?" Helzard continues to ask.
"No, this happens often, so we just turn a blind eye to it, so you don't need to worry," the guard replies calmly.
"Thank you," Helzard nods.
"Happy to help," the guard nods back.
After a while, we prepare to continue moving along the border between the two territories. A merchant sitting on a horse-drawn cart, carrying various goods such as tanned leather, silk, wool, clothes, leather bags, and especially a type of paper made from bamboo, approaches and invites us to buy. Aldo, Fermos, and I are immediately attracted to this bamboo paper, which is smoother, softer, and slightly shiny.
"Where is this paper made?" I curiously ask.
"Sir, this is bamboo paper made by someone living in the territory of Baron Samel, close to the west. This person also makes ink, bamboo silk, Longjing tea, Biluochun tea, wine, and some strange fruits," the merchant replies.
"Has that person moved somewhere else?" Helzard asks.
"Oh, yes. He still lives there. Do you want to find him?" the merchant replies.
"Yes," Helzard answers.
Then, the merchant agrees to show us the way to "that place," only after Fermos, Helzard, and Auburn give him a small amount of money, and Aldo and I each spend 2 silver coins to buy six sets of warm clothes for the upcoming winter.
With the information in hand, the team continues to move and reaches the mentioned place two days later. Upon arrival, Fermos and Helzard head to the other territory and begin the process of interrogation, inspection, and registration to travel within the western territories, a laborious, costly, and extremely tedious task.
Meanwhile, I, Aldo (now dressed as a commoner), Auburn, and the little girl arrive at the residence of "that person." It is a vast area, no more than 10 square kilometers, primarily bamboo forest with large clusters of berry bushes close together. Some sections have thick rows of bamboo growing densely near the hard ground and the swampy surface, while the remaining area is surrounded by sharp wooden thorns, seemingly traps against intruders, mainly reptilian people. Following a path, we see a single-story bamboo house with a bamboo roof. Next to it is a garden full of mulberry and berry bushes and a small hill with tea plants, adjacent to another two-room bamboo house.
"Hey, Aldo, do you have any long-term plans for this girl? Or are you just taking her from place to place?" Auburn asks me.
"You mean Neva? I don't know, you should ask Aldo. A guy who's always diving into finding magic to get us back to Earth cares about this issue? I doubt it," I reply.
"If Aldo isn't responsible, shouldn't we be? If we can save someone's life, it would make us happy too," Auburn says, looking at the girl.
"Yes, I know. We'll discuss this in the future, but now isn't the time," I answer, and knock on the door.
We discuss this in front of Aldo, but he doesn't seem angry or annoyed.
The door opens, and a man about my age, as tall as Aldo, wearing a red hanfu, appears. He looks quite handsome and energetic.
"What do you need? Are you merchants wanting to buy my products? If so, I'm happy to negotiate," he says cheerfully.
"So, you're Tang Zihao?" I ask.
"Yes, I'm Tang Zihao. I live alone, so you won't confuse me with anyone else around here," Zihao replies.
"Zihao, are you Chinese?" I continue to ask.
"My friend, what are you talking about? China? Are you implying I'm from Earth? So, are you from Count Heilop or other nobles? No, I'm just an ordinary person," Zihao responds, his face darkening, his voice more scrutinizing and cautious.
"Zihao, you don't need to be cautious. I know you're from Earth. According to merchants, you sell Longjing and Biluochun tea leaves. Coincidentally, these names and tea leaves match the two tea varieties grown in China. Historically, there are no records of these teas being native plants, and they only appeared when people from Earth were summoned to Terre, bringing them to cultivate," I continue.
"So, you're saying that growing Earth's tea means I'm from Earth? That conclusion is ridiculous and unconvincing. I believe you're mistaking me for someone else," Zihao sharply retorts.
"The second evidence is your hanfu. The Flavus people in the Mikhland Empire wear clothing similar to the Albus people due to shared history. Even if there are differences, they aren't like the hanfu with a top and a skirt," I assert.
"Oh, I just have a special liking for Earth's hanfu because it's beautiful! Plus, there are many descriptions and even illustrations of Earth's clothing in the libraries. Because of this strange preference, people often scrutinize me, but no one is too bothered by it," Zihao continues to counter my point. Now I'm slightly hesitant, glancing at Aldo for support.
"Alright, Zihao. Although your name, attire, products, and even appearance resemble those of northern Chinese people, we suspect you're from Earth. Now, I'll ask you one confirming question. If you answer correctly, we'll leave and no longer suspect you. Agreed?" Aldo's hollow eyes stare directly into Zihao's.
"Agreed. If I answer correctly, don't bother me anymore!" Zihao's determined eyes meet Aldo's.
I'm worried about how Aldo will handle this. Honestly, we just want to invite him to join us in returning to Earth, reuniting with our parents, family, and friends, or at least achieving something similarly good.
"Zihao, you seem to live quite isolated and only interact with outsiders through merchants and transactions. So, how old are you?" Aldo asks.
Zihao's eyes reveal surprise, but he regains his cautious demeanor and answers, "I'm 14 years old if you don't count the 9 months I was a fetus in my mother's body. But I was raised in an orphanage because my parents died long ago, so you won't find them." The lie is evident, and Auburn smirks at the words.
Aldo's face remains unchanged, but I can sense his satisfaction with Zihao's answer. Suddenly, Aldo grips Zihao's wrist tightly.
"Wrong!" Aldo declares firmly, his hollow eyes seemingly seeing through Zihao.
"What? I stated my age correctly! Look." Zihao hastily shows his ID card to us, which indeed says he is 14 years old. "I told the truth, how could it be wrong?"
"I've read some books on reproduction written by natives of this era. It seems there's no word or term for a fetus. If you're truly 14 years old and a native of Terre, not a noble, you would say '10 plus 4 years old,' not 14 years old. I'm sure if you were raised in an orphanage, you'd mimic this way of speaking from your caregivers," Aldo replies. Now, Zihao is terrified.
Zihao looks around, then faces Aldo, bowing deeply, kneeling. Aldo freezes, not understanding what's happening.
"Yes, that's right, I am from Earth. I apologize for wasting your time. However, I beg you to show mercy. I am just an ordinary citizen who wants to live peacefully and does not seek power or the lives of others. I have integrated with the local people, and they accept me even though they know my true identity. I still help the poor, the homeless, orphans, and the elderly and disabled with the honest money I earn. I beg you this time to show compassion and let me live quietly. I promise to give you every penny I have. Please, don't condemn me to a life of slavery again!" Zihao says, bowing his head down, speaking hurriedly, pleading, and sincerely.
"Zihao, we are actually from Earth," Auburn replies.
"What?" He looks up, surprised, and immediately gets up, shaking Aldo's shoulders vigorously.
"You almost scared me to death," he says, agitated, then calms down, bows his head, and after a moment, looks up again and bursts into laughter at our bewilderment.
"So, you guys aren't here seeking help or refuge from the Cazadors, are you? Tell me your ambition, and maybe I'll sacrifice myself for it!" he says calmly, his sharp eyes and smile scanning each of us.
"Our group's goal is simply to find a way to return to Earth," I say, smiling.
"Two other teams similar to yours have come to me before, but at that time, my knowledge and financial resources were insufficient, and their plans were too far-fetched, so I refused," he says, still with that calm demeanor.
"But what about now?" Auburn asks curiously.
"My knowledge has increased significantly, but my financial resources have not," Zihao sighs, responding.
"So how much money do you have now?" Auburn continues.
"60 gold coins, equivalent to 60 thousand silver coins," Zihao answers.
Upon hearing this, all four of us are surprised, astonished, and somewhat in awe.
"Why are you so surprised? How much money does each of you have?" Zihao asks back.
"Not even 100 silver coins each," I reply, my voice a bit hesitant.
"That amount is insufficient. When your financial resources reach at least 5% of mine and you have established a reliable income stream, then seek me out. It is imperative to achieve this milestone before the next year, for time is of the essence and delays are costly. Until that time, come to me, and we shall forge a robust and enduring alliance. Remember, in the grand tapestry of life, opportunities are fleeting and must be seized with alacrity. A stitch in time saves nine, and fortune favors the prepared mind. Let us embark on this journey with determination and foresight, ensuring our collective success in the future." Zihao says, still with that calm demeanor.
He turns and walks back into his house. Just as he reaches the door, he turns his head and says, "Or at least one of you advertise my new bamboo silk product. Silk from silkworms is no longer feasible as they are dying en masse from disease," then steps inside and slams the door in front of us.
We just stand there for a long while, with Neva playing with a swarm of butterflies nearby.
"Aldo, do you have a plan to help each of us have at least 3 gold coins and a stable income source?" I ask, puzzled and with a sad tone.
Aldo thinks for a long time and then replies, "I have a plan..."
"Really? Tell me about it now," I say, eyes wide with excitement.
"And not all of us need to become merchants," Aldo continues.
"That's even better. So what's the specific plan?" I ask, my face happy.
"If Zihao says that, it means he hasn't completely rejected us. If we do well, he might give us the green light. Helzard has talent in art..." Aldo says.
"Helzard makes money by selling paintings, right?" Auburn answers quickly.
"No, let his passion for painting remain just that—a passion, not a primary source of income. The market for art is niche, primarily supported by the upper-middle class, and it demands not only talent but also long-term and systematic cultivation to yield substantial results. For the present, his focus should be on earning as a mercenary. The Baron of Samel's territory presents a significant and promising opportunity, particularly in the ongoing battle against the lizardmen. This endeavor offers potential for both profit and prestige. Auburn, with his proficiency in mathematics, and Fermos, with his expertise in chemistry, can greatly contribute to our cause. I will meticulously design the road, ensuring it meets all necessary specifications and facilitates our mission. Meanwhile, you must return to your previous path, utilizing the skills and knowledge you have honed. Each of us has a role to play, and I am committed to doing my part. Let us not forget that fortune favors the bold and the prepared. By pooling our strengths and working collaboratively, we can achieve far more than we ever could alone. This is our chance to seize the day, to transform challenges into opportunities." Aldo replies with a distant look.
"Why don't we become adventurers?" Auburn asks.
"In short, it's too dangerous, too risky. If we die, it's too much trouble. Moreover, unlike in imagination, the income from this job is too unstable," Aldo replies bluntly, "Even with extraordinary power, it's not worth doing this job. We're not main characters in an Isekai who are granted tremendous power, like a slime becoming a Demon Lord, or a NEET with a powerful Archmagician, a Priest with unlimited resurrection and healing magic, and a Tanker with extraordinary strength despite human biological limits. Therefore, we must be careful, especially when our enemies are always present and have overwhelming power," he says.
At this moment, Fermos and Helzard also return with sad faces, looking like they have failed.
"It's harder than I thought... it's no walk in the park, and certainly not a piece of cake." I say.
"Yes, we've found an ally, but we need to clean up the mess first, before we can see the light at the end of the tunnel." Aldo replies.
"What about Neva?" Auburn asks Aldo. They just look at each other and say nothing more...