Tepo and Yerive were sitting somewhat isolated. Despite doing their best to remain a calm mind, Yerive fidgeted uneasily.
As the minutes passed a nervousness gradually crept in. What if the Taárin didn't return? What if Lao De and Lao Ru didn't vouch for them?
The two friends were in a situation where they could only wait and hope for the best.
Meanwhile, Tepo's thoughts were somewhere else. He wasn't sure until now but the person observing them from the shadows seems to have temporarily retreated.
Tepo smiled, feeling reassured that the Seven Strikes didn't dare to mess with the Blue Alliance.
Now if only he and Yerive could follow the caravan…
Suddenly a far traveling screech sounded from above their heads. The two young men looked up as a fast shadow shot into the camp. It landed next to Song Xing who wasn't far away.
Seeing this scene a huge stone fell from Tepo's and Yerive's hearts.
Song Xing walked over towards the guests.
"Good news. We could confirm your identities. The Yin Yang Duo vouched for you quite strongly."
"Great. So, we can join the caravan?"
"Yes, come with me."
Tepo and Yerive stood up, following the black-haired man.
Manager Song eyed them from his stage but didn't say anything. He trusted that his younger brother had handled the situation well.
The trio walked among the busy warriors, reaching a long edge dug into the stone. Below it was a row of strange vehicles.
Tepo had never seen something comparable. The closest comparison he could make would be centipedes.
The vehicle were dozens of meters in length, separated in blocks of maybe ten meters which were connected by a leathery material. Each block had four metallic rolls with long, sharp spikes attached to their wooden exterior.
Song Xing glanced at Tepo and Yerive, noticing their confused faces.
"Hey, from which world are you guys?"
"We come from the Carrying Winds World, why?", answered Yerive instinctively.
"Ahh. Then you probably don't know about our stone trains, right?"
"What are stone trains?"
"Ehm. Stone trains are stone trains… long vehicles for transport."
Tepo chuckled faintly from this answer. He observed how workers carefully lowered the last few cargo chests into designated compartments.
"Ok, let's go. My work is already done. I'll show you around!"
"Thank you."
Under Song Xing's lead the group crossed a broad bridge above the stone train, descending on the other side. They arrived before the wide-open door of one of the train's blocks.
"Come in. This is the part reserved for alliance members. Workers will ride towards the back while the front is reserved for the elder.
By the way, if you see an elder, make sure to be polite and don't talk if you aren't asked. Our elders have a high status!"
"Do those stone trains belong to a certain sect?"
"No, they belong to the alliance. But a caravan consists of multiple trains. Most of the time the sects stick to themselves, occupying their own train.
And the elder on duty will travel with his sect in the frontmost train. You are lucky as the privilege is with our Earthly Fire Sect this time. Our elder Bursting Holy Fire has a good temper on normal days."
Song Xing's voice was proud as he talked about his sect. Tepo had many questions, but he kept them to himself as the trio passed a door, arriving in an open area.
Tables stood on both sides, connected to the walls. Small benches offered enough room to sit for the travelers. A strong smell of wood permeated the air.
A few members of Song Xing's sect were already seated. Many of them frowned as they laid their eyes on Tepo and Yerive.
"Hey! Song Xing! What riffraff have you brought in here?! Did you get permission?"
Immediately the grating voice of a burly man with a displeased expression sounded out.
"Ehh… Yes. My brother… and…"
Song Xing's voice sounded timid, not daring to confront the man.
"Who are you calling riffraff?!", responded Tepo, not prepared to take this insult and annoyed by the open hostility.
"Ha, you of course…"
The rude man continued speaking. Suddenly he did something unexpected as he used his [Scan].
Rage immediately emitted from Tepo's eyes as he felt his core complain. Scanning others was considered an absolute insult which easily sparked life and death battles.
But the rude man was lost for words for a moment. He wasn't able to scan Tepo's core! The man's voice sounded careful as he hastily changed his target, staring at Yerive.
"… how can you bring such a weak outsider in here?!"
Tepo's eyes narrowed as he took a step forward. He was just about to issue a challenge when another voice chimed in.
"Junior brother Chen. Don't you think you are going too far?!"
A young man had appeared on the connection towards the next block. He had a lively demeanor, wearing fiery red robes, matching his wild, red hair.
"S… senior brother Yichén…"
With the appearance of this senior brother, the rude man quickly fell silent. He knew that anything he said would only annoy this senior brother of him, who always had a generous personality.
Yichén only scoffed before addressing Song Xing.
"Junior brother Xing. Come on, bring our guests here."
"Y… yes senior brother."
Song Xing quickly pulled on Tepo's and Yerive's wrists as he dragged them towards the other block.
Sparks flew as Tepo's eyes met Chen's in passing. If they weren't in someone else's territory, Tepo would've started a fight. It didn't feel good to constantly be ostracized by the locals.
Fortunately, the Senior Brother Yichén had a welcoming attitude. He brought the trio to an empty group of seats.
"What a hustle! Sorry for that! I don't get how people enjoy being this aggressive during a first meeting!"
The red-haired young man leaned his upper body leisurely against the wall, addressing Tepo and Yerive opposite him.
"You have nothing to apologize."
"Right, right. Thank you for helping us out."
"Ahh don't mention it! I'm always eager to make new friends! So, who are you? How did you end up in this caravan?"
Song Xing coughed lightly from next to Yichén:
"Senior brother Yichén. Let me do the introduction."
"This is Tepo, and this is Yerive. They were allowed on the caravan because the Yin Yang Duo vouched for them."
"The Yin Yang Dua?", asked Yichén as his eyes lit up. "Haha, great. I admire those guys! Going to other worlds, clearing their dungeons, and escaping! This sounds like pure excitement!"
Tepo and Yerive could only smile as Yichén talked boisterously, followed by a loud laughter.
"Hey, you two look like you haven't awakened for long! Have you already cleared any dungeons?!"
Tepo hesitated for a moment, but he decided to be honest.
"Yes, two so far."
"I haven't cleared any, only visited three."
Yichén let out a whistle as he looked at Tepo and Yerive.
"Three? Not bad!"
But suddenly as if on cue, several loud whistles sounded out, drowning any voices. Tepo and Yerive's bodies shook as the train suddenly began moving.
Tepo looked out of the window next to their table. He saw the metallic rolls slowly beginning to move. They spikes dug deeply into the rock surface. The rolls were even surprisingly nimble, able to somewhat adjust to any bumps in the ground.
As the caravan of multiple rock trains left the camp they gradually sped up. Soon the scenery flew by their window as a constant crunching sound accompanied the ride.
"Ahh look at that speed! With this we will be in the Hub City in a few hours! Only the elders travel faster!"
While Tepo and Yerive had trouble balancing their bodies, Yichén had a look of enjoyment on his face.
It took a few minutes until the initial surprise was over and the young men returned to their small talk.
At some point Yichén even pulled out a deck of cards, teaching a new game to Tepo and Yerive.
Since there was nothing else to do they ended up playing for quite a while.
Yerive's eyes lit up as he laid down a card depicting a stern-faced man with a massive great sword.
"Ha I got Lord Sword Demon! I use sword of rupture and demons! You have nothing left to defend, Tepo!"
Tepo smiled despite his defeat. He had to admit that this game was a fun way to pass the time.
"Good move, Yerive. But you don't have any force left now! Even my White-Armored Army can defeat your Sword Demon Lord now!
Haha, I win! I, Zhang Yichén, shall be known as king of cards!"
Happy laughter echoed through the train. A few other youngsters had even gathered around their table. They shook their heads. How could Yichén win despite all the tips they gave to his opponents?
Others also began challenging Yichén. Just as the amiable Senior Brother wanted to accept, a huge shadow fell on the entire caravan.