Do they still have a chance?
Or rather—
Does Montis still have a chance?
Is there still a chance for the grand fireworks to bloom in celebration for them, just once more?
With that question lingering in his mind, Alexei turned around to look at his teammates.
Some stood silent, their expressions unreadable.
Others wept openly, covering their faces in sorrow.
The slight hesitation that had been stirring in his heart vanished and it was replaced by a resolute determination.
"Let's go back," Alexei said, his voice surprisingly calm as he touched the intricate mark etched on his right wrist.
"And then, we'll fight again in the next four years."
...
Solvale Town is one of the 50 towns under the jurisdiction of Vaporglade City.
Its economy wasn't remarkable—neither thriving nor struggling—settling somewhere near the bottom of the GDP rankings among Vaporglade City's many towns.
In order to find its name, you'd have to scroll far down the list of statistics to find this small town.
Yet, small as it was, it had all the essentials.
Although its economy was unremarkable, Solvale Town managed to maintain the full range of public facilities that was expected from a larger urban city.
Furthermore, thanks to the fact that Gaia's landmass was four times that of Earth, every Town and City on this planet boasted excellent green spaces.
Walking through its streets and alleys, one could often see ancient trees that was lining the roads, their trunks so wide it would take several people to encircle them.
If you were lucky, you might even spot a wild flying Spirit Beast that was resting on the branches above.
...
"Madam Signora, I'll leave Uncle Kumar's final batch of goods at the door, okay?"
"Ah—yes, just place it on the table out front! I'll be right there!"
"The blue one, right?"
"Yes, yes, that's the one! Thanks so much, Ash!"
At Solvale Town's largest wholesale market, Ash carefully lowered the stack of cardboard boxes—piled higher than her head—onto a long table outside a storefront.
Then, she grabbed her shirt collar to wipe away the sweat trickling down her face.
This marked Ash's second month since coming to Gaia.
From initially struggling to adapt to this new world to now skillfully navigating Solvale Town's various markets and surviving through day labor, even Ash found her progress a little bit surreal.
Of course, desperation also played most part of it.
After all, how many transmigrators in the novel that found themselves as penniless as her?
Being thrown into a modern world with development levels comparable to Earth, only to face the immediate threat of starvation?
Take the novels Ash had read on Webnovel as an example.
Other protagonists, at worst, started with modest means.
Even if they weren't rich, they were at least living quite comfortably above the poverty line.
It's not like her who starts the game with only 10 bucks.
Truly, it couldn't get any worse.
Ash sighed deeply in her heart, but she'd already grown accustomed to this lifestyle.