The rock behemoth charged towards the three of us. Its height nearly hit the roof of the canyon, blocking out the sunlight. The old ruins rumbled in anticipation along with the riveting pillars of old as we soon dispersed to flank the golem. Dust picked up again like smog, and I hastily covered my mouth.
If I had learned one thing from observing its run, that it was terribly slow. We could see it coming from a couple strides away, so dodging it would be no problem. The real issue would be how to defeat it. Water decimated the sand golems, but solidified rock proved to be more durable.
“If we have damage boosts” — I coughed on sand — “Then maybe we can wear it down enough to make itself collapse.”
“Uh…” Ruri looked at me dumbfounded from across. “That would definitely work, but do you know how long that would take.”
Yuanyuan held out her hand. “I can try.”
I stood to run at the golem. My yedo blade reached onto its legs, only for it to bounce off. I need to try more. Circling around I hacked at them from all angles while the monster twirled around to chase me. Any stray buggers seeking to attack my rear were quickly subdued by Ruri.
One of the slashes my blade finally lodged in. It cut into the golem’s ankle, which flashed a lightbulb in my head. “The joints!”
“On it.” Ruri took her second-to-last arrow, her bow aimed at the head and then switched to the knee. Her chart appeared before her a certain skill glowing on her screen. The arrow illuminated as the tip magically sharpened itself.
The arrow pierced through the leg like a beam of light. The leg crumbled while the rock golem toppled over. I stomped one foot onto its neck and drove the yedo shortsword into it. But it was still moving and struggled to rise. The other two neared as well.
Ruri pulled her last arrow from her quiver and chose another skill again from her chart. Yuanyuan stood behind her casting another EP boost. I activated Zhongji Ruidao again and aimed at the monster’s neck.
[System Announcement]
Killed Lv25 [Rock Guardian Remnant]
Exp. UP
EP UP
+0 Exp.; Requires Level Cap UP
9/15 EP >>> 11/15 EP
+2
We were back on the road not long after defeating the golem. I sighed while I found myself trudging in the sandy dunes again, and the sun half spent in the horizon. Yuanyuan led Ruri and I, marching endlessly in the desert. The canyons began to disappear behind us and we occasionally stopped for breaks.
“Well that took a lot of time,” Ruri commented as she walked slightly closer to me, shooting a glare. “Defeating that monster.”
“That last arrow of yours didn’t even make a dent in its health when it was down.” I barked back with the same attitude. “I can’t believe this one thing took a toll on Zhongji Ruidao…”
Yuanyuan turned around while walking. “It still took you at least twenty minutes slashing the golem’s core until it died.”
“Oh please.” Ruri folded her arms and looked up. “That shortsword was given by his master to compensate for his low base attack and level. Had he was given a normal weapon it would’ve taken half a day, I bet the weapon would break after he swings it five times!”
“That’s true…” I scratched my head reluctantly. “I have to thank Maîtresse for Zhongji Ruidao one day...”
After the battle I picked up the remnants of the golem and stuffed it into my sack. I didn’t know what I could do with its core, but I figured it would be useful when we got to Kucha. A couple of the Hashara shells ended up in my bag too, although they would probably be of less worth.
We could see the Kucha skyline with the sun towering its sandstone walls. I felt a cool chill from the approaching night and fresh sweat on my skin. In half an hour we finally walked through the city gates clad with minarets and pistaq decorations.
A thwacking tune played in the background whilst strolling the streets of the city-state, as we searched for a satisfactory inn or hostel nearby. All I wanted to do was sleep, but there was still something I had to do.
Soon the three of us decided on an inn near the center of Kucha, which didn’t drain our coffers as much as it would’ve. With three separate rooms, I caught Yuanyuan about to head upstairs of the building. “Yuanyuan—”
“Huh?” She stopped midway, still grasping the railing.
“I’m sorry. For yelling at you today.” I glanced up at her then back down. “I shouldn’t have said that without considering your circumstances.”
“Saqu—K… Kawari, I should be the one apologizing here.” She gave an embarrassed smile and rubbed the back of her neck. “I dragged you two down because I was too enveloped in my own world. I couldn’t process why Doctor Yang left, and I shut down after that. But I’m doing better now. I made my decision.”
“But…”
“I know what I can do now. I’ll see the world, and meet Doctor Yang in Regione Straniera.” Her expression became full of resolve twinkling in her eyes. “Along the way, I hope I can give to any community in need as well.”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Yuanyuan ended with those words before heading upstairs to the suites. It was time for me to sleep too. I shouldn’t forget why Ruri and I traveled this far as well. Searching for Sorah’s family, who were also on the run. I didn’t spot any Adventurers’ Guild today, so maybe the Royal Marshal’s presence didn’t ground as strongly here.
So I went up, entered my room and collapsed onto the bed.
My eyes opened to see darkness. I perceived myself as awake, but my groggy self could barely move, nor feel whether anything was really there. Just pitch black.
“Congratulations. Your journey has taken you this far, far into the land of the Diligence and the Equanimity.”
I heard the voice again. I never heard it in three months since our time in Waqwaq and Great Zhou. Now they spoke to me in a dream? “Could it be that you are Chibu the Pacification?”
“You have worked your stay in this land, thus demonstrating your understanding of the Diligence and earned its favor. And soon, you will curry the Equanimity’s [Effluence] as well.”
From the way they said it they weren’t the Pacification. It seemed I had already earned its faith back in Waqwaq. This was now Qinfen the Diligence speaking to me, and possibly the deity of the Equanimity. Were they the same being? Or two separate ones? Effluence…
[System Announcement]
New Skill Unlocked
[Interdimensional Gate]
T̨͖̪̙̜̩̥͋̋ͤ̃h̤̥̳͆ͩ̎͝ͅë̷͉̰́͛ͩ̃ ̵͕̱͖̝̦̣̰͈̇ͣḌ̴̯̲̐ï̴̘̞̜̺͇͈̱̙̔l̶͚̯̪̬͔̫ͪ͊͛̿ĭ̵͓͙͕͈g͈͉̹̤̥̞͌ͪ̌̐͘e̴̥̙̩̞̲̗͈̗͗̎̉n̸̠̺̓͑c̛̺͔͈͓̙͐eͭ́҉̜͇̩͙̘͚
I saw this same screen back when I first entered this world. “Please wait, I have a question!”
Only silence ensued. These were gods that supposedly held divine power. The Pacification brought me here through my door, and most likely saved me when I’d been hit by that truck that night.
“Why was I summoned to this world?”
Why did they choose me? Did they have a plan? Did they foresee everything I would do? I couldn’t understand. I didn’t think I would ever comprehend this concept.
“Why did you choose to stay in this world? The Pacification gave you that choice.”
By the time morning came I awoke to barely remembering that vision. As I put on my clothes and packed up my gear, my mind already came to a conclusion from yesterday’s battle with the Hasharas and sand golems. We were completely unprepared for that fight. I underestimated the climate of the Kucina Desert, and didn’t bother to ask Yuanyuan for any knowledge of the area beforehand. Not that she would’ve been coöperative at that point in time.
Anyhow, if she hadn’t stepped in then Ruri and I would’ve taken some serious damage. We could’ve ran out of EP or exhausted ourselves. Now as a trio, I guessed we could consider ourselves a party designated with roles. If Sorah was here, then he would probably be our main attacker. Ruri could be the secondary attacker, while Yuanyuan would be support. I should tell them this later.
“There’s one place I want to visit,” Yuanyuan said to us at the entrance of the inn. “It’s near Wakh’an Pass, so we can do two eagles with one arrow.”
We walked along the central path of the city. Yuanyuan had told us that the Guild only had a tiny space on the opposite side of Kucha, so we still covered our faces nonchalantly. I noticed that some people had animal characteristics, such as a tail or ears of animals. A distinct sound of Zhouhua flowed through the streets, and I could barely understand them compared to the locals in Xanton.
“What language do they speak in Kucha?”
“The Kucharen variety of Zhouhua, with Koronese spoken by the demihuman minority.” Yuanyuan looked to the cloudless sky, with her hand shading her from the blazing sun.
“Koronese…”
The nation of Koroné lied just south of Kucha. I’d heard it was the origin of the demihumans, so it would be obvious that many of them would immigrate to neighboring countries. However, I didn’t know much about Koroné just yet, so I kept my mouth shut.
Kucha was known as the ‘City of Crossroads’, and sure enough many ethnicities intertwined in this one. Aquitani, Zhounese, and Wawaqi had some sort of influence here, with many buildings and stalls waving different flags and signage of different languages. Along the way to Wakh’an Pass, we had Ruri replenish her arrows and ate a quick meal from a demihuman vendor.
Afterwards, we reached the edge of Kucha, Yuanyuan’s home street. Or originally. The residences around appeared to house no one, while debris and sand piled in corners of the road. As if left abandoned years before.
“Over there.” Yuanyuan pointed to the end of a junction to a small house made of sandstone and clay. No glass windows, and the door was missing. We headed over to it, as Ruri and I had no context whatsoever. Inside near the front of the house lay a large stain in the ground.
“That’s—”
“I’m home, dad.” The girl from Kucha walked into her humble abode, kneeling down at the dark spot inside. I did not see her face. “I hope mom is doing well with you.”
We stood silently outside. This wasn’t our matter to deal with. Although I could piece together that Yuanyuan’s parents were gone quite some time ago, and that her father died right on that dark spot on the floor.
Ruri and I exchanged glances. We didn't know the full story of Yuanyuan's past, but she had experienced her share of hardships. Despite her usually cheerful demeanor, there was a depth to her that we were only beginning to understand. After a few moments, Yuanyuan emerged from the house, her face composed but her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
She took a deep breath and turned to us. "This place... it holds a lot of memories. I’ve thought about it a lot since traveling for a bit with you guys, and you’ve taught me a lot already. It's time to move forward.”
And so, we paid our respects to Yuanyuan’s home. Though weathered and worn by time, it held a solemn atmosphere, the dark stain on the floor a stark reminder of a past we never knew. We were almost at Wakh’an Pass.
Sandwiched between two mountain ridges, the Kucharian government fortified the Pass with large gates connecting two taller mountains. It probably dealt with large traffic being at the intersection of nations, as I counted hundreds of people crowded at the crossing. I imagined that Wakh’an Pass would regulate passing in and out smoothly, only to see a massive line clogged from end to end. What was going on here?
“Don’t let the D’Orientois in here anymore!”
“Impose a ban on Aquitani products! Che hsieh Tunglient’o tsaich’iangto ch’iut’zu haitzuaThese D'Orientois are kidnapping Kucha’s children…”
“We’ve had enough of the kidnapping, down with the trafficking ring in D’Orient!”
The Kucharen argued with some people further ahead, raising fists and yelling phrases. I had a bad feeling when we approached the queue of people waiting to enter the gate. D’Orientois never had a good reputation in this world. Just from my past experiences alone with them. Then I saw a clad of white uniforms.
“Hide. Ruri, cast Masking on all three of us.” I brought us behind one of the building alleys near the Pass, and peeked my head out. Ruri opened her chart and activated the skill. The Royal Marshal was here. Were they trying to quell the protest? That soon dispelled as soldiers, most likely Kucha’s policing force, began pushing through the crowd. My eyes zoomed in on one white cloak that stood out.
It was a Zhounese man wearing a white ethnic robe like Yuanyuan’s attire, while a peaked cap rested on his head. Why was a Zhounese, not an Aquitani, in the Royal Marshal’s ranks?
The man immediately turned his face to scan the crowd. Since Ruri used Masking, anyone that passed by wouldn’t recognize us. I glanced out from the corner onto Wakh’an Pass again.
He locked eyes with me.