‘My poor Ariella, I promise I won’t judge you anymore!’ Kai cried inwardly as he suddenly pulled Ariella into a tight embrace, taking her completely by surprise.

It hadn’t taken long for Kai to reach this conclusion. Lately, he’d been having trouble caring for her, holding conflicted feelings because deep in his heart, he held a grudge against the goddess. He knew Ariella was the reason the entire graduation ceremony had been transported to this world. His sense of duty, up until now, had been driven by fear—fear of what the gods might do to him if he failed to protect her or unimaginable consequences when a god is put into despair. Still... Protecting someone who caused this mess is complicated.

Or so the two mysterious gods had claimed when they tasked him with her care. According to them, Ariella’s immaturity had led her to violate their laws, accidentally summoning a chunk of lifeforms from another world. As punishment, her powers were sealed, and was passed down to a mortal care that cannot die.

However, after hearing about the existence of Transmigrators in the Shattered Realms long ago, Kai's thoughts began to shift. The fact that such an incident had happened before raised questions. Why would Ariella, an undeveloped goddess, even have the power to summon beings from another world? It didn’t add up. If this had occurred in the past, wasn’t it more likely that the gods themselves had done it again?

But for what purpose? Entertainment?

A troubling idea began to take root in his mind: what if the elder gods had orchestrated this and then framed Ariella for it, using her inability to defend herself to shift the blame? After, she can't even speak, let alone argue.

Perhaps they had washed their hands clean of their own violation of the laws, leaving a young and helpless goddess to suffer the consequences.

Right or wrong, Kai chose to believe what felt more righteous to him. He believed Ariella had been balmed by the elder gods.

Ariella squirmed in his grip, struggling to break free from the suffocating hug, and gave him a playful glare, her cheeks puffed in annoyance. Kai froze for a moment, thinking he had offended her. But his heart soon relaxed as she retaliated, hugging him back with even more force. Her soft giggles filled the room as Kaiser pretended to surrender, throwing his hands up dramatically before he playfully lunged at her again.

They tumbled onto the floor, laughing like children, caught up in a playful tussle.

Of course, she was the child. Kai was merely playing along, indulging her innocence.

But inwardly, he made a promise. He would raise this goddess properly, no longer with a halfhearted sense of duty, but with genuine care. Of course, Kaiser expected great things in return. After all, Ariella is like a pet that holds unimaginable potential.

"You better clean the damn floor tomorrow brat! Don't you dare leave me with your stinking mess! Tsk! Kids these days sure are bold." The old man's muffled roar resounded outside, laced with annoyance and envy. Misunderstanding what they're doing inside.

'Seriously! What's wrong with that old man. I'm not doing anything dirty over here!'

The next day, after gathering all the necessary information from the lighthouse keeper, Kai, Cia, and Ariella set out. Garba sent them off with a final warning.

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"Remember, youngsters, don’t carelessly share your identities as Players or give out any important information! Better safe than sorry! Oh, and you, Kai, cover that white head of yours if you don’t want trouble! Trust me, even though my vision’s blurry, I can still see her blinding beauty! That’s a hot potato you’ve got there."

Old man Garba had been good to them during their short stay, sharing both knowledge and humor. His advice, though often delivered with a touch of bragging, had proven useful. He had mentioned a nearby village to the west and gave them clear directions. Staying in the lonesome tower wasn’t an option for them, and a village provided more promise in their search for other Transmigrators.

Kaiser waved back as they departed, “Thanks, sir! We’ll make sure to visit again sometime!”

With that, Kaiser, Cia and Ariella set off. Leaving the light tower behind. The morning sun bathed the forest in golden light as they made their way, soon finding a long a worn path, implying many had threaded this route. It was also mentioned by the old man given direction, stating it would lead them to the village. The soft crunch of leaves underfoot was the only sound accompanying them. The journey took about an hour more, before they saw hints of house roofs, announcing they're close to civilization.

When they arrived, however, Kai stopped sensing something amiss about the village. It's eerily quiet, without signs of people in the outer houses. Which is undeniably unnatural, even if it's the outskirts of the settlement, people have to constantly wander around as it operates. However, he saw no one even though it's supposed to be an active village according to Garba. Despite being the outskirts, there should still be activity—workers, animals, someone.

He described what he saw to Cia, who frowned upon hearing it. “Is it abandoned?”

Kai’s eyes scanned the empty streets. “I don’t know. Something’s definitely off.”

They moved deeper into the village, their footsteps echoing eerily. There were no carts, tools, or any signs of daily life left behind. Oddly enough, some houses were partially dismantled, as if the villagers had taken anything of value before leaving. Not sparing the woods that could be taken. Whoever done this, they're worse than bandits.

Just as Kai was about to voice his concerns, they spotted movement at the far end of the street. A lone figure, bent under the weight of a bundle of wood, slowly walked between the houses.

Kai motioned to Cia and Ariella, and they quickened their pace to approach the man. As they drew closer, they saw he was older, with tanned skin and brownish hair and short beard. The man noticed them and set down his load, eyeing them with mild suspicion.

His reaction was reasonable; after all, although Kaiser looked like any other traveler - wearing a tunic over long sleeves, fitting in their average attire. However, the two female followers behind him were holding hands wore a robe that hid their features. Appearing suspicious.

"I haven’t seen you three around here... Travelers?" the man asked, his voice gruff.

Kai nodded. “Yes." He glanced around, "What happened here? It seems... deserted.”

The man shrugged. “Changes happen. If you're looking for a place to settle down, this isn't for you, kids, because it would soon be gone.

"Gone?" Kai repeated, surprised.

"You haven't heard the news yet? The big band of outlaws nesting on the northwest mountain side was wiped out. At last, those bastards got what they deserve! you have no idea how much crime they committed already. The other village near that mountain side was completely plundered by those heinous bastards... Sigh, poor souls."

The man’s expression darkened. "The same fate would have fallen to our village sooner or later. Lucky for us, the outlaws were eradicated. The entire village is migrating now that the route to the city is safe, others had already left, it wouldn't be long for this village to be completely abandoned. By then, all the houses would be free. You can take as many houses as you want, but I wouldn't suggest staying here."

Kaiser was dejected. They finally found a settlement after days of venturing only to find out it was leaving? Not giving them time to settle down for a bit after all this traveling.

"Why?"

"Same as our problem. Living in the outskirts of society isn't that safe, no one would help you when wandering outlaws suddenly attack. Because they would be too late by then. Furthermore..." the man looked at Southward. "That ain't the prettiest view, wouldn't you agree?"

He followed his gaze and saw the distorted reality of the Boundary, filling him with the sense of unease once again. Same goes for the villagers, the sight of the Boundary was too eerie for people that lived in fixed reality. Of course, that's not the only reason for it to be feared. Records from ancient times collected by the Players stated the dangers of Boundaries, not just as a dangerous wall to cross. But a way for other dimensional dwellers to pass through, as well. Spawning varying creatures to invade their Realm, depending on its type. Additionally, the Boundary isn't fixed, the Barrier is also said to move either forward or backward. Fortunately, Green Land hasn't experienced any of these phenomena yet. Still, being near the Boundary isn't comfortable.

""If you have no place to stay, just choose an empty house around, but if you're willing to spend a penny, my inn is always available! We also offer food and cleaning services there, no need to hassle around."

Well, their gang has no equipment for cooking and laundry. Only too much money...

'Finally, I'll get to spend this heavy golds!'

So, he gratefully took the man's offer.

"Thank you sir, we'll take your offer. It's really tiring to wander around lately, it will be nice to have a room."

The man smiles widely. "Great then! Business had been really low these days since all our tenants had left. I'll be glad to have the three of you..." His smile lowered, his gaze turning from glad to sharp as he touched the hilt of his short sword.

"Before that, However..."