“Wow!” Micro shouted joyfully as a surreal view came into view. He wished he could see it with both eyes, but the joy he felt still brought tears to both.

“Woah...” Kolt added with his eyebrows raised.

“That's a...” Arbur mumbled.

“It's so long!” Kira gasped.

“I can't see the end in either direction...”

Blue flew up high and looked left and right, then whistled as she returned to Micro's shoulder.

“That's a road?” Blue asked.

“It's not bad at all!” Micro replied. He started running toward it as fast as he could, slipping frequently in the shallow snow as he ran.

Finally, he stood beside a long road of neatly cut stones. Just as he had requested of Margo, the road was slightly higher in the centre to allow for good drainage, but was otherwise flat. A mound of snow adorned the edge of the road on both sides, obscuring the curb. Micro stepped over the snow and held his breath as his foot touched the surface of the road for the first time.

He looked down at his foot, and saw that he had stepped on a crack where two stones met. However, he smiled even wider as he set his other foot down.

“They're level, everybody!” Micro rejoiced.

“Almost completely level! The difference in height is barely noticeable at all!”

Arbur, Kolt, and Kira watched curiously as Micro began to walked back and forth on the road, speeding up and slowing down, smiling all the while. It wasn't until the sound of footsteps caught his attention when he finally slowed to a stop and looked around. He looked in the direction of the Imperial City, and saw the dark figure of a man appear in the distance. He continued to watch, and the sound of more footsteps joined in.

“It's a beautiful thing.” Micro said.

“People using a road...”

“Is that Tamo?” Kolt asked.

“No, nobody so powerful...” Arbur replied.

“You look very happy, master.” Kira remarked.

“I knew you were fond of roads, but...”

“Oh wow, there are a lot of them.” Micro continued, then moved to the side of the road. He waited patiently as more and more people appeared in the distance, walking towards him. He noticed some cultivators' auras among the crowd of several dozen people, walking at the front of the group.

When the group became aware of Micro's presence on the road, they immediately stopped. Micro continued to watch, and two cultivators eventually began to walk briskly ahead with their hands on their swords.

“Hello!” Micro called out, but the two cultivators' suspicious glares persisted.

“What business do you have on this road?!” One of them called out. Both of the cultivators were young men in green robes, not unlike Kel's attire, but the swords on the belts seemed big and heavy, and they had no shields.

“I'm heading north soon!” Micro replied.

“It's great to meet some of the people using this road. How is it?”

“What is your sect?” One of them asked.

“Oh, the Truck Sect. It's new.” Micro answered.

“I have... three disciples, over there.”

“Truck?” The cultivator repeated with eyebrows raised.

“Yes.” Micro nodded.

The two cultivators looked at each other, nodded, then relaxed their postures.

“We are disciples of a nomadic sect from a land far from here, east of the Rameer Kingdom.” One of the men began to explain with his hands clasped in front of him.

“We escort mundane travellers on their journeys. Such is the means by which members of our nameless sect train.”

“That sounds tough!” Micro said as his friends approached him from behind.

“Is everything alright, master?” Arbur asked.

“I am aware of their sect. They are honourable, though eccentric.”

“My name is Demil, master of the Jade Light Pine Art.” The elder of the two men explained.

“Might I ask if you are associated with a cultivator by the name of 'Micro'?”

“That's me.” Micro replied, pointing at himself.

The men's mouths fell open in surprise.

“Your aura... did you not possess a jade core, the same as ours?” Demil asked.

“But your eye... There can be know mistaking it!”

“Have you heard of me?” Micro asked with an innocent smile, surprised to hear that people he hadn't met were somehow aware of his damaged eye.

“You are the owner of this road, are you not?” Demil asked excitedly.

“Your exploits are the modern day legends which fill the ears of nomadic cultivators everywhere! Your mysterious ways and your innovative techniques... We are honoured to meet you in the flesh! As cultivators who find strength in protecting the weak, you are like the brightest star in the night sky...!”

“Well, I'm happy to meet you too.” Micro shrugged.

“Demil, and...”

“This is my brother, Min.” Demil answered.

“How wonderful a day this is! We are indebted to you. This road has made us the cultivators we are today!”

“It's not that old yet...” Micro said with a confused look.

“This road is so well travelled by the mundane that we struggle to rest between contracts! It can be difficult to find a quest worthy of our time, but this road has filled our lives with purposeful training.” Demil explained enthusiastically.

“The number of bandits who accost travellers on this road is such that we are never starved for opponents against whom we may dull our swords and sharpen our skills!”

“Bandits.” Micro repeated the word with a heavy tone. The drastic change in his aura removed the jovial expressions from the brothers in front of him at once.

“Bandits, master.” Kira whispered, her own face contorting with rage.

“On your road, master. They dared to touch-”

“You said bandits...” Micro began, but took a breath to calm himself.

“Yes, bandits.” Demil continued.

“Requests for protection flooded the local sects not long ago. For every ten we kill, a hundred more soon appear. Your road is a gathering place of all types of people! I can think of no place where more-”

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“My road...” Micro interrupted the enthusiastic man.

“Attracts criminals...?”

“Well, yes, and we-” Demil tried to reply, but Micro's aura fluctuated violently for a moment, causing him to stumble backward.

“Crime... happens here...?” Micro fumed.

“On this road? On this beautiful road?”

“Such is the nature of-” Demil again tried to reassure Micro, but failed.

“Are you alright, master?” Kira managed to ask after bolstering her own aura and approaching Micro.

“Roads are for connecting people and places.” Micro answered with a frown.

“Only people who have proven they can be responsible and safe are normally allowed on roads. This world...”

“This world is so different from yours, master.” Kira said, tugging on his sleeve.

“I understand now.” Micro said with a deep, heavy breath.

“This world needs more than just roads.”

“You wish to change the world in some way, master?” Arbur asked.

“This world can do what it likes off the road, but on the road... a road is a road!” Micro said coldly.

The nomadic cultivators adjusted their posture and listened intently to Micro's words, slinging to everything he said.

“Trucks without roads are too dangerous.” Micro continued, looking over at Blue, who rolled her eyes.

“But roads without rules are even less safe...”

“But how can you make everybody follow your rules on such a long road?” Arbur asked.

“If this road really does extend from the Imperial city to the mines north of here, then policing its usage would be nearly impossible, even with the four of us.”

“Police...” Micro repeated.

“That's right, there aren't any police! Let's go, I need to talk to Margo.”

~

After calming down, Micro agreed to join the large group of merchants and labourers, alongside Demil and his brother, on their way north. Micro grew to enjoy conversing with the nomadic cultivators who had come from afar, and exchanged many stories with them about their travels.

He was excited to learn of the many dungeons they had seen on their travels, and made sure to note their recent locations. The brothers, on the other hand, asked countless questions about his views and lifestyle.

After walking for an hour, they came to a town, extending to the left and right of the road. There were even several intersections where the road veered off into the towns, paved with the same stone as the main road. Non-cultivators went about all kinds of business, and many jade and amber level cultivators could be seen exchanging large quantities of goods and money. One large wooden building stood out among the rest, and a pleasant smell caused Micro to unconsciously veer toward the building.

“That's a popular restaurant among amber core cultivators, though they occasionally permit weaker parties.” Demil explained to Micro.

“I have heard they serve wines made from the energy rich fruits of an island nation far to the south.”

Micro stopped before leaving the main road, then nodded.

“It does smell nice, but we have things to do right now.” Micro said, causing Kolt to let out a disappointed sigh.

“Best not drink on the road.”

“Another interesting rule, master...” Arbur commented.

As Micro turned away, he suddenly heard a loud metallic sound. Sparks caught his eye next, and he turned around to witness two young cultivators fighting with swords. Micro watched in shock as one was pushed back with several strong swings, and was ultimately stabbed in the torso by his opponent.

The defeated cultivator slumped over silently, and a small round of applause juxtaposed the grim sight of the deceased cultivator, bleeding on the road.

“Those two sects have been fighting for control of the same dungeon for many years.” Demil leaned over to explain quietly.

“What an honour to witness such a battle. If only we could-”

“Somebody was just killed...” Micro growled.

“On my road...!?”

Micro took a step forward, his wild aura assaulting the senses of dozens of people all around. The jovial energy around the victorious cultivator turned to confusion, but Arbur managed to stop Micro by jumping in front of him and bowing deeply.

“Please understand master!” Arbur pleaded, understanding Micro's abnormal display of anger.

“No good will come of dishonouring the victor of a fair fight. Please consider your status.”

“My status?” Micro asked quietly, confused but still angry.

“I understand that you value human life above the traditions of this world, but you are much stronger than the cultivators who fought. Your sect, though knew, is already well renowned.” Arbur explained quickly, panicking as Micro continued to inch his way forward.

“Both sects would be dishonoured by your involvement, and the consequences would be terrible for all involved!”

“What would they do that hasn't already been done?” Micro asked, pointing at the pool of blood filling the cracks between stones. The crowd grew silent, wondering why such a strong and resentful aura had appeared, but aware that they were too weak to question it.

“Somebody needs to talk to these people about-”

“If you bring their honour into question, their sects will have no choice but to answer that question.” Arbur replied, bowing his head even further.

“And how would they reply, if not with more bloodshed?!”

“Ah-” Micro froze.

“If there are to be rules regarding the activities conducted on your roads, master...” Arbur continued, struggling to catch his breath as Micro's aura settled.

“Let them be declared through conventional means. There is an order to things here.”

“It's like the opposite of fun. But, he's right.” Blue laughed. She smiled at Micro from his pocket and emitted an excited aura.

“Sects get real worked up about this stuff, but I'm up for it if you are.”

“Let's go.” Micro said with finality, retreating quickly from the scene.

“Aww...” Blue sighed.

“I figured, but still...”

“Will you not join us to rest, master Micro?” Demil asked.

“Our clients have much business to tend to in the market.”

“The situation is more urgent than I realized.” Micro answered.

“It was nice to meet you. Thanks a lot for the information. Let's meet again.”

Without waiting for a reply, Micro walked briskly away, followed by Kolt, Kira, and Arbur.

“Are roads some kind of sacred ground on your world?” Blue asked from Micro's shoulder.

“I thought they'd be more fun.”

“Sacred...?” Micro thought for a moment.

“Well, there aren't many things more important than roads, especially to a truck.”

“Weird.” Blue laughed.

“But trucks are fun!”

Blue pulled out a charred steering wheel, pretending to drive while leaning out of Micro's pocket.

“I'll make you another truck soon.” Micro said with a smile.

“I was in a hurry last time. And trucks usually don't have to worry about fire falling from the sky. I'll make it a bit stronger this time.”

“And faster!” Blue shouted.

“About that...” Micro began, as the mood brightened.

~

Kira and Kolt were both particularly relieved to see Micro's aura settle down as they walked. Arbur, on the other hand, still looked pale after confronting his master earlier. He had considered removing himself from the sect in shame for his act of rebellion, something unforgivable in his former sect, but Kira and Kolt assured him that Micro wouldn't hold it against him.

At the next town they passed, Micro gave Arbur a gold coin to buy something to eat for himself and the children, while Micro spent some time exploring. He noticed many people buying and selling core cards, but decided not to spend too many of his gold coins all at once. The old man often fell victim to impulse shopping in his younger days, and Micro recalled the remorse of the old man after such purchases.

Micro also wanted to avoid getting involved with too many locals with eyes scarred by exposure to chaos energy. He wished to avoid getting involved with magicians if at all possible until he'd dealt with his immediate concerns.

They spent the night in a small inn after reaching a third town. It was a much smaller settlement than the previous two, where only a handful of businesses were open, and only small wooden buildings could be found. However, large fields of recently tilled earth were still notable beneath the snow, marked by hurriedly assembled fence posts and small sheds. Micro was impressed by the ambitious amount of land the town's population had managed to cultivate in a short time.

After passing a relaxing evening by the fire and learning more about the economy of the new towns from the inn's humble old owner, they set off on the final stretch of their journey north.

“I wonder how Margo is doing.” Micro wondered aloud with a cheerful tone.

“I hope she isn't too busy with all the business going on. There is so much business happening there. I wonder how they are managing it all without trucks. They don’t even have cars…!”

They passed through a tunnel which ran under a small hill, and the mountains finally came into view, along with a scene which Micro hadn't expected, even after witnessing the previous towns.

“Wow...” Arbur was the first to speak.

“That's crazy.” Kolt blurted out.

“It's incredible...!” Kira added.

“It really does almost look like a city.” Micro said.

“Neat.”

“Almost?!” Kira asked in surprise.

“Well, buildings in cities are usually taller than that, aren't they?” Micro answered.

“How much taller?” Kira asked excitedly.

“I see buildings there at least four floors high!”

“Way taller than that, and there's a lot more of them.” Micro said.

“You need concrete and steel for those though.”

Kira fell silent as the party continued walking, but she whispered to herself as though to commit the words to memory.

“Concrete and steel...” She repeated.

“Concrete and steel...”