"Alright, we've docked at the port! Watch your steps and take care of your belongings when you leave. We are NOT responsible for any lost luggage!!"

The portly, bearded captain of the steamboat loudly recited while scratching his gut. Stifling a yawn that threatened to leave his mouth, he graciously thanked his guests for choosing to travel with him and watched as they stepped down the gangway and onto the pier.

His narrow eyes then caught sight of the bamboo hat-wearing youth amongst his guests. A good-natured smile filled his lips as he wished the youth. "Thanks a lot for helping us out on the ship, Wuzhi. I wish you all the best regarding your plans in the continent."

Having been caught by surprise at the captain's genuine well-wishing, Wuzhi looked startled. He then exposed a graceful smile and replied, "It has been a tremendous learning experience for me, Captain Rorum. I wish you luck as well."

He then proceeded to thank and receive thanks from the first mate, the second mate, and the rest of the crew as well. After he was done with his farewells, Wuzhi stepped onto the gangway acting as the bridge between the steamboat and the pier and descended.

The moment he stepped onto the pier, the salty scent of the sea, the fishy scent of freshly caught seafood, the roaring waves of the ocean, and the shrieking voices of the hawkers; an overload of information struck Wuzhi. Accepting it all and refusing to let anything slip him by, Wuzhi thoroughly immersed himself in the atmosphere of the pier.

After a month of sea travel, Wuzhi finally stepped onto the South Aislu Continent!

"Two months after leaving the town, I've finally arrived here." Wuzhi felt overcome by emotion. The journey had been long and eventful, and it was only after his arrival here, was he confronted by the weight of his journey.

His journey had come to an end. But his adventure had only just begun!

Being careful not to accidentally run into somebody, Wuzhi weaved his way through the sweaty sailors and screeching merchants.

The sun over his head was bearing down with boiling fury, and the fact that Wuzhi was wearing a thick coat over his body did not do him any favours. However, being a creature of habit, Wuzhi refused to take it off.

The only thing he did was walk faster towards the tented portions in the distance.

Entering under the colourful canopy, Wuzhi felt immediate respite from the heat. His birthplace, the Isilda Continent, was also a suffocatingly hot region. However, the heat here seemed to be a different beast altogether.

"Are you trying to get cooked alive, kid?" A worn and weathered voice interrupted Wuzhi from his thoughts.

"Excuse me." The young scholar flinched at the sudden conversation and turned in the direction of the speaker. There, he saw a portly, middle-aged woman standing outside a textile shop.

"Well, aren't you a polite one?" she grinned. The woman then gave Wuzhi a lookover and repeated. "I asked, are you trying to get cooked alive, kid?"

"No. Not particularly," Wuzhi replied, amused. He then gestured at himself and asked, "Is my attire that bad?"

"Let's see. Aesthetically, not bad. It gives off a clean and refined feeling," said the middle-aged woman sincerely evaluating his outfit. "Functionally, however, it is a shipwreck! You'll die from heatstroke first before dying from anything else."

"So?" She wriggled her eyebrows at Wuzhi. Gesturing at the array of fabrics displayed on neat shelves behind her, she asked. "How about I fit you with something a little more appropriate to our war-torn continent? I'll promise that I'll give you a fair price!"

"I shall take a pause on the clothing." Wuzhi tapped at the pouch by his waist and amusedly said, "My pouch has taken quite a sizeable beating recently and will need some time to recover."

"Well," the fabric seller shrugged her shoulders, "if you're ever in the mood. You know where to find me."

"I surely will," Wuzhi replied with a polite smile.

The middle-aged shopkeeper seemed impressed by the strangely-clothed youth's politeness. As one to always openly speak her mind, she immediately asked. "So, what brings you to our hellhole of a continent?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Not in a particular rush himself, Wuzhi entertained the middle-aged shopkeeper and replied. "Opportunity, of course."

"You and every other person to walk through this port." She shook her head with pity. "Are you a practitioner?" she asked.

"Do I seem like one?" Wuzhi asked back.

"You're certainly as well-spoken as one, I'll tell you that," the middle-aged woman snarled at Wuzhi's apparent cheekiness. She then cast a curious glance at the young scholar and asked, "Do you have a proper plan having stepped into the continent?"

She then gestured at their surroundings and advised. "Don't be lulled by this false sense of safety and security that you see around here. This port, or to be exact, this city is a rare non-aggression zone that has not been visited by the winds of war. Its purpose is to receive shipments of rations, weapons, and young talents, like you, to pad out the numbers."

With narrowed eyes, she continued, "If you don't have a proper plan of action and if aren't confident about it, I suggest that you sneak aboard the same steamer that brought you into this land and return to your mama's embrace."

"Don't carelessly throw away your life for the sake of some meaningless vainglory."

The middle-aged shopkeeper had sold her wares in this very same spot ever since, and even before, the start of the war. For years since the war's breakout, she had seen tens of thousands of youths, hailing from foreign lands, pass through these very same streets in search of honour, wealth, and glory.

Tens of thousands of new faces she had seen passing by her shop. Yet, not a single one of those immature, naïve faces had she ever seen return.

Her warning of Wuzhi to return to his homeland was nothing new. In fact, she had repeated this very same warning countless times to an uncountable number of youths. And each of those times, without fail, the answer she received was the same.

"I'm sorry, lady." Wuzhi shook his head. "I cannot do that."

The middle-aged fabric seller sighed. She did not speak nor warn any further. For even if she did; even if she cried at the top of her lungs, the immature, ignorant youth before her would not listen.

Such was the nature of ignorance. And such was the allure of fame and fortune.

"Can't say I didn't warn you." She waved her hands. "Your life. Your choice."

Leaning on her counter, she lazily asked, "At least, you don't sound as useless as some of the others that I have seen. You must have a plan, right?"

"I do," Wuzhi did not see a point in lying here and honestly replied.

"If you want to join the Heavenly Spirit Empire's faction, head north-east after leaving the city. The Mu Household's faction will see you heading north. And the Scarlet Demon Army is to the east," the shopkeeper generously informed. "Just keep walking in those directions and if you live long enough to see the third light of day, you will be picked up by their people. Giving them your name and next of kin will be enough; they won't ask you for anything else before conscripting you into their army."

"Wuzhi thanks lady for sharing her knowledge," Wuzhi immediately bowed in thanks. He then raised his head and asked, "What about the other factions?"

"Head south to the Duchy of Auberville if you want to join the Central Commonwealth's factions. The two factions are headed by the Duke of Auberville and his young brother, both of whom are claiming the other to be a usurper and are at each other's throats. Be careful though, as joining one will immediately make you the enemy of the other."

"I shall remember your warning," Wuzhi solemnly replied.

"That only leaves the last faction; the terrorist faction," finished the middle-aged lady. She then cast Wuzhi the odd glance and asked, "You're not thinking about joining that bunch of crazy bastards, are you?"

"Most certainly, not," Wuzhi smoothly lied.

He was most certainly thinking about joining that faction. Most of his future plans and schemes depended on that faction, after all.

"Somehow, I don't feel assured by your answer," the middle-aged woman gave Wuzhi the benefit of the doubt. She then shook her head and continued, "What do I care about which faction you join? Your ending is going to be the same in any case."

Sighing with pity, she spoke. "That terrorist faction is so fragmented and scattered that nobody knows where their base of operations is located at. Your best bet at finding them is to wait for them to rob a caravan or blow up something. News travels fast around these parts, and with sufficient luck, you should be able to hear it just in time to catch up to them."

"I doubt they'd welcome a foreigner into their fold, though. That faction is famously Pro-Imperial and Pro-Native. If you weren't born on this continent, you will have a difficult time joining their faction."

"Noted," Wuzhi nodded his head. He then bowed and repeated, "Once again, I thank the lady for sharing with me this precious knowledge. Wuzhi will aim to repay lady sometime in the future."

The middle-aged shopkeeper waved her hands. "Just remember to come back and purchase something from my shop. I guarantee that you will not find a shop on this side of the South Aislu Continent that sells top-quality fabrics and garments at the price that I do!" She shamelessly advertised with a grin.

Wuzhi chuckled at this display. Should the heavens allow it, he vowed to return to this shop someday and have another conversation with the middle-aged, portly lady.

After saying his goodbye, Wuzhi turned around to leave. Just as he had walked a few steps, he heard the middle-aged woman shout to him. "The name's Silica! Try not to die too soon!"

"I shall note it! Farewell, Lady Silica!" He waved without turning back.

Watching the young scholarly youth's back disappear into the distance, Silica sighed to herself. "And another one walks away." A forlorn, heartbroken look reflected in her eyes.

She then suddenly chuckled as she repeated. "Lady Silica. Ha!" A slight blush covered her face.

She soon forgot about her conversation with Wuzhi and returned to selling her wares. The busy activities on the pier continued with the blazing hot sun remained beating down on the earth.