Chapter 71

"Really, you're being foolish..." Zhao Mai shook his head, deciding to end the discussion with Ranger Karl. His heart was somewhat anxious, and his thoughts began to waver. On one hand, he wanted to quickly leave the battlefield and return to his family, fearing that he might be persuaded by Karl. On the other hand, he was worried about his friends who might still be trapped in Nibo Town, fearing he might never see them again. He was afraid that if he left without doing anything, he would be considered a deserter.

The scene fell into an awkward silence. Zhao Mai lowered his head, as if he could discern some profound life philosophy from the green grass on the ground. The reserve grain, wobbling, came to his feet, looked up, and stared at his owner with a pair of large black eyes.

"What do you know, you're just a puppy. How old are you, have you even turned one year old?" Zhao Mai couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. He himself was also a young man, what did he know? From birth to now, over twenty years, he had always been under his parents' wings, growing up in a routine manner, never facing any difficult decisions. Even choosing a university was just a risky decision based on his grades.

This world is called Golarion, a setting often used by Zhao Mai and his friends during their tabletop gaming and role-playing sessions, so he always had a sense of being in a game. Even though everything around him was clear, visible, and tangible, there was still a vague sense of unreality that lingered in his mind. In a game, you are always given a goal, told what to do, and the only choice is how to achieve it. But the real world is not like that. Life is not a game; the ultimate destination is death, and no one can set that as a goal.

Zhao Mai needed to set a goal for himself, not just in action, but in spirit, to set the tone for his actions. He needed to find a way to cure his father's illness. The methods available to him included learning healing spells, obtaining various treasures, or he could steal, rob, or deceive. The reason he didn't use the latter methods was because he had a spiritual goal: he couldn't become a scoundrel.

Faintly, he could hear the sounds of battle from a distance: the sounds of troops charging, the cries of battle mixed together; the creaking of the catapults' winches, the thud of the stones being launched, and the clatter of the stones hitting the ground.

He wasn't sure if these sounds were real or just in his imagination, because they quickly grew weaker and finally disappeared. Another sound replaced them, the sound of houses collapsing in flames, the final battle cries of the defenders before their defeat, the desperate cries of mothers as their children died, and the evil laughter of a dark shadow.

He pounded his head with his fist. Why was his imagination running wild at this moment? In fact, it was very quiet around him, and the silence still enveloped the forest. Zhao Mai looked at the people around him and gradually understood his own heart.

"Karl, I... I've made up my mind. I'll take you back to Nibo Town." Saying this, Zhao Mai felt a weight lifted from his heart, and he felt much more relaxed and comfortable. "It's a foolish decision, but I've thought about it. If you die from your injuries, wouldn't your desire to go to the town be your last wish? How could I not help you fulfill it?"

"Nonsense! Why can't you think of something good?" Karl laughed and scolded, then said, "You're good, much better than Soru."

"But I have one condition," Zhao Mai said. "You want to educate Soru, he's your apprentice, and that's none of my business. But Soru killed Reserve Grain's mother (‘It was the father,’ Karl corrected), and took something that belonged to me. I definitely need to get it back. You can't interfere with this."

"I'll try to persuade him, but I won't interfere with you," the ranger finally agreed.

Zhao Mai put the ranger's arm over his shoulder and continued south with him. They soon found the taxi that had been hiding. The python's body was too large to fit in the car, so Karl told it to hide in the forest and find a place to heal its wounds.

Opening the car door, he finally managed to buckle the ranger in, then sat in the long-missed driver's seat. The engine's sound was still powerful, and when all the dashboard lights came on, Zhao Mai felt a familiar sense of comfort.

"Ring ring..." His phone vibrated. Zhao Mai was puzzled; there shouldn't be any signal here, and he hadn't set any alarms. Why would there be a notification sound? He quickly took it out and saw a number 1 in a circle on the upper right corner of the ride-hailing app icon.

"One meter away, there is a passenger. From the intersection of Kangjian Forest and Ash Lake in the northern Varnia region of Golarion, to Nibo Town. Distance fifty kilometers, estimated time one hour."

Wait, how did this get triggered? What did he do, what did Karl do? This was the first time Zhao Mai had taken a ride since he crossed over, so he was completely confused. Staring at the phone screen, Zhao Mai was stunned for a full minute before he remembered to click the "Accept" button.

"Please take a photo to confirm the passenger has boarded."

After a flash, Karl's image with his eyes tightly closed appeared on the phone. "Navigation starting, please wait..."

"This thing is very interesting. Suddenly, a lot of things became clear in my mind," the ranger squeezed his eyes hard, and after tears flowed, he felt better. "In the end, you're just a carriage driver!"

"I'm from another world, haven't I already told you that?"

"It seems you always have a way to go back, don't you?" Karl wasn't the first time he had been in a car, but it was the first time he understood this fact. "Everything that happens here, you can actually leave behind. You weren't born and raised here, you have no obligations here, and you don't need to take risks here, right?"

"I've thought it through. There's no place that can completely avoid risks. Sooner or later, I will have to face decisions. Having this opportunity to examine my own heart is actually quite good," Zhao Mai said with a smile. "I admit, my moral standards aren't high enough to be a savior, but if I don't try to be a hero, wouldn't I be wasting my life? I might not be able to defeat the enemy's army, but I can try to cross the line of fire and get you to your destination."

"Satisfying the passenger is my duty." Zhao Mai shifted the gear to "D" and stepped on the gas. He imitated the bus announcement: "The vehicle is starting, please hold on to the handrails. Next stop: Nibo Town. Passengers with grudges, please seek revenge; passengers with grievances, please seek justice. If you encounter turns or bumps, please pay attention to the cleanliness of the vehicle."

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