Chapter 83

As the car soared into the air, piercing through the clouds and narrowly brushing past the tail of a passing airliner to enter the spatial tunnel, Xue Doudou's face finally changed. He clutched the car door handle tightly, his leg trembling uncontrollably like a pile driver. Zhao Mai glanced at him sideways and then said, "I have something to tell you, consider it a friendly tip."

Xue Doudou swallowed hard, but his voice still trembled, "Go on."

"You said you would never come back, so I set you on a one-way trip, which will cost you two fate gold coins. However, since you're still a minor, I'll give you a discount. I still have things to do here and won't be leaving anytime soon. If you change your mind and want to go home, leave a message in the town where we land. I might see it and can give you a ride back."

"Don't underestimate me, I will never take a step back!"

"Don't be so absolute, young man." Zhao Mai, who was also a young man, had at least experienced a穿越 (time/space travel) and could be considered a "veteran" in this aspect. "I don't know when I'll leave, but I should be around for a few months. Communication here is difficult, so the sooner you contact me, the better your chances of finding me."

Xue Doudou turned his head forcefully, looking at the stars in the dark outside, clearly not wanting to listen to Zhao Mai anymore.

Forget it, Zhao Mai thought. He had done his best, and the rest was up to Xue Doudou. Confidence is good, but not leaving yourself a way out is foolish, and treating others' advice as malice is asking for trouble. It's like running a red light on the road; it's not bravery, but stupidity. Countless people have lost their lives to learn these lessons, and if you insist on using your life to relearn them, can you really be saved?

After about ten minutes in the spatial tunnel, Zhao Mai returned to the sky of Golarion. As usual, he braked, and they came to a steady stop not far from Nippo Town. The battle where the catapult was smashed had taken place where they landed, but now there was no trace of it. New grass had already covered the scorched battlefield, and the debris and wreckage had long been cleared away.

Zhao Mai's round trip took four days on Earth, which translated to about four months on Golarion, enough time for the season to jump from late spring to deep autumn (Nippo Town is in the north where summer is short). The town had been upgraded after the battle. The low stone walls had been reinforced to nearly three meters in height, and the gate had been replaced with an iron one. Arrow towers had been built at intervals of about fifty steps, giving the impression of a significant upgrade.

The town's gate was open, and from time to time, groups of adventurers could be seen entering and exiting, their arms around each other. Workers were pushing carts of goods, working hard. A group of knights had arrived at the town gate and were talking to the guards. They—perhaps "they" could be replaced with "they" in this context—wore armor and cloaks primarily in pure white and silver, with the holy emblem of the Sword of Courage on their shields and the armor of their horses. The long sword, encircled by sunlight or flames, pointed downward without a scabbard, was unmistakable.

"Paladins of the goddess Iomedae? Seven of them, that's quite rare." Zhao Mai recalled what he knew about the goddess. Iomedae had been a major deity for a short time, but this did not mean she lacked power. Inheriting most of the followers of the previous deity Aroden, Iomedae had a group of temple priests and paladins who were devout, energetic, and charismatic (heh). Zhao Mai guessed that something might be happening near the town, but he also knew that where Iomedae's paladins were, friendliness and justice would certainly be upheld.

Zhao Mai stopped the car from a distance, turned back to Xue Doudou, and said, "We're here. Just ahead is Nippo Town. You can see it as soon as you get out. My car is too conspicuous, so I can't drive it in. You'll have to walk the last part. One last piece of advice..."

Before he could finish, Xue Doudou had already pushed open the car door and got out. Zhao Mai had no choice but to get out as well, open the trunk, and let him take his luggage. Watching the young man's determined and proud steps, Zhao Mai really couldn't understand where his confidence came from. Was it like growth hormone, secreted by the pituitary gland?

He got back into the car and immediately turned toward Ash Lake. Since he had participated in the battle against the Lamashtu priest, too many people recognized his car. Driving into the town would be too conspicuous. Besides, Xue Doudou was still in the town, and with his personality, he might cause some trouble. If he could help, Zhao Mai would, but he wouldn't expose himself—getting entangled would be inappropriate.

In the end, Zhao Mai was a cautious person, not a savior or a saint. He would do good deeds, and might even do a big one if he was in a good mood, but that wasn't his main job.

Xue Doudou had embarked on his journey to death, or perhaps to become a god—death leading to godhood? Zhao Mai then received a notification on his phone that the fare had been paid. Since Xue Doudou was too weak and had no notable skills, he provided Zhao Mai with three enhancements to choose from: infinite confidence, unchangeable determination, and a one-time luck (finding things). Zhao Mai thought for a long time and chose the luck, firmly rejecting the others.

He still parked the car in the same spot and began to change his appearance. Leather armor, a leather hat, a druid's robe, a shield, and a mammoth M1 saber-toothed spear were his standard equipment. He used green moss as camouflage to avoid being recognized by Xue Doudou. He carefully checked, and nothing exposed was from Earth; he looked like a druid who lived in the wild, and no one would guess he wasn't from Golarion.

Speaking of which, he had to mention the stick growing in the pot. Zhao Mai had watered and fertilized it, and it had changed quickly. Two leaves had grown directly from the stick, thumb-sized, oval, and deep green, plump and shiny, looking very round and cute. Zhao Mai reached out and pinched them, gently pulling. He found the leaves to be quite tough; even with half his strength, he couldn't pull them off. He didn't dare to try further, deciding to wait until more leaves grew and fell off naturally.

Now the question was where to put it. Keeping it in the trunk was clearly not suitable; without sunlight and fresh air, it wouldn't grow into a healthy plant. After some thought, Zhao Mai decided to plant it next to the car. This area near Ash Lake had moist and fertile soil, and there was no need to worry about water. Moreover, with the car attracting attention, the "stick tree" would be relatively low-key and safe.

Deciding to act, Zhao Mai chose a "feng shui" corner and quickly dug a hole. He picked up the pot, about to pull the stick out, when he suddenly heard a faint scream...

"Who's there?" Zhao Mai put down the pot and looked around, the saber-toothed spear already in his hand. The bushes and trees were quiet, showing no signs of anyone. The reserve food, which had been napping nearby, now just looked at him with a puzzled gaze and wagged its tail.

It must have been a hallucination, Zhao Mai thought. "A Liang, be on guard." He reminded and then continued what he had been doing.

As his hand touched the stick, the faint scream came again.

This time, even a fool would know where the problem was, and Zhao Mai was just such a fool.

...

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