I Woke Up In A Completely Different World! 28 Departure

Dai-tai: "I enjoyed fis.h.i.+ng with you. We should do it again; this time with everyone."

Of course, as planned, we went fis.h.i.+ng and it was surprisingly uneventful. Not that it was a bad thing, I was expecting her to try something. In the end, I didn't even know what I expected.

Steven: "We should."

Yet, we didn't catch fish as I had hoped. I did end up learning, which is always good. Though, I'm not sure if it's something I'd be doing regularly. There's more waiting than I had antic.i.p.ated.

Dai-tai splits away from me at the daycare to check on and work with Niroja, who works there as a volunteer. Something I respect them both for. They teach the kids what they know and don't ask for anything in return.

I kept my pace until I reached home and find Madelyn and Young Mi sitting peacefully outside. Well, Madelyn was resting quietly. Young Mi sees me walk up to her and greets me in her usual calm and pleasant demeanor.

Young Mi: "Steven, I see that you're back. How was it?"

Steven: "It wasn't that bad even though we didn't catch any fish."

She smiles sweetly and gazes back into the sky.

Young Mi: "Come sit beside us."

I sit in the chair next to her and look to the sky myself. It's the same blue sky I've been familiar with all my life, only that it's in a different world. All that's really missing is the airliners dotting the sky.

Steven: "What have you 2 been doing?"

Young Mi: "Don't vocalize anything, Steven. Just exist with me."

So, she put Madelyn asleep by doing this? I wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon though. I have a lot to plan when I figure out where Lilith is. I'm golden when a bunch of aristocrats stops wanting me dead.

Toofan: "There you are!"

Just as I was about to "exist" with Young Mi, it gets cut short by Toofan Utsarg, the "best" Goblin, and warrior around. He walks up to us aggressively with another group of 4 warriors, in an attempt to be intimidating.

I'm already drawing similarities from someone else…

Toofan: "Y'know, I'm the best warrior around and would've dealt with Biyu far better than letting her go."

Steven: "Then where were you? Were you sucking on your thumb in fear when she really did show up?"

Some people really don't get it. He looked like he was about to blow a fuse and becomes more demanding. Lilith ends up coming in at the same time and takes some of the heat with me.

Toofan: "What are you doing out?"

Lilith: "Collecting herbs."

She raises a basket full of them to Toofan, who looks at her in disbelief. I then remembered about having to constantly keep an eye on her. Which seems ridiculous to me because she had the chance to run for a while now and still stuck around.

Toofan: "You let her wander unsupervised? What is wrong with you?! Nikita was clear on his order to keep a close eye on her!"

He was p.i.s.sed and grabbed Lilith by her wrist, nearly knocking her basket to the floor. Young Mi was gently pus.h.i.+ng me to do something, but I already knew that Lilith wouldn't take it. She pulls away and with all her demonic might, she slaps Toofan so hard that it echoed and made me and his group cringe.

Lilith: "Mind your manners towards a lady, idiot."

Maybe now he'll have some sense to leave us alone. Only that he didn't. He quickly comes back for more and even Young Mi comes in; doing what she thinks is best to de-escalate the situation.

Young Mi: "I suggest that you leave, Toofan. There's no need to be violent."

Toofan: "I don't take orders from you, zombie!"

He exclaimed.

Madelyn wakes up from all the noise and silently watches as I'm about ready to get up and beat some respect into him. Fortunately for me, and unfortunate for him, Dai-tai overheard him and walks up a storm for disrespecting Young Mi.

Dai-tai: "That's my mother you're talking about, d.i.c.kless!"

This has spiraled downward really fast. I manage to calm down somewhat and realize violence would only make things worse. With Dai-tai slapping him around, his group and I inevitably step in. I'm not sure if he hits back and I'm not going to wait around and find out.

Steven: "Come on, Dai-tai. Don't hit him."

Young Mi: "Dai-tai, come here, they're just words."

After getting both of them to settle down, I wave at the others to come inside. I sat Dai-tai down in the kitchen and Lilith helped cool her off. She was shaking with anger, something I haven't seen her do before.

Dai-tai: "Oh, he knows how to make my d.a.m.n blood boil!"

Young Mi: "I won't scold you for defending me, Dai-tai. But, there are ways to solve a problem without violence."

If this is how she gets, I wonder how Niroja would've reacted.

Madelyn: "What do we do now?"

That's right! I needed to speak with Lilith and it's better now that most of us are here. It would be easier this way and I could come up with a plan when we're no longer wanted criminals. At least, I believe we are. I'm taking all the precautions when it's time to head to the city.

Steven: "Oh, Lilith, what kind of power do you have in the government?"

Lilith: "Power… as a member of the Royal Family? Not much, or… I have some, more than most, but my sister Mei has as much as my mother because she's the heiress."

Well, it's definitely better than nothing. Now, all I have to do is take someplace where she can, in fact, use her power. It's obviously not going to be in the village, so revisiting Shouyi seems likely.

Steven: "You think you could get Madelyn and I pardoned?"

Lilith: "I can, but there's so much law behind it. I mean that I could legally, but with the proviso that you do something that would benefit the people of Hei'an."

Young Mi: "Oh, they still have that old law?"

I don't even know what proviso means, but it sounds like a condition. If that's the case, then I'm sure all the bounty hunting I've done would be more than enough. If not, then the raid on the fort I've taken part in should be the cherry on top.

Steven: "We can take you to the town and get everything you need."

Lilith: "That… is actually a good idea as I'll need more than a pen and paper. We can prep and leave in a couple of days or whenever is convenient."

(2 days later)

After working some of the more complicated matters with Young Mi, everyone seemed to be on board, except for Nikita. Who sees it as a waste of time and letting Lilith out of the village would be a ma.s.sive risk. I don't blame him either, but she doesn't even know anything about the real purpose of the village or the people.

He should let us because, at this rate, we're going to have to sneak out of the village. The Headmaster said I don't owe them anything, but they saved my life. I can't just up and leave them; It's not right, but it's not much of a choice if Nikita isn't letting her out.

Young Mi: "Steven, is everything alright? You look worried."

Young Mi catches me by the farms thinking to myself. Being so far away from people, it looked like a good place to plan things out. Though, I guess it really isn't too far out if Young Mi found me.

Steven: "Yes, I'm just trying to figure out a way to get to Shouyi."

Young Mi: "I actually wanted to speak to you about that. I wish to move to the town of Zheng De Shouyi. With Dai-tai and Niroja, of course. And we'd love the opportunity to accompany you, and to see the town myself."

She'd be easily ousted if someone discovers that she's a Wight!

Steven: "I… don't mean to put you down, but wouldn't it be difficult to live with other people because you're a Wight?"

Young Mi: "Oh no, not inside the town, but I wish to acquire a plot of land and maybe build a new homestead just outside."

Well, it's not a bad idea.

If I thought from Young Mi's point of view, she's probably doing it for Dai-tai and Niroja. They won't be cooped up in this village, with no communication from the outside. Actually, they'd be able to do a lot more if they did move.

But what about Young Mi herself? She's excellent at anything she puts her mind to, because she's probably already done it at one point of her long life, and Shouyi is a town that accompanies those that are creative.

Steven: "Alright, but how are we going to get there? It's a day away and Nikita isn't going to spare any equipment."

Young Mi: "That's fine. I have tents of my own with more than enough s.p.a.ce to fit us all."

Steven: "And rations?"

Young Mi: "Restrictions were lifted. There's plenty of food and water to go around."

Steven: "Did you speak to Dai-tai and Niroja?"

Young Mi: "I have and they're more than willing to move."

What the h.e.l.l…

She really thought everything through. No matter what problem I would bring up, she has an answer.

Bandits?

She brought up the fact that me, her, and Lilith are all battlemages.

Rain?

The coats I happened to bought the last time I was there for everyone are water resistant.

The military?

They won't bat an eye if we pa.s.s ourselves off as nomads.

Young Mi: "Anything else?"

Steven: "Fine, when do you want to leave?"

Young Mi: "Tonight would be preferable."

So suddenly? There's no way that this is done on a whim, she's been planning this for a while. We really are going to leave the village for good as much as it pains me.

I'll have to pack everything now, which, fortunately, isn't much; just my armor and the small chest of money. Madelyn would be my concern, she really likes the house we live in. She's all for going to Shouyi, but to move out there? It'll all be up to her, I won't leave her behind.

When we went to my home to inform the others, it was just Madelyn. She was sitting in a chair in the living room tinkering with 2 pieces of metal interlocked with each other like some kind of puzzle.

Madelyn: "Hey guys, what's up?"

Steven: "Madelyn, I have something to tell you…"

I go over everything we had discussed for the past couple of days and Young Mi's desire to move. Even covering the fact that we'd be getting in trouble with the village and possibly risk exile.

Steven: "I won't do this without you."

Madelyn: "We could get into some real trouble with Nikita."

After giving her some time to think, she comes around with her final answer.

Madelyn: "Alright, but you owe me a home."

Young Mi doesn't mind taking her in, and I won't either in Everhand, but that ultimately wouldn't be up to me. Going over some of the final details, we are about ready with packing up when the evening comes around.

Dai-tai and Niroja finally come home from the daycare and are immediately pushed by Young Mi to pack their bags. Though, Dai-tai doesn't seem to have absolute faith in this whole idea of moving.

So much for her being more than willing to move.

Dai-tai: "This would be the third time we've left home in such a hurry. Will we be able to finally rest in Shouyi, mama?"

Young Mi: "Fate willing, yes. It's a new home my girls, and near a town. You could both finally settle down."

They leave to their home and to begin packing. Lilith, Madelyn, and I are left to go over what little we have. Lilith has nothing, just some herbs in my satchel that she's borrowing, I have just a small chest, and Madelyn has a bag with some personal effects. Everything else in this house is borrowed, so it didn't sit right with us to take them.

Madelyn: "Are we really doing this? It feels surreal."

Surreal…

For some reason, it made me remember that Lilith has the power to control shadows, it looked surreal. It makes my blood run cold as I start to remember some bad memories. Particularly when Livia was cursed and the silence I lived in afterward and hating myself for it.

Madelyn: "Or maybe we should do this tomorrow? You look pale as a ghost, Steven."

Steven: "I'm fine. Just don't mention anything surreal, please."

Livia's fine now, what am I thinking? Falling apart now will only make things worse. I still have a long way to go until I'm home.

Madelyn: "Okay, sorry."

This day really turned out to be a lot of waiting. It was a couple of hours when the others arrived and had to wait again until midnight. For the final time, we left our home and made our trek to Zheng De Shouyi.

Traveling at night was dangerous, so after about 3 to 4 miles, we set up a small camp away from the road into some trees and from prying eyes. Young Mi had brought along 3 tents that'd easily fit 3 people each. Since there was only 6 of us, there was only 2 each in the tents.

It was: Dai-tai and Niroja in one tent; Madelyn and Lilith in another; and Me and Young Mi in the final one. The tents themselves weren't too far away, but they weren't close by either and I became a little worried. What if something happens and we can't hear it?

Steven: "The others are fine, right?"

Young Mi: "Don't worry about them, we'd be able to hear them."

She's putting out her motherly vibes again. In an effort to have me relax, she pats my sleeping bag and waves at me to lay down. I was already going to do it, so I oblige her.

Young Mi: "Comfortable, right?"

Steven: "It is."

Young Mi: "Good, get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow."

If Young Mi is confident that they'll be alright, then there really is no for me to worry. We both get into our bedrolls and as soon as I hit the pillow, I was out like a light.

I wasn't sure how much time has pa.s.sed, but I quickly find myself in another white room. How do I even get here? Surely, this is the Headmaster's doing; he did it last time.

Steven: "Headmaster? Are you doing this again?"

Headmaster: "You're quick to catch on."

He comes into my view from behind and uses his magic to set the scenery to his office. It melts in again like an illusion. The quick change in scenery pains my eyes and I'm blinded for several seconds before I see the Headmaster sitting at his desk.

Headmaster: "It's been a few days, hasn't it? Where can we catch up?"

The Headmaster seemed to be as busy as I am, in a different sense. He doesn't have Livia to a.s.sist her as her father is home, and she wants to be with him. Which the Headmaster doesn't mind.

n.o.body knows that it was Mei that attacked me, and it happened so suddenly that n.o.body really knows what she looks like. I asked the Headmaster to pa.s.s her off as one of the many Demons. It would be better that way.

The academy, to my surprise, has recovered rather quickly and cla.s.ses have been resumed. Though, there are extra guards posted for the time being. Apparently, it was non-negotiable.

And, most importantly, Kanna is fine. She showed up to cla.s.s today.

Headmaster: "Do you want me to tell her that you're alive and well?"

Steven: "Yes. Please."

Headmaster: "Alright, I also want to test something. It's one of the reasons why I contacted you."

In this white room that could bring his office into reality, anything should be possible. I mean, how powerful is he to be contacting me across the world? He might be powerful enough that he could drag all of us through to Everhand.

Steven: "Are we teleporting?"

Headmaster: "No, too risky."

He grabs a small box from his desk and pa.s.ses it to me. Opening it reveals a rather fancy looking pocket watch. Made of silver, every inch was engraved and adorned with small diamonds. These are not cheap, and to have it in such a style? I could be holding more money than I've ever seen in my life.

Steven: "Headmaster, what in the world are you doing with something so expensive?"

Headmaster: "Expensive? That? Please, I make enough in a day to buy 3 of those. I want you to sell it, use the money to survive."

Coincidentally, I was going to need money in Shouyi. If he gave me this a couple of weeks ago, I probably would've put it away and forget about it as there would be no use for money; at least, that's how it was in the village.

Headmaster: "It's worth 50,000 Coin here. How would that exchange into Yingbi?"

This is worth more than what I have in my chest…

a.s.suming that my math is correct.

Steven: "330,000 or so."

Such an item would exist. This is beyond what I would consider avarice. What would be used for an aristocrat's plaything, I'm using it to better myself. Better yet, this would benefit both me and the others.

Steven: "I don't know what to say… thank you."

Headmaster: "You've said more than enough. Now go, and see if you'll wake up with it."

We were able to part on much better terms. The white room fades away into darkness, like a theater when the lights go out, and I find myself back in the tent. I'm cold and tired, but Young Mi was beside me the whole time believing I had a bad dream.

Young Mi: "Are you plagued by nightmares? You were moving about in your sleep."

Steven: "No, sorry, did I wake you?"

Young Mi: "I've been awake."

I'm beginning to question my own sanity. Is the Headmaster really contacting me, or am I just dreaming? I've had these almost realistic dreams before, but not like this.

I was about to pa.s.s it off as another dream and go back to sleep when I felt something under the covers.

Holy s.h.i.+t.

Young Mi: "Where did you get that?"

Surprising both of us, the pocket watch that the Headmaster gave me was in my hand…