Round Eight: Adventure

“As you can see, beautiful lady,” the merchant led them to his residence. It was a sturdy stone house built using stonecraft high atop a Githian castle, appearing plain and unremarkable on the outside like a warehouse, yet exquisitely furnished inside. In the hall, some unknown plant that crawled along the walls grew in the shape of shelves, with small pale blue flowers blooming at the edges, instantly capturing Kayro’s attention.
Jacob’s fingers seemed capable of moving at any angle he wished, almost like those of an octopus. After pouring red wine for each of the forty-seven, he kept one glass for himself, holding it firmly with two fingers. “I’ve spent my life traveling between realms, adhering to the ancient teachings of our ancestors to manage my business carefully… mutual benefit, with no deception toward the young or the old.”
“Travelers, I believe you, like me, are here against your will. Oh, of course, the Star Realms are so beautiful and mysterious, so this could indeed be an unforgettable experience.” Jacob took a sip of the sweet wine, satisfied to have captured their attention. That girl who was studying the shelves didn’t matter much—he could see at a glance that she had no say in this strange trio. However, the relationship between the female mage and the steel warrior puzzled the merchant. Based on their behavior so far and common sense, the warrior should be the mage’s attendant, and he didn’t seem very interested in the conversation either, as if waiting for the female mage to make a decision… but it wasn’t quite that simple.
“Not long ago, I lost my caravan and guards in an unpleasant encounter,” Jacob continued. “They were all highly competent employees, some of whom had served me for a long time. It’s a pity. I was forced to flee hastily and took refuge in this Githian floating city in the Star Realms… By the gods, those thugs demand exorbitant prices with no sense of business ethics at all.”
“As far as I know,” Moriel said with a faint smile, holding her crystal glass, “for merchants, profit always comes before morality. And isn’t there an old saying: ‘One cannot do business with integrity’?”
“Hahaha, I really begin to think you’re also an excellent merchant, Lady Mage.” Jacob rubbed his fingers. “Indeed, there’s nothing to complain about. These are just idle words. The main reason I’m asking is because I have a favor to ask. You and your friends are probably heading to the Outer Realms, right? Though I’m not very talented, I’m quite familiar with some of the major Outer Realms. So, before you leave the Star Realms and embark on your new journey, would you consider traveling with me? To be honest, I urgently need protection… Someone like me, without sufficient self-defense skills, is just easy prey for many creatures in the Outer Realms. Of course, please don’t misunderstand—I’m not trying to hire you; I’m merely asking for help boldly. And as for payment, you needn’t worry at all. Just ask for whatever you want… As long as it’s within my ability, I certainly won’t disappoint your friends.”
Forty-seven sat in the creaking wicker chair, looking up at Jacob.

“I do want something. Don’t worry, it’s not a coffee grinder.” He leaned back, the chair creaking in protest, as if something inside it had broken. “I’ve noticed that the Gith officers in the city use rather unique weapons. How about getting me a few of those?”
Jacob’s long, blue face bore a somewhat stiff smile. He touched his gold earrings and said awkwardly, “Um… I’m sorry, but that’s really beyond my capabilities. The Gith have an unusual obsession with the items they create. Every one of their weapons has its own characteristics and name, kept strictly secret. If they discover foreigners possessing such items, they’ll retaliate immediately… Especially the silver blades used by their elite officers, which they treat as if they were their lifelines—I’ve never heard of anyone owning a Gith silver blade and living unharmed without being pursued endlessly.”
“Mr. Hosenbruz, if this is just a passing fancy, I suggest you give up on the idea,” Jacob advised cautiously. “Besides, silver blades are only considered weapons in the hands of the Gith. In the hands of outsiders, they’re utterly useless—way too heavy to use at all…”
“He really is just being impulsive, and his name isn’t Hosenbruz either,” Morriel offered the merchant an out. “Mr. Jacob, why don’t you tell me more about the various realms?”
Forty-Seven didn’t insist any further.
“Alright,” he said indifferently. “I’ll figure it out myself.”
Morriel glared at him. “Hmm, good. You’d better ‘figure it out’ as you say.”
There were no days or nights in the Star Realm—but the city guards would impose a schedule on outsiders according to their own habits. Resistance was pointless. And since those who lived here could endure the even more extreme oppression of the Gith, why would they care about this?
Forty-Seven stood outside the stone house, looking at the deserted castle. The residents who stayed here would retreat after completing their deadly tasks or paying their “rent,” relieved that another day had passed. Gith soldiers patrolled the walls and streets, defending their dominance and ready to “warn” those who forgot that at any moment. Yet they showed rare tolerance toward the carefree Forty-Seven, just like there’s always that one troublemaker in a boarding school who doesn’t go to bed on time and still isn’t punished.
“Want to go to the tavern for a drink?” Feeling Morriel approach, he turned his gaze away from the shimmering, vast emptiness of the Star Realm.
“No one would open a tavern in the Star Realm, because no one really needs food or drink—those are just psychological illusions,” the female mage said, gently swirling her glass. “There’s no real concept of time in the Star Realm. Nothing here ages or decays… Don’t think this is the secret to immortality. Unless you stay in the Star Realm forever, time will catch up to you the moment you leave, demanding repayment for everything owed.”

“I’ve already agreed to that plan from the plane merchant. I certainly don’t want to suddenly age twenty years old once we get out.” Moriel also looked up at the silver sky above: “It seems you have a special fondness for this place… Could it be that you were actually created in the Star Realm?”
Forty-Seven moved his fingers slightly; beneath his cold, fine armored skin, countless strands of energy flowed like blood in capillaries: “You could say that. But it’s not exactly as you imagine.”
“Yes, yet another story about wars that tear apart voids and destroy planes.” Moriel drained the wine in her cup in one gulp: “Sometimes I think… I’m a 27-year-old mage, yet my exosuit is older than gods. It’s kind of ridiculous, isn’t it?”
Forty-Seven crossed his arms and gave her a strange look.
“Old? I don’t think I’m old. Have you switched to archaeology?”
The female mage raised an eyebrow: “Archaeology? Yeah, following you around to collect the remnants of your ancient kin—I can already smell rust all over myself. By the way… what do you plan to do with them? Strengthen your power? Want to grow two more arms?”
“A goal is just a goal.” Forty-Seven looked at Moriel, who wore a half-smile: “When you study a new spell hard, do you think about what you’ll be able to do once you master it? What the goal is or what you can do isn’t important; what matters is the existence of the goal itself. Otherwise, what’s the difference between us and dead fish?”
“Just a goal…” Moriel seemed suddenly uninterested.
She leaned on the railing and shook the cup—then let go, and it rolled down the steep rock face, shattering on the roof below.
“Typical of an exoskeletal being’s way of thinking.” Moriel stared at the glittering fragments: “Jacob said that after some time, we can use their innate spell-like abilities to find a portal out of the Star Realm… Go on, keep admiring the stars! I’m going to bed.”
Forty-Seven wasn’t sure what to think. So he shrugged and continued to admire the stars—unknown how much time passed until he saw several Giths approaching him.
“Moriel?… Yes, Mage Moriel.” Urad stood in front of the female mage, still with his gray, ugly face and extravagantly ornate armor. Besides her, Forty-Seven, and Kayro, there were also some residents from the vassal cities, all seeming to be powerful individuals, including that Teflin who called himself Gell.
“I hope you haven’t forgotten the promise you made when you asked us for shelter.” Urad’s tone was like that of a debt collector: “Now, it’s time to fulfill that promise.”

Then he turned to the others, “Listen well! If there’s any use at all for you wretched parasites living off others, it’s now! According to our scouts, there’s a huge floating rock ahead in the city! Your task is to climb that rock, explore every part of it, and then return to report to me! If that rock is hard enough and stable enough to be used, our great city will be able to expand once again! And you guys will have more space to breathe. Whether all this can become a reality depends entirely on your performance!”
“There’s no reality in the Star Realm,” muttered a guy beside Moriel in a low voice. It was so quiet that even Moriel only heard it faintly—but Urad’s gaze immediately swept over, his yellow eyes blazing with fury. “What did you say?”
The talkative guy swallowed hard and lowered his head deeply, but Urad didn’t let him off the hook. “What nonsense are you spouting, you lowly scum?!”
The Githian commander’s roar carried a terrifying force that crushed the heart. As the sound waves reached his ears, Moriel even felt as though a giant stone thrown by a catapult had brushed past his temple. The unlucky fool who spoke recklessly was instantly knocked down by this invisible blow, his eyes rolling back, mouth wide open, lying on the ground as if all his bones were broken.
“Throw him away!” With Urad’s words, two soldiers rushed over, dragged him to the edge of the square, and threw him out—he drifted away like trash, with fragments seemingly seeping from his lifeless body along the way.
“Who else has any objections? Say it out loud!”
No one spoke. Moriel grabbed 47’s hand.
“A group of our warriors will accompany you!” Urad waved his hand. “Now, go!”
“You’re so stupid, Lord ‘Hosenbruz’!” Kayro swam around 47 like a fish, flying while making faces. “Don’t always try to walk around! Just focus! Can’t you fly without wings?”
“You’re the one walking around… You brat. You shouldn’t have come!” 47 moved clumsily through the air, much slower than when he was in his dragon form. “Why do I have to do this?”
“You’re not really that eager to act as a shield for others, are you?” Moriel came to his side. “No matter what the Githians say about that rock… since those who know the Star Realm so well still want us to do such menial exploration work, things probably aren’t that simple.”
The Githian soldiers and other recruited adventurers were no longer visible. Under the vast starry sky, only the three of them remained.
“We’re just passersby in the Star Realm, with no ties to the Githians… and we don’t plan to stay here long.” Since 47 was indeed incredibly slow, Moriel began pulling him along by his shoulder plate. “The Star Realm isn’t like the main material plane. Who knows what strange things might be around. I hope there’s nothing ahead. Maybe after circling back, Jacob can take us away.”

“You really lack a spirit of exploration.” Forty-seven lay back casually and made a highly provocative gesture at Kayro: “Well then, if you find it, great; if not, forget it.”
It seemed that when it came to subconscious desires, the desire to have something happen often proved stronger than the desire to avoid it.
Kayro was the first to notice it: “Sister Moriel, look!”
The female mage and Forty-seven followed the direction of her finger, but there seemed to be nothing in the void.
“Where?” Forty-seven turned over and swept his hands through the air, actually moving forward a few feet. “Kids shouldn’t lie. Haven’t you heard the story of ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’—”
Suddenly, it seemed as though something pulled him. He tumbled in one direction like a stone in free fall.
“Damn it! A gravity-like region! Grab me, Kayro!” Soon, an invisible yet irresistible force also captured Moriel and Kayro, dragging them together toward the mysterious region hidden among the shining stars.