Free Web NovelThe Western Plateau stretched vast and endless; the distance between one “city” and the next was enormous, with monsters roaming freely across the plains.
And calling them “cities” was generous—
they were more like gigantic traveling marketplaces, joint hubs where wandering prairie tribes and members of the Human Alliance traded and exchanged information.
Early that morning—before dawn even broke—Vieya’s group left the inn, left the West Coast, and began their journey toward Aden City.
To make the journey more comfortable, Vieya spent a hefty sum to buy a carriage.
Well, “carriage” was generous too.
The creatures pulling it looked more like camels, long-legged and long-necked. They were expensive: three gold coins for one camel—
but Aurora managed to haggle each one down to a single gold coin.
A proper carriage required three camels.
Originally, the price was ten gold coins with a “10% discount,” so she could have bought the whole three-camel carriage for nine gold coins.
After Aurora’s ruthless bargaining, the deal dropped to three gold coins total, and the merchant even threw in a seven-day supply of feed for the camels.
Even so, the bastard merchant’s eyes were squeezed shut with joy when handing over the carriage.
Vieya could tell with her toes that she had been butchered like a fat pig.
“Captain, just look at yourself. Back when we traveled as a party, you never handled these chores. Now the moment you try, you get scammed by a black-hearted merchant.” Aurora sighed meaningfully.
“How could a single pack animal cost three gold coins?”
“I’m just not familiar with the market here!” Vieya insisted stiffly.
“That damn merchant started by asking for sixty gold coins for the carriage! I cut it down to ten—I thought I’d won big...... who knew he was even blacker than that.”
“......”
Aurora fell silent, looking at the white-haired loli whose expression was darker than charcoal. A wave of sympathy welled in her heart.
If Captain didn’t have hard fists and a direct temper, with her current appearance she might get sold off and even help her kidnappers count the money.
Back when she was the Hero, no one would dare try anything shady—
but now she looked like a harmless little girl, which naturally attracted predatory eyes.
And the Western lands, far from the Royal Capital, with wide land and sparse people, were mostly lawless gray zones.
Even seasoned adventurers from the southern regions often overturned here—
not at the hands of monsters, but at the hands of other people.
Thinking this, Aurora sighed again.
“It’s fine. Anyway, Captain, your fists are strong enough. If you’re unhappy, even if you can’t afford something, you can always just rob them.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Keep slandering me and I’ll spill every embarrassing secret you have to your sister—
like how you volunteered for human body experiments, betrayed me, turned yourself into something neither human nor monster! If I hadn’t stepped in, you’d have already lost your mind and turned into a terrifying giant serpent demon!”
“I’m sorry!! My dear Captain, please don’t exaggerate anything to my sister!”
Aurora kneeled instantly.
“She’ll skin me alive!!”
“Good. Now shut up and drive. Stop babbling slander about me!”
Inside the carriage, Vieya crossed her arms and closed her eyes, resting.
Beside her, Jasmine bit her finger while looking at her mother. She seemed full of questions, but since Mom’s mood didn’t look too good—and Mom might not answer anyway—Jasmine instead looked toward Aurora at the front, wearing a bamboo hat and concentrating on driving.
“Aurora-sis, have we left the city yet?”
Jasmine stuck her head out, curious about the landscape.
Endless grassland stretched in all directions; no humans, no monsters, their lone carriage advancing through an empty world.
“We’ve left it.” Aurora mumbled around a lollipop.
“In the West, once you leave a city, your enemies aren’t just monsters—
but also every stranger you meet.”
“Strangers?”
“Mm. Sometimes even people you know can’t be trusted. Outside city walls there’s no law, no morality. Killing for loot is normal.”
“I see...... No wonder I heard there are few adventurers in the West.”
“Exactly. Adventurers here usually move in teams. You rarely see lone wolves.
Although someone like your mother could probably manage.”
“Eh?”
“Your mom’s combat experience is extremely rich. Especially against monsters—she figures out weaknesses and attack patterns in a single round.”
“I see...... What about against humans? Mom almost got scammed today.”
“Jasmine! Don’t talk to the driver while she’s driving! Come sit with me!”
Vieya frowned, reminding sharply.
Jasmine scooted back obediently and sat beside her.
She peeked sideways at her white-haired slime mother.
My loli mom...... seems to care a lot about her image.
No—more accurate to say she cares what I think of her, as my mother?
“Little Jasmine, remember this.” Vieya said expressionlessly.
“Monsters won’t lie to you with their attack patterns.
But humans will lie to you with their mouths.”
“When I worked as an adventurer on the side, some people deliberately spread false information and tricked adventurers or Heroes going out to hunt monsters.”
“Eh? Humans...... are they really that bad?” Jasmine widened her eyes cooperatively.
“Mm. Just like in games—when a teammate kills you, then loots the items you dropped.”
Vieya’s tone grew solemn.
“So me being tricked was normal. Just a mistake everyone makes at some point.”
“......”
Jasmine fell silent.
Why did she feel like Mom said all that just to justify herself in the last sentence......
Outside, Aurora chomped down on the lollipop and swallowed it. Hearing the conversation, she shook her head with a helpless expression.
Pa! Pa!
The whip fell on the camels’ backs, and the carriage, which had slowed down, suddenly sped up again, dust rising behind them.
The midday sun slowly drifted toward the west.
Aside from stopping a few times to feed the camels, they traveled nonstop.
They had to reach the next supply point before nightfall.
Otherwise they would face the frigid nights of the Western Plateau.
Here, the sun in the day could roast an egg— ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
but at night, the empty plains’ cold winds could crack stones.
It was an exaggeration passed down among the Western tribes—
but not that much of an exaggeration.
Thankfully, they encountered no bandits or monsters along the way.
The thick, lush grass under the camels’ hooves signaled they were nearing the supply point.
Faintly, Vieya—sitting inside the carriage—heard several low beastly growls.
But they didn’t come from the sky or the ground—
they seemed to echo from beneath the grass.
Sinister and eerie.
But before true night /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ could descend, they finally saw faint, warm human lights in the distance.
“Whew, driving all day is exhausting.”
Aurora wiped the sweat from her forehead, slowing the camels. She called back toward the carriage:
“Captain, we’ve reached the supply point.”
The carriage approached the brightly lit small town and came to a halt.
All three disembarked.
Aurora folded the map and tucked it into her shirt, turning to the two lolis with a grin.
“At this pace, we’ll reach Aden by tomorrow night. Then I’ll let you taste my sister’s cooking!”
“Your sister cooks, yet all these years you never learned even a little.” Vieya gave her a side glance.
“I really don’t know what you’re proud of.”
“Captain! How can you say that!” Aurora put her hands on her hips.
“And just because you got smaller doesn’t mean your heart should get smaller too!”
“Mind your own business.”
As they bickered, several plain-clothed townsfolk approached.
They were the local night-shift workers, responsible for receiving travelers like Vieya’s group—providing lodging and, of course, making some money.
“You three little beauties looking for a place to stay?”
The speaker was thin and hunched like a starved monkey, baring an ingratiatingly grotesque smile.
“Our town provides food and lodging for travelers.
We even have several great mages sitting in town, so it’s very safe.
A heavenly-class room costs only one gold coin per night......”
“One gold coin? Are you robbing us?!”
Vieya’s eyes widened.
Even in Fengxiang Town, the top-tier inns cost only two silver coins per night!
And last night on the West Coast, they’d spent barely over a dozen copper coins.
“Hehe, the three beauties look like you’re not lacking money.” The monkey-like man rubbed his hands.
“We’re just small business owners, and rooms are tight lately......”
“......”
Vieya shot a glance at Aurora—who did not warn her this time—and sighed.
From her pocket, she squeezed out a gold coin.
“Fine. Show us the room.
And take care of the carriage.
If it’s missing even a single hair tomorrow......
hmph, you know the consequences.”
“Hehe, rest assured! Our town has been doing this for decades—our reputation is excellent! Otherwise we wouldn’t be an officially designated supply point.”
The monkey-like man bowed repeatedly.
“Honored guests, please follow me. I have the best rooms in the whole village!”
As he led the three inside, several other townsfolk watched them leave and muttered:
“Where did that new batch of tender little lambs come from? They’re making my mouth water.”
“They’re all pale and fragrant, too. Probably not wanderers from the tribes—
looks like they came from a big city.”
Meanwhile—
Vieya’s group arrived at the house the monkey-man had mentioned.
White walls, red roof—indeed nicer than the mud-brick houses around it.
On the way, they also passed several other adventurers seeking lodging, which eased Vieya’s wariness greatly.
It seemed that aside from being expensive, there weren’t any other tricks here.
The “one-gold-coin” room wasn’t as good as the copper-coin room they had on the West Coast—
but it was clean, and didn’t smell.
After paying, Vieya suddenly fell silent.
The room had only one bed.
A tiny bed barely big enough for one adult—
yet there were three of them.
“Damn swindler.”
Vieya cursed under her breath, then turned to Aurora.
“You drove all day. You’re probably exhausted.
You and Jasmine sleep on the bed.
I’ll keep watch.”
