Chapter 184 Embarking on Another Route: Choices and Arrangements, Departure...
"Why not use the teleportation array to go to the royal city?"
Ries raised his own doubts.
"The magic circles in Rosen Town and all the surrounding towns have been destroyed."
Vivian answered.
Clearly, the demons had made extensive preparations for this attack. Fortunately, the Duke immediately arranged corresponding countermeasures after learning of the incident at the boundary marker, thus preventing an irreversible outcome.
Has Sayya, who lives with you, said anything about his plans for the future?
Hagrid asked.
Vivian's discussion with Barnett was about having the villagers temporarily relocate from the small mountain village to avoid the war. Since Saiya wasn't a relative of Laiyi, he naturally wouldn't be going to the royal city with him, so his fate needed to be decided sooner rather than later.
He said he planned to go back to his 'hometown' and set off with me.
"Sigh," Hagrid sighed, "What a mess this is."
Ray stayed at Hagrid's house for a while longer, mainly listening to Vivian talk about the current situation and the conditions in various places, so that he would have a better understanding of the situation before he set off.
Back home, Lai and Seia had another formal discussion about the next steps, and Lai briefly recounted the current situation on the mainland that Vivian had told them.
After listening, Sayya thought it over and over again and then offered his own suggestions.
“Lei, the demons have invaded the continent, and there is war everywhere. The journey to the royal city will be extremely dangerous. Do you want to consider starting from the Eton Great Forest and bypassing those demons?”
Seeing that Lei was somewhat interested in his proposal, Sayer continued.
"Only magical beasts and our elven race live in the Eton Forest. Compared to facing the demons directly, we just need to bypass those powerful magical beasts. After reaching the elven tribe, I can also resupply there, given my status."
Ray began to seriously consider the feasibility of this route.
First, we should deal with the water elemental stone to repair Tata's magic core, and then take Tata back to his parents along the way. From this perspective, Seya's suggestion isn't entirely unreasonable.
“Lai, Tata’s magic core has a problem, and I know you’ve been secretly searching for a suitable elemental stone. I can offer you a high-grade water elemental stone as a token of my gratitude, which will increase the chances of Tata’s magic core being healed.”
How did you know about this?
"Ray asked warily. Tata shrank back, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible."
"Beast, the beast said it by accident."
Lei looked away.
The little monster stammered as it answered the question, feeling as if it had done something wrong. It sat down stiffly at Lai's feet, looking dejected.
"Actually, I also had my own selfish motives in this matter."
Seyia seemed a little awkward and embarrassed.
“My magic is sealed. The situation is bad now. It’s better to rely on someone I know than to hire a stranger to send me back.”
"I understand. I'll think about it and give you an answer tonight."
"good."
Upon closer examination, Seya's suggested route was indeed better, a win-win situation. With Ryan as a backup plan, there's no need to worry too much about safety.
Ryan had said he would stay with Ray when Neil got into trouble, so there's no need to worry about things on his end.
After much deliberation, Lai had already made up his mind, but he still had some other things to deal with at the moment.
At Mount Bella, the goblins are busy packing their belongings.
Elder Barnett has publicly announced his decision, meaning there is no turning back, and they must leave as soon as possible.
The goblins have been living well these past few years and have accumulated quite a few possessions.
These are all things they bought with their hard-earned money, and they can't bear to throw any of them away. They are completely different from when they had nothing.
"well."
Nana sighed deeply, and Iru was also filled with helplessness. The two of them packed their things in silence.
Iru made a cart bed modeled after Lai's. He loaded the goods into the cart bed and pulled it himself, saving a lot of effort and allowing him to carry more.
"Can we take both of our iron pots with us?"
Nana's eyes were full of reluctance to part with the iron pot.
"We can only bring one; we need to bring more food and seeds."
After comparing them, Nana finally gave up on one of them.
They also had two earthenware jars and a vat, but they were too heavy for them to carry. They could only take a few rough earthenware bowls to use for food and water on the road.
"What if Kai and the others come back and find we're gone?"
This is what Nana is most worried about. The two brothers have been away from home for almost a year, and there has been no news of them. She doesn't know how they are doing now.
"When children grow up, they will eventually leave."
Iru's reply was muffled.
"We'll leave them some information before we leave. As for whether we'll meet again in the future, that's up to God."
The couple remained silent, quietly packing their things, keeping their bitterness to themselves.
"Uncle Ray is here! Uncle Ray is here!"
The two little goblins rolled and scurried into the house, vying with their parents for credit, insisting that they each tell who had come in first.
Iru and Nana ignored the noisy twins, immediately put down what they were holding, straightened their clothes, and went to the door to greet them. Sure enough, Lai was already almost at their house.
There shouldn't have been any more expectations, but Rae's arrival still gave Nana a little hope.
"Please have a seat!"
Nana warmly greeted Lai and relit the stove to boil water in the kettle.
"Sorry, I'm tidying up, the house is a bit messy."
Nana apologized.
"It's alright, no need to boil water. I'll just say a few words to Yiru and then leave."
"well."
Nana urged the twins to get up, took the children out of the house, and gave the two of them some space to talk.
"Yiru, where do you plan to go after you leave the small mountain village?"
"Ray asked."
"I don't know where else to go. Nowhere is a good place to go. I'll probably end up going back to the Great Forest of Eton. It's dangerous, but at least it's a place to stay."
Iru was very distressed.
He dared not tell his wife these things, fearing she would worry too much.
"With the continent in turmoil and the demon race resurrected, nowhere is necessarily safe."
"Sigh... I just want a stable life."
But it has never truly been stable...
“Yiru, if you have nowhere to go, you can come to Aishan.”
Iru's eyes lit up as he looked at Lai with hope.
Would you like to come over?
"Yes, of course I'm willing!"
Iru saw hope again in Laiyi.
"Don't rush to answer, I have conditions."
"I'll agree to any conditions!"
Iru hurriedly pledged his loyalty, fearing he would lose this opportunity.
He was convinced that Ray would never harm him; the trust built up over such a long period of time together allowed him to unconditionally believe all of Ray's decisions.
"Listen to my terms first."
Lei did not stop explaining the situation because of Iru's words.
"I have some things to take care of and need to go on a long trip. The Aishan Orchard needs a trustworthy person to manage it, and there are other things..."
Before Lai finished speaking, Iru already knew what "those" Lai was referring to.
"Take good care of the low hill and don't let anyone discover its secret."
Yilu nodded solemnly.
"I see."
"You can build a house on the mountain, but you should hide it well so that no one else can find it."
Iru understood that, to put it bluntly, they had been expelled. It was already a huge risk for Ray to secretly take them in.
"Other goblins..."
Iru wasn't a saint, but when he saw the longing in the eyes of the goblins who were secretly surrounding their house through the window, he couldn't help but ask a question.
Ray looked back and saw the goblins hurriedly lying down on the ground, trying to hide from him.
"It's your decision, but you know that."
Lai stared at Iru with a threatening look in his eyes.
"I know, I understand, I will definitely not let the dwarf hill and those things be in danger!"
Iru made a solemn promise, and Lai looked away.
"After I return safely, I will buy another mountain as your new residence. I will announce to the outside world that you are my laborers, but I will not interfere with your lives, as long as you can complete the tasks I assign you."
"Definitely! Definitely!"
At this moment, Lai no longer felt like an approachable friend to Iru, but rather like a seasoned ruler who used both kindness and authority to make people submit and trust him.
Excitement and elation filled Iru's heart; Lai's promise gave him renewed hope for the future.
"The situation is dangerous, be careful in everything you do, and don't let others find out."
"yes!"
After giving his instructions, Lai left. As for Iru's final decision, that was up to him. He had many things to do before his departure.
The journey was long and dangerous, so Lai couldn't take Gug with him.
But Gug's unreliable son is completely untrustworthy. Faced with imminent disaster, he would most likely abandon Gug to fend for himself. Lai would never send Gug to him; doing so would practically be a death sentence for Gug.
Gug took care of him and Neil like a grandfather, helping Lai adapt to life here as quickly as possible in the first few years. He had to find someone for Gug to rely on.
After a moment's thought, Ray selected a few candidates.
As Seyah had expected, Lai ultimately chose the route he had suggested.
However, this means that Ray needs to prepare even more; he must be prepared to live a life of hardship for a long time to come.
Fortunately, thanks to selling vegetables and receiving dividends from Temuji over the past few years, Laiyi has accumulated no less than a hundred gold coins, which gives him more confidence on his journey to the royal city.
Money is always an important asset.
After things were settled in Lai's area, the villagers in the small mountain village gradually began packing their belongings.
They chose to set off together, visiting relatives living in nearby big cities along the way.
The once thriving village was now filled with villagers packing their belongings, a noisy spectacle, like a final burst of activity before its decline. Barnett, witnessing this scene, was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
Lai helped Gug pack all his important belongings and clothes into a large box, and when Gug wasn't looking, he secretly slipped five gold coins inside.
Gugge's beloved dog passed away last winter, leaving him all alone in the family.
"I'm getting old, I'm getting old. I never thought I'd go through something like this," Gu Ge said with a self-deprecating laugh.
He had intended to simply stay and let the small mountain village fend for itself, but he hadn't expected that Lai had already arranged a place for him. Lai was a very stubborn boy; no matter how much he tried to reason with him, it was no use, and he insisted on making him leave with him.
"Humans live to be two hundred years old. You are only one hundred and fifty-three. You don't look old at all."
Ray comforted him, and together with Seyah, they lifted the wooden crates onto the truck bed, which had been converted into a cargo box.
Pots, pans, bedding, and blankets were all essential for the journey. Fortunately, the truck bed of the Lei Yi was spacious and well-made. After stuffing everything inside, two adults could squeeze in and sleep comfortably at night.
Temuqi arrived late, carrying two animal skin bags. He didn't have much; he mainly brought some precious materials, artworks, and a small amount of food. The other materials could be bought anywhere, so there was no need to take them all.
Ray helped stuff the animal skin bag into the hidden compartment in the truck bed.
In the end, he did not sell the mule cart, but left it to Guge and Temuqi. The two of them would go together to Temuqi's former residence, and return to the small mountain village after everything settled down.
"Thank you, Temujin."
Lei thanked him earnestly, but Temuqi waved his hand. Lei had said the same thing countless times in the past few days.
"Is everything ready?"
Temu asked a strange question.
Seyah checked again to make sure nothing was missed.
"All done."
After locking all the doors and windows of the Guge family's house, Lai took out two bags of grain and a large jar of hot pot base from his spatial storage and handed them to Temuqi.
"Take care on the road, stay safe, and have a safe journey."
Lai, Seya, and Tata escorted the two to the village entrance before stopping. The big black dog hanging outside the carriage reluctantly bid farewell to its owner and its little pet.
"Woof! Woof!"
Hey kid! Eat less meat!
"Woof woof woof woof woof!"
Don't cause your owner any trouble!
"Awoooooo!"
You stupid dog! Who are you calling "Little White"?! You're the one who loves to cause trouble, your whole family loves to cause trouble!
Wait a minute, isn't the stupid dog's whole family just Lai and himself?
Lai watched the two barking and howling at each other, completely bewildered, while Seya watched the spectacle with a sly smile.
“Let’s go back, we should get going,” Ray said.
"Um."
After a while, a carriage pulled by two large horses left the small mountain village.
It didn't take the main road, but instead drove towards the Great Forest of Eaton after a fork in the road, leaving two tire tracks.
In the end, all that could be seen was a thin layer of dust that had been raised.
On this journey, no one saw me off.
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