Chapter 100: I'd Like an Expedition Like This Too!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Most of the items in the checklist were already prepared by the affluent Dole family, with only a few left that had not been purchased. In the meantime, Eugene summoned the four that Baiyi had selected so that they could get acquainted with Baiyi.
The three Northerners entered the room confidently. They had been watching the situation unfolding from the sidelines, so there were little questions left from them. On the other hand, the chaplain was still dizzy from all the healing that he had done.
The head of the Dole family gave a simple briefing before gesturing to Baiyi. "This man here is Master Hope. He will be leading the expedition to the Northern Lands. Please, acquaint yourselves with each other while I wrap everything up with my servant."
One of the Northerners stopped him from leaving and gestured at the checklist in his hand. "Is that th' checklist? Kin ah see it please?" The man said in a distinctive dialect.
The head of the Dole family eyed Baiyi hesitantly. Seeing the Soul Armature's nod of assent, he handed the list to the man.
The other two companions of the man huddled close to scan the paper. When they seemed to have finished reading, they looked at each other in a meaningfully before one of them turned to Baiyi, "Excuse me, did ye mak’ this?"
"Yes. Is something wrong?" Earlier, Baiyi had consulted the Caveman, the Explorer and the Warrior to compile the checklist, so he thought it should be quite comprehensive…
The man replied. "Nothing wrong at a’, friend! It’s very complete. Ye must be experienced. Looks lik’ we wur worried for nothing!" They said mirthfully as they returned the checklist.
The head of the Dole family was pleased to see the men warming up to Baiyi. His own faith in the Soul Armature doubled. Relieved, he took his leave.
Baiyi found himself warming up to the three men as well. They seemed quite knowledgeable based on what Baiyi could see when they were going through the checklist, they must also be quite experienced with the great outdoors. "I'm Hope, pleased to meet you. And who are you gentlemen?"
"Zhang Fah’n, Zhang Yiqi and Zhang Xiaoyang, sir." The man in the middle pointed at his left, then right, and at himself. "We, the Zhang Brothers, wur hunters from Mad Spring Town, frequently going tae th' Northern Wastelands tae hunt. We git familiar with th' routes, sae many explorers hired us as guides. Efter we know a bit aboot exploring ourselves, we also became explorers."
Baiyi studied the brothers curiously. They were fairly young, all in their 30s. They weren’t very strong either— the best of them was only in the Elite Level, while the weakest was only in the Intermediate Level. A bit too underwhelming to be an explorer, honestly, but their experience with the routes gave them an edge over the others.
After a fair bit of chit-chat, Baiyi was mildly surprised that it was the three men who had brought the news about Undine’s situation to the Dole family. The brothers had previously encountered the lost missionaries in the wasteland and they were the ones who brought them back. From that moment on, the Dole family instantly hired them as members of the rescue party, promising them a lifetime excess of treasures and gold as their reward.
"Thae folks give muckle 1 rewards! Wi' it, ah will finally be able tae buy a piece o' land fur farming 'n' live a quiet life," Zhang Fahn said contentedly. He was also, Baiyi noticed, the weakest among the brothers.
"Och, c'moan, brother! Wid ye be a bawherr mair ambitious?" His brothers protested in their thick accent, which apparently meant, ‘Would you be a bit more ambitious?’
Compared to the Zhang brothers however, the obviously more superior chaplain— who was already at Master Level— was ironically less sure of himself. He hesitantly asked, "A-are we the only ones going?"
"Yep." Baiyi nodded. "Plus a sorcerer and a fighter."
"Lord of Heaven! You people are mad!" The chaplain exclaimed. He closed his eyes and mumbled something under his breath, likely a prayer.
He did not excuse himself from the party, however.
Baiyi was of course, curious. "And you’re still coming?"
"Of course, good sir. Eugene Dole had donated much to our humble church. I promised him in the name of the Lord, that I will help him with all that I have," the holy man replied somberly. "I cannot break this promise, for there is no place in heaven for a man who goes against his words."
"Tsk, it’s like looking at my younger self," The Cleric’s voice rang out in the Void. "I was just as pious as him back then, or maybe even more so…"
And now you’re a horny bastard that hopes for a heaven full of beautiful female legs for you to lick. Does every man of faith fall this hard when their faith is broken? I can hardly remember you as a member of the church! Baiyi thought.
"You just don’t know how it feels like. When you’ve finally seen how empty it is behind what you so staunchly believed in, what you had persevered for, the utter void behind your conviction— you’ll end up just as I," the Cleric replied in uncharacteristic seriousness.
Debates on religious topics are so annoying… Baiyi sighed internally. He understood what the Cleric meant, though. Living your life exactly based on the virtues described by your faith, including sacrificing yourself for that faith, only to be thrown into a dark limbo for thousands and thousands of years to exist with no purpose at all despite his repetitive and final demonstration of his love for his faith.
Now that was cruel and it can't easily be dismissed as a "test" or a "delayed promise".
When the Cleric and the Paladin had first entered the Void, they were hysterical and almost beyond help. But the passage of limitless time in the Void eventually tired out even their insanity. They had fallen ever since they came here, but they were a little different. They still thought of themselves as the allies of justice— but that justice was no longer the God who had mercilessly sent them to the Void.
Watching the young and equally pious chaplain, Baiyi felt a bit of sympathy for him.
After a while, the head of the Dole family led another two people to join their rescue party. It was the young sorcerer that Baiyi had a row with once and a fighter.
The young sorcerer was supposed to join Undine’s expedition back then but he was injured and when the expedition had started, he hadn’t recovered much. Meanwhile, the fighter had long served the Doles with unwavering loyalty and Undine had only left him behind so that he could take care of her family.
The young sorcerer Xillians had finally learnt to not probe anyone with his Psychic Energy. He bowed to Baiyi respectfully and introduced himself politely. He even mentioned that he was under the tutelage of some Immortal Level sorcerer.
And here I thought your teacher forgot to teach you about etiquettes, Baiyi thought. He was reluctant to work with the golden-haired try-hard, but the boy had pretty useful skills— especially his Tracking Runes, which would help tremendously in locating everyone in the party in times of need. For that reason, Baiyi swallowed his disapproval.
Once Tisdale and Mia joined them, the rescue party was completed with a total of seven members.
Mia greeted everyone with her usual manner but her presence unsettled the defense fighter.
"Isn’t she a bit too young to go on such a dangerous expedition?" He asked, concerned.
"Can’t be helped. She’s my Soul Armature Practitioner." Baiyi patted her head. "It’s a great training opportunity as well, so I think she will be fine."
Frankly, Baiyi did sense that Mia was on the verge of leveling up. After a little challenge, she might just break through her level, and the amount of energy he could utilize would increase as well.
The great mission had begun. They had about twenty ponies suitable for mountainous terrains with them. The ponies were not used as packhorses either, as the Dole family was generous enough to purchase a significant amount of expensive multi-space storage pouch to fit their belongings in. As a result,because they were all packed lightly, their travelling speed was quick.
It didn't take long before guilt settled in Baiyi. The party had not rest much due to the urgency of their mission but most of the members were already used to a bit of hardship. But the two girls under his care though were less durable. They became worn out very early; Tisdale was on her horse nodding off as her eyes answered gravity’s call, and she was at the risk of falling off her horse. Meanwhile, Mia, who had no equestrian training, could only ride with Baiyi. She leaned backwards on his chest and travelled in a blur state.
It was good that the two girls did not once complain about the trip despite clearly feeling uncomfortable. Baiyi couldn’t help but kick himself for not bringing at least one comfortable carriage for them.
In the end, he came up with a pretty odd solution. He asked Tisdale to ride with him, the girl sat in front of him as he wrapped one of his arms around her feminine, sweet waist to hold her steady as she napped on his chest. Meanwhile, Mia was wrapped completely with a blanket with just her head poking out, the Mia-roll was then strapped onto the back tightly with ropes.
That of course attracted the jealousy of the others. The young sorcerer, who did not look young from his eyebags and wrinkles from lack of sleep, even mustered up his courage to ask Baiyi if he needed help with his load.
Of course the lad’s offer was rejected. There was no way Baiyi would have trusted Tisdale to him!
Their speed was rewarded by their timely arrival to the Southern Border Forts. Most of the party had lost much of their vim and were barely able to stand on their feet, yet Baiyi was feeling exceptionally zesty and full of vigor. Now why is that?