The information previously posted on the official forum indicated the village on the route to the Kingdom of Pearl, but the specific location was not stated.

However, now there is a fantastic game map created by volunteers. It’s the latest version of it, too.

This latest version was posted in the thread where the location prediction of the Sky Castle was discussed.

Without a map of high accuracy, predicting the travel route would be practically impossible.

They probably used an event-exclusive teleportation service, listed all the cities and their adjacent cities, and created a high-precision map based on their spatial relationships.

As long as cities are adjacent, they can be on the teleportation destination list, so creating a map with accurate city positions is not impossible if you can obtain the list of all the cities.

Creating the city list might involve cooperating with fellow players or recruiting volunteers on social media.

However, this method only reveals the positional relationships between cities. The details of what exists beyond the cities and the precise shape of the entire continent remain unknown.

But if all you need is to narrow down the travel routes to the Sky Castle, then this should be sufficient.

In any case, the crucial information for route selection is the timing of attacks based on the city. The outer perimeter of the continent is irrelevant.

For Rare, at least for now, all that matters is knowing the location of the village, and the outer perimeter of the continent is inconsequential.

“…I need to investigate the route to the Route Village.”

“Did you say something?”

“Nothing at all.”

With the destination set based on this map, the issue at hand is the means of travel.

The quickest option is to fly through the air and head straight there.

Fortunately, both Lyra and I have the means to fly on their own.

“If we can go anytime we want, let’s make a little detour.”

“A detour?”

*

The destination reached by the usual teleportation service from the town of Rifure was the ☆1 dungeon called [Abhang Marshlands] in Pearl.

Adjacent to this dungeon is a town called Kiefer. The fact that there is a town right next to a dungeon suggests the existence of a portal in Pearl.

Currently, Lyra, Blanc and I have done almost nothing regarding the Pearl Kingdom. Lyra suggested checking the portal situation in this country while on our journey.

“Should we go to the town, or… what do you think? Since we’re here, should we take a peek at the dungeon?”

An unfamiliar dungeon feels refreshing, and there is some interest in it. Although they’ve visited places like Tore Grassland and Neuschloss city before, having more sample data is always better.

“Yeah, why not. Since we’re here.”

“So, what should we do, what’s our setting? Players? NPCs?”

In the campsite-like square of the teleport destination, there are only tents of players who have logged out for sleep, and they haven’t encountered anyone yet.

“…Let’s go with NPCs. If our faces get exposed, it’s still better than the other option.”

“Yeah, got it.”

Thus, a suspicious duo of NPCs in white and black robes was born. However, in this world, wearing robes or cloaks during travels is not uncommon. While we may look suspicious, it’s not enough to warrant reporting. Travelers being empty-handed is suspicious enough. If asked about it, we would have to say we already booked an inn in the town.

“A marsh, huh? Seems like our shoes will get dirty.”

“A single [Cleanse] will make them clean again, so it’s fine.”

The marsh has several small pond-like features within view, displaying a grand and beautiful scenery. Despite such a beautiful sight, Lyra seems to care only about her shoe’s dirtiness.

“Come on, stop dawdling. [Sky Drive].”

“Huh?”

“Hm?”

“What’s that, Rare-chan? You seem to be floating. Is it a bug?”

“There are basically no bugs in this game.”

“Oh, [Sky Drive]. I remember having that too. Okay.”

They move along the ground, just avoiding getting their feet dirty in the marsh.

Looking around, plants in the marsh are bathed in sunlight, blooming flowers at their own pace.

“[Appraisal]… let’s see, Earthworm Orchid? Isn’t the order wrong?… No, it’s not! I thought it was a pistil, but it’s an earthworm! Gross!”

“Even if it’s rotting, it’s still a dungeon. It has a strong visual, huh?”

“Oh, but that becomes a potion ingredient. Uh, for a Regeneration Potion…”

Regeneration potions are indeed more expensive than regular potions, but they aren’t beyond the reach of NPC commoners. The materials may not be that rare, considering the price. Since this dungeon is rated ☆1, the materials collectible here are likely not too valuable. Even if they can only be obtained in the marsh, their prices may not rise.

“Shouldn’t you bring some of those back for a home garden or something? Somewhere like the Tore Grassland.”

“I don’t know if they’ll grow in the grassland, and I won’t do it. Also, I don’t want to touch them.”

Several plants useful as medicinal herbs are growing in addition to the Earthworm Orchid.

“Oh, Rare-chan, look over there. Someone’s fighting.”

“With the Earthworm Orchid?”

“It doesn’t have any combat power, so it’s probably something else. But the opponent doesn’t seem that big. What could it be?”

Out of curiosity, I wandered over, and the player engaged in a battle turned out to be fighting a slime, seemingly a beginner.

“Take this! Alright, defeated!”

It seemed the battle had just concluded; with a swing of the player’s staff, the slime succumbed, scattering its body and dying.

Despite appearing like a girl, the player sounded like a boy. The slime’s corpse disappeared, leaving behind a bottled liquid as loot.

In this game, the slimes aren’t the cute, wobbly type; they’re of the gooey kind. While having a generally watery body, they also possess a jelly-like, semi-solid part that constitutes their core, resembling partially melted ice at first glance. They lack a core-like structure, and thus, no specific weak points. They are magical creatures that die solely from inflicted damage, leaving no corpse but dropping items upon death.

The liquid in those bottles is likely the loot. Quietly appraising it reveals it as “Slime Water”. It seems they don’t leave corpses because of the game’s mechanics.

“With this, we’ve gathered enough… Oh no! There’s a suspicious person!”

It seems they noticed our gaze.

Well, as usual, I kept my eyes closed. The gaze belonged to Lyra alone. If someone noticed us, it was Lyra’s fault.

“…Sorry for surprising you. Impressive handling. Are you a foreigner?”

“You spoke! Ah, sorry. Foreigner…? Oh, are you talking about players? Yes, we’re foreigners!”

The term “foreigner” isn’t an official designation. It’s just a term Lyra coined orally, tired of talking about the Inventory. It seems she accidentally blurted it out since she usually uses such expressions when pretending to be an NPC in Aural.

“Um, and you two? Are you NPCs or locals around here? Do you need something?”

“No, we’re just on a little journey… um, yes, to heal my sister’s eyes. Do you know about the Aural Kingdom? We came from there. We heard that this marsh has abundant medicinal herbs, so we thought that maybe we could find something effective for her eyes here. That’s why we happened to see you and got curious, so we approached.”

While talking, she seemed to refer to me as her sister. Indeed, I kept my eyes closed, and our faces looked similar. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone thought so. The boy kept talking, impressively eloquent as ever.

Whether they’re human or elves, their ear shapes are a bit wicked, but as long as they don’t say anything, it won’t stand out. They’re hidden anyway by hoods and hair.

Seeing Lyra lower her mask while talking, I reluctantly followed suit. There’s a risk of revealing our faces, but if they’re beginners, they probably don’t know the faces of the event bosses from the last time. If we plan to push through as NPCs, revealing our faces won’t be much of a problem. Even if someone realizes our true identity, they would likely assume we were humans plotting something while disguised.

“Your sister’s eyes! That must be tough… Uh, do you know what item you need or anything like that?”

“I don’t know. No, sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. Don’t worry about it.”

He expressed his gratitude, and then parted ways. Even after parting, the boy seemed to be concerned about it for a while. However, he eventually turned back, heading towards the town, and left the effective range of my Demonic Eyes.

“Well, he’s quite fresh.”

“Yeah. But a staff, that’s a cool weapon.”

“If you don’t have skills, a staff might be the most efficient. No matter how you swing it, if it hits, it deals damage. And if the main monsters in this marsh are slimes, there probably isn’t much difference in damage dealt whether it’s a sword or a staff.”

“I see, that makes sense.”

Due to not having any resistance to using blades, I hadn’t considered it since I had no reason to. However, for someone without any skills, a staff might indeed be the best choice.

While many players prefer swords as their initial weapons due to their visual appeal and cool image, choosing a staff might be a rational decision. It’s a likable choice.

“He seemed to be collecting slime drops, and he had a staff, so maybe he chose that quest. He’s actually a promising prospect.”

“…With that progress, he’ll quickly earn experience and grow. One day, he might stand before us. I wonder how he’ll react then.”

“Well, even if you say ‘us’, I don’t plan on doing anything to stand out.”

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