054 Weaver of Fate

"When we get to Windflower Town, let's visit Flower Basket Street first. I heard there are many shops there, and some players have even bought storefronts. The goods they sell must be cheaper than those sold by the townsfolk. Also, hey! Are you listening, big uncle?"

"Ah... I'm listening, at least for now."

The creaking and groaning of wagon wheels were endless. At this moment, Higan and Mengzhu, along with two other players, were sitting in a carriage heading toward Windflower Town. Most newcomers wanting to travel there from Greenstone Village would choose to take this caravan that made round trips every few days, unless they were like Iron Heart, who had high-level friends come to pick them up.

Inside the drafty carriage, Mengzhu was expressing her immense dissatisfaction with Higan's absent-mindedness.

"Are you still thinking about that old man? Stop thinking about it, we've already left..." The girl's body bobbed up and down with the jolting of the carriage, her golden ponytail swaying along, resembling a lively goldfish tossed ashore.

"That old man—I've been interested in him all along, but unfortunately, right up until the end, I didn't get the chance to go see him..."

The old man they were referring to was not the old village chief of Greenstone Village, but rather the noisy old man who was still singing at the top of his lungs when they left.

"Just an old geezer with a bird's nest for hair, what's so interesting about him?" Mengzhu had clearly seen the person, so to express her displeasure, the girl pursed her little lips. "Aside from making noise, I've never seen him do a single good deed..."

"It's precisely because he's that kind of person that he has stories to tell," Higan smiled, putting his hands behind his head and leaning against the wooden planks of the carriage. "I love hearing stories from NPCs..."

"Even if there's a story, a grumpy old geezer's story definitely isn't a good one... Ugh, so boring, how much longer is this cart ride gonna take..." Mengzhu buried her head in her knees, curling her small body up on the wooden bench. Through a narrow gap in her arms, her two eyes blinked back and forth out of boredom, occasionally rolling upward as if recalling something.

"Speaking of the future..." Higan suddenly said, "Do you want to join an adventure group?"

"No..." The girl's mouth was buried in her arm, making her voice muffled, but the answer was crisp and decisive.

In the Free Continent, player-established organizations usually took the form of adventure groups. Even large guilds like Jianghu or Free Wings were registered at the Adventurer's Guild simply as adventure groups. However, these adventure groups had ranks; the higher the rank, the more high-level quests they could accept, and the more members they could accommodate.

This format was commonly used in many fantasy-themed games, and since everyone was familiar with it, the major factions still publicly referred to themselves as guilds, serving as a form of brand promotion.

Every year during the Wind Month in the Free Continent, the administrators of the Adventurer's Guild would organize a rating event to determine the ranks and promotions or demotions of various adventure groups. As more and more player-built adventure groups emerged, this rating event had grown increasingly longer, now lasting a full three Wind Months. The reason was simply that the number of commissions adventure groups could accept was staggering.

Those were real, living quests.

"So absolute? Joining an adventure group has a lot of benefits, you know..."

"I hate guilds..." The girl remained silent for a long time before finally adding in a muffled voice.

Another victim of society's dark side... Recalling Mengzhu's previous experiences, Higan shook his head with mild helplessness, then weighed his words. "Then... how about trying to build our own adventure group?"

The quiet ponytail still swayed with the carriage's rocking, but the next instant, it suddenly jerked upright. "Right!"

"We can just build our own! That way we call the shots on everything, and none of that sickening drama will happen... Why didn't I think of that before? Big uncle, you really are cunning, coming up with an idea like this..."

Any normal player would think of something like this, and what's with the "cunning big uncle"... Higan raised his hands to block the flailing braids flying about in excitement, regretting his loose lips.

"So that makes two people including you. Hmm, I wonder what other conditions are needed..." Without noticing Higan's distressed face, the young girl had already impatiently started planning and making preparations. Her eyes glowed, she counted on her fingers while looking up at the sky, and without a shred of politeness, she included the "cunning big uncle" in the headcount. "No, as soon as I log off later, I'm going to look it up..."

"To establish an adventure group, you need to meet many conditions. In my opinion, you guys probably can't do it." At that moment, a long-haired young man sitting on the wooden bench at the other end of the carriage calmly chimed in.

"How do you know..." Hearing the player opposite her—whose ID was Wandering Miles—dampen her spirits, the newly excited girl jumped off the bench, put her hands on her hips, and retorted reflexively. But realizing what the other person said might be true, her tone softened again. "Is building an adventure group... really that hard?"

"Hard." The man didn't care about the change in the girl's attitude, only letting out a faint, cold hum before speaking. "Based on current information, if you want to establish an adventure group, there are roughly... three ways."

"Go to a town with an Adventurer's Guild, find an influential or prestigious lord, and then... lobby them until he or they recommend you as qualified to form an adventure group."

He brushed the long hair on his forehead and tossed his head in a cool pose. "Of course, if you can persuade official authorities to step in, that's even better. But that's even harder; it requires making some contributions to the duchy... Of course," he smiled slightly, "the Empire works too."

Can't we have a normal conversation without showing off... Higan rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling of the carriage.

"Second scenario." Wandering Miles raised another finger. "Splitting and merging adventure groups can also result in 'forming a new adventure group.' You should understand what that means literally, so..."

"Are there any large guilds willing to cooperate with you and give you a name? That's the key here."

"We don't want that... We're going to build our own." Mengzhu repeated her stance without hesitation.

"Oh, then that's very unfortunate. That's already the easiest method I know of," Wandering Miles spread his hands. "Among known guilds, at least a fifth are these kinds of fake-front operations. Simply put... branch guilds."

"Of course, there's another kind..." He paused before continuing. "Some players just look at each other, find each other compatible, and absorb or merge. Ah, what a bunch of kindred spirits..."

Seeming to recall something, the man with an iron longsword on his back smiled coldly. "They'll regret it."

An uncle with a thick beard sitting beside him uneasily shifted away, as if the man were emitting some chilling aura.

"If you have no intention of using either of those two methods, then congratulations, you can officially embark on the path to establishing an adventure group." Wandering Miles didn't mind the bearded man's reaction. In fact, all along the journey, the bearded uncle hadn't spoken much.

He straightened his posture and raised a third finger. "Gather the headcount, undergo testing, and then... pass the trials."

"Just hearing that makes it sound difficult," Higan finally chimed in.

"Of course. Those tests are hosted by high-level adventurers of the guild. If your strength is lacking, you'll naturally get beaten black and blue. As for the subsequent trials... I heard that the alliance's top-tier guilds organized countless personnel and still lost quite a few people before achieving the designated objective."

The girl's excitement completely faded away.

"Never mind whether the two of you, just out of the starter village, can pass those two hurdles. First, try gathering five people to form a party..." The man finally finished boasting, leaned back, and sighed. "Just the two of you... Hmph."

Just as the young girl was about to retort, the coachman's voice suddenly rang out from the driver's seat ahead. "Passengers, it's time for a rest."

***********************

Kidd was the head guard of the caravan. He wore a set of gleaming armor, with iron boots reflecting a cold light. A large, chilling greatsword leaned diagonally across his back like a banner pole, swaying to draw attention as he patrolled.

However, this muscular man in full armor wore no helmet, so whenever others looked at him, their attention was immediately drawn to the top of his head—which also featured a gleaming bald pate.

When Higan first laid eyes on this guard captain Kidd, he had a sudden flash of insight as to why the blacksmith Walal was so familiar with him.

Could it be because they were both bald... he maliciously speculated.

As evening approached, the caravan members were busy setting up camp to rest. Although camping wasn't new during the past few days of travel, this time felt distinctly different.

Because they were currently on the mountain road of Mount Andachil.

The road leading to Greenstone Village was treacherous, primarily due to this mountain road. In Kidd's words, it was a path carved through sheer willpower on the steep mountainsides by countless generations of their ancestors. With this mountain road, they no longer had to risk their lives crossing beast-filled mountain ravines, and thanks to wagon transit, they could save several days of travel time.

Even though these wagons still moved very slowly along this perilous mountain road.

Loose gravel lined the edges of the road. Ranging in size, they appeared to be basic protective measures to prevent passing wagons from accidentally tumbling over. On the other side of that row of stones lay a steep cliff, looking down into the ravine at the bottom—a forest composed of trees and weeds. When walking along sections with smaller elevation drops, the sound of water could be heard echoing from the ravine below, presumably blocked from view by the dense foliage.

On the other side of the mountain road stood a sheer rock wall, though this one sloped upward. Through the layers of artificially chipped gravel, sparse trees could still be seen growing high up on the rock face. Occasionally, newly sprouted emerald branches stretched stubbornly toward the high sky above, signaling the imminent return and blossoming of life.

However, the sun was about to set, and those specks of emerald green gradually faded into the darkness. Also fading into darkness was Kidd's bald head.

He was currently directing the caravan's accompanying defense guards. Although there were seven or eight wagons, based on Higan's observation, Kidd only had about ten subordinates, suggesting this trade route was relatively safe and didn't require a large workforce.

Or perhaps so few people traveled this route that hardly anyone bothered with it.

With a solemn expression, Kidd dismissed several merchants who had come to negotiate, his stern countenance relaxing slightly as he spotted the players approaching from behind. "You must be Moshang Qingshan, the one Walal mentioned..."

The blacksmith's reputation really came in handy... Higan put on an amiable smile and asked, "Those people just now..."

"They wanted to push further ahead before finding a place to rest... Hmph." Mentioning the previous merchants, Kidd's expression darkened again. "If it were anywhere else, I might agree. But on this mountain road..."

"What's wrong with this road? Are there dangerous spots?" Mengzhu asked from the side.

"Of course... not." Kidd glanced at the young girl's curious expression and patted his shining armor. "If this road had any real danger..." He pointed in a certain direction, "those merchants would have been too scared to come here long ago."

"This road is naturally treacherous, as you've all seen," Kidd said. "So when they carved this mountain road, the pioneers anticipated the need for rest stops."

He took two steps forward to the edge of the mountain road and gestured back and forth. "There are several places along this road like the one we're in now—flat terrain, wide spaces on both sides, and overhead... relatively stable. You understand what I'm saying."

He pointed to the cliff above, where a massive expanse of sharply-defined boulders loomed. "Places like this are less prone to accidents like falling rocks. And if the weather turns bad..." He pointed ahead to where the open mountain road had been hollowed out halfway into a tunnel, the massive rock carved inward to form a C-shaped path.

"We can go inside and take cover," he said.

"Your ancestors' wisdom... is powerful, as powerful as their labor," Higan remarked.

"I've always believed so," Kidd tapped his armor, the metallic clanging echoing through the valley. "It's a pity those merchants never understood any of it... What's that sound?"

He pricked up his ears first, then looked up as if sensing something. High above the cliffside, within the unseen depths of the mountain face, a rumbling sound echoed down.

"This... is a rockfall! But how is that possible..." His face turning pale, the bald Kidd shouted loudly to his surroundings, "Quickly take cover in the tunnel! Move!"

Before everyone's eyes, the fully armored, bald giant was shouting and urging them on. Behind him, several people disguised as adventurers but acting as guards had already started running. Above them, the rumbling roar was closing in overhead, suddenly bursting into their field of view.

Rocks of all sizes plummeted from the height of dozens of meters like a downpour. The speed of the fall was so fast that it left little time for anyone to react. Earlier, the merchants had already walked into the tunnel ahead, but the wagons in the rear had not yet entered. Several servant-like figures were struggling to control frightened horses, but now they could no longer manage them, as the beasts had bolted in terror.

Carriages really are the least reliable form of transportation in this world... Higan had a moment to spare for cynical thoughts, but time gave him no room to react further. The falling rocks rained down like a storm, instantly crashing overhead.

*Whoosh—*

Though aware they wouldn't truly die, this kind of death experience wasn't something players wanted to enjoy. So, including Higan, everyone threw themselves flat on the ground, protecting vital parts of their bodies in an attempt to survive the impending disaster. Yet as the rushing wind drew near, the imagined carnage failed to materialize. Higan waited with closed eyes for a moment before rolling over to assess the situation.

Then, he and everyone else witnessed a shocking sight.

Rocks of all sizes hung suspended in the darkening air. Some stones hovered low enough to the ground that they could see the true cause behind their suspension—stripes of purple, varying in size, extended from behind the stones like cobwebs anchoring them in mid-air, holding the boulders aloft. Those threads appeared out of thin air, pulled taut behind the stones to check their powerful downward momentum. Perhaps because the stones closer to the ground had been moving too fast, some of the purple threads had stretched exceedingly thin, their purple luminescence casting a glow across the twilight sky in a breathtaking and wondrous spectacle.

The next instant, those purple threads snapped back, recoiling like elastic cords, pulling the rocks back upward before... vanishing into thin air.

As if the cataclysmic disaster had never happened at all.

In the suddenly silenced scene, slow footsteps grating against the dirt drew closer, echoing in everyone's ears. At the mouth of the tunnel, the sound of a wooden staff striking the ground rang out, gradually approaching the front of the caravan with measured strides. The shaken crowd looked over to see an old man, leaning heavily on a wooden cane, slowly walking toward them.

He wore a tattered robe whose gray-white hem had frayed into countless shreds, exposing the old man's bare feet. Aside from tears caused by bumps and scrapes, the robe bore numerous stains and faded patches, suggesting it hadn't been washed or maintained in a very long time. Yet through the patterns on the fabric, a discerning eye could recognize its original, magnificent appearance. Matching the worn robe was a string of prayer beads hanging around the old man's neck. Each wooden bead on the hemp rope was quite large, strung together to dangle across his chest, with the lowest beads reaching his abdomen. Despite the dim light, the surfaces of the black beads still reflected an oily sheen from years of handling.

Yet the most striking feature was the black cloth blindfolding the old man's eyes.

"I am terribly sorry for putting you through this," his white hair fluttering beside the blindfold, the old man walked straight to the front of the caravan as if perfectly sighted and stopped. His wooden cane struck the dirt road with a resounding thud.

"I hope no one was injured."

At the rear of the caravan, panicked individuals were crawling out of various makeshift shelters, some tending to companions while others checked for damaged cargo. Amidst the chaos, Higan noticed the old man's staff—assisting with walking didn't seem to be its true purpose. Like his robe, it was battered, but its ancient design, peculiar lines, and visibly swollen top all attested that it was a magic staff.

Seeming to notice the observant gaze among the approaching crowd, the old man tilted his head, his blindfolded eyes apparently fixed directly on Higan. After holding a gaze that made even Higan's skin crawl, the old man finally smiled.

"I forgot to introduce myself..." The old man bowed slightly in a polite gesture that startled all the approaching people into bending their backs in return.

"I am Gustave," he said softly. "A... Weaver of Fate."