As they got close enough to clearly see who was standing at the entrance of the village, they realized it was a bald man. He crossed his arms, and his muscles were evident even though his body was a bit smaller than that of regular men. Even Zoeske was a bit scared by the cold eyes that stared at them intensely.

  As they got closer, he uncrossed his arms and relaxed his shoulders. Then, he took a deep breath and held it for a minute or so. Suddenly, he loudly shouted, "ANSAR! DONUT!" His voice echoed all around, scaring even the sleeping monsters and birds around the village and probably waking the villagers too.

  "We're screwed, Ansar," the overweight bandit, who was called Donut, said.

  Ansar said, "Stay quiet." He slowed the horse's walking pace and turned his face towards Zoeske, saying, "Act as if you were injured."

  Zoeske nodded in acceptance. He looked around the carriage and took a piece of cloth to tie around his foot.

  They stopped beside the bald man. Ansar said, "We didn't do anything this time. We just helped an injured missing child." And then he pointed at the carriage, and Zoeske showed himself.

  "You two are punished either way," he said. "A lot of cultivation work awaits you two. Now, get out of my sight, quickly."

  They ran until they couldn't be seen among the houses. The bald man's face shifted after they ran. He seemed kinder immediately, and a genuine smile softened the intensity of the moment. He looked at Zoeske and said, "Sorry about that. My name is Jule. Who are you, and where are you from?"

  "My name is Zoeske, and I am from Abyss village. I was actually intending to come here," Zoeske said.

  "Oh really?" Jule said, surprised. "I would like to hear your story, but first, let's head home. It's almost midnight."

  Zoeske followed Jule quietly to his home. Jule said to him, "You can sleep here, on this couch tonight. And if you are hungry, you can eat some of the fruit on the table."

  "Thank you for your hospitality," Zoeske said. He then thought, (He must have been waiting for Ansar and Donut for a long time, and that's why he's so tired. He is a good person.)

  "Not at all. Good night, Zoeske," Jule said.

  It started to rain outside, and Zoeske sat silently on the couch. He felt exhausted from everything that had happened to him until this moment. He lay down on his side on the couch, observing the rain outside and carefully watching the raindrops collide and merge, then move down faster. Time seemed to stretch, and he felt every second passing as if it were a minute. Slowly, his body felt heavier, and everything around him went dark.

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  Suddenly, he opened his eyes to the sunlight hitting his eyes. It barely felt like a moment had passed. An aroma of freshly baked bread filled the house, which brought back a flashback of the morning when his mother was still alive. He felt as if a chain was pressing on his chest and heart every time he remembered his mother, but a soft sound interrupted the stressful moment Zoeske was going through.

  "Are you okay?" she said.

  He said quietly, "Yes."

  "I am Alia, and this is my son Jacob," she said. "Come and sit here. I will serve breakfast now."

  "T…Thank you," Zoeske said.

  "Cheer up, little man, and come," Jule said loudly, walking in from the other room.

  Zoeske ended up sitting with the family at the same table. He looked at Jacob multiple times during breakfast, trying to measure the difference. For him, it was the first time to see people with darker skin and kinky hair, and seeing someone who was nearly the same age as him was somehow a weird experience.

  "Boy, I'm sorry I was tired and couldn't hear your reason for visiting our village," Jule said. "Tell us, what are you looking for here?"

  "I want to meet the explorer Jacha and become his student," Zoeske said.

  "You traveled all this way to do that?" Jule asked. Meanwhile, Alia and Jacob were surprised.

  "We were forced to give up most of our harvests to the kingdom in return for protection from the monsters in our village, but we ended up being oppressed by the kingdom's soldiers," Zoeske said. "I lost many things due to that oppression, and I can't see any slight hope for the villagers in Abyss. They have become slaves to the kingdom and work harder for someone else's comfort. I refuse to sell my life and time for a kingdom that doesn't even care about me."

  "I am sure it was hard for you to deal with all of that," Alia said, gently holding Zoeske's hand.

  "I know you guys face a similar situation because of the discrimination I've heard," Zoeske said.

  "Yes, they see us as something other than human just because our skin is darker than theirs," Jule said. "But son, Jacha will be back in two weeks."

  "Ansar mentioned that too, but are there any magic users here?" Zoeske asked.

  "We all use magic here, to protect ourselves," Jule said.

  "Can you teach me?" Zoeske asked.

  "We knew you would ask that," Alia said. "I can teach you the basics of magic we use in cultivation."

  "Mom!" Jacob interrupted. "This is supposed to be our secret for good tea production."

  "It's fine, Jacob," Alia said.

  "I will never reveal any secret to any stranger," Zoeske said.

  "It's fine, we trust you," Alia said.

  Then both Alia and Jule looked at Jacob and laughed.

  "After we finish, I will take you on a trip around the village to get used to this place," Alia said. "It is small, but our people are lovely, and I would definitely want to hear more about your village too."

  "Sure," Zoeske said.