Claire, Different From My Understanding

Freli told his past completely. While it might not all be true, at least the part about fleeing with his daughter after killing a noble was.

More communication would allow both parties to quickly build mutual trust.

"What about you? You don't look like an ordinary orphan. Most people wouldn't dare to reach into a Duke's mansion." The merchant drove the carriage, swaying as they moved forward.

"Do you want to hear the truth? I was just trying to find a fat sheep that day, but I ended up in big trouble!"

"Heh heh..." The man couldn't completely believe Mel Carlo's words. "The trouble you caused led to someone losing their head. I investigated this matter, or I wouldn't dare to cooperate with you."

"It can't be helped if you don't believe me, but often there are coincidences." Mel Carlo turned his head and looked back at the carriage. They had already left the Imperial City far behind, and only the hills in the distance were visible.

The scenery along the way was very similar to the game world of the Kandewen Continent. The view in his eyes seemed to have a filter automatically applied, and the weather was also very good now.

He had already paid a deposit of 1,000 Oren. The rest would have to wait until they reached Oak City, which was a novice city and more suitable for him to level up and develop. Moreover, it was far from the Demon King's Army. The only war risk came from the Exar Theocracy in the south.

However, given the current plight of humanity, internal wars among humans could only be temporarily suspended because of a stronger external enemy.

Mel Carlo was about to lie down and rest when he opened his eyes and saw the merchant's daughter. She was leaning against the carriage, staring at him with wide eyes.

Her skin was dark with a reddish tint, and her features were quite pretty. He felt a sense of familiarity.

Wait, what was her name? Mel Carlo quickly took out his notebook. Although he pretended to take it from his clothes, he actually retrieved it from his system space.

"Claire... Claire Bernardo, the merchant?" Mel Carlo's inner guard immediately went up. This name had appeared in the game, but it was a very distinctive boss.

One of the Demon King's Eight Generals, [Greed], was named Claire, which didn't match the young girl at all. People always said girls change a lot as they grow, but her hair color was also wrong.

However, when he thought about the background story carefully, there were still some matching points. According to the background story, Claire was doing business in the Imperial City with her father when they were robbed by wanderers. After her father died, Claire was sold to slave traders, which sowed the seeds of hatred for humans. However, by chance, the Demon King bought Claire, and she later became one of the Demon King's Eight Generals.

Except for the hair color not matching, everything else aligned. When this boss was released in the game, there was a gold coin damage mechanism. Although the rewards were generous, any damage taken would reduce the player's in-game gold coins. This led to a popular meme: "Lord Claire, I know I was wrong, please don't deduct my money."

However, due to the excessive damage from this mechanism, player feedback was very strong. It was later changed from a story instance to a direct reward event, removing the scammy gold coin deduction mechanism and becoming a pure money-grinding event.

Player sentiment towards this boss also changed: "Lord Claire, pay me my salary, I want to join the Demon King's Army!"

"Your name is Claire, right?"

"Yes, do you have any questions?"

"Nothing much, it's just that you look very similar to someone I remember, a Claire with orange-red hair." Mel Carlo put away his notebook.

As he spoke, Claire's expression was completely normal. On the other hand, Freli, her father, trembled slightly, his grip on the reins faltering.

The man knew that there was no Claire with orange-red hair, because Claire was the crystallization of him and her mother. Claire's mother wasn't named Claire; that name was given by him.

Moreover, Claire inherited his hair color, not orange-red.

But were there really so many coincidences in the world? He was starting to regret this transaction.

"Miss Claire, have you ever met your mother?" Mel Carlo continued to ask.

If Claire's mother had orange-red hair, it would be worth paying attention to. After all, this was a fantasy world, and magic could change many things, including the combat power Claire displayed. If her magic awakened, it might change her hair color.

"No, I haven't met her. I've only heard my father mention it."

This father did not hide the truth. He had to let his child know this matter, so that after he was gone, his child would not accidentally return to the small country in the south.

"Haha, if it's red hair, then it must be from the demon race," the merchant interrupted their conversation, not wanting Mel to continue.

"But I'm talking about orange-red hair, not that kind of crimson or blood red. The colors are different, sir. There's something very important here. If we don't clarify it, both of us might regret it."

"Sigh..." The man sighed, not looking back at Mel Carlo, but complaining, "You really are a troublesome brat!"

"So you know something? Don't worry, I have no hostility towards you?"

"In the south, people from the southern coastal regions generally have reddish skin and orange-red hair."

"Like Claire's skin tone? Honestly, she's a bit dark." Mel Carlo glanced at Claire again. He could tell she was a very healthy young girl, but she had short hair and darker skin.

"Mm." The merchant nodded, not wanting to explain further.

"In that case, your daughter's mother should be the type I'm talking about, and your daughter might one day inherit her mother's hair color."

"Do you think you're a prophet, kid?" Freli frowned slightly.

He didn't know why this kid was bringing up these things, but he felt a sense of unease. He had never mentioned Claire's mother's hair color. Or perhaps his daughter had other features that indicated she was a coastal person with reddish skin. The climate in the southern regions was very warm, and there was almost no winter there.

"Live well, Mr. Freli. I hope you remember what I'm about to say, because I'm not sure if your daughter is the Claire I know."

"If you die, your daughter might become one of the Demon King's Eight Generals."

It was much easier to speak about the possible plot developments in the game and this similar person. If the tragedy truly repeated itself for this father and daughter, it would mean that the world's plot was still progressing as planned.

"To be honest, I'm already regretting this transaction. What you're saying gives me goosebumps, especially your serious tone." Freli finally stopped the carriage and turned around.

He wasn't sure if Mel Carlo's words were true, but they had pierced his heart like a thorn.

"Relax, you should be glad we're not enemies, Mr. Freli." Mel Carlo waved his hand, no longer provoking the merchant. It seemed his daughter meant a great deal to him.

This was a world similar to the game, but I wasn't sure how similar.