Preparations Before Departure

Josh had long been unable to stand the state of his territory. It was an absolute mess.

In his eyes, how was this any different from the medieval Europe he had read about in countless books? Then again, Josh had to admit that his current circumstances really were not much different from that era. The only difference was that this world's technology tree was probably impossible to unlock, because the mystical side had essentially been maxed out.

Frank nodded. He strongly agreed with Josh's idea. After all, Frank had come from the Imperial Capital with Josh. Though Constantine could not compare to the Imperial Capital's prosperity, the gap should not have been so despairingly vast. When Frank had first inspected Constantine himself, he had been utterly dumbfounded. So when Josh said he wanted to change the place, Frank wholeheartedly supported him.

However, he did not immediately get to work. It was already dinnertime, and officials of all ranks had basically finished for the day. Even if Frank wanted to conduct a census, he would have to wait until the sun rose tomorrow. Besides, Frank knew that a census would not be easy. It would take both time and effort. But Josh had said he would give him enough time, so there was nothing for Frank to worry about.

Frank was about to leave, but Josh stopped him and invited him to dinner. Josh's reasoning was simple: he felt that Garen might really be staying here for a while, so Garen's identity had to be dealt with. Frank was the steward of his castle and held the highest rank in the territory aside from Josh himself. Josh thought it would be better if the two of them got acquainted.

As for how to introduce Garen?

"That night, I ran into an assassin. This guy apparently happened to be tracking that assassin and came here. So we dealt with him together. But he was rather unlucky. He got injured by the assassin's magic Scroll while protecting me. I was terrified at the time, so I made the wrong decision and locked him in the dungeon."

All right, Josh's explanation was utter nonsense. But since Josh had said it, Frank could only choose to believe him, even though he knew it was basically a load of rubbish. That was one aspect of a feudal serf society that seemed both like a flaw and an advantage. Whatever Josh said went. No one could refute him.

Dinner was rather pleasant. Frank also sensed that Garen was no ordinary man. Though he could not understand why Garen spoke somewhat haltingly, Frank filled in the gaps himself and assumed it was because of his injuries from the explosion. He clearly noticed that Garen possessed outstanding military qualities and was also a nobleman of high character.

Frank was delighted by this. During dinner, he even made a point of speaking with Josh about it. A noble as exceptional as Garen had to be properly valued. He would be an excellent source of support for Josh's future. Josh could only nod helplessly to show that he understood.

And so the day came to an end. After returning to his room, Josh felt as if there was nothing to do, so he simply meditated. Whenever he could not decide what to do, cultivation was the answer. That was an experience he had summed up over the years. There was no electricity or internet here, and he had no interest in the entertainment this place offered, so he might as well cultivate.

Maybe when I travel to a technological society someday, I should bring some people back to help develop my territory? At the very least, I need to get electricity and the internet going!

Amid his random thoughts, Josh entered a state of deep meditation. In truth, it was not much different from sleeping. His body simply carried out various cultivation exercises subconsciously. The results were poor, but it was still better than actually sleeping through the night. Of course, when Josh got up the next day, both his legs were numb. Still, he was already used to that feeling.

Yawning, Josh walked out of the castle and happened to see Garen, who had already finished training. After silently calculating the time, he realized it was only around nine in the morning. Yet from what Josh could see, Garen had clearly been training for at least three hours.

Garen wore only a shirt resembling a nightgown, but it was already soaked through. His marble-like muscles pressed against the fabric, leaving nothing to the imagination. Every passing maid glanced his way. Josh sighed. He wanted a body as strong as Garen's too.

Of course, Josh only wanted to be physically strong, not built like a mountain. As an Asian in his previous life, he was used to slim-looking physiques. He simply could not understand the mindset of Westerners who packed themselves with muscles until they looked like loaves of bread. After arriving in this world, he had even worried that he might turn into a doughnut himself.

Fortunately, he had no way to cultivate Battle Qi, so becoming a mage was a good option for maintaining his figure. Still, Josh felt that his body seemed somewhat frail. He had read many novels in the past, and all of them stressed the importance of physical fitness. But Josh had never known exactly how to train his body.

Run around all day carrying weights? Please. I just want to be a little stronger and healthier, not change classes into a warrior. Besides, becoming a warrior would be asking for death.

Josh knew himself well. Shaking his head, he stopped thinking about such nonsense. If he truly wanted to work out, he could just buy some fitness equipment after entering a relatively modern world someday. Why torture himself now?

"Good morning, Lord Josh." While wiping away his sweat, Garen noticed Josh watching him. He draped the towel over his shoulder, walked over to Josh, and greeted him. "It seems you are a diligent lord. I thought you would sleep until noon before getting up."

"I wouldn't." Josh shook his head. "If there is nothing to do, I might leave my room a little later because I practice magic inside, just as you train your body. But I do not have a habit of sleeping in. Besides, do not forget that we have something planned for tomorrow. Or rather, once midnight passes tonight, we can do it. So I think we should prepare properly."

Garen was quite interested in this sort of travel between worlds, so he immediately nodded in understanding. But he soon became troubled as well. They had no idea what kind of world they were going to, so there was no way to prepare according to that world.

For example, if Josh and Garen knew their next destination was a technological world, Garen might advise Josh not to go at all. Of course, if Josh intended to develop his territory, Garen might suggest that it would be best to bring his steward, Frank, along. If it were a world of magic, then they could prepare the necessary defensive measures based on that world.

If it were a world of warriors, that would be even better. Josh would not even need to do anything. He would only need to bring enough money and decide what he wanted to collect, while Garen handled everything else. Garen also realized that continually traveling to other worlds was a way to improve one's strength. After all, he would encounter all kinds of enemies and all kinds of cultivation methods.

"I think we should probably bring some money and a few changes of clothes?"

After thinking for a long time, that was all Garen managed to say. But he quickly found a direction.

"That's right. That should be about enough. I think gold coins are accepted everywhere, so bringing some should not cause any major problems. And then there are clothes. If we get transported into the wilderness, like when you first arrived in Valoran and landed in Icathia, that would not be a good place. It would take considerable effort just to get out, so clothes would be necessary."

"And we should prepare more than a little," Josh said, nodding in agreement with Garen's thoughts. "If we arrive somewhere during summer, that is fine. But if it is winter, warm clothing will be essential. Also, armor and robes are too conspicuous. We need to prepare ordinary clothes to avoid causing unnecessary trouble."

"Yes, your considerations are very thorough, Lord Josh. But I think we should also prepare some food. If we are accidentally transported to a place like Icathia, we may not even be able to find anywhere to hunt. You cannot focus properly on fighting with an empty stomach."

Garen thought for a moment before adding that.

"Can you stop bringing up Icathia? I will not be so unlucky that I get transported to a cursed place like that every time. And I will not run into a reckless fool like you every time either."

Josh rubbed his brow and spoke irritably. His first journey between worlds had truly been a failure. It kept being used as a negative example to lecture him. How sad.

"Just being cautious, my lord."

Garen shrugged indifferently. Although Josh had called him a reckless fool again, he did not feel there was any need to argue. Even he thought that his behavior when they first met had not been much different from that of a reckless fool. Fortunately, Josh believed he could be useful. Otherwise, Garen would never have been able to return to Valoran in his lifetime. He would have simply waited to die in the dungeon.

Or perhaps he would have been treated as an assassin, dragged to the gallows, and hanged before countless onlookers. The thought alone sent a chill down Garen's spine.

"There should not be anything else to add. Let's leave it at that."

Josh thought about it and realized that he had far too little travel experience. He simply did not know what else to prepare. But since he could not think of anything, there was no point dwelling on it. After all, he was a fourth-tier mage, and he had a third-tier warrior beside him. As long as they did not encounter anything too terrifying, they should be able to handle it.

Speaking of ranks, Josh remembered something else. If his strength were converted into Valoran's levels, he seemed to have already surpassed level six. Then why was he still unable to learn Grasp of the Underworld and Void Walking?

"By the way, Garen. Do you have a skill called Demacian Justice?"

After thinking about it, Josh asked Garen directly.

"What kind of skill is that?" Garen was full of question marks. He did not seem to have heard of such a skill.

"You know, when an enemy is almost... almost done for, exhausted but still capable of fighting. Then you summon the Power of Demacia and pour down something like a Great Sword onto the enemy, directly cutting them down with a battle technique? Or a skill?"

"How could something like that exist?" Garen gave Josh a disdainful look. "If it did, do you think you would still be standing here chatting with me?"