Farewell, Future!

An hour later.

Aboard a three-masted ship flying the flag of the Kingdom of Fultons, docked in the harbor.

The meeting room in the ship's cabin was brightly lit.

Count Caladia, the Kingdom of Fultons' field commander, had called everyone together. As he rapped his knuckles on the table, he said:

"That's the situation. Fewer than ten rioters broke through the cordon this time, and they've fled into the Fultons Mountain Range, where wild beasts roam.

What do you think we should do?"

At that, an officer spoke in a low voice:

"Judging by their grenade tactics, they're probably the same group who routed Dalami's forces from the Volgala Kingdom last night."

"We have no idea whether they still have any grenades. So we can only send word back to the kingdom and have the guard units seal off the paths near our border."

Another officer spoke up:

"According to the intelligence, one of the rioters wasn't killed during the ambush and was captured on the spot.

He begged for mercy and said his Lead Platinum Disease had been cured.

The soldiers stationed along the border examined him, and the captive did indeed have none of the pale, scarring symptoms of Lead Platinum Disease.

That means the Lead Platinum Disease of the group that escaped has also been cured. Should we issue a kingdom-wide wanted notice for those who got away?"

Count Caladia gave a light chuckle:

"There's no need to seal off the border. Don't make things more complicated than they have to be. Lead Platinum Disease isn't contagious, anyway.

As for the wanted notice, we can do that. Tell the men below to say to the captive, 'If you want to live, describe what those people look like.'

Once they're wanted criminals, they won't wander into our territory.

They're just small fry, so there's no need to waste too much of our manpower and resources on them.

After this incident, the toughest 'bone' in Flevance should be gone. Send in the main force!

We can't let the other three factions get their hands on the last sweet slice of cake."

"Understood. I'll have the men take care of it right away. What should we do with the captive afterward?"

"Doesn't our country have a silver mine that's always in need of workers?"

Count Caladia smiled.

The officer immediately understood.

Time passed.

Dawn broke.

Seven thirty in the morning.

Deep in the Fultons Mountain Range.

In a dense, quiet forest.

Beside a stream that wound through the woods, Merlin and Yol stopped.

Breathing lightly, Merlin steadied himself and looked around. If anyone was pursuing them through these deep woods, they wouldn't catch up anytime soon.

Yol set Lami down, took off the backpack she was carrying, and pulled out a thermos. She handed it to Merlin.

"Have some water first."

Merlin took the thermos and looked at Yol in surprise. She blinked, puzzled.

"What's wrong?"

Merlin was startled to see that she wasn't even out of breath.

"Aren't you tired?"

Merlin himself had managed thanks to the Lynx equipment, which had considerably boosted his stamina.

He unscrewed the lid, took a sip to moisten his throat, then handed the thermos to Yol.

Yol took it and drank as well. Then she pressed her lips together and laughed.

"Don't you know? I've been strong since I was little, and I've got plenty of stamina to match.

A little distance like this? I could do it all over again and still be fine."

She handed the thermos to Lami and gently rubbed her head.

"Have some water too, Lami."

"Mm, thanks, Sister Yol." Lami obediently took it and drank deeply.

Just then, Eric and the three others who'd fallen a hundred meters behind came running up, gasping for breath. As soon as they arrived, they braced their hands on their knees and panted hard.

After catching his breath, Eric looked at Merlin and Yol with admiration.

"Do we still need to run? Where are we going next?"

Merlin looked at him calmly.

"I've been keeping an eye behind us the whole way. I haven't seen any sign of pursuers.

That means we're safe now."

Eric's gaze flickered. Remembering what Merlin had said before they set out, he hesitated.

"So, should we split up now?"

Merlin smiled.

"Sure! If that's what you want, then let's go our separate ways here."

Eric's eye twitched. The way Merlin put it made it sound as if he'd been eager to part ways.

He opened his mouth, then swallowed his words and gave a bitter smile.

"All right, then. Let's part ways here. I hope we meet again someday.

When we do, I'll buy you all a drink."

Merlin nodded, but glanced at Eric's left thigh and paused for a moment.

"Are you hurt?"

Eric's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.

"I got grazed by a stray bullet."

"Then let me help you one last time."

Eric immediately thanked him, deeply moved.

"Thanks, Boss Merlin."

Merlin quickly healed him.

As his wound closed, Eric hesitantly asked:

"What are you planning to do from here?"

The question hung in the air.

Merlin fell silent.

Yol glanced at Merlin, then fell silent too.

After a brief pause, Merlin gave a quiet laugh.

"I haven't decided yet."

Eric considered it.

"We're all homeless now. Why not go with the times and team up as pirates?

You could be captain, and I'd be your sailor."

At his words, the three men behind him also looked hopeful.

But then—

Merlin fell silent again. Seeing that, Eric realized with resignation that he'd been turned down without a word. He smiled at once.

"Then, until we meet again."

Merlin nodded.

"Until we meet again."

Eric and the three men who'd come with him soon disappeared into the forest.

Merlin watched them go.

Yol asked softly:

"Do you hate pirates?"

Merlin glanced at her, then replied just as softly:

"This era is called the Great Pirate Era. People say the seas are full of all kinds of adventure and romance.

And countless treasures.

Even the Devil Fruit, said to be the great treasure of the sea, is widely known across the oceans.

But the ones who can conquer the sea are the strong. Right now, I'm just an ordinary weakling. Do I have the right?"

The collision of his memories from two lives had given him two different sets of values and two different ways of seeing the world.

In short, he felt lost.

In Flevance, his life had been in danger, so Merlin had been forced to become ruthless. But now that he'd escaped, he'd begun to question himself again.

On one hand, there was the survival-of-the-fittest mindset his father had instilled in him from childhood.

On the other, there was the pull of his previous life's belief in living in harmony with others.

Before long, Merlin pushed his tangled thoughts aside. Whether it was survival of the fittest or living in harmony, those were things he could only afford to think about once his own safety was assured.

And if he wanted to stay safe in this world, he had to become stronger.

The Equipment Slot could help him grow stronger, step by step.

Just then—

Yol's gaze shifted. She gently shook her head at Merlin.

"You're not weak. Without you, Lami and I wouldn't have survived this time."

Yol's eyes crinkled with a smile.

"Hey, Merlin. We're all homeless now. If you decide to become a pirate someday, take me with you!"

Merlin looked up at her. Seeing how serious she was, he gave a helpless smile.

"Piracy isn't a respectable line of work. Ninety-nine percent of pirates are bad people. If you become a pirate, you'll have to face the Navy, your rivals, and all sorts of other challenges.

Risking your life isn't just a figure of speech.

That kind of future will be dangerous."

Yol nodded gently.

"I believe you won't become the kind of villain who kills indiscriminately and does every evil thing imaginable.

As for all those dangers?

We face dangers every moment we're alive. I'm just choosing a way of life with a rougher road ahead."

Merlin was a little surprised. He hadn't expected Yol to see things that way.

He really shouldn't underestimate people.

This world was no longer a world of fantasy. It was a real world, full of living people and things.

"All right," Merlin replied softly.

A faint smile appeared on Yol's lips.

Just then,

Lami looked from Merlin to Yol, her little face turning serious too.

"Lami wants to become a pirate with you, too, Big Brother and Big Sister.

You're all I have now."

No matter how unwilling she was, Lami knew deep down that her brother Luo might have been left behind in Flevance forever.

At her words, Merlin laughed and patted her head with his right hand.

"We'll talk about that when the time comes."

Lami's lips immediately puckered. She looked at Merlin like a kitten that had been abandoned, then turned to Yol and pleaded:

"Sister Yol..."

Yol rubbed her head but said nothing. She was torn. She didn't want Lami to become a pirate, but she also couldn't bear to leave her alone somewhere else.

As Yol struggled with her feelings, Merlin looked at the stream a few meters away.

It was a flowing stream, its water clear enough to see the weeds and stones shifting beneath the surface. Merlin thought for a moment.

"Let's follow the stream upstream. Once it gets warmer, we can wash up.

We haven't bathed in days, and we're starting to smell."

At Merlin's words, the two women immediately grimaced, looked down at themselves, and nodded repeatedly.

"Okay, then let's hurry!"

Yol urged.

Just hearing that they were going to bathe made her feel as if bugs were crawling all over her. She could hardly wait.