At first, I was very worried. But after thinking it over, I figured Yordles were born strong and probably wouldn't run into any trouble, so I agreed.
Poppy changed into a child's clothes and left the village carrying a small flower basket. She was already about the same height as a child, and now she looked the part perfectly.
I changed into the villagers' clothes too, pretending to be part of the patrol as I walked around keeping watch. In reality, I stayed close to Poppy.
When I reached the cave where Kindred was worshiped, I suddenly heard a gunshot. I rushed over and saw a thin man wearing a mask, standing off against Poppy with a gun in his hands. They had clearly recognized each other.
I recognized him too—the Virtuoso, Jhin.
So Jhin was the mastermind behind it all, a murderous fiend who had lived for hundreds of years!
"The bullet is chambered, the trigger whispers. Come, breathe in its fragrance."
"Your gun doesn't seem to work, much like your worthless magic three hundred years ago. All it's good for is scaring children."
"I rose again from filth and mire. I am the blazing blue lotus. I am the one and only beauty."
"Oh, you poor madman. Save your nonsense for the dead children!"
Poppy flew into a rage and charged straight at him, but Jhin kept his distance, never giving her a chance to get close.
The gun was called Whisper. It was immensely powerful, and its bullets carried a strong magical aura. Each explosion kicked up a cloud of smoke.
Fortunately, Poppy was physically tough enough to avoid any real injury. And she was absurdly strong—her little fists hit like cannonballs, leaving clear imprints when they struck trees!
With such a huge gap in strength, Jhin soon couldn't hold out any longer. Before long, Poppy struck his left leg and snapped it clean off.
Both his legs were prosthetics. Even without any feeling, they still limited his movements. Poppy seized the opportunity to keep attacking, and Jhin rolled aside before suddenly firing twice.
The shots weren't aimed at Poppy. They hit the ground beside her, and the smoke kicked up by the ammunition formed a cage around her. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't escape!
"This is the stage I prepared for you. The performance is called Futility. Hahahaha..."
Jhin's laughter was hoarse and grating, making me deeply uncomfortable. I didn't want to wait any longer, so I thrust my spear at him.
"At last, the hidden audience member makes an entrance. What sort of welcome should I prepare? Then let me show you my beauty. I bloom amid slaughter, just like a flower at dawn."
So Jhin had known I was nearby all along. Since he hadn't run, he must have been holding something back. Of course, I wasn't worried. I was Zhao Xin, for goodness' sake. Was I really going to be afraid of an ADC?
Jhin fired several shots, but I dodged them all. I knocked his grenade away too, and he still didn't panic. It wasn't until my spear pierced his chest that I realized this body was fake as well!
"My puppets are beautiful things too, their graceful dance captivating all who see them."
"Throw him away, quick!"
At Poppy's shout, I hurriedly flung Jhin's dummy high into the air. I watched it explode in the sky, and Poppy's restraints vanished at the same time.
"I was careless. I didn't expect him to have learned binding magic, and it's pretty strong too. I'll have to be more careful next time."
The explosion in the sky drew all the villagers over. Seeing the scene before them, they finally believed what the village woman had said: none of this had anything to do with the God of Death. It had all been the work of an evil mage.
Then someone suggested, "Since this was all done by a person, we can ask the Kinkou Order for help. Master Kusuo definitely won't stand by and do nothing."
"Right, let's ask the Kinkou Order for help!"
After asking around, I learned that Kinkou Monastery was in Prexian, so I took on the task. It was only a matter of passing along a message, so it wouldn't affect our plans. Besides, Jhin was Poppy's enemy.
Yanglin wasn't especially far from Prexian, but the villagers rarely went out and didn't know the way there.
Fortunately, a merchant caravan heading toward Prexian stopped by to restock. The villagers explained the situation, and the caravan agreed to take us along.
I wondered why the caravan didn't take the main road. Wouldn't that make the journey faster? The leader told me that this was the best road in the area.
It was hard to imagine that this narrow path was the best road around. It was barely wide enough for a single carriage, and when someone came from the opposite direction, both sides had to yield to let each other pass.
"Young man, as an Ionian, you should know the saying: if you're in a hurry to get somewhere, you'll miss the scenery along the way. I know what you're doing is important, but try to calm down. I believe the sights along the way will give you some insight."
The speaker was a young mother. She had probably noticed how impatient I was and wanted to offer a word of advice.
She wore a half veil, so I couldn't see her face clearly. But her eyes told me she was beautiful. The little girl in her arms was fast asleep, and the six- or seven-year-old looked very cute.
There were a dozen or so people in the caravan. They made a living transporting goods between the coast and the inland regions. The members got along very well, and their conversations were always filled with laughter. The leader was straightforward, and everyone trusted him.
He looked after the mother and daughter in particular, helping them wherever he could. I'd assumed they were family, which led to an awkward misunderstanding.
No one else seemed to mind, but the young mother always made a point of keeping her distance from the leader. The feelings between them were subtle. Everyone could see it, but no one knew what to say.
The young mother's name was Youlan. Her husband had died long ago, leaving her and her daughter to depend on each other. Later, the leader took them in, and Youlan joined the caravan to handle the accounts. It was an easy job that let her travel around, so she stayed with it.
Her explanation was simple, but I didn't think her story was ordinary. In her eyes, I saw the calm of someone who had weathered countless hardships.
The little girl's name was Xiao Li. She was the caravan's ray of sunshine, and her age-typical energy and mischievousness always drew people's attention and made them smile.
After Poppy and I joined the caravan, Xiao Li stuck to me, asking me to tell her stories. But the stories I knew belonged to another world, and my own experiences had been awful. After thinking it over, I decided to tell her about the arena.
I only told her how hard the gladiators worked to stay alive. I left out the fighting and killing, and even described the Man-eating Bear as something like a raccoon. The little girl's eyes grew wide as she listened intently to every detail.
Looking into her innocent eyes, I couldn't help feeling that such dark, bloody things shouldn't happen in this world—or at least, not in the world around us.
Perhaps the cheerful atmosphere had rubbed off on her. Poppy seemed less anxious and slowly began to fit in.
Everyone sang songs as we made our leisurely way forward...