Setting Out with the Caravan

Before long, Lin Li found a caravan nearby that was preparing to head to Heaven Dou City.

It appeared to be a small merchant caravan of seven people. They were searching for suitable mercenaries on the outskirts of Star Dou Forest, hoping to hire someone to protect them on their journey to Heaven Dou City.

This was perfectly normal. After all, bandits and robbers could be hiding on any mountain, specializing in robbing passing merchant caravans.

"Boss, are you hiring?"

Lin Li walked over and asked the leader, Bearded Boss.

"We are, but we can't find anyone. As soon as they hear we're buying and selling goods in the cities along the way, they lose interest."

Bearded Boss looked somewhat helpless. He had stocked up on too many goods this time and had no choice but to sell some of them in the cities they passed through. Only then could he restock in Heaven Dou City and sell the goods along the way back.

"Boss, what do you think of me?"

Bearded Boss looked Lin Li up and down, then waved his hand seriously. "What's a child like you causing trouble here for? Shoo, shoo!"

Lin Li naturally couldn't summon his Martial Soul. His Soul Rings would be far too conspicuous in front of so many people.

After glancing around, Lin Li found a stone and asked Bearded Boss, "Boss, do you like apples?"

"They're all right. Why?"

Bearded Boss looked at Lin Li with a puzzled expression. Then he saw Lin Li grip the stone while the fingers of his other hand began carving straight into it!

Using only his fingers, without Martial Soul Possession, Lin Li carved the stone into a smooth, round apple with astonishing precision!

He had even preserved the stem at the top of the apple for the sake of appearance.

"See? Can I be hired?"

"...Yes, yes, of course! Absolutely, big—little brother!"

Bearded Boss came back to his senses and immediately put on a smiling face.

Bearded Boss had rarely seen anyone who could accomplish something like this without even using a Martial Soul, wielding their strength with such exquisite control. This level of ability was at least that of a Soul Ancestor!

"I have four brothers I've worked with for a long time. I originally wanted to hire two mercenaries, but looking at you, little brother, you're clearly a dragon among men. You're worth two people by yourself!"

Bearded Boss took Lin Li by the hand and led him toward the caravan as he spoke. "Our plan is to reach Heaven Dou City in two months. We'll pass through Xinlan City and Blazing City, then buy some gemstones in Seven Treasure City beside Heaven Dou City. I'll pay you five hundred Gold Soul Coins for the whole journey. How does that sound?"

"Sure."

Lin Li had only wanted to travel there along the way, and earning some money would be nice.

Besides, unlike those mercenaries, he wasn't trying to make a living. Taking a little longer on the journey didn't matter to him.

Next, Bearded Boss introduced Lin Li to his business partners, two men around the same age as him. Apart from Lin Li, there were four other guards who looked to be in their thirties—two men and two women.

"All right, friends! For those glittering Gold Soul Coins, let's set off!"

Bearded Boss generously took out some wine and distributed it among the group. After downing his share, he cracked his whip and urged the horses forward.

Lin Li sat on the wooden board at the back of the caravan, leaning against several sacks of potatoes behind him. His gaze fell on the tavern.

He could no longer see it clearly. The distance was growing greater and greater.

Time flew by. When Lin Li came to his senses again, a month and a half had already passed.

Along the way, Lin Li experienced a completely different kind of life, one belonging to the peculiar world of Douluo Continent, where Eastern and Western elements blended together.

He had seen how commoners bought and sold goods, witnessed forest scenery completely different from that of a Spirit Beast forest, and even fought a group of bandits who had tried to rob them.

They were ordinary people without even a single Soul Ring, yet a bandit group made up of more than a dozen such people had somehow refused to flee and insisted on taking something from them. Lin Li still remembered those bandits clinging desperately to sacks of potatoes even as they died.

Here, the targets of robbery weren't money, but food?

Lin Li had thought that all bandits were people seeking ill-gotten wealth, people unwilling to work. Only after experiencing it himself did he realize how naive that idea had been.

They had drawn their blades on Lin Li, so naturally, Lin Li had killed them in return.

But strangely, the shock of killing people was nowhere near as great as the shock of having his existing beliefs shattered.

The blood was hot yet cold and indifferent. Lin Li only remembered that after cleaning the bits of flesh from his body, he had placed a Gold Soul Coin amid the pile of corpses. He no longer knew why.

"Little brother, we've reached Blazing City!"

Bearded Boss always wore a cheerful smile. Perhaps as long as he was making money—or on the way to making money—his mood remained wonderful.

After paying the entrance fee, Bearded Boss rented a cheap inn and a temporary shop nearby.

Lin Li didn't want to squeeze into a tiny room with the others. He also couldn't understand how the two female mercenaries had endured it.

They should have earned quite a bit of money, after all.

"So, little brother, we'll spend five days selling our goods. How about meeting at the southern gate of Blazing City at noon five days from now?"

"Sounds good."

Lin Li waved and began looking for the inn he would be staying at.

Blazing City had been named after the extraordinary Blazing Academy within it.

The city's temperature also seemed to be somewhat higher. It was said to be because a Fire Element Vein lay beneath the city, though there were also rumors that a volcano stood not far to the west.

Lin Li found an inn that looked clean and checked in after asking for its best room, which cost one Gold Soul Coin a day.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

After receiving Lin Li's permission, the Waiter pushed open the door and entered. He bent over as he carried in a tray holding a pot of tea, towels, and other items.

"Thank you."

Out of courtesy, Lin Li still thanked him for the complimentary tea.

"You're too kind, honored guest!"

The Waiter looked somewhat flustered. His already-bent back bent even lower as he backed out with his back turned, gently closing the wooden door behind him.

Lin Li walked over to the Window Side. In the distance, he could see a red-and-white building atop a small hill in the very center of Blazing City. That should be Blazing Academy.

Although he had no intention of joining the academy for the time being, Lin Li still set off to take a look at the admission requirements of such an advanced academy—and to find something fun to do.

If he didn't find something interesting to amuse himself with, Lin Li felt he wouldn't be able to stand it.

When he reached the outskirts of Blazing Academy, Lin Li discovered that a long street ran along the foot of the hill. He also saw students wearing Blazing Academy uniforms wandering outside in groups of two or three.

As he strolled around, Lin Li learned from the passersby that Blazing City's triennial Fire Dance Day would arrive tomorrow.

Lin Li bought a skewer of Tanghulu, handed it to the daughter in a passerby's arms, and asked curiously:

"What is Fire Dance Day?"

The passerby teased his daughter before answering cheerfully, "According to legend, a Fire God appeared here a very, very long time ago. The volcano and mineral veins here were all left behind by him."

"To commemorate the Fire God and gain his protection, we hold Fire Dance Day once every three years. Blazing Academy opens its gates, and the dean, a mighty Spirit Douluo, presides over a bonfire celebration. The one hundred most beautiful and talented Fire Attribute girls perform dances to pray for the Fire God's blessing for everyone!"

"I see."

Lin Li nodded. He now understood why he had seen so many Blazing Academy students outside. It turned out a festival was coming.

"Eeya!"

The passerby's daughter clutched the Tanghulu and reached out with her other hand to grab Lin Li's face. The plump, fleshy touch wasn't uncomfortable; instead, it felt warm.

"I'm sorry!"

The passerby hurriedly pulled back his daughter's hand and explained, "She's asking whether you're going too. She probably thinks that because you gave her something tasty... What a little glutton."

"Probably. I don't have anything else to do, either."

Lin Li nodded, indicating that he would take a look at the festival. "There's a saying in my hometown: 'Since you're already here.'"

He had crossed into another world, after all. If he didn't experience the customs and culture of a different world, wouldn't that be terribly boring?