Meeting the Mad Python Mercenary Group

Seeing him make this suggestion, the leader and the other members looked at him with disdain. He continued, "Boss, those noble ladies all love these tender, delicate noble servants."

As he spoke, he held up his fingers to gesture the number eight. He then added, "I heard they're worth this much."

"How much?"

"Eight thousand gold coins!"

"That much?"

The sharp-featured warrior nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "At the very least, six thousand gold coins."

At this moment, the level five earth mage who had previously suggested killing Matthews also chimed in, "Let's do it, Boss!"

"Hmm!"

While they were busy discussing selling Matthews to an auction house, Matthews was just happy to finally see living people. He had been walking through this forest alone for two months without encountering a single soul.

"Hello, may I ask where this is?"

The people opposite him didn't seem to understand what he was saying, so Matthews continued, "Hello, where is here?"

Seeing that they still didn't understand, Matthews tried a few phrases he knew in Japanese and Korean. He used "Baka," "Konnichiwa," and "Hamnida," but he still couldn't communicate clearly with them.

Seeing the leader of the group take out a waterskin, take a sip, and then hand it to Matthews.

Matthews sighed, thinking these were good people. He had been terrified to drink water randomly in the forest for the past two months. When thirsty, he could only drink morning dew, and he could only collect a tiny bit of that. It was impossible to drink his fill, and he hadn't expected these kind people to actually offer him water.

Moreover, the man had taken a sip first, which indicated that there was no poison in the water.

After drinking his fill, Matthews said to the people opposite him, "You guys are truly good people. When you're out and about, you rely on your brothers."

Seeing that they didn't understand, Matthews gave them a thumbs up.

The leader of the group mimicked Matthews' gesture and gave a thumbs up in return.

Matthews pointed to himself and said, "Matthews."

The leader pointed at Matthews and said, "Matthews?"

Seeing Matthews nod, he pointed to himself and said, "Raymond."

After a conversation where they spoke at cross-purposes, Matthews boarded their mercenary group's beast-drawn carriage. They began leading him toward the nearest city!

Throughout the journey, although Matthews didn't learn much of the world's language, these friendly people still provided him with a great deal of help!

One day, Matthews had been eating their dry rations for several days, and his mouth felt completely bland.

Taking advantage of a break, he decided to get some animals to roast. He walked over to an archer and said, "May I borrow your bow and arrows?"

Seeing that the man didn't understand, Matthews mimicked the action of drawing a bow and shooting. The archer understood this time, though he glanced at their leader first.

Seeing the leader nod in agreement, he took a spare bow and arrows from the luggage beside him.

After receiving the bow, Matthews gestured for them to wait a moment. He had caught wild rabbits and pheasants before, and he had also fired farm-style muskets and shot bows. After testing the tension of this bow, he found it suitable and prepared to go hunting.

"Boss, what is he doing? He isn't trying to run away, is he!"

The leader didn't want this walking eight-thousand-gold-coin prize to slip away. Throughout the journey, they had tried their best to treat this walking pile of gold kindly. So, he said to the sharp-featured warrior and the archer, "You two follow him and keep an eye on him."

Matthews didn't mind when the man who had lent him the bow and a skinny kid followed him; he even gave them a warm smile.

The sharp-featured warrior was clever; he gestured and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Over this period, Matthews had learned a few simple meanings, so he gestured and said, "Hunting, barbecue!"

After some gesturing, the archer asked, "What does he want to do?"

The sharp-featured warrior told his companion, "Hunting."

"Then follow me."

After the archer spoke, the sharp-featured warrior signaled for Matthews to follow.

Before long, they indeed spotted a wild boar, and Matthews grew excited. He used to follow the adults in the countryside to shoot rabbits with guns when he was a child, but he had never hunted such a large animal.

Just as Matthews drew the bow to shoot, the archer beside him watched his form. He could tell at a glance that this guy was an amateur, so he shook his head. He drew his own bow; he didn't want to waste any more time playing with this walking gold coin.

Matthews' shot was quite far off the mark. However, the level one magic beast wild boar wasn't so lucky; it was sent to the Netherworld by a single arrow from the level five archer.

Although Matthews hadn't hit the target, he wasn't discouraged and gave the archer a thumbs up. He ran over to drag the boar; the thing looked to be three or four hundred pounds. Matthews lifted it up with ease and smacked his lips, saying, "It seems my strength has increased quite a bit since coming to this world."

The sharp-featured warrior walked over and asked, "What--were--you--just--saying?"

Seeing the warrior's gestures, Matthews understood his words. He shook his head: "Nothing!"

The archer was actually quite surprised by Matthews' strength; an ordinary person without cultivation shouldn't be able to lift this three-to-four-hundred-pound boar so easily.

Matthews excitedly carried the boar back, and upon returning, he began to show off his barbecue skills.

Seeing that Matthews had already started a fire and begun roasting, a member of the Mad Python Mercenary Group asked, "Boss, is this really okay?"

Raymond, the leader of the Mad Python Mercenary Group, sensed the surroundings and said, "We are about to leave the Magic Beast Forest, stay alert."

Matthews and the Mad Python Mercenary Group were currently on the outermost edge of the Magic Beast Forest, with three days of travel left until the nearest city, Orcas City. That was the trading hub for all mercenaries coming out of the Magic Beast Forest. Once they arrived, they could trade Matthews to a slave trader.

Although the price offered by slave traders might not be as high as the auction houses in more developed cities further away, going to an auction house was too far and not very cost-effective.

They enjoyed the evening barbecue, and Matthews went to sleep early. He had just asked a member of the mercenary group and confirmed that they would reach the nearest city in three days.

When that time came, he would be able to leave these friendly people and begin his own unique adventure!