In a canyon, two people were walking slowly.
There was a man and a woman; the woman was called Nanahoshi, and the man was naturally Luo Ge.
The canyon is flanked by towering rock walls, with only a sliver of sky overhead.
Sunlight filtered through the gap, casting a narrow band of light across the valley floor.
The two of them had been traveling from Milishion for more than half a month and were currently in the Azure Dragon Mountains.
This mountain range divides the Millis Continent in two. To the south lies the Holy Kingdom of Millis, inhabited by humans, while the situation to the north is much more complex.
In this vast and boundless Great Forest lived the Long-Ear Race, the Dwarf Clan, and the Beast Clan, all of whom were extremely xenophobic.
Several hundred years ago, the Demon God Laplace launched a war against humanity, and the orcs here, as allies, assisted Laplace in besieging the Holy Kingdom of Millis.
Putting aside these historical wars, the main reason is... human traffickers have always liked to kidnap beastmen children from the Great Forest and sell them as slaves, which has led to a consistently poor relationship between the two sides.
However, Luo Ge and Nanahoshi did not encounter any attacks along the way. They didn't even see a single monster, let alone any beastmen.
Luo Ge was not surprised.
Before setting off, Luo Ge had already asked Nanahoshi to inquire about it.
Now, the road they are walking on is the Holy Sword Road.
Legend has it that a saint named Millis swung his sword and created it thousands of years ago... during the Human-Demon War.
This wasn't a road; it only became a road as more people walked on it.
Saint Millis.
It is the object of worship for the entire Millis sect, whose followers are almost all over the continent.
Even Luo Ge's mother, Zenith, was one of the most devout followers of this faith.
Unfortunately... Luo Ge is not religious.
Before setting off today, Luo Ge had always thought that the Holy Sword Road was just a local legend, an exaggeration.
However... when Luo Ge personally stepped onto this Holy Sword Road today, he abandoned that idea.
Walking on this avenue.
Even after thousands of years, he could still sense the lingering sword energy left behind by that sage, so much so that the surrounding demons dared not approach him even slightly.
This shows that...
Just how powerful was Millis, who wielded that sword that pierced the continent?
It's a pity he was born at the wrong time.
Even though he wasn't living in the same era, Luo Ge couldn't help but recall the unparalleled brilliance of the saint Millis when he wielded that sword.
At least for this one sword strike, Luo Ge felt that he wasn't yet capable of doing it with his current strength.
As he walked, Luo Ge suddenly stopped in front of a stone tablet on the Holy Sword Avenue.
Luo Ge was somewhat surprised.
He hadn't expected to see stone tablets of the Seven Great Powers here, so he curiously went closer.
There are seven different icons on it.
They represent the Technique God, the Dragon God, the Battle God, the Demon God... the Death God, the Sword God, and the North God.
The Seven Great Powers were exactly the same as the ones he remembered from Ghislaine when he was a child. The people were the same seven, and not only were their names different, but their rankings were also unchanged.
To Luo Ge's surprise, the Dragon God was only ranked second?
It's important to know that the strongest enemy Luo Ge has faced so far is undoubtedly the Dragon God Orsted.
The fact that even such a powerful Dragon God only came in second is truly intriguing.
Just how strong is that number one ranked Technique God?
Just as Luo Ge was deep in thought, lamenting that heroes of the world were as numerous as carp crossing a river.
He then realized he had fallen behind. She didn't have the monstrous physique of someone like Luo Ge; she was slow and was still moving at a snail's pace behind him.
After waiting for a while, Luo Ge finally saw Nanahoshi catching up from behind.
Luo Ge's gaze fell on Nanahoshi, who was carrying large and small bags, and he couldn't help but shake his head. "Not to be rude, Nanahoshi... you really should exercise more."
"Sigh... Do you know how much time I wasted waiting for you all this way?"
Luo Ge's silence only made things worse; the moment he spoke, Nanahoshi' face darkened instantly.
"What did you say?!"
Thinking back on what had happened recently, Nanahoshi initially thought that taking a step back would lead to a brighter future, but the more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
I'm so angry.
When they first left Millis, Luo Ge would help carry their luggage in front of Paul and the others.
And wow!
Now, Luo Ge has simply stopped acting altogether.
Not only did they make her, a girl, carry luggage, but they also made her cook every day, making her work harder than an ox or a horse.
Is there any justice in the world?
Is there no law anymore?
When others transmigrate to another world, they all have various cheat codes and then reach the pinnacle of life.
But things turned out differently; when it was her turn to use the Nanahoshi...
Not only could she not learn magic, but she also couldn't learn swordsmanship, and she had to be treated like a beast of burden every day.
"Hello!"
"Enough! Don't you have any gentlemanly manners at all? All you do is make sarcastic remarks... and you don't even know how to help." Nanahoshi finally couldn't help but complain about Luo Ge.
Hey, sorry.
"I'm not a man, I'm a boy." Luo Ge's answer almost made Nanahoshi vomit blood, yet she couldn't find a single logical flaw in it.
Putting everything else aside, Luo Ge is indeed much younger than her, and to outsiders, Luo Ge seems like the younger brother who needs her care.
Looking at Nanahoshi's aggrieved face, Luo Ge suddenly sighed, " Nanahoshi, don't be upset. Actually... I did this for your own good."
"For my own good?"
Suppressing the urge to punch Luo Ge away, Nanahoshi gritted his teeth and glared, "Hmm, do you even believe what you're saying?"
"Cooking again, and making me carry things all by myself? Huh? This is what you call doing it for my own good???"
"Yes, of course."
Luo Ge nodded seriously, then said frankly, "It's because you're in such poor health, Nanahoshi. You're like this because you don't get enough exercise, right? Making you carry things is to improve your physical fitness."
"What about cooking? What's going on? Don't tell me... this is also to improve physical fitness."
Nanahoshi lived up to his Nanahoshi; as a top student, he quickly found the flaw in Luo Ge's words and launched a thunderous counterattack.
However, Luo Ge spoke to her very seriously, nodding, "Yes, this is also to train you. Besides physical training, your mindset also needs to be tempered and refined to achieve true growth."
"For example, there's an old saying in China, something like... what was it again?"
"Yes! When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their will, strains their muscles and bones, starves their body, empties their resources, and frustrates their endeavors, so as to strengthen their resolve, cultivate their patience, and increase their abilities."
"..."
Nanahoshi has a dark face.
Luo Ge's lecturing manner made her really want to punch him.
"And there's more."
Luo Ge, as if he had started talking non-stop, continued rambling on, " Nanahoshi... think about it, if I'm not around anymore, you can't still be this frail, weak-looking, can you?"
"If you encounter any danger, like those man-eating monsters, you won't even be able to run away. That would be extremely dangerous."
"For the sake of the future... endure more hardship now, and you'll have more security later."
"Take my advice: young people need to endure more hardship."
Listening to his long and rambling nonsense, Nanahoshi strongly suspected that she was being manipulated, but she couldn't produce any evidence.
that's all.
After more than two months of travel, the two of them finally crossed the Great Forest.
And they encountered no danger whatsoever during the entire trip; it was just like a leisurely outing.
Occasionally a breeze would blow by, bringing with it the strange chirping of birds and the fragrance of flowers and grasses from the distant forest, which was quite pleasant.
It was nearing dusk.
Upon arriving at the northern port of Millis.
Luo Ge then discovered that there was also a city built around the sea, which was not only economically developed... but also home to the Adventurers' Guild.
Near the port.
People come and go.
Humans, beastmen, Long-Ear Race, dwarves, many strange races, and even demons can be seen.
The dock was bustling with people, a cacophony of languages and vendors' cries, the air thick with the salty smell of the sea and the aroma of grilled fish.
A vendor with cat ears called out from behind his stall, a dwarf blacksmith banged away on his anvil in his shop, and occasionally you could see one or two dark-skinned, horned demon sailors leaning against the ship's railing smoking.
Several large sailing ships were moored in the distance, with flags of different colors flying from their masts, and the sailors were busy loading cargo and supplies into the hold.
Luo Ge didn't rush off. Instead, he considerately took Nanahoshi to rent a hotel first, intending to rest for a while.
The hotel was a three-story building with whitewashed exterior walls and fishing net decorations hanging in the windows, making it look quite old.
The proprietress was a round-faced beastwoman with furry ears. She had a warm smile and handed him the key after taking a few silver coins from him.
As for Nanahoshi, as soon as he entered the hotel room, he collapsed onto the bed, motionless, giving the impression that he would soon pass away.
Her limbs were spread out in a starfish shape, her face buried in the pillow, and she didn't even have the strength to take off her boots.
Having carried her luggage for over a month, traveled for over a month, and cooked for over thirty days, all she wants now is to lie on the bed until the end of time.
"... Nanahoshi."
"Your health is really poor."
Luo Ge shook his head, standing by the bed watching her. "Seriously, you really should get more exercise."
"Mmm..."
Nanahoshi buried her face in the pillow, covered her ears, and let out a muffled groan.
She didn't even have the energy to criticize Luo Ge anymore.
The muffled whistles of ships came from the harbor outside the window, and the cries of seagulls rose and fell.
Luo Ge shifted his gaze from Nanahoshi to the sea view outside the window. He would buy ferry tickets in Zant Port tomorrow, and they could probably depart the day after tomorrow.
However, before that...
Tomorrow, he and Nanahoshi will go to the market to buy some essential supplies. After all, the journey from Zant Port to the Demon Continent, crossing the ocean, is by no means short.
On a long journey, some things are essential.
While Luo Ge and Nanahoshi were staying at the inn, a search and rescue team of three veteran adventurers— Elinalise, Roxy, Talhand— arrived at Zant Port that same evening.