Latakia, the capital of the Shirone Kingdom.
After a long journey of more than two months, when Luo Ge and Nanahoshi finally stood on the stone bridge outside the city gate, they both breathed a sigh of relief to varying degrees.
Nanahoshi's face was much paler than when she set off. The long journey was obviously not easy for an ordinary high school girl who had never experienced this kind of intensity before.
But she didn't complain once from beginning to end, always staying half a step behind Luo Ge, never falling behind even when her steps were heavy.
The city gates were far more imposing than the dilapidated ruins of Roa.
The gray-white stone walls were neatly and thickly built, and above the city gate was a bronze plaque engraved with the national emblem of the Shirone Kingdom.
The guards at the gate wore clean uniforms; though not elite, they stood upright and vigilantly surveyed the flow of people coming and going.
The city was bustling with activity.
Shops lined both sides of the stone-paved street, the sounds of hammering from the blacksmith's shop mingling with the aroma of wheat wafting from the bakery.
The shouts of vendors rose and fell, and the colors of the robes worn by pedestrians were much brighter than those that Luo Ge had seen in Fittoa.
The customs and traditions of the Middle Ages are vividly displayed at this moment.
Standing at the city gate, Nanahoshi looked up at the unique customs and culture of this country and sighed, "Finally arrived..."
Luo Ge stood beside her, glancing at her sideways. "Are you alright? If you can't hold on, just say so."
"We can hold on."
Nanahoshi took a deep breath, exhaling the pent-up feeling in her chest, and then her tone became a little lighter.
"After walking for so long, we finally see a complete city. It's much more beautiful than those ruins."
Luo Ge nodded.
Indeed, compared to the devastation of Fittoa, which suffered from the Great Migration, Latakia, a city brimming with medieval exoticism, was like another world.
Although the city is not large, it has a history of over two hundred years.
In a world where most countries were established after the Second Human-Demon War, two hundred years is considered quite old.
However, the Shirone Kingdom can only be considered a vassal state of the Kingdom of Wanglong. Although its national strength is not among the top, it has lived a peaceful life for many years thanks to the support of its big brother.
Let's find a place to stay first.
Luo Ge withdrew his gaze and began walking into the city.
The two found a hotel near the city center that offered good value for money.
The storefront wasn't large, but it was very clean. The proprietress was a middle-aged woman with a round face. She glanced at Luo Ge and Nanahoshi.
She didn't ask any further questions, simply took the room fee and handed over the keys.
The room was on the second floor, facing the street. Opening the window revealed a view of the bustling street below, and the natural light was quite good.
Luo Ge put his luggage on the table, turned around and saw Nanahoshi standing by the window looking down. Her back was slender and her black hair fell over her shoulders.
He thought for a moment and then said, "You're not in good health, and you've traveled for so long. You should rest well at the inn and get some rest."
Nanahoshi turned around. "Are you getting ready to go out and look for your sister?"
"Yes."
"But don't worry, I promise you, I'll be back soon after I'm done with this. I won't leave you alone."
"Yeah, of course I believe you, but... you're so busy yet you've still helped me so much, and we were complete strangers before, and I keep troubling you like this."
"I feel really bad for troubling you all the time. Anyway, I... I want to do something for you too."
Looking at the frail-looking girl with exceptionally determined eyes, Luo Ge's impression of her suddenly improved.
"You... can you do it?"
After exchanging a deep look with Luo Ge, Nanahoshi said with certainty, "Don't worry, I've learned the language of this world from you during this time, so communicating with people shouldn't be a problem now."
"Hmph, don't underestimate me."
"I had excellent grades in my original world too."
Luo Ge looked at her serious face and didn't answer immediately.
It's not hard to guess what Nanahoshi was thinking.
She was unwilling to be a burden to be taken care of without feeling at ease. The two were not related, and if she accepted the care without giving anything in return, given her personality, it would probably be more painful for her than traveling.
She wanted to help, to prove that she had value in this unfamiliar world.
"OK."
Luo Ge nodded. "Let's go together then."
Nanahoshi's eyes lit up instantly, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn upwards. "Really?"
"Um."
"Very good!"
She was as happy as a child who had received candy, and her voice even rose a few decibels.
Luo Ge looked at her happy expression, his expression slightly complicated.
After spending more than two months together, he had learned a lot more about this foreign girl.
Nanahoshi learns things very quickly. Luo Ge taught her the common language of this world, and she learned it almost instantly. In just over two months, she was already able to have simple, albeit halting, conversations with people.
They have clear logic, a good memory, and an almost obsessive focus when learning.
In her previous life, she would definitely have been a top student with excellent grades.
She's good-looking and intelligent; if she were in his high school in his previous life, she would definitely be a school beauty.
But in this unfamiliar world, she could only rely on Luo Ge. Without Luo Ge, she wouldn't even have the basic ability to survive on her own.
In fact, Luo Ge had tried to teach her some self-defense techniques during this time.
He tried everything: swordsmanship, basic combat, and even the simplest Fireball magic.
Nanahoshi learned very quickly and memorized the theoretical knowledge perfectly, but he got completely stuck when it came to actual operation.
Luo Ge quickly discovered the problem, and it was serious.
She wasn't much different from a normal person, except that her meridians were blocked, making it impossible for her to absorb magic power.
In this world, not being able to attract magic means not being able to use magic, or even to use magic to strengthen one's body by binding one 'Touki.
Her brain memorized all the techniques, but her body simply couldn't execute them.
On the way to the Shirone Kingdom, Luo Ge discovered this result and told Nanahoshi.
Although she didn't say anything.
But Luo Ge still clearly caught the hint of disappointment in Nanahoshi' eyes.
However, Luo Ge was in no mood to comfort her any longer.
Let's go.
Luo Ge snapped out of his thoughts and walked towards the door.
Nanahoshi quickly followed, and the two left the inn side by side, blending into the crowds of the market.
The streets of Latakia were more bustling than I had imagined.
The roadside stalls displayed all sorts of fruits, vegetables, and spices whose names I didn't know, and rows of swords and farm tools hung outside the blacksmith's shop. Occasionally, you could see a magician with a staff walking through the crowd.
Luo Ge walked along, his eyes quickly scanning the crowd on the street, as if searching for something.
"What should we do next...?"
He frowned and muttered to himself, "This city seems pretty big; finding someone is going to be a bit tricky."
The Hitogami only told him that his sister was in the Shirone Kingdom, but did not specify her exact location.
That guy always leaves half of what he says unsaid, as if he's deliberately omitting crucial information.
Luo Ge even suspected that the Hitogami was just waiting to see him scramble to his feet and then ask it for help, finding amusement in that.
Should I seek help from Hitogami again?
No.
If he asks that guy for help every time he encounters a problem, wouldn't that make him, as a transmigrator, seem useless?
He didn't want to be looked down upon by that guy Hitogami.
"Excuse me... what problem are you encountering?"
Nanahoshi ' voice came from the side.