It started off reasonably enough. They had him outfitted for leather armor, had him try a few weapons, of which he was most familiar with the sword, spear, and crossbow. Among the three, Big Li easily settled upon having him take a crossbow, because, she said, at his level of skill, trying to use a sword or spear in battle would have him killed in no time.

Remian gritted his teeth and bore it all while wondering, [Is this what my world would have been like without mana?]

[Very likely.] Death agreed.

They also had him carry some equipment specific to Man-Eating Vinetraps, specifically some salty-smelling dough in a tightly sealed urn. Oddly enough, n.o.body else seemed to be weighed down with bait. Hesitantly, he asked about it.

"We all need to do our part." Big Li said, shrugging. "You don't seem suitable for any other role, so…"

In other words, he was useless in a fight, and thus he was the bait.

[Blast it, if this world had mana…] Remian grumbled to himself gloomily.

[If this world had mana, you'd be a superhero and everyone else would be dust at thy awesome feet.] Death snorted. [Or perhaps you'd find yourself in world where every mage was more powerful than you, and then you'd be embarra.s.sed to cast a single spell.]

Remian hesitated. [Is there such a world?]

Death shrugged. [Maybe you'll find out, one day.]

***

Two hours into their Treasure Hunt, Remian wished to G.o.d that he'd never heard of such a venture.

"Sis… maybe we should take a break." Big Li saw Remian huffing and puffing and half-swaying on their hike and had to express her concerns.

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Why didn't they take horses? Well, because apparently, horses were smart enough to shy away from the Red Mist Forest and refused to go anywhere near the place. Being so near the city, none of these young martialists thought it worth the trouble anyway.

"Nonsense! He needs more exercise!" Little Li raised a finger to the sky as if discovering the secrets of the Dao.

As if on cue, the other two men on this expedition immediately added their expert opinions. They were spoken with much pomp, aplomp, and scorn. The words spoken were enough to fill half a chapter and supply lots of filler paragraphs, but we all basically already know how it goes, so let's skip all that.

Incidentally, the two men in question had very low opinions of Remian, high opinions of Big Li, and higher still opinions of themselves. That Big Li seemed to appreciate their appreciation and return their interests somewhat was an issue of absolutely no concern to Remian… though for some reason, both her suitors seemed to think otherwise.

There was Zhao Feng, a relative of Zhao Heng, apparently the son of some general or the other. He was already in what Remian translated to be the early stages of Earth Qi, and often had a cold demeanor when viewing anyone or anything other than Big Li. He brought two swords, a large saber, a halberd, three javelins, a flail and a claw gauntlet over his left hand although according to Little Li, he actually didn't need any of them.

There was Mu Hou, who was from the Definitely Richest Family in town, a family of Alchemists. He was actually weaker than Big Li, being only in the middle stages of Innate Qi (Big Li was in the latter stages of Innate Qi), but he seemed to be an expert on drugs, poisons and herbs. From time to time, he'd stop at some plant or the other and extract or collect something, and store it away carefully. He brought two baggage handlers, two guards of the Earth Qi level, and a chef.

As for Big Li and Little Li, apparently their clan actually ran shops and inns around the city, but were proud of their reputation for maintaining safety and security at their inns with martial force. Both sisters were of a side branch, not of the main family bloodline, but in terms of looks and popularity (and the fact that the main branch didn't have any daughters near their age), they easily won more fame for their clan than the main line in the current up-and-coming generation. Little Li, especially, having won first prize in the tournament while still only in the early stages of Innate Qi, had brought their parents much basis for bragging.

Nevertheless, it was Big Li who maintained the attention of the boys the entire time. In terms of face and form, Little Li was sadly completely outmatched.

Even Xue Wushuang was unable to compete with Xue Yueli in terms of sheer figure. Not that she cared; she was what they called a 'martial maniac', and looked more like a vagabond than a cultured girl. While Big Li went about in a dress with tight-fitting scale armor that only emphasized her physical a.s.sets, Wushuang went around in patchwork hide armor that looked thick, heavy and even bloodstained. Being of a generation older than Big Li and her suitors, she was already at the middle stages of Earth Qi, and was arguably the strongest martialist in their party. She brought a spear, just one spear – that was all.

"Aren't you going to bring anything more?" Little Li had asked.

"What for? It's just a short trip." Wushuang shrugged.

"But… it's going to be a week!"

"Like I said; a short trip."

Yeah, Wushuang was like that.

Their cousin aside, Big Li and Little Li also brought a trio of baggage handlers, a pair of guards and a whole pile of camping supplies.

"How come you didn't have guards when I first found you guys?" Remian asked, curious.

"That time, we were out for self-tempering. This time, we're looking for resources, not training. It's different." Big Li explained. "Basically, the Red Mist Forest is just that dangerous."

"Ah."

Little Li nudged Remian. "Let's be honest. Big Sister doesn't want to bother about things like security and danger when she needs to concentrate on the boys."

"Oh."

"Xue Mengli!!" Big Li roared in outrage.

Little Li let out a yelp and started running. Big Li chased Little Li around in mock outrage for a bit.

Remian didn't pay them any mind. He was glad just to have a break.

"Don't relax too soon." Wushuang advised him. "We're not far from the Red Mist Forest. Pretty soon, it will be time for you to get to work."

As if all this hiking wasn't work enough?!

"Great." Remian groaned. "I can hardly wait."

***

Meanwhile back at KarGoth, reinforcements and replies began to arrive from afar.

Deutero sent five battle frigates and two Sky Galleons loaded with supplies and three bands of mercenaries to aid the defense.

The Midlands Sea People, having recently been displaced by the exodus of Wilds to the north, warmly received the Encles' Settlement's invitation and decided to move south en ma.s.se. They began to arrive by the hundreds.

Libertaria sent word that they would most certainly move out in force, soon. Very soon. The Dragon Empire replied with an 'investigation fleet' consisting of fifty airs.h.i.+ps from Galleons to Corvettes.

And Ashdale…

Ashdale sent one s.h.i.+p.

"What?" Mindy stared, seeing the battles.h.i.+p arrive.

To be sure, there was nothing to complain about the battles.h.i.+p itself. It was an old, highly respectable wars.h.i.+p with a long and dignified history of service. It was fierce, and powerful, and had more firepower in its three decks of cannons than just about every other airs.h.i.+p in the Wildlands right now.

But it was just the one airs.h.i.+p. Ashdale didn't even send ground troops.

"It's all we could spare." Mandy, apparently, had become the official liaison between Ashdale and KarGoth. "It's the war, you see. After all the fighting, Ashdale's forces need time to regroup and reorganize. Also, the threat of the Wilds in the Neutral Zone is getting worse. We need most of our forces back home. Besides, I'm sure you guys can handle things over there. You've got the Wilds on your side, after all."

"These Spectres are on a whole order of magnitude worse than the Wilds!"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Mandy was evasive.

A weird thought struck Mindy. "Sis, you're not thinking of siding with them against the Wilds, are you?"

"That's just speculation."

"You didn't answer the question!"

"It's not my place to answer it."

Mindy gaped. "You hate the Wilds that much?"

"It's not up to me." Mandy said quickly, much too quickly.

But Mindy had an inkling that the Ashdalians might actually have thoughts of using the Spectres one way or the other.

After all, from where they stood, it was the Wilds threatening their homeland, not the Spectres. The Spectres were someone else's problem. Theirs were the Wilds.

For a moment, Mindy reconsidered selling them those Corvettes… but a deal was a deal, and they were paying good money. That money could come in handy in the fight against the Spectres.