Onwards, to Moero

The next morning, after Luna revealed to me her past, we slept in much longer than we usually would. I was the first to awaken. Opening my eyes, I saw Luna's face before me. Her eyes still had a bit of red blotchiness around them, but she had a content smile on her lips. I am glad she opened up to me and that I was able to provide an outlet for her grief. I gently disentangled myself from her arms before tucking her into the covers. "Master..." A soft, needy whine broke from her lips as she rolled over, dragging the sleeping bag with her. She was now all wrapped up like a big comfy burrito.

Stepping out of the tent, I rekindled the campfire and started on breakfast. I took some of the boar meat and cooked it, skewering it alongside some foraged forest vegetables. I was able to whip up some tasty breakfast shishkebabs. I also boiled some water in the pot we had from the carriage. Grabbing a few ingredients from my Storage and the surrounding area, I made a tea from some blue leaves that tasted like mint. Thinking about the honey from Luna's story, I used my AR display to ascertain more about the surrounding plants. It was my lucky day, as after only a few minutes, I came across a small white berry called a syrup berry. Checking the help section of my System, I confirmed it was edible and non-poisonous. Crushing a few of the berries, I finished the tea. I readied helpings of food and drink for us both. I quickly ate my serving and got a tea refill for myself before bringing Luna's breakfast and beverage into the tent. I set them on the small side table and took a seat in the rocking chair I had also made.

The rocking chair was a masterpiece I could only make after combining my past life's interest with furniture making and my water elemental magic. I had been practicing each night before bed, focusing a blast of water into a high-pressure jet, I now was able to cut through wood with ease. I made all of the furniture using jointing techniques, as I did not have access to more than a few nails and scraps of iron from the carriage.

Once I had made myself comfortable, I reached down and stroked Luna's ears while gently calling out to her to wake up. Waking up, she blearily gazed around and the bright near midday light shining in from the open tent flap. She suddenly hopped to her feet in a panic, giving my eyes a treat of some lovely jiggling softness. Her hair was a bit of a mess, with some of it sticking up where the pillow had pressed it against the side of her head. She immediately looked at me and started to try to apologize. "Master, I did not mean to sleep for so long. It is inexcusable that you would have to make brea-" I simply cut her off by grabbing her hand and pulling her to my lap. Now seated in my lap, I instructed her, "Eat before my hard work goes to waste and the food and tea gets cold." She examined the skewered items on her plate and sniffed at the tea.

Luckily, even I could not screw up shishkebabs. And while cooking was not my forté, I did have a love for tea and coffee, making my brew a definite breakfast highlight. She took a small bite of the foreign menu item before chowing down with all the energy I had come to expect from her when tasty food was involved. After gorging herself on the eight skewers I had prepared for her endless hunger, she drank some of the tea. "Yummy! How did you get this so sweet, Master?" Luna inquired. Her happiness was excited by her little tail wagging back and forward. As per usual, her tail-wagging extended to her hips as a whole, causing her bottom to move on top of my lap in an exceptionally dangerous manner.

Quickly reciting pi to the fortieth digit, I regained my spiritual centre and prevented any unwanted friends from joining us. I explained how I had used the berries for sweetness and harvested a great many more for our future meals.

Leaving her to finish her tea, I proceeded outside the tent, where I quickly cleaned myself up for the day. Leaving Luna so she could have some privacy to get ready, I scouted the road ahead. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, I slowly returned to the campsite. I found Luna prepared to go, having already packed up everything for us. I sent everything to Storage, and we set off for the last short leg of our trip.

After four hours of travel, we finally exited the forest and found ourselves about a kilometre from the edge of the town of Moero. All around the town's perimeter were golden wheat fields and livestock pens. The town itself was quite a bit larger than I was expecting. Surrounded by a large ten-foot-tall wooden palisade with walkways for guards and archers to walk along, I let out a low whistle to show my appreciation for the defensive System. We approached the nearer of the three gates to the town. We stood at the back of a line of about ten groups and individuals, awaiting our chance for entry. While waiting, I admired the large mountain on the far side of the town, which made up a large part of the town's defensive barrier. even from here, I could make out steam rising from water flowing down the mountains rockface and collecting in small pools on small plateaus. "Hotsprings?" I murmured.

A short man in front of us who was carrying a comically large pack on his back turned around and smiled at us. "Why yes indeed! Moero's hot springs are known far and wide as one of the best ways to relax and take some time off from the hustle and bustle of the daily grind." Flashing me a salesman's grin. He quickly handed me a small wooden board with some words etched into it. I read the words and discovered it to be a flyer for a restaurant in town.

Bairee's Egghouse and Breakfast Emporium.

"Come enjoy the continent's best breakfast, where locally sourced eggs are naturally boiled in the gifted spring waters of Mt. Erlia."

"Tomorrow morning, please come try some of our dishes. Tell the waiter that I, Bairee Oeufman, invited you." The man told us, vigorously shaking my hand, before realizing his turn to pass through the gates had come. He turned around, his short body waddling towards the awaiting guards. Hopefully, he doesn't sit on any precarious walls; I glibbed to myself.

After Bairee's pack was quickly checked by the guard and the strange little man flashed a copper medallion of some sort to the guards, he was let through. The guard beckoned us over. As we approached them, I noticed the guard nearest we had a slightly alarmed look on his face. And more concernedly, his hand had moved to rest on the hilt of the sword he had at his waist. Being quite glad that I could summon my Gauntlets directly to my fists if this turned bad, I greeted the panicked guardsman, "Good afternoon, how are you today?"

Slightly disarmed by my pleasant greeting, the guard responded, "Good sir, do you seek entry to Moero?" Pointedly staring at the man to make it apparent that his question was a bit silly, the guardsman realized his mistake. "Ahem, I mean, do you have your identification and your papers for this slave of yours?" Curious about his assumption of Luna's role as my slave, I inquired for more information. "Unfortunately, we were attacked by orcs in the forest. All our papers and a majority of my possessions were lost alongside the carriage. Also, while she is my slave, why do you assume it so?"

Taking in all this info, the guardsman paused a moment before saying, "let me get the sergeant," before he dashed off. Once he had run away, I looked to Luna, my face turned away from the remaining guards, and I mouthed, "identification papers?" Stepping close to me and turning around as if she was getting me to search through the rucksack on her back, Luna whispered to me, "Yes, my old owner would often have to show them. I remember hearing him complain about how any old ruffian can get some issued if they sign up with the Adventurer's Guild." "Hmm, that gives me an idea," I breathed back, giving Luna a single stroke of her head, before turning around.

A minute later, a man, I presumed to be the sergeant, returned with the guardsman who had left prior. "Greetings, I hear you do not have an ID, yet you seek entrance?" The new man asked a little too sternly. I grabbed his hand, which was inside a plate armoured glove, in a handshake. "Yes, after getting a taste of combat with some orcs in the forest, I realized I should use my strength to join the Adventurer's Guild and defend my fellow traveller." I then emphasized my strength by slightly denting the iron plate on the back of the man's hand with my bare fingers. After I released his grip, he looked at his glove. His eyes showed hints of worry as he replied. "I will send Jeorge here to escort you to the Guild to have your new ID issued. He will then borrow your new ID to log your entry into our town. Please have a short, pleasant stay in our town." He cooly explained.

Following Jeorge in through the gates, I got my first glimpse at the town where we would be spending our journey's current leg.