NEW TERRITORY

Sailing was never easy for Sponge. In fact, one reason her parents never took her on their trips was her tendency to get seasick—can you believe it? She missed out on so much of the outside world simply because she couldn't bear being on a boat for even a day.

The moment Sponge set foot on land, she hastily disembarked, retching her guts out into the sea, the dried beef she had eaten being the first to resurface. "Augh," Sponge groaned, wiping a hand across her mouth. "You, boy," a gruff voice called out from behind her. She stood up and turned, taking a moment to realize the man was addressing her, his accent difficult to decipher.

"Need anything?" Sponge inquired, resisting the urge to wave a hand in front of her nose because—good lord, the smell was overpowering. Not even a dog could smell as foul as this man. So, Sponge forced a smile, observing the disheveled appearance of the man—was he homeless? Did such people exist here? Where even am I? Sponge pondered, scanning the surroundings filled with towering buildings and advanced technology. It felt like she had entered a completely different world.

The weight of her armor seemed out of place as she eyed a man in a fitted suit and a woman in an elegant dress. "Yeah, you gonna eat those?" the homeless man inquired, eyeing the dried beef peeking from her bag. Sponge glanced down, retrieving it and offering it to him. "Not really, here you go," Sponge replied, then turned back to her boat, gathering her belongings, securing her axes on her thighs, and ensuring her armor was properly fastened.

"You're not from here, are you?" he asked as Sponge turned back to him, raising a brow. Walking past him, "What gave it away?" Sponge asked, looking around. "Just your accent, and well—the way you have armor tells me the place where you came from is dirt poor," he cackled, before Sponge pushed him off the docks.

"Oops," Sponge murmured, waving a hand as the homeless man emerged from the water, his clothes wet. "What the hell?!" he yelled as Sponge walked away, yawning. She could hear him yelling profanities as she climbed the stairs, letting out an excited gasp when she saw the buildings.

"Beautiful," she murmured before turning towards a man in a blue uniform who was eyeing her suspiciously. She slowly moved in a different direction, walking away. She noticed a woman dressed in loose clothing—perhaps a kimono? It was hard to tell. It would have been nice to have her old journals with her. She placed a hand on the bump in her chest where she is keeping her last journal, refocusing on her surroundings.

"So, I'm in Japan—" she observed the buildings before sighing. One of the technologically advanced countries she had read about but hadn't seen in person yet. This was an amazing sight to behold, although eventually, Sponge had to buy a horse to move around. Not a car—she... doesn't exactly know how to drive those things. Besides, horses are more trustworthy companions than cars.

"Yah!" Sponge snapped the reins as the horse neighed, and they galloped down the road. She laughed when she saw a multitude of cars around, easily maneuvering through them. God, she felt out of place! Riding a horse has never been so fun!

She eyes the red traffic light and runs through it, those are just for cars right? She laughed as they trotted out of the city, behaving as though they owned the place.

The journey wasn't too difficult since they took a shortcut through the city, leaping over cars and nearly stepping on some civilians. Those incidents were not intentional…

Eventually, they slowed their pace, leisurely trotting in the field as Sponge surveyed her surroundings. Outside the city, everything appeared more familiar, with farmers harvesting wheat and children playing with wooden planes.

Sponge chuckled, loosening her grip on the reins as she observed the children running around, filled with laughter and joy. Some of them noticed Sponge and waved at her.

Pausing momentarily, Sponge tightened her grip on the reins once more, turning back to the dirt road and snapping them sharply. "Hya!" The horse surged forward again. As the sun began to set, she arrived at a village, noticing a large temple that stood out from the rest. Sponge gazed at it, her hands on the horse's reins, dismounting as she made her way towards the small town.

Her attention caught by the hung lanterns, she paused as a few children raced past her. "You must be a foreigner. Would you like to buy a mask?" a woman inquired as Sponge approached, inspecting the various masks displayed on the table. "They can ward off evil!" the woman added, gesturing dramatically. Sponge gave her a skeptical look—the masks appeared simple and unlikely to fend off any evil.

"Thanks, but no," Sponge smiled politely as she continued on. Coming to a stop at the temple, she let out a soft whistle, craning her neck upward to see the top, securing her eyeglasses to prevent them from falling.

She then eyes the golden bowl inside. Was this some kind of shrine? It should be—or atleast Sponge hoped it would be. If only she had her other books… She hummed thoughtfully, then turned her gaze to the inn, a grin spreading across her face.

The inn exuded warmth as Sponge entered, though she had to leave her horse outside in the stables. She hoped it was cozy in there. Now, she found herself lying on the bed, still clad in her armor and thick clothing, gazing up at the ceiling. Her hand absentmindedly twirled the gauze around her fingers, a sigh escaping her lips. She slowly returned it to her pocket before retrieving her journal and contemplating it.

"It wouldn't hurt to write about what happened today," she murmured, sitting up and rising from the bed, making her way to the table. She grabbed her bag and set it down on a chair, rummaging for her ink and quill. Perhaps she should invest in a pen—spilling ink on her belongings seemed a bit too probable.

Taking a seat, she let out a sigh as she opened her journal... and began to write.

—

March 15 of XXXX, Japanese Territory.

I find myself on an adventure to locate the god who saved me. There is one burning question I wish to ask them: why? Why save me? Was I chosen, or was it by chance? Was the act deliberate? If so, I would be grateful—yet, I cannot help but feel angry that this god did not come sooner to save my mother and father. However, I should not scrutinize a gift horse. I must be thankful that I am alive and well.

Currently, I am in Japanese territory. The city is stunning, their technology truly surpasses all expectations. However, I admit I am easily overwhelmed. My plan, once I find the god who saved me, is to find a place to settle down. Perhaps not in a city, but I have time to consider my options..."

Signing out, 

S.

—

July 23 of XXXX, Japanese Territory.

I have been living here in Japan for almost four months now. Though I have never bought a house for myself, Cecil—the name of my horse and companion—and I have been sleeping outside in the forest. I admit that finding a house or an inn would be much easier than sleeping on the ground. Lately, however, I have sensed as if someone is watching me…

I have been searching for the god who saved me, but I have not given them a name yet. I wish I had been able to ask before losing consciousness, but oh well…

Around April, I realized that I needed a job since the gold coins I brought were not enough. The abundance of tempting delicacies here constantly tests my resolve. Once again, I worked in the mines; fortunately, my knack for finding ores has not deserted me (for which I am grateful). I was surprised to discover that these lands are rich in magical ores.

I kept some for myself, considering selling it at a higher price. It does not feel like stealing if I was the one to find it. Perhaps I am the only one capable of finding gold and more. They need me, LOL!

Apart from this, I have been neglecting to journal about my daily life. The past few months have left me exhausted, and I am still adjusting to living outdoors and sleeping on the ground. After work each day, I eat my lunch and then fall asleep like a log. It's surprising that Cecil is not tired of me yet.

I will make an effort to resist falling asleep immediately and engage in conversation with Cecil—imagine if she could actually talk (it might solve my loneliness issue).

Signing out.

S.

—

December 25 of XXXX, Chinese Territory

Merry Christmas! It turns out I did something bad, and now I had to flee Japan and sail to Chinese territories. I honestly do not know what I did, but I think it's very bad. Actually, I kind of know what I did. I kind of—well, killed someone. And by that, I mean some "people". But, don't worry, those same people are totally not innocent! I swear! I would never hurt an innocent person. But—well, hear me out, I have been busy. Actually, eh, a bit of an understatement. What I actually mean is that I have been doing some killing—bad people killing in hopes that I would be able to catch the god's attention.

I was hoping that I would be able to, instead, I think some higher-ups were interested in my head. They should thank me; I literally prune the bad peeps. Like, come on now, they should be shaking my hand, not threatening to lock me up and cut my neck (hopefully not, I like my head not severed, thank you very much). Anyways, new life, new territory here in China with Cecil. Except—it's kind of hard to get a job here. I am a foreigner, I could easily speak their language, but apparently, I need—ah, an ID to identify my identity.

I do not have those… Perhaps I should just go back to pruning idiots and dumbasses alike. Hah, just looking at what I wrote is just—hilarious. Never would I have thought I would find my own axe bloodied at the end of the day. And the fact I talk about it so proudly in my journal too. My parents would be horrified…

Anyways, I may not be able to get a job, but I found a mining site and took some magical ores from it. I, of course, sold it, at a very high price. And I threatened them if they refused to buy it—I can't let Cecil go hungry; she needs her apples for the day. Anyways, that's all for now. I probably need to fix my writing schedule again. I keep procrastinating all of this, I'll probably get some alcohol later and procrastinate some more. Who knows? Besides, I heard the people here have strong liquor, so I have to try it myself!

Signing out,

S.

—

"We don't see many foreigners around here," Lian mumbled, pouring more liquor into Sponge's glass. Sponge responded with a snort before downing it in one go. "You're right, your people here are so demanding with their IDs and identities... blah blah blah," Sponge waved a hand, rubbing her forehead as Lian chuckled.

"Boy, it's important for you to have an ID. Don't you have a driver's license or a birth certificate?" Sponge raised a brow, asking, "Who carries a birth certificate around?" Lian cleared his throat, trying not to laugh. "And for the record, I'm a woman, can't you see?" Sponge groaned, motioning to herself as Lian poured more liquor into her glass. She heard a small mumble, "Gee, you certainly don't act like it."

She grinned as Lian hummed, "Easy on the liquor, this is very strong." He shook the bottle for emphasis, but Sponge only let out a half-hearted grunt, uninterested in his advice. "Uh-huh," Sponge downed the glass again and coughed, feeling her throat burn and her stomach churn like she had just swallowed acid.

She heard Lian sigh, "I can handle it, don't you see these? I'm a warrior, who says warriors can't handle their liquor?" Sponge gestured towards her armor and the axes attached to her thighs. Seeing Lian roll his eyes, she watched him place the bottle on the wooden bar table, grabbing a glass, and started wiping it.

Sponge chuckled, stifling it behind her fist as she heard someone sit beside her. "Hey Huan, need something?" Lian asked, placing the same glass he had been wiping in front of Huan. "Just alcohol," Huan mumbled, lowering his head onto his hands while Sponge waved her glass. "Bad day?" she asked, turning to Huan, who just waved a hand. "Understatement of the year," Huan retorted, sighing as Sponge cackled.

"Hey, more alcohol here, do you mind?" Sponge waved her glass again as Lian sighed, shaking his head. "No more, go home and rest," he replied. Sponge groaned, slamming her glass on the tabletop and pouting. "You cannot deny your customers," she whined, watching as Lian poured more liquor into Huan's glass. "I can and I will," Lian retorted. Sponge groaned, slumping on the table and giving him a half-hearted glare. "You're drunk," Lian pointed out. "Am not," Sponge grumbled.

"I can beat you with one hand," she added as Lian chuckled. "You sure can," he replied, until Huan raised his head with a small smirk. "What about trying to beat that weirdo over there in the corner," he pointed a finger at a person at the corner of the bar, wearing a mask—reminiscent of those Japanese masks, Sponge thought. She remembered many children wearing such masks, though this one seemed slightly aged, with visible cracks. The person also sported armor over their clothing.

While Huan spoke beside her, gossiping, "Heard she killed men three times her size," Lian nodded along, a woman interjected, "Ten times her size," burping loudly as Huan laughed. "She's right," Lian said, wiping another glass and placing it in front of the woman who was engaged in a lively conversation with Huan.

"Hey, I can do that too—man or woman, sure, I'll beat 'em," Sponge declared, standing up and stumbling slightly. She could hear Lian's eyes rolling and Huan laughing. "Are you sure, kid? Look at you, stumbling on your feet like a newborn foal," Huan teased. "Watch your mouth, this newborn foal can kick your ass!" Sponge threatened, pointing a finger at him, her feet still unsteady as she tried to find her balance, nearly toppling towards the table. "Not me—her," Huan clarified, pointing at the masked woman.

Sponge scoffed, her shaky hands grabbing her axe. "Hey, not inside my bar, take it outside," Lian warned as Sponge waved a dismissive hand and walked over to the masked woman—well, stumbling. "You, with the fox mask, fight me," Sponge demanded, stabbing her axe into the wooden table. Lian shouted, "Not the table!" causing her to snicker.

The masked woman turned to her, untouched glass on the table, and rested her cheek on her palm, not even bothered by the axe on the table. This nonchalant gesture made Sponge's brow twitch—whether in annoyance or awe at the woman's composure.

"And what do I get if I beat you?" the masked woman inquired, tilting her head. Sponge laughed inwardly—beat me? In your dreams, maybe!

"Who said you could beat me in the first place?" Sponge huffed, crossing her arms as the other woman hummed, swirling her glass around. "You're ruining my night, girl," the woman stated, and Sponge blanched. Girl? You're making me sound like I'm 12 years old! "Just so you know, I'm not here to debate my gender with you," Sponge retorted. "I didn't say anything," the woman replied, causing Sponge to flare her nostrils.

"Look, those idiots at the back are counting on me to beat you, so why don't we take this outside and settle it?" Sponge forced a smile, grabbing her axe and pulling it out of the wood. She was taken aback when the masked woman stood up smoothly and turned towards her. "Alright then," the woman said, stepping out of the bar.

Sponge grinned, turning towards Huan and Lian who gave her a thumbs up. "She's probably going to die," Huan mumbled under his breath as Lian nodded in agreement. "Definitely," he added.