Outsider

At the crude dining table,the family of four chewed on the sour,dark bread.

Mrs.Sawin and Lake were silent,and Vili tactfully kept quiet as well.

Vilia,sitting beside Vili,sensed the unusual solemn atmosphere.Normally lively,she ate quietly without making a sound.

The simple breakfast ended quickly."Vili,your mother and I are heading to the wheat fields.After you clean up,you and Vilia should go gather sweet berries,"Lake said.

Lake and Mrs. Sawin ate more quickly than the kids because there was still wheat to harvest.

"I see,"Vili replied.

Lake and Mrs.Sawin left the house with their tools,leaving Vili and Vilia at the table.

"Vili,what happened today?Why is everyone so serious?"Vilia asked,swallowing the last piece of dark bread with difficulty and taking a sip of the thin porridge with only a few grains of rice floating on top.

"Nothing,children shouldn't worry too much about adult matters,"Vili said,patting Vilia on the head as he began to clear the table.

Since he couldn't solve his eldest brother's dilemma,he decided to at least lighten some of the other burdens on the family.

After clearing the table,Vili and Vilia took a brief rest before each shouldering their baskets and heading towards the sweet berry trees.

"Look at all those people!"As they walked together,Vilia suddenly pointed towards the entrance of the village and shouted.

A group of villagers had gathered,standing around and whispering among themselves while staring at something in the center,but no one dared to approach.

"Let's go see what's going on,"Vilia said,tugging at Vili's arm.At her age,she was naturally curious about everything.

Vili just smiled and reluctantly followed his sister's lead.

It was easy for them to push their way to the front of the crowd.

In the center of the group stood four men and women dressed in light armor and armed with weapons.Next to them were four fine horses,their hooves wrapped in thick iron shoes.

"People from outside the village,"Vili thought,his eyes brightening.This was the first time he had seen anyone from beyond their village since he arrived in this world.

"Still no one willing?I can raise the price to two gold lumens,"one of the middle-aged men,who seemed to be the leader,said,holding up two fingers as he addressed the villagers.

They murmured among themselves but remained silent.

"Aunt Shana,what are these people doing?"Vili asked,noticing Aunt Shana standing nearby.

Aunt Shana glanced at Vili and whispered,"These people are from outside.They want to go deep into the forest to the west to find something.They're looking for a guide from our village,and they've already raised the price to two gold lumens."

Upon hearing this,Vili understood why the villagers were unmoved by the offer of two gold lumens.

To the west of the village lay a vast forest.The outer edges of the forest were relatively safe,filled with ordinary fruits and plants like the sweet berries,with no wild beasts to threaten them.However,the deeper parts of the forest were teeming with all sorts of dangers,and few villagers were willing to venture far in.Many had entered the heart of the forest before these outsiders,but a good number of them never returned.

It was said to be a paradise for wild beasts and a forbidden zone for humans.Thus,finding a guide among the villagers was no easy task for the outsiders.

"Three gold lumens!Three!Can't this price tempt you?"Vitente,the middle-aged man,looked at the cautious yet greedy villagers and raised his voice,but still,no one responded.He felt somewhat helpless;villagers from these small places always seemed overly wary.

Two days ago,an herbalist had approached Vitente's four-person mercenary team.

The herbalist wanted them to go to the Mors Forest,west of Tam Village,to gather a plant called Sweet Star Grass and bring it back.Upon completing the task,the wealthy herbalist would pay them a hundred gold lumens as a reward.

Vitente had immediately agreed upon hearing this.

A hundred gold lumens!It was enough to let the mercenary team live comfortably for several years.

However,after learning more about the mission,Vitente realized it wasn't as simple as it seemed.

First,the target—Sweet Star Grass—was a herb that looked almost identical to common weeds.Finding it would take a lot of effort,and if they were unlucky,it might take as long as a month to locate it.

Second,the mission's location was the Mors Forest.

This vast forest,located on the border of the Lanso Principality,was filled with dangerous beasts like tigers,black bears,and wolves.Many who had ventured in never returned,their remains buried somewhere within.To safely search for Sweet Star Grass,they needed a guide familiar with the terrain to help avoid deadly threats.

Initially,Vitente thought one gold lumen would be enough to hire a suitable guide from a nearby village,but he had miscalculated.Even after raising the price to five gold lumens,no one was interested.Vitente was growing frustrated with what he perceived as the villagers'greed.

Just as Vitente was getting anxious,a voice came from the crowd.

"Five,five gold lumens,I'll take you there."

Amid the astonished gazes of the villagers,Vili stepped forward and addressed Vitente.

Vitente looked at the young boy who had stepped out of the crowd and furrowed his brow.

The boy seemed composed,but he was far too young—definitely not what Vitente had expected.

He had been looking for someone older and more experienced to serve as a guide.

"Are you truly familiar with the terrain of the Mors Forest?"Vitente seemed skeptical of Vili.

"Every winter for the past few years,I've accompanied my father deep into the Mors Forest.I know the area very well,"Vili replied,not lying.

During winter,many large animals in the Mors Forest hibernate,leaving only small creatures like rabbits out foraging,which makes it much safer.Vili's father,Lake,had experience hunting in his youth,so he would take Vili with him every winter to search for lone prey.

"In that case,I'd rather hire your father,"Vitente said with a smile.

Vili shook his head."He won't accept your offer.He's the breadwinner of our family and won't risk entering the forest in this dangerous season."

Vitente fell silent,his eyes narrowing slightly.He felt that this composed young man before him might be trustworthy.

Beside Vitente,the other three members of his team—one man and two women—were also eyeing Vili curiously.

They had encountered many villagers from small places who were cautious,wary,and distrustful of outsiders.But this boy was different.

"Five gold lumens.It's a deal,"Vitente finally decided.