As the group reached the town, the dust of the road settling around their weary feet, Harvis turned to Alex with a lazy grin. "So, what are you going to do now, Alex?"
Alex looked down at Lily, who clutched his hand tightly, her big, hopeful eyes scanning the bustling streets ahead. He let out a deep breath, rubbing the back of his head. "First things first, find a job that suits me. Something stable so I can take care of Lily. And, of course, a place to stay."
Harvis nodded, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "Sounds responsible. And what about you, Lily? What's your plan?"
The little girl giggled. "I'm going wherever big brother goes!" she declared proudly.
Alex chuckled, patting her head. "Yeah, I figured."
Harvis stretched his arms lazily, sighing. "Man, I get it. A normal life, a steady routine. That's good and all, but I just don't think I can handle that."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Then what do you plan to do?"
Harvis smirked. "Honestly? I have no idea. I want to explore the world, travel, see what's out there. You know, take the path of the unknown." His expression softened. "But I guess this is where we part ways."
Alex extended his hand, a grateful smile on his face. "Yeah... but let's meet again someday."
Harvis shook his hand firmly. "Deal."
Lily ran up to Harvis and wrapped her small arms around his waist. "Thank you for everything, Harvy!" she beamed up at him. "You're the best!"
Harvis awkwardly patted her head. "Yeah, yeah, don't get all emotional on me, kid."
With that, Alex and Lily disappeared into the town, leaving Harvis standing there, watching them go.
Liz, the ever-observant maid, crossed her arms. "That was nice of you."
Harvis sighed dramatically. "Yeah, yeah. Now what?"
Liz tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We need to figure out what we're doing in this town. We can't just roam around aimlessly. We need a steady source of money."
Harvis groaned. "Ugh, money. I miss living in the forest. No responsibilities, no worries. Just exploring, fighting beasts, and sleeping whenever I wanted."
Liz rolled her eyes. "That's exactly why we need to be around people. Socializing is an important part of life."
Harvis smirked. "Or… we could just do something easy. I mean, I have plenty of skills. Cooking, crafting, medicine-making, even blacksmithing. But you know, putting in all that effort sounds exhausting."
Liz scoffed. "Of course, you'd say that."
Harvis wiggled his eyebrows playfully. "Hey, there's always the option of becoming a thief. I could steal from the rich and—"
Liz cut him off with a sharp glare. "Absolutely not."
He laughed. "Okay, okay. Then how about something fun? Like… a mobile restaurant? I cook, you serve, and we make money while traveling."
Liz blinked. "That… actually sounds like a good idea."
Harvis looked at her in mock shock. "Wait, really? I was half-joking."
Liz sighed. "Of course, you were. But it could work. You're a great cook when you actually try, and I can handle the business side of things."
Harvis grinned. "See? Teamwork. I do the fun part, and you handle the boring stuff."
Liz shook her head, but she was smiling. "Fine. But if we're doing this, we're doing it properly. No half-baked effort."
Harvis groaned. "Ugh, effort. My greatest enemy."
Liz rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's find a place to start setting up."
As they walked deeper into the town, the sun setting behind them, Harvis couldn't help but grin. He had no idea where this journey would take them, but one thing was certain—things were about to get interesting.