A Reunion Awaits

(Three Days Later)

The sun shone brightly overhead as warm rays of sunlight fell on the cart that was trudging along a beaten road.

The cart was a simple, sturdy thing built more for function than beauty with rough-hewn wooden boards worn down by years of use.

It was pulled by two muscular horses with gorgeous black coats and long manes that swayed gently in the wind.

Sitting on top of the horse on the left was old man Li who cheerfully sung a song under his breath while casually taking sips from a bottle of whiskey.

Meanwhile in the cart, Mei Lian shifted uncomfortably as she lay on a patch of dried hay, food for the two horses and her 'bed'.

Three days had passed since she had awoken in this strange new world.

Now the last traces of doubt had left her mind. She was stuck here and there was no going back.

Mei Lian felt as though she was halfway between the stages of depression and acceptance.

There really was no log out function.

She was trapped in this world, and it was a dangerous place with monsters, demons and even threats from her fellow humans.

While she had not seen a proper civilization yet, the presence of nobles, kings and other members of royalty meant that it was unlikely that this world had laws to protect the common folk.

Hell… old man Li mentioned in an off-hand comment that with her appearance, she was lucky that she was not captured and sold off as a slave.

Slavery still existed in this barbaric place…

Mei Lian let out a sigh as she stared at the white clouds that moved slowly across the sky.

She did not know what her next move should be.

The system screen had been inactive over the last couple of days which made sense since she had not done anything noteworthy.

Old man Li was taking her to the church of a goddess of love called Amariel.

Apparently, her followers were not allowed to discriminate since the goddess' teachings stated that all beings were worthy of love.

Now that didn't mean that they would accept her but at the very least they would provide shelter regardless of her class.

And with any luck she could meet other people from Earth who had been teleported to this frightful place.

Maybe they could plan out what to do next and how to survive.

Mei Lian did not know if there was a way back but at the very least, she needed to get stronger.

Even if she decided to ignore the so-called prophecy that old man Li mentioned, this was a world where the strong ruled.

It was a jungle here.

Only the strongest had the right to decide their fate, a far cry from the equality of the modern area,

Yes, there were rich people who wielded enormous influence…

But Mei Lian was fairly certain that they could not point at some random person in the street and order their bodyguards to beat them to death like how the nobles here apparently could.

"Nearly there!" Old man Li's sing-song voice interrupted Mei Lian's musings.

She sat up from the floor of the cart and looked towards the horizon.

The medieval city loomed in the distance, its enormous stone walls rising up like a gray fortress against the sky.

The walls were carved from ancient, quarried rock and reinforced with thick battlements.

Moss crept along the lower stones, and tall banners lazily fluttered from the top of the towers.

The symbol on each banner was that of a snake-like monster, its jaw wide open with droplets of venom lingering near its fangs.

Not exactly the most welcoming sign.

At the main gate stretched a long line of people who all waited patiently to be allowed entry.

Guards and knights wearing heavy armor stood watch over the crowd and Mei Lian saw unruly commoners pulled out from the line and executed on the spot.

The blades of the guards' swords ran red and yet no one moved to stop them. In fact, it seemed as though the people were used to these extreme measures.

At the front of the line, the guards would casually inspect travel papers or more commonly… a flash of bronze would pass between hands before entry was allowed.

Mei Lian expected to wait for a few hours to reach the front, but old man Li had other ideas.

He gently tapped the horses, and cart began to move along the side of the line, skipping those who were waiting.

Voices of complaint soon filled the air as the cart slowly rolled by.

"Hey! There's a line old man!"

"Guards! Someone is skipping!"

"You can't just… you can't do that!"

One of the guards came over to inspect the commotion, old man Li simply reached into the pocket of this tattered robe and pulled out an amulet with a platinum engraving.

The guard's helmet concealed most of his facial features, but Mei Lian could still see his eyes widen with shock.

He signaled to his fellow guards and soon old man Li's cart was escorted through the gate as though he was a VIP.

Wow… so that was the S-class adventurer treatment.

Mei Lian had not even been questioned or asked to present identification. In fact, the guards seemed too frightened to even gaze at her.

As the cart rolled through the gate, Mei Lian could see her first glimpse at the interior of the city, and she could not help but be amazed.

The city was like a living tapestry. It was a chaotic, beautiful sprawl of stone, timber and sounds.

The streets were paved with uneven cobblestones that had been trampled by generations of boots, hooves and wheels from carts.

Clearly this area was where the poorer residents of the city lived because the houses were packed in tight clusters, pressed shoulder to shoulder along narrow winding streets that twisted like ivy through the districts.

Houses were built from simple materials… weathered timber, rough- cut stones and the occasional splash of muddy bricks to hold it all together.

A disgusting scent filled the air which caused Mei Lian's nose to wrinkle.

It was a pungent blend of smoke, sweat, roasting meat, dung and the strong smell of urine.

Not all the residents of the city were human, Mei Lian spotted short stocky creatures with green skin and beards that grew towards the ground.

Tall, slender alien-like women with pointed ears moved carefully through the crowd and Mei Lian saw their pale fingers grasp at unattended wallets and loose change in the pockets of unsuspecting bystanders.

It was hard to describe all the variety of different races and species. Humans were the majority of course but it was hard not to pay attention to the outliers.

As the cart moved further along the road, the quality of the houses got better, and the unpleasant scent began to fade.

Mei Lian could see in the distance, another set of walls which blocked the entrance to the upper district where gorgeous mansions and enormous towers rose up from the ground.

Clearly that was where the nobles and the rich lived.

Old Man Li turned his cart to the left and passed through a long and winding side street where dozens of brothels lined each side.

Now there was a change in the odor. The air now smelled dimly of perfume, candle smoke and what seemed like incense.

Mei Lian blushed as several very attractive women wearing scantily clad clothing waved and winked at her from the windows of the establishments.

"Passing through cutie? I'll give you a special time," a voluptuous woman with cat-like ears smiled at Mei Lian with pointed teeth.

"You look good enough to eat baby… I can make you cum like no one has before…"

Another woman with scales along her lower back turned her body around and seductively swayed her ass from side to side.

Mei Lian covered her eyes but could not resist peaking a little bit through her fingers, this was the first time that she had experienced something like this…

Well… that wasn't through a computer screen.

There were men as well, but she did not pay their flirtations any mind.

By the time, the cart rolled out of the alley, Mei Lian's face was bright red, and several very naughty thoughts were going through her mind.

"Enjoyed the show?" Old man Li's teasing voice made Mei Lian immediately feel very awkward.

"I wouldn't advise going those places just yet. Seen my fair share of poor souls trapped and unable to escape."

"Pleasure sweetie… is one of life's greatest addictions."

"I wasn't thinking of going," Mei Lian argued back fiercely as she found that the old man's knowing look was getting on her nerves.

Old man Li laughed but stopped with the teasing.

Soon, the road began to widen until it became a large plaza. A large building was situated in the center of the plaza which Mei Lian assumed was the church.

There it was.

Where she would hopefully meet fellow players from Earth.