Ball of Nothing

They mounted on Sand Walkers and saddled up. The beasts made a weird shrieking noise when Zero pulled on the reins and almost fell off the creature when they straightened up, standing on their strong hind legs. These mounts were going to be uncomfortable to ride on and Zero just knew it. After all, they were very different from horses and could hop very high.

The group of people seeing them off was impressive. Dorgon stood at the front line, holding the reins of the beats steady while they climbed onto the sand walkers. Princess Dorothy stood at the back and watched her teacher leave. She was composed in the eyes of others but Zero knew better. The princess would have cried if she wasn't playing the role of a reliable princess.

"This is where we part for now," the guild master nodded and wished them both luck.

Zero didn't delay their departure for too long and waved goodbye to everyone, giving Zenobia and Amaraline a wink. After the talk last night, he reassured the chieftess that he would find a solution to the lack of manpower. Zero considered several options but as of now, none of them seemed favourable. There were still some things left to do after he discussed the options with Truen.

They travelled far enough and slowed the sand walkers into a walking pace when they were finally out of sight from the city.

"Have you decided? Truen asked as they were approaching a forked path in the next hour. "Endow Hill or Magnus Hilda? We have to cut across one of them to get to Derby Desert. It's all the way to the other side of the land."

The doctor grinned. "What do you think? It's been a few months since we left the village. I can't imagine how much it has changed since we left. Also, there are a lot lesser people in the village now. The dragon warriors have left to become heroes. Mitchnew spends most of her time in Smargdas if she wasn't visiting Sekkin who is still in the abyss. Coux rarely returns and spends most of her time in Bell's castle and Mammon's office. Schaf, Amaraline and Zenobia are in Rocket Mountain now. Camie went home and the twin magicians were summoned back to the United Nation of the Uncanny. Some of the villagers travelled constantly like Ruth, Cleo and Qin Yun. Some rarely returned like Lovina and Coux. I don't know what's happening there right now even though Zoe says that not much has changed."

Truen said nothing. Indeed, there were many changes. The last he heard from Mitchnew, Clowis was teaching Leon how to fight. The werecat child was doing a good job and it was a pity Ruth was too busy to teach him. The vampire was a better teacher and fighter in comparison. Rima and Jacqueline were depressed after Camie left and were thinking about going on an adventure too. Everyone had different plans after Zero left the village. It was sad but that was how life was sometimes.

"Half Moon Village isn't the same village that you knew before you left," the archer warned.

Zero understood Truen's concerns. In fact, he was also slightly unprepared for it but as the village leader, he had the duty to know what was going on with his people. Grandma Moppo may have made him the village leader but Zero knew he didn't do much as the leader. That was probably the reason why the villagers were drifting apart and walking away. Perhaps it was for the better that everyone finally had plans of their own and chose to embark on their journey. However, that didn't make him feel any less lonely knowing that the village would be missing familiar faces that Zero had grown fond of.

"I know," he said. "I just need to confirm some things with my eyes to know what to do next. The alliance with the dwarves and the giants wouldn't be enough. We still need the cooperation of Mystic Meadows and Altear. I don't trust Smargdas and I don't know much about the rest of the kingdoms yet. It would be great if we could establish a friendly relationship with Lycantopia. There are many beast folks at Half Moon Village and the beast folk are very accepting of those with half-blood."

Truen agreed. Of the nine nations, the most accepting race is Lycantopia followed by Mystic Meadows. The rest of the kingdoms were more prejudiced against race and ethnicity and Zero didn't really like that. Why couldn't people be more open-minded? Even if they were created differently, they were created uniquely. The world would be incredibly boring with only one kind of race or species. Even in the same race or species, there were many different kinds of personalities. Why did people have to discriminate? He couldn't understand this.

"What will you do once we get to Half Moon Village?" Truen asked. Surely, Zero wasn't going back there just to check on the villagers. The doctor could have done it easily without making a trip in person.

"I want to see Bob. I know he said that his training will take a little longer to complete but I think it would be better if he came with us to Derby Desert. Also, I want to stop by Hell. There are a few people I need to talk to. I can't seem to set up the shared inventory bank system using my void inventory. It stores the coins but doesn't do the conversion for me so it's useless."

The archer raised his brow. "Are you going to find Mammon?"

Zero nodded. "I need to talk to Coux as well and if possible, I need to find Lovina. I will need three different kinds of currency for now. Merlin and I share profits from the magical herb farm in the pastures that Cleo and her team help me manage in Heaven. However, that money is only good for use in Heaven. I need to convert it to other currencies like cursed coins used in the abyss and innites used on Earth. Heck, I doubt all of Earth uses innites. The dwarves paid me in gold coins."

The road to Endow Hill wasn't too horrible. Rocket Mountain's terrains were rougher when they were coming from Magnus Hilda to Rocket Mountain because the giants didn't need smoothened paths to travel and could cover long distances within the day. In fact, the footprints left behind by giants who travelled along that road frequently made so many odd-shaped portholes. The ride on horseback was anything but pleasant and Zero remembered how much his bottom hurt from the bumpy ride. In comparison, this was bliss and Zero felt as if he made the right choice.