On the hillside, Riven carefully surveyed the valley and the pool within it.
Yun Gu Tan (Cloud Valley Pool) in the night was like a piece of dark jade embedded among the mountains, the cold pool deep and unruffled.
Surrounded by mountains, towering ancient trees cast flickering shadows, and specks of light shimmered among the branches, as if many fireflies were twinkling there.
“Is this our camping spot for tonight?” She looked around. “The place you picked isn’t very good. There isn’t even a flat area around, and sleeping by the lake is a bit too damp, isn’t it?”
“No, not camping,” Dean said with a smile, wagging his finger. “There’s an inn here; we’re going to stay at the inn.”
“Inn?” Riven repeated the ionian pronunciation of the word, looking into Dean’s eyes. “You mean, a hotel?”
Dean nodded.
But Riven looked left and right, yet she didn’t see any buildings around Yun Gu Tan (Cloud Valley Pool).
“It’s not down there.” Seeing her puzzled expression, Dean finally pointed to a large tree nearby. “It’s up there, in the tree.”
Following the direction of his finger, Riven looked up and realized that what Dean was referring to was among those twinkling lights.
“There’s an inn there?”
“Treehouses, an inn run by the Shimon. Accommodation is very cheap. The only problem is that it’s in the trees, so it requires some time to climb,” Dean explained. “From Yun Gu Tan (Cloud Valley Pool) onwards, our journey to find the Kinkou Order will involve traveling through mountains and forests, and we’ll inevitably interact with Vastaya.”
“Shimon…” Riven tried to correct her pronunciation. “Does it sound like it’s related to monkeys?”
“They are indeed Vastaya similar to monkeys, more human-like than the python-monkey we encountered before,” Dean nodded. “The Shimon believe that life is a climb up the Tree of Wisdom. They believe that after death, they will turn into stones, return to the earth, and begin the climb of life anew.”
“So their villages are all in the trees?”
“Exactly.” Dean nodded. “Let’s go. Hopefully, this inn still has empty rooms.”
As it turned out, Dean’s worries were completely unnecessary.
Not only were there empty rooms, there were many.
The Shimon at the front desk looked troubled, but upon seeing guests, he forced himself to cheer up and enthusiastically introduced the inn’s various services in a slightly high-pitched ionian.
Riven had initially thought of using this as an opportunity to practice her listening skills, but the Shimon’s speaking speed was simply too fast. After three words, she was confused and had to give up on listening practice, instead staring intently at Dean, relying on his inner voice for simultaneous translation.
Dean patiently listened to the Shimon’s introduction for a while before slowly ordering two rooms, plus two late-night snacks and two breakfasts, in Vastaya.
Hearing Dean speak Vastaya, the Shimon became noticeably more enthusiastic, even offering a discount, clearly treating Dean as one of his own.
He even lowered his voice and asked Dean, “That female human’s eyes are all on you. Perhaps one room wouldn’t be bad?”
Dean couldn’t explain the matter of inner voice communication to him, so he could only shake his head and wave his hand, insisting on two rooms.
However, this seemed to make the Shimon realize something, and his gaze towards Dean even held a hint of sympathy: “Her muscles do look very strong. Sometimes, such females can indeed be difficult to handle.”
Dean wanted to retort but didn’t quite know where to begin, so he ultimately just took the keys and said no more.
Considering the awkwardness of the conversation, Dean did not translate it, so as they left the front desk and headed to their rooms, Riven was quite curious.
“A little… exchange,” Dean explained vaguely. “Just men’s talk.”
Riven raised an eyebrow at this, seeming to understand something—as a warrior who had fought on battlefields for years, Riven’s combat unit included both men and women, and she was not some shy young girl.
Some things, even if she hadn’t experienced them herself, she could still understand.
… … … … … … … …
Dean and Riven’s rooms were next to each other.
The room was small, and the furnishings were very simple. There was only a bed, a table, and a chair.
All the furniture was made of wood and vines, and even the bedding on the bed was a simple layer of cloth over leaves. A flower lamp was lit by the bed, casting an orange-red glow throughout the wooden house, making it look very cozy.
Dean sat on the chair, stretched out with a long yawn, and then took out his portable notebook, intending to record today’s Dean’s Notes.
After writing only two lines, a knock sounded at the door.
He opened the door to find the Shimon from the front desk outside. He held a small tray in each hand, each with a cup of hot tea, a few pastries, and a few fruits.
“Late-night snack service, sir,” the Shimon said in Vastaya. “Both for here—I’ll give you the female’s as well.”
With that, he handed both trays to Dean, bid him “Good night,” and then turned and scurried down.
In this situation, Dean could only put away his notebook on the table, then, holding the trays, knocked on the door of the adjacent room.
A moment later, Riven opened the door barefoot. She looked as if she had just washed her face, her silver-white short hair completely loose, with water droplets still clinging to the ends.
“Late-night snack?”
“Yes.” Dean handed over a tray. “Have you ever had Ionian spirit tea before? If not, drink a little less—it can make it hard to sleep.”
“Falling asleep quickly is an essential skill for a warrior,” Riven said with a smile, shaking her head as she took the tray from Dean. “Why, do you drink it often?”
“I don’t know, but I’m very familiar with this tea, so it’s very possible—good night.”
“You too.” Riven nodded, then hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. “Perhaps tomorrow you’ll need to ask that… Shimon if there’s anywhere around that sells boots.”
“Your boots?”
“They’re broken.” Riven tilted her head towards the bed. “They should have been replaced a long time ago, but the warband’s supplies didn’t keep up.”
“Wearing boots when walking through the Ionian mountains isn’t a good choice,” Dean shook his head. “And you should probably change your clothing as well… Although there’s no armor, the Noxus-style is still a bit obvious.”
“Change into the wide robes and sleeves like the Ionian?” Riven seemed hesitant. “I can’t get used to that; it’ll easily cause delays.”
“Even people working in the Ionian fields wear short tunics,” Dean shook his head. “In any case, just leave it to me.”
Riven blinked. Just as she hesitated whether to mention her size, Dean had already said “Good night” again and closed the door.
“Does he know what size clothes I wear?” Riven, sitting at the table, was a little confused. “Or is he planning to ask that monkey tomorrow?”
