Thirteen followed his sister into a cave that was located at the base of a mountain.
Shasha told him that aside from her, there were sixteen other Wanderers with her. However, since two of them had died due to the bear attack, only fourteen were left.
Originally, there were thirty of them, but the others decided to join another group of Wanderers, who were located in a valley outside of the forest.
When Thirteen asked his sister why she didn’t join that other group, a rare look of disgust appeared on Shasha’s face, making the boy arch an eyebrow.
“That other camp is ruled by Kane Stallard,” Shasha said. “He wanted me to become his lover, but I refused. Although he didn’t do anything to me, he always ordered his subordinates to harass our people, especially when we were hunting in the forest.
“Due to their harassment, many died, forcing the others to join his team because they were afraid that they would be the ones who would be targeted next.”
“Stallard?” Thirteen snorted. “I guess being part of a Monarch Family makes him think that he can get everything he wants. He’s just a frog who wants to eat a swan. You did well in refusing his offer.”
The ten-year-old wasn’t aware that Arthur had thought long and hard on how to make Thirteen like him.
Gerald’s words three years ago had made him understand that if he had been kind to Thirteen, and his family, the latter might have asked the Laplace Demon to take him to Solterra.
Of course, this was only a misunderstanding. From the start, the boy wanted Arthur to become a Monarch. But, since the Laplace Demon and The One were against it, he settled for the next best thing, and took his father instead.
This misunderstanding made Arthur go out of his way to introduce Shasha as a proper member of the Main Branch of the Leventis Family.
She participated in High Class parties, and made connections with the other members of the Monarch Clans, as well as the Ten Prestigious Families.
It was also because of this reason that Kane Stallard didn’t dare to harm Shasha, despite wishing for her to become his lover.
It was an unspoken rule among the Monarch Clans to never antagonize Arthur Leventis.
Although he was just a throne, his fighting prowess matched that of a Monarch.
They even said that if he possessed a Mythical Weapon, or had a way of breaking their Domains, a one-on-one battle against the Patriarch of the Leventis Family could turn ugly really quickly.
Fortunately, the Monarch Clans didn’t know that Arthur did, in fact, possess Mythical Weapons, as well as the ability to break their Domains.
Because of this, Arthur no longer feared the Monarch Clans because he was confident that even if he didn’t manage to kill them in battle, he would certainly be able to deal serious injuries to them, making them reconsider antagonizing him again.
Of course, unless he was pushed into a corner, he wouldn’t reveal his Trump Cards.
When Shasha and Thirteen arrived at the end of the cave, they saw ten teenagers, huddled around a campfire.
“Where are Ross and Myles?” Shasha asked.
“They decided to join the other team, Princess,” a teenage girl, who had long brown hair replied. “Kane’s subordinates came here as usual, and promised us that we will be well taken care of if we join their team. Ross and Myles said that they had enough, so they decided to join them.”
Thirteen blinked once then twice before looking at his sister.
“Why is she calling you, Princess?” Thirteen asked.
A sigh escaped Shasha’s lips because she already lost count on how many times she asked the other Wanderers to stop calling her princess.
“It’s because Kane calls me His Princess,” Shasha replied. “Everyone else calls me Princess because of that.”
The disgust in Shasha’s tone didn’t escape Thirteen’s hearing, making him shake his head helplessly.
To a certain extent, he could understand why Kane was infatuated with his sister, Shasha.
His sister was really a beautiful girl, and he was certain that after a few years, she would become a beauty that would cause the heads of every guy to turn in her direction.
“By the way, do all of you have the same mission as my sister?” Thirteen asked the teenagers, who were looking at him with curiosity.
“Sister?” The girl, whose name was Miriam, looked at the younger boy with curiosity. “Who is this boy, Princess? Why is he calling you sister?”
“Because I am his sister,” Shasha replied. “This is my biological brother, Zion.”
Everyone had shocked expressions on their faces as they looked at the boy, who was younger than them by a few years.
“B-But how?” Miriam asked. “He isn’t even thirteen years old yet? Isn’t that the age when children get Spirited Away?”
“You’re right,” Thirteen replied. “I entered a Dimensional Gate by accident, and because of that, I am… kinda stuck here in Solterra for the time being.”
The Wanderers looked at him with pity because they had heard of such stories before.
There were children that the monsters had tossed inside the Dimensional Gate to become their plaything, preventing them from returning to Pangea.
Shasha, who knew the full story, kept her lips closed, and simply nodded to confirm her brother’s explanation.
“Okay, so let’s return to the topic.” Thirteen clapped his hands together. “Do all of you have the same mission?”
The Wanderers glanced at each other before nodding their heads.
“Very well, so your mission is to Enter the Gate of the Moonlight, which will allow you to return to Pangea,” Thirteen stated. “But, do any of you have any clue as to where this Gate of the Moonlight is located?”
All the Wanderers shook their heads. They still hadn’t fully explored the place they were in, so they had no idea where the gate was located.
Thirteen also didn’t have any information about the Gate of the Moonlight in his Soul Core, which meant that this gate might have only appeared after his host had died in Pangea.
Unlike the Beacon of Light, where all Wanderers would complete the mission if one of them lit the Beacon of Hope, the mission that Shasha and the other Wanderers possessed was an individual thing.
Meaning, they would have to enter the Gate of the Moonlight by themselves before they cleared their mission.
“Okay, I have another question,” Thirteen rested his hands over his waist, as he scanned the faces of the Wanderers in front of him. “Who among you wishes to join Kane’s group? Don’t worry, I will not look down upon any of you who wish to switch sides. After all, your survival should be your top priority.
“Although my sister is beautiful and strong, I can tell that only three of you here know how to fight. The rest haven’t received any formal training, so if you all wish to switch sides, no one here will blame you.”
Everyone lowered their heads because this was the question that had been inside their heads for the past few days.
Kane had promised them that if they joined his group, they would be treated fairly and equally.
In fact, when they were still part of the same group, Kane didn’t really harm any of them.
It was simply his obsession with Shasha that prompted him to use them as pawns, so that the girl that he liked would be pressured to stay by his side.
Unfortunately for him, Thirteen had indoctrinated Shasha that no matter what happened, she should prioritize her safety and well-being above all else when she arrived in Solterra.
Thirteen made it clear that aside from her family, she shouldn’t easily trust anyone, especially boys who only approached her because of her beauty.
“I want to stay here with the Princess!” Miriam said with a determined look on her face. “When I was being chased by Goblins, she was the one that saved me. I want to return the favor no matter what!”
Thirteen crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at the girl up and down.
“What can you do?” Thirteen inquired.
“I can cook!” Miriam replied.
Thirteen nodded. “Okay, you can stay.”
Although he was a System, for some reason, he sucked at cooking.
Even if all the ingredients were properly measured, the heat controlled accordingly, the food he prepared tasted plain.
His mother, Alessia, even commented that his cooking lacked the heart needed to make the food delicious.
Back then, Thirteen thought that his mother was referring to an ingredient, which was the heart, that would make his cooking delicious.
Fortunately, this misunderstanding was cleared up before Thirteen actually used a heart as an ingredient in the dishes he cooked.
“How about the rest?” Thirteen asked. “Do you wish to stay here knowing that you will live a harsher life compared to being in Kane’s team?”
The Wanderer firmly nodded their head because they could feel at an instinctual level that siding with Shasha was better compared to siding with one of the scions of the Stallard Family.
“Good. Then, tell me your specialties, as well as the abilities you currently have.” Thirteen ordered. “Some of you have killed monsters, and gained items from them. It will be best if you tell me what you can do without hiding anything.
“That way, I will be able to devise a plan to turn all of you into proper Wanderers, who have a chance to return to Pangea.”
The Wanderers looked at the boy, who seemed to have taken the leadership position.
They then glanced at Shasha as if asking her if she was fine with this arrangement.
“Zion is stronger than me,” Shasha stated. “I trust him with my life.”
After hearing her words, the Wanderers looked at the boy with doubt written all over their faces.
Suddenly, they heard something moving towards their direction, making everyone take a fighting stance.
The flickering lights of the firelight then illuminated a monster, whose eyes glowed like a torch in the darkness.
They also noticed that it was dragging a bear behind it, making their faces turn pale.
“Calm down, everyone,” Thirteen said. “This is Giga. He is my Beast Companion.”
A moment later, a black snake slithered towards Thirteen and crawled up on his body.
Tiona had stayed with Giga outside the cave to eat the brain of the Rank 4 Alpha Bear, in order to acquire a skill.
The Blaze Chad Skunk had hung the bear outside the cave to let it bleed out, removing its excess blood before bringing it back to his Master.
“You know how to cook, right?” Thirteen asked before taking out a sharp knife from his storage space and handing it to Miriam. “Start cooking then.”
The boy even took out a few spices, and condiments from his storage ring and placed them beside Miriam, making the teenage girl’s eyes turn as wide as saucers.
Thirteen was happy that his sister had grown to be a wonderful girl, despite the fact that he hadn’t seen her for three years.
What he didn’t know was that Shasha now felt safer because, in her heart, no one was as strong as her brother.
Now that he was here, she wouldn’t have to be constantly on guard against Kane, whose actions were becoming more aggressive by the day, making her feel as if she was being trapped inside a cage.
Shasha wasn’t aware that the brother whom she loved, and respected, was already thinking of a hundred ways to torture Kane, to make him understand that the beautiful girl that he wanted, was someone that his hands were not allowed to touch.
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