In the morning, when Darren and Evan planned to go to Mierre-Park, everyone was busy preparing the things they would bring. Some people were busy lifting the production results from the last two days. Their carriage was made to carry passengers.
Even though their horse-drawn carriage looked bigger. But it couldn't carry more goods because it had a different use. They had to buy or at least make a cargo cart to transport more goods from the production.
Luna took in more oxygen, breathing in the freshness of the morning air. She washed her face with the cold river water, and immediately she was awake, even though earlier she was still half-asleep. Luna cupped the clear river water again, this time washing her face for the umpteenth time.
"Don't you want to talk to Darren first before he goes to Mierre-Park?" Thalia appeared with a fresh face. The woman entered the forest just to approach Luna. "If you don't like that man, try not to make it too obvious. Everyone here realizes you don't like that man."
At first, Luna indeed didn't like that man. She didn't know why, but she felt uneasy seeing Darren, who was too ambitious. Until finally, Luna learned about Darren's background, which made her feel a bit sorry for him.
After all, the man tried hard to make Luna and her younger siblings comfortable. He prepared more food than their usual portion, including catching and grilling more fish. His friends even picked more apples and arranged dry grass so her siblings wouldn't sleep directly on the ground.
Darren was kind, Luna shouldn't have a reason to hate that man. Maybe she sounded outrageous if she still annoyed the man while Darren tried everything for Luna and her siblings. This was the reason why she felt embarrassed and uncomfortable to even look Darren in the eye.
"You don't want to see Darren?" Thalia asked again, but Luna chose not to answer and just walked away from the river. Her steps quickened; she didn't want to wait until next week just to talk to Darren.
Her steps cut through the road to the river, which was getting clearer, a sign that many people passed through this road. Her quick steps soon turned into a run. It never crossed her mind that she would run just for a man.
From afar, Luna spotted someone already sitting on the carriage seat they would use. The carriage used two horses; one other horse was left here.
Luna saw Mia hugging her youngest sister. Rhea must be sad to see Evan, the person closest to her, had to leave for a whole week.
When Luna could catch sight of the man she was looking for, her gaze locked in. As did the man's. Both stared at each other until everyone's attention turned to the person running across the green meadow. Her steps slowed down as their distance closed. Finally, the girl stopped right behind Mia.
"We will leave now, Luna. Is there anything you want to send?" Evan asked who was comfortably sitting above, ready to guide the horses to Mierre-Park.
Still panting, Luna didn't respond to Evan's words. She chose to look at the man she had been avoiding these past few days. The man also didn't shift his attention. His gaze fell on Luna, looking at her deeply without wanting to look at anyone else.
"There's something I want to talk to you about," Luna said briefly before she closed her mouth tightly. She hoped Darren would ask her to talk in a far place. She didn't want everyone to hear what they were going to talk about.
"All right," he said before walking away from them. Luna followed Darren, who led the way for her. The two walked a bit far, making sure no one heard them. Luna watched her steps, but she didn't watch the road until she bumped into Darren's broad chest and stepped back, almost falling.
"Oh, I think I need your help," Luna said as both were caught in awkwardness. The morning felt a little awkward, she didn't know what to say at first.
"Say it, I'll try to help," Darren said then.
"I want to ask you to bring Thalia and Mia. My sister needs some of their clothes, and I'm sure you and Evan can stop by my house to drop by." Luna put her hand into her dress pocket, searching for a pouch she always carried wherever she could.
"Your house… is it near here?" Darren asked again.
"About a few dozen kilometers. In the middle between Mierre-Park and this place. There, there's my house with a plantation. That house can certainly be used, and you can sleep on the bed." When the pouch was within Luna's reach, she took it out of her pocket. She grabbed Darren's hand and handed the pouch to Darren and Evan.
Darren froze, watching what Luna gave him. From the outside, Darren knew what he got was a pouch of gold.
"You're giving something this important to me?" Darren asked with a frown on his forehead. He truly didn't understand why the girl could give him gold.
"That's a hundred gold coins," Luna explained the amount precisely. She still had three hundred gold coins from her work. More or less, now only two hundred remained because Darren held a hundred coins of hers. "It's not that I'm giving these gold coins to you. I'm lending them."
Darren smiled, looking at the pouch of gold in his hand. Luna realized that she had to repay Darren's kindness, but repaying kindness had to start with trust. Luna wanted to trust Darren to run his first business. Luna wouldn't be safe sleeping in her house. That's why she chose to stay to survive.
"You believe in what I say?" Darren asked with his sparkling eyes. The woman looked for Darren's pupils in front of her. She knew the only way to safely get out of the game world was by finishing this game. And Luna believed Darren was the chosen one she had to support.
"A little, the rest I want to see whether I need to stay in this place or not," Luna said with a chuckle at the end of her words. For the first time, she laughed in response to Darren's words. Everything suddenly felt easy; the ice wall Luna built seemed to disappear. "I suggest you buy several horses and a cargo cart. The money is enough to buy many things in the city. So, I don't want my siblings coming home with the men you'll bring to work here."
"Do I need to bring you guys clothes?" Darren asked Luna. "I mean, who knows you want to live more normally in this place. Certainly with several outfits."
"Mia and Thalia will bring those clothes when you all stay overnight. Maybe with some special women's items that are important to all of us." Luna said. "Take whatever you need from my house. If necessary, bring all the stuff from the house."
"Maybe I'll buy a carriage that can bring your house here," Darren said.
"Good idea, I'll gladly welcome my house here."
****
"So my sister gave a pouch of gold?!" Thalia spoke loudly enough, of course, Darren could hear it clearly since he was sitting in front with Evan.
"Why is she suddenly being nice?" Mia chimed in, sitting next to her.
"Maybe she ate something wrong? Though I don't think so." Thalia's remark made Darren and Evan chuckle. "Evan, I heard there are some bandits around here. Maybe we should be careful."
"We've prepared ourselves, Thalia. I think you both should also keep your knives close, in case we get ambushed by bandits." Evan was busy steering the horses. They sped along the road through the forest.
"Luna suggested buying a cargo cart. Later, Mia and Thalia will ride the passenger cart. Meanwhile, some of the people we bring will ride the cargo cart." Darren noticed a man riding a horse with a cargo cart in front of him. They all knew this was a merchant who had just come from Mierre-Park, heading to Narima Beach.
The young man raised both his hands. As if telling Evan to slow down their horse-drawn cart. "Hey!"
Evan immediately took control to slow the pace of their two horses. The spinning wheels began to slow. Until finally stopping right in front of the merchant.
It was already noon, and Darren was sure the merchant had been on the road for half a day.
"Are you from Narima Beach?" Asked the merchant, a bit loudly so Darren and Evan could hear him.
"No, we're from a house beyond this forest. Before entering the Oron mountains." Darren replied. "Are you lost?"
"Are there any bandits ahead?" The merchant asked again.
"Coincidentally, we didn't encounter any bandits there. You can travel safely." Evan responded to the merchant. "If you want to rest, we can offer you a place to stay there. You can stay if you want to rest until morning."
"Thank you, I might stop by later this afternoon." Said the man before finally moving away and continuing his journey to Narima Beach. Evan then whipped the horses again. They took the four of them toward the Everglow's house, where they would spend the night.
"He looks too athletic to be a merchant, doesn't he?" Asked Mia, who had been hiding with Thalia in the covered carriage. "Right, he feels like a royal soldier."