The next day, Garde left Acahualla.
The distance from Acahualla to Melun City was over 2,000 kilometers, and reaching Trimounts City, where Rhine Lab's headquarters were located, would be nearly 5,000 kilometers.
In Terra, where there were no planes or high-speed trains, this was a journey that could take one or two weeks—or even an entire month. The route was filled with rugged wilderness, and travelers often encountered massive ravines. With no roads or highways, any convoy would have to stop or reroute entirely when faced with herds of beast attacking.
"Whisperain, hold on tight!"
A massive ravine, over 100 meters wide, blocked the road ahead toward Melun City. Garde had fashioned a small handmade backpack, tucking Whisperain securely inside and slinging it over his back.
He couldn't risk leaving Whisperain in Acahualla. With her frail constitution, even a simple illness or a mosquito bite causing malaria would likely lead to her regressing. Since he had found her, he had to ensure she was placed in a safe and proper environment.
Faced with the enormous ravine, Garde didn't consider stopping. Detouring would add 200-300 kilometers to the journey, through wetlands, swamps, cliffs, and deserts. He couldn't afford to detour every time he encountered an obstacle.
At the edge of the ravine, Garde leapt with all his might. His heavy body arced gracefully through the air—then plummeted.
Garde had overestimated his jumping ability and underestimated his weight, though this outcome wasn't unexpected.
After falling some distance, Garde managed to grab hold of the opposite cliffside. Cradling Whisperain with one arm, he scaled the rocky face with ease, as if walking on flat ground.
In the distance, a convoy passed by. One of the lookouts, watching through binoculars, was so stunned he dropped them.
"Captain, do you think if we drove at full speed, we could jump to the other side of the ravine?"
"Are you dreaming? This isn't a movie. Even though our side of the ravine is slightly higher, our rickety vehicles wouldn't make it halfway before crashing."
"But I just saw an Adakrys jump across." The lookout pointed ahead.
"Captain, look! The Adakrys is catching up!"
"Impossible—he's really catching up! We're going 60 miles per hour right now!"
The group watched in disbelief as a blur of motion zipped past them. The crocodile man figure leapt ahead of the convoy without a backward glance, running at a speed at least three or four times theirs.
Before long, a new legend was born in Sargon's black markets—a tale of a running Adakrys.
It was said that anyone who could catch him would gain the strength to conquer even the earth itself.
Jumping across ravines, sprinting through deserts, and traversing grasslands, Garde finally arrived in Melun City by noon.
Upon reaching Rhine Lab's base, he found its operatives already packing up, preparing to leave.
Hearing that Garde had returned, Muelsyse stormed out, visibly annoyed.
"You! Where have you been these past two days? We're about to depart—"
She stopped mid-sentence when she noticed Whisperain poking her head out of Garde's backpack, taking a deep breath as if she had been suffocating.
"Wow, what an adorable little one! Where did you find her?"
"On the road." Garde lifted Whisperain out of the bag.
"So, what do you think? Interested in adopting her?"
"Wait, you're asking me to adopt her?" Muelsyse glanced around, then snapped her fingers. A water clone stayed behind to entertain Whisperain while she dragged Garde to a corner.
"Is she really a child you just found?"
"Yes."
"Be honest with me. Where did you go these past two days? You didn't go to the Ibut region, did you? I'm telling you, Siracusa will handle things there. With Columbia's official backing, nothing will go wrong."
She sighed.
"I know you went through a lot of trouble in the hotlands to get that medication to suppress Oripathy, but we're just a small company. We can't fight the big players. As long as we get enough benefits, that's good enough."
"Worried about me?" Garde asked, nearly causing Muelsyse's water clone to burst in embarrassment. She shot him a glare, flustered.
"Who's worried about you? I'm just afraid Rhine Lab will get dragged into your mess!"
She wasn't worried about Garde—she was simply afraid of Rhine Lab being implicated. Without Rhine Lab, she would have nowhere to go.
"Besides, violence can't solve problems!"
"I get it, I get it," Garde shrugged. "I just went back to my hometown, Acahualla. Since I'm heading to Columbia, it's like a long trip, right? I had to say goodbye to my family."
"Really?"
"Really." Garde's casual tone made Muelsyse oddly disappointed. She had actually believed he might have gone to Ibut Lord Ameer's territory. Then again, it didn't make sense. It was only two days—there was no way Garde could have gone that far, not even with a car, which would take more than two days for a round trip. Even a messenger would need a week to deliver a letter.
But…
"Garde, isn't your hometown in Acahualla?"
"Yes."
"That's 2,000 kilometers away from Melun City!"
"It is far," Garde admitted. "I spent half my time these days just traveling."
It had taken him five hours to get to Ibut and seven hours to return from Acahualla to Melun City. Adding in short trips in between, nearly a full day was spent on the road. Garde realized he had been constantly traveling or sleeping these past couple of days. Even someone as durable as him was starting to felt the strain.
"By the way, back to the earlier topic—do you want to adopt Whisperain? She's actually from a unique Aegir species. She's only like this because of her injuries, but she'll grow back to her original size in just a few months."
For a moment, Garde had considered entrusting Whisperain to Kal'tsit, who had a penchant for taking in stray children. However, considering what Kal'tsit was about to face, he decided against it. Kazdel wasn't exactly a good place right now.
"A few months to grow back? Do you think I'm that gullible?" Muelsyse gave Garde a skeptical look.
Raising a three- or four-year-old girl would make it difficult for her to find a boyfriend, she thought. Sure, the kid Garde brought back was adorable, but cuteness didn't pay the bills. And why should she be responsible for raising a child Garde had picked up?
Though…
Muelsyse glanced at Garde's well-built physique, an idea forming in her mind.
"Actually, it's not impossible."
Her tone shifted, now tinged with mischief.
"I'll take care of her, but you'll cover her living expenses. And you have to ensure her safety—and mine, too."
Muelsyse had a sudden realization. Garde was someone even Saria acknowledged as powerful. If he acted as her bodyguard, she wouldn't need to worry about her safety anymore.
While Muelsyse was highly skilled with Originium Arts, she wasn't much of a fighter. Against a strong, battle-hardened caster, she would struggle, let alone someone like Saria, whom she had no chance of defeating.
As for raising a child, that wasn't hard. Whenever she wasn't home, she could leave a water clone to handle things. Multitasking was her forte.
"That's easy," Garde agreed without hesitation.
To be honest, he wasn't comfortable entrusting Whisperain to other Rhine Lab operatives. While they hadn't yet gained their infamous reputation, he couldn't bring himself to fully trust them—Saria excluded.
As for Muelsyse, he had memorized her scent. He just hoped she wouldn't betray the trust he was placing in her now.
"Alright, it's decided. By the way, do you have a place to stay in Columbia? Want me to help you find somewhere cheap and decent?"
"No need. Saria gave me the code to her house. She said I could stay there temporarily."
"You're kidding, right?" Muelsyse froze, staring at Garde as if she had just seen a ghost.
"She gave you the code to her villa?"
"Yeah. Since I'll be new to Columbia and won't find a place quickly, she gave me the code."
Considering everything he and Saria had been through, sharing her villa's code wasn't a big deal.
"But…"
Muelsyse felt like she had stumbled onto something significant but couldn't articulate it. If it were any ordinary girl, giving her house's code to a man while she was away would imply something obvious.
But since this is Saria… and is just temporary…
That still didn't add up!
Why would Saria give her villa's code to a man? Did she have feelings for this crocodile man?
That made even less sense!
Muelsyse's mind spiraled into a logical deadlock.
After a while, she gave up thinking about it.
"Garde, do you have anything else to pack?"
"Nope."
He had arrived in Melun City with nothing, so there wasn't anything to bring along.
In his absence, Muelsyse had settled everything, including a partnership with Darina's family.
With everything ready, it was finally time to set out. Garde greeted Razer with a wave.
This time, they were truly departing.
<+>
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