Wesley froze, a hesitant expression flickering across his face. He held that uncertain look while the other man regarded him with equal confusion. They stared at each other for nearly ten seconds.
Just as Firefly expected the European professional to deliver some masterful persuasion, Wesley blurted out bluntly, "I'm sorry, I have no idea where this is or why we're here."
Firefly: "..."
The other man: "..."
Perhaps Wesley's earnestness won him over, or perhaps the lack of visible weapons on their persons convinced him to reluctantly allow them to join the refugee column and travel with them.
Through persistent questioning, Wesley learned the man's name: Jani Bartel. He also pieced together what was happening in this place.
In short, they were now in the Republic of Yaraham, a country perpetually ravaged by monsters. Day after day, year after year, the Republic's territory had dwindled under relentless monster attacks. Recently, the front lines had suffered a devastating defeat, forcing the army to retreat over 30 miles.
This development left all the villages within a hundred-kilometer radius completely exposed to the monsters' gaze. The refugee column Firefly now faced was from one such village, its inhabitants forced to abandon their homes and seek refuge in the nearest major city.
Jani himself was a soldier from the defeated army, tasked with evacuating the residents of nearby villages.
"The closest major city is Feid City," Jani said. "It's about half a day's walk from here. Ah, the fickleness of fate... Who could have imagined that this city, once deep within the Republic's heartland, would suddenly become a frontline city?"
As he spoke, Jani sighed repeatedly, his face etched with weariness and resignation.
Seizing the opportunity, Firefly asked, "What exactly are these monsters like?"
But as soon as the words left her lips, she regretted her question. These people were speaking French, which she understood only because of her translation earpiece. They had no such device and couldn't possibly understand Chinese.
To her utter astonishment, Jani replied fluently in Chinese, "Monsters? They're just monsters! Hideous, misshapen creatures of all shapes and sizes. How can I possibly describe them all?"
"This..." Firefly paused, momentarily stunned. To hear an ancient Westerner clad in chainmail speaking fluent Mandarin was, to say the least, shocking.
Excluding the possibility that this man was simply bilingual, the only logical explanation was that within this Dimensional Rift, the languages of NPCs automatically synchronized with those of players. Otherwise, how could players even communicate and complete the game?
Although this Dimensional Rift differed greatly from Invincible Bro's previous experience, boasting a detailed backstory and NPCs who seemed indistinguishable from ordinary people, at their core, these individuals were likely still just NPCs, albeit with slightly higher intelligence.
With this realization, Firefly abandoned further questioning. The objective of this Dimensional Rift was now clear: to help the weakened Republic defend against the monster onslaught.
The refugee column continued its journey. While Firefly remained alert at first, she soon found herself yawning intermittently, fatigue gradually setting in.
The reason was simple: by the time Firefly's identity had been successfully summoned, Robin was already preparing for bed. Now, despite the blazing sun within the Dimensional Rift, it was past midnight in the Dragon Nation.
While Firefly could manage multiple bodies operating independently without interference, she couldn't exactly sleep while traveling!
Ideally, all her bodies should act in unison, then retire to sleep simultaneously at night.
Left with no choice, Robin reluctantly got out of bed. Bored and with nothing to do, she ended up staying up all night studying.
Meanwhile, back with Firefly, after several tedious hours of monotonous travel, a rather unimpressive city finally came into view.
The dilapidated city walls, barely ten meters high, were pockmarked and visibly scarred by the ravages of time. A long queue snaked toward the gate. After waiting nearly half an hour, the group, led by Jani Bartel, finally entered the city.
"Alright, my job here is done," Jani announced from the front of the line. "From here on, you're on your own. Dismissed! Go about your business!"
Wesley pondered for a moment before saying, "Anyway, let's find a place to stay first."
After asking a passerby for directions, the group arrived at the town's most renowned inn. Wesley turned to Firefly and asked, "Miss Firefly, you wouldn't mind sharing a room with Gladys, would you?"
Gladys, the only woman in their four-person team, was the blue-haired girl.
Firefly nodded; she had no reason to refuse.
Wesley produced a gleaming gold coin and placed it on the counter. "Two rooms, please. Let's book them for a month to start."
"Right away!" The innkeeper cheerfully accepted the coin and retrieved a thick stack of paper bills from beneath the counter—at least thirty or forty—handing them to Wesley. "Here's your change."
Firefly was utterly bewildered by this exchange. She had just been wondering how Wesley had acquired currency from this world, but now it was clear: the gold coin he had offered and the paper bills the innkeeper gave back operated under completely different monetary systems!
Firefly clearly saw that the gold coin was completely blank, resembling a simple, flattened piece of pure gold. The paper bills the innkeeper gave her in change, however, featured a portrait of a person next to the number "100."
Firefly had no idea if a denomination of 100 was considered high or low in this world, but being given thirty or forty of these bills in change seemed rather excessive.
While she pondered this, back in the Dragon Nation, Robin acted decisively. She accessed the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations' internal network and, to her surprise, found relevant information.
The information was straightforward: the gold coin was called the "Universal Gold Coin," and its purchasing power was equivalent to one thousand euros. It was accepted everywhere, and everyone recognized its value.
Notably, the Universal Gold Coin was developed and manufactured by the European Union itself, much like the Dragon Nation's Armor-Piercing Bullet—both designed for mass production.