- Ahh!! We've been on the road for hours and nothing's happening, neither good nor bad. Can I take a nap? - Dangleo said, and Liz replied, "Obviously not.
Dangleo looked at her, annoyed, then looked around. Akane was sitting, Liz was looking around, Alexander was driving, and Ethan was writing.
- What do you write? - Dangleo asked Ethan, and he replied - It's my first trip, so I want to write everything down.
Dangleo looked at him curiously and said- Can I read? - Ethan smiled and replied - Can you read?
Dangleo was offended and, judging him, replied - Of course I can read! - Ethan said - Hahaha, sorry... not many people have that skill.
Dangleo made a face, indignant, and Alexander told him.
- Dan... the path... - Dangleo gets annoyed again and says - Yeah... yeah...
Liz looks at her crossbow and says - Oh right! What are we carrying, Ethan? - Ethan looks at her and says - An engine.
Dangleo and the others look at him strangely.
- What... What is... that? - Akane asks, and Ethan answers - One step closer to humanity... well, at least for Solhaven... it works like a heart...
Alexander looks at the curious kids, and Ethan shows them the engine.
- This is an engine... it works with Lumis crystals... it can make a carriage run without horses, for example.
The kids are surprised by this.
- Is it possible? -Liz asks, and he answers - Well, it seems so... it's technology from the continent of D'sis... their technology is very advanced, and they're trading it with Solhaven and Helis.
- Wow, I'd heard that D'sis had more advanced technology, but I never imagined something like this - Ethan says - Yeah, we're testing it out, and we're going to a port town just to test the engine on a boat.
Alexander looks ahead again and says - This will make it easier to transport things from continent to continent - Ethan nods.
Dangleo puts his hand to his chin and asks.
- So if they're trading with Helis and Solhaven... why so much secrecy? - Ethan says - Simple. Even though we have alliances, we don't know what Helis is up to, and it's suspected of doing backroom deals with Tradesand, a region of D'sis.
Akane takes her dagger and starts playing with it, saying - And it's rumored they're trading in secret? - Ethan says - t's not known for sure, but it's suspected they're rare minerals, since D'sis has a mining region where who knows what they're extracting from. There are also rumors that they're drugs or something like that... Nothing good can come out of Helis.
Dangleo gets a little angry at that last comment, but doesn't say anything.
Time passes and nothing interesting happens. The kids talk about unimportant things, joking around until Liz asks.
- You said you wanted to be a better scientist than your grandfather... um... who's your grandfather? - Ethan flashes a smile and says proudly - He's my rival! I'll be a better scientist than my grandfather! He's one of the best in Solhaven; he works tirelessly in the king's castle.
Dangleo looks at him and says - He must be impressive, and you? Have you met the king? - He replies - Yes! He's super kind, he's always treated me well, he says I have the talent to surpass my grandfather, and you? Why do you want to be a hero? - Normally in Solhaven, they say they want to be the best adventurer... but "Hero?" Isn't that from Helis?
Dangleo looks at him and says,
- I'm from Helis - The atmosphere becomes tense, and Ethan says, "From Helis? But...
Alexander sees something and says,
- Guys, forward.
The kids look at him, and he looks at the others, saying,
- A carriage is stopped... keep your guard up.
Dangleo puts on his mask, which was shaped like a fox. As they approach the carriage, they see a couple of men signaling to them as if asking for help. The kids' carriage stops, leaving the men on the left side of the carriage. One of the men says,
- Oh! Thank Lumis. I was afraid they wouldn't help us... They're our horses... They're not moving, and we don't know what to do - Alexander looks at the horses and says - Hmm, they look perfect to me.
Just then, two more people appear on the right side of the carriage, and Dangleo says,
- Xander, the right!
Xander nods and jumps out of the carriage, kicking the two men who called for help.
The pair on the left side draw their weapons and rush toward him, but Dangleo gets behind them, using his speed to beat them like nothing.
- Well, it doesn't seem like it was that bad - Dangleo says.
Just then, one of them comes out of the carriage with a bow, and Liz takes the weapon from her with hers. Just then, two more people who sneaked in from behind enter the carriage, one kicking Liz out of it and the other throwing a rock at Akane.
- Ha! - Akane says, throwing one of her daggers, trapping the person in one of the walls.
The one who kicked Liz prepares to fight Akane, but Ethan pulls out his artifact and points it at the person, ready to use it.
- No! - Akane shouts as the loud sound of Ethan's device is heard.
Dangleo rushes in and pulls the person away just in time for the blast that almost hits him.
- Whew, almost.
Dangleo knocks the person out, and Akane relaxes from the shock.
- You have to be more careful - Dangleo says to Ethan, and he replies - Why? You pulled her away, she was going to hit her!
Dangleo looks at him, disappointed, and says - That's why I say it... yeah... their show was probably to rob us, but - Liz enters and says - Maybe they're not bad people... they're just looking for ways to survive.
Ethan looks at them in disbelief and says - But they pulled out their guns! They tried to kill us! - Alexander enters as well, and says - There are three children inside their carriage, they're sleeping, but they seem hungry.
Ethan is surprised and looks down.
- Okay, let's give them some help and move on - Liz says, and Akane chimes in - Let... let me take the... some water.
The kids leave supplies and money with the raiders and continue on their way.
- I still can't believe it... you... are helping these people? - Akane says - In... in our wo... world, not everything is n... black and white...
Alexander joins the conversation.
- We've been through a war, Ethan, and although it's not recent, there are still people affected... we don't know if this is the case with those people, but we can't just go around killing everyone we see just because they pull out a gun.
Ethan looks at him sympathetically and says,
- I... I understand... - He smiles and says to Dangleo - So if they're right, you're their hero.
Dangleo slumps a little, takes off his mask, and asks - By the way, what's that artifact you have? - It made a hole in the wall, it's impressive - Ethan takes it out and says - It's a gun... or well, that's what they call it in D'sis...
Ethan starts showing the gun while the others watch from their position and says - This is the trigger. When you press it, it releases energy from the crystals, which pierces everything.
The kids are surprised by this.
- Everything?" Ethan answers - Yes. It will be one of the greatest defenses against demons.
Dangleo excitedly tells him.
- CAN I TOUCH IT! Can I use it? - Ethan is startled and says - NO!... it's... dangerous...
Dangleo is a little annoyed by Ethan's reaction.
- It's because I'm a Helisian, right? - Ethan tries to justify himself, but he implies that it is because of that.
To calm the atmosphere, Liz takes out the crossbow the king gave them and tells Ethan.
- Is this... also used like a pistol? - Ethan looks at her a little seriously and nods, saying - Yes, the disadvantage of the crossbow is that it only has one shot and you have to reload it, whereas the pistol has more. It can be used up to 6 times if you have gloves, as it overheats and can burn your hand.
The boys continue talking about their things on the road until evening falls and they arrive at a town. They leave the carriage outside an inn and prepare to rest inside... When they enter, they see a bunch of people, both villagers and adventurers; the atmosphere was pleasant.
- Hi! I'm sure you're adventurers! Come, I'll take you to a table! - said a worker there.