"I think we should go south." Ellie offered her opinion when the team set off.
"South? Does anyone else have any suggestions?" Arute looked at the others and asked.
"I have no objections…" Sir Xia Na, who knew Ellie's background, naturally had no reason to object and was the first to step forward in support.
"Me neither." Seeing Sir Xia Na agree, the uncle also cast his vote in favor.
Of course, going south wasn't just a random suggestion from Ellie; it was well-considered. Although she hadn't taken out a map, from the vast wilderness and the temperature, her current location was either near the royal capital in the original story's Re-Estize Kingdom or in the Katz Plains bordering the Slane Theocracy.
Last night, while on watch with Sir Xia Na, she also asked Sir Xia Na to carry her into the sky to observe the surroundings. These were the only two possible locations she could deduce.
After all, only these two places had such a large expanse of plain wilderness. Although there were also broad plains within the Empire and the Slane Theocracy, the temperature wasn't right.
While seasonal climate factors did play a role, the wind from the Empire clearly carried a hint of chill and dampness. This was because the plains of the Empire were bordered by snow-capped mountains to the north, so it was somewhat discernible.
Conversely, the plains of the Slane Theocracy were bordered by the arid desert to the south, separated from the Katz Plains by a very high mountain range, so the winds blowing from there would have a distinct stuffy, hot sensation.
However, last night, Ellie had Sir Xia Na carry her floating in the sky for over half an hour, and she basically didn't feel any such wind blowing.
To confirm her deduction, Ellie even used the Ultimate Magic Sky Transformation to control the weather and the direction of the wind. Since Sir Xia Na already knew her true capabilities, there was no need to hide anything from her.
Therefore, based on the above, the current location should be one of these two places. From either of these two places, going south would lead into the territory of the Slane Theocracy.
As for why she wanted to go to the Slane Theocracy, Ellie remembered hearing, while undercover in the Slane Theocracy, that the Slane Theocracy prided itself on being the first human nation.
Given the Slane Theocracy's fervent worship of the Six Great Gods, it was highly probable that the founders of the Slane Theocracy would establish a human nation in the place where humanity was first liberated.
If she were to put herself in their shoes, if she were a fanatic of the Six Great Gods and also advocated for humanity's supremacy, then she would definitely establish a nation in the most memorable place.
"If there are no objections, then let's head south. However, Miss Bai Xia… could you tell us your reason for wanting to go south?" Arute looked at Ellie and asked curiously.
From Arute's calm demeanor yesterday, and his ability to direct his teammates even in that situation, plus his statement just now — deciding first and then asking for the reason — Ellie could tell that this guy was indeed not simple. He probably held a position like a boss in the real world, right?
"Reason, you ask… To be frank, geography was my best subject in school. Last night, I asked Sister Sir Xia Na to carry me up into the sky to observe the surrounding geographical environment. I feel that with our current preparations and equipment, going south would be better. Going north would lead to snow mountains, and to the west and east are Hill Areas. So, I think there should be people living to the south. Generally, villages should be built in places with water sources, suitable climate, and flat terrain suitable for farming. Therefore, I believe going south gives us the highest chance of encountering a village." Ellie naturally had a well-prepared and reasonable explanation.
"School… Could it be that Bai Xia is still a high school student? Well, that's quite a catch." The uncle said jokingly, which then drew unusually cold stares from everyone.
"Alright… then we'll head south. Let's first assign primary responsibilities. We are now a single unit, and we cannot foresee what we will encounter next. Judging from yesterday's attack, the monsters here are not weak, and we have Miss Bai Xia, who is not high-level, in our team. So, we must divide our labor properly." Arute exuded an aura of dominance and spoke passionately.
The more Ellie looked at this guy, the more he seemed like a CEO, a captain… a leader type, she thought to herself. But what he said was correct.
According to the persona she had created for herself, the weakest yet most crucial role in this team was her. If she wasn't the only Healer and didn't have a resurrection short staff, she would probably be the first one to be abandoned!
Everyone nodded, tacitly agreeing to Arute's commanding presence, and said nothing.
"First, Lan, as a ninja, you are responsible for reconnaissance. This is an extremely important task. If we are forewarned of an attack, we won't be so passive. Even if you don't participate in combat, that's fine. Once combat begins, with your ninja skills, you should be able to conceal yourself, right? But the early warning work must be done well. Can I rely on you?" Seeing everyone's tacit agreement, Arute looked at Lan and seriously assigned the task.
From these words, Ellie increasingly realized that Arute was truly not simple. At least in terms of conversational skills, this guy's level was definitely no less than her own, and he was very skilled at winning people over.
First, he explained the importance of vigilance, then used a pleading tone to assign the task to Lan, who had not participated in yesterday's battle at all and was the most afraid of death, and even said that he didn't need to participate in combat.
This was the most crucial part. Saying this was meant to increase Lan's guilt about not fighting. It must be said that this guy was indeed formidable.
"I… I understand. I will do a good job of vigilance, and I will also participate in combat." Lan said somewhat awkwardly. See! It worked, didn't it? This guy is indeed a talent.
"Then, Uncle Da Di will be responsible for the vanguard and escort, with Miss Bai Xia as the primary protection target. And the first priority is Miss Bai Xia. No matter what happens, please consider Miss Bai Xia's safety as the top priority, alright?" Arute continued to arrange, and after saying this, he didn't forget to look at Ellie and gave her a very sunny, toothy smile.
"Alright! Leave it to me! Bai Xia's safety is in my hands." The uncle readily agreed. This guy… although having the uncle protect her was indeed a very reasonable arrangement, considering it as the first priority, it looked suspiciously like he was trying to curry favor with her!
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