The simple breakfast carried a warmth long absent.
The three sat around the small wooden table, the morning light outside the window gilding everything with a layer of warm gold.
After eating breakfast, Aiden put down the cutlery in his hand, his expression becoming serious.
"Furina, Robin, I plan to set off to Labyrinth City Orario in the next few days."
Furina was scraping the last bit of oat porridge from her bowl with a spoon. Hearing this, she nodded vigorously. "Okay, okay! Orario! I've wanted to go see it for a long time. Let's set off quickly."
Robin, after a brief thought, expressed her agreement. "I have no objections. To operate as adventurers, Orario is indeed the only choice."
Aiden nodded and continued:
"Although there are monsters everywhere in this world and hunting in the outside world can also gain experience points, after thousands of years of development, the ecology of the outside world has long stabilized. Neither the strength nor the number of monsters can compare with the Dungeon. Similarly, Familias that operate in the outside world for a long time are generally weaker than those resident in Orario. We don't have time to accumulate slowly. If we go, we must go to the center stage of the world."
His goal from the beginning wasn't to become an ordinary adventurer.
He wanted to chase the height Alfia once reached, and even surpass her.
For this, he had to choose the most efficient path.
With the plan set, Aiden acted immediately.
He settled Furina and Robin, then went out alone to find an old merchant resident in the village.
The merchant's name was Polo, a short and fat middle-aged man. He was enthusiastic and had a pretty good relationship with Aiden.
Over the past six years, he had taken care of Aiden, who lived alone, quite a bit.
"Uncle Polo, I'd like to ask for a favor."
Aiden got straight to the point. "I want to find a reliable merchant caravan to hitch a ride to Orario."
"To Orario?"
Uncle Polo was a bit surprised, but then nodded understandingly.
"True, you've grown up, kid. It's time to go out and make your way. It's just... the road isn't easy."
He took a puff from his pipe and said with a grave expression:
"This is the extreme north, thousands of miles from Orario. Even riding the fastest wyvern would take ten days to half a month. If you take a carriage, the time will be even longer. Along the way, there are ice fields, snow-capped mountains, forests rampant with bandits... The dangers are plenty."
Aiden's expression was equally serious. "I understand. That's why I need a powerful enough caravan to travel with."
What he didn't say was that his biggest worry right now wasn't himself.
Furina was a god of the lower world; even the boldest desperadoes wouldn't dare to attack a god openly.
But Robin was different.
She wasn't a god, yet she possessed peerless beauty that would make even gods turn their heads.
In this land that wasn't fully civilized, beauty was sometimes not a blessing, but an original sin.
This world was essentially still a feudal kingdom society. In some gray areas the law couldn't reach, barbaric slavery systems were even retained.
Aiden absolutely dared not underestimate the malice that might exist in the hearts of the natives of this world.
Once Robin was exposed to the eyes of those greedy bandits or nobles, she wouldn't be a living person, but a walking commodity that could sell for a sky-high price.
To be absolutely safe, finding a caravan with guards to travel with was the only choice.
"Alright, leave this to me."
Uncle Polo patted his chest and promised, turning to leave in a hurry to ask around for him.
Not long after, Uncle Polo ran back with a face full of excitement. Before he even arrived, his voice came first: "Aiden, you kid, your luck is really sky-high."
He ran panting to Aiden and said excitedly:
"The Artemis Familia! It's the Familia of the Moon Goddess Artemis. They were executing a hunting mission near the Dragon Valley recently. They're preparing to rest for a couple of days and then set off to return to Orario. I've already used my connections to ask; they are willing to accept employment and give you a ride."
The Artemis Familia?
Aiden's heart moved slightly.
Of course, he knew this name.
The Familia led by Artemis, the Moon Goddess in charge of Chastity and Hunting.
Although the Familia only had twenty members and all were female, the Captain, Rethusa, was an experienced Lv.3 adventurer, and there were several Lv.2 elites in the group.
Such a force might not be top-tier in Orario, but in the outside world, it was definitely a powerful armed force that could move unhindered.
More importantly, the Artemis Familia was famous for strict discipline and outstanding reputation.
With them as an escort, safety was almost a non-issue.
Aiden didn't expect his luck to be this good, running into this hunting Familia just in time.
But on second thought, the Artemis Familia was an exploration and hunting type Familia. They didn't like staying in Orario and traveled outside all year round, hunting powerful monsters and completing various high-difficulty quests issued by the Guild.
It was reasonable for them to appear near the Dragon Valley.
"Let's go with them."
Aiden made a prompt decision.
He returned to the wooden house and took out a heavy leather bag from a hidden compartment under the bed.
This was the money Alfia left him six years ago.
She hoped he would take this money, go to a bustling city, and live a stable life like an ordinary person.
But he didn't.
He chose to stay in this place closest to her last footprints, waiting stubbornly.
For the past six years, he relied on doing chores for villagers to exchange for rations and had barely touched this money.
Now, this Valis carrying complex emotions finally had its use.
Aiden gave one bag of considerable weight to Uncle Polo and said solemnly, "Uncle, this is the deposit for the employment. I'll leave the rest of the arrangements to you."
With this money, he would start his first step in chasing her.
The rest would serve as the initial startup capital for the "Focalors Familia."
Another morning descended on the North.
The sky was dimly lit, the air still carrying the chill of the night.
Aiden packed his last piece of luggage—a simple knapsack containing a few changes of clothes and some dry rations.
He took Furina and Robin and walked out of this wooden house for the last time.
When his hand was about to close that familiar wooden door, his movement couldn't help but pause.
His gaze passed through the crack in the door, taking one last look inside.
That empty wooden table, those two chairs that would never have people sitting in them at the same time again—fourteen years of time, memories of two lives, seemed to be condensed in this small space.
He knew that once this door closed, he would very likely never come back.
This was the starting point of his bond with Alfia, but his future lay in distant Orario.