349 Truth About Magnus Hilda (1/2)
The more Zero looked at the maps and pieced them together using his system, the more sure Zero was about his hypothesis. Everything was slowly coming together and he was just lacking one crucial evidence to make his case solid enough to fight for. The plague at Magnus Hilda could turn out to be only the tip of an iceberg to a rather severe underlying problem. The story of the nine continents passed down through the word of mouth only held half-truths and not all of it was reliable.
”Zero, I'm here.”
”Mm, you're here, big brother... I'm just looking through the maps. Can you help me get that pile and return this stack? The merchants are leaving tomorrow morning so I have to look through everything by tonight.”
The fact that Zero called him big brother so naturally took Truen by surprise. Still, it made him feel warm and fuzzy on the inside that the wood elf couldn't stop the derpy smile from forming on his face. There was a slight bounce in Truen's step almost undetectable in the eyes of even experts but it caught Zero's attention. Still, the doctor was too busy to think about it for now and focused on the task at hand. The lives in Magnus Hilda depended on him.
Until the early hours of dawn, Truen and Zero worked hard. The doctor committed all the maps to memory at an astonishing pace that even the merchants could not believe while Truen assisted his sister and did the muscle work for her. Some of the maps were old copies and were made from leather with faded drawings that made it difficult for Zero to decipher. The merchants were more than happy to fill in the missing information gaps when Zero asked them about it and Truen couldn't help but be impressed by Zero's new social skills.
The wood elf knew that Zero was charismatic but that was when Zero was younger. He was cute and adorable who easily pulled people in with his kindness and innocent child-like charms. Apart from the blessing that Freya gave him, Truen didn't think that Zero would be able to 'tame' non-powerful people without his Charmer passive skill. Now that he saw Zero in action, Truen wondered where Zero learned how to act like a believable lady who could control men with just her words and a killer smile.
They worked for hours and the merchants took turns serving Zero and adhering to his requests. The leader even ordered some midnight snacks and drinks for Zero without needing to be told. They didn't look like they were under any sort of hypnosis or mind-control spells when they offered help. The wood elf also didn't sense any ill-intentions coming from these people. What was it about Zero that drew them in?
The merchants were more than happy to finally be able to rest when Zero announced that he was done looking at the maps and thanked them sincerely. As a token of gratitude for the trouble he caused them, the doctor gave them some hangover pills they could use and even left them Schaf's contact with a letter of recommendation from him so that they could get a discount if they liked his pills. Truen watched everything transpire before his eyes silently like a shadow. No wonder Zero was able to get along with the merchants so quickly... The doctor was actually also a very good businessman. Birds of the same feather flock together and Truen doesn't know if he should be afraid about Zero's latent talent at buying people over.
”Zero, it's late. Get some sleep before we check out of the inn. We have to buy some supplies and restock or travels because it would take about another week on foot to cross the mountain range and enter the borders of Magnus Hilda.”
The doctor yawned. He was tired after working an entire night but unlike his mindscape assistants, there was no time for rest. There were some things that Zero wanted to confirm before they headed to Magnus Hilda.
”Can we take a slight detour? I would like to take the other route to Magnus Hilda that passes by the Mystic Meadow borders. That means we will circle around the edge of Endow Hill's forest while we do so. I know it's slightly longer but I want to enter Magnus Hilda from Mystic Meadow's edge just to confirm something.”
Truen blinked. ”Confirm something?”
Zero smiled without an answer. He couldn't tell Truen about his theory just yet. In fact, Zero didn't want his theory to be correct. It would be incredibly sad to know that the cause of the plague was caused by something so miserable. Freya would also be very sad to know that the Norse people in the new Earth didn't know about their god's passing. He didn't want to be the one telling them the message if his theory was proven right. He also couldn't be the one to resolve the cause of the plague because Zero couldn't perform the duties of a god.
The wood elf didn't question Zero further. If his friend remained silent, it must be of great importance. Zero wasn't the same boy he was before who didn't know anything about the world. Right now, Zero was a very powerful individual with knowledge far beyond his years. As Zero's loyal friend and attendant, Truen respected the doctor's decision and agreed.
”I will inform Camie about the change in plans. We might need to prepare more provisions to last us the trip. It could take up to three weeks before we reach Magnus Hilda if we travelled on foot.”
Zero made a face. ”Can't we get horses or something to travel better? We're in a town now, surely they have transportation of some kind...”
Truen thought about it. Zero made sense but the archer didn't know if there were horses or carriages suitable for carrying Camie along with them. The giantess may only be a quarter giant but she was still rather huge and twice the size of regular humans. He hesitated a little and thought of how it was best to phrase his words without offending Camie when he referred to her size but ultimately decided to just go for it because Truen wasn't as eloquent.
When Zero heard Truen's concern he spat out the tea he was drinking. Of all the things Truen could point out, he had to talk about Camie's size and not being able to fit on a horse or a carriage. Now that Zero thought about it, he had questions too. How did giants normally travel if they're so big? Surely some giants would have travelled out of their country for various reasons.
”I will pretend I didn't hear that,” Zero told Truen sternly. ”When Camie wakes up I will inform her about our intention to get carriages and ask her what kind of transportation we should get to accommodate for her. You just be silent and don't ever mention anything about her size! It's rude to say that about a lady regardless of their race.”