Merchant From Earth in the Magical World

Under the cover of night, Arlanda·Jade, clad in a simple gray cloak, ran ceaselessly northward across the wilderness. She had no idea what awaited her ahead.

Her sister was dead. Yesterday, her sister had attempted to assassinate a human Lord. She failed and returned shortly before the Mansion Guard and City Defense Force of Nuta City sealed off the entire district. Only then did she and her sister realize that Knight Yan Xing was under the protection of Thunderous Swamp; her sister had been cursed by the Thunderous Swamp. It was this curse that led them to her hiding place. Her sister didn't know how to lift the curse; she only knew there was no escape from the tight encirclement.

"Since we've come to Nuta City, I never planned to leave alive, but you can..." Arlanda kept running, her sister's words echoing in her ears. "Leave immediately, hide... Once they catch me, they'll lift the siege. You must escape, don't trust anyone, flee north from Nuta City.

"You... you'll cross the Thunderous Swamp and make it back to our Snowland home.

"You must survive, for me..."

Her sister was dead.

When Arlanda and her sister infiltrated Nuta City, they had anticipated this day would come; death could strike at any moment. Yet when it finally arrived, Arlanda still found it unbearable. As twin Elf sisters, Arlanda felt as if half of her soul had vanished with her sister's death.

However, the misfortune didn't end there. Her sister was right: trust no one. Vigilance allowed Arlanda to escape from an ambush aimed at her. She left Nuta City through a secret passageway her sister had prepared in advance. Her sister was an adept assassin, who had secretly begun digging that passage upon entering Nuta City; nobody knew. Her sister's caution saved my life. But could I cross the Thunderous Swamp? Arlanda didn't know.

However, she was aware that the Snow Elves had always tried to find a path across the Thunderous Swamp but had never succeeded. The swamp was a death zone for all outsiders, but she had no choice now. The ones pursuing her were still close behind. If she slackened even a bit, a multitude of assassins would undoubtedly surge from the shadows, determined to leave her forever on this desolate wasteland. I have to escape, I must escape! I still have to avenge my sister!

Arlanda glanced over her shoulder and then listened intently to the sounds carried by the wind. She quickly used Magic to erase her footsteps before changing direction and continuing north. As an assassin, Arlanda was equally proficient in anti-tracking skills. It's just that my sister was better than me in every way. Thinking of her sister, tears once again involuntarily streamed down Arlanda's face.

All through the night, Arlanda ran until sheer exhaustion meant she could no longer move, and she hid in a dense clump of bushes to rest. She dug up plant roots and greedily sucked the juice from them. The small replenishment of water, however, only intensified her hunger. Since fleeing, Arlanda hadn't eaten anything; her body was drained but not replenished. She unearthed more plant roots and sucked the juice, but the scant nutrients were nowhere near enough to satisfy her needs.

Fumbling about, she tried to find something to fill her stomach; even just a little bit would do. Then Arlanda found a piece of toffee. This was one of two pieces her sister had given her a few days ago. Arlanda had eaten one, and its sweet, rich flavor made her mouth water every time she remembered it. Arlanda had always been reluctant to eat the last piece, because once eaten, it would be gone. For this, she had even been teased by her sister.

This piece of candy had been given out by that human named Yan Xing, and it was at the hands of that same human her sister had died. Arlanda had seen the tear her sister shed before death, knowing it had been shed for her. While Arlanda hesitated, wondering if she should eat her enemy's food, a noisy disturbance came from outside the bushes. Had the assassins caught up? Arlanda carefully put the toffee away and took a metal tube from her waistband. She pressed a button on it, and long bow arms sprang out from both ends of the tube. Arlanda strung the bow, resting her right hand lightly on the bowstring as a Magic arrow solidified into existence.

Ready for a desperate fight, Arlanda crouched in the bushes, quietly observing the situation outside through the gaps with her Magic-enhanced night vision. The sounds grew closer, but they didn't seem to be from the assassins pursuing her. Arlanda continued to wait. Then, she saw a group of poorly dressed human refugees hurrying along under the moonlight. This is close to the Thunderous Swamp, how could there be humans here? Moreover, they were heading north, not south toward Nuta City. North... what human city could be there?

No, there used to be none. Now there is one. Last night, the Ice Jade Porcelain tableware from the Eternal Domain had caused a sensation throughout Nuta City. Arlanda herself had watched the Demonized fireworks set off by the Lord's Mansion while dodging the enclosing assassins. The Eternal Domain was north of Nuta City, near the Thunderous Swamp. Yan Xing, who had killed her sister, was the Lord of the Eternal Domain.

Arlanda had not expected that by running headlessly north, she had accidentally neared the Eternal Domain. Eternal Domain... Human Yan Xing... In a flash, Arlanda suddenly had a very bold plan.

She withdrew her Magic Power, and the Magic arrow disappeared. With a flick of her hand, the extended bow arms retracted, turning back into an inconspicuous metal tube. Putting away the alchemic longbow, Arlanda scooped up some soil from the ground, rubbed it on her body, and smeared some on her face. Feeling that she now closely resembled a human refugee, Arlanda arranged her hair to cover her ears and put on the hood of her cloak.

Walking out from the bushes with her head down, she blended into the marching refugee column. None of the refugees paid special attention to Arlanda; it was common for new refugees to join such groups as they headed to nearby human territories. All of them walked with their heads lowered, looking listless and devoid of energy. The column moved very slowly, and the Eternal Domain was nowhere in sight even as daylight broke.

However, a patrolling Werewolf unit discovered the refugees. These Werewolf Warriors were clad in half-metal armor, with metal flails hanging from their waists, and each had a bicycle. Arlanda had seen the Werewolf Warriors accompanying Yan Xing in Nuta City dressed like this, all of them riding these miraculous two-wheeled vehicles called bicycles. Upon discovering the refugee column, the Werewolf patrol immediately took them under their protection. Some Werewolf Warriors spread out to provide flank security for the group, while one Werewolf Warrior quickly rode back to the Eternal Domain on a bicycle.

"People, we are the Light Armored Werewolf Mobile Force of the Eternal Domain," the leader of the Werewolf patrol announced, pulling a hefty sack from a storage box behind his bicycle seat and addressing the refugees. "We will protect you until you safely enter the Eternal Domain.

"If any of you are hungry, come to me for food..."

Upon hearing there was food, the refugees didn't wait for the Werewolf leader to finish speaking and immediately gathered around.