(Uluru - Blue Farmer)

"Alright, I believe you."

President Aihad made a declaration of trust in me with a polite and sincere expression, even though she might just be a bunch of virtual data. However, the thought of hiding so many important things from her made me feel uneasy, as if I had betrayed her trust. On the other hand, I didn't think that keeping secrets was a wrong choice. After all, it was just an information security strategy based on self-preservation.

"Judging others by one's own standards...," I muttered to myself in repentance. As I did, President Aihad, sitting next to me, broke into a bright smile. She added a piece of firewood to the bonfire and began her explanation again, "Well, let's get back on track! As I mentioned earlier, the world is primarily divided into three factions: Evil, Nature, and Good. The Forest of Dragons, where we are currently located, is a border area between the forces of Good and Nature. For the past two hundred years, it has been in a state of chaos, with the possibility of battles breaking out at any moment."

In simple terms, is this Forest of Dragons a wilderness map that triggers battles? As I supplemented her explanation in a way I could understand, I nodded to President Aihad, indicating that she could continue. She smiled at me and began describing the unfamiliar surroundings:

"Of the three factions, humans mainly belong to the Good side. Of course, people are diverse, and there are also many humans in the forces of Evil and Nature. So, if you come across a stranger in the chaotic zone in the future, please don't easily believe that they belong to the Good side! There is a saying, 'Where there are tall trees, there are always dead branches.' Even creatures from the Good side may not have good hearts. In any case, Miss Lannong, please take care of yourself!"

As a middle-aged man with nearly twenty years of social experience, I naturally understood President Aihad's meaning and felt her concern in her words. With a grateful heart, I made a hand gesture to her.

"Hmm? Miss Lannong, what did your gesture just now mean?"

Noticing my hand gesture, President Aihad looked puzzled. It was then that I realized my negligence from her expression. I awkwardly explained, "That was... I understand, thank you."

"Is it a special secret code?" she asked.

"It's just a way of communicating," I replied.

President Aihad showed a curious expression and laughed, "I'm getting more and more curious about who you were before. Were you really just a mute?"

"I've never met any mute person with such a beautiful voice," she burst into laughter without hiding her amusement. Then, she casually poked the roaring fire with a branch. Obviously, she didn't take my words to heart, and I also didn't expect her to believe my excuse. My past disability could at most bring me unnecessary pity from others.

After a while, President Aihad glanced at me and continued explaining considerately without waiting for me to speak. "Alright, now that you know you are in the Forest of Dragons, the closest city to it is the City of Moporis, which belongs to the Holy Alliance. This town is known as the city of adventurers and has the responsibility of countering the other two forces. The Adventurer's Guild that I manage is also established in this great city."

Holy Alliance?

City of Moporis?

City of adventurers?

In just a short conversation, my mind was filled with more questions. However, it was already getting late, and my drowsiness became unusually strong. I was worried that I would fall asleep while listening. So, after a moment of thought, I picked out a key point from many questions, "May I accompany you to the City of Moporis tomorrow?"

After the intense battle with the Flame Tigers in the afternoon, I definitely didn't dare to walk alone in this dangerous Forest of Dragons anymore. Moreover, I hadn't eaten a single grain of rice the whole day. If I didn't go to a human settlement where I could buy food or ingredients soon, I was afraid I would starve to death in a virtual game...And in response to my colleague's request, President Ehud responded immediately with enthusiasm. "No problem! As a reward for the healing potion, I can take you back to Moborise City!"

At this moment, the electronic voice of Miss System also appeared in my mind. "[Menger (Lv20)] has joined your team with an experience sharing rate of 5%."

Just as I was puzzled about what the experience sharing rate was, the level 20 female knight next to me suddenly let out a startled cry, as if she had forgotten to bring her clothes on a rainy day. She grabbed my shoulder and nervously asked, "Oh my, if you want to enter Moborise City, you need to show the Alliance citizenship card. Have you seen anything similar on yourself?"

I shook my head in confusion. At this point, there was only a bottle of healing potion and a sheepskin scroll left in my inventory. The latter was just a learning scroll for a work skill, not the citizenship card mentioned by President Ehud. Thinking about my unknown origin, I couldn't help but worry about whether I could enter the city tomorrow.

Seeing my concern, President Ehud patted my head like she was comforting a child. Although she probably meant well, this action dealt a heavy blow to my adult male self-esteem. But helplessly, I was currently wearing a loli disguise, and even if I forced myself to appear mature, it would probably only provoke laughter from the other party.

"Don't worry, the Alliance has always had a generous and helping nature. If I become your guarantor, the only thing left will be the monetary matters. But when it comes to that wicked money…" Speaking of money, President Ehud's expression suddenly became extremely ugly. Oh well, it was the expression of someone who was currently a little short on cash.

Realizing President Ehud's dilemma, I quickly asked, "Then, how many gold coins would it approximately cost to get a citizenship card? If possible, I hope to minimize the use of your money, President Miss."

President Ehud tightly furrowed her brow and said, "Actually, I'm not quite sure how much it actually costs, but obtaining a citizenship card not only requires the processing fee, but also a considerable deposit. The total may be around three to four gold coins, or even more. Even I can only produce a maximum of four gold coins at the moment..."

Upon hearing this, I felt a sense of relief and replied happily, "That's great! If the value of the citizenship card doesn't exceed five gold coins, I believe I can pay the entire fee myself. But if it's not enough, then..."

President Ehud smiled and winked at me, saying, "If five gold coins are not enough, then let me temporarily cover the cost for you! If it's only one or two gold coins, you can repay me when you have money in the future. It's never too late then."

"Thank you so much!"

I stood up and bowed deeply to her.

Seeing this, she hurriedly motioned for me to sit down and lifted my chin, saying, "I have to say, Blue, it's better not to casually tell others how much money you have in your purse in the future. To us common folk, your five gold coins are already a considerable sum. Honestly, just now, I really wanted to rob you clean and sell you to the slave market..."

President Ehud stared directly into my eyes, and I met her green gaze. I felt that her eyes were seriously frightening, as if she really had those evil thoughts she mentioned. In fact, in such a sparsely populated outskirts area, if she really attacked, there would probably be little evidence left behind.

But...

"It's okay, I trust you."

I said so, and she smiled.

...

...