When it comes to contact with humans, I was well aware of the dual nature of the matter. On one hand, humans can be considered social animals, and communication and interaction can bring great benefits and aid in individual growth. On the other hand, if one thinks carefully, contacting humans in an unfamiliar world may not always be a good thing. It's not like you randomly encounter a cute girl and she will initiate a conversation with you, and even give you a beginner's gift package. It's uncertain whether the person you meet is a cute girl or even a good-hearted person.

I really wish I had some sort of superpower or something. In reality, I can't pretend to be something I'm not, but at least let me pretend in another world.

Unfortunately, I have secretly tried many times. Even if I concentrate my mind to the point of straining, I have never been able to summon flames or lightning or anything like that. The trees that should be cut down remain unmovable, and I still pant after running a few hundred meters.

So, the matter of contacting humans was put on hold for a long time. I was busy with tending the fields and dealing with rainwater accumulation for several days. It was already the twenty-ninth day before I actually discussed this idea with her.

When I pointed at the bird's-eye view of a town drawn on the book and expressed my ideas, I clearly saw hesitation between her eyebrows.

As expected, there are significant differences between monsters and humans, which confirmed my viewpoint once again: monsters and humans theoretically cannot coexist in this world.

Of course, this refers to humans in this world, and not to "humans in this world" as a whole.

It was difficult to express my desire to buy some things, but she kept telling me it was dangerous. Of course, I considered the risks too, but even if it was dangerous, there were reasons worth trying. If we didn't communicate with humans and buy some advanced tools, at least we wouldn't be able to fix the roof of our house.

"Then there's no choice but to go there..."

"Hmm...?"

"Dinaneya."

Although I had never heard this word before, those few characters seemed to convey the meaning of nighttime, but I wasn't entirely sure. However, I quickly understood through breaking down the word that the location could be translated as "Night Fall Town," which seemed like a good paraphrase. Through her explanation, it seemed that this world categorized cities into three levels: Nia represents small towns and villages, Kanya represents cities with a larger population and buildings, and there is another level that sounds completely different from the other two called "Oseina." The book showed a picture of a grand and massive city, which might refer to the capital.

Regardless of its name, the idea of surrounding the city with countryside appealed to me. Seeing my determined intention, she handed me a commonly used short-handled axe, maybe afraid that I wouldn't have a weapon to protect myself in case of danger.

Perhaps it was because of days of continuous labor, but psychologically, I felt stronger. The short-handled axe felt light in my hands.

"It's fine."

I hooked the axe onto my pants and smiled slightly, feeling somewhat at ease.

"..."

However, she didn't respond and silently strung her short bow, slinging it on her back. She then loaded the quiver with ten arrows—I had never seen her carry so many arrows before. Then, from some corner, she pulled out a sheathed hatchet, yes, the kind of hatchet used only for chopping people in my hometown.

"Um... about that..."

"I told you it's dangerous."

A long-lost sense of fear rushed in. Even if she was gentle and cute in everyday life, her cautious nature immediately revealed itself when faced with danger.

Looking back at my small hatchet, it seemed that the phrase "being skilled in both civil and military affairs" was never meant for me. But since she had decided to be the role of protection, I could only take charge of communication. I silently repeated all the example sentences I could think of, like "Hello, we would like to buy tools." "Hello, we have no hostile intentions." "Hello, I need help." "Hello, we would like to buy a pot."

Oh, and the most important phrase—"Please don't hurt us."

After we felt prepared for everything, she put on that black cloak, and the two of us set out on a journey to the human village. Along the way, we didn't hold hands but remained on high alert.

The journey was quite long, feeling like crossing half a city. If I must compare, it would be like walking from the city center's welcoming inn to the Northern Canal...

When I saw a large wooden sign that looked like it would break if touched, I knew we had arrived at Night Fall Town. The unfamiliar alphabet on the sign and the drawing of houses representing a small town could only be seen clearly up close.The dirt road that had been trampled by countless people did not raise any dust as I walked towards the entrance of Night Fall Town. From there, I could see the whole view of the wooden two-story building. Judging from the open sliding door and the wine bottle design on the signboard, it was not difficult to guess that this was some kind of bar.

Bracing myself and trying to ignore the axe on my waist, we walked shoulder to shoulder into the bar located on the outskirts of the town.

"Hello..."

I swallowed the second half of the sentence because a group of people with no trace of goodwill stared at me, making me feel nauseous. I took a difficult look around and counted over 10 tables and more than 14 people, including the bar owner behind the counter. I caught a glimpse of about 7 flintlock pistols, all accompanied by hands ready to draw their guns.

"Wha-!"

I still couldn't help but vomit from the nausea, causing dizziness when there was nothing in my throat. But my mind remained clear, and after silently counting to three, the first words that came out of my mouth were, "Please don't hurt us."

Honestly, this was the first time I felt so embarrassed in front of a woman.

But as long as I was still conscious, my body would do what it needed to do. While my left hand immediately held hers, my right hand reached for the axe on my waist. I didn't like silence because the longer it lasted, the worse things would get. And now, we had already been in silence for almost half a minute, enough time for a brawl to break out in the bar.

"At least we can injure the guy with the closest brown hair and use him as a human shield." Just as I had this thought, someone who clearly did not have the proportions of a human in terms of shoulder width and height stood up from the shadow on the side of the counter.

"Ohoho~ Look who we have here at the Night Fall Town tavern? A Medusa, and a human standing next to her!"

As I wondered whether that "ohoho~" was an expression of admiration or a wolf's howl, a wolf, towering over me by 3 or 4 heads, walked toward us, holding a top hat in one hand and tapping the floor with its toenail.

Yes, it was a wolf, dressed in a short-sleeved suit and half trousers. Perhaps it was impolite to directly call it a wolf, so let's call him Mr. Wolf for now. After all, wolves don't know how to tip their hats.

"Hello." I struggled to swallow a mouthful of saliva.

"Mmm~ Hello, strange human sir. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Wolfrang, a xx."

Because I hadn't learned formal language, it took me 5 seconds to interpret the sentence and another 10 seconds to guess its rough meaning.

"Um, hello, Wolfrang. I am..." I hesitated for a moment. "Sorry, I am Raul."

"Oh~ Mr. Raul, I see."

Because I took a moment to think, I was afraid he wouldn't understand if I said my Chinese name and I couldn't remember an English name for myself, so I decided to tell him the ranking of the male students in my major during college. Although most of my classmates preferred to call me "Wuge" (Brother Five), I couldn't let a wolf who looked down on me call me "Brother Five."

Smiling alongside, I contemplated how to communicate with Mr. Wolf, who seemed to have no malicious intent.

"All right, Mr. Raul, may I ask what brings you here?"

Although I was surprised that such standard language came out of a wolf mouth full of fangs, I had to quickly answer the question.

"Oh~ right. Besides that, everyone present, including me, wants to know why you are holding hands with Miss Medusa."

I didn't really understand this sentence, but from the direction Mr. Wolf tilted his hat and the gaze of the people around, I guessed the gist of his question.

Indeed, due to nervousness, I had been tightly holding her hand, which was now soaked with sweat.

But for now, I could only say this, even though I didn't want to reveal this fact.

"We live together."

We both said at the same time.