Unwelcomed Visitors      

In the end, Rain, Chi, and Hana were the only ones who entered the town while the rest waited outside, guarding the statue and awaiting their return.

Rain's initial excitement faded as he realized that bringing his entire troop inside would cost almost 100 mL of Soul Elixirs for entry and exit — a huge amount, especially considering they still needed to pay for builders to construct their village.

Rain's nose wrinkled as a tantalizing aroma wafted through the air. The smell of freshly cooked street food mingled with the clamor of negotiations, the creaking of wooden ships, and the salty tang of the sea breeze, creating a sensory overload.

Brightly colored awnings provided shade for merchants from distant lands, each vying for the attention of passersby. Beyond the immediate bustle of the docks, the town sprawled out with narrow, winding streets lined with a mix of sturdy stone buildings and timber-framed houses.

At the heart of the town was a large square, dominated by a grand marketplace where even more vendors had set up their stalls. Here, Rain and Chi found everything from magical trinkets to everyday necessities.

"I don't have to extract materials back to my world anymore, Chi. I can finally trade items and buy materials and weapons here," Rain said, his voice filled with glee.

"Excuse me, how much for these javelins?" Rain asked a nearby vendor.

The merchant behind the stall sized Rain up and down before asking, "Are you a player?"

Rain nodded without hesitation.

The merchant's expression soured as he sneered, "That would be 10 mL of Soul Elixirs for you."

"Isn't that rather expensive?" Rain asked, surprised by the high price. Back on earth it only cost about 6 mL of Soul Elixirs. 

Why was it expensive now?! He really thought that he could finally save some Soul Elixirs by saving on extraction cost. 

The merchant glared at Rain and waved him away. "If you don't want it, then go find somewhere else."

Chi's eyes narrowed as she chirped angrily at the merchant, 'What did you say, you fat swine?! Say that again, and I'll peck those disgusting eyes from your sockets! Maybe you'd look half the pig then!'

"Ah. Don't, Chi. Let's just go," Rain intervened, noticing two lizardmen emerging from the stalls. They were likely the merchant's guards.

Rain, Chi, and Hana moved on to other stalls, but like the first one, none of the vendors wanted to deal with Rain. Defeated and tired, Rain sat on some rocks near the beach where no one would shoo him away. He hugged his legs together, feeling depressed.

Hana cautiously sat beside him while Chi continued chirping loudly, berating everyone in the town. Hana tapped Rain's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "Don't feel so bad."

"I don't understand. Why are they so hostile?" Rain asked, his voice tinged with confusion and frustration. He had hoped that things would finally turn his way and that everything would become easier. But who knew that no one would want to deal with him here? He might as well build his own village at this rate.

Hana looked out over the vast expanse of the sea and explained, "Some of them lost their homes because of the players' expansion. Others lost their families."

Rain's depression was replaced with realization. "And you . . . ?"

Hana gave a sad smile. "My village was small in the Crown Jade Woods. Unfortunately, a lot of players are expanding their territories there because of the bountiful resources."

"You don't mean . . ."

"Ah. My family got caught in the crossfire."

Rain didn't know what to say. "You must probably hate us, then."

Hana took a deep breath. "I can't say that I don't, but one of them saved me. That's why I'm alive today. I know that not all players are evil. They're not all territory-hungry. Like you, some are kind, so I can't really hate them all.

"However, the citizens here are mostly victims of the players' territorial expansion. Some came here to escape the chaos happening on the mainland. Though life here is hard, there's barely any war. Apparently, no one wanted the Barren Wasteland."

Hana chuckled a bit at the end, but Rain could feel the pain in her voice, the loneliness in her eyes.

This must be just another world to them, but to these guys, this was their world, and they had families here.

At this moment, Rain wondered . . . why they were summoned here as players by the universe. What was the purpose? Was it to dominate the Spirit Realm?

Rain looked out over the beach. The port itself was a hive of commerce, with market stalls lining the docks, offering an array of goods from exotic spices and rare artifacts to essential supplies and intricate crafts.

But Rain's attention settled on two ships. They were larger and didn't seem like cargo or pirate ships.

"What are those?" he asked, pointing at the two ships.

Hana blinked the tears from her eyes and brought energy back into her voice. "Those are Lord Izumi's warships."

"Izumi? Warships?"

"Haven't I told you? Lord Izumi assumed lordship a few years ago. Before him, this town used to be free. The citizens made rules and laws as a group. Everyone agreed to decisions for the greater good, upon which we built our foundation. Everyone used to be friendlier and full of smiles.

"However, one day, Lord Izumi just showed up and decided to rule over here, and everything changed."

"Why don't you fight back?"

Hana shook her head. "You don't understand. Most of us here are victims of war. Violence triggers our past traumas. Besides, Lord Izumi has a battalion of soldiers, not to mention his warships and defense machinery. He's not someone our people could just defeat."

"I see . . ." Rain murmured, his gaze fixed on the warships. Those things are a real problem, he thought. If you're near the ocean, you just got to have a warship.

The Barren Wasteland was pretty much isolated from the rest of the world, and players didn't want anything to do with this place. It was a perfect location to rule over.

Those warships weren't just for war but also for a show of power. They made sure everyone knew what Izumi was capable of. Anyone thinking of overthrowing him had to think twice at the sight of his warships.

Besides that, the warships showed the capability to attack from the sea, a highly effective way to raid and plunder settlements. Where palisades and walls were easily constructed to fend off landbound raiders, protecting a settlement against seabound attacks was much harder. If enemies attacked with ships, having a dedicated naval defensive force became a necessity.

But the question remained . . .

"Where does this Lord Izumi come from?" And why does he have warships and a battalion of soldiers?