Why Are You Here?

"Luo Shuchang! What are you doing here?" Long Meiling shouted, brows furrowed harshly. However, 'Luo Shuchang' simply looked at her with a confused expression, as if even he didn't know the answer to that question.

<Uh, I can't understand what you're saying,> he answered back, in a language she didn't know. Now it was her turn to look confused. What happened with this man when she wasn't looking?

Though, now that she looked carefully, the man standing in front of them obviously *wasn't* Luo Shuchang; he was much, much too tall, and his skin was tanner, not to mention his strange attire. Still, his face was remarkably similar...

"Ha, it's just that trash, Luo Shuchang? Here I was getting worked up over nothing!"

"Haha, what is he even wearing? Hey, trash, are you trying to become a street performer?"

"Uh, isn't he too tall? I don't remember him being so freakishly tall..."

The young masters around her started chattering once more, the tension dissolving after identifying the sudden intruder. As for Long Meiling, however, she simply stared at the newcomer with mild interest, a thoughtful look on her face.

It was the eyes, she thought. That brilliant shade of green was rare, around here...

--

While the group was chattering amongst themselves, Ryker reached into his bag, taking out a small, rectangular device with a glossy surface.

He held it up to his face and the glossy screen came to life, showing the visage of a pale young man with wavy, black hair, his long bangs hiding his eyes.

"Hey, Mini C, what was that earlier about a 'friend system'?" Ryker spoke to the person on the phone-like device discreetly, as he kept an eye on the rowdy crowd of young men and soldier looking types.

He noticed the woman who seemed to be the leader of the group leisurely watching him, as well, as if he were nothing more than a curiosity.

[It was a communication feed to the entity I quarantined, during our transport here. Still analyzing the source...] Mini C responded in his same, steady monotone.

"Hm, okay... uh, what 'entity' are we talking about?"

[Currently unknown. I intercepted this entity trying to invade your mana circuits; safe to assume it's some sort of parasite--]

{Hey! Don't call me a parasite!} what sounded like a childish girl's voice came through the speakers, followed by muffled yells and the sound of struggle as Mini C looked off-screen, presumably to deal with the interruption.

[It also seems to be able to bypass my quarantine processes,] Mini C observed with a hint of amusement, turning back to Ryker, [I was somewhat curious as to its origins, but shall I expunge it just to be safe?]

{No, wait, please! Don't expunge meeeee!} the childish voice screamed out in panic, apparently bypassing Mini C's restraints, once again.

"...I'd feel kinda bad just killing it, since we can communicate and all," Ryker said, looking up in thought, "Maybe just find out what it wants?"

{Yes! Thank you!!!} the parasite cried, sounding on the verge of tears.

[Understood. Next item to be addressed is the group over there; they seem to be speaking some form of Old Wei'an. Shall I attempt a translation?]

Ryker looked back to the loud youngsters in front of him, who were still badmouthing him without his understanding.

"Uh, right, I guess that would be good," he said.

With his affirmation, a high pitched whirring sounded in his ears, and the babbling young masters' words slowly became comprehensible to him.

<What a joke, isn't he cripple? Does have death wish in coming here?" one of the arrogant young men said with laugh.< p>

"What'd you say? You're a cripple! Your whole family are cripples!" Ryker shot back as he caught the tail end of the latest slander against him.

The young noblemen stared at him in shock for a moment, before erupting into roars of 'Luo Shuchang!' and even more badmouthing, causing a whole new round of insults to be flung back and forth between Ryker and the now riled up young masters.

Meanwhile, Mini C was running some diagnostics on the translation accuracy, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he looked through the data.

[Hm, that's odd. The translation is surprisingly coherent, considering how much the language differs from what's in the database...]

{Hehe, that's because I modified the translation routine to point to my own language bank. I have the languages for this world and 372 others in it! Aren't I great?} the childish voice they'd captured said, the smug grin audible in her tone.

[... Don't modify my functions without permission.]

{Eeep! I'm sorry!}

For the whole of Ryker's exchange with her annoying peers, Long Meiling was silently observing, further cementing her impression of this person being different from Luo Shuchang.

Luo Shuchang would be too timid to even raise his head around this group, nowadays, much less talk back as the person in front of her was doing.

"Who are you?" she finally asked, her voice cutting through their arguing. The nobles around her instantly went silent as she spoke, leaving Ryker to awkwardly continue slinging insults by his lonesome.

"*And* your shoes stink!" he yelled with a cheeky grin, before noticing everyone else had gone quiet.

"...Oh, guess we're done. Uh, I'm Ryker. Who are you guys? Y'all are really rude."

Despite exchanging insults just a moment before, Ryker let out a good natured laugh, not taking their little spat to heart. As he said this, though, the guards surrounding Long Meiling and the others suddenly tensed.

"Hey, don't slander our young miss!" one of the guardsmen shouted as he raised his weapon. 

"Ah, yeah. I guess *you* haven't been that rude, miss...?"

"...Long Meiling. What are you doing here?" Long Meiling asked again, sheathing her sword and crossing her arms. After observing for this long, she confirmed that there were no spiritual fluctuations coming from this man; he was just a mortal.

But if that were really the case, how did he survive the spatial flux?

"That's what I wanna know," Ryker answered with a shrug.

Just at that moment, however, a rectangular hologram popped up over his left forearm. He raised the arm to take a look at its contents:

| Quest started: Meeting New Friends! |

| You've encountered someone in a new world. |

| Become friends with them and receive some benefits! |

| Objective Status: |

| Befriend Long Meiling: Incomplete |

"Huh," he mused, "What's this all about?"

[More communications from that mysterious source. I've taken the liberty to forward the content to your left forearm's holoscreen,] Mini C explained.

[Also, large lifeform rapidly approaching from your 6. I'd get ready to run.]

Ryker spun around to see a large serpent of some sort skulking through the trees and underbrush towards him, somehow not making any sound despite being thicker around than most of the trees present.

As if sensing it had been noticed, the serpent rapidly extended its body to lunge at him, its fangs barely missing their mark on his shoulder as he rolled to the side.

"Its a Red Viper! Everyone, in formation!" the apparent leader of the guards shouted, forming three ranks in front of Long Meiling and the young nobles. Long Meiling once again readied her weapon, though the nobles around her were a little more hesitant.

"It's huge... is this really a Red Viper?"

"W-what are you acting all scared for? W-weren't you just bragging about how you'd get a fang for Meiling?"

"You're the one that's shaking in your boots!"

Although the young men weren't considered weak in terms of cultivation, for many of them, this was their first outing into truly dangerous territory. Most of their fighting experience was limited to practice at training halls or petty duels between themselves.

Nothing that held the risk of death!

And they had all heard of the ferocity and ruthlessness of the Red Viper, its venom instantly killing most cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm. Even those in the Foundation Establishment realm weren't completely safe.

Furthermore, this Red Viper was gigantic! Even the guards had never seen a Red Viper of this size before, and their grips tightened around their weapons as they prepared for the battle ahead.

[Ryker, more lifeforms incoming. Judging by the mana signature, they should be more of the same as that serpent over there, though not as large.]

Ryker nodded, looking down at the guards engaging the Red Viper below while Long Meiling and her entourage stood at the ready.

He was currently squatting atop a low hanging branch of a tree he had scrambled up to make some distance with the viper.

"How many of them are there?"

[Quite a few, though not enough to close off all routes of escape. What would you like to do?]

"Hm. Well, they look like they can handle it. I guess we bounce, then, huh?" Ryker said, getting ready to drop to the ground and run, but before he could, a shrill voice rang out in his head.

{Wait!!!}