Chapter 5: A Man Must Strengthen Himself

The Baroness had asked before, but got nowhere. Xu Feng said frankly it was inconvenient to say, and he didn't want to lie, hoping Catherine would understand.

Though curious, Catherine was a sensible girl. Since he had clearly stated it was inconvenient, she didn't push the matter. After all, everyone has their own privacy. Moreover, she appreciated Xu Feng's straightforwardness and honesty.

"Do you have something you need my help with?"

Though known as the Thorny Rose, that was for dealing with the lechers outside. In truth, Catherine wasn't difficult to get along with; her nature was quite kind. She noticed a hint of distress on the young man's face.

"Miss Catherine, thank you for saving me and for taking care of me these past days. I want to leave."

"Leave?" The Baroness raised a delicate eyebrow. "Where to? Or... is it 'inconvenient' again?"

"No, I want to go to the Imperial Capital."

"The Imperial Capital? Do you have relatives there?"

"No, but I want to go and seek my fortune. A real man shouldn't just idle away his time eating free meals at your noble residence forever!"

The reasoning was sound, but Catherine still had one question nagging at her. After hesitating a moment, she asked, "Do you have any money?" She knew very well he was penniless, remembering how Xu Feng had collapsed from hunger by the roadside.

"This..." Xu Feng was speechless. He was probably the poorest transmigrant in history. He sighed. "No. If it's convenient, Miss, could you lend me some?"

This was a last resort. Xu Feng truly couldn't think of any way to earn money. So far in this world, Catherine was the only person he was familiar with. Fortunately, she was a Baroness's daughter, her family comfortable and probably had money saved up. He'd borrow now and repay her once he was successful.

Of course, he wasn't sure if she would agree, but one must always try to know the outcome.

"Alright!"

Catherine considered briefly, then nodded in agreement, her readiness somewhat surprising Xu Feng. "Wait a moment, I'll go get the money for you."

As the girl disappeared among the flowers, Xu Feng still hadn't recovered from his shock... It seemed Lady Luck was finally smiling on him; his streak of bad luck was gradually fading.

"This much?"

Looking at the hundred silver coins before him, the young man looked astonished. Given the cost of living on Hailan Star, this was already a small fortune.

This is too much. What exactly was Catherine's intention in doing this?

Truth be told, the Baroness herself wasn't entirely clear. Facing Xu Feng, she just had this strange feeling—don't misunderstand, it wasn't affection or infatuation, but... a weird hunch that this guy was going to be somebody. It was as if a little voice in her head told her she should offer him help.

Why would she have such a thought? Catherine herself was quite puzzled.

"Take it. It's a long, tough road to the capital, and you have no one to turn to."

"Thank you!"

Xu Feng accepted the silver coins without ceremony. He knew the journey would be dangerous. If he truly prospered like other transmigrants, he would definitely repay this kind-hearted girl.

Watching the young man's back gradually fade into the distance, a pang of loneliness welled up in the Baroness's heart.

Though he had decided to go to the Imperial Capital—after all, similar to Earth, bigger cities offered more opportunities, and one couldn't achieve greatness by staying in a small border town—after leaving the Baron's manor, Xu Feng remembered a crucial problem... he had no idea how to get there. Moreover, Hailan Star wasn't like Earth. Though it possessed wondrous magic, transportation was very backward. No cars, no trains, let alone airplanes. How was he supposed to get there?

Here, moving from one city to another wasn't as simple as buying a ticket.

What should he do?

He was a bit frustrated, but this wasn't an unsolvable problem. Xu Feng soon thought of a plan. He went to the merchant guild in Ruel City and quickly found a good prospect: a merchant caravan heading to the Imperial Capital to sell the elven specialties they had collected from the Green Sea Forest.

Speaking of elves, Xu Feng, who enjoyed fantasy novels before transmigrating, was very interested in them. They revered nature, were elegant and beautiful, with pointed ears as their hallmark, and possessed deep accomplishments in music and art. Of course, what really caught his interest... was elven beauties.

Legend said elves were a race favored by the gods. Their appearances seemed carved by artists. Looking across the entire race, finding an ugly female elf was a difficult task. Just imagine, an entire race of beauties... quite the lure for men.

The power of the elven race was also not to be underestimated. They had established the Nature Alliance, forming a tripartite balance of power with humanity's Taige Empire and the orcs' Orc Kingdom, making them the three strongest forces on Hailan Star. Though there were many other intelligent races, their power was comparatively smaller.

Elves lived in forests but were not isolated from the world. Though thousands of years ago they were indeed self-sufficient, with the development of the times, that conservative lifestyle had been abandoned. They also interacted, traded, and learned from other intelligent races.

Ruel City bordered the Green Sea, serving as an important outpost for trade with the elves. Unfortunately, most human merchants entered the forest to exchange goods with the elves. Although a week had passed since arriving in this world, Xu Feng still hadn't seen the legendary... elven beauties.

However, he heard that in the bustling Imperial Capital, elves and orcs often appeared, and there were even exchange students from their races at the Royal Academy!

Xu Feng was full of anticipation for this. The caravan he had chosen had purchased a large quantity of elven handicrafts from the Green Sea, planning to transport them to the Imperial Capital for sale at high prices. Xu Feng intended to persuade the caravan leader to let him travel with them. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about getting lost, and the safety factor would be much higher, as bandits often appeared on the roads, and caravans hired mercenaries for protection.

Everything went smoothly, but there's no such thing as a free lunch. Xu Feng paid five silver coins and had to cover his own food and lodging on the journey.

This price, how to put it, wasn't considered expensive, considering the journey from here to the Imperial Capital would take over a month. Thinking of this, Xu Feng began to miss Earth again, only now truly appreciating the benefits of developed air travel. If there were airplanes, it would be much faster.

But now, that was just wishful thinking. Xu Feng shook his head, readjusted his mindset, and focused his attention on the present. The mercenaries hired by the merchant group also piqued his interest.