"Check the equipment. We need to be prepared with everything before departure"

Gallahan instructed his men to hurry. A total of twelve men including Will from the Tullus mercenaries would be joining the journey to Orion. They were stocking their food supplies and other necessities required for the trip.

"I did the head could Gramps. Everyone is here"

"Will get the waterproof tent..."

Gallahan and Will were talking to their men when they noticed Ann standing with Ezra.

Ann turned around swiftly.

"Is there a problem Miss?"

"Yes. I... I left something behind. Without it, I would probably die. So I'm going to get it now" Ann blabbered to a confused Ezra and started walking in long strides.

'That blue hair'

Will watched as Ann walked away.

"Oh! Where is she going at such a speed?" Gallahan laughed, stroking his grey beard, and called out to her,

"Wait!"

Ignoring his call Ann walked at full speed in the opposite direction.

"He's calling for you"

"Do you have any respect for your elders?"

Popping out from among the carriages, Noah and Oliver put their hands on Ann's shoulder and stopped her from leaving. They slowly rotated her until she was facing Gallahan.

"Lovely day, isn't it Chief Gallahan?" Ann smiled like a professional artist, the previous scowl on her face had disappeared in the air.

"It is"

Gallahan said with a bright smile. He was followed by a blushing Will hesitating taking glances at Ann.

'I can read his face like an open book'

Ann looked sideways to avoid Will's gaze as much as possible. She remembered him from the tavern.

Ann did not want to complicate her relationship with colleagues especially when they were supposed to travel together for a prolonged time.

Having zero dating experience in both present and past life, and straight-up shipped to a slaughter marriage, she did not want to lose the peace she had been feeling after coming to Nero village.

"How have you been Ann?" Will scratched his head in embarrassment.

"I'm great"

"Is that so"

"..."

The spectators of the one-sided conversation Gallahan, Noah, and Oliver watched them with amused expressions.

Although Gallahan had expectations on his grandson's courtship, Oliver and Noah knew better. So they decided not to interrupt and go with the flow.

"By the way Chief Gallahan..."

Ann changed the subject to dissipate the awkward atmosphere.

"Where are the Wayward merchants? I haven't seen them anywhere"

'And that cutie too. Was his name Kobe?'

Ann had been looking forward to meeting the cute guy who asked her out for a drink at the tavern the previous night. When they reached the tavern there were no signs of the rowdy gang. Even the well-connected Mr. Wilbert did not know where they disappeared to in a single day.

"The Wayward merchants left town before dawn" Gallahan said, recalling the Wayward merchants packing their stuff in the dark.

"What! Why?" Ann asked him in a hurry.

"As far as I know. They were contacted by a rich noble in the middle of the night. Honestly speaking, it was baffling"

"Who is this noble?"

"I'm not sure... Anyway, they are going to the westmost side of Velven. Won't be back for at least four years"

"Four years? That's too long" Ann dropped her shoulders in disappointment.

'I won't get to see that cutie for four years and also ....'

Since the head of the Wayward merchants, Jerome was well into gossip. Ann had planned on chatting him up regarding the affairs of the top-tier elites of Orion.

For a juicy gossip lover like Jerome, the pentagonal love between the protagonists would be like bait to fish. Just mentioning the name of one of the protagonists would have been enough to get all the information needed.

'But now that he is gone, the next eligible person to know of those details will be....' Ann aimlessly looked around the area her eyes landing on a certain well-dressed man.

"Sir Elijah! Thank you for bringing the ointment earlier than scheduled" Mrs.Wilbert said smiling.

On her hand was a small pouch the size of a soda can and inside it were boxes of joint pain ointment exclusively made in Volos, the capital of Orion.

Ann recognized the pouch from her days on the training grounds in Asherd, the capital of Ashford County. The escort knights, who went with Lorenz during his yearly visit to the capital would stock up on the ointment as if it was their life savior. They would arrange the small tin containers like a pyramid and pray to them before distributing them among the knights.

"Always a pleasure to be of your patronage" Elijah winked in a flirtatious manner making Mrs.Wilbert blush.

"Do you have any other requests?"

"Hoho... Youngman"

'He might know'

Ann thought as she fixedly stared at the two having a pleasant conversation from a distance.

"What are you looking at?"

Out of nowhere, Noah appeared before Ann and blocked her view.

"Nothing much" Ann rolled her eyes and turned back to the gang.

"Where is Raeden? I want to speak with him. Oh... And Will needs to check the stable supplies" Gallahan said, patting his blushing grandson's back.

It was obvious to anyone that he was trying to set up alone time between Will and Ann.

"If it isn't much trouble can you take Will to the stables An..."

"Chief Gallahan"

But before Gallahan could finish his sentence Ann interrupted him, her eyes following Elijah walking alone to the back carriages behind Gallahan.

"I am so happy to work with you. Noah and Oliver will take you to where Raeden is. If you have any questions you can ask them. So see you around!"

Ann hastily shook hands with Gallahan and left the Tullus mercenaries in the hands of the twins before she sprinted after Elijah.

"What just happened?" Gallahan blinked his eyes and turned to the twins.

"This is nothing out of the ordinary, Chief Gallahan"

"Yeah. I will take you to Raeden and Will can follow Oliver to the stables"









"Shiny reds and shiny blues take the diamonds as a clue..... hmm hmm... hmm..." Elijah hummed a traditional Agrichian song as he walked back to his entourage. He was thinking about the payment he had received for successfully signing the contract yesterday.

Suddenly someone yanked his arm and in one swoop pulled him to the back of the nearest carriage.

"Hey. You're fresh out of Orion right?" Said a voice in a deep ominous tone.

"Dear lord! You scared me!"

Elijah held his chest and put a hand on the carriage to steady his feet. After taking a moment to calm down he regained his usual flirtatious self and flashed a smile at Ann.

"Why don't you communicate like a normal person?"

"..."

"You're not even gonna ask about my emotional well-being?"

"Are you alright now?" Ann asked with a passive expression and leaned her back to the carriage with folded arms.

"I am"

"Anything exciting going on in Orion's capital?"

"Hmm... exciting" Elijah closed his eyes and fell into thought.

"Ah! Yes!"

"What? What is it?"

"I heard that it is pumpkin season in Volos. For one gold coin, you can take as many pumpkins as you can carry!" Elijah declared with a bright smile.

"Pumpkin?" Ann's face twisted.

The mere mention of the word 'pumpkin' was enough to trigger the horrors of her past life that she had buried deep within.

Although her current body was immune to it, Kim Eunseo had a rare case of pumpkin allergy from a very young age. Whenever she ate anything made from pumpkin it led to swelling eyes and difficulty in breathing.

When one of the kids in middle school fed her pumpkin seeds as a part of a prank. Eunseo was taken to the hospital in an ambulance after she collapsed in the middle of performing as 'Huntsman' in the school play 'Snow White and the seven dwarfs'.

And after a few hit and miss in school, the trauma developed into hatred for the vegetable.

"Haah... Any juicy gossip on prominent figures on the heights of the social ladder?"

"You mean like the runaway princess?"

The corners of Elijah's lips curved into a wicked grin.

"Runaway princess..?" Ann's heart started beating like crazy.

'Am I busted? No! There's no way I got exposed'

"Yes! A crown princess from Nasia ran away from the country to avoid marriage with the prince. It's just a rumor though. Apparently, no one has seen her for months."

"Phew" Ann sighed in relief.

'Happy to know that I'm not the only runaway out there huh'

"Ooh!"

Elijah exclaimed as if he remembered something important, causing Ann to snap back to reality.

"Did you remember anything useful now?" Ann asked eagerly.

"I did hear..." Elijah trailed off pleased by the eagerness on her face.

"Hear what?"

"That the capital has a set of new musicians performing peculiar music. I think it was called 'pop music'. Don't you like singing Ann? Have you ever heard of such music..?"

"..."

Elijah gulped when he saw the ominous aura emanating from Ann.

"Seriously Elijah? You're gonna keep joking like this" Ann clenched her fist.

"Just tell me what you want to know! I'm not a psychic!" Elijah frantically tried to cool Ann down before she punched him in the face.

"You..."

"Ok Ok. I will tell you everything. But everything comes with a price"

"What do you want?" Ann sighed.

"If you are willing to sell that wonderful piece of alchemy." Elijah pointed at the silver nose ring Ann was wearing.

"For that alchemized product, I am willing to narrate everything starting from the emperor's favorite pair of socks to the names of wanted fugitives in the slums"

"Not for sale" Ann stated plainly and smacked Elijah's hand away.

"Then how about that necklace?"

"Again. Not for sale"

"Ehhh" Elijah whined, acting cute.

"But how did you know that my nose ring is alchemized?" Ann asked, curious by his sudden interest in her jewelry.

"I'm a merchant. I know a valuable item when I see one"

"You just want anything that shines, don't you?"

"It's not a bad deal, you know!"

'Screw this! I'll just get information from a guild when I reach Orion' Ann shook her head and walked away ignoring Elijah's pitch for sale.

"Shiny reds and shiny blues take the diamonds as a clue. You never know what you get into. Until you reach the deepest end on the darkest moon"

After Ann left, Elijah hummed the song he was singing before he was interrupted as he merrily continued on his way.