CHAPTER 61: ROUTE

A look of annoyance and anger flashed across the courier’s face when he heard Nalira say that. Nalira’s words sounded harsh to his ears, as if she doubted everything he had said before.

"Lira, what are you doing?" Chelsie looked at Nalira with a questioning expression. "Why do you say that to Mr. Courier? He knows very well about this place very well, so why are you doubting him?"

"Yes, I think Chelsie has a point," Shaan added. "We must trust him, Nalira. So, we can get out of this place and back to our home."

"You two shouldn’t be so naive." Nalira gave Mr. Courier a sharp look. "He could be part of a group of bandits or some other bad people disguised as someone trustworthy, trying to do something terrible to us," Nalira explained. "This place is deserted, and groups like that usually strike in areas like this."

’Bandits?’ Shaan stroked his chin. ’Yeah, I’ve heard about them before. Inside the Dark Realm, several rogue groups exist—one of them being bandits who steal and plunder game from amateur Daemonists. Nobody knows exactly where those bandits come from, but they pose a threat to all Daemonists. They will pretend to be ordinary people asking for help, especially targeting new Daemonists who have never entered the Dark Realm before. When the Daemonist drops their guard, the bandits take the chance to rob them of everything. It’s a pretty terrifying situation.’

"Uhmm... but we can’t call this man a bandit without any proof that he is one, right?"

Nalira paused for a moment after hearing Chelsie’s words. "Alright then, prove it. Tell this man to show that he’s not a bandit."

’Jeez, Nalira seems to have trust issues with almost everyone, including Mr. Courier.’

"Uhm... Mr. Courier, would you mind showing us that you’re not a bandit or one of those criminals in disguise?"

"Alright. If your friend doesn’t believe me, I’ll prove it." Mr. Courier let out a long sigh. "Frankly, showing this to you goes against the rules set by the faction because it’s a secret thing, but I don’t have a choice right now."

Mr. Courier slowly removed his glove and rolled up his sleeve. A strange symbol shaped like a red moon appeared on his wrist. Just below it, a cluster of vertical lines with numbers underneath it caught Shaan’s eye, which reminded him of some kind of barcode.

"Huh? What is that?"

"This is a courier’s identity mark, specially crafted and nearly impossible to replicate," Mr. Courier explained calmly. He pointed at the strange symbol on his wrist. "This red moon indicates my affiliation with the Red Moon Faction. These red lines below it form my code. The numbers in the code shift and glow whenever I receive a new assignment. When the task is completed, the light fades away on its own."

"Oh, I see." Shaan slowly stroked his chin and shifted his gaze toward Nalira. "Nalira, I think he is the actual courier."

Mr. Courier glanced at Nalira. "So, do you still doubt that I’m a courier?"

"...Alright, I get it." Nalira gave a small nod, her expression softening. "I’m sorry."

"Apology accepted," Mr. Courier replied with a smile. "So, where are you all planning to go? What are you doing in the Silent Forest?"

’Silent Forest?’ Shaan nodded to himself. ’Oh, so that’s the name of this place. No wonder it feels so quiet.’

"We’re planning to go to the nearest Twilight Sanctum, Mr. Courier," Chelsie explained. "But... we haven’t been able to locate it yet. Uhmm... do you know where the nearest Twilight Sanctum is from here?"

"Yes, of course. I know exactly where it is," Mr. Courier replied with a slight nod. "Coincidentally, I am also planning to head back there after completing my current assignment."

Without saying anything, Mr. Courier reached into his backpack and pulled out a rolled-up piece of brown parchment. The worn, faded color made it look old and fragile. A thin red string tied it shut, giving the whole thing the appearance of a treasure map, just like the kind Shaan had seen in old adventure books.

"Wait, is that... a treasure map?" Chelsie frowned, squinting at the scroll. "It looks like one, doesn’t it?"

’So, I’m not the only one who thinks like that,’ Shaan smiled faintly

Mr. Courier laughed. "Haha... no, no, it’s not a treasure map. This is just a regular map of the Dark Realm. It only shows delivery routes and nearby Twilight Sanctums."

He untied the red string and spread the map open across a nearby flat surface. "Look here. This is where we are now," he said, pointing to a cluster of trees drawn in the center of the map. "We need to pass through this forest, and then we’ll reach the Tansel Dark swamp. Once we cross the swamp, we’ll find a set of stone steps that lead up to a hanging bridge. That bridge will take us straight to the Twilight Sanctum."

He looked up at them with a serious look. "It’s still quite a journey, and I won’t admit it. But don’t worry, compared to my last mission, this is nothing."

’Wait. What? Did he just say not too far?’ Shaan shook his head. ’We haven’t even made it halfway, and he calls that not too far? Damn. This courier’s stamina must be way beyond what I imagined.’

"Mr. Courier," Shaan asked, trying not to sound too alarmed, "How long will the journey take? Are we talking days... or weeks?"

"That depends," Mr. Courier replied. "If I’m traveling alone, I usually make it in two or three days, and I rarely stop to rest. But since there are four of us now, we’ll need proper rest breaks. I’d estimate around four to five days... assuming nothing goes wrong. If we run into trouble, it could take longer."

"...Alright, we understand," Nalira said with a firm nod. "In that case, we should leave this forest as soon as possible. The sooner we start, the sooner we reach the Twilight Sanctum."

"Yeah, I agree with Lira," Chelsie added quickly. "The longer we stay here, the more likely we’ll run into something... dangerous."

"Very well then," Shaan said, turning to Mr. Courier. "Please lead the way."

"I’d be glad to," Mr. Courier said with a confident smile. He rolled up the map and tucked it safely back into his pack. "Let’s move. Now, it’s time to leave this place."