"Your majesty, I think it was wise of us to play things out as we did.

A few of those Zohl's gave me a weird feeling."

"Well, even though I didn't feel anything weird about them, I think it was still good that we hid our identities.

After all, they were strangers now, but we don't know if they would become our enemies or allies in future."

"Hmmm... I agree."

"Me too."

Landon listened calmly while trying to recall the strange behaviour of those Zohls.

While moving from ship to ship stealthily, he had heard some desperate Adonis people yell out that they (the Baymardians) were here to help their comrades (the Zohls).

But if the Adonis people thought they were Morgs, then didn't this mean that those particular group of Zohls were comrades with the Morgs?

Something about this matter didn't sit right with him.

So he didn't bother getting friendly with these people.

At least until he got the full gist of things, that's why he placed the system's bugs on them.

And just as he suspected, they weren't as simple as they liked.

For now, it was better they kept their identity hidden whenever they travelled.

....

The meeting went on, with some people feeling a bit uneasy about the Zohls they met, while others hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary yet.

Well, whatever their thoughts were, it was an undeniable fact that keeping their identity secret was good.

Who knew if those who knew would one day leak the matter?

Sure. Even though it would take months at sea and even more time travelling on land for the information to get to their powerful enemies, it was still best to delay such things... At least until they were ready for such drama.

With that, the brief meeting ended, and everyone hurried along to perform their assigned roles to the best of their knowledge before the upcoming battle.

And just like that, time passed on quickly, with them successfully crossing Devil's Gate and heading towards Zalipnia as planned.

But unlike their serious and heavy mood, back in Baymard, things were as lively as always... Even within the winter.

.

February 20th.

It's been over a month since Ren had arrived in Baymard, and truth be told, he had never had so much fun in his entire life.

The 5-year-old him started going to school alongside others and became a little relaxed as well.

Of course, he was still hesitant to fully open up to people.

But that didn't mean that he was changing.

For the people he had met in Baymard, he found that he had a soft spot for them.

They were unlike any he had seen before.

It was as if politeness and human nurture had been carved into their bones.

On the streets, people would say sorry.

In the hospitals, even the doctors said sorry to him after giving him vaccines.

The dentist did the same after taking out his broken tooth at the back, and many others even at school did the same.

As someone who had stayed 5 whole years in this world, no one had ever told him sorry before.

So he felt that these people were unlike any others.

But that wasn't all.

He found that unlike Deiferus, they didn't care whether one was a woman or man.

All children were treated equally.

Ren couldn't lie. Back in Deiferus, he had heard countless people say men were naturally born smarter than women.

And for a while, he truly believed it... That is until he came here.

Even in his class, many girls put him and several boys to shame.

Also, during Royal training sessions, he had seen Linda beat Momo hands down with incredible strength.

His dentist was also a woman as well.

And all around Baymard, one could find women working and proving that they had what it took to stand toe-to-toe with men.

Coupled with the modern education he began taking, Ren realized that the facts he thought were true turned out to be propaganda instead.

He might've only stayed a month and a few weeks here.

But one would have to be blind not to see the differences between Baymard and Deiferus.

Of course, the most exciting things for him were the fun activities, Tv and fantasy, adventure books and comics.

At first, he thought that he would stay in Baymard for 2 years and leave when he turned 7.

But after assessing things properly and discovering the amazing world here, he decided to stay longer until he turned into an adult (15).

If he left at 7, he would still be too weak, making it easier for whoever was hunting him to get their wish fulfilled.

Whereas, if he stayed here, he would be protected until he grew older.

So why go out hastily? 

He wasn't ready yet!

.

Ren, who was still deep in thought about his future, was suddenly awoken by Mother Kim.

"Little Ren, what do you want to eat?"

"The Steak & Cheese sandwich." 

Mother Kim raised her brows: "Is that all?"

"Ermm... And the meat rolls?"

"Alright. Then what do you want to drink? Remember, you are only permitted to drink hit things. This is still winter, after all. So we don't want you catching a cold, do we?"

"Then... I want apple delight tea."

"Hmmm."

With that, Mother Kim called out his order into the drive-through machine there.

That's right.

They were passing by one of the many drive-through eateries in Baymard.

Ren had been truly amazed by it all.

If someone had told him that such a thing could be possible, he wouldn't undoubtedly look at them as if looking at a fool.

Yet, such a thing did exist, and it was time-saving and awesome!

The moment he got his meal, he began devouring it crazily.

This was one of his best sandwiches, hands down. It was so fulfilling and finger-licking good that he couldn't help himself.

With that, they drove off to pick Lucy, Grace, Momo and little Linda up.

Of course, hidden at safe distances were their guards, who were stealthily following them.

Today was meant as a family vacation.

So if the guards were always by their side 24 hours a day, it would make them feel choked.

And no matter who it was, everyone deserves their personal space from time to time.

.

Ren gazed at the pamphlet in his hands with a deep smile on his face.

Hahahahha!

Finally, they would be going to one of the places he had been dying to see.

That's right!

They were going to the Ski & Snowboarding Park & Resort!