Li realized that for over a month, it had only been him and Old Thane eating and living together. The old man never had visitors, and for the first time, he knew why.

"You should have made some new friends!" said Jeanne as she put down her mug. A moustache of beer foam bubbled above her pink lips. The basket that Azhar had carried in was full of cured meats and a pitcher of beer, and Jeanne had decided rather loudly that it was time to make merry.

Old Thane shook his head and took a small sip of his beer. "The men and women I called friends have long pa.s.sed into the gates of Valhul. I cannot tarnish their memory with new companions. Besides, any friend at this age seeing me with these eyes would have been there to pity me, and pity is the last thing I need."

Jeanne frowned. "People are good these days. It's not like how it was when you fought against the demons. There's so much peace and so much prosperity – I'm sure at least some folk would have loved to get to know you and your riveting tales."

"Oh Jeanne, you're kind, but as naïve as ever," said Old Thane as he shook his head with a smile.

"No, no," she protested, a little emboldened by the drink. "It's true. My mentor at the Temple says that ever since the d.u.c.h.ess graced us with her good rule, smiles have never been so plentiful."

"Ya know, that sounds exactly like what I'd say if my livelihood depended on kissin' the crown's a.r.s.e," muttered Azhar as he chewed on a slice of ham.

"Oh, quiet, you," said Jeanne as she lightly punched his shoulder. "Always so cynical."

"And you're a little too suns.h.i.+ne and flowers," said Azhar. "A whole lotta' the good out there ain't gonna last when something like a war comes knocking."

"He's right," said Li. He sat with his arms crossed and seat drawn back, carefully watching the trio interact with Old Thane. They got along well enough. "There's a lot of sc.u.m out there. Peacetime is when they're too afraid to show themselves, but come war? You get to see the worst of all of them."

Sylvie pushed her chair forward so that she sat beside Li. She leaned forward, eyes twinkling with interest. "You sound like you've been in a war. Tell me, was it in your home country?"

Li pushed his chair back and said, "You could say that."

He remembered his experiences fighting for the army. Unpleasant, to say the very least. It wasn't the same as this world, of course, but in many aspects, he figured it was worse. So many more people died in so many more impersonal ways on a modern battlefield.

"Oh, Sylvie, there you go again with your obsession with the East," said Jeanne as she looked at Sylvie with a playful smile.

"Stop it, Jeanne," said Sylvie as she looked at Li once before looking away bashfully. "It's, you know, history. Li might be the only living person in this whole kingdom that knows anything about what few preserved Eastern tales and secrets we have."

"Your gear's Eastern," said Li. "Seems like you already know a decent amount about where I come from."

Sylvie perked up, happy that Li was engaging her. "You could say that, but even so, Soleilian records of the Xia are so spa.r.s.e. Our last contact was one hundred years ago, can you believe it? My ninja equipment and training all come from dusty scrolls that were traded over so very long ago."

She put her hands on her knees and leaned forward, her curiosity-addled eyes almost boring holes through Li. "I don't mean to impose, but could you tell us about your land? I've dreamed – I mean, I've studied so much about it."

Li shook his head. "Can't help you there. I remember very little about where I came from."

This was the convenient lie he had settled on to make an excuse about why he knew so little about where he was supposed to be from. The fact that Sylvie confirmed that there were no others like him here to disprove him meant he was comfortable saying it.

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"Mighty convenient, huh?" remarked Azhar. He sat at the very end of the table with his arms crossed like Li.

"Got a problem?" said Li.

Jeanne reached across the table and gave Azhar's head a light karate chop. "Shush. Li is a good man. He's taken care of Thane and he saved our lives. You should be more thankful."

Azhar rubbed his head, his tattooed hand sifting through rough and coa.r.s.e black hair. "d.a.m.n it, Jeanne, learn to hold back a little."

"Now back to our previous little chat," said Jeanne as she ignored Azhar and turned to Sylvie and Li. "Sylvie, are you sure the only thing you're interested in here is history?"

"Whatever do you mean?" stammered Sylvie.

"I noticed you haven't touched your drink."

"Because we need to start on our ghoul contract tomorrow!"

"Oh really?" Jeanne smirked. "You sure it isn't for some other reason? Last time you had some drink in you, you went on and on about how handsome and wonderful the men of the East in your scrolls seemed to be."

Sylvie blushed faintly, but even a little red stood out on her pale face. "Jeanne, you know very well yourself that drink leads the mind astray. And I think we've fallen off too far from why we came."

She retreated her chair away from Li and back to the table before she turned to face him. She coughed into her hand and said, "So as I was saying. When we parted, I felt that it was too little for me to say that we would help. Action would speak volumes more. And thus, we decided to come here to extend our aid."

Li stiffened. "With what? There's nothing you can do to help us. We don't need protection and I've got the farm under control. Right, old man?"

"Aye, the berries have never been happier with you around," he agreed. "My old heart is excited to see what you'll make of the herbs."

Sylvie nodded. "And that's what we want to help with. I know that you're excellent working with the earth. I also know that you've a sharp mind about you and do not doubt that you'll pa.s.s the herbalist's exam. But there are other ways we could help. Starting your business, for one."

"I don't get it," said Li. "For five years, Old Thane was blind and without his wife. You had five years to help him. I understand that you were away. But you couldn't have visited once in a while? Sent some coin?"

Sylvie shook her head, her eyes downcast. "All three of us entered into guild apprentices.h.i.+p when we were fourteen. At that time, Thane was still as healthy as ever and Aine still a ray of suns.h.i.+ne. News of Aine's pa.s.sing only reached us two years later, and by then, we were split among Soleil's many guilds, scurrying about on a.s.signments in remote wildernesses far from here."

Li shrugged. "a.s.signments? So you were doing work. Work means coin. Coin that could've come here."

"It's alright, Li," said Old Thane as he sensed the rising tensions. "I understand your concern, young lad, I do. But I know these young ones. They mean well."

"Let me still explain," said Sylvie. She had regained her composure now, her posture straightening and her tone regaining an almost academic calm. "Guild apprentices cannot earn coin. We live under adventurers that teach us the craft, but little to nothing comes our way. When we did graduate, we reunited and formed a party, and that was the first we heard of Thane's condition.

We tried very hard to make do for ourselves so that we would have enough to help, but even with the four of us, it seemed even goblins were insurmountable challenges."

"Everyone thinks adventures are rolling in coin or some s.h.i.+te," said Azhar. "Ain't that the farthest from the truth you can get. Before your first few successful hunts when the guild gives ya a bronze medal and actually starts sponsorin' ya, ya got nothin'. No coin for weapons, repairs, herbs, elixirs. Absolutely f.u.c.kin' nothin'."

"Four of you?" said Li. He narrowed his eyes. "Where's the other one?"

Sylvie closed her eyes. "They say one in four adventurers dies in the first year of service. We had another party member. A warrior from the north. He very much wished to see Thane – they were from neighboring tribes. But alas, the chance was robbed from him."

"Basilisk did him in," said Jeanne. She stared at the dinner table; her hands balled into fists. "But thank the G.o.ds I awoke to my heroic gift and beat that d.a.m.ned creature into oblivion."

"And with her gift came the turn of our fortunes," said Sylvie. "With Jeanne holding the might of heroes, we finally managed to finish contracts and grow stronger. Once we gained our bronze medals, our lives became much easier."

She folded her hands over her lap as she looked at Li. "That was one month ago. Me and Azhar received our bronze medals and Jeanne went straight to silver for beating a basilisk to death with her bare hands. With our medals came enough coin that we didn't sc.r.a.pe our bowls clean every single meal just to get by. We headed here as soon as we could to help Thane. And also, we want to help you, the man who saved our lives."

Li looked at the three. Sylvie stared at him with a half-smile, expectant but ready to leave if Li didn't feel satisfied. Jeanne, on the other hand, was all hope and smiles, her blue eyes strikingly wide with eagerness to help. Azhar looked down and had uncrossed his arms in a show of respect.

"Alright, alright, stop giving me those puppy-dog eyes," said Li. "I'll hear you all out, but on one condition: the farm is entirely my and Old Thane's domain. We manage it well already and we don't need any more hands on it."