Chapter Forty-Six: The Traveler and the Fool

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Nanzawa City, located on the southeastern border of the Lane Federation, is also the nearest city to the Kingdom of East Dian. It is renowned for the famous Jishui Mountain scenic area, attracting countless tourists from across the Federation each year, while also drawing in a large number of wilderness expedition teams.

At this moment, inside a hotel, a group of people were dining together, discussing their plans for their next mountain expedition.

"Zhang, you’d better be fully prepared this time, right? If not, we won’t let you off so easily," someone teased.

"Exactly! Last month, you practically beat your chest in the group chat to get us all here, and what happened? Every entrance to the Jishui Mountain Gorge was closed off. I’m still a bit annoyed about that," another chimed in.

Around the dining table, everyone chimed in with their own complaints, all bringing up the awkward situation that Zhang Shuping had caused last month.

All eight of them were seasoned hikers, organizing two or three wilderness expeditions each year. Over time, as they assembled and traveled together, they had formed a harmonious little group of adventurers.

In the past, although they occasionally encountered accidents on their trips—sprained ankles or getting lost—these were the usual perils of exploration. But they always managed to overcome them. This time, however, they hadn’t even set out before having to turn back. A month ago, their plan to head into the depths of the Jishui Mountains had been halted by a sudden official notice, forcing everyone to return home.

As the organizer, Zhang Shuping had been left with a bitter taste. Missing out on the adventure was one thing, but losing face was far worse. To him, a person’s dignity was as vital as their very skin.

Determined to reclaim his pride, Zhang Shuping had stayed behind in Nanzawa City for over a month after everyone else had left. During this time, he’d been trying to find out why the authorities had closed off all access to the Jishui Mountains.

After all, survival was the most important thing. If the authorities had shut the mountains for a serious reason, he didn’t want to risk his life. Yet no matter how much he asked around, he couldn’t get any valuable information.

Frustrated and unable to come up with an excuse or restore his reputation, Zhang Shuping turned his attention to finding some less-traveled paths into the mountains.

This, of course, was not difficult at all.

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After all, the locals knew far more than outsiders. Some places looked impassable, but for those familiar with the area, a short trek through the underbrush could reveal hidden trails leading deep into the Jishui Mountains.

This was the real reason Zhang Shuping had called his companions together again. Experienced hikers love adventure, but not at the expense of safety. Finding a reasonably safe path into the mountains was the best outcome. If they couldn’t, then they’d have to weigh the risks.

In the depths of the mountains, cell phones were useless, and even a compass could become unreliable in areas with magnetic interference. That’s why gathering information before each trip was essential.

The Jishui Gorge was about eighty kilometers from Nanzawa City, and only fifty kilometers from the edge of the mountain reserve. The distance wasn’t great, but it was risky, for they were heading into the untouched heart of the ancient forest.

Fifty kilometers was about as far as most people could safely travel in such terrain; any further, and safety could no longer be guaranteed.

At the table, listening to the others’ jokes, Zhang Shuping felt a twinge of resentment. But this time, he was thoroughly prepared and spoke with renewed confidence.

"Don’t worry, everyone! Last time, that notice came out of nowhere—that was my fault for not being prepared," he admitted. "I apologize. How about I punish myself with three drinks?"

"That’s fair!"

"Yeah, drink up! You deserve it, Zhang!" they cheered.

Zhang Shuping, not one to put on airs, promptly downed three glasses of baijiu in front of everyone. His cheeks quickly flushed, as his tolerance was never great.

Taking advantage of the buzz, he continued, "Now that I’ve paid my penalty, are you all satisfied? Let’s talk about our plan for this trip."

Some nodded, others laughed, but all eyes turned to Zhang Shuping.

"I’ve managed to find a small path, one that completely avoids all the official checkpoints," he said.

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"An adventurer without a sense of adventure is no adventurer at all! We’re exactly the sort of people who want to do something even more when others try to stop us—am I right?" Zhang Shuping declared.

"Absolutely!" Xu Hui, who had already had a few drinks, stood up and exclaimed, "If we weren’t tired of the city’s concrete and those tiresome rules, who would come out to the wilds like this?"

"We’re a group of people who don’t want to be bound by rules, who yearn for freedom! So never mind the authorities’ blockades—even if the emperor himself showed up, it wouldn’t stop us. As for the Jishui Mountains, heh, I’m definitely going!"

"Exactly! Haven’t we done this before? Enough testing the waters, Zhang—just tell us when we’re leaving!"

"Yes, just tell us the time. I’m going for sure—I’ve come all this way for the second time, and if we don’t go now, who knows when I’ll be free again?"

Their enthusiastic responses satisfied Zhang Shuping.

"That’s what I wanted to hear!" he laughed. "But it’s not convenient to spread out the map here at the table. Let’s finish eating and discuss the details in the hotel room. As for when to leave, let’s plan for the next few days—I think we need some time to buy more supplies."

"Agreed!"

"Sounds good!"

"…"

And so, as this group prepared to disregard the official warnings and head into the mountains, some seventy kilometers away in the Jishui range, a sika deer was receiving instruction from Adam.

All this had started because, during their exchanges on the level of consciousness, Adam had discovered that the sika deer could only transmit very simple words, repeating them like a parrot.

It could only mimic Adam’s words during their mental conversations, repeating them exactly as they were said. After a few tries, Adam fell silent for a long while, easily concluding that this new member was, to put it mildly, not very bright.

So, taking on the role of a caring elder, Adam began endlessly chattering to the sika deer, not even sure if it could understand.

The sika deer, for its part, imitated him like a baby learning to speak, haltingly repeating the sentences transmitted by Adam.

At this, Adam could only marvel—marvel at his father’s mercy, love, and greatness, for even such a fool could receive his grace and compassion.