Kai's boots touched the stone road as he stepped fully past the gate.
The air inside felt different somehow. It was less heavy, no longer filled with the damp chill and the strange energy of the mist.
Instead, it carried the faint aroma of roasted meat, burning oil, and the earthy scent of old wood.
The small town unfolded before him showing rows of wooden houses with tiled rooftops leaned close together and walls patched with stone and timber.
Lanterns dangled from hooks above the doors with orange glow painting the streets in warm light.
Stalls lined a narrow square just beyond the entrance. Most already covered for the night, even though a few late vendors still shouted half-hearted offers for hot buns and dried herbs.
Kai was still able to hear Children's laughter rang from an alley where a few lanterns still burned and the chatter of men playing dice echoed from a tavern corner.
He saw a few men dressed in robes carrying various things like wooden boxes filled with engraving, leather bags, or a single metal container that looked like a suitcase in his world.
He wonders who those are. Are they like the cultivators of this world? But why are they carrying those things? Some not even carrying swords.
But he looked around again and compared to the silence of the endless mist plain this pocket of noise and warmth felt like another world entirely.
Just as Kai let the sight sink in, a faint chime rang in his ears.
A translucent blue window appeared before his eyes that was only visible to him.
[Quest Complete: You have reached a Safe Human Settlement]
[Rewards: +50 EXP, 1 Basic Starter Pack (Unopened)]
Kai blinked and stunned for half a heartbeat before his lips curled into a smile. The glow of the screen faded, but the smile remained.
One of the guards glanced at him, frowning slightly. "What are you smiling about?"
Kai quickly shook his head, masking the truth.
"I'm just… relieved. After wandering the mist, I didn't think I'd find a real town. I guess I'm just happy to find myself inside it," Kai said.
The guards seemed to accept the answer with a small grunt, but their eyes still held traces of suspicion.
Kai lowered his gaze, hiding the gleam of excitement in his eyes.
He had no intention of opening the reward pack here in the middle of town.
That would wait until he had a quiet place alone where no one could see him.
For now, he would just follow the guards deeper inside.
—
The two guards flanked Kai and guided him away from the bustle of the square until they stopped in front of the tallest building in town.
It loomed above the clustered houses, its frame built from dark timber and reinforced stone.
A wide staircase led up to its entrance where two more guards stood at attention with halberds in hand.
"We found this one walking alone through the mist plain," one of the escorts announced.
The two stationed guards narrowed their eyes immediately, scrutinizing Kai from head to toe.
Their gazes lingered on his torn bloodstained robes and the dried red streaks across his face. Suspicion darkened their expressions.
"Was he hurt?" one of them asked, shifting his halberd slightly.
"Not really," the escort replied. "He seems fine enough. But we'll have him checked by a physician later. For now, we need him reported directly to the town mayor."
The stationed guards exchanged a look before nodding curtly.
One stepped aside, pushing open the heavy double doors.
The faint smell of old paper, ink, and burning oil seeped from within.
"Go in," he said flatly.
Kai followed his escorts inside.
The halls were lit with lanterns placed at regular intervals, shadows stretching across the carved wooden beams above.
His steps felt loud in the corridor but his heartbeat was louder. He didn't know how all this was going to develop but he just needed to do his best.
Finally, the guards stopped at a large set of doors reinforced with bronze fittings.
They pushed them open, revealing a spacious chamber lit by tall standing lamps.
At the far end, seated behind a heavy desk of polished wood, was the leader of the town. A man with broad shoulders, streaks of silver in his tied-back hair, and sharp eyes that seemed to pierce through the gloom.
"Lord Renhai," the escorting guard bowed, voice firm. "We bring a traveler we found wandering alone in the mist plain."
Kai stood frozen for a moment under the weight of that gaze, realizing this was his first true audience with a person in power in this unknown new world.
Renhai's frown deepened as his sharp voice cut through the silence.
"A traveler, alone, you said?"
"Yes, my lord," one of the guards answered quickly. "He claims to have lost his memory and awakened near the river."
Renhai's eyes didn't leave Kai. The silence stretched, it felt heavy and suffocating.
Kai shifted nervously under the weight of the man's gaze, his palms sweating.
Then Renhai slowly rose from his seat.
The air seemed to thicken as he approached, his sharp eyes locking onto Kai with such intensity that Kai felt as if they could strip the flesh from his bones.
He swallowed hard, trying to steady his breath.
As the town leader of Redmist Town, Renhai stood tall and commanding.
His aura was unmistakable because he was an expert at the third rank, the Storm Rider Realm.
Just by standing close, he could sense things ordinary people could never grasp. And what he sensed in Kai made him curious.
"This boy was not ordinary. There's talent and strength hidden within him. But it's still clouded. I need to make sure later."
Renhai's hand went to the hilt of Kai's sword. In one smooth motion he drew it and raised the blade under the lantern's glow.
His eyes narrowed at the edge. It was bloody, chipped, and dull.
"You must have fought magical beasts with this broken thing," Renhai said, almost to himself, nodding with grim satisfaction.
The two guards stiffened, unsure of what their lord was thinking.
They couldn't sense anything strange about the ragged young man before them but Renhai clearly had.
Then Renhai's eyes sharpened again. "What's your name?"
"M-my name is Kai," Kai stammered.
Renhai's expression didn't change. "And you've truly lost your memory?"
"Yes, sir," Kai answered quickly.
Renhai let out a thoughtful hum. He studied Kai once more, then said, "Strange. I wonder why fate brought you here like this. Hm… very well. I have a proposal."
Kai straightened instinctively.
"I will help you," Renhai continued, "perhaps even find the clues you seek. But in return… you will do something for me first."
The two guards exchanged glances. This wasn't the outcome they expected.
They thought that have him checked by the physician, Renhai might imprison the stranger or at least drive him away after giving him treatment.
Instead, their lord was offering help.
Which could only mean one thing. Renhai had sensed something. And if the strongest man in town himself was interested in this man, then Kai was not simple at all.
Kai froze, his thoughts racing.
He didn't truly lose his memory. He had come from another world entirely! So what clue could he ask this man to find?!
But perhaps, Renhai's offer could still help him.
Maybe somewhere in this cultivation world, there was a way to cross dimensions so he could use it to go back home.
"I… agree, sir," Kai said after a moment of hesitation, bowing slightly.
Renhai's lips curled faintly, almost like a smile. "Good."
—