"But does staying in Loren really guarantee safety?" Yuna asked seriously.
Kanzaki Rei: "…Mm."
That… really wasn't something he could guarantee.
He had no idea how many forces in the Moonsea possessed the power to destroy entire continents.
Nor did he know what their attitude would be toward outsiders like them.
Kanzaki Rei replied,
"There's no need to rush the decision. We don't even know where Iz and the others ended up yet."
He paused, thinking, then continued:
"However, there's a continent nearby called Misrishia."
"Even if I can't keep you with me the whole time, exploring Misrishia together for now shouldn't be a problem."
"Misrishia?" Yuna repeated.
"Yeah," Kanzaki Rei nodded. "It's a continent with a large beastfolk population—but there are also many human city-states."
"Based on Misrishia's location, we're currently in the southeastern region of the Moonsea. The Moonlit Point is at the center, so if we want to go there, we'll have to head northwest."
"So I think… it's worth taking a look at Misrishia first."
During his simulations, Kanzaki Rei had already purchased a map of the Moonsea on Misrishia.
That single map had cost 150 gold coins.
It could only be bought from highly specialized cartography shops—an extremely expensive item.
When fully unfolded, the map alone could cover an entire 500-square-meter room.
Across its surface—
Large and small islands, shipping routes, continents, monster habitats, suspected deep-sea nests, forbidden life zones, ancient ruins, primeval forests, hazardous waters…
Everything was meticulously marked.
It was said that the map was the work of an Level 8 Observer.
To advance from Level 8 to Level 9, an Observer had to completely chart the entire world.
For reasons unknown, this Moonsea map had somehow circulated outward—
Eventually becoming a commercial product.
Still…
150 gold for a map was undeniably expensive.
Even if the map itself was enormous, at the end of the day, it was just a reproduction of the original.
So why the price?
Because it included additional annotations from the shop owner.
The map itself was already many years old.
Over time, the waters around Misrishia had changed significantly.
The shop owner added updated notes based on his own experience.
That was what justified the price.
The Moonsea was simply too vast.
Even Misrishia—
A massive continent that, when viewed from Loren's western horizon, stretched across the sea like an endless line—
Was nothing more than a small dot on the full map.
As for the smaller islands around it?
They looked like sesame seeds.
After purchasing the map, the shop owner even included a localized map of the Misrishia region.
On that map, Misrishia finally appeared as the colossal landmass it truly was.
Of course—
The newly appeared Loren Continent wasn't on any map.
Kanzaki Rei continued,
"Misrishia shouldn't be too dangerous."
"If the Moonsea turns out to be more dangerous than expected, we can decide later whether to head to the World Tree or the Moonlit Point together."
He thought for a moment.
Sooner or later, he would have to leave Loren.
He couldn't stay here forever, guarding a single continent.
Nor could he guarantee anyone's safety indefinitely.
And there was another reason—
Yuna was part of the source of his Scholar abilities.
Without her, his rate of absorbing knowledge would slow significantly.
There was also her advancement.
If he wanted to ensure she progressed properly, it was better to keep her close.
Otherwise, who knew when he'd return?
The Secret Sand Archipelago itself wasn't a central region of the Moonsea.
If anything—
It was like a remote mountain village.
He hadn't even seen the truly prosperous continents yet.
"Then I'll go," Yuna said immediately.
Kanzaki Rei sighed softly.
"Yuna, before making a decision, you should ask your parents."
An eight-year-old child wandering the world with someone else—
What parent would be at ease with that?
But Yuna answered without hesitation:
"I already asked them. They said if you agree, then I can go with you."
Kanzaki Rei's lips twitched.
…What kind of parents are those?
If it were his daughter—
If she wanted to travel the world with some boy at age eight—
Not only would he refuse, he might break the boy's legs.
As expected…
The values of another world were very different from Earth.
…
March 25 — 8:00 AM
Iz and the others should have already dealt with An Zheng by now.
After that, they would intercept the Executor from the Church of Death before initiating teleportation.
At that point, the direction indicated by the Life Pointer would reveal their destination.
The Boundless Mountains lay to the west of the Moonsea.
While pointing west didn't necessarily confirm they had arrived there—
If the pointer didn't point west, they were most likely still within the Moonsea.
Even if they couldn't determine it immediately, they could later communicate using messenger doves or long-range rituals.
As Kanzaki Rei planned his next steps—
Swish—
With a flicker of spatial magic, he appeared in Lulu Veyne's room.
"Uh… Lulu Veyne, what a coincidence."
Her fist clenched instantly.
At that moment, Lulu Veyne was standing at the bathroom door—
Completely naked.
"Kanzaki Rei. You did that on purpose."
He had appeared at the exact moment she stepped out of the bath.
Yet Kanzaki Rei showed no embarrassment at all, speaking calmly:
"Lulu Veyne, fate contains elements of randomness."
"Sometimes, even the most absurd situations are merely coincidences."
Lulu Veyne took a deep breath.
In the end, she sat down on the bed calmly.
"Now that Kumira isn't here, there's not much I can do about you."
"So—what do you want this time?"
"…Aren't you going to get dressed first?" Kanzaki Rei asked.
Her face flushed instantly, but she retorted stubbornly:
"You've already seen everything!"
"If you want to look so badly, then go ahead and look your fill!"
"Even if I put clothes on, you'd probably just rip them off anyway!"
Kanzaki Rei sighed.
"Lulu Veyne… is that really how you see me?"
She turned her head away.
"Hmph. Pretty much."
"Now that they're gone, you can do whatever you want."
…Why does it sound like you want me to do whatever I want?
Kanzaki Rei thought silently.
Still, he showed no embarrassment, looking at her openly as he spoke:
"I've gathered some information about the area."
"There's a vast continent to the west. I plan to go there first."
"You should come with me."
…This guy really has no sense of shame at all.
Not even trying to avoid the situation—
Just casually chatting like it's normal?!
Shouldn't he be embarrassed and run away like a normal kid?!
After her initial burst of anger faded—
Lulu Veyne was the one who started feeling uncomfortable.
"…Leaving Loren already?" she asked stiffly.
"Mm. I need to get familiar with the Moonsea."
Her expression twitched slightly.
He spoke as if nothing was unusual at all.
"…Right. That makes sense. A new region, after all…"
"…Fine. I'll go with you."
She coughed lightly.
"I still feel like I didn't wash properly… I'm going back in."
Her fair, slightly flushed thighs shifted restlessly.
"I'll come find you afterward!"
With that, she rushed back into the bathroom—
BANG!
She slammed the door—
Only to send the entire door flying off its hinges from excessive force.
The bathroom door fell aside, leaving the entrance completely open.
Kanzaki Rei looked at it.
…Did I push her a bit too far?
"…Uh, Lulu Veyne, I'll go invite Reina first."
…
[Moonsea — Misrishia]
"Come take a look! White-scale breastplate, only 5 gold! Guaranteed quality!"
"Ohoho~ Care to try a mystery jar? Anything could come out! Your chance to get rich is right here!"
"Potion blind boxes! Clearance sale! 50 silver each!"
Kanzaki Rei walked through the streets of Arlant City, appearing as an utterly ordinary child.
An unremarkable child—
The least suspicious form possible.
From Lulu Veyne's perception—
This city was immense.
A continuous megacity stretching across a radius of tens of thousands of kilometers.
The streets were packed.
Endless vendors shouting, countless pedestrians rushing by.
Just this single street alone had hundreds of thousands of people.
A true sea of humanity.
Though it was a human city—
Beastfolk could be seen everywhere.
After all, Misrishia was fundamentally a beastfolk-dominated continent.
Kronoria on Loren was already enormous.
Larger than entire provinces on Earth.
But compared to this city?
It was like a budding flower.
This single city alone—
Was comparable to the size of Earth itself.
Yuna clutched her book, standing blankly in the street.
Her hair strands even stood upright as she processed everything.
Normally clever—
But now completely dazed.
…So big.
She had read about places like this—
But seeing it in person was completely different.
And this…
Was the perspective of an Observer?
Such a vast sensory range—
It was breathtaking.
Yuna couldn't fly.
Her perception range was tiny.
Her life had been limited to the White Tower and Kanzaki Rei's home.
This was her first time leaving Kronoria.
So the world…
Was this vast.
In that moment, she finally understood what Kanzaki Rei meant—
Knowledge had to be combined with experience.
Yuna wasn't the only one shocked.
Even Reina Frost was stunned by Arlant City.
Kanzaki Rei glanced at their expressions and shook his head slightly.
…Is this what they call country bumpkins entering the city?
Compared to the true metropolises of this world—
Loren really was insignificant.
Would there be cities larger than entire continents?
What kind of people lived in places like that?
What kind of events unfolded there?
"Yuna."
She snapped back to reality at his voice.
"We should register at the White Tower first."
"Okay!"
The White Tower was a global organization.
Its identification was valid across all branches.
The sudden appearance of Loren in the Moonsea was an anomaly.
A continent that appeared out of nowhere—
Of course it would attract attention.
So if he truly wanted to remain unnoticed—
It was far better to blend into an established Moonsea continent.
Become just another ordinary resident.
Kanzaki Rei didn't fly ahead.
Instead, he walked like a normal child, chatting casually with his companions.
Amid the bustling crowd—
On the opposite side of the street—
Another child walked past, accompanied by two adults.
They entered a massive, imposing building:
The Advancement Hall.
[Arlant City — Advancement Hall]
Inside a sealed chamber—
Two middle-aged men knelt on one knee before a child.
"Lord Seiichi."
"In such a short time… to undergo so many advancements…"
"Isn't this too rushed?"
The child known as Seiichi casually waved his hand.
"My affairs are not for you to question."
"You need only fulfill your duties."
As he spoke—
He glanced at the piece of leather in his hand.
The writing on it had completely faded.
That person…
Had disappeared.
The one who stole his Reincarnation Mark.
Seiichi couldn't even remember who it was anymore.
He used to be able to sense them—
Somewhere in the distant Arcane Sea—
But now…
It was completely gone.
"Enough."
"Complete my Level 6 Scholar advancement immediately."
"After that… I will personally visit the White Tower."