Chapter 170: Helping others is the source of happiness.

Early the next morning, the young adventurers in the camp began waking one after another.

Shu Li was awakened by something gnawing on him.

Even in his sleep, Budno the little pig had not forgotten about food and had mistaken Shu Li’s hand for a carrot.

Shu Li opened his eyes to find his hand covered in drool. Thoroughly annoyed, he smacked Budno awake.

“What is it? What happened?” Budno rolled over and sat up, looking utterly bewildered and still half asleep.

Shu Li wiped the drool off his hand in disgust and reminded him that it was time to get up.

Budno stumbled to his feet in a daze, doing whatever Shu Li told him without any awareness of what was going on. It was not until he left the tent and the cold morning wind struck him that he finally woke up properly.

Kumandi was the first Fairy to rise. He had already boiled a pot of water and prepared breakfast.

When Shu Li caught the sweet aroma and saw the warmed wheat cakes, he was astonished.

The quiet genius was so considerate!

“Crunch, crunch—”

Farm crouched beside Kumandi’s feet, holding a piece of fruit between his short, chubby forelegs and eating with great relish.

When he noticed that Shu Li was awake, he finished the last bite, licked his lips as though he still wanted more, and whined, “I’m so sleepy~~”

The implication was that Shu Li had gotten up far too late.

Speechless, Shu Li walked over and extended his right hand. Farm instantly transformed into a streak of red light and slipped into the Fire God’s Mark.

A full stomach followed by another lovely nap—what more could he possibly want?

“He did well,” Kumandi said. “He ate a third-rank magical beast last night.”

Shu Li’s eyes widened in astonishment. “R-Really? I didn’t know at all.”

Since he knew Farm was a tenth-rank magical beast and had absolute faith in his strength, Shu Li had gone to sleep without a care in the world.

“You... didn’t sleep last night?”

When Shu Li woke that morning, Kumandi had been nowhere to be seen, and his bedding was already cold to the touch.

Surely the quiet genius hadn’t stayed awake all night?

“I slept.” Seeing the concern on his face, Kumandi explained, “I just went to sleep a little later than the rest of you.”

It was not that he doubted Farm’s strength. He simply believed that they could not entrust their safety entirely to a young magical beast.

So he had extended his perception and secretly observed their surroundings for half an hour to see whether any magical beasts would intrude upon the camp.

Just as he had expected, an arrogant third-rank magical beast had indeed approached. Kumandi had thrown off his blanket and was about to leave the tent to drive it away when, before he could even rise, he sensed an immense pressure. A moment later, the sound of an enormous beast chewing its food came from outside the tent.

His extended perception told him that the little creature who usually pretended to be young and harmless had suddenly grown enormous and was enjoying the meal that had delivered itself to his door.

Kumandi lay back down and withdrew his perception.

Watching a magical beast eat was hardly pleasant. Too much of that would only ruin the quality of his sleep.

By the time Shu Li finished listening, his mouth was hanging open in astonishment. Not only was the quiet genius remarkably observant, but he was also exceedingly cautious. Traveling with him offered an overwhelming sense of security.

The companions sat down around the fire one after another and exchanged morning greetings. Shu Li cast water magic to help everyone wash up.

They had exhausted themselves climbing the mountain all day yesterday, but after a good night’s sleep, they had regained their energy and were all in high spirits.

Once they finished breakfast, they packed up the camp, stuffed everything into their storage rings, and resumed their adventure.

They had to reach Kesheng Town before the end of the day.

Half an hour later, Team Light emerged from the woods and entered a flat stretch of wasteland.

Although the Dalia Empire was one of the four great powers of the Austin Continent, the administration of its borderlands clearly left much to be desired. Abandoned wasteland stretched everywhere, overgrown with weeds and utterly deserted.

They walked for a long time without encountering a single human.

“Is this really the Dalia Empire?” Disio raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun and gazed into the distance.

“Yeah, it’s really barren,” Budno lamented. “What happened to all that prosperity we were promised? I haven’t seen a trace of it.”

“Sperien, did you and Ilio pass through here last time?” Angel asked. “How much farther do we have to go before we see any humans?”

Shu Li wiped the sweat from his face and shook his head. “Last time, I fell asleep after climbing the mountain and didn’t wake up until the next day.”

He had no idea how Ilio had found the traveling performance troupe’s caravan while carrying him on his back, then paid only a few gold coins to hitch a ride the rest of the way.

Budno unfastened the waterskin hanging from his waist and took several gulps. “It would be great if we ran into a caravan too.”

Then, just like Ilio, they could pay a few gold coins, ride in a carriage, and reach Kesheng Town with ease.

As a dragon, Amanda often flew at great heights and possessed extraordinary eyesight. Even in human form, his superb vision remained unaffected.

He pointed ahead excitedly. “I can see a road up ahead—and two carriages stuck in a huge pothole.”

Budno stared at him. “Seriously?”

He had only said it offhand, yet it had actually come true.

Amanda pointed confidently at his own eyes. “Of course I’m serious! You have to trust my eyesight.”

Shu Li blinked and turned to Kumandi. “Then... should we go help them?”

Kumandi pursed his lips briefly, then nodded. “All right.”

At last, they were going to interact with humans. Excited and nervous, the members of Team Light unconsciously quickened their pace.

On the muddy, pothole-riddled road, the wheels of two carriages had sunk into a deep pit. Two drivers urged the horses forward while two assistants pushed from behind, but no matter how hard they worked, their efforts were futile.

The carriages were loaded with high-quality timber and weighed a considerable amount. Brute strength alone would never free the wheels.

“What rotten luck!” complained a driver wearing a straw hat. “This road has been damaged for five years. Has the lord never considered repairing it?”

“Repairs cost money. Do you think Lord Hobbit would willingly part with his gold coins?” The other driver, a black-bearded man, gave a derisive laugh. “Hurry up and get the wheels free. If we can’t deliver the cargo, we can forget about being paid.”

The straw-hatted driver said bitterly, “Those fine gentlemen in town want quality timber to build their houses, but they refuse to spend money repairing the road so we can transport it. Every last one of them is a miser!”

“That’s enough. Stop complaining.” The black-bearded driver sighed. “Let’s do one carriage at a time.”

Surely four strong men could move a single carriage.

The two assistants and both drivers soon gathered behind the carriage in front and began pushing.

However, the pit was too deep. No matter how hard they shoved, the wheels did not budge.

“We’ll have to think of something.” The straw-hatted driver looked around, hoping to find a few stones to wedge beneath the wheels.

Just as the four men were at their wits’ end, a clear voice called out.

“Hello, sirs! Do you need any help?”

The busy drivers and assistants stopped what they were doing in surprise and turned as one toward the six youths standing beside the road.

What handsome young men!

The straw-hatted driver was amazed.

Although the six youths wore ordinary clothing, every one of them had delicate features, smooth, fair skin, a clean air about them, and clear eyes. The sight of them was so refreshing that it eased some of the men’s irritation.

Where had they come from in this desolate wilderness? They had approached so closely, yet none of the men had noticed them.

With a friendly smile, Shu Li repeated his question in standard Continental Common Language. “Sir, do you need any help?”

What was going on?

Why were these four humans staring at them in astonishment?

The straw-hatted driver finally returned to his senses. After looking over their slender frames, which were leaner than those of most youths their age, he waved his hand dismissively. “No, no. We can handle it ourselves.”

These young men were fair and delicate, much like the sons of wealthy city families. They probably had no strength for manual labor.

After being refused, Shu Li and his companions exchanged puzzled glances.

Impatient by nature, Disio stepped forward. “Sir, we know how to get your wheels out of the mud.”

The straw-hatted driver hesitated. It was not that he refused to believe the young man, but their clothing, appearance, and bearing were all too unusual. They were nothing like people accustomed to hard physical labor.

The black-bearded driver caught his breath and said to the straw-hatted man, “Barry, why not let them try?”

Why refuse when someone was willing to help?

They had already proven that the four of them could not solve the problem alone, so why not accept outside assistance?

Hearing his companion’s suggestion, Barry looked at the six youths. “You really have a way?”

“We do,” Shu Li replied. “Don’t worry, sir. We wouldn’t have offered to help if we weren’t confident.”

Barry hesitated no longer. “All right, then. We’ll be counting on you.”

Shu Li rolled up his sleeves and called to his Team Light companions, “Let’s do it!”

“All right!” Budno answered at the top of his lungs.

The carriage wheels were stuck because the mud was too slippery and offered too little friction. Without enough traction, the wheels could not roll.

The solution was simple. They only needed to place small stones in front of the wheels to increase the friction, urge the horses forward, use wooden poles as levers behind the wheels, and have several people push the carriage. That would be enough to force the wheels out of the pit.

Team Light sprang swiftly into action. Some searched for stones, some found wooden poles, some drained the water from the muddy pit, and others dug away part of the mud in front of the wheels to turn the edge of the pit into a slope.

Barry watched the youths use their clean hands to gather stones and dig through the mud without the slightest concern for getting dirty. For the first time, he began to doubt his own judgment.

Could they really not be wealthy young masters disguised as commoners?

“Is everything ready?” Shu Li asked his companions.

“More or less.” Disio shook the mud from his hands. “Manfei and I will use the poles as levers from behind. The four of you push. Oh, right—”

He looked at the straw-hatted driver. “Sir, can you handle the horses?”

“Yes, of course!” Barry nodded repeatedly.

The black-bearded driver rubbed his hands together. “We can’t just stand here watching. We’ll help push too!”

The young men were working so enthusiastically. How could they possibly feel comfortable standing idly by?

“As long as we all work together, we’ll definitely get the wheels out!” Shu Li encouraged them. “I’ll count us in, and then we’ll all push at once.”

Once everyone was in position, he shouted, “One, two, three—push!”

“One, two, three—push!”

“One, two, three—push!”

On the third attempt, the wheels finally rolled. As the horses moved forward, the carriage emerged smoothly from the muddy pit.

“We did it!” Budno cheered, jumping up and down.

Barry brought the horses under control, overcome with excitement. The four of them had struggled for ages without accomplishing anything, yet once the six youths joined them, the wheels had come free almost immediately.

“Thank you so much!” he said excitedly.

“Hehehe, there’s no need to thank us.” The young Fairies and the young dragon beamed at him.

Kumandi remained calm. “There’s still another carriage. We can’t relax yet.”

Disio swept his hand forward. “Come on, let’s keep going!”

Team Light eagerly repeated the same process and freed the second carriage from the muddy pit.

With both carriages safely out, the drivers and their assistants were overjoyed.

Looking at the mud-spattered youths, Barry said, “Thank you for helping us solve such a difficult problem.”

Shu Li smiled. “It was no trouble at all. It’s hardly worth mentioning.”

“We have to thank you!” The black-bearded driver pulled six silver coins from an inner pocket, weighed them in his palm, and offered them to Shu Li. “Please accept these as our thanks.”

Shu Li stared at the proffered coins for a moment, then stepped back and waved his hands repeatedly. “No, no. We don’t want any money.”

The black-bearded man frowned. “You don’t want money?”

There were actually people in the world who did not want money? How strange.

Angel stepped forward and asked with a smile, “Sir, we truly don’t want any money. But if you insist on thanking us... could you perhaps let us ride in your carriages for a while?”

Now it was the black-bearded driver’s turn to be taken aback. “Where are you headed?”

“Kesheng Town,” Angel replied. “Do you know it?”

“Kesheng Town!” Barry exclaimed. “That’s our destination too.”

“Wow—we’re going the same way!” Budno said delightedly.

The black-bearded driver laughed heartily. “Since you won’t take the money, we’ll give you a ride instead.”

“Thank you, sir!” The six youths happily exchanged high fives.

Their joy proved infectious, and the corners of Barry’s mouth lifted into a smile. “But you’ll have to climb on top.”

Only two people could sit at the front of each carriage—the driver and an assistant—so there was no room left for the youths. If they wanted a ride, they would have to climb onto the timber.

The stacked wood stood two meters high. Getting up there would not be easy.

Shu Li assessed the height and said confidently, “No problem.”

He backed up several steps, took a running start, and sprang lightly onto the top of the timber. His movements were so graceful that it seemed as though he had wings growing from his back.

Barry stared, dumbfounded.

He had been worried that the youth would use too much force and send the timber tumbling down. Instead, the boy had displayed astonishing agility and jumping ability.

“Hey, here I come!” Budno copied him and became the second to jump up.

Then, under the astonished gazes of the drivers and assistants, the youths leaped onto the timber one after another. Three sat atop the first carriage and three atop the second, evenly divided and perfectly steady.

“We’re ready, sir,” Shu Li called, waving to the driver.

Barry and the black-bearded driver exchanged glances, both reaching the same conclusion: these youths were no ordinary people.

However, they did not question them further. They were in a hurry to deliver the timber to the buyer in town and dared not waste any more time.

“Hyah!”

The drivers cracked their whips, and the two carriages began moving one after the other.

Having successfully hitched a ride, the members of Team Light sat cross-legged atop the timber, every one of them glowing with delight as they admired the scenery along the road.