Iya Continent: Card God

New World Calendar, 2332, Song River area.

Linta will never forget this day; it was the first time she had traveled here and begun her escape.

This is neither the first nor the last time.

Whenever Linta thinks back on today, she always smiles with a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both awe and regret). Her future may be related to the choices she made today. Unwilling to be led away as a slave, she was willing to gamble on any sliver of hope. This will became the seed of her future "reckless" actions.

Maybe.

"Wow!!"

Rain poured down on the river, which surged and roared, threatening to capsize even small boats.

However, the river is not so turbulent for every stretch; when it reaches flat land and a wide channel, the current gradually slows down.

Just then, several dark figures approached the shore, taking advantage of the current.

"Swift Wind!"

With a final, all-out attack, Lin Ta leaped up like the wind, his upper body and arms bound, and landed on the shore of the water lily.

He collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, exhausted, and pale.

"drink……"

Linta was panting heavily, completely exhausted.

The power of cards does not require magic, but... it consumes mental energy!

At this moment, Linta did not have enough mental energy to cast "Swift Wind" again.

"Guala la!!"

With an incomprehensible cry of joy, the little fishman leaped ashore.

"Ow!"

Immediately afterward, the bear-man Pinecone, still holding the bearded dwarf's head in his mouth, calmly climbed ashore. The surging water seemed to have no effect on him.

"Let go of... me!" the bearded dwarf cried out in pain.

Pinecone then released its sharp teeth. It had been biting very carefully and hadn't used too much force, otherwise its head would already have several holes in it.

"Pah!" The elven girl spat out a mouthful of river water and climbed out of the water.

Even with her hands bound, she can still use her physical strength to twist and wriggle her way ashore.

“There’s still someone…who can help him…” Linta noticed that the middle-aged man hadn’t come up yet.

He is different from us. We are all either from strange races, possess extraordinary talents, or have divine powers. He, on the other hand, is just a human whose magic power is imprisoned by a magic-suppressing ring, restricting his freedom and flexibility.

“I’m going…” Bearman Pinecone was about to go.

However, at that moment, the man, soaking wet, walked out of the river.

He was soaking wet, his hands were bound, and his hair was disheveled. But his eyes, like steel in a raging fire, were chilling.

Linta frowned. So brave?

The man said, "There's no time to rest now. Bruno the Iron Bucket is chasing us. He'll be coming in the direction we jumped into the river, maybe in twenty or ten minutes."

Linta gasped for breath and struggled to get up.

"Everyone, let's keep... running away."

The bearded dwarf stood up, violently shaking the water droplets from his beard, and shouted, "How do we escape? Where can we escape to?"

The elven girl said nothing and left alone in one direction.

Linta quickly shouted, "At a time like this, let's go together! It's too dangerous to split up!"

The elven girl paused slightly, then continued on her way without paying any attention.

"Ignore her. It would be best if she became bait to lure Bruno away for us," the bearded dwarf said directly.

Linta frowned, a slight thought crossing his face, and walked towards the direction of the elven girl.

Pinecone, the bear-man, followed Linta.

The fish-man quacked in inaudible words and hurried after them.

The middle-aged man's expression darkened, and he followed.

"Huh? What do you mean?!" the bearded dwarf shouted in confusion, and they all followed the elven girl. If they didn't follow, and they ran into that iron-bucket Bruno, wouldn't they be doomed?

"Wait for me!" the bearded dwarf shouted anxiously, following after him.

The elven girl did not object to Linta and the others following her.

“It’s best if we all stay together for now,” Linta said with a warm smile as he walked to her side. “Besides, I feel safer following you.”

The elven girl gazed ahead and said indifferently, "This time, you've made the right choice again."

"Huh?" Linta was a little confused. She made the right choice? What did she choose correctly?

The middle-aged man said in a deep voice, "Elves have a keen sense of the location of forest trees that we don't have. Bruno will definitely find us if he rides his warhorse to search for us on the plains, but once we enter the forest, he won't be able to find us."

"Tch, we'd have to find the forest before they come looking for us," the bearded dwarf said, somewhat unconvinced.

Linta suddenly realized, "Oh, I see."

I had never thought about that; I was just thinking that since we had finally escaped, I didn't want anyone to be caught alone and then get caught by the enemy. If we were all together, we could support each other.

“We’ve all been through thick and thin together, but apart from Pinecone and Guagua, I don’t even know your names. Can you tell me your names? Fake names are fine too,” Linta suddenly said.

The bearded dwarf loudly proclaimed, "Remember my name! I am Gingon Bronzehammer from the Kingdom of Eden!"

The middle-aged man said in a deep voice, "Kluff, just call me Kluff."

The elven girl's cold, snow-white face remained expressionless for a long time before she uttered a name, "Shia."

Pinecone, Gua Gaga, Jingong Copper Hammer, Kluff, Shia.

Linta repeated their names in her mind. Although the man Kluff and the elf Shia only gave her the first name and not the surname, it didn't matter. After all, in their eyes, her name "Linta" was only given as a first name.

"How did everyone get arrested?" Linta asked curiously.

They were all at the bronze level, so what wrong did they do to be arrested?

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle...!" The little fishman quacked excitedly, shouting incessantly, as if recounting his experiences.

"What nonsense are you spouting?!" said the dwarf Jingon, his head spinning.

Linta couldn't understand either, so he looked at Pinecone, the bear-man of the orc race, who seemed to understand.

Pinecone said sadly, "Guagua was playing by the water when he was suddenly attacked by a group of people in armor. Among them was a mage who could freeze the water. He was no match for them and was captured. After being captured, the group knocked him unconscious. When he woke up, he had a magic-suppressing ring on his hand and was locked in a cage."

Linta frowned slightly.

"Modley's army has a tradition of capturing foreigners to sell as slaves," Klof said in a low voice. "They must have been targeted and thought to be worth some money."

"The army? Is that so?" Linta was somewhat alarmed.

Bearman Songguo said, "My home is in the Bino Great Forest. I was ambushed and captured by a group of vicious humans. They were not wearing armor, but they were carrying all sorts of strange sharp weapons."

“Thieves. Bearmen are quite rare; you can sell a Modly from Bantu for a good amount of silver coins,” Kruf replied.

Linta looked at Shia, "Then the elf, is that one too?"

The elven girl kept a cold expression and said nothing.

Kluff said, "There are no elves in Modly; they mostly live in the northern forests of the continent of Iya."

“That Jingon…” Linta looked down at the bearded dwarf.

“Dwarves are worthless in Modly, so he certainly wasn’t captured specifically to be a slave,” Kruf said directly.

"Who's worthless! I'm a high-ranking Bronze warrior! And I'm a weapon refiner!" Jin Gong retorted excitedly. His face contorted with rage, he shouted, "I only got caught because I beat up those swindlers... Those bastards, I'll get my revenge sooner or later..."

Linta roughly understood Gingon's background, and his gaze finally moved to Kluff.

This calm and mysterious man.

"Kluff, what about you? Why were you arrested?"