"Okay, we should get going."
Sasaki grabbed the reins and was about to ride off when....
"Hold on! Hold on!"
The third man quickly stepped forward and stretched a map toward Sasaki's face.
Sasaki stopped and looked down at him suspiciously.
"What's this?"
"We couldn't think of a better way to say thank you, so I decided to give you the most important thing I have."
The man kept his hands stretched out, holding the map.
"And what exactly is it?" Sasaki asked.
"Calm down, Mr. Reaper. It doesn't hurt to be nice."
Alfie glanced at Jackson.
"I thought I was the only one noticing it."
"Same here," Jackson added.
Sasaki let out a tired sigh before finally taking the map.
He unfolded it.
His eyes immediately widened.
It was a detailed map of the entire Kingdom of Wuhan.
"How… how did you get this?"
"I can't tell you, Mister. We all have our secrets."
The man smiled.
Sasaki stared at the map for a moment before slowly folding it again.
He sighed deeply.
"Thank you. This really means a lot to me."
"It means a lot to us too, Mister."
Jackson smiled at the four men.
"We don't know exactly what Mr. Sasaki did for you guys last night, but we appreciate the map."
The four men exchanged glances before bowing respectfully.
"Thank you!"
They turned around and walked away.
Sasaki, Alfie, and Jackson mounted their horses and began riding side by side.
Sasaki unfolded the map one more time while riding.
"This map is seriously detailed, kiddos. We definitely won't get lost with this."
Neither Alfie nor Jackson answered.
Sasaki slowly looked toward them.
They were both staring at him with the same expression.
"Yeah, yeah…"
He sighed.
"Fine. I'll tell you what happened. Just stop giving me that attitude."
Alfie smiled.
"Last night, those men came to attack me because we had done their job for two days."
Sasaki continued explaining as they rode.
"They were being paid by the day, so because we worked in their place for two days, they thought they were going to lose money."
"They figured they could beat me up and take the money back."
He paused.
"I understood their situation, though. They were desperate."
"So I apologized and gave them a little money. You know… some of that money the Special Darkside Knight stubbornly left in my storage ring."
Sasaki shrugged.
"I figured it would at least be enough to help them get through those two days."
"Hmmm…"
Alfie rubbed his chin.
"That's not a bad story."
He smiled mischievously.
"The Reaper isn't always beating people up. I like that."
"Shut up, Alfie."
Jackson laughed.
"Mr. Sasaki changed a long time ago."
Sasaki simply sighed.
"Let him say whatever he wants. I don't own his big, dirty mouth."
He suddenly looked at the two boys.
"Speaking of mouths…"
Sasaki covered his mouth with one hand and breathed into it.
"Did you guys brush your teeth today?"
"Of course!"
They both answered at the same time.
Sasaki did it again.
His expression suddenly changed.
"Damn…"
He lowered his hand.
"I forgot to brush my teeth."
"Gross," Jackson said immediately.
The three continued riding at a slow pace.
After a while, Alfie broke the silence.
"Mr. Reaper, you know there's something you need to work on."
"And what exactly is that?"
Sasaki glanced at him.
"A kid has something to tell me I need to work on?"
"Well…"
Alfie smiled.
"The act of accepting every gift, whether it's big or small."
Sasaki raised an eyebrow.
"Why would you think I don't accept gifts?"
"Well, it's obvious."
Jackson joined in.
"You did it with the Special Darkside Knight."
Sasaki frowned.
Jackson continues.
"That was understandable! It was a huge amount of money."
"Exactly," Alfie said.
"But you did it again today. You were trying to avoid accepting the gift that man was about to give you by questioning him in an angry manner."
Alfie sighed.
"Sometimes you need to accept and appreciate every little thing another person gives you."
He looked ahead as he spoke.
"My father always told me this…"
"Don't let your pride and arrogance make you miss opportunities."
Sasaki remained silent.
"Appreciate every little thing given to you," Alfie continued.
"Even if it's something as small as a crop seed."
He smiled.
"Because that seed can grow into an entire farm if the season is right."
"Wow…"
Jackson looked at Alfie in surprise.
"I had no idea you had all that in your head this whole time."
As they continued riding, the three finally left the previous town behind.
Sasaki was quiet for a moment.
"I don't know what to say to that, Alfie."
He scratched his head.
"But I'm a man who likes to earn everything for himself. I don't want to sit around eating from somebody else's labor."
Alfie looked at him.
"Okay. Think about this."
He pointed toward the empty road ahead.
"If someone gives you that seed, how are you going to turn it into a farm?"
Sasaki glanced at him.
"You still have to work for it, right?"
"Exactly."
"Nobody is going to work on the farm for you. You still have to plant it, take care of it, and eventually harvest it yourself."
Sasaki smiled proudly.
"So what's the problem?"
"You're missing the important part here, Mr. Reaper."
Alfie sighed.
"Sometimes I think you traded your brain for those muscles."
Jackson burst out laughing.
"You little—!"
Sasaki clenched his teeth.
Alfie grinned.
"What are you going to work on if nobody gives you the seed?"
He spread his hands.
"An empty piece of land?"
Sasaki looked away.
"Forget it, Alfie. I'll find my own seed."
Jackson immediately burst out laughing.
"You guys should calm down with this seed conversation."
He looked between them.
"Who's holding the seed anyway?"
Jackson raised his hand.
"I think I need one."
Alfie and Jackson both burst into laughter.
"Ask Mr. Reaper."
Alfie pointed toward Sasaki.
"I think he has some in his pocket."
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Enough!"
Sasaki shouted.
"You guys are annoying!"
Their laughter continued as they rode farther away from the town.
After a while, Sasaki pulled the map out again.
"Speed it up, you morons. We're heading toward the mountain road."
His expression became more serious.
"That place is full of mysteries, but it's the shortest route to Ashura."
He studied the map carefully before storing it inside his storage ring.
The three increased their speed.
Jackson looked toward the mountains in the distance.
"What's with the mountain road anyway?"
Sasaki stared ahead.
"Let's just call it…"
He paused.
"The den of thieves."
"Thieves?"
Alfie became slightly more alert.
But Sasaki said nothing else.
They continued riding.
About four hours later, they finally left the Kingdom of Xander behind and entered the mountain road.
Three more hours passed.
Then the road finally came into sight.
The three slowed their horses.
What appeared before them was enormous.
A vast, empty stretch of land surrounded by towering mountains.
And directly ahead stood a massive forest.
Alfie stared at the scenery.
"This place is huge…"
"And empty," Jackson added.
"Yeah."
Alfie looked around.
"Why is it so empty?"
He squinted toward the distance.
"I can't even see any thieves, Mr. Reaper."
Jackson looked at him.
"Do you want to see one?"
"Of course not."
"Then shut up."
"Yeah. Shut up."
Sasaki and Jackson spoke at exactly the same time.
Alfie frowned.
"Fine."
They continued forward.
Their horses slowly entered the enormous open space.
But Sasaki suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"what are those...."
Alfie and Jackson looked ahead.
Far in the distance stood four men.
One of them stood with his arms crossed, silently watching the road.
Two others were seated at a small wooden table, playing shogi as if they had all the time in the world.
The fourth man sat nearby.
A sword rested casually on his shoulder.
A cigarette hung from the corner of his mouth.
Sasaki's expression became serious.