On the way, Jim Thorne relentlessly tried to persuade Goldie Thorne to take him south. He was desperate to go out and see the world. After listening to Old Master Tate's stories about the outside world for the past few days, Jim was no longer the simple country boy who only knew how to walk his dog and catch loaches. He wanted to venture out into the world, too. He dreamed of going to Port Krol, Veridia, Rome, Novaport... He wanted to visit every single city Old Master Tate had described.
"Uncle, I want to go, too! Take me instead of Third Brother. It'd be better, and I don't even need a ticket," Tang Xiaonan chimed in. She also wanted to see what the south was like, especially the legendary Aethelburg. 'It's probably just a small fishing village right now,' she thought.
Furious, Jim snarled at Tang Xiaonan. 'You ungrateful little brat!' Tang Xiaonan just made a funny face back at him, not the least bit scared.
