Since it was set to Hell difficulty, Li Ke—though certainly interested—didn't intend to actively pursue her just yet.
His plan for now was to properly condition his stamina, familiarize himself with the effects of the potions, and bide his time until he returned to Hendon Myre. By then, Tangji should be done with her business.
Once that happened, he could easily farm Energy Points directly by sleeping with Tangji, jump straight back into the 7 Days to Die world, and help Lux return to her own universe.
As for someone like Rias, well, that would depend entirely on her own choices.
Li Ke wouldn't mind having something happen between them.
But whether she was willing or not was entirely up to her.
In any case, once Lux was safely sent away, Li Ke had absolutely no intention of staying in the 7 Days to Die world any longer.
Anyone who wanted to stay in that cursed, miserable world was welcome to it.
If Tangji hadn't been such a genuinely good girl, and if this place didn't offer a reliable path to becoming stronger, he wouldn't even have wanted to return to the world of Arad.
He, Li Ke, swear that even if he had to jump off a cliff and die out in the wilderness, he would absolutely never have anything to do with that bastard world of 7 Days to Die ever again!
As these thoughts drifted through his mind, Li Ke and the others gradually walked out of Hendon Myre.
The bustling main streets slowly faded away, replaced by a progressively crumbling flagstone road.
Fortunately, this hard-packed dirt road didn't have too many obstacles. Although the remains of previously laid flagstones were still clearly visible in some sections, there was no doubt that the primary surface bearing the weight of the merchants and travelers now was purely dirt.
Lush, green trees lined both sides of the path. Looking at how neatly these trees had once been pruned, Li Ke could faintly visualize just how prosperous this trade route used to be.
Now, however, one could only gauge how many years had passed by looking at the weathered stone slabs that occasionally peeked through the soil.
"This used to be a highly prosperous trade route. But after the Great Fire of Grand Flores and the Empire's invasion, the population living nearby plummeted. On top of that, Dark Elves frequently come out to raid caravans, so the local residents dwindled even further. Consequently, fewer caravans travel along this line. With fewer merchants, it became harder for locals to buy goods, driving the population down even more. Because of this vicious cycle, this is essentially the only caravan left that still takes this route."
As if picking up on Li Ke's unspoken curiosity, Miss Ruohua offered an explanation.
Walking alongside the horse carriages and surveying the surroundings with Roche, Li Ke finally understood the local situation.
"In other words, will this trade route completely disappear in the near future?"
Ruohua merely shook her head. She didn't know the answer to that either; after all, she was a native of Shonan and wasn't entirely familiar with the regional politics here.
Furthermore, this wasn't her homeland. Even if she did know a thing or two, she had no authority or standing to meddle in its affairs.
"Who knows? Who can truly predict such things?"
She shook her head, then pointed to their surroundings.
"The monster population around here isn't too dense. At most, it's just some Goblins. We mainly need to watch out for those small creatures and Lugaas. But if we happen to cross paths with a raiding party of Dark Elf bandits, then..."
Ruohua fell silent for a brief moment before speaking up again.
"You stick close to me and follow my lead."
Meaning we tuck tail and run, right? Li Ke thought to himself.
Li Ke stared at Ruohua's impassive face, realizing that this woman's sense of reliability was also slightly off the charts. While a straight-laced character like hers didn't look like the type to actively consider running away, it made perfect sense upon deeper reflection. If a normal person encountered an enemy they absolutely couldn't defeat, knowing it meant certain death, their course of action was obvious.
Still, the fact that Dark Elves would actually venture out to raid caravans was something he had never seen in the game.
Li Ke found himself a bit surprised by this detail.
"However, there is no need to worry too much. Since the Dark Elf Kingdom was breached by the Empire, they no longer have the surplus strength to send out raiding parties. Our opponents will mostly be Minotaurs and Goblins who failed to store enough food for winter. Occasionally, we might run into some mountain bandits, but they are quite rare around Hendon Myre."
Ruohua rolled her wrists to loosen them up. Her reason for taking on escort missions was simple: it was exactly for this.
Being able to earn money while fighting monsters to her heart's content was truly an ideal arrangement.
"Understood. Thanks."
"Do not mention it. Tangji paid for it."
"..."
Another half-day slipped by. Li Ke's initial curiosity toward the scenery gradually gave way to a profound sense of boredom. There was no helping it; purely walking along a dirt road was simply too tedious.
Yet, not a single trace of impatience surfaced on Miss Ruohua's face as she continued scanning the surroundings.
Roche, meanwhile, was gesturing with her hands, calling forth sparks of raw mana and fire as she clearly messed around with some spell formulas. Glancing over at her, Li Ke was reminded of his own magical energy.
"Come to think of it, Roche, what was that magic you said you were going to teach me last time?"
"Oh, that? It's super simple! You just directly convert your mana into various elements and blast it out. It's a combat style perfectly suited for beginners. It basically works like this."
Roche held out her hand, and a clump of colorless mana instantly coalesced into a glowing symbol. The next moment, the colorless energy shifted into a fiery crimson hue, and with a casual flick of her wrist, she hurled it away.
"It's just a basic trick, but for beginners, it's an excellent way to familiarize yourself with elemental conversion and mana manipulation."
Li Ke felt a surge of envy watching her. The entire reason he had sought out Sharan to learn magic in the first place was precisely for this kind of supernatural power.
"How do I do it?"
Roche tilted her head, extending her hand as raw mana manifested into a glowing rune before her.
"You just need to shape a portion of your mana into this 'Fire' rune, imagine the mana turning into flames, and then visualize how it should flow. It's really easy."
"..."
Li Ke extended his hand as well. While his mana control wasn't anywhere near Roche's level, he still managed to cleanly sketch out the fire rune using his own magical energy without much trouble.
However, the moment he tried to visualize the mana converting into flames and flowing outward, things went sideways.
The rune in his hand instantly erupted into a ball of fire, only to vanish like a fleeting night-blooming flower. Forget throwing the flames from his palm like Iori Yagami or Kyo Kusanagi from The King of Fighters—if the blinding flash hadn't left an afterimage on his retinas, he wouldn't have even been sure he had actually succeeded.
He turned his head to look at Roche, who offered him a polite yet highly awkward smile.
"Um, yep, just like that. Practice makes perfect."
She didn't explicitly critique his performance, but Li Ke already had a painfully clear idea of exactly where his current talent rank stood.
Watching the magical energy slowly pool into his palm once more, Li Ke couldn't help but let out a helpless sigh.
Man, if only I could just conveniently assign stat points, or if I had a skill book...