Rankin's eyes were filled with tears as he tried to cry without making a sound.

~Sniff, Sniff~~

Edwin and Hoshen, who had been sitting against the cave walls, calmly opened their eyes and sighed.

Well, they did understand the boy's emotions.

Edwin got up and walked towards the boy.

The cave itself wasn't too big.

It was just 16 feet long away from the edge and 5 feet wide.

One could really do wonders with a pickaxe in their hands.

Edwin walked towards the boy with a bottle of water at hand.

"Kid. Let's talk."

Upon hearing the voice, Rankin's heart leaped with all sorts of emotions.

He was afraid, curious and hopeful.

He took a deep breath, quickly wiped his eyes and tried to maintain a calm demeanour.

It was just that his eyes were already swollen, and his emotions were all over the place.

So the demeanour he wanted to conjure up didn't work.

Looking at the 5-year-old boy, Edwin immediately compared him to those his age in Baymard.

He should be living a happy life as a child.

Yet here he was, carrying a burden that was too great for his age.

Sigh...

.

"Kid. Let's talk. 

Firstly, we mean no harm. So you can relax a bit."

"Yes," Rankin replied seriously.

Yet, he still didn't relax.

It wasn't that he didn't want to, but his body didn't seem to heed his command.

Looking at him, Edwin inwardly chuckled in amusement.

"Kid, what's your name?"

"Rankin."

"Good name. 

So, we did save you. But what do you want to do from here?"

Eh?

Rankin felt perplexed while looking at Edwin before him and Hoshen far back.

Didn't they rescue him because they knew his identity and needed him?

Why was this situation different from what he imagined?

They didn't even ask what his last name was?

Or could it be a trap?

Counties thoughts passed through Rankin's mind, making him confused and even more curious about his saviours.

If he asked about them, would they be pissed?

He thinned his lips helplessly, as he didn't know what to do.

"Kid. What are you going to do now?"

"Sir... I... I don't know." Rankin answered with his head lowered.

Edwin rubbed his chin and nodded.

This was understandable.

The kid had lost his only support. So he should be left in a muddled state.

"Kid. If you have nothing young, then why not come with us?"

"Erm... Sirs... Where are you from?"

"Baymard."

Rankin quickly widened his eyes in shock.

Baymard?

That place that is said to be outstanding?

He felt it was too unbelievable.

Were they really from Baymard? Or was this how they typically trapped people?

Rankin was very vigilant!

Edwin wasn't offended at all.

One should be vigilant, especially when meeting someone for the first time.

What if they were child traffickers?

.

"Kid. All I can say is that we were here on an errand and just happened to run into you.

For 5 days, we'll stay here quietly.

And after that, we'll regroup with a few more and leave.

We'll take you towards one of the Coastal areas around.

At that time, if you want to come with us, you can.

And if you don't, then we can just part ways.

Kid, the choice is yours.

But just know that in everything you do, a man needs friends and allies.

You are more likely to succeed working with great friends and allies than doing things all alone.

That said, you should also pick allows that are trustworthy.

You must carefully study them and never make any rash decisions.

Whichever path you choose will decide your fate.

Tread carefully."

Rankin listened seriously and nodded gratefully: "Thank you."

He just needed some words of comfort right now.

So Edwin's words came at the right time.

He also believed that he couldn't take down his enemies alone.

So he decided to observe these people until they reached the coastal region, before he made his decision.

At that point, whatever he chose, he was sure that he wouldn't regret it.

As his uncle said, mistakes aren't a bad thing, provided one learnt and grew from them.

So even if the choice was wrong, he wouldn't regret it.

~Grrrrrr

His belly grumbled, leaving in embarrassment.

Edwin grinned while Hoshen, who had been leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, quickly opened one of the bags and took out some belly-filling snacks for the kid to eat.

.

Now wasn't a good time to cook since those damn birds were already circling the area.

If he dared to cook now, the smell would make them barge in here like crazy.

The fake wooden shield/door they had placed using barks of trees would definitely not be able to hold those birds back.

So it wasn't advisable.

Around 8 in the morning, the birds typically flew straight down the abyss, heading towards the streams, lakes and other regions below.

As everyone knows, where there was a water source, there were bound to be several creatures drinking from it.

So these gigantic birds liked swooping in and carrying animals away.

With their strength, they could even carry an entire Hangol away.

And it was during this time that they would quickly cook, eat and remove the barks of wood at the edge of the cave to properly ventilate the place.

These birds moved in flocks and did things together, just like wolves who shared different responsibilities amongst each other.

They had been studying the movements of these birds while making the cave.

So they knew that the birds did everything together.

Rankin ate the snacks before him gleefully.

Delicious!

With that, the trio in the cave successfully ironed everything out.

At the same time, the other 2 back at the Inn suddenly sat up from the heap of straw at the stables and looked at each other grimly.

"They're 3 hours late.

Something happened."

"Hmhm. We need to follow protocol."

With that, the duo laid back down calmly and closed their eyes yet again.

Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.