Zero to Hero

Chapter 12: Unexpected Reunion

"Come visit soon, Ken! Candace! Tina!" Bailee's tearful goodbye lingered as we departed the village.

"Don't worry, Bailee. Once I get my hands on a teleport artifact, I can travel all around the world instantly and can visit whenever!" I reassured her, trying to ease the young girl's emotions.

"Bye everyone! Don't miss me too much," Candace chimed in, smiling, while the young men seemed on the verge of tears, echoing Bailee's sentiment.

"Later Thane! Next time we meet, I will surely be stronger than you are," Tina declared confidently, bidding farewell to the grateful villagers. "Take care, you three. Thanks again for saving our village," Thane added, offering a firm handshake.

"Glad we could help! Thanks for teaching me how to use healing magic elder!" I replied, as we waved goodbye to all of the villagers who came to see us off.

As we bid goodbye to the villagers, we embarked on our journey toward Ostrium city, this time mounted on horses. Traveling through the mountainous terrain while teleporting over peaks, the addition of the horses made our journey much smoother.

As we ventured even further south, the biting cold of mid-winter gradually softened into a more bearable chill, transitioning into favorable weather as we crossed the mountains onto flat plains. The once desolate landscapes became dotted with villages and encounters with travelers became commonplace.

Forty days since leaving the frozen forest of Chelmswell, we stood atop a hill, gazing at the sprawling capital city of Ostrium. "How many freaking people live there?" Tina exclaimed, marveling at the sight.

"At least 10 million," I replied casually, trying to convey the immense scale to someone who grew up in a tiny tribe.

The girl, raised in a secluded tribe of a mere thousand, seldom encountered outsiders. Her notion of crowds was shaped solely by biannual tournaments viewed through a mirror artifact at Dragonspire. Staying a night in a town of about 100,000 days ago had astonished her; the sheer gathering of so many people in one place seemed inconceivable.

"How many people is 10 million? What is even a million?" Tina's voice echoed loudly, reflecting her lack of general education and struggle with numerical concepts.

"Well, there are a thousand thousands in a million, so 10 million is 10 thousand of your village put together," I tried to elucidate, but the magnitude of the number eluded her.

"I told you a country bumpkin like you would get overwhelmed by a major city," Candace interjected with a snarky laugh.

"Yami! Attack that smug tramp!" Tina retaliated.

"Leave my pet out of your bickering," I intervened, trying to diffuse the situation.

"She started it! Just because she's a little older and got lucky to visit a big city once, she's acting all high and mighty," Tina complained, making a valid point.

"Candace, don't be mean to the poor bumpkin," I replied with a smile, relishing the playful chaos that had made the past 40 days unexpectedly enjoyable.

As our horses propelled us toward the towering city, the once expansive view gave way to an imposing city wall.

"What's the point of those giant walls if people like you could just teleport to the other side?" Tina's curiosity emerged as we approached.

"Teleportation is one of the most challenging magic to learn. Five years ago, there were probably fewer than a thousand people in the world capable of it. The walls aren't for stopping people like me; they're to deter regular people. High-level magic circles detect any intruders who could teleport inside," I explained, noticing Tina's intent interest.