My monster cards can evolve infinitely.

Xiuqi sat down next to the woman without hesitation.

It wasn't intentional on his part; there were only three people in the carriage at the moment, including a couple who appeared to be sitting opposite him.

The man had an outstanding demeanor and spoke in a manner reminiscent of a local official. He was not old, perhaps around twenty-five or twenty-six.

The woman had fair skin and a beautiful face, and was currently nestled beside the man.

The veiled woman remained seated quietly by the window, as if everything outside was irrelevant to her.

The interior of the carriage was more spacious than it appeared from the outside, and it was furnished with fairly clean soft cushions.

The width of the single row of carriages is such that three people can sit comfortably without feeling cramped, and four people should be the standard configuration.

There were only four passengers at the moment, two in each row, which made it seem quite spacious.

The driver was a middle-aged man with a loud voice. When the agreed-upon fifteen minutes had passed, he deftly cracked his long whip and began the journey.

"Ladies and gentlemen, hold on tight! We're taking a shortcut today, and we should arrive in Summertown before noon!"

Seeing the driver disregard the empty seats in the carriage and set off immediately, Xiuqi decisively gave him a positive review in his mind.

As expected of a major trading company in Harbour City.

With the driver's shouts, two tall chocobo lizards moved their powerful legs and drove smoothly and quickly out of "Swift Travel," merging into the busy morning traffic of Harbour City.

The carriage first traveled along the wide main road, passed through the still bustling deep-water docks, and soon drove out of the tall city gates and into the plains surrounding the port city.

On both sides of the road were farmlands on the outskirts of the city, golden waves of wheat rippling in the morning breeze. Small groups of farmers worked on the ridges, and in the distance, an old windmill turned slowly.

This tranquility is a rare sight in the city.

However, this idyllic tranquility did not last long.

After traveling for more than an hour, at a three-way intersection, accompanied by a short hiss from a chocobo lizard, the carriage turned onto a narrower, bumpier road.

"Old York, why aren't we taking the main road?" The man in the carriage seemed to be a regular customer, asking in a relaxed tone.

"The main road was blocked by falling rocks the day before yesterday and is still closed. Taking the detour will take two more hours."

Without turning his head, the driver shouted, "This road may be off-the-beaten-path, but it's a shortcut! Don't worry, I've been doing this for three years and never had an accident!"

That being said, the path was noticeably more desolate.

Layer upon layer of forest gradually replaced the farmland, and the sunlight was broken by the dense branches and leaves, casting dappled patterns of light among the trees and branches.

The air was filled with the smell of decaying leaves, and the surroundings became unusually quiet, with only the sound of wheels rolling over gravel being particularly clear.

Xiu Qi caught a glimpse of the woman out of the corner of his eye, noticing that she had slightly furrowed her brow, seemingly with some doubt, but she still didn't speak.

He knew what the lady was worried about, but even the regular customer didn't say much, so he didn't speak either.

After all, this is the most prosperous province in the kingdom, and it is closest to the port city. Trade is very developed, so there shouldn't be that many bandits here.

So Xiuqi closed his eyes, not to continue meditating, but to catch up on sleep after a sleepless night.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but just as he was soundly asleep, he suddenly heard a "thump!" sound coming from the side of the carriage where he was sitting.

It seemed as if the carriage had been hit by something.

"What's going on?" The couple cuddling together across from them immediately sat up.

whoosh...

Boom!

Whoosh...!

"Ah! It's a bow and arrow!"

puff-

The carriage braked suddenly...

Xiuqi's body slid to the right due to inertia, pressing tightly against the elegant lady.

"terribly sorry!!!"

Xiuqi quickly withdrew his right hand, moving it away from the soft, high mound of the woman's chest.

Before they could even notice the blush rising on the lady's face, they heard the driver's voice, as if he were being choked, coming from ahead.

"Sirs...we are the carriages of the 'Swift Wind Travel' trading company from Harbour City, and we have paid our monthly tolls in full!"

"Stop talking nonsense, all of you get off the bus!"

In the middle of the path ahead, several tree trunks, clearly freshly cut down, were completely blocking the way.

A man holding a long sword, wearing leather armor, and with a shrewd look on his face stood in the middle.

At the same time, two figures carrying crude weapons and wearing tattered cloth armor emerged from the woods behind the carriage and blocked their way.

One of the two men behind him was a tall, burly man holding a rusty axe, while the other, a thin man, held a short knife.

The passengers in the carriage immediately stirred, but the man remained relatively calm, while the woman nestled beside him had turned deathly pale.

Xiuqi scanned the surroundings through the car window. Besides the three people who had appeared, there should also be an archer hiding in the shadows.

He glanced at the woman again, seemingly casually.

The woman remained seated quietly, but Xiuqi keenly noticed that her hands, resting on her knees, tightened slightly, and her expression beneath the veil remained unreadable.

"Please don't disturb the guests. How much it costs... our company will pay!"

"Get out of here!"

puff--

The driver who tried to stop the driver was kicked to the ground by the man in the leather armor.

"Hand over all your valuables! Get off the vehicle obediently, and you might save your life!" A rude shout came from ahead.

"Otherwise... hehe!"

Upon hearing this, the four people in the carriage looked at each other, and the sound of two rapidly beating heartbeats could be heard.

There didn't seem to be any hidden heroes lurking in this carriage, nor did anyone seem inclined to step forward.

So... what are we waiting for?

Xiuqi opened the carriage door with great ease and got off the train with a swift motion.

The man followed closely behind, then the two women.

The four people stood in a row on the path next to the carriage.

"Throw all your valuables over here, don't even think about keeping anything for yourself!" The leather-armored man pointed his longsword at the four of them, his tone menacing.

Xiuqi stood obediently, his expression very compliant.

He had absolutely no experience with being robbed.

At this moment, his purse contained 12 gold and 7 silver coins, as well as the obsidian magic card, the meditation stone, and a box of cards.

It's clearly impossible to hand it over.

But Xiuqi didn't want to step forward and play the hero, since killing humans wouldn't yield essences for him to make into cards.

If it were a monster, he would have charged at it long ago.

Just when he was in a dilemma, the other party made the choice for him.

A slightly unrestrained male voice suddenly rang out:

"Hey kid, I really like your robe. Take it off and give it to me."

The tall, burly man beside the shrewd man was shouting in a deep, gruff voice, his eyes glaring like those of an angry bull.

Hey--

They have good taste; they actually took a liking to my custom-made robe at first glance.

Xiu Qi sighed inwardly.

Although this person looks older than his age, he has good taste.

It's just... this brain isn't very good at making multiple-choice questions.

He glanced at the other three—an official who looked wealthy and powerful, a well-dressed woman, and a lady with an air of nobility.

There are at least three correct answers among these four options...

But you, of all people, made the worst choice!