Warriors will die if they charge.

A drop of rain fell from the thatched roof onto his cheek; the riverside town always seemed shrouded in mist during the rainy season.

Rain fell like a curtain from the leaden sky, first soaking the town's tallest abandoned church. Raindrops sliding down the edge of the bronze bell landed on the raincoats of passersby, then slowly flowed into the long-neglected drainage ditch, blurring the vision.

"We live on the edge of the world, rotting away with time," Marcus suddenly thought of this proverb from Riverside.

Even from a distance, he could almost smell the familiar scent of the dock.

The rainwater softened the muddy ground of the dock, and the rotting fish scales, wood chips, and animal dung mixed together, making it sticky to walk on.

There was a fishy smell in the air, not the vitality of the distant forest, but the stuffy stench of people living by the river for too long, everything swollen from being soaked.

After nearly a month of living in another world, the memories that remained in the original owner's body seemed to be getting closer and closer.

Marcus didn't know if this was good or bad, but that didn't stop him from choosing to take the southbound expressway again.

Someone seemed to have said something similar, but he couldn't remember who it was.

"In a crowd where no one knows anyone else, in a world where everyone looks straight ahead and only knows how to look ahead, you must race forward like this."

That's what adventure is all about; you don't know what lies ahead, but you still have to keep going.

Well, now that we've made some money, let's fix up the garden first. Trish always stares at the little girls selling flowers on the street; she must be eyeing the beautiful dahlias and roses. Before, the old house didn't even have the space to put a glass vase for flowers.

This time I'll just build a garden and see what she has to say then.

As for the wine cellar, after we finish the garden, let's talk to Bardin about having him become the brewer, so he can stop ruining Aunt Nora's ale.

Bardin and Trishes slowly followed. After the drow closed the fence, he fiddled with the locks and mumbled something in Elvish that was hard to understand, his tone full of disdain.

The dwarf carried many things on his back. The innermost layer was a canvas backpack containing supplies, covered by a dusty gray iron shield, on which hung a finely crafted crossbow.

A steel single-handed axe hung diagonally at his waist, and several round balls hung from his copper-buckled belt. His buttocks and waist... to be honest, given Marcus's imposing size, it was hard to tell whether it was his buttocks or his waist, but on the empty space on the dwarf's back, he also carried a quiver made of fine vines.

As always, Zhuo Er was simple and unassuming. His crossbow and longsword were hidden under his cloak, with only his rounded chin and leather boots showing. Judging from the cold aura he unconsciously exuded, he was clearly a ruthless character.

As for Marcus himself, he carried a canvas backpack full of stuff, a round shield and a longsword, and a studded leather armor salvaged from a militia camp; he had nothing else.

"We'll be crossing the river in Hawke's boat later. He's an old sea monster. Listen to his rules and don't do anything stupid on the river, or you'll get into trouble," Marcus said, then suddenly paused.

Why do you suddenly speak so fluently and without your foul mouth? Let me continue.

"Don't be like those foolish adventurers who don't take the taboos of the Nileka River seriously. She's a whore who will seduce anyone she fancys. The river is her bed, and the waves are her beautiful long hair. Sailing along her hair is like walking with your back to her, and you'll usually be safe. But if you want to cross a whore's bed, you'll always have to pay a price."

"So, tough guy, what do you mean by 'Old Water Ghost Hawk'? Is he the Water Ghost Queen's husband?" Bardin asked curiously.

"I don't know, that's what the people in town call Boss Hawk. He's an old water monster who roams the Nileca River. He's allowed to travel freely with Granny Keshachi's permission. Every year, several big ships are swallowed up by the whore, but Boss Hawk's Morgan has never had any accidents."

Trish suddenly interjected, "Morgan isn't a good name; it seems to represent greed and usurpation in Common Tongue."

"The baron's name is Morgan Visey. Boss Hawke swore to wipe out the Visey family, who killed his brother, and said he would shove a silver shovel up that old dog's asshole."

"Baron, speaking of which, I haven't met any dignitaries in Riverside Town yet. Why is that?"

As the group walked and talked, Marcus explained some of the history of Riverside to Trish, mainly the troubles of the silver mine.

The blood-stained silver allowed the Visi family to establish themselves in Silver Mountain City, where they used their noble status to run a merchant guild. The baron seemed to know the divine retribution for his evil deeds, and for forty years he had never contacted Linhe Town, and it was said that he was living quite comfortably in the city.

"Do you want to kill them? The Vizier family must have killed your relatives too," Trish asked.

"Me?" Marcus pondered for a moment, mainly because of the potential for foul breath, which required careful consideration.

"Just leave these little fools out of my life. As for revenge, that's a stupid game."

"Revenge is necessary because forgetting the past means betrayal, tough guy. Without family, you're no longer a part of this world," Bardin offered a different perspective, encouraging Marcus to swear a blood oath of revenge against the Vizi family in the name of the deceased.

Trish didn't reply. She just glanced at Marcus, as if waiting for his answer or confirming her own judgment.

Revenge is mostly a tool, and only very rarely can it become an end in itself.

The Morgan was moored at the dock. It was a decommissioned river sailing ship that had been modified many times. Most of the ballistae and catapults had been removed to make room in the cabins for bread, drinks and supplies.

Every so often, Hawke, who was in charge of supplying the adventurers' outpost on the other side of the river, would buy a lot of supplies in town and head to the Riverside Forest. This was a very well-paid job.

Those young masters who couldn't get used to tapioca flour dough always complained that they wanted to eat dark bread, so the price of a piece of dark bread changed hands several times and was roughly the same as the price of wheat bread.

Hawke was a middle-aged man with tanned skin, his face covered with wrinkles and sunspots, and his fierce eyes were like those of a water ghost hiding in a river, murky yet cold.

Upon seeing Marcus, who was carrying a large bag and a shield, he didn't stand on ceremony and waved, saying:

"Marcus, Kuran has already spoken to me. You've actually become an adventurer and want to venture into the Water Ghost Queen's territory. It's raining today, so those lazybones don't want to go out. Help me get these things on board, and the boat fare will be waived."

Dozens of heavy crates of cargo lay at the captain's feet. The sailors, in pairs, struggled to walk awkwardly across the gangplank, their swaying figures in the rain clearly indicating they were slacking off.

The original owner had worked as a porter for Hawke many times before, and the captain was quite generous, so she had received some preferential treatment.

Marcus Chongbadin and Trish waved to each other, indicating that they should board the ship first.

He bent down and easily lifted the wooden crate, weighing over a hundred kilograms, onto his shoulder with one hand. He noticed Hawke's interested gaze and was about to ask if it was really that heavy.

But in the end, he shut his mouth; anyone can have a foul mouth.

But you absolutely must not offend the boat captain, otherwise he might just find some excuse to throw you into the river to feed the water ghost queen.

After the goods were moved, Hawke handed a bottle of ale to the adventurer who had helped him a lot.

Looking at Trissy, who was gazing at the dock from the ship's railing, he patted Marcus on the back, his old face full of emotion:

"Don't upset women. Sometimes they're scarier than the Queen of the Water Ghosts. Go rest in the cabin for a while."