Chapter 36: Philosopher Lu Wei

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Philosopher Lu Wei

Lu Wei was, of course, familiar with the "marriage customs" of this world.

After all, the body’s previous owner had been nearing marriageable age. If his father hadn’t passed away so suddenly, he probably would have started a family in another two or three years.

In any case, while customs varied slightly between the continent’s different countries, the general process was more or less the same—

Whether it was a love match or an arranged introduction, couples had to exchange tokens of affection engraved with their names before marrying.

Once the other party accepted the token, they were considered engaged.

After that, the bride’s family had to provide a dowry of varying amounts, while the groom had to prepare a home for after the wedding.

Finally, they would hold a wedding, invite friends and family to celebrate, and that would be that.

Therefore, this ring was likely the token of affection that the wife, named "Luna," had given to her husband.

Lu Wei didn’t know if they had gotten married or for how long.

In any case, this husband was never going back.

Even this ring, had Furen not happened to dig it up, would have likely remained buried in this forest forever, resting eternally with this poor man.

"Sigh."

Placing the ring in his coin pouch, Lu Wei sighed softly, a mix of disappointment and resignation.

The disappointment was because his excitement had been for nothing.

When he’d seen something silvery glinting in the dirt, he thought he’d hit the jackpot again, just like with the Soul Pendant.

But who would have known it was just an ordinary ring?

And the resignation was because...

"You guys don’t have to be so down about it."

Lu Wei turned to look at Furen and Bai Ya, who had suddenly grown melancholic and were just trudging along in silence, and said with a wry smile:

"It’s a real shame, I know, but look on the bright side. At least his body has been buried and won’t be gnawed on by wild animals anymore."

’He’s just a skeleton now, so it’s not like wild animals could gnaw on him anyway...’

Bai Ya mumbled to herself before looking up and asking, "Captain, do you know this Lady Luna?"

"I don’t. She’s probably not from town."

Lu Wei shook his head. "Otherwise, I’d probably remember her."

"Then where should we go to find her?" Bai Ya asked, her face full of worry.

"Find her? What for?"

"To tell her that her husband has passed away, and to give the ring back to her, of course."

"..."

’Wait a minute. After all that work, all I got was seventy Copper Coins, and now you won’t even let me keep this?!’

Hearing that Bai Ya actually wanted to return the ring, the corner of Lu Wei’s mouth twitched.

"I’m afraid she’ll be hard to find..."

"That’s true... I hope the gods can guide us."

Bai Ya offered a short prayer, then fell silent.

It seemed she was once again reminded of her late parents.

The air grew silent again. Low-hanging branches scraped against their backpacks, making a light SCRAPING sound.

Countless layers of fallen leaves blanketed the ground, and the canopy of trees and vines overhead blotted out almost all of the sky.

Like three pebbles dropped into a boundless green sea, the trio slowly advanced into the heart of the forest.

Until Furen suddenly spoke up:

"Um, do you guys want to hear a story?"

"I just thought of a moving love story about a Ghost Knight."

...

...

As dusk approached, the three members of the Mushroom Squad finally reached the top of a cliff with a wide, open view.

The matter of the ring was certainly lamentable, but at the end of the day, it was someone else’s business.

People might feel sorrow for a stranger out of empathy, but that kind of sadness usually doesn’t last long.

Lu Wei had often experienced this in his previous life—

one moment, he’d be sighing over a poor little puppy, and the next, he’d be intently admiring a suggestive video.

So, after a few hours, Furen and Bai Ya’s moods had mostly recovered.

Especially Furen, who had long since returned to his previous excited state.

"That must be the Dome Pillar!"

Pointing at a giant fir tree about a mile or two away, one several times larger than even the Tree of Origin, the fatigue on his face vanished completely.

That’s right—after seven or eight straight hours of a "weighted field march," Furen was finally feeling a little tired.

Overall, though, he was fine. He still seemed to have plenty of energy left.

Even though Lu Wei was wearing the Forest Patrol Leather Armor and had a Physique of 9, he was clearly much more tired than Furen.

This showed that Furen’s Physique was definitely over 10.

As for the one who was dragging the most...

Lu Wei glanced at Bai Ya, who was bent over with her hands on her knees, panting nonstop, and was actually a little surprised.

He had thought Bai Ya definitely wouldn’t be able to keep up and was even planning to have Furen carry her pack for a bit.

But he hadn’t expected her to have toughed it out and followed them all this way.

Even though she looked utterly exhausted now, the fact that she’d made it this far proved that her Physique was also much higher than an ordinary person’s.

’If we make enough this time, maybe I can take her to get her Attributes checked when we get back.’

’That way, it’ll be easier for me to exploit—I mean, assign tasks in the future.’

"Yep, that should be it."

Looking away from her and toward the super-massive tree that clearly towered over the sea of forest, Lu Wei wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Not far now. Let’s push through and rest when we get there."

"Alright!"

Furen, of course, had no problem with that. Hearing this, Bai Ya also straightened up and nodded with effort.

"Okay..."

"Alright, let’s move out."

Lu Wei waved his hand and added, "Furen, help Bai Ya with her pack."

Bai Ya was taken aback and quickly waved her hands. "No, no, it’s fine! I can manage!"

"Are you sure? There’s no shame in accepting help."

Lu Wei shot her a sidelong glance. "But it is shameful to drag your teammates down because you’re too proud to admit you need it."

"Ah, I-I’m sorry..."

Seeing him put on his captain’s airs again, Bai Ya didn’t dare say another word and immediately, obediently took off her backpack.

Meanwhile, Furen’s jaw dropped in amazement.

"Brother Lu Wei, what you just said is pure wisdom!"

"I think it should be written in every Adventurer’s Manual!"

’What’s the big deal? He’s making a mountain out of a molehill.’

Lu Wei smiled calmly. "Just a few simple Enlightenments."

Furen looked at him with admiration. "But it makes so much sense! You’re being too modest."

Lu Wei’s gaze was serene. "There’s nothing wrong with modesty. After all, modesty helps one to improve, while pride leads to decline."

Furen: "!"

Lu Wei: "Where there are shadows, there is light."

Furen: "!!"

Lu Wei: "To be, or not to be, that is the question."

Furen: "!!!"

Lu Wei: "The Hero, in his anger, draws his Sword against the stronger. The coward, in his anger, draws his sword against the weaker."

Furen: "!!!!"

"Gods! Brother Lu Wei, you’re practically a philosopher!"

Two minutes later, Furen’s ecstatic exclamation echoed from the clifftop.

"That last line especially, it’s just so perfect!"

"It’s a complete motto for a Warrior!"

"The Warrior Association should hang it up in the most conspicuous place!"

Tailing closely behind Lu Wei, Furen’s face was flushed red. He was completely won over by Lu Wei’s wisdom, so worked up that his voice started to crack.

But Bai Ya just stood there, dazed, staring blankly at the two of them as they walked further and further away. Her face was a mask of confusion.

’Was there any logical connection between the things the captain just said?’

’And why did they just walk off like that?’

’What happened to helping me with my pack?’