I love time travel the most!

"What you said is very true... but it's too harsh, Ms. Ryuu. Please be a little more understanding of my difficulties."

Xiaolin covered her face with her hands, pretending to cry, and threw herself into Liu Zi's reserved bosom.

However, she was not wrong.

Half a month has passed since I decided to come to Dandalini.

To ensure the gods could forge the divine artifact, Kobayashi meticulously gathered all the rare materials he could obtain. In addition to the adamantite ore and holy light stones unique to Konosuba, he also went to the world of Akame ga Kill! to collect materials for crafting the [Thousand Transformations: Cross Tail].

After all, mortals can only make imperial weapons or ministerial weapons with materials, while gods can certainly make divine weapons!

With that thought in mind, Xiaolin excitedly ran to the capital.

Then he was caught.

Because she hadn't gone back to see them for a long time, Leone, Esdeath and the others were very angry, so they did all sorts of things that couldn't be said, and in the end they even had a competition to see who could squeeze the most juice out of them.

It's outrageous!

If Lubbock hadn't taken pity on him (out of jealousy), he probably would have been stuck there permanently. Thinking about it now terrifies me, so I'd better not talk about it anymore.

The most important thing now is how to get to the labyrinth city of Orario.

Leode Town remained as bustling as ever, with vendors constantly calling out their wares and pedestrians hurrying along the streets. People were still selling war necessities such as weapons and food, but the difference was that there were no longer areas for the slave trade.

It seems that the goddess Freya's style of doing things has indeed influenced this town. She truly lives up to her title as the goddess of beauty; wherever she goes, she exudes an atmosphere of freedom.

Walking down the street, Xiaolin and Liuzi's attire attracted a lot of attention, especially the latter's aloof yet delicate face and her barely concealed disdain. Many people who saw them showed amazement, deep curiosity, and doubt.

Because Freya had visited before, many of the merchants who followed her made a fortune, so they hoped that the goddess would visit again.

Unfortunately, their expectations were not met.

Liu Zi is not a goddess.

At this moment, a middle-aged businessman with dark skin, a headscarf, and a thick beard approached.

I don't want antiques, I don't have any change, and I need a place to stay.

Just as Xiaolin was about to unleash a barrage of polite words, the other party unexpectedly revealed a fawning and ingratiating smile first.

The middle-aged merchant bowed humbly and said in a respectful and fearful tone, "Excuse me, are you Lord Kobayashi who is with Lady Freya?"

"...You know me?" Kobayashi raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes! I saw you when I was serving the goddess at the Oasis Villa! It is a great honor to see you again!"

Hearing Xiaolin's tacit admission, he was very excited and even revealed a hint of anticipation.

Kobayashi knew that he was one of the merchants who had benefited from Freya's visits here. Now that he was approaching, he probably wanted to gain something from this place, such as finding out the location of the goddess Freya.

But the other party is a businessman, and given his access to information, he should know the goddess's location better than I do. The fact that he's asking now suggests that the goddess has disappeared again.

Just as Kobayashi had expected.

“I am Geshera, a humble merchant. I am truly sorry to have disturbed you. But I would like to ask if the Goddess has returned from the capital of Sharzad. You are here to say that the Goddess has returned. If she needs someone to serve her, I, Geshera, will gladly oblige!”

Sharzad is Ari's kingdom and one of the main protagonists in this war.

From what Geshera just said, Kobayashi can deduce that this is the final crucial moment of Ari's journey to restore her kingdom.

Of course, she will succeed.

With the help of the goddess Freya and her strongest familiars, he wouldn't know how to lose even if the dragon was charging right at him, and it was the kind of flag he could casually set!

Xiaolin shook his head, calming his thoughts.

"I'm sorry, I think your expectations may not be met."

"……what?"

"Actually, when Lady Freya left Riod Town, I also said goodbye to that goddess. Therefore, I don't know where that goddess is now, and I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

"how come……"

This statement conveys two meanings.

One is that Kobayashi and the goddess Freya had no real relationship, and the other is that Freya abandoned him.

Geshela looked very disappointed.

For merchants, risk is also accompanied by opportunity. They would even sell the reins that would strangle them if there were ten times the profit. Even though the goddess Freya was willful and too free, they still flocked to her like locusts, swarming around her and groping for food under the hem of her skirt.

The dejected Geshera did not show any disgust and left immediately, even after hearing that Kobayashi and Freya had no real relationship.

A seasoned businessman can extract even the sweetness from a chewed-up sugarcane.

Moreover, Kobayashi must have exceptional skills, otherwise Freya wouldn't have accompanied him for a period of time, especially since she summoned him to her palace late at night.

Yes, he was there that night too.

It was when Kobayashi was admiring the moon in the courtyard, and Freya asked him to go to her bedroom on the top floor, that Geshera happened to be resting in a relatively secluded corner and overheard their conversation.

Would an ordinary person be able to visit the goddess's palace and kiss her?

Geshera was already brainstorming, but he showed no weakness on the surface and said eagerly, "Um...I wonder if there's anything Mr. Kobayashi can help with? As long as I, Geshera, can help, I will do my best to help you."

Here it comes! The main event is here!

Kobayashi's patient and polite reply was because he wanted to use the other party's ability to go to Orario; otherwise, who would know where Orario was?

"Actually, I do have some trouble."

"Please tell me."

“I have urgent business and need to return to the Labyrinth City as soon as possible, but walking in the Caios Desert is too slow, and even riding a camel would take a lot of time, so I wonder if you have any solutions.”

"Well..."

"Furthermore, you can rest assured about my strength. I can easily deal with even a giant desert worm. After all, I am an adventurer who once served as Lady Freya's bodyguard."

"Really? That's wonderful!"

Geshela's face broke into an even warmer smile.

He doesn't act until he sees the profit; he's truly a shrewd businessman.

However, they didn't have any real relationship. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement where each person got what they wanted, and Kobayashi had no complaints.

Gesila does some business with the Labyrinth City and frequents it. Rather, as the center of the world, the vast majority of merchants have direct or indirect business dealings with the Labyrinth City.

In order to gain more profits, Geshela, like Boffman, bought the Sand Sea Ship.

Thanks to this, he was able to quickly accumulate wealth, become a well-known businessman, and thus be qualified to serve the goddess Freya.

It has to be said, it was quite a coincidence. By a twist of fate, Geshera assumed that Kobayashi and Freya had some unspeakable secret.

Then it was quite simple: after quickly getting the ship ready, Geshera hurriedly set off for Orario.

No matter how greedy or shrewd he was in terms of gaining benefits, he acted swiftly after Kobayashi said he had something urgent to do and needed to return to Labyrinth City quickly.

Of course, if he dawdles, Xiaolin might ask someone else for help, and then he'll be left speechless with regret.

A strong wind blew against my face, and the desert still seemed barren and lifeless, at least on the surface.

Everywhere there are undulating sand dunes, seemingly endless.

For the average person, crossing the desert on foot is simply wishful thinking; even riding a camel carries the risk of getting lost.

Sure enough, taking a boat was the only option.

Although he longed to reach his destination safely, unfortunately, the monsters lurking beneath the desert wouldn't allow it.

"Master Xiaolin."

“I see it, Ryuu-zukuri.”

Without needing a reminder from the waiter beside him, Kobayashi discovered the enemy using his "Five Visions".

It's our old friend, the giant desert worm.

"What bad luck," Kobayashi muttered to himself, then called out loudly to Geshela in the distance, "Sir, please tell the crew to hold on tight to the handrails, we have guests!"

"……what did you say?"

"I said, the big one is coming!"

Before Geshela could figure out what was happening, the ship sailing in the Sand Sea suddenly began to rock from side to side, with its starboard side rising high as if to capsize the ship.

People on the ship screamed, and a sense of panic filled the air.

"A monster...it's a monster!!!"

"Oh no! Quick, run!"

"Don't panic! Running off the ship now is suicide! Use the magic cannon, quick!"

Except for a few terrified individuals, the others, under Geshela's command, quickly launched a counterattack. However, just like with Boffman's magic cannon, by the time they were ready, the ship had already been cut in half.

"Let me do it this time, Ryuu."

"Yes, Master Xiaolin."

Now that Xiaolin has [Blessing], the only way to gain proficiency is to fight monsters and level up on her own; it's impossible for her to sit back and reap the rewards like the boss.

Therefore, we must never let Liu Zi steal our experience points.

With a flick of his right hand, five long silk threads scattered. Kobayashi pushed off with his feet and leaped from the deck. When the giant worm saw the tiny human, it opened its blood-red maw, waiting for the human to walk into its trap. But what it didn't expect was that it was met with an incredibly hard silk thread that bound its entire head and tightened around it.

Before he could even struggle, his entire head was severed off by the silk threads in an instant.

Blood splattered in mid-air, falling like a light rain beside the ship. With a deafening roar, a huge cloud of dust rose, and the giant worm's body collapsed to the ground.

Only when the blood had stained the sand red and the stench of blood filled the air did the people on the ship react.

"Dead, dead..."

"Are you dead?!"

"No, no way... that giant worm that could easily capsize a ship was killed so easily?!"

The incredulous looks on everyone's faces.

But soon, that look turned into admiration, and he looked at Kobayashi with fervent eyes.

Geshela went even further, magically producing a small bag of coins from somewhere on his person. He ran up to Kobayashi and thanked him enthusiastically, saying, "Oh, Mr. Kobayashi! Thank you so much for your help! This is a small token of my appreciation, please accept it, please accept it!"

With talent, you'll be sought after wherever you go.