Zongman, the journey begins from the wrong place

The first question facing Noah now is - should he join a clan?

From an emotional and intuitive point of view, Noah didn't want to.

First of all, Noah did not like gods, and he had disliked them since the previous world. There was so much suffering and ugliness in this world, which meant that the gods were either kind-hearted but not omniscient and omnipotent, or omniscient and omnipotent but evil gods who liked to see disasters.

Secondly, although the powers of the gods in this world have been sealed in the lower realm, they still have various powers that can be exercised. It is hard to say whether they can see through Noah's true identity.

Finally, past experiences have destined Noah to be suspicious, and he would rather not have the power of grace, which is completely controlled by God at a moment's notice.

However, after calming down, Noah suppressed all these thoughts.

Power is power. There is no such thing as whether it is reliable or not. It all depends on whether you can control it.

If I refuse the God's favor, it will be withdrawn, and my weapon may even break. Am I going to fight with my bare hands?

Weapons need maintenance to ensure their reliability, and relationships between people naturally require long-term management. You can't expect someone to trust you with their life right away, right?

It was just like some people Noah had met in the previous world, who stayed at home all day long and never went out, but were obsessed with various legends about encountering beautiful elf girls, beautiful orc girls, beautiful dragon girls, and beautiful princess girls... In short, they all hoped to meet a beautiful girl who loved them madly.

Let’s not talk about whether there are such girls. Even if there are, how can you meet one if you stay at home all day and don’t go out?

Do you expect a beautiful girl to act like a gangster and break into the house?

If you can't choose a god who can ensure your safety, then you deserve it.

Just like in the previous world, if you are betrayed, you can only admit defeat... and then kill everyone and die together!

Thinking of this, Noah, who had made a decision, came to his senses and found himself walking into an unfamiliar street.

Judging from the position of the sun in the sky, I should have come from the east of the city to the north.

The aroma that filled the air caught his attention.

Looking up, I saw stalls lining the entire street. The aroma from the big pots spread in the wind, and children were running around eating sliced fruits.

Uniformed guild members rushed around in the long queues of people to maintain order.

Noah realized that this was a charity meal.

In order to appease the people in Orarium who had lost their jobs and could not even feed their families due to the unrest, the Demeter family, which provided most of the city's agricultural needs, was responsible for providing supplies, and the city's guilds and other families assisted in the free food distribution event.

Thinking of this, Noah suddenly remembered that he hadn't eaten today, but the little money he had saved from the past few days had almost been spent in the past few days.

So, do you want to go for free... oh no, help them complete their performance faster?

After all, if the mountains of food are not distributed, I'm afraid these people will have a hard time leaving get off work, right?

However, seeing the long queue of people that was almost filling up the street, Noah thought about it and gave up, turned around and left.

However, before he had taken a few steps, he was stopped by someone.

9 Liya

"Um, big brother, are you hungry?"

The one who called Noah was a little girl about seven or eight years old, holding a teddy bear in one hand, with two ponytails tied behind her head.

Although her clothes were a little old, they were very clean, and one could feel the love her parents had for her.

Maybe because of her temperament, she seemed even smaller than the little blonde girl Noah rescued a few days ago.

Facing Noah's gaze, which was emotionless and rather strange, the little girl couldn't help but shrink her neck.

Like a rabbit poking its head out of a burrow, there was a look of nervousness in its big round eyes.

But for some reason, the little girl bit her lip and bravely handed over the candy in her hand and stuffed it into Noah's hand.

"If you're hungry, big brother, this is for you."

This is a piece of milk candy wrapped in wax paper. Even without opening the package, Noah can smell a faint fragrance, maybe some fruity sweetness.

Although Orario is relatively rich in material resources compared to the outside world due to the power and knowledge of the gods' followers and the existence of magic stone craftsmanship, it is not to the point where children can get tired of eating this kind of milk fruit candy.

The little girl in front of him, judging from her clothes, couldn't be said to be from a wealthy family.

Not to mention that she used movements that anyone could notice to peek at the candy in her hand, swallowing her saliva from time to time, and seemed very reluctant to let it go.

Maybe it was obtained from charity meals?

In that case, why give it to yourself?

Noah couldn't help but feel curious, so he bent down and met the little girl's eyes.

"You should want to eat it too, right? Why are you giving it to me?"

"Because, because Leah thinks that you look very hungry, big brother, maybe you have encountered some difficulties recently?"

Feeling that although Noah was not gentle and kind, he was not oppressive or dangerous either, the little girl named Leah gradually relaxed.

"Because I'm in trouble, you have to help me? You have to know that you are just a child."

Noah was simply stating his most direct question in a straightforward manner without any emotion.

But the little girl seemed to be insulted, and immediately pouted her lips and blushed.

"But, Sister Alicia said it! Adventurers, commoners, even beggars have the right to lend a hand to those in need—because justice belongs to everyone! This has nothing to do with whether I'm a child or not!"

The girl's voice was a little hurried, and her volume unconsciously increased, attracting the attention of some passers-by.

When she came to her senses, her face suddenly flushed, and she quickly grabbed her ponytail with her little hands and rubbed it on her cheeks.

Noah was a little dazed for a moment, and his throat felt a little dry.

"Who is this A-Alicia you're talking about?"

"Eh? Big brother, don't you know?"

This question made Leah's eyes widen, and she looked at Noah in surprise and suspicion, as if she saw a savage running out of the mountains.

"It's Sister Alisee Raphel, the leader of the Astralia Familia! They're a righteous Familia! Don't you even know that, big brother?"

Looking in the direction of Leah's finger, Noah saw a girl dancing like a bird in the crowd.

There was a masked blond elf, a girl with a red ponytail and green eyes, a long-haired girl in a quiet kimono... eleven in total.

They were busy playing, arguing, and busy with various matters, exuding a cheerful atmosphere that was completely different from the people around them. The sunlight seemed to be brighter and more brilliant around them, making Noah easily recognized.

Amidst all the laughter and joy, Noah stood there in a daze, another scene emerging before his eyes...

Golden sunset, long mountain shadows, clear streams...

The evening breeze dispels the unbearable heat of summer, falling on sweat-soaked clothes, refreshing the lungs...

In the distance, smoke rose from the city, beside me, red dragonflies flew up from the grass, and before me, the various faces of my companions...

It is a vivid landscape that does not exist in this world or this world, no one else knows about it, and it only exists in the depths of Nolan's memory.

So deep that he thought he had forgotten it, but he knew he could never forget it...

"...Brother? Big brother?"

Coming back to his senses, Noah felt a slight warmth deep in his eyes, while Leah looked at him with curiosity and a bit of mischief.

"I know Sister Alyse and the others are beautiful, but don't get too carried away! If necessary, Leah can introduce you to Sister Alyse and the others!"

Ignoring the girl's playful look, Noah took a deep breath and regained his composure.

Looking at the little girl in front of him who had a bit of a devilish temperament, Noah didn't smile, but his eyes became much softer.

"Thank you for the candy. May I ask what I can do in return?"

The topic changed abruptly. The little girl tilted her head, looking very cute, but not very smart.

"Repay?"

"Of course, since you have done justice, I should reward you, right?"

Leah came to her senses and immediately shook her head firmly.

"How can this be?! Sister Alixie said that justice is unconditional!"

For a moment, Noah's eyes became serious.

But it recovered so quickly that even Leah, who was standing right next to it, didn't notice it at all.

Instead of directly refuting the girl, he asked another question.

"Do you think there are more strong and wealthy people in this world, or more weak and poor people?"

Although the topic changed abruptly again, this time Leah gave a direct answer.

"Well, of course there are more weak and poor people."

"So, do you think that justice with rewards can attract more people to participate, or justice without rewards can attract more people to participate?"

The girl's brain was completely stuck this time. She looked at Noah with his mouth wide open, but couldn't say a word.

“Justice without reward is only a game for the strong and the rich. Justice with reward is for the weak and the poor—it is the justice for the majority of people in this world!”

Noah held out his palm to Leah.

"So, tell me what you wish for."

Leah felt like something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"me……"

"It doesn't hurt to be a little bolder. Think carefully about it. What is your greatest wish?"

"Eh? How can this be? It's just a candy, I can't be too greedy-"

Interrupting Leah with a raised finger, Noah stared into her eyes.

"Little girl, you must admit that people have different values. Therefore, the same gift will have completely different values when given to different people—"

Noah picked up the candy by pinching it.

"If you gave this candy to a beggar who was about to starve to death, its significance would only help the beggar live one more day, so the reward you would get would only be a thank you. But if you gave it to me——"

Leah inexplicably felt that the silver-haired boy in front of her exuded an aura that made her extremely afraid and extremely obsessed.

Although they were looking at each other at eye level, she felt as if she was being looked down upon from a superior position, and she couldn't help but tremble and surrender.

My heart beat faster, my breathing became rapid, and my cheeks became hot. It was as if I was standing on the edge of a cliff, and my whole body was shaking.

"Even though it only makes me a little happy, the value it can bring is beyond your imagination - so, tell me your wish..."

A child's direct instinct made Leah inexplicably feel that the decision she would make next would affect her whole life.

10 Noah: You heretics who blaspheme the name of the God of Death!

"...I, I want peace!"

Holding the doll tightly in her hand, Leah's eyes flashed with a strong light.

"I hope Mom, Dad, and everyone in Orario won't have to worry anymore! I want to put a smile on everyone's face!"

After she finished speaking, Leah couldn't help but breathe slightly and looked at Noah nervously.

In her sight, Noah nodded slowly and stood up slowly.

Whether it was as expected or she didn't care, Leah couldn't see anything unusual.

"No problem, you'll get what you want."

Noah spoke in a light yet firm tone, as if a god was making a judgment on the future.

Then he turned and left, disappearing into the crowd under the girl's gaze.

In front of a stall selling fragrant meat soup, the masked blonde elf who was helping to cut fruit suddenly seemed to realize something and stopped what he was doing.

His blue eyes, like the clear summer sky, swept across the crowd, and when he found nothing unusual, he frowned.

It’s so strange. Was someone looking at me just now?

That kind of gaze made her quite concerned.