In the late autumn season, everything seemed bleak. The withered yellow leaves fell swiftly, landing near the hurried footsteps of four travelers, while the bare branches pointed desolately at the sky.

This was a border town of the Baharuth Empire, and on the other side lay the territory of the Re-Estize Kingdom. Although the two nations were arch-enemies, most of the battles took place on the northern plains, allowing for a relatively peaceful life here.

Especially in the past three years, the empire's high command had abandoned its previous ambition of military buildup and issued strict orders to avoid conflict with the Re-Estize Kingdom. They even recalled the knight regiment stationed here to the capital, leading to a further lax in local defenses.

The adventurer team "The Last Defender of the Way" merely registered symbolically at the border guard's small wooden hut and received permission to leave the town and cross the border.

They were purchasing long-lasting dried foods, camping equipment, and some clean well water for their long journey ahead. Using a teleportation array was out of the question, and they didn't even bother to hope for a carriage; there was certainly no smooth road leading directly to the cities of the Re-Estize Kingdom from here.

Although the war had long ended, the two nations remained ostensibly hostile, making border routes scarce. Only profit-driven traveling merchants dared to drive their mule carts through the muddy paths, occasionally stopping at this small town. Adventurers who wished to reach the other country on the border had no choice but to trek on foot.

For Barrett, there was no way that stored drinking water could be replaced with well water, but how could such a border town have magical distilled water? He had to grudgingly accept it, drawing a bucket of water from the well and filling his leather water bags.

Sean's shoulder would soon fully heal, so as the injured party, he didn't have to work. Instead, he wandered the short market street with Stella.

Probably due to the town's occasional trade with the Re-Estize Kingdom, some goods and tools sold here had a distinct southern Re-Estize style. Sean and Stella, who grew up in the Baharuth Empire, found this quite curious and lingered at some vendors' stalls for a long time.

Barrett chose to handle the important task of purchasing supplies himself, not letting EeDeChi interfere. EeDeChi was happy to take it easy, searching for shops selling lycium chinense and dried red dates. According to her, she needed more ingredients for her "health preservation" potion.

Stella could not understand how EeDeChi, with no knowledge of pharmacology, believed that soaking these common ingredients in boiling water could create an elixir for longevity. But since their orichalcum-level leader was doing it, Stella decided she might try it herself in the future.

The young cleric girl, dressed in a white cotton robe, held Ureirika's hand with her left hand and Kuuderika's with her right as they strolled through the market. From a distance, they saw the tall and muscular Barrett arguing with a skinny old man squatting on the ground.

"Why is this borago officinalis so expensive? This small bundle for 1 gold coin? Let me tell you, two months ago in Telamy, a bundle of borago officinalis was only 10 copper coins and twice the size of this measly bunch," Barrett, with a longsword at his waist, looked down at the old man and questioned him harshly.

In front of the old man was a worn-out yellow grass mat displaying some dried lamb, a large bundle of dried nettle, several bags of unidentified herbs, and a few bunches of borago officinalis.

Borago officinalis, also known as the 'Courage Herb,' could suppress pain and calm the mind. Adventurers with basic herbal knowledge liked to dry and grind borago officinalis into powder, storing a box of it in their backpacks. Barrett was determined to get his hands on it.

The old man selling borago officinalis was quite aged, with most of his hair gone, leaving only a few wisps of white hair fluttering in the wind like thin white threads sticking to his head.

He looked up, his cloudy yellow eyes glaring back at Barrett. Despite the significant difference in height and posture, his demeanor remained imposing. "Ha! Two months ago? Let me tell you, the last borago officinalis plant in Mount Foyle withered last month. The season is over, got it? These are the few seedlings I grew myself. Take it or leave it!"

"You think you're the only one selling this herb? I can buy it from other vendors just as easily!" Barrett retorted harshly, but his tone clearly lacked confidence.

"Fine, go ahead, go buy it elsewhere. Don't block my light," the old man waved dismissively, as if shooing away a fly.

"You greedy old man... Why don't you just rob people? You must have been a great bandit in your younger days!" Barrett's bark was worse than his bite.

In the small market of the town, Barrett had wandered around for quite some time and realized that this old man was the only one selling borago officinalis. Otherwise, he wouldn't have argued with this stubborn old man for so long.

"Hmm? What's the commotion about?" From around the corner, EeDeChi walked over slowly, holding a magical thermos in one hand and her other hand behind her back, her posture upright and her head held high.

She took a sip of the lycium chinense tea in her thermos and said unhurriedly, "Barrett, speak nicely. Don't bully the elderly. If people have difficulties, communicate more."

"Captain, look at this! Such a small amount of borago officinalis, and he wants 1 gold coin for a bundle. Is that reasonable?"

"Is that expensive?" EeDeChi blinked, "I just bought some red dates for 6 Mira, only 2 gold coins. The shop owner told me these are golden dates from the western part of the empire and even brewed hot water for me to make tea."

"Oh, God!" Barrett muttered, rubbing his forehead. He felt that all his haggling had been pointless.

The captain had been scammed by another unscrupulous vendor. How could this backwater town possibly have golden dates from the western part of the empire? Even if they did, they'd be worth only 2 silver coins per Mira. No wonder the vendor was eager to boil water for you and make tea – you're their prime target for a rip-off!

(Editor's note: Mira is a unit of weight used in human countries. 10 Mira equals 1 ounce, and 10 ounces equal 1 pound.)

EeDeChi, holding her thermos, squatted down and looked at the old man with a kind expression. "Sir, if you have any difficulties, please tell me. Our young friend here might have been a bit rash in his words. Please don't take it to heart."

The old man glared at EeDeChi. "What's with the fake politeness? There's no difference between adventurers and robbers! Are you buying or not?"

EeDeChi stood up, frustrated by the old man's hostility. Barrett shook his head, took out four gold coins from his money pouch, threw them in front of the old man, and picked up the four small bundles of borago officinalis from the stall, then turned to leave.

Before leaving, he added a harsh remark, "If I were still a bandit, I'd definitely rob greedy old men like you!"

The old man, not to be outdone, gathered the remaining herbs on his stall and spat on the ground viciously.

This little episode quickly passed, and the unpleasantness it brought dissipated like the warmth snatched away by the autumn wind from the neck. Barrett didn't dwell on the old man's bad attitude and continued to buy the remaining supplies.

The next morning, all the gear and supplies needed for the journey were ready: food, water, medicines, magic potions, and vitality elixirs, all stored in Barrett's spatial ring.

The adventurer team "The Last Defender of the Way" greeted the weary sentry at the town's narrow entrance and embarked on their new journey.

The cold morning wind, carrying the deep chill of autumn, swept in through their sleeves and collars, making them tighten their coats. Stella's soft, chestnut hair was blown into disarray by the wind, and she had to stop to tidy it up. Sean, whose shoulder was nearly healed, used both hands to help her put her hair into a bun.

Walking in the lead, Barrett noticed the new blue butterfly hair clip on the cleric girl's head, different from her usual style, and curiously asked, "Did you buy that new hair clip in town? Its design doesn't look like something from the empire."

Stella nodded. "Yes, a traveling merchant sold it to me. He said it's the same style worn by the Golden Princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom." She blushed as she spoke.

Barrett shook his head internally, thinking, "You're as easy to fool as the captain." But he kept this thought to himself.

Next to him, EeDeChi smacked her forehead. "Oh, I had a silver pendant I could have given you. It was an heirloom from the old gentleman who was our last client, but I used it to shoot birds, and it fell into the river. Such a pity."

"Hmm... shooting birds..." Stella blinked, not understanding what the captain meant. Both she and Sean were used to the captain occasionally saying strange things they had never heard before. They also knew that EeDeChi was usually too proud to explain, so they didn't ask further.

The autumn fields exuded a gentle, lingering breath from their broad expanse. On the slopes and in the fields, a crystal-clear serenity spread like water, and the withered trees and crops began to sway in the breeze.

The travelers stepped on the dry wild grass on the road and continued forward.

…

"What's going on?" In the fifth floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz stared at a glowing dot on the magic screen before him, his tone displeased.

The dot on the screen theoretically indicated EeDeChi's location, but it hadn't moved since the day before yesterday. Yesterday, Ainz had checked, and the dot still hadn't budged. And now, after getting up today, he saw that the dot was still in the same place!

Could this mean EeDeChi hadn't moved an inch in days?

"Could the magic in the tracker have failed? Impossible, it's a divine-class artifact."

"Perhaps Sebas didn't succeed in tricking EeDeChi into wearing the tracking pendant." Standing before Ainz, a tall demon in a pinstripe suit and small round glasses spoke.

Ainz shook his head at the demon. "Demiurge, I trust Sebas' abilities. If he said he got EeDeChi to accept the silver tracking pendant, then EeDeChi definitely accepted it."

Demiurge bowed slightly. "Honorable Ainz-sama, I also believe Sebas succeeded, and the high-tier tracking magic on the silver pendant is indeed hard to detect. Nevertheless, I dispatched a servant to investigate the location of the dot. It should be back soon."

Soon after, a red devil with bat wings knelt before Ainz and Demiurge, raising its arms high to its forehead. "Honorable Supreme One, I found this at the location of the dot, buried in the mud at the bottom of a river. There were no humans in the river or the water."

In the red devil's upraised hand was a delicate silver pendant, glistening with light, still smeared with mud and water droplets, clearly just retrieved from the river.

Ainz glanced at the magic screen. The dot had moved to the Great Tomb of Nazarick, indicating that the tracking magic was still working.

"What do you think, Demiurge?" Ainz asked in a low tone, secretly impressed by EeDeChi's counter-surveillance abilities.

This silver pendant was a small gadget Ainz had acquired in a gacha game before crossing over, with magical effects comparable to Super-Tier Magic—"Invisible Eye of Tracking."

Ainz had given it to allied players to monitor their movements. But now, EeDeChi had seen through it so easily. Truly, she was an extraordinary girl.

Demiurge picked up the silver pendant from the red devil, his expression serious. "Lord Ainz, I believe EeDeChi is a very tricky individual. She sensed our intentions but deliberately did not show hostility. This indicates she has deep cunning and calculation.

"We need to treat her with more caution. If we haven't figured out the forces behind her, perhaps we should make the first move to contact her and show some goodwill."