Chapter 151: Tree Friends Society

Late at night.  

The oil lamp’s flame flickered slightly as Wade paged through Opal’s adventurer handbook, which recorded the monsters that appeared in Opal.  

Whenever arriving at a new place, Wade would carefully study the local adventurer handbook – those rough pieces of information helped him quickly understand surrounding dangers.  

Knock knock knock. A knocking sound came from outside Wade’s door.  

“It’s me, Iron Mask.”  

The receptionist’s voice sounded from outside. Wade closed the book and went to the door.  

The receptionist spoke in an extremely low voice: “Sir, I’ve contacted my friend. If you want to go to Nidran, we must depart tonight. There’s a batch of supplies being sent into the quarantine zone, and my friend says you can join the transport team as a guard.”  

“Do you need to prepare anything else? We must hurry.”  

[Let’s go]  

Wade raised his wooden sign. His equipment was already properly equipped on his person – he always traveled light wherever he went.  

“Please follow me.” The receptionist gestured. “We’re going to the river at Milat. My friend is waiting for us at the ferry.”  

The two descended the stairs with quick steps. The cloaked receptionist led Wade along a small path out of town.  

Before long, they arrived at the Mitra River between Opal and Nidran – a wide inland river with docks and ferries along its banks.  

Several rowboats were moored at the ferry, loaded with goods.  

These were gnome rowboats. The less-than-half-human-height gnomes carried lanterns as they busily loaded and unloaded cargo.  

The receptionist brought Wade before one of the rowboats and greeted a bearded gnome.  

“Sam, this is Iron Mask.”  

“Sir, this is my friend Sam.”  

[Hello] Wade raised his wooden sign with a smiling face drawn on it.  

Sam looked up at Wade’s iron mask and tossed over a green cloak.  

“Tie this around yourself,” Sam said. “Get on board. We’re crossing to the other side. I’ll explain what you need to know during the crossing.”  

Wade nodded and tied the short cloak around his neck.  

The cloak had a “sapling” sewn onto it. Wade knew this was the emblem of the Tree Friends Society – the people who had freed him from the mines years ago belonged to this organization.  

In fact, during his lifetime, Wade had been half a member of the Tree Friends Society.  

After being rescued, he had served as an accountant for the Society for a period using his arithmetic knowledge, saving some money before settling in Helburg.  

Though he stopped being active in the organization after opening his bakery, he later helped the Tree Friends Society host some people.  

Such instances weren’t frequent, but he had indeed provided temporary lodging and food for several individuals of unclear identity.  

His bakery essentially functioned as a small inn that didn’t openly receive guests. For periods ranging from days to months, he provided bread and beds for people sent by the Tree Friends Society. The Society would pay him, then come retrieve their guests when the time came.  

At that time, he was essentially a peripheral member of the Tree Friends Society. He thought about the receptionist – likely that man was similarly connected to the Society, just as he had been in the past.  

This was a cross-border rescue organization, not profit-driven, simply seeking peaceful coexistence between people everywhere.  

These gnomes currently moving supplies appeared to be full members of the Tree Friends Society.  

After securing his cloak, Wade sat at the stern of the wooden boat.  

Once the gnomes finished securing the cargo, they made hand signals and began rowing from both sides.  

Ripples spread across the water as the small boats steadily moved toward the opposite bank amid the calm current.  

“I’ve heard of you – the Iron Mask ranger,” Sam said, sitting across from Wade. “If you’re heading to Helburg, be careful. The plague there is quite severe. All the herbs we’re transporting were requested by doctors.”  

“We’re only responsible for delivering the herbs inside the quarantine line. If you want to go further, once we reach the other side, I’ll take you to meet a guard named Mian Anderson. He’s in charge of receiving our medicinal herbs.”  

“If you follow him, you should be able to reach Helburg. I hope your family remains safe.”  

Sam unscrewed the wine pouch at his waist and took a big swig.  

“Want some? Authentic gnome Opal fruit brew – much stronger than Nidran wine.”  

Wade shook his head, simply looking toward the opposite bank where scattered torchlights indicated guards holding flames.  

Sam gave an approving look: “A good ranger must abstain from alcohol. If you end up like that idiot Ronald who can’t tell front from back after drinking, you’ll shoot an arrow into your own head sooner or later.”  

As the boats approached shore, the gnomes docked at the ferry.  

A group of guards with cloth covering their noses and mouths moved crates from the boats onto carts.  

“Rosemary, sage, juniper, echinacea, mint…”  

A guard held a checklist and charcoal pencil, checking off herbs as he inspected them.  

“Alright, Mian. Don’t you trust Sam’s work?” Sam brought Wade before the masked Mian. “Stop checking – everything’s accounted for. More importantly, I have something else to discuss.”  

Mian set down his pencil, frowning as he looked down at the gnome: “Sam, have you been drinking again? I can smell it from here.”  

“Never mind that,” the broad-nosed Sam said. “Let me introduce you to a friend – this ranger behind me wants to go to Helburg. Figure out a way to arrange an identity for him so he can pass through checkpoints.”  

“Sam, do you think this is some kind of joke?” Mian said. “The entire Hewitt territory is under quarantine! To prevent plague spread, all entry and exit checkpoints are tightly controlled. Even if you gave me a bag of gold coins, I couldn’t bribe my way through the inspections. I don’t want to face a military tribunal!”  

“But my friend here is a Silver-rank ranger – Iron Mask. Ever heard of him? The guy who single-handedly wiped out an entire bear goblin pack. Aren’t you worried about encountering wyverns or such on the road? With my friend here, no wyvern would stand a chance – he’d shoot it back to its mother with one arrow!”  

Sam patted his chest and let out a drunken belch.  

“Iron Mask?” Mian finally looked up to examine Wade standing behind the gnome.  

The black iron mask. The uniquely crafted wooden bow.  

Mian had heard tales about this lone ranger.  

[Hello] Wade raised his wooden sign and waved in greeting.  

“What do you think? Tempting offer?”  

“But why does he want to go to Helburg? Who knows how many have died there already.”  

“You don’t understand – his hometown is in Nidran. He’s going back to find his family.”  

“…” Mian fell silent for a moment, then looked at the green cloak tied around Wade’s neck. “Sam, you want him to pass checkpoints as a Tree Friends Society member?”  

Sam: “Why not?”  

“It’s not impossible,” Mian said, facing Wade. “But Iron Mask, can you promise not to leave the group during the journey and follow my orders?”  

Wade nodded.  

“A Silver-rank ranger…”  

“Very well. Iron Mask, welcome aboard.”