After entering the wooden cabin, Tribios first surveyed the surroundings. The space was cramped, consisting of only a living room and a bedroom, without even a washroom.
The living room held a table and chairs, while the bedroom contained a wooden bed and a cabinet. Apart from these, the entire cabin was completely bare.
"So, if there's no washroom, do people in this era just relieve themselves outdoors, wherever they please?"
To be fair, even in Tribios's previous life, some underdeveloped and impoverished countries might still practice open defecation even today.
However, without a washroom, bathing was also impossible. If she really wanted to wash, she'd probably have to find a river and bathe in the wild.
Why do so many historical dramas feature scenes where the male lead accidentally stumbles upon a beautiful woman bathing? Isn't it precisely because they can't bathe at home?
Later, when Tribios prepared to retire for the night, she made another absurd discovery: the wooden bed was just that—a plain wooden bed, with no pillow or blanket.
Tribios rummaged through the nearby cabinet and found two sets of worn-out coarse linen clothing, a wooden bow, and some battered wooden armor.
Sigh... She let out a silent sigh. There's no choice but to make do. She walked to the bed, first wiping away the thin layer of dust that had accumulated over the past few days. Then, without bothering to change, she lay down directly on the hard, lumpy mattress.
The bed was hard and uncomfortable, but the real problem was the lack of a pillow. Unaccustomed to sleeping without one, she eventually settled on her side, tucking her hand beneath her head to use her arm as a makeshift pillow.
From this angle, Tribios could see the night sky through the bedroom window. Yes, the wooden cabin had a window, though it was merely a square opening in the wall, without any glass.
And there, hanging prominently in the night sky, was a perfectly round, brilliant white moon.
"Wait, white!?" Tribios froze. Wasn't the moon supposed to be red in the 'future' timeline?
In other words, the moon should originally have been white, but over the past three centuries, something unknown had occurred, transforming it into red.
From any perspective, this didn't seem like a good thing. But... why had it turned red, and what impact did this change have? She had absolutely no idea.
Tribios gazed silently at the sky as time slowly passed. The next morning, before the sun had even risen, a shout came from outside: "Little Trib! Little Trib, are you awake?"
Immediately followed by a loud knocking at the door: Knock, knock, knock!
Tribios yawned, slowly sat up in bed, and first stretched the arm she had been sleeping on all night. Thank goodness I'm a Demigod, she thought. If I were human, this arm would be numb and aching for hours.
As it was, she only felt a slight soreness.
After quickly smoothing out the wrinkles in her clothes, running a finger through her hair, and slipping on her shoes, Tribios headed straight for the door. Without a mirror, she couldn't even attempt a more thorough grooming!
Forget about grooming; without a washroom or even Chew Grass, daily hygiene was a problem.
When she opened the door, Olivia and Jay were already there. Olivia exclaimed excitedly, "I've already sent people to chop down trees! So, Little Trib, what preparations do we need to make for the instant teleportation you mentioned—the one that can cross over ten thousand kilometers?"
Jay, however, looked skeptical. "It's not that I don't believe you, Tribios, but you're not joking, are you? Crossing ten thousand kilometers like that..."
It sounded utterly absurd.
Tribios rubbed her still-sleepy eyes and murmured, "You'll see soon enough whether it's true. But yes, we need preparations. Do you have the coordinates for any southern countries?"
Olivia shook her head decisively. "What are coordinates?"
"A map," Tribios explained. "Ideally one that shows our current location and the destination."
Olivia shook her head again. "No, we don't..."
Tribios hesitated. "Then... do you have a realistic drawing of any landmark buildings in the south? That might work too."
Still, they came up empty. Olivia's expression grew discouraged. "Do you think if I set out right now, head south immediately, and try to find a map, I'd still have time?"
The conversation completely dispelled Tribios' drowsiness. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Actually, I can open a teleportation gate even without precise coordinates, but I can't guarantee what's on the other side."
"Hmm~ About how far is the nearest southern country from the Grand Duchy of Augustus?"
Jay thought for a moment and replied, "Around two thousand kilometers?"
Hearing this, Tribios immediately extended her right hand southward. "Century Gate, open!"
Instantly, a triangular golden teleportation gate slowly materialized before them. She explained, "This gate leads to a location two thousand kilometers south of our current position. However, whether it's the country Jay mentioned, I wouldn't get my hopes up too much."
Without detailed coordinates or any visual reference of the destination, this clumsy method was their only option: choose a direction, estimate the distance, open the gate, check what's on the other side, and keep trying until they finally reach the desired location.
The immediate question was who should go through first. Since no one knew what lay beyond the door, there was a risk of danger—it could be a bear's den, underwater, or high in the air. Any of these scenarios were possible.
The only reassurance was that Tribios's Century Gate couldn't open underground or within solid rock, eliminating the possibility of teleporting and getting stuck.
After listening to Tribios's explanation, Olivia nodded. "I see! I understand now!"
She immediately strode toward the Century Gate, but Jay blocked her path. "Wait, Olivia. It's too dangerous for you to go alone. Let me go first."
He paused, glanced at Tribios, and added, "Tribios, would you accompany me?"
This was clearly a sign of Jay's distrust. If Tribios were an assassin and this shimmering golden contraption truly a teleportation device, opening the gate into molten lava would be a direct way to eliminate Olivia.
In short, there were too many uncertainties to risk sending Princess Olivia, the daughter of a ruler, through this thing alone. Conversely, Jay himself was just an ordinary wizard, so even if something went wrong, it wouldn't matter. And having Tribios, the spellcaster, accompany them was the safest option.
Tribios readily agreed, stepping forward to stand beside Jay. Together, they entered the Century Gate before them.
The golden light dissipated, and after a seamless, perfectly smooth teleportation with no turbulence, the two opened their eyes to find themselves surrounded by lush, towering trees—another forest.
However, looking at the scene before him, Jay's face lit up with shock. "This is unbelievable! We really arrived in the south in an instant?!"
Tribios, hearing this, asked, "Do you know where we are?"
To her eyes, this forest seemed no different from the one where she had first appeared. Don't all forests look the same?
If she weren't so confident in her abilities, Tribios might have suspected she had miscast the spell and accidentally opened a gate back to her own doorstep.
Jay shook his head. "I don't know exactly where we are, but I recognize these trees as Oaks, a species native to the southern regions."
He explained that these Oaks, unlike the ones Tribios had known in her previous life, shared only a name. Growing in the hot, humid climate, their wood retained an exceptionally high moisture content, making them remarkably fire-resistant. However, this also made the timber soft and heavy, unsuitable for construction.
Transporting the timber was exceedingly difficult, and structures built from it were unstable and prone to collapse. The only potential advantage was that a house made of this wood would be fireproof. Conversely, the high moisture content meant that rain could penetrate the wood, causing it to "rain" inside the house as well.
Notably, because Oaks were so prevalent in the south, the "Oak" in the three currency denominations—Gold Dragon, Silver Lion, and Copper Oak—referred to this very tree.
In contrast, the northern regions were dominated by Fir trees. Their timber was strong yet lightweight, making it ideal for both construction and shipbuilding. The only drawback was its flammability; it ignited easily.
After the explanation, Jay stared at Tribios in astonishment. "So, just stepping through that tiny golden door... really transported us over two thousand kilometers? That's incredible! How did you even manage that?"
Just then, a scream suddenly pierced the air: "Help... save me! Don't come any closer!"
Tribios and Jay exchanged startled glances before immediately rushing toward the source of the sound. After walking about forty or fifty meters, they found seven or eight grotesque, green creatures surrounding a small girl dressed in rough burlap clothes, with a straw basket strapped to her back.
"Those are... Goblins?" Jay exclaimed. "Looks like... it's time for a hero to save the damsel in distress! Watch me!"
Tribios retorted, "But you only know one First-Level spell! Are you sure you can handle this? Maybe I should..."
Jay cut her off. "Don't underestimate First-Level magic! Just watch!"
Jay began chanting rapidly, and soon, a knight in full armor materialized before him, striding purposefully toward the goblins.
Clang, clang...
Tribios could even hear the metallic clangs as the knight's armor brushed against itself with each step!
As expected, the sudden appearance of the knight immediately drew the attention of the goblins and the girl. The knight drew his longsword from his waist and declared in a booming voice, "Fear not! I have come to rescue you!"
Tribios was stunned. "This Phantom can even speak?"
Jay chuckled smugly. "Impressive, right? Now all that's left is to scare off these goblins."
On the battlefield, the knight's longsword suddenly burst into crimson flames. He raised the burning blade high with his right hand, but then, with his other hand, he removed his helmet. Beneath the helmet was a face identical to Jay's!
The knight adopted a sanctified expression, his face seemingly radiating golden light—no, not just seemingly; it was actually flashing, a special effect added by that trickster Jay!
The knight declared, "In the name of the Paladin, if you retreat now, no one will be harmed. Otherwise...!"
At that moment, Tribios quipped, "Why do knights always remove their helmets halfway through a fight?"
Jay replied decisively, "I know it doesn't make sense, but it's the only way the girl I rescued will know it was me! How could I pass up such a perfect opportunity to earn brownie points?"
Tribios fell silent, actually finding his reasoning sound.
The goblins, clearly intimidated by the knight's bluster, retreated several steps but didn't flee entirely, remaining hesitant and uncertain.
Seeing this, Jay frowned. "Why are these goblins so bold? This doesn't make sense! I can't let this drag on any longer."
Crouching low, Jay began to slowly approach the battlefield. If the knight delayed his attack much longer, even the dimmest goblin would realize something was amiss. He planned to sneak the girl away while the knight still held the goblins' attention.
Just as Jay was sneaking up to the girl, Tribios clearly saw a green snake drop from the tree beside him, landing squarely on his head. He immediately yelped, "Holy shit! What the hell is a snake doing here?!"
Distracted by this sudden interruption, the Knight Phantom, which had been swaggering through the battlefield like a paper tiger, began to distort.
As if reflected in a funhouse mirror, the knight's face gradually elongated, stretching upward into the sky. His expression twisted into something bizarre, and his mouth opened and closed, drawling out, "Wh-wh-wh-wh... SHIT! A... A-a-a-a... SNAKE—!!!"
Unsurprisingly, the goblins were terrified by this spectacle. Even the little girl screamed, "It's a ghost!!!"
Seeing this, Tribios couldn't help but burst into laughter. The funhouse mirror version of Jay was simply too absurdly hilarious.