After walking for a while in the direction opposite the lake, the group came upon a wide and flat road. Although it wasn't a modern roadway, the solid stone pavement was far more comfortable than trudging through the forest.
"It seems there's some degree of civilization on this planet."
The stone road beneath their feet wasn't made with modern technology. It looked rough and primitive. But considering this was a forest where no people had yet been seen, the very presence of a road proved that whoever ruled this land had a basic foundation of civilization.
"What kind of world is this?"
Ethan was pondering how to explain the world in his mind.
He knew something about Azeroth, but not in great detail.
In his previous life, he had followed the trend and played World of Warcraft for a while, but due to personal reasons, he played on and off in the early days. By the time he had the time to play properly, the game had already passed its peak, and he hadn't spent much time studying the intricate lore.
So his knowledge of this world couldn't compare to the ones he had visited before. He only knew some basic settings, events, and vague background information. As for the specifics, he was truly unsure. Even though his memory had been enhanced, it only worked for things he had previously learned—information he never knew wouldn't magically appear in his mind.
"A world with a long history and many types of special energy."
Ethan was particularly interested in the arcane, shadow, Holy Light, and even fel energies in this world. While he didn't necessarily plan to master all of them, gaining some understanding could still benefit his training path.
"That's pretty vague."
"Because I'm not sure how to describe it," Ethan replied, walking ahead while organizing his thoughts, then briefly introducing the world. "The only thing I can say with certainty is that we're currently in a human kingdom."
Loki was the first to react, quickly catching a key point in Ethan's words, this world had multiple intelligent races.
"There are other races?"
"Elves."
"Elves?" Both Logan and Selene turned to look at Ethan. "Like the ones from fantasy novels?"
"Somewhat similar."
Ethan looked at the stone road beneath his feet. Since a road like this had already appeared in Elwynn Forest, it meant the Kingdom of Stormwind existed. So he shouldn't have arrived in an era where humans hadn't yet risen.
The timeline of Azeroth was incredibly long, which was one of the reasons Ethan didn't know where to begin. He had overlooked that earlier. If humans had not yet risen and the Kingdom of Stormwind didn't exist, Elwynn Forest would still be a vast primeval region. Heading in the opposite direction of the lake, he might have ended up in the southern river area of Elwynn Forest.
Fortunately, seeing this road proved that the Kingdom of Stormwind already existed, which also meant the elves had likely already split into several factions.
"I just don't know if the blood elves exist yet."
He also needed to figure out whether they had entered the game version of World of Warcraft, the broader narrative background, or the movie version.
There were some differences between them. More importantly, if this was the movie version, then they might be catching the First War between humans and orcs. In that case, Elwynn Forest wouldn't be a safe place at all.
"Let's pick up the pace. It's best to reach town quickly."
Since the Kingdom of Stormwind existed, continuing down this road would eventually lead them to Goldshire Town, the main transit hub in Elwynn Forest. It connected to multiple directions and was the most important transport hub in the region. As long as they reached it, Ethan could determine which version of the world they had entered based on the situation in town.
At the moment, he couldn't explain too much to the others. He could only briefly mention a few basic facts—for instance, that there were mage factions in this world who used arcane energy, and that powerful individuals had the ability to break space-time barriers. Some top-level mages could even rival gods in strength.
"As powerful as gods?"
Loki immediately perked up. He was highly sensitive to topics like this. He really wanted to know how strong these so-called mages were and whether they could inspire divine power in this world.
Ethan, on the other hand, had no desire to find out. He hoped he'd never meet the gods of this world. He especially didn't want to run into any Burning Legion Vanguard. If possible, all he wanted was to enjoy a peaceful period, gather the knowledge he needed, buy some "local goods," and leave with his team.
"This world seems peaceful on the surface, but there's a lot going on underneath. If you're not careful, you might attract the attention of some extremely dangerous beings. That would be a huge problem."
"How huge?"
"I'm not even sure escaping to another world would get them off your back."
Loki's expression grew serious. He knew even his father Odin couldn't manage that. Before he came here, Odin had clearly told him that if he killed Ethan or caused Ethan's death in some other way, even as the king of Asgard, he would have no way to bring Loki back.
Ethan's plane-shifting ability was extraordinarily powerful. He could travel to worlds that were otherwise nearly impossible to locate. It was only after this that Loki fully understood the concept of the multiverse and the broader reality beyond it.
If the Marvel Universe Loki came from was one circle among many small ones in a larger circle, then Ethan belonged to the larger circle, with the ability to go outside it.
Odin could break the boundaries between small circles within the same large one, but he couldn't escape the larger system.
That was when Loki realized why Odin valued Ethan so highly, and it was also part of why Ethan had been able to convince Loki relatively easily.
Perhaps Ethan's warning had startled the group a little. After that, everyone went quiet, except for the two "little ones," Laura and Auriel, who were as lively as ever.
This was Laura's first time in a forest like this, and she treated it like an adventure. Auriel loved the climate here—not too hot, not too humid or dry. The fresh air and beautiful surroundings made it a perfect place to release his pent-up energy.
"This little guy either eats or sleeps all day. Why doesn't he get fat?"
Likewise, Auriel's size hadn't changed much since they found him. Could it be that he didn't grow?
The group's mood lightened slightly, influenced by the cheerful Laura and Auriel. They figured that even if the world had its risks, it seemed relatively normal and calm on the surface. As for the real danger... well...
"Why are you all staring at me?"
Loki suddenly realized he had become the team's focal point. Logan and Selene aside, even Auriel, the pet, glanced at him from time to time. What was that supposed to mean?
"It's nothing. Just a weird feeling."
They continued walking for some time, but still didn't see the town. However, they did spot faint smoke in the distance—someone was cooking.
Walking along the road helped them see further, avoiding trees blocking the view. If they had stayed in the forest, even smoke would have been difficult to spot.
The sight of cooking smoke lifted everyone's spirits. It meant the town wasn't far.
Originally, they had considered camping out for the night, but they quickly abandoned that idea and decided to push forward, hoping to reach town before nightfall.
"I have a question."
"What?"
"Do we have this world's currency?"
They had never been here before, and Logan didn't know what the local currency was.
Ethan wasn't worried. He knew this world used gold, silver, and copper coins. Coincidentally, he had received a large amount of gold and silver from Arthur. He hadn't used any of it recently, so it had just been sitting there.
"Don't worry about the money. This world also uses gold and silver as its main currency."
As they got closer to the source of the smoke, it became clear they were near Goldshire Town. After a short rush, they arrived just as the sky began to darken.
Because they approached carrying luggage from a distance, they drew the attention of the guards stationed outside the town. But once the guards saw that the group included men, women, and even a pet, they relaxed and looked away.
"Hello."
Not attracting too much attention from the guards was a good thing, it meant they didn't view Ethan's group as a threat. Still, Ethan stepped forward and greeted them. The town ahead was much larger than it had looked in the game.
"Where's the inn in this town?"
The guard wasn't surprised by this kind of question. He had probably been stationed here for a long time and had answered similar queries countless times. He efficiently directed Ethan toward the Lion's Pride Inn, using some very visible landmarks. Even an idiot wouldn't get lost.
"Thank you very much."
After thanking the guards, Ethan led the group toward the Lion's Pride Inn, the largest and best-equipped inn in Goldshire Town. The inn was clean, tidy, and served good food.
After dinner, everyone returned to Ethan's room to discuss what they should do in this world.
"Maybe we should study a few things while we're here... especially Logan and Selene."
(To be continued.)
***
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