Currently we were amidst a fierce debate as we discussed how to get to the Gamoceras estate.

  We were stuck between two routes as of now.

  Both routes have their ups and downs.

  With the most recent attack on the cult, the situation has changed rapidly.

  If we were to say things before were on a time crunch, then currently we're under a great deal of pressure.

  With the uncertainty of our life and death, we had more room to maneuver, but now the situation is that they know that we're alive, and that we have two, maybe three s-ranks as support(depending on if they count the child of Ammit).

  Contrary to how this sounds, this does not bode well for us.

  Because first off, one of those S-rank supports was a dwarf who was called in courtesy of another player who was being overseen by their own guardian.

  Who is no longer near us and thus we lose that extra layer of protection.

  But they don't know that.

  They don't know why two demigod level beings came out of nowhere to protect us and can only speculate.

  And prepare.

  So their next attack will be aiming to take down multiple S-ranks while killing us.

  Overestimating us, which is a bad thing.

  Our situation is poor to say the least.

  At this point, I decided to share that I happened to know someone strong in the Gamoceras estate, someone likely as strong as a god.

  That last part was merely speculation on my part. But it was well founded.

  First of all, the old man was introduced to me by the order of Jorvus. And respectfully.

  That order has no respect for nearly everyone. Not even nobles hold any value in their eyes. Though they are "polite", their attitude is clearly that of someone who disdains the person in front of them.

  So genuine respect? That's rare and only reserved for those worthy of it. Strong people. At least S-rank usually.

  Second of all, even the gods give him a wide berth. I know this from a conversation I had with lord Anubis one time, who warned me to be as polite to the old man as I can. In his words, that man is "a platinum thigh,"

  And that kind of praise is rare. He doesn't even use it for Jorvus. Only the likes of the elven goddess can earn such respect.

  It's clear the old man is no simple figure.

  I've personally speculated that he's the woodcutter from "Journey To The West" who guides the monkey to the Bodhi patriarch, given that the old man has a fondness for woodcutting and axes. That's just speculation though. What I do know is that he's tough as iron and a reliable protection.

  Even if he won't help us, the elves will definitely be more wary and careful if we're within his proximity.

  So I told them all of this, and the priority of this trip increased greatly. If there was motive to go there before, now there was need.

  As useful as it was to be protected by two S-ranks, they must feel a bit insecure currently.

  After all that protection was conditional. It was focused on me. And if the situation got bad enough, then chances are, they'll prioritize me.

  Anubis already seems a bit wary about being involved in elven politics. If it seems too dangerous, he'll probably have the Anubian pull me out and flee.

  And they know that too. Although that can't really change unless the elven royal family sends another S-rank to protect us, they can make it so that such a worry proves unnecessary. If we can bring someone strong enough in, then it can change the situation in such a way.

  The problem now is that we can't make up our mind. By land or sea is a very serious conversation.

  By sea is undoubtedly faster, and makes it harder for our trackers to follow us across the ocean.

  As for the negatives?

  They cannot follow us across because of how dangerous the sea is. And while that's great, the key is how dangerous at S-rank.

  S-ranks aren't hindered by distance or location for the most part. At that kind of power, flight and fast travel either by internal or external means is common. And if you don't have them, you're the outlier. Distance and location is not the problem with the sea.

  It's the danger. The sea is one of the most unexplored territories in the world, and even the undersea civilizations have to be careful with the dangers of the deep sea such as the kraken and the dragon turtles, the sanguini, the mother's mouth, and countless other terrors that roam beneath the sea.

  Because of this, sailors are often devote followers of the gods such as Poseidon, Sobek, Charybdis, and other sea-faring gods, as their presence wards off the more dangerous monsters. Not all the time, but enough .

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  By land will be undoubtedly slower, and there's a greater chance of the elves catching up to us, but on the flipside, the chances of us encountering a big monster. That sounds lopsided, but there's danger on both ends. By sea sounds better all around, but if something happens on the sea our escape routes will be narrowed down compared to the forests.

  Sure, we're more likely to encounter danger in the woodlands, but there's also more maneuvering to escape.

  So naturally, arguments have arisen.

  "Look, we don't have much time left! The longer we take the more time the cult will have to catch up with us!" Lenore argued but Servante stood firm in his ideals.

  "That may be so, but we shouldn't abandon security for speed. "

  "But the boats are secure!" She pointed out and Servante shook his head.

  "It is safe until the encounter something beyond their depth, after which we'll have nowhere to run."

  "Something beyond their depth? That's a hypothetical! And not a high one!"

  "But one we must consider nonetheless. Gods or no gods, bodies of water are the most common places for accidents to occur."

  Borsche said nothing as he merely listened to the conversation. Based off what we saw with the other skarpans, and what I know of their society, they are fairly inexperienced in the ways of the world. Borsche is at least smart enough to know this and to leave it to them.

  As interesting as this conversation is, we have places to be.

  'I may have a solution.' I interrupt their conversation as I make my own suggestion.

  'I can attempt to divine which is the best path to take between the two.' Hearing my suggestion, Servante's eyebrows raised in curiosity.

  "Divination? You mean the eastern method used by diviners to communicate with the gods and seek the best way out?"

  Is that what it was? I was kind of curious how it worked. The old man called it a form of simple fortune telling to answer simple questions or to make a choice in uncertain times.

  I nodded solemnly as I pulled out an extra shell from the shop for a shop point. 'I can divine the best solution. At the very least it'll help us move on and make a choice.' I paused. 'How do you know divination?'

  "Intel we received from elven infiltrators a few centuries ago. At least before our infiltrators started dying off, as well as any elves near their borders. I read some of it in the great archives." He said off-handedly.

  A few centuries ago... Sounds like about the time the east became xenophobic and started killing anything supernatural and not human.

  I can guess what happened, but no need to comment on that.

  'Are you willing to accept the results?' I asked and Servante nodded. "The only thing worse than going by sea is taking too long to argue and basically shooting ourselves in the foot. " I looked at Lenore and she shrugged. "I'm fine with that.

  'One if by land, 2 if by sea.' I said, before beginning the deduction spell. Lenore had a weird look as she watched my vines grasp the now shrinking hammer, clearly preparing to strike the shell.

  A turtle smashing another turtle shell must surely be an... interesting sight.

  As I did the deduction, Servante threw a curveball, asking an unbelievable question.

  "So are you from the xuanwu family?" Servante asked, almost out of the blue, causing me to turn and look at him aghast.

  The xuanwu family? Where did he get that idea?

  Perhaps my look of disbelief was answer enough, as Servante shrugged.

  "I mean, you have to admit that you having a big background makes things fit in better. In the year that we've known you so far, you've managed to climb from a low rank monster up to the rank of B, shown martial skills comparable to a top level warrior, an in-depth understanding of the geography of the Romana empire that only someone well versed in its history could have, and the ability to deduce things among some other eastern skills you've shown up to this point.

  None of it fits with a low ranking turtle monster. To say nothing less of your connection with a God, it's hard to not imagine some sort of big background."

  'Well alright, but what makes you think its xuanwu? There are plenty of other high level turtle families.'

  "Sure" Servante admitted, before asking him with a clear look of inquiry. "But which of them pursues a path absent of size? Only the xuanwu family contains smaller turtles such as yourself, and even then they were rather rare."

  What?

  No, that's not true!

  There's...

  well dragon turtles are known for their size

  eastern dragon turtle? I could possibly pass for one with these new horns and this tail I'm growing, but still, dragon turtles are large creatures.

  sciron's shell? large turtle. evil too

  the shellyre? More mid tier and often associated with death and lyres. And hermes. Also big

  World turtle? No, that's not even debatable

  Going over any of the high level turtles I can think of, one of them are easily separable from the concept of size, and if they are, they're not usually considered a significant family.

  Honestly, it's probably better to be associated with a big background because otherwise I look pretty suspicious. And if i were to make the claim that I'm a human reincarnated as a turtle?

  That might be worse.

  Despite many heroic figures appearing in human history, for most other races, humans represent cunning and deceit. And cruelty. When we can't steamroll an enemy, we tend to trick them instead.

  And nobles are even worse, known for kicking people when they're down.

  Letting a (former)human this close to their kingdom's secrets might cause some real fear, as well as distrust in me.

  So yeah, this is better.

  Deciding to divert the conversation, I ask bluntly.

  'Do you want to hear the results?'

  "Sure. We're already at an impasse here. We may as well leave it up to fate."

  'Two cracks. Would you like me to try again?'

  "Sure". Servante responded nonchalantly, seeming indifferent to the outcome. Probably doesn't believe. But I certainly do. It's a very useful technique when one is at an impasse.

  Ding! Two cracks.

  DIng! Two cracks once more

  Servante still seemed skeptical, but a little less so as he responded.

  "Well that's fine by me then. I'll go buy some tickets." He said, as he he left, heading over to the docks to buy tickets for the ferry.

  Once he left, Lenore sighed in relief."You finally got him to agree. As smart as he is, Servante tends to be more conservative in his actions." SHe complained and I shrugged.

  'He's not a warrior after all. He's a mage. It's only natural to be a little more scared.' Mages weren't warriors after all, and considering how well read he seems at times, Servante always seems to be more of an inside person.

  "I'm curious though, can divination really do that?"

  'Yeah, it's a pretty easy spell once you get the hang of it. And it's got its flaws.'

  "Like what?" Lenore asked curiously, and even Borsche leaned in. He had been copying it before this after all. As a to be sage, he was curious about the unknown.

  'For one thing, it costs more the more specific of an answer you seek. It also becomes more vague the more specific of an answer you seek.

  And its easy for others to hide the secret if they're also capable of deducing, and even counter deducing, where they replace the truth.

  Of course, in these lands where divination is rare and most people rely on the oracle it's less of a problem unless the gods have chosen to hide the secret.'

  Hearing this, the elf frowned thoughtfully. "So basically it's best used in select situations such as these."

  I nodded. 'Precisely. I only asked which was better, and not necessarily how safe either was.

  I didn't feel a need to know. It might've just been a gut feeling, but I have a hunch that this boat ride may have some unexpected gains.'