"Hey—passerby, help me!"
Bai Shi pulled on Torrent's reins, slowing his pace.
Looking around and seeing no one, Bai Shi knew he had arrived.
"Yes, you! Please, help me!"
Bai Shi searched in the direction of the voice.
Its owner was growing anxious.
"Why does everyone pretend they can't see me? Am I really that ugly...?"
As the voice spoke, Bai Shi had already located the small, withered-yellow sapling mixed in with the green bushes.
"Smack."
Bai Shi dismounted and struck the small tree with his palm."Ow! That hurts! What was that for all of a sudden? So mean!"
A cloud of gray mist rose, and where the small tree had been, a tiny figure appeared, lying face down on the ground, holding its face.
It wore a small leather cap decorated with sparse feathers and had a little tunic draped over its body.
It was furry all over, with long, sharp fingernails, looking a bit like a large mouse standing on its hind legs.
"Are you the one who was asking for help? Weren't you a talking tree a moment ago? How did you suddenly become a living creature?"
"Huh? Oh, right. That's because I was under a spell. I was turned into a tree."
Boc finally came to his senses.
"So you did that to break the spell. My apologies, I misjudged you."
"Thank you. My name is Boc. You've helped me so much."
Boc fumbled around his clothes for a long time before finally pulling out ten plump mushrooms. He offered them to Bai Shi with both hands.
"My companions in the cave don't like me, so they chased me out and took all my things. This is all I have to repay you... I'm so sorry."
"It's fine. I don't help people for rewards anyway."
Bai Shi waved his hand, not accepting the mushrooms.
"Oh, please, you must take them. I'll feel awful otherwise. My mother always taught me to properly thank anyone who helps me."
Boc pleaded with Bai Shi.
Unable to refuse his earnest request, Bai Shi had no choice but to accept them.
Seeing Bai Shi take the gift, Boc's happiness was plain to see.
"This isn't enough to repay you for saving my life. If it weren't for you, I would have probably been stuck here forever. Please, just wait a little longer. I want to sneak back to the cave and get something important. Then I'll definitely be able to help you."
"But you just said you were chased out. Won't it be dangerous if you go back like this?"
Boc seemed to recall the days he was bullied, and a shiver ran through his body.
"Uh, I'm still very scared. My legs tremble just thinking about it, but there's something very important to me there. I have to get it back."
Bai Shi knew it was his mother's heirloom. It was a pity he had business to attend to, or he would have gone with Boc to save him from another beating. After some thought, Bai Shi decided he would come back for Boc in a while and help him retrieve the heirloom.
"How about this? You wait here for me. I have some things to take care of right now. When I'm done, I'll come back and go with you."
"Th-this... you don't have to do that. It would be too much trouble for you."
"It's no trouble. It's settled. The next time we meet, we'll set out."
Without waiting for Boc to refuse, Bai Shi mounted Torrent again and continued down the road.
After Bai Shi left, Boc watched his retreating back, deeply moved. As if to psych himself up, he muttered:
"Oh, you truly are a good person, but I can't accept any more of your kindness."
"I can definitely get Mom's heirloom back on my own. When I do, please let me follow you and be your seamster to repay this debt."
His mind made up, Boc set off in the direction he remembered.
—
That should be fine, right? I've always been fond of Boc in the game. It'd be nice if he could avoid getting beaten up.
Bai Shi thought to himself.
Suddenly, a small gadget on the side of the road caught his attention.
It looked something like a telescope, placed on the grass beside the main road.
Bai Shi quickly pulled on Torrent's reins and stopped.
"This thing is..."
It looks like the telescope from the game. I'm not sure, I'll take a closer look.
"This is a telescope. It's fixed with magic so you can see your surroundings from the sky, with a bird's-eye view."
Melina did not appear, but her voice echoed in Bai Shi's ear.
Bai Shi nodded. So it was that thing.
He walked up to the telescope, dismounted, and placed his eye against the smaller end.
Instantly, a top-down view appeared in the telescope.
"So this is what it's like from up high. The view is so vast."
Everything ahead was clearly visible. By a distant bridge, a few soldiers were stationed here and there.
Bai Shi moved the scope, aiming it at different locations. Behind him was the lonely city of Stormveil on the cliff. To the left was the towering Erdtree and overlapping hills.
To the right was a massive lake, and Bai Shi knew that a fire-breathing dragon was there.
Just as Bai Shi was enjoying himself, something unexpected happened up ahead.
Far in the distance, behind the great bridge, a massive caravan came into view.
"Well, this is going to be a problem."