Online Game: I Started with Max Charisma and Caught the Goddess's Eye

Along the wide road leading from the Black Forest Camp to Dragon Bone City, Luca and Lucas walked side by side, chatting idly as they went.

It had already been three days since they left the Black Forest Camp, and throughout those three days, they had been traveling continuously along the main highway.

So far, they hadn’t encountered any danger at all.

After all, this entire stretch of road lay within the territory of the Crimson King, and the areas they passed through were still considered the heart of his domain.

If they could run into danger even here, it would only mean that the Crimson King’s downfall was imminent.

“How much longer do we have to walk?” Luca asked helplessly. “Don’t tell me we’re going to be on the road for an entire month.”

He was already growing bored of the endless marching.

Originally, they didn’t even need to waste so much time traveling like this.

When they were leaving the Black Forest Camp, some of the people there had suggested that they take the newest airship or simply use the teleportation array to reach Dragon Bone City directly.

Luca, of course, had no objections—he thought either option would be a massive time-saver.

But Lucas had refused outright.

He argued that taking an airship could expose them to enemy attacks, and using the teleportation array might risk interference from the Dragon King’s mages.

In his view, traveling slowly and steadily along the road was the safest approach.

When Luca first heard Lucas’s reasoning, he had instinctively wanted to argue back.

But before he could even open his mouth, the Bloody Knight—Anwar—had already voiced his agreement with Lucas.

That left Luca in a very awkward position.

In the end, he had no choice but to follow the Bloody Knight’s orders and continue walking alongside Lucas along the highway.

Anwar hadn’t even bothered to provide them with horses.

“Quit complaining,” Lucas replied, a hint of weariness in his voice. “By tonight, we’ll reach the junction leading to Dragon Bone City. Once we’re there, we can take a ferry and reach Dragon Bone City by tomorrow morning.”

“You’d better not be lying to me,” Luca grumbled, puffing his cheeks in frustration. “According to what you just said, we should be in Dragon Bone City by tomorrow morning. If we’re not, don’t blame me for losing my temper.”

“What do you want, then? Are you planning to kill me?”

“Of course not. I can’t kill you—and even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to explain it to anyone afterward. So here’s your punishment: starting tomorrow, you’re not eating anything. After all, all the food is in my backpack.”

As Luca spoke, he tugged lightly on the strap of his backpack. Indeed, every last bit of their provisions was inside it.

As long as he didn’t open it, Lucas wouldn’t be getting a single bite to eat.

“You’re cruel, I’ll give you that,” Lucas grumbled. “But I really wasn’t lying. Look ahead—see for yourself. The ferry’s right there on the horizon.”

Following the direction Lucas pointed, Luca turned his gaze toward the distant horizon.

Sure enough, there was a small, rather shabby ferry dock.

The place seemed completely deserted—no people in sight, just two worn-out boats moored along the edge of the dock.

“These are the boats we’re supposed to take to Dragon Bone City?” Luca asked, visibly surprised. “Are you sure this road we’ve been following is the right one?”

“Of course it’s fine!” Lucas replied confidently. “I’ve traveled this route several times before. I could walk from the Black Forest Camp to Dragon Bone City and back with my eyes closed.”

“Are you sure this is supposed to be the main road?” Luca pressed. “We’ve barely seen a single traveler the whole way here. If this really were the main highway, even if there weren’t many civilians, there should at least be soldiers coming and going.

“And look at this ferry—there are only two old, broken boats. If this were truly the main route between Black Forest Camp and Dragon Bone City, the ferry crossing should be much larger. After all, the Black Forest Camp is one of the Crimson King’s biggest strongholds.”

Luca voiced his doubts bluntly.

Lucas fell silent for a moment.

“I knew you’d notice something was off,” he finally admitted. “Since you’ve already figured it out, I might as well tell you the truth. Before we set out, Sir Bloody Knight Anwar specifically instructed me to keep a close eye on you during the journey.

“Only after confirming there’s nothing suspicious about you am I allowed to bring you to Dragon Bone City. But if I discover anything unusual about you along the way, then you’ll lose the right to go there.

“So the road I chose… it’s actually a side route. On the surface, it looks wide and well-kept, but it doesn’t pass through any important towns at all.”

“Only when we reach the ferry up ahead will we be able to follow the river downstream and arrive directly at the side gate of Dragon Bone City. There, you will face your final test.”

Lucas continued, “The news of your journey to Dragon Bone City has likely already been reported to the Crimson King by Sir Bloody Knight Anwar. So if you’re feeling unsure of yourself, you should start preparing yourself now.”

Luca didn’t show any visible reaction after hearing this.

To him, it all seemed completely normal.

It would have been strange if Sir Bloody Knight Anwar had placed blind trust in him, given his rather suspicious background.

“How am I supposed to prepare? I don’t even know what kind of test I’ll be facing. If it’s a battle, then I don’t need to prepare at all—I’m always ready for a fight.

“If it’s something else, there are too many possibilities. I can’t possibly prepare for every potential test. If that’s the case, we might be stuck at the ferry for a whole month.

“So, I’ll just go with the flow. If I can’t pass the test in the end, I’ll just turn around and leave. If you all don’t trust me, then why should I keep helping you?”

Luca said it all with a casual tone.

His goal in saying this was to make Lucas trust him even more.

And it worked—after hearing Luca’s words, Lucas quickly replied, “Of course I trust you. Sir Bloody Knight Anwar must also trust you. The test is just a necessary procedure. I’m sure you’ll pass it, no matter what the test turns out to be.”

Luca nodded in acknowledgment but said no more.

The two of them continued their journey in silence.

That evening, they did indeed reach the rundown ferry.

Without lingering, they chose one of the worn-out boats and began rowing downstream.

The river was eerily calm, and as night fully descended, Luca could hear the gentle flow of water and the chorus of insects. It felt as though the entire world had faded away, leaving only the sounds of water and bugs.

The atmosphere was incredibly serene, almost like something out of a dream.

Of course, this moment of beauty didn’t last for long. Lucas’s untimely snoring soon shattered the peaceful ambiance.

“Such a mood killer!”

Luca cast a disdainful glance at Lucas as he spoke.

“Maybe he’s just pretending to be asleep. Aren’t you worried he’ll hear you complaining?”

Sophia’s voice came from the darkness.

She had deliberately kept silent during their journey, not wanting to reveal her presence to the others. But now that Lucas was asleep, she no longer had to remain quiet.

Luca smiled slightly before replying, “If he were pretending to sleep, you wouldn’t be talking right now. So since you’ve started speaking, it means he’s really asleep. Now that you’re out here, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Sophia stayed silent, waiting for Luca to continue.

“When we get to Dragon Bone City, I’ll face a very tough test. You might get discovered by others during that time. So, I need you to disguise yourself even more thoroughly.

Before we enter Dragon Bone City, I’ll activate my deep dream state. You can just enter my deep dream state directly. In my deep dream, no one will be able to detect you.”

Luca’s plan was indeed very thorough.

But Sophia still felt there was something off about it.

“If I enter your deep dream, I won’t be able to help you. While you’re incredibly powerful, you only face danger when dealing with certain enemies. But you don’t know much about the All-Beings Empire or the Crimson King, and I can provide valuable help in those areas.”

Luca nodded silently.

He agreed with Sophia’s point.

However, he still thought ensuring Sophia’s safety from being detected was more important.

“You’re right, but I think we should play it safe. I trust my ability to adapt to situations. Even if I don’t know much about the All-Beings Empire or the Crimson King, I can still handle them.”

Since Luca had already said that, Sophia decided not to argue further.

“Alright then! I’ll enter your deep dream state. If you need anything or want to discuss something, just summon me out of the dream. I wish you the best of luck.”

With that, Sophia entered Luca’s deepest dream state without hesitation.

In the deepest layers of the dream, Sophia could see none of what Luca was experiencing. Therefore, she was unable to offer any help based on her own judgment.

Once everything was set, Luca slowly closed his eyes and rested.

The next morning, Luca was awakened by Lucas.

“Wake up! We’re almost at Dragon Bone City. You’ve never been there before, so the sight of Dragon Bone City will definitely shock you,” Lucas said with pride, his face beaming.

Luca didn’t seem impressed.

Although he had never been to Dragon Bone City, he had visited other grand cities.

For example, the capital of the Kingdom of Clinton, or the capital of the Woof Elf Empire, located at the edge of the Whispering Forest. Both of these cities were magnificent.

To Luca, Dragon Bone City would likely be just as grand as those cities.