Reincarnated in the Villainous Lust System!

The major route to the textile stalls was already blocked by the beasts so we had to take another, much longer route.

By the time we got to the textile stalls, I was exhausted from running for so long but I knew this wasn\'t the time to show signs of weakness.

"Well, we\'re here". Emily said. "How do we know where to look for the portal?"

I shrugged. "They would ideally want a place that is less frequented, a place no one would accidentally stumble upon".

Emily thought about it for a moment. "There\'s like four places near here that fit that description".

"Bonus points if the area contains lots of leaves or trees". Aaron added.

"Why?" I asked him.

"You said you saw the portal in a forest right?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Well, maybe they chose it because they needed a place with trees. Perhaps having a healthy dose of nature around made things easier for them".

I thought about what he said and it wasn\'t a bad idea honestly.

"Fine, bonus points if it has shrubs or any plants at all".

"There are four places that fit that description, and only two of those have plants in them". Emily said.

"Okay, tell us". I replied.

"Firstly there\'s old fish section which is a good distance away from here". Emily said. "It used to be a thriving location but it was shut down and a new fish section was built close to the fruits section".

"The old fish section is quiet now and barely anyone goes there".

"Okay, it could be there". I said.

"The second is the abandoned garden". Emily said.

"There\'s an abandoned garden?" Aaron asked in amazement.

"Yes". Emily said. "And it fits your description of plants and shrubs".

"Why was the garden abandoned?" I asked.

She shrugged. "The empress shut it down one day and the gates were locked".

"And she gave no reasons for doing so?" I frowned.

"She\'s the empress, that\'s enough reason". Aaron replied.

"Yes but still, shouldn\'t there be an official statement if a public property is shut down". I persisted.

"Apparently not". Emily replied. "The third is the tubers section".

"Why was it abandoned?" I asked.

"It wasn\'t, or I mean it isn\'t". She said. "Tubers are only sold twice a week so most times the place is usually deserted".

I nodded. "I don\'t think they\'ll use there". I said.

"Why not?" She asked. "There\'s no one there at the moment and there won\'t be anyone there till the end of the day. It could easily be their safe haven".

I guess you\'re right. "What\'s the fourth one?"

"There\'s a well just a short distance from here". She pointed to the south. "My cousins and I used to go there a lot as kid".

"When last were you there though?" I asked.

"Maybe eight or nine". She said.

"So you\'ve not been there for years and you don\'t know whether it is still deserted or not". I said.

She nodded.

"Who knows if the bloody well is still there anyway". Aaron said and moodily kicked a stone.

"Regardless, we have to go now". I said.

"But if there\'s four places to check, think of how long it will take us to check". Aaron replied.

"What are you trying to say?" I asked.

"We should split up". He replied.

Emily gasped.

"Oh come on, it won\'t be that bad. Each of us will go to a different location and if we\'ll all meet back here.

If anyone sees the portal, he or she will come back here to tell us and we will all go.

If all three of us don\'t see it, that means it\'s probably at the fourth place and we\'ll go there togther.

See, fast and efficient". Aaron said.

I stroked my chin. Aaron was making very good points, we really didn\'t have much time to spare and the faster we found it, the sooner we could end it.

"I still don\'t agree to it". Emily said. "Splitting up has never ended well for anyone".

"Don\'t be such a baby". Aaron teased.

"I\'m sorry Emily, but I have to side with Aaron on this one". I said. "The sooner we find the portal, the better and Aaron\'s plan will make us faster".

"Are you sure there are no other potential places here the portal could be?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Trust me, if we don\'t find it in one of those places, we won\'t find it anywhere near here".

I nodded. "Okay let\'s go check now. I choose the garden".

"I choose the well". Aaron said.

"I choose the tuber section. Emily said, wisely choosing the safest of the locations.

"Okay, there\'s just one slight problem". I said.

"What?"

"I don\'t know the directions to the garden".

"When you walk straight ahead, you\'ll see a road that forks into two paths. One is tarred and the other isn\'t". Emily explained.

"I suppose I should pass the untarred one". I said.

She frowned. "No, you should pass the tarred one and follow the road to a brown gate".

"That is the gate to the garden and it is always locked. You will be able to see the garden through the gaps in the garden".

"And how will I check it properly?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I don\'t know".

"Climb it maybe". Aaron said. "Or break the locks, whichever tickles your fancy".

"What if someone sees me breaking the locks?" I asked.

"Dude, there\'s not going to be anybody there. Nobody\'s going to hear you break a million locks over there, let alone one".

I nodded.

"One more thing, be safe guys and don\'t forget to come back here as soon as you can. I said to them."

Aaron nodded and Emily gave me a small hug.

I watched her go.

"Don\'t get in trouble!" I called to her. I completed the rest in my mind. \'I\'ve not had my way with you yet\'.