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Gasher and Zen exchanged worried glances as Furo continued to chat with the villagers in his foreign accent. They knew that their cover was at risk of being blown if Furo kept drawing attention to himself.

Gasher leaned over to Zen and whispered, "We need to be ready to ditch Furo if things go south. We can't risk getting caught."

Zen nodded in agreement. "I know, but let's hope it doesn't come to that. We've come too far to fail now."

****

“Come to think of it,” one of the villages started, turning to face Furo. "You talk like you're not from here."

They stopped talking and turned their heads to look at him.

Furo smiled nervously. "I've lived in foreign lands as a child," he replied.

The villagers looked at each other skeptically, but Furo quickly added, "I've learned to adapt and pick up different accents along the way."

The villagers laughed and began to tell stories of their experiences in foreign lands.

"I once went to the city of Elvendale," a burly man said. "It was full of e