World map

Harumi and Cindy sat pouting as Sakura stood over them. "Seriously, can you two not fight all the time? We just got you out of the mud, so you could at least show some gratitude to your savior by not fighting."

"But catfights are cool," Vernjule grinned.

"Not when we're stranded in this strange world, without any knowledge on it or how to get back."

"I know the layout of the land... somewhat," Vernjule shrugged as he summoned a paper map.

The map appeared to be of decent quality, showing what appeared to be a basic map of the world.

"In this world, there's 4 major areas. First, boggy marshes and my farm. It's the smallest, but everything past the marshes is peaceful. Next up, hills n' towns. A stretch of hills and a bunch of towns, usually full of assholes, are in this section. Then rain haven where it's always raining. And finally, the volcano, snow, river, and whatever else. Oh, and some weird misty area in the middle that says it's called, "Royale ridge". Guess that means there's 5 regions."

Harumi frowned, but nonetheless, found the info helpful. As she attempted to call Madoka, she noticed she had no service, but she could access Ewetube. Upon doing so, she realized everything was being streamed.

"Vernjule, is this world known for streaming?"

"No, but I can watch streamers from Earth."

"I see... Everyone, gather round. It appears everyone's been separated into different regions of the world. And not just that, the group composition is mixed up as well. Madoka appeared in the hill region while Yuni and Serika ended up in rain haven. Emeri's on a boat I think, meaning she's likely in the river volcano snow region. And naturally, I'm in the bog farm region. Others are with each person as well, but some notable streamers are still unaccounted for. I say our main goal is to head for the middle. The problem is, how do the others get the memo."

"Maybe we take the long way?" Nina suggested.

"Risky. We could do so and never encounter anyone, especially if we're all moving. If paths cross sure, but we should prioritize heading for the royale ridge. The comments are active on the stream, so as long as the others can access the stream, they all should get the memo to head for the middle."

"In that case, I'll fetch my cow carriage," Vernjule grinned.

...

On the cruise ship, Emeri struggled to break free. She had been bound to a chair and gagged with some cloth, not to mention separated from Mimoko.

"Welcome to the cruise. Now Emeri, you want to break free and save everyone? Well, gambling's the name of the game. If you manage to break out of this little room, you'll be in the main hall. There, you'll need to earn enough money to buy a ticket off the ship, and a ticket per person you want to save. And for a better mystery, the price of the ticket is hidden... and there's more than one type of ticket. Basic, upper class, and luxury. See if you can guess which one goes for each person. Oh, and there's a time limit of... one day. Have fun!" Melinda's voice rang out from a loudspeaker.

"Escape, huh? Who do you think I am? I'm Mado-chan's assistant. I've got experience with this," Emeri thought as she began to finesse herself free.