"We're not entirely sure. The common theme seems to be that only someone clever and worthy will find them, however. Sometimes it requires feats of strength, or climbing mountains, or other such things."

"And happens if you prove yourself worthy?"

"You find the shrine. Some texts refer to 'hidden power' or 'strengthening of spirit', but direct translations are hard so I'm not sure there's anything to that..."

"Man, too bad that mom didn't come with us. Or too good, since she does have a chance of figuring out any clues in the ruins that took us here."

"I would be a bit hesitant to share my life's work collecting and translating and studying these texts too freely, besides."

"Fair enough. Question: What advice would you give to strangers that never heard of Hyrule? Besides being armed around dangerous areas and not going near the dark castle?"

"I think it was black castle?"

"Are you asking as tourists? As tradesmen? Well... Don't trust the Yiga Clan. They are bandits, criminals. Their symbol is an inverted Sheikah eye."

He sketches it.

"We don't know how long we are going to stay. Intrinsically speaking, the possibility of never return is, well, possible."

"Well, there's nothing else you urgently need to know as a matter of survival, I think."

Nod. "Thank you. Is there any work around the house you'd need done?"

"Not particularly. Though if you choose to make a donation of any kind, I will certainly use it to assist in the preservation of Historic Fort Hateno."

"Maybe later."

"Good luck on your travels. It's a straight shot to Hateno Town from here if that's where you're going - ignore the side roads."

"Thank you! Good luck and skill with your research!"

"Cool guy."

The cool guy seemed vaguely grumpy the whole time, though.

He goes back inside with his firewood as the pair continue on.

The next major natural spectacle are some pretty spectacular cliffs above them, sheets of rock overhead forming what would be massive caverns if they weren't open enough at the sides and top to still be considered 'outdoors'. Rock falls must be a concern for this route. They pass someone else on a horse going in the opposite direction, they don't slow down long enough to do anything but wave.

They wave back and marvel at the sights. They have turned off their phones and Aaron isn't feeling that tempted to take a picture of now, but wow.

Once they round the top of a little hill, they can see what must be Hateno Town in the distance. A large building sits high above on a spar of rock. It looks like a ramshackle observatory. Downslope a ways from that, they can see windmills and what look like farm fields.

They note the observatory, but decide to go town-wards first.

It's past lunch-time by the time they're approaching the town. The road goes down a final hill and snakes between two patches of woods before rolling up to a town gate.

...The danger sense thinks something dangerous is in the woods on the left. Where a woman's scream just came from.

Aaron informs this to Temple. He also immediately goes towards the screaming.

Temple follows.

A short ways in the woods they find two teenage-looking Hylian girls, one of them laying crumpled on the ground, the other defending her fallen friend with a soup ladle and a pot lid. Their opponents are a pair of ugly red... Things, wielding crude wooden clubs.

"Laila! Laila get up so we can run!"

She grunts in pain after blocking a club-swing on the pot lid.

Great. Aaron dismounts with amazing grace and in a single fluid motion charges forward to punch one of the red things with an electrically charged punch.