Can't he take a carriage or something? Maybe he can hitchhike with the merchant guy?🤔 Well, it probably wouldn't be free but maybe more affordable than a map and... quicker than on foot. Then again, there's no guarantee the merchant is travelling to the capital. But even halfway or something would be good.
I'm guessing that the lady will gift him more lunch boxes in the future if he does complete the quest, not to mention that increased familiarity means better quests, rewards and opportunities, so he should just complete the quest.
When the tech finally exists, a game like this would be a great way to learn skills you can take into real life. Id pass on the Ramsey treatment though.