Twain felt that he was out of luck.
He was just an ordinary merchant who traveled between the City of Evernight and Hermes for a decent profit. He sold the furs and flannels from Graycastle to the church and brought back some amulets or statues soaked in holy water. The competition in this business was fierce. He had worked hard for nearly ten years to gain a foothold in both places.
Now that he had some extra money, he wanted to expand his business. Therefore, he bought a house with a warehouse outside the New Holy City to store his goods. Just when he was about to make a fortune, the situation in the north took a turn for the worse. First, the new king of Graycastle had a fierce conflict with the church. The demand for items of faith such as amulets had plummeted, so he had to return home empty-handed, losing almost one-fifth of his income.
But as long as he could still do the fur business, he would not lose all his money. Moreover, because of the conflict, the price of the furs increased. At that time, he thought that the church would win sooner or later. As a frequent visitor to the Holy City, he naturally knew how powerful the church was. The Knight, who could do whatever he wanted in the kingdom, was no match for a Judgement Warrior who had undergone strict training in Hermes.
However, to his surprise, the church not only lost, but also suffered a crushing defeat. His business was completely halted. Even when the price was reduced by 30%, no one was interested. It was not until the Holy City collapsed and the warehouse was ransacked that Twain realized that this place had become a dangerous place.
In other words, ever since he learned that the cathedral had collapsed overnight, he had a hunch that something bad was about to happen. However, he was still reluctant to abandon his hard-earned property. The news of the appearance of the army of the Kingdom of Dawn at the foot of Mount Hermes was the last straw that broke the camel's back. The purpose of that group of people appearing here was self-evident. There was no doubt that they were after the wealth accumulated by the church for hundreds of years. Once they became enraged, not to mention the furs, he was afraid that he would lose his life here.
After making the decision, Twain followed the merchants all the way south. After several days of hard work, they finally returned to the territory of Graycastle. The soldiers stationed at the border did not make things difficult for them. After a simple interrogation, they were brought to a special camp and told that the Duke of the Northern Territory's caravan would take them back to the city in two days.
Twain originally thought that this nightmare had finally come to an end. Although his business of several years had gone up in smoke, at least he was still alive. He still had a house in Evernight City that could shelter him from the wind and rain, and his wife and children were still waiting for him. Unlike his old rival, the "miser" Sokas, who died on the way to escape. Thinking of this, he felt much better.
But in less than a day, this sense of security disappeared without a trace. Two warriors of the new king found him and brought him out of the camp. He tried to give them a few silver royals in an attempt to find out what was going on, but he was refused.
Could it be that the other party wanted to take advantage of him?
Tang En couldn't help but clutch the money pouch in his arms. This was the last of his family property. If it was snatched away, he really wouldn't be able to continue living.
But should he not give it to her? He didn't have the courage to do so. He definitely couldn't refuse a brutal army that could defeat the church. If he angered this group of killers, he would probably end up even worse.
As he walked, Tang En couldn't help but want to howl. Why was he so unlucky? There were so many merchants, but why did they pick him? Was it because he threw all the talismans and statues into the ravine that he couldn't sell and was cursed by the gods?
This feeling of despair caused his mind to be distracted, and he did not quickly recover until a commander who claimed to be the deputy battalion commander asked him a question.
"What, what … trail?"
The commander didn't get angry. Instead, he asked again calmly, "One of my soldiers said that you know of a trail that doesn't pass through the New Holy City and goes directly to the foot of Mount Hermes. Is that right?"
"It's the one you told me about. Some merchants often use it to smuggle some high-value goods. You've followed them a few times," the other added.
"Wait … Not for the Golden Dragon in my arms?" Tang En stole a glance at the latter and found that the one who spoke was the young warrior he met on the road. He seemed to be called Nail. At that time, Tang En saw that Nail was quite enthusiastic, so he chatted with him for a while, hoping to win his approval by stealing the church's business tax. He didn't expect that his action would bring him so much trouble!
But now that things had come to this, it was useless to regret.
"Well, there's indeed such a trail. The locals call it the Cloud Ladder," Tang En replied reluctantly. "It only appears after the snow melts every year. It's impassable when it's foggy and raining. It's said that there are several exits, but I only know the one that leads to the direction of the Kingdom of Dawn."
"Very well," the commander nodded. "Take my men there. As long as they pass, I'll reward you."
"I wouldn't dare, sir!" Tang En immediately knelt down. "How could I dare to ask for your reward? I only hope that you'll let me go home after the trip."
"Unfortunately, that won't do." The commander's words immediately chilled Tang En's heart. "To ensure that nothing goes wrong, you'll have to follow us for the next few days until the mission is completed."
"But, but sir —" Before Tang En could finish his words, five Golden Dragon Stones were thrown in front of him.
"This is the deposit. You'll have five more after the mission," the commander interrupted. "You should know that in most places in Graycastle, 10 Golden Dragon Stones can buy you."
Tang En swallowed. After so many years of business, he only had a little more than 30 Golden Dragon Stones in his pocket. The commander's meaning was clear — this was the money to buy his life, and it was impossible for him to refuse.
"You … will you really let me go?" Although he knew that this question was meaningless, he still could not help asking.
"Of course. As long as you do your best to guide us, I'll send someone to send you safely back to the City of Evernight. You can rest assured about this."
…
Tang En left the camp, worried about his gains and losses, only to find that he was accompanied by the young Nail and an old warrior.
"You got me into trouble," Tang En said with a wry smile. Judging from their expressions, this was probably just a coincidence and not a deliberate attempt to frame them.
"How could I get you into trouble?" Nail frowned. "10 Golden Dragon Stones is by no means a small amount. As long as you don't have any bad intentions, you don't have to worry about any danger."
"Don't worry. The boss is very reliable. If he says he'll let you go, he'll definitely let you go." The old warrior interrupted. "Besides, I'll be more than happy to get 10 Golden Dragon Stones just by leading the way."
"You are …"
"Just call me Uncle Sang. Also, don't use honorifics. If you want to use honorifics, you should use them on Nail. He's the squad leader, one level higher than me. "
"Is, is that so?" Tang En could not help but feel a little embarrassed. He had always thought that this young man was just a low-level soldier.
"Just call me the same way as before." Nail waved his hand indifferently.
"Can the two of you tell me … what is the mission that your Deputy Battalion Commander was talking about?"
"We're going to bypass the Hermes Plateau and stop the Kingdom of Dawn's army at the old Holy City."
"Squad leader!" Uncle Sang reminded.
"It doesn't matter. Anyway, he'll be with us for the next few days. Leaking some information will make him less paranoid, which will help us complete the task. If he makes any strange moves, I'll kill him immediately. "
Nail's words made Tang En shudder. However, the first half of Nail's words was even more unbelievable.
"Stop the Kingdom of Dawn's army?" Tang En widened his eyes in surprise. "That's impossible! The path is only wide enough for two people to walk, and some places have collapsed. If you're not careful, you'll fall off the cliff. Even if you walk from morning to night, you can at most pass through a few hundred people in a week. How are you going to stop the Knight? Not to mention that the church may attack you from behind! "
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