When Lollister arrived at the ferry on the west bank of the Mitrobro River, he found Baron Shuras waiting at the dock in the luxurious plate armor he'd gifted him. The baron's family crest was embedded in the center of the armor, a diamond-shaped gem.
As soon as Baron Shuras saw Laurist disembark, he laughed heartily and welcomed him. He greeted him enthusiastically, "Aha, I was wondering which old friend had graced us with his presence. So it's you, my dear brother. You've caused such a commotion the moment you arrived. Oh, what's your name again? "
Lollister shook his head. He hadn't seen Baron Shuras for half a year, and his figure had grown even more horizontally. The plate armor he was wearing used to be a little too big for him, but now the fat around his waist was squeezed out. However, his memory wasn't that good. He'd even forgotten Lollister's name.
It was common for people to feel familiar faces but not remember their names. Lollister understood this very well.
"Norton Lollister. You can call me Locke as an old friend," Lollister said.
"Yes, yes, yes. You're Baron Locke. I remember you gave me a case of good wine …" Baron Shuras chatted happily.
Lollister was speechless.
Using the horsewhip in his hand to point at the plate armor worn by Baron Seuras, Loriste helplessly reminded, "Lord Baron, this plate armor you're wearing is a gift from me. Don't tell me you've forgotten …"
Baron Shuras blushed, which was rare. He finally remembered now. "Haha, my brother, I'm really sorry. It's mainly because there are too many nobles coming and going. I'm getting dizzy from greeting them every day. My memory is getting worse as I get older. Please forgive me, my brother. Last time, you brought a caravan home to inherit your title. You're in high spirits now. Everything must be going according to your wishes, right? "
"Haha, it's nothing. Seems like business is booming, Lord Baron. You've even added two ferries. You're sitting on a treasured land and making a lot of money …" Lollister said with a smile.
Baron Seuras waved his hand and said, "I didn't buy those two ferries … By the way, brother, I saw you guys fighting on the other side of the river just now. Did you have a conflict with the guards at the checkpoint set up by Viscount Davov because of the fees?"
"It's nothing. The guards at the ferry actually dared to rob and kill my messengers some time ago because they were envious of the armor my messengers were wearing. Fortunately, two messengers ran back and let me know what happened. I happened to pass by this time, so I cleaned them up as well. I caught them and hung them all, "Lollister said casually.
Baron Shuras clapped his hands. "They deserve it. We have to teach these ungrateful people a lesson. A few months ago, Viscount Davov, who lives on the other side of the river, sent a messenger to me, demanding that I give him half the fare of the ferry, or else he would block the crossing on the other side, and prevent my boat from landing. Do you take me for a fool? Viscount Davov's territory only occupies half of the land on the east side of the river. If I don't go ashore from his ferry, I can just change to another place. I immediately rejected his request and even changed the ferry. At worst, I'll just let the people crossing the river take two more steps to reach the main road. "
"Then why did you change it back?" Lollister crossed the river at the old pier.
Viscount Shuras pointed at the two new ferries. "See those two new ferries? Viscount Davov had no choice but to get someone to build two new ferries to compete with me here. When he finished building the ferries, he realized that the entire west side of the river was my territory, and he had nowhere to dock. He was dumbfounded and sent someone to tell me that he wanted to buy the two new ferries. He wanted me to eat the meat while he gnawed on the bones, but I still ignored him. In the end, he had no choice but to give me the two new ferries and asked me to move the ferry back to the old place. He wanted to set up a checkpoint there, collect some tolls, and drink some soup … "
"Brother, you should know that I'm not good at literature or martial arts, but I'm kind and happy to help others. Hearing that he sounded so pitiful, I accepted his two new ferries and moved the ferry back to the other side's territory. However, during this period of time, I've heard the caravans complaining that the fees charged by the nobility to cross the river are insane. I'm worried that if this continues for a long time, there will be no more caravans to cross the river. If that happens, wouldn't I have nothing to eat? I was just about to send someone to warn them, but I didn't expect you to teach them a lesson the moment you arrived. How delightful … "
In order to show his friendliness and welcome to Lollister, Baron Shuras generously and painfully gave him a discount. This time, he gave Lollister a 5% discount on the ferry fee …
This time, Baron Shuras did not invite Lollister to his manor for a meal, because he was currently stationed at the ferry and could not leave. The main reason was that every caravan that crossed the river here could earn him a large sum of money from the ferry fees. Therefore, he would rather eat his bread and personally collect the money at the ferry than hand it over to his subordinates. He was afraid that he would be deceived and charge less for crossing the river.
Alright then. Lollister ordered them to set up camp and set off tomorrow morning. He then invited Baron Shuras to have dinner with him. This time, Baron Shuras happily accepted the invitation and even asked a servant to bring him a bottle of good wine.
Lollister set up a table and chairs on the riverbank. Facing the beautiful scenery of the river under the silver moonlight, he felt that having a meal here was really beneficial to his body and mind. No wonder Baron Shuras said that he could eat until his brain was fat from eating bread every day at the ferry …
The cool breeze from the river took away the heat of the day. Although it was already autumn, the weather was clear and refreshing. The blazing sun during the day did not seem to be much weaker than in summer. After a relaxing bath by the river, Lollister put on a loose robe and came to have dinner with Baron Shuras.
It was not a formal dinner, so Baron Shuras did not mind. Instead, he was very envious of Lollister's strong muscles.
"When I was young and studying in the imperial capital, I had muscles like this too. Wasn't it great back then? We would wander out of the academy after class, causing trouble everywhere and seducing beauties …" Baron Shuras could not close his mouth as he reminisced about the past. He kept talking about the glorious and absurd experiences of his youth …
The food was simple, nothing more than bread, grilled meat, and dried fish. However, Lollister enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the Midburo River at night while listening to Baron Shuras talk about his youth, until Baron Shuras woke up from his reminiscence.
"My apologies, brother. It's easy to reminisce about the past when one is old …" Baron Shuras was a little embarrassed. After all, he had only met Lollister twice. It was not appropriate for him to talk about his past, and he felt that it was impolite.
"It's fine. The past you mentioned is interesting. Everyone has their own frivolous times." Lollister raised his silver cup and toasted Viscount Shuras.
Viscount Shuras drank half a cup of wine and asked, "By the way, brother, where are you planning to go this time with so many people? Can you tell me? "
"Yes, Viscount Teberle's territory in the northwest of the Redelis Kingdom. The current Viscount Teberle Tim is a good friend of mine. He has always had business dealings with our family. Our family is used to letting him handle the specialties of the Northern Lands, and we get the goods that our family urgently needs from him." Lollister gave the answer he had prepared beforehand.
"The Redelis Kingdom? Where is it? Why do I feel like I've forgotten something very important? " Viscount Shuras scratched his head, but he still could not remember. So, he ordered one of his attendants to bring him the animal skin map that he often looked at.
Looking at the map, Baron Seuras finally remembered something. "Ah, brother, you'll have to take a detour. Look, starting from the city of Vanades, the road to the Andinac Kingdom's border fortress, Lejidana Castle, has been blocked. Other than military and logistical transportation, all merchants and pedestrians are prohibited from passing through."
Lollister looked at the map. Indeed, there was a red line drawn between Vanades City and Liedana Castle. Even the border between the Madras Duchy and the Andinac Kingdom was painted red.
"What's wrong? Is there a war between the duchy and the Andinac Kingdom? Why is the border sealed? "Lollister asked.
"No, it's more terrifying than war. Brother, have you heard of a man called Demon Shredder and the tragedy that happened in the Andinac Kingdom? "Baron Shuras lowered his voice mysteriously.
"No, Lord Baron. You know that my family's territory is in the north. It has always been a closed off place, so news isn't fast. I'm ignorant of what's happening in the outside world …" Lollister shook his head cooperatively. He was puzzled. Could this Demon Shredder be Fatso Shi? What kind of earth-shattering storm did he stir up again? He even gave himself the title of Demon …
"This Shredder brought an armed convoy and gathered hundreds of thousands of refugees to wreak havoc in the Andinac Kingdom. He poisoned three provinces, and blood flowed like rivers wherever he went. They were like locusts, killing, eating, and robbing everything in their path, leaving only empty land. There were more than 130 nobles in the Andinac Kingdom, but less than 50 of them survived. This was even saved by the second prince after much difficulty. The rest of the nobles were sent to the gallows by Demon Shredder.
Now that the Andinac Kingdom is in ruins, that Demon Shredder has set his sights on our Madras Duchy. Fortunately, our Grand Duke is wise enough to send the Iron Guards to seal off the border, keeping Demon Shredder and the hundreds of thousands of refugees outside the country. Otherwise, everything would be over if they were allowed to enter the Duchy. Think about the tragedy in the Andinac Kingdom. If it were to happen here, it would be too terrifying. It would be a nightmare! "
Baron Shuras finished recounting the information he had heard from the caravans that crossed the river. Then, he made some artistic adjustments based on what he heard and his own imagination. He described Demon Shredder as a green-faced, ferocious-looking, three-meter-tall, and three-meter-wide barrel-shaped monster. Needless to say, he had long horns on his head, and a tail on his buttocks. These were the basic attributes of a demon. The most exaggerated part was that Baron Shredder believed that Demon Shredder had to eat ninety-nine human hearts in one meal, and that he would only eat them when they were steaming hot with fresh blood …
Lollister held back his laughter and agreed with Baron Shuras' description. He thought to himself that Fatty Shi would go crazy if he knew what he had become. However, this was the first time Lollister had heard about his family's caravan from someone else. Looking at the red border, it was obvious that the caravan had been stopped there and could not go north. The smile on Lollister's face disappeared when he had something to worry about.
"How long has the blockade been going on?" Lollister asked.
Baron Shuras was unhappy that Lollister interrupted his wild imagination, but he still had to answer the question. "About thirty days, almost a month."
"Did they say when the blockade will be lifted?" Lollister asked again.
"I don't know. The caravan that came yesterday was originally going to the Andinak Kingdom to trade for fur. They stayed in Vanades City for more than ten days, and I heard that the blockade won't be lifted for at least a year and a half. They had no choice but to return home. I say, brother, if you want to go to the Redelis Kingdom, you'll have to take a detour. First, you'll go to Vanades City, then to the Falkor Duchy. From there, you'll pass through the Handa Duchy, then into the Fulondo Duchy, and finally into the Redelis Kingdom from the Fulondo Duchy. However, the journey will be longer by more than half this way, and many of the places you'll pass through are war-torn areas.
"Yes, that's why I'm worried about when the blockade will be lifted. We've always taken this route. Taking a detour is unfamiliar, and it's hard to guarantee our safety. It's too inconvenient." Lollister nodded.
"Actually, I think it's safer to stay in your own territory. It's really dangerous to lead a caravan in this world. Even if your family's soldiers are very strong, there's no guarantee that no accidents will happen," Baron Shuras sighed.
Lollister shrugged. "I'm not like you, my lord. You don't have to worry about food and water just because of this crossing. My territory is in the north. If I don't go out to do business, I won't have any income. I can't just empty my mountain, can I? "
Baron Shuras raised his glass. "Then I wish you all the best, brother. May your business prosper."
The two parted ways after a good time.
Back in the tent, Lollister asked Padt, "Do you remember the family crest and flag that Tim gave me? Did you bring them out this time? "
Padt paused for a second and said, "I think so. Serdkamp seems to have put the two items in a box. He said that it was just in case. If necessary, he could pretend to be Mr. Tim's family and do something inconvenient for us."
Lollister nodded. "From tomorrow onwards, we can't say that we're the Norton family. Just say that we're the caravan of the Teberli family. Put the flag that Tim gave us on the carriages."
"What's wrong, my lord?" Sir? "asked Pat.
"Fatty Shi and the northbound caravan are in trouble. The Madras Principality has sealed off the border and refused to let them pass. I'm worried that they already know that the northbound caravan belongs to the Norton family. If we say that we're the Norton family, we'll just be walking right into a trap … "Lollister explained.
…
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