"Your Highness, we have arrived. This is the Swamp of Egret Lake." The guide pulled down the cloth covering his face and said as he breathed out white air.
It was the 11th of December, and winter had arrived. After a light snowfall, the endless low-lying field was covered with a thin layer of white snow, which was dotted with a little green and dark brown. Those were the evergreen plants growing in the swamp area of Egret Lake and the raised slopes of the field, as well as the large pieces of limestone.
"Your Highness, we received a message from the spies in Sabagi Duchy. The pursuers that went to the Swamp of Egret Lake have yet to capture Lord Redi. Instead, they brought back a carriage full of wounded soldiers. The spies received news from the wounded soldiers that Lord Redi is still dealing with them. In the mouths of the wounded soldiers, Lord Redi has become a terrifying demon. Other than the three grandmaster swordsmen, no one can stop his ambush. Duke Sabagi has also sent a large group of soldiers to the Swamp of Egret Lake and escorted nearly a hundred carriages of supplies. It should be the winter equipment prepared for the pursuers ….. "
Tagger held a small bamboo tube and a thin silk handkerchief in his hand. He was reading the information written on the handkerchief. There was a bearded man riding a horse beside him, and a steaming messenger eagle was perched on his left shoulder. It was currently swallowing the beef strips that the man gave it …..
Loriste slid down from his horse after looking at the endless plains. He pulled down the black cloth covering his face: "Map ….."
Loriste had brought 1500 men from three large groups of guards to the Swamp of Egret Lake. However, there were only about thirty of them with him. This was because Loriste was worried about Redi's safety, and the rest of the troops were still following behind him. They were about three hours away.
Shward, who was draped in a bearskin coat, quickly dismounted and took out a map of the Egret Lake Swamp from his shoulder bag. He called for a guard to unroll it and hang it in front of Lollister.
The guide took a small copper pot and gulped down a mouthful of wine. He then walked to Laurist's side and looked at the map carefully. Then, he pointed and said, "Your Highness, we are now here. If we walk for another half a day, we will reach the Red Tree Fortress. It is the only checkpoint in the middle of this road. There were swamps on both sides of the Red Tree Fortress, so it would not freeze even in winter. The checkpoint was built on the only mound between the two swamps. Other than a muddy path that only allowed one carriage to pass through, there was no other way to bypass the Red Tree Fortress. Unless we dismount from here and take a detour … "
"You mean to say that we can bypass the Red Tree Fortress?" Loriste asked.
"Yes, Your Highness. I, Old Jizan, am famous in the Egret Lake Swamp. I know where we can go and where we can take a detour. To be honest, if you ask anyone else to guide you in this winter, they will definitely be blind. However, I know that the Egret Lake Swamp in winter can freeze solid and sink into the ground. This is my experience of over thirty years. I have been living here with my father since I was young. If I didn't have the ability, I would have died here long ago. "Old Jizan gulped down two mouthfuls of strong wine and his voice became rough.
"Heh heh, Old Jizan, it is precisely because you know the Egret Lake Swamp the best that we are looking for you. We only hope that you are worthy of the high remuneration we paid you. You should know that we are looking for someone in this area … "Tagger came over and said to Old Jizan.
"Looking for someone …" Old Jizan remembered and shouted at Tagger, "Sir, if you are looking for someone, you should tell me where this person is in the Egret Lake Swamp, where he entered the swamp from, and if he left any marks or signs along the way. The Egret Lake Swamp is so big. I don't have a place to help you find someone … "
"Uh, Uncle Jizan, the person we are looking for entered the Egret Lake Swamp from Sabagi Principality. I reckon that he should be heading in the direction of Egret Lake Swamp. Sabagi Principality is our enemy, not our friend. They even sent people to kill the person we are looking for. That is why we entered the Egret Lake Swamp from this side. He should not have left any marks or signs that you mentioned, or they might have been destroyed. If he really left any marks, it should be a circular cross or a bear pattern on the lower right side of a tree or rock. However, we are confident about how to find the person. I can only ask you to be in charge of seeing where we can go and where we need to take a detour … "Laurist looked up and said to Old Jizan.
"Ah, Your Highness, you don't have to be so polite. Just call me by my name. Old Jizan is very happy to be at your service. "Old Jizan was flattered to be called an uncle by Laurist.
"Tagger …"
"Yes, Your Highness." Tagger turned around and said, "Father Morbin Hood, sorry to trouble you."
The one called Father Morbin Hood was an old man with white hair and beard. He looked a little old, but he was very energetic. He wore a hunting suit made of animal skin. When he heard Tagger's greeting, he grinned and said, "Your Highness, just watch me."
After saying that, he turned around and picked up a large cage surrounded by thick leather from the back of the horse behind him. He lifted the thick leather and opened the cage door. A large eagle jumped onto Father Morbin Hood's arm. A gust of cold wind blew past. The eagle shook its wings and turned its head to look around.
"What a big golden eagle!" The guide, Old Jizan, exclaimed.
"Have you seen a golden eagle?" Father Morbin Hood asked as he gently stroked the feathers on the back of the eagle. The eagle showed a very human-like expression of attachment and gently rubbed the hunting suit on Father Morbin Hood's chest with its sharp beak.
"Little Mo Yu has been with me for 17 years. When I picked him up under the cliff, he didn't have feathers yet. He must have been born not long ago. I don't know how he fell from his nest, but he was lucky enough not to fall to his death. I brought him home and treated him as my third son. We've been together for so many years … "
"Dad, Dad! Oh, my father Morbingham! Don't reminisce. Let the eagle go up and let it find someone! When it finds us, we'll find a warmer place to warm the fire and drink some wine while we listen to you slowly talk about the things you and the eagle had to say, okay? We promise to listen attentively. Even if we're tired of hearing it, we'll listen to you again … "Tagger was anxious.
Father Morbin Hood came back to his senses and glared at Tagger with dissatisfaction. "What's the hurry? If you don't let the eagle adapt to the cold wind first, you'll be courting death. Wait a little longer …"
The guide, Old Jizan, asked curiously, "Are you going to let the golden eagle fly up to find someone? Is that possible? Does it know the person it's looking for? "
"No." Laurist replied, "It's hard for the eagle to find someone in the sky. However, it's easy for it to find a group of people, especially in this vast swamp. The person we're looking for is being chased by a group of people. If the eagle finds them, it'll be equivalent to finding the person we're looking for … At the very least, we'll know that the person we're looking for is nearby. That's right, Father Morbin Hood, let your eagle search around Egret Lake later. See if there's a group of people there. In such cold weather, there should be a campsite for the people chasing after us … "
"Your Highness, I'll let little Mo Yu search in the direction of Egret Lake. Don't worry, we'll definitely find Lord Redi." Father Morbin Hood replied respectfully.
Father Morbin Hood was currently a special consultant for the Norton Family's Wally Bell Intelligence Bureau. It was him who used his many years of eagle training experience to nurture a mature eagle communication system for the Norton Family. His eldest son had already become a knight of the Norton Family and was in charge of the Eagle Messenger Unit. His second son was still a Bronze-ranked warrior. Once he advanced to Silver-ranked, he would also become a knight of the Norton Family. Father Morbin Hood's current treatment was the same as Master Julien's. He also ambitiously hoped to make new contributions to the family and make them one step further into the ranks of nobles …
Some time after, Father Morbingham at last released his hawk into the air. The eagle circled in the sky for a while before flying towards the west. That was the direction of Egret Lake.
"Alright, Uncle Giesan, let's head west. You have to tell us where we can go and where we can't." Laurist withdrew his gaze from the sky and turned to the guide, Old Giesan.
"This … Your Highness, we have to abandon the horses and walk." Old Giesan said hesitantly, "There are some places in the swamp where people can walk, but horses can't. It's fine to bring the horses, but we can't ride them. If we encounter a pit or swamp, we won't be able to save them in time …"
"It's fine. You're the guide. You understand this place. You have the final say." Laurist smiled, "Aire, send two men to guard the horses and wait for the reinforcements to arrive. The rest of you, get off the horses and check the equipment and luggage. Bring a few pack horses and the necessary supplies. We will wait for a while. Order Parker and Hugh to set up camp here when the reinforcements arrive. Be prepared for the logistics. "
"Yes, Your Highness." Aire stood at attention and replied.
… …
Redi was truly at the end of his rope.
Seven days ago, he disappeared into the Magic Herb Swamp and rested for two days to recover from his fatigue. He used the rations from the soldiers he killed to replenish his strength and nutrition. His wounds also started to scab over. Everything was progressing in a good direction. However, he did not expect Master Shandi to order his pursuers to bring oil and start a fire to burn all the water plants in the Magic Herb Swamp.
The water plants in the Magic Herb Swamp were full of water and were always green in winter. However, Redi who was familiar with the swamp knew that even though the water plants were slender and juicy, they would quickly dry up and burn if the oil was poured over them. With the help of the wind, the entire swamp would be burnt to a crisp. He had to leave the swamp as soon as possible.
If the Magic Herb Swamp was shaped like a spindle, then Redi's raft was at the center of the spindle. It was a third of the way to the other shore, and he still had some time to row the raft to the other shore. The only thing that could help him escape was that the water plants were full of juicy water. The smoke was very thick, and the smell was very unpleasant. Redi might be able to avoid the eyes and ears of the sentries and the hunting dogs.
However, the wind was too strong, and the fire burned very quickly. Redi wanted to move faster but he could not. From time to time, the roots of the water plants would hook onto the raft, and he had to use his longsword to cut them off. When the fire almost reached his back, the raft was still four to five meters away from the other shore. The front was filled with dense water plants, and there was no way for the raft to move forward anymore.
Redi grabbed the pole used to row the boat and tied it tightly to the spear. It was about three meters long and he threw it with all his might into the weeds in front of him. The spear entered the water and stabbed into the mud at the bottom of the lake, leaving only the tip of the spear above the water surface. Redi grabbed his longsword and took a deep breath. With all his might, he leapt up and stepped on the tip of the spear. The spear slid downwards, and Redi's entire body fell into the water. Just as his feet were about to enter the water, Redi borrowed some strength from the spear and leapt up again. He landed on the mud at the shore with a plop.
His upper body was on the shore, but his legs were on the shore, stepping on the roots of the water plants. He could borrow strength from here, but he did not dare stand up. Due to the direction of the wind, the smoke was rising towards the shore, and the sentries that were set up by the pursuers were nowhere to be found. Redi used his longsword to cut off the roots that were wrapped around his feet, and he endured the stench as he crawled forward step by step.
The fire on the Demonic Grass Swamp had been burning for an entire day, and the true nature of the muddy lake was finally revealed. Redi used the cover of the night to escape the encirclement, and ran towards the direction of Egret Lake. The pursuers did not know if Redi was hiding in the Demonic Grass Swamp, and that gave him a night's worth of time. However, when the sun rose the next day, the pursuers would discover the small raft that was half submerged in the water, and they would be able to confirm the direction Redi escaped to …
Redi's premonition was right. The pursuers had followed the tracks he left last night and caught up to him. Because he was not familiar with the terrain, there were many swamps, and Redi spent the entire night running. He did not know how many turns he made, but he did not manage to get far. It only took the pursuers three hours to see Redi's back.
However, there was still a large swamp separating them. Redi raised his middle finger at the pursuers. This was a gesture that he learned from Laurist, and when he saw that the great swordmaster Shandy did not chase after him, he sat down and rested for a while.
The pursuers did not search for a small path to cross the swamp. Redi had accidentally used a long tree branch to poke around the swamp, and he did not know how he managed to cross the swamp. Seeing that the distance between them was not far, the pursuing soldiers started to gather their archers and fire arrows at Redi. This made Redi miss the longbow that he had abandoned on the raft, but he did not have the ability to retaliate at the moment.
After cursing a few times, Redi could only continue running. The pursuers did not give up, and after two days, they ran out of rations. If it was not for the snow that covered Redi's tracks and the water rats' nest that he found, he would not have been able to sleep for a night and fill his stomach. If not, he would have collapsed from exhaustion and thirst.
However, the snow yesterday was too little, and the sun rose the next day. The pursuers with hunting dogs quickly discovered Redi's tracks, and he could only continue running. Just as he was about to reach Egret Lake, Redi suddenly realized that there was another group in front of him. There were more than a dozen knights charging towards him. Looking back at the enemies chasing after him, Redi let out a bitter laugh and pulled out his longsword. At this point, he could only fight with his life on the line. Just like what his teacher had said, kill one and you'll break even, kill two and you'll earn one. Let's see how many I can earn now.
… …
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