The rumbling of the carriage's wheels was monotonous and repetitive, moving forward with difficulty on the muddy mountain path.
Redi, who was driving the carriage, shouted loudly, "My Lord, we should find a place to rest, the road is too hard to walk. Even if we can endure it, the horses can't. Also, the carriage needs to be tidied up. I feel that the left wheel is slanting outwards, it's hard to control … "
Laurist urged his horse to the side of the carriage and said loudly, "Hold on for another half an hour. There's a small mountain town after this mountain path, we can rest there for two days."
It had been seven days. Laurist's group of five had traveled day and night for seven days without rest. Twelve strong Zeno horses with outstanding endurance and a long-distance four-wheeled carriage obtained from Gerdos City would rest for an hour every forty miles before changing horses and continuing on their journey. They had traveled for seven days like this, covering almost three hundred miles in a day. Almost two thousand miles made everyone feel a little tired.
Whoosh! A crudely made arrow brushed past the carriage and landed on the ground.
"F * ck …" Laurist cursed. He jumped off the saddle and nimbly climbed onto the carriage. He stood beside the driver's seat and pulled out a javelin from the roof of the carriage, protecting Redi who was driving.
How many times had they encountered bandits on the road? Sixteen times? Seventeen times? Laurist could no longer remember. They would encounter two or three waves of bandits every day. At first, Laurist's group was very sympathetic when they saw the skinny bandits in ragged clothes. They did not want to kill too many people, so they only gave them a small punishment and gave them some food. After that, they became numb to it. Most of the time, they would charge past them and leave the two-legged bandits far behind.
If there was a difference, it would be that the bandits in the Redelis Kingdom were mostly destitute refugees who did not have food or clothing. The ones blocking the road were mostly white-haired elderly and children with wooden farming tools. They wanted food more than money. In the Andinac Kingdom, they encountered fewer bandits, but these bandits were more professional and well-armed. They were real bandits and bandits, and they were more brutal and brutal. Laurist would not show any mercy when he encountered bandits like this.
A few screams could be heard in the distance. It had to be the work of Josk, who was leading the way. Sederkamp's head popped out of the carriage. "Young master, what happened again?"
Lebrist shouted in a deep voice, "Go in. We've encountered bandits. Equip your crossbow and be on guard."
With a flick of his hand, the spear flew like lightning into the forest beside the road and pierced through a bandit who had his bow nocked and was aiming at the carriage.
Angry shouts erupted from the bushes beside the road, and more than thirty mountain bandits rushed out, brandishing their swords and sabers …
Spears flew out one after another, and in the blink of an eye, the ten or so mountain bandits at the very front were nailed to the ground, and they howled in pain.
The remaining twenty or so bandits were so frightened that they wanted to run, but Lorist's javelins were gone.
"Kill him!" A bearded bandit pointed at Laurist and roared. Seeing that Laurist had lost his javelin, the bandits regained their courage and surrounded him again.
"Damn, two hundred javelins! It's only been a few days and it's already been used up. " Laurist pulled out his sword and jumped off the carriage. "Let's end this quickly and get rid of them quickly so that we can continue on our way."
A bandit fell in front of Redi with a crossbow arrow stuck in his forehead. It was shot by Sederkamp from inside the carriage.
Redi shouted unhappily at the carriage, "Don't steal my business!"
Laurist's sword flashed, and four bandits fell to the ground with blood spurting from their throats.
Only then did the bandits realize that they had kicked a metal plate. In just two exchanges, only five or six of the twenty bandits were left. These five or six bandits were scared out of their wits and wanted to run, but Redi and Laurist caught up and killed them all.
"Ah!" A bandit who had pretended to be dead and had sneaked into the bushes by the side of the road while Laurist and Redi were not paying attention was shot in the back by Sederkamp. He screamed and struggled for a while before dying.
The battle ended with the bandits being completely wiped out. Sederkamp jumped off the carriage and started to search the dead bandits for spoils of war. Redi went to the carriage to check the condition of the wheels, while Laurist checked if the javelins he brought back could be of use. Unfortunately, these javelins were single-use items. After Laurist threw them out, the tips of the javelins either became blunt or cracked, and they could not be reused.
Padt rode back from the front and reported that the bandits had dug a big hole in the road ahead, and the carriage could not pass through. Josk had shot four bandits to death, and now he wanted Padt to fill up the hole with a shovel.
"What happened to the wheels?" Laurist asked Redi.
"My lord, look, there's a latch here. No wonder it feels like the wheels are slanting outwards, and it's hard to control the carriage when it turns. I'll cut a wooden latch and plug it in. When we reach the town, we'll find a blacksmith to make a new latch and weld it in. "Redi pointed at a hole in the wheel.
"Alright, let's do that for now." Laurist turned around and saw Sederkamp carrying a large pile of items with a smile on his face.
"Young master, look, these bandits are so rich. Even some of the lords' guards wouldn't be able to afford chainmail and armor like this. There are three sets here, and I've peeled off six more sets and piled them on the ground. These bandits also have the gold coins of two or three old men from the empire, and half of their weapons are standard issue. Young master, if we can find their lair, then we'll be rich. I'm sure there's a lot of good stuff there ….. "Sederkamp said happily.
Laurist looked at the chain mail and armor. They were really good. More importantly, when he fought with the bandits, Laurist had used his sword to slit the throats of the bandits, so these armors were still in good condition.
Seeing that Sederkamp was about to move the armors into the carriage, Laurist coughed a few times and said: "Well, Sederkamp, we're traveling light this time, and we need to hurry. Are you sure you want to bring these chainmail and armor back? "
Sederkamp felt wronged and said, "My lord, our family's territory lacks good armor. In the north, there's more leather armor than iron armor. Also, there's only a few sets, and it won't affect our journey. "
Alright, if you want to move them, then move them. Laurist didn't say anything. He felt that Sederkamp had only been managing Fatty Shi for a month, yet he had already learned Fatty Shi's stingy nature. The north lacked armor, and who knew how many armors there would be when the family's carriages returned to the north? Forget it, there was no need to teach Sederkamp a lesson for such a small matter. It was praiseworthy for him to think of the family.
Nothing happened after they resumed their journey. Within half an hour, the rocky walls of the small mountain town, Fonyata, appeared in front of Laurist's group.
The guards guarding the gates of Fonyata stared at Laurist's group curiously. It was rare to see five people, twelve horses, and a four-wheeled carriage traveling such a long distance. However, after Laurist showed them the Norton Family's insignia, the guards happily let them pass and even waived the entrance fee.
Laurist found out the location of the best inn and smithy in Fonyata Town from the guards. He then generously rewarded the guards with a gold coin that was equivalent to the head of an old man from the empire. The guards were overjoyed and thanked him profusely.
Fonyata Town wasn't big, with only five to six hundred families and two thousand residents. A street that ran from east to west divided the town into two halves. On one side were neatly built stone houses with shops underneath, while on the other side was a residential area made of wood and stone. It looked like a slum.
Laurist's group stopped at the Red Wine and Tired Bird Inn. Laurist had booked three rooms on the third floor. After a hearty meal, Redi drove the carriage to find the smithy, while Padt went to the inn's stables to instruct the servants on how to take care of the ten or so Zino horses he had brought. Sadekamp moved the nine sets of armor to the guest room he and Padt were staying in. He then got some sand, rags, and butter to clean them up. Laurist and Josk returned to their rooms and ordered the servants to bring hot water and baths. They took a bath and went to bed early.
The next day, Laurist refused to get out of bed. He ordered Padt to put breakfast on the table and went back to sleep. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a bell ringing in the town …
"F * ck, are you crazy? Why are you ringing the bell when it's not the New Year?" Laurist buried his head under the pillow, trying not to hear the bell.
"Sir, this sounds like a warning bell …" Padt said.
Laurist was startled and got out of bed. He went to the window and looked out, only to see the people on the streets panicking and moving in a hurry. Many of them looked terrified.
"Eh, it really is a warning bell. I've never heard of the Andinac Kingdom going to war with anyone. Could it be a coincidence that we're here? "Laurist mumbled as he put on his clothes.
He looked at the map. Fonyata Town was about five hundred miles away from the Madras Kingdom. Could it be that the Madras Kingdom declared war with the Andinac Kingdom and fought all the way here? That doesn't seem possible. The Madras Kingdom is more than capable of defending itself, but not aggressive enough. Even though they are a vassal of the Iberian Kingdom in name, they have never paid attention to the second prince's orders. Could it be that they could not withstand the pressure and decided to attack the third prince's Andinac Kingdom?
Laurist looked at the map as he ate his breakfast, making wild guesses in his mind. There was a knock on the door. Laurist looked at Padt and signaled him to open the door.
Redi came in: "Sir, the captain of the garrison of Fonyata Town wants to see you."
"Oh." Laurist put down the map and thought for a while: "Invite him in."
Just nice, Laurist also wanted to ask about the alarm bell.
The captain of the garrison of Fonyata Town was a middle-aged man in his forties. He had a bitter expression on his face. He stood in front of Laurist and looked very uneasy. He did not even know where to put his hands. Laurist asked him to sit down, but he waved his hands and said that there was no need and that he could just stand.
Alright, if you want to stand, then stand. Laurist was never one to force others. He slowly took a sip of tea and was about to ask the captain of the garrison what he wanted when he heard the middle-aged man ask carefully, "Sir, may I ask if you came from that mountain path yesterday?"
"Yes." Laurist nodded.
"Then sir, did you meet with bandits and you killed them all?"
"Yes, what about it?" Laurist was a little puzzled. What was so strange about killing a few bandits? Why were they so secretive?
"Sir, trouble has come. The bandits have already blocked the town gates. They said that if we don't hand you over before noon, they will attack the town and slaughter everyone in it … …" The middle-aged man's face was full of bitterness.
"Bandits? Does that mean the alarm was rung because of the bandits? "Laurist asked.
The garrison captain nodded.
"Tell me, what kind of mountain bandits are so arrogant that they dare to besiege Feng Yata Town and even say that they want to massacre the town? Is the local lord not going to do anything about it?" Laurist was interested.
"Sir, it's not that the local leader doesn't care, but he can't. He has fought against the bandits twice, but both times he failed and suffered heavy casualties. The second time, the leader was heavily injured, which is why the bandits are so arrogant. Due to the war and civil strife in the past few years, many deserters, refugees, and bandits had gathered in the forest within a radius of a hundred miles around the mountain road. About three years ago, a Gold-tier Swordsman who called himself the Coiled Mountain Wolf came. He brought some people and subdued the bandits. He set up a stronghold on the Black Rock Mountain near the Coiled Mountain Road. Then, he started to rob people on the Coiled Mountain Road and collect toll money. "
"Oh, that bandit leader is a Gold-tier Swordsman? That's interesting. It's the first time I've heard of a Gold-tier Qi Warrior willing to become a bandit. "Laurist laughed.
The captain panicked, "Sir, I'm not lying to you. Sir Lord's two expeditions had resulted in the death of three Silver-ranked Family Knights. Go out and ask around, everyone will know about this. This Coiling Mountain Wolf is cruel and lustful. He has already massacred three villages near the mountain road. The Lord had sent troops to go on a punitive expedition because of this matter. Unfortunately, he failed twice. "
Laurist looked at the middle-aged man and asked, "Since the bandits have already blocked the city gates, as the captain of the garrison, why aren't you defending the city but telling us all this? Are you trying to send us to the bandits? To stop them from massacring the city? "
"No, no, sir. We don't want to send you out …" The middle-aged man said bitterly, "Sir, I'm here to tell you about the Coiling Mountain Wolf so that you can be prepared. There is only a small team of guards in this town, and there are less than eighty of them. Only I, the captain, am a Silver-tier warrior. There are four to five hundred bandits. Other than the Coiling Mountain Wolf who is Gold-tier, they have seventeen Silver-tier experts. The difference in strength is too great. We won't be able to defend for long. We can only hope that sir can act according to the situation and leave the town as soon as possible. Then, inform the kingdom's army to send troops to exterminate these bandits. That way, we can die in peace. "
"That's not right. Since the difference in strength between the guards and the bandits is so great, why didn't the bandits attack the city before? Why did they wait until we killed a few bandits before coming to block the gates?" Laurist's expression turned solemn as he asked coldly.
"Sigh, sir, to tell you the truth, our leader had an agreement with the Coiling Mountain Bandits." The captain of the guards seemed a little ashamed. "After two failed expeditions, our leader was worried that these bandits would attack the city and cause a ruckus. If word of this got out, it wouldn't be good. He might even take the opportunity to be stripped of his position as leader. Thus, he asked a large merchant association to step forward and sign an agreement with the Coiling Mountain Wolf. The agreement was that Feng Yata Town would be open to the bandits. The bandits could purchase the goods they needed here, and they could also sell their stolen goods here to the merchant association. As long as the merchant association's carriages paid the toll to pass through the mountain road, they would be able to pass unimpeded. As for the pedestrians and carriages passing through the mountain road, they could only blame it on their bad luck if they were robbed. The local leader wouldn't care. Furthermore, if the bandits didn't carry any weapons, they could still enter the town to eat, drink, and be merry. As long as they don't cause any trouble, our guards will pretend that we didn't see anything … "
"The reason the bandits are blocking the gates this time is because one of the bandits you killed yesterday was the younger brother of the Coiling Mountain Wolf. That's why the Coiling Mountain Wolf went berserk and disregarded the agreement to massacre the city. Sir, once the bandits break through the gates and enter the town, they will definitely loot everywhere. You should take advantage of that time to charge out of the encirclement. "
"Hehe, four to five hundred bandits, a Gold-ranked bandit leader. I really have to go and see for myself." Laurist picked up the longsword on the table beside him and said to Padt and Redi, "Let's go meet these bandits. Redi, have Jorah bring a few more quivers of arrows. It's best not to let a single bandit escape today."
… …
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