When Na Xin described the scene, the two of them stopped by the roadside. A few heavy caravans pulled by tall horses were moving along the road by the edge of the forest. The ruts left deep imprints in the soft dust.
In fact, when the scavengers' caravans were heading to Tormlo, their caravans were usually filled with coffins. That was why this road was called the 'Dark Road' or the 'Path of the Dead'. Scavengers or vultures like them were frequent visitors to this road. However, while people looked down on their work and envied the gold in their pockets, they did not see many people shed tears on this road.
It was said that these tears fell on the dust on the road. That was why the road was always so dark, as if it was always raining.
At that moment, the caravans were on their way back. The caravans were carrying Tormlo's specialty, black crystals. Rosaleen's lord had imposed heavy taxes on these items, but they were still able to make money with the high profits.
"… These might be the last caravans of black crystals from Rosaleen. They will definitely give us a satisfactory price." Na Xin stared at his caravans and thought to himself. He had taken such a huge risk as the last scavenger to leave Rosaleen and embark on this dark road. Everything he did was to make money. Excessive risks meant excessive profits.
He was not a qualified businessman, but he was definitely a daring speculator with a keen sense of foresight.
However, this journey did not go well.
This was the trouble they had encountered when they were at Qiusangze River.
It was as if this journey had been precarious since the beginning. When the caravans passed by Qiusangze River, they lost a horse. They also lost a caravan of goods due to the unseasonal flood upstream. At that time, he saw with his own eyes the scene of the coffins swirling and sinking into the whirlpool. He swore in his heart that he had never seen such a torrential flood. The Qiu Sang Ze River had never been a hot-tempered river, even in the season between spring and summer when the flood was overflowing.
Not to mention in late autumn.
After that, they were attacked by a strange monster. Although they were lucky enough to escape with their lives, they lost two of their guards. The compensation for the deceased was a huge sum of money. Although Xin was a scavenger, no scavenger would dare to renege on this sum of money. Someone had done so before. Not long after, the old vulture's corpse was thrown outside the walls of Rosaleen.
After listening to his description, the middle-aged man did not reply.
Sitting on horseback, he looked towards the north. The mist under the night sky was deepening, and the entire eastern sky was faintly tinged with a layer of faint bluish purple. Silver Moon Timis was poking her head out of the valley in that direction. Silver stars floated above the clouds, like sparkling diamonds scattered in the mud and dust at the bottom of a river.
"Speaking of which, it can be considered as the blessing of the goddess. Ever since the young man I saved met Mr. Liu, the rest of the journey has been peaceful. You must be the messengers sent by the goddess to guide me."
After Na Xin recalled, she couldn't help but compliment him.
Desperadoes were always superstitious about luck. Life and death seemed very normal to them, but they were often subconsciously willing to find some spiritual support. The blind girl Irene who had revealed the fate of mortals by the Abyssal Lake was naturally the best example of the fickleness of fate. As such, the faith of this goddess had always had a bright future in Rosaleen.
Xin was naturally no exception. As he spoke, his gaze swept across the mist-shrouded mound in the distance. He didn't see the shadows of the monsters he had imagined, which finally allowed him to heave a sigh of relief.
…
As expected, the convoy arrived at the Qiusangze River at ten o 'clock in the evening.
This river was the natural border between Rosaleen and the border. This meandering belt of light that flowed between Rosaleen and the Gray Wilderness started from the Qiusangze Highlands and ran through the land on the other side of the strait. Since the era of the ancestors, the Rosaleen people had relied on this river to thrive.
However, it had been twenty to thirty years since hunters crossed the Qiusangze River and walked on the small path in the Gray Wilderness Forest. Ever since the monsters began to flood, this river had been given a new meaning.
Ever since people discovered that the monsters almost never crossed the Qiusangze River to attack Rosaleen behind it.
Even so, ever since the second Starfall, the attacks of the monsters had become more and more aggressive. The humans had no choice but to start thinking of a way out in advance. The lord of Rosaleen had already built a new city on the other side of the strait. If necessary, the Wall of Sighs would have to be abandoned.
The broad surface of the river seemed especially calm under the dim light. The surface of the river reflected the sparkling starlight, as if the flood a month ago did not exist.
Gazing through the river, one could see the wilderness on the other side of the river. The few manors and fields on the other side of the forest had long withered. The residents here had retreated to the Qiusangze area and formed militia Knight to patrol the other side of the river.
At this time, the Knight should have already retreated.
There were many shoals downstream of the Qiusangze River that could be crossed, but Na Xin looked at the sky and knew that they would not be able to make it that night. Moreover, the danger at the shoals had reminded them, so no one was willing to cross the river in this visibility no matter what.
The campsite was quickly set up.
A caravan traveling on such a dangerous route would naturally not be harmless merchants. The carriages had long been reinforced and there were a few leather shields nailed to the walls of the caravan. As long as the curtains were pulled up, they could form a barrier at any time and rely on the carriages to fight.
Almost everyone in the convoy was armed and had their own skills. This was not only to guard against the attacks of the monsters, but also to guard against the more murderers on this trade route.
Sometimes, their own kind was more dangerous than the monsters.
When traveling in the wilderness, most of the scavengers maintained the habit of not drinking. In fact, these desperadoes were sometimes more devout than the Puritans. In the wilderness, only the sword could be trusted. This had always been the motto of these people.
After the carriages formed a circle, the bonfire dragged the long shadows of the sentries around. Na Xin was not on duty that night, but he still did not sleep for a long time.
Several times, he uneasily got up and looked at the Qiusangze River outside. The dark river surface seemed to be empty, but the premonition in his heart did not dissipate. He had been traveling on this route for decades, but he had never encountered such a situation.
The last time he got up to patrol, it was already late at night. He checked every node outside the carriages before returning to his tent. However, from the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of the middle-aged man he called Mister Liu holding his sword and quietly guarding outside a carriage.
He glanced over there. He was used to this kind of situation.
An oil lamp hung alone in the carriage.
In the carriage, Huang Huo was looking at the person lying in the carriage seriously. Although at her age, it was difficult to say what she thought of the opposite sex, but she could at least see that this young man was very pleasing to the eye.
He was a different person from them.
She was born in Nine Phoenix and had only seen ordinary people. Although there might be merchants from Saint-ausol and Erouine in places like Jade Harbor, her elders had never allowed her to go to those places. In fact, other than the Nine Phoenix Forbidden Land, this was the first time she had left her hometown to go to a place so far away.
However, she had begun to understand the outside world when she was very young. The sisters of the Nine Phoenix Clan would always talk about the wonders of the outside world after returning from their adventures.
This had once made her yearn for it, but she did not expect that after coming out personally, she would find that the journey was not as beautiful as she had imagined.
It was even boring.
Compared to that, it seemed that it was better to cultivate in the forbidden land. The cultivation of the Jade Phoenix Clan focused on cultivating the body and the mind. Her Desert Wind Swordsmanship was not even a beginner. The memories of cultivation seemed to be rooted in the bottom of her heart. Her sisters always said that she was too boring, but she did not think there was anything wrong with it.
Between her and Sister Huang Yu, one day, one of them would have to inherit the destiny of the Jade Phoenix Master. Ever since Sister Huang Yu went to the West and disappeared, she had no choice but to bear this responsibility alone. She had worked hard for this goal since she was young.
However, no matter what, she was only ten years old this year and was still a little girl. Perhaps her personality was a little calm, but she was curious and kind in her heart.
When the leader of the convoy picked up this young man, it was she who asked Mister Liu to take care of him. She did not know if it was because she felt that the young man was pitiful, or because she was curious about his background.
However, the people in the convoy did not know how to take care of people at all. They did not let the young man drink or eat for two days after picking him up. She suspected that the leader of the convoy picked up the young man simply because he obeyed Irene's teachings.
Because the teachings of the Blind Goddess only required her followers to help every person they met in distress. As for what to do after helping, there was no description.
She frowned and looked at the young man, guessing his background in her mind. She knew the places outside the Nine Phoenix, but the descriptions of Erouine and Saint-ausol were mostly legends.
Huang Huo's gaze fell on the young man's necklace. It was a very strange necklace. It looked like an ordinary crystal ball, but she found that as long as she pointed the crystal ball at the fire or the moonlight, she could see some mysterious scenes from it.
It was like a piece of soil floating in the void.
This thing must be very valuable. Fortunately, the people outside did not realize this. She thought that this necklace reminded her of some legends in her clan.
Legends about the Stagnation Realm and the Secret of the Nine Phoenix.
As she thought, she gently pulled the young man's coat and covered the necklace. At this time, she heard a conversation outside the carriage.
Outside the carriage, Xin was looking at the middle-aged man. He probably did not expect that the man would suddenly call him.
In his impression, although Mister Liu would occasionally ask him some questions, most of the time, they were two straight lines that did not intersect with each other.
"Mister Liu?"
The middle-aged man gestured for him to be quiet. At the same time, he pressed one hand on his sword and his thumb on the Pixiu's mouth. With a whoosh, he pulled out the extremely sharp bronze sword.
"Go wake up the others."
He said.
…
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