Two days later, the caravan set off.
Nearly thirty carriages, hundreds of horses, and hundreds of people marched out of the city. Harald stood on the gate tower and shook his head with an unfriendly look in his eyes. These caravans were supposed to go out to sea at his port, so he could receive a large amount of tax. However, because of the blockade of the port, everything was ruined. He could only take a large sum of money from these merchants and let them go.
"Mr. Boris, what are you doing?" Leon noticed that the leader of the Blood Axe Mercenary Group, Boris, and a few of the wounded had packed their things and were leaving in another direction.
"Us?" Boris smiled awkwardly. "We might not be able to help you on the way. Mr. Ryan, I thought I might be able to do something. But … "
Boris looked like he wanted to say something, but he stopped. It was obvious that he hadn't fully recovered from the battle with the orcs.
After the exchange, Laing learned that Boris planned to bring the injured, including Banda, back to Coldwinter City to recuperate. There would be a few healthy mercenaries to watch over them.
"I understand. Good luck." Laing understood him.
"Also, tell Madam Trovic that we've repaid the favor we owe Garlan. We don't want to have any contact with them in the future." Boris had an indescribable expression on his face. He slowly shifted his gaze away and looked at the road back. His voice was filled with sorrow. "The Marvel Blue Council has given us so much, but they have demanded even more from us. It's time for everything to end."
"Okay, I'll pass the message." Laing didn't say anything. It wasn't strange for spellcasters to demand repayment. He just watched them leave.
Bill led the Grayblade Mercenaries at the front. He himself rode a fast horse and was half an hour ahead of the caravan. Then came the guards and Bloodaxe, followed by the merchant, the sorceress, and Laing in the middle. Finally, the guards and a few wandering knights were in charge of the rear.
It hadn't been long since they left the city, so the road wasn't easy. The carriage wheels kept rolling over small stones and protruding roadsides, causing the youth in the carriage to feel pain.
"Ahhhhh! Ouch ouch ouch! " The youth in the carriage cried out in pain. One of his arms was wrapped in bandages and hung in front of his chest. It was obvious that his injuries were unclear.
It was Banda from the Blood Axe Mercenary Group. The mercenary was injured in the battle at the dock and could only rest in the car. Fortunately, it was not very serious, just a hard wound.
"I say, Simon, I heard that the Lord of Calcen Haven is holding a banquet! Did you go? " Banda felt very depressed. Lying in bed, he thought countless times that Madam Trovic would visit him, but the truth was that the sorceress never appeared.
"I didn't go. How could I have the chance to go? That's a place for 'advanced people'. How can people like us be qualified to go there? " Simon shook his head. "But the Guild Leader and Vice Guild Leader went. They said it was just a normal banquet."
"That's right. Captain drank until the next morning." Banda looked at the dark clouds outside the carriage and sighed. "I'm considered lucky to be alive. Hans, Rym, Ballmer, and the others are already …"
The young mercenary recalled his comrades who had died in the battle with the Orcs. The Blood Axe Mercenary Group had decreased from 50 to 30 members, and 20 of them had left them forever.
"Actually … Captain said he regretted accepting Madam Trovic's request when he came back yesterday. The price we paid was too high." Simon checked his crossbow and oiled his Short Sword.
"Yes, that … Did Madam Trovic …" Banda hesitated for a while before asking.
"No, but that Knight … Well, Mr. Laing asked about your recovery." Simon's face darkened at the mention of Laing. He felt that it was disgraceful to be forced to apologize to the veteran at the dock.
The convoy continued on their journey. It was still safe for the time being.
"It looks like it's going to snow again." Laing rode his tall horse, Pine Cone. He could feel that the weather wasn't improving, and he was worried.
During the banquet the previous day, Villard told him a piece of bad news. The Northern Barbarians had gathered their troops and were heading south.
That wasn't the problem. After all, the Nords were used to fighting with the Northern Barbarians.
What Laing was concerned about was Villard's words.
"It was discovered that the walls of the Tempest Keep had undergone some sort of mutation. The defenders discovered that the walls had grown eyes and tentacles, as if they had gained self-awareness. The Church of Justice believed that this was because the walls had been corroded by the flesh and blood of the believers of Chaos for many years. Therefore, under the leadership of the Church of Justice, the walls of the Tempest Keep were destroyed and rebuilt."
But the Northern Barbarians attacked at this time. Laing felt that there was a connection between the two.
Forget it, he couldn't figure it out. The man shook his head and threw the messy thoughts out of his mind. He then realized that some snowflakes had fallen from his hair.
It was snowing again.
"Teacher of Balance, the weather has been a bit strange lately," Laing said to the Druid on the road with a smile.
Yes, on this trip, the bad-tempered Druid, 'Tree Planter' Eldrad, would be traveling with them. The reason was simple. The Druid had been driven out of Calcen Haven by Villard, and he had no place to stay for the time being. So, he made an agreement with Olef to follow the caravan.
"The whispers of nature need to be heard. She's howling. A terrible storm is sweeping …" Eldrad muttered in a low voice. Then, Laing immediately interrupted him, "Enough, teacher of nature, please speak in simple language. Mr. Eldridge won't be as hard to communicate with as you. "
"Eldridge? You know him? " The Druid was a bit confused. He nodded and said in a bad tone, "It's the energy of Chaos. The energy of Chaos is blowing the sky, causing the clouds and snow."
Eldridge, 'Treewalker' Eldridge, was one of the few 'executors' of the Druidic Order. It made sense that Laing knew him.
"Haha …" Laing squinted his eyes and smiled. The people of the Druidic Order were really unlikeable.
Picking fruits and putting on clothes could be interpreted as an offense to nature, and this group of people could directly trample on the basic laws of the kingdom for the so-called 'balance of nature'. Laing believed that it was hard for anyone to have a good impression of them.
They were so similar to those little animatronics.
The 'conversation' between the Treewalker and Laing was also quite pleasant. After Laing hung him on the tree, the Treewalker was finally willing to talk to Laing properly.
Laing noticed that the few wandering knights at the back of the caravan had slipped into the middle of the caravan. "Gentlemen? Shouldn't you stay at the back and pay attention to the safety of the caravan? "
The leader of the group was Ayke. He was trying to spy on the goods in the middle of the caravan. When he heard Laing's words, he smiled awkwardly and said, "Sir knight, we haven't even entered the forest yet. Do you think we should …"
"Please do your duty seriously. I won't argue with you this time. Please keep at least three people at the back of the caravan at all times!" Laing said grumpily.
The words of a royal knight were very effective. The few wandering knights looked at each other, nodded, and returned to the back of the caravan.
The curtain of the carriage beside the horses was lifted. "If it weren't for Mister Ryan, I really wouldn't dare to travel with these guys."
"Mr. Oliver, you must know that they occasionally do other jobs." The merchant and the knight both knew what they were talking about. They smiled at each other.
"I don't mind buying a few new sets of armor and warhorses," Laing said in secret.
"I don't mind introducing some buyers to Mr. Laing. I don't want any commission." Oliver also agreed.
They seemed to have reached a tacit agreement.
"Tsk! What a dirty deal. "The sorceress's voice came from the other side of the caravan.
After two days of rest, the sorceress's body had recovered a lot. Laing could already feel the strong magic waves coming from her body.
Upon hearing Theresa's voice, Oliver immediately shut his mouth subconsciously. Clayon, on the other hand, changed the topic. "It's snowing outside. Make sure to keep warm."
"If it's too cold outside, you can also rest in the caravan. Alright, I'm going to meditate." The sorceress's beautiful face flashed through the curtain.
"Phew, it's really cold!" A big man in a black robe rode up from behind. "Even in the mountains of our tribe, there won't be such cold weather in October."
The big man in the black robe had a smear of oil paint on his face. His hair was shaved clean, and the hair on the top of his head was tied into a dirty braid. His thick beard was all tied into small braids and scattered in front of his chest.
He was wearing thick leather armor and a brown deerskin coat. Some animal teeth were strung into a necklace on his strong chest. He carried a long spear and a longbow on his back, and a short knife on his waist. He didn't look young. His skin was dark and his face was old. The wrinkles at the corner of his eyes were stretched out because of his owner's laughter. "You're the white wolf knight, 'Sledgehammer' Laing, right? I know you. "
"You are?" The big man in the black robe knew that he wouldn't be surprised. The Nords Kingdom actively promoted Laing's promotion. He was very famous in this place.
"Haha, I'm Roste from the Grey Wolf Tribe. Mister Olef hired me to be his bodyguard." The big man in the black robe was very forthright. He uncorked the kettle at his waist, and a thick smell of alcohol wafted out. "Want a sip, brother?"
"No, thank you. I don't usually drink on an empty stomach."
"That's a pity." Roste took a big gulp from the kettle. "This is wine blessed by our tribe's shaman. It's brewed with malt!"
"Tribe? Shaman? You're from the north? " Laing looked at Roste's thick shoulders. He was 1.9 meters tall. If Laing, who was 1.8 meters tall, looked well-proportioned but was actually very muscular, then Roste was completely tall and muscular.
There were many Nords with this kind of physique, but there weren't many with dirty braids.
"Yes, I've been here for hundreds of years. I'm a barbarian." Roste spread out his hands naturally, then quickly added, "I'm a barbarian who's been conferred a title. Our last chief, Morry, was very active in the Battle of Fasa and was made a knight of the Empire by His Majesty King Ludwig!"
No wonder this barbarian dared to walk around so openly. So he's already been recognized by the Nords? Laing thought.
The northern barbarians didn't always worship the Evil God of Chaos. They once had their own gods and their own beliefs.
When the Chaos descended, the northern barbarians were the first to kneel at the feet of the Evil God. Aside from the fact that they were the closest to the Chaos Gate, the harsh environment of the northern wastelands was also an important reason. The northern wastelands were too cold. If the Nords had three months of warm weather in a year, the northern wastelands were bitterly cold all year round. The land was almost impossible to cultivate, and life was difficult.
Even though most of the barbarians had chosen to submit to the Chaos, there were still a small number of barbarians who were unwilling to submit to the Chaos. So they chose to leave their homeland. There were many barbarian tribes in Nord's territory. Most of them were unwilling to live with others in the cities, so with the king's permission, they built their own settlements and lived in the mountains or desolate canyons. Many of the tribes still retained their most primitive beliefs. Leon had even seen a sacrificial ceremony for the God of Beasts. One must know that the God of Beasts had fallen when the Chaos descended, but these tribes still insisted on this custom.
However, it was hard to say. Because gods were very powerful existences, it was difficult for them to truly die. Some gods would leave themselves the means of reincarnation, and some gods would choose to give up part of their power to protect themselves and fake their death.
Even if a god's true body fell, as long as a part of their power remained in the world, there was still a chance.
"Is that so … How have you been for the past few hundred years?" Laing looked at the distant Mount Hodaran shrouded in mist. The mountain range wasn't particularly tall, but it spread far and wide. There was no telling what was waiting for them.
"It's fine. Life here is hard, but with the great Ice Lady by our side, we can survive." Roste caught a snowflake with his hand and put it on his face, letting it melt slowly. "It's the power of the Ice Lady that protects us from falling."
"But your Ice Lady has been in a long slumber ever since." Laing whispered. The Ice Lady was always in a long slumber. Apart from the occasional oracle from the Ice Lady when she woke up, the barbarians didn't get any benefits. Instead, they had to contribute a lot of faith and sacrifices.
How ironic, wasn't it?
But without faith, humans couldn't unite. Without faith, humans couldn't muster up the courage to fight against the powerful evil gods and the erosion of darkness.
"Faith makes us strong." Astaire rode a horse and appeared beside everyone. The half-elf was riding a tall horse. He wore a hood and an exquisite elven moon white cloak and goose yellow robe. His posture was elegant, and his tone was gentle. "Bill sent a message. We can stay at the place we booked for the night. There's no one there, but …"
"But what? Don't tell me there's no one there, but there are monsters! " Olivier, who was sitting at the front of the carriage, shouted exaggeratedly. The guards and mercenaries burst into laughter. Everyone's eyes were on Astell.
They were also waiting for an answer.
"The old village left for hunters and passing caravans has been destroyed. It's very serious. I think … many of us will have to sleep outdoors tonight." The half-elf was still smiling. "So let's move faster and get to the camp as soon as possible. We can do our best to repair the houses for everyone to sleep in at night!"
"Good! Let's move faster! "
"Faster, faster, faster!"
"Faster!"
When the sun left its last rays on the mountain, the huge caravan finally approached the camp for the night.
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