Groups of mercenaries surrounded the caravan in the middle. A few hundred meters in front of the caravan, there were a few light cavalry roaming in front. They were rogues who were responsible for scouting the way. In addition, Bill had arrived here more than an hour earlier. Unless they encountered a large group of enemies, he would always be at the front looking for the way and leaving a mark for the caravan behind.
When Ryan first came to this world, he used to think that Rogues were all ninja-like guys who killed the enemy invisibly. They were always hiding in the dark, and at the critical moment, they would come out and give the enemy a fatal blow. They were elusive.
Well, there were indeed such Rogues, but those Rogues had advanced from Rogues to Shadow Killers or even higher level existences. Ordinary Rogues were actually not much different from fighters. They were also exposed to the enemy's line of sight and used simple weapons such as crossbows, rapiers, bludgeons, short bows, and short swords to fight, but they rarely fought head-on. Instead, they mostly used sneak attacks and dodging to fight.
Rogues played more of a role in an adventure team to detect traps, investigate the enemy's situation, unlock and make tools, and prepare for a fatal blow. If they really went to the battlefield, the survival rate of these rogues was lower than that of warriors. They were too fragile.
And because of the characteristics of their profession, rogues were the most likely profession to argue with their companions when it came to dividing the loot. They often had the opportunity to touch the loot first and hide some of it. Then, because of the extreme danger and necessity of their work (for example, they could not move forward if they could not unlock the door or if they encountered a trap), rogues always liked to raise the price. They always used their eloquence and ability to bluff to emphasize how important they were in the team, and what would happen if they were not there. The core of their argument was to get an extra share of the loot (even if they were already hiding an extra share).
Although Laing did not like them very much, he was already past the age of impulsiveness (psychological age). He still admitted that the power of these rogues was indispensable sometimes.
"The most terrible thing is not the enemy who shows his weapon and fights you head-on, but the friend who hides a dagger behind his back when he shakes your hand."
— Emperor Ludwig of the "Savior" Empire.
"We're almost there!" The merchant of the Empire, Olivier, took out a map from the carriage. "This is one of the rest points."
"Take a break?"
"Yes, this is a map produced by Marlin Castle. On it are detailed records of the mountains and rivers, as well as the various towns and major trade routes on the continent. As long as you are a merchant that travels to Marlin Castle all year round, you will be able to obtain this map. As a price, we will also report to Marlin Castle all the new information we have." Oliver showed the map to them. Just as the merchant from the Empire had said, the map was filled with landmarks, towns, roads, and possible resting spots in the wilderness.
Lighting up the torch, Laing noticed that some of the trade routes were green, some were yellow and some were red, and so were the rest areas.
"Green represents safety, yellow represents a small threat, and red … represents business opportunities and opportunities to make a fortune." Oliver stroked his beard. The resting area for the night was yellow.
"Opportunity and danger always coexist. Didn't the first human who landed on the Xiankong Island make a fortune? Hahahaha ~ If it weren't for the danger, why would we come to Nord to buy so many goods? "Martz also laughed.
How could they make money if they were unwilling to take risks?
Investments with both low risk and high return were all scams, unless Laing was strong enough to participate in the game of the gods.
The caravan continued forward. When the sky darkened, the guards and mercenaries lit up their torches. At around 4: 30 in the afternoon, the caravan finally arrived at the resting area that Astor had mentioned.
In the heavy snow and hazy fog, a dilapidated village appeared before everyone's eyes. The village was very small, with only about ten houses. Most of them had no roof, and the village walls were made of logs and bricks. The walls were less than three meters tall, and the main gate of the village had been destroyed. From the outside, it looked like it had been forcefully smashed open. Other than that, the walls were also damaged in many places. The worst part of the wall could fit at least two carriages. The forest was not far from the village, only about two hundred meters away. If they wanted to climb the mountain path of Mount Hodaran, they would have to pass through this forest.
"We're here," Roste ordered. "Brothers of Nord, get out of the car and unload the goods. Faker, take a few men with you and chop some wood to plug the gap. Marther, take three men with you and fetch a few buckets of water from the nearby river."
"Arrange for a few men to keep watch. Astor and those gentlemen, follow me." Laing waved his hand, signaling the half-elves and the wandering knights to follow.
"I'll go with you." A long leg wearing black leather boots came down from the carriage. Teresa had changed into a black combat leather jacket, with a white fox fur coat draped over her shoulders. She held her staff and walked to the center of the group.
The sorceress' long black hair shone with a faint light, reaching her waist. Her beautiful face was still so bright in the dark night. Her sapphire earrings shimmered, and the violet crystal on her staff illuminated the path ahead.
All the men present were stunned. Only Laing could be sure that Teresa had recovered about fifty percent of her strength.
"Let's go!" Without further ado, the women of the Marvel Blue Council were never vases. Laing carefully led the group to the village gate. Astor knelt on one knee and checked the footprints.
The dense footprints showed that there had been many traces of people entering and leaving this resting place recently.
"These footprints should be Bilge's." The elves' racial talent was Night Vision. Half-elves couldn't see as far as elves, but they could still see up close. Moreover, the sorceress' staff was illuminating the path.
"Then what about these messy footprints?" Laing also knelt down and identified the footprints on the snow. These footprints were smaller and more messy.
"These should be goblins'." Astor made this judgment after combining all the information he knew.
"The pathfinders didn't leave any information?" The wandering knight Ike said casually, but his gaze was fixed on the sorceress' long legs and chest.
Women were very sensitive to men's gazes. Teresa immediately felt it. She pulled her coat tighter in disgust and turned slightly to avoid Ike's gaze. "Then you mean … there are goblins hiding in the village?"
"It's fine. If there are goblins, I'll cut them all in half for you! My lady, I'll give you the Goblin's ears! " Ike laughed loudly. He pulled out his longsword and waved it around as if he was performing a beautiful dance.
"Yes, yes! My sword is thirsty for blood! "
"So is my sword."
"We're willing to give you victory, Lady Trovic!"
The wandering knights cheered.
"That's good. Please go and check out those houses! I'll go check out the one in the middle. "Laing thought that these shameless knights really knew how to flatter the sorceress.
Laing had to give them a chance to perform, so he assigned them a task. But Ike didn't let him go. "If I heroically destroy the enemy, will you treat me to a cup of Bagerman's beer?"
"I'm afraid you're dreaming. I can only treat you to horse piss." Bagerman's beer was the most famous beer on the continent. It was the masterpiece of the dwarves. Brewed using malt, it was the best and most refreshing alcoholic beverage on the continent. Not only was it nutritious, it could even be used as dry food. A few cups of Bagerman's beer could ensure that one wouldn't go hungry for a day.
The crystallization of the dwarven brewing process was, of course, expensive. Unless Ike was willing to use his savings, there was no way he could afford it. Laing thought that Ike was overthinking things.
And so, they split up. Laing held his warhammer in front of his chest and walked towards the house in the middle of the village. That was where the village chief or lord lived. It was also the most likely place to hide evil.
The steps were covered in snow. Laing's leather boots creaked as he stepped on the wooden steps.
The door of the house wasn't locked or bolted. Ryan reached out his hand and gently pushed the door open. The thick wooden door made a rotting sound, and it was so dark that he couldn't even see his own fingers in front of him.
"Light!" Teresa followed. The sorceress raised her hand and cast a level-zero spell, Light. The interior of the house was illuminated.
Laing's first impression was that the house was a mess. If he had to describe it more specifically, it would be as if the house had been raided by bandits and then bitten by dogs.
Yes, it was as if the house had been bitten by dogs. The whole house was damaged. It was true that a deserted village would attract adventurers and travelers to pass by and search for treasures. However, it was unwritten common sense to leave a place for those who came later to stay. So, the holes in the wall were definitely not the work of adventurers and mercenaries.
Apart from the broken pieces of wood in the corner, Ryan did not find any furniture. The floor of the house was quite flat, but there were many holes in the wall. He asked the mercenaries to reinforce the wall with wooden planks, and he had to make do with it for the night.
"Wait … Laing, what's this?" The sorceress had a new discovery.
"Huh?" Laing quickly walked closer and found that the sorceress had found a few "mushrooms" in the corner of the room.
It was quite a stretch to call them mushrooms. They had blood-red skin with yellow and green spots. They looked disgusting. What was more disgusting was that there was a face on the surface of these mushrooms. It was hard to tell whether it was a human or a beast's face. The eyes were slender and long, and there was a maniacal smile on them.
"Oh my god! What are these?! " Teresa felt extremely uncomfortable after seeing what these mushrooms looked like. The sorceress subconsciously took two steps back and felt that her high-heeled boots seemed to have stepped on something.
She looked back and saw that the same mushroom had been stepped on by her heels. The muddy yellow mushroom juice splashed on her high-heeled boots, and the smell of vomit filled the room.
"Wuuuuu!" The sorceress's scream was stuck in her throat. She took a few steps back and leaned on the man. "What's this? What's this?! "
Laing reached out and hugged Teresa's slender waist. It felt good to the touch. "This is a Blood Shadow Mushroom."
"A Blood Shadow Mushroom?" The sorceress took out a towel from her space ring, but the disgusting mushroom juice was hard to clean. It also emitted an unpleasant smell. She couldn't help but wail. "My shoes!"
Laing let go of the sorceress's waist and used brute force to pull out the entire mushroom. Teresa complained, "Throw it away!" He threw it out of the hole in the wall. "This is a goblin's masterpiece. But are you interested to know how this thing was formed?"
"How?" The sorceress was still using the towel to wipe the surface of her boots. "Enough, let's not stay in this room anymore. Let's go somewhere else to talk!"
"As you wish. Also, let me do it!" Ryan stretched out his right hand, and a light blue energy swirled in his hand. The water vapor in the air formed a water ball. The pure water ball swept across the surface of the leather boots and finally washed away the dirty mushroom juice. The sorceress breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly pulled Ryan out of the room. Then she waved her hand and cast a spell. The discarded wood in the corner flew over and sealed the door of the room. "That's it!"
By the time the two came out, a few roaming knights had already checked the room. They also found some Blood Shadow Mushrooms. Ayke held the largest one in his hand. "Dear Madam Trovic, I think I can give this to you … Alright, I was just kidding. Don't point your staff at my face!"
"Hahahahaha!" The mercenaries and guards burst into laughter. Many of them were repairing the damaged walls. They used the felled wood and planks to reinforce the gaps. Some soldiers were even cooking.
"Where's the druid?" Laing wondered. Why didn't the druid explode? How strange!
"The druid didn't stop and went straight into the forest. Mather! Don't just stand there! This water isn't enough for all of us. Bring some men to get more! " Roste walked up to them. The black-robed man seemed to enjoy the cold weather. "Brothers, hurry up if you don't want to sleep in the open!" He yelled.
"Nobody wants to sleep in the open. Hurry up, boys!" Wayde smiled. The mercenaries quickly covered up the holes in the roof.
"Umm, Madam Trovic, do you want to take a bath tonight? If you need it, just let us know. We'll go get more water. " Olef's fat body wobbled as he appeared in front of the sorceress. "Just let them make an extra trip. It's not a problem. The water source isn't far from here."
"No need. Just give me a separate room. Also," the sorceress pointed at Laing, "put me in the same room as him."
"Yes, yes, yes, we understand." Olef gave Laing a dubious look.
Laing pretended not to notice. The knights wanted to continue their conversation about the Blood Shadow Mushrooms, but the half-elf Astal appeared. "Mister Laing? There's a situation here. Can you come and take a look? "
"Alright."
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