Traveling through the night is not advisable even in such an emergency.
The already dangerous wilderness became even more terrifying at night. This time, unlike before, Henry and the others did not have the unlucky luck to find shelter in the nearby forest again - and the group actually did not dare to go too deep. .
Different from Protasia, the forest on the west side behind Ellen's Fort is part of the continuous forest protrusion at the foot of the Tambur Mountains. The most famous thing about the Tambur Mountains is the various magical plants. And Warcraft.
Even the orange brand mercenaries did not dare to try rashly when crossing the forest. Although Henry did not know what level of mercenaries Bernie and his group were - or he did not even know whether they had the brand, but for now In terms of performance, Sage feels that most of the members of this team fall between the blue and orange categories.
In terms of combat prowess and cooperation between members, they are indeed enough to reach the level of orange card. What makes the sage lower their evaluation is the survival ability of this group of people in the wild. Professions such as mercenaries and adventurers are not just about killing people. The knowledge of how to identify poisons and food, how to make fire, and how to find shelter in the mountains and forests all year round is the basis for survival.
At this point, even the two scout archers, Ivan and Jericho, have only reached the level of ordinary mercenaries - which is why Bernie chose to hire Henry as a guide. The Sage's Wild Survival His abilities had already impressed them in just two days.
The superb combat coordination and rough survival skills of Bernie's team made Henry not believe that they were real mercenaries from the beginning. In fact, from the various details of their two-day relationship combined with the matter of their current destination, the sage was almost certain that they were from a fighting organization of another nature.
An organization that focuses more on combat than mercenaries, has complete logistical support, and does not require everyone to master wild survival skills.
…
As the night got darker, after moving past Ellen's Fort and advancing a certain distance to make sure they were not being targeted, everyone stopped at the edge of the forest at the foot of Mount Tambur.
Judging by the moonlight, it should be around 9 pm at this moment. Days of running around have accumulated a lot of fatigue on people and horses. The people who took a nap in the afternoon were doing fine, but the horses that had not eaten clean food for several days were already showing signs of fatigue.
It was obviously a foolish decision to travel at night under such circumstances, so Bernie asked Jericho to find a piece of grass for the horses to eat, and then the group rested on the spot and spent the night quietly.
Mira woke up in the early morning with a burst of pain. Luo An, who had never ridden a horse before, only felt a sore back because of the continuous advancement. Coupled with the moisture on the forest floor after the rain, even if it was paved The same pine needle mat as before still corrodes the body, making it impossible to sleep peacefully.
But these worries and pains did not make the girl shrink back. She woke up every day with bright eyes.
The warlike Luo An naturally has the gene for adventure, and a journey full of excitement and thrills was something she had never heard of before. Therefore, even if she is tired and tired, she still looks energetic.
"..." Henry on the side looked at all this with a slight smile. Although she had always seemed quite quiet because she was meeting unknown people, the sage could still read it from those shining eyes that could speak. The expectations of this little guy.
"Here." Ming Na, who simply tied her blond hair into a ponytail, walked towards Mira who had just woken up. Their relationship developed rapidly, and now they have reached the point where they spend all their free time together.
This is also a good thing for Mira. Although the girl did not talk too much about her past tragic experiences with the sage, Henry can easily judge from her words and deeds during this period and the current situation of the Luoans. out this fact.
The maturity beyond her peers was probably honed in loneliness. After all, she had been helpless before and could only solve everything by herself.
With Ming Na, whose age gap is not too big, she will be more cheerful - Mira took the emerald green twig that Ming Na handed her, she was a little confused, obviously the girl did not know this thing What is it used for?
"This is Pulu's twig, used for brushing teeth." Minna smiled at Mira. There were many such short trees growing at the foot of the Tambur Mountains near the west coast. A thousand years ago, the west coast People discovered that their roots and twigs can effectively inhibit oral diseases, and people in major kingdoms are still using them to this day.
When walking in the wild, the risks of tooth decay and inflammation are far greater than when living in villages and towns. The multi-purpose knives carried by foreign adventurers and mercenaries often double as tooth extraction tools. This is why people who fight for a living will not let the pain of tooth decay affect their lives. But local residents rarely have such troubles. Whenever they go out, whether they are Sivaliers or Avenelas, they will bring two or three Prunus roots, or collect them in the wild like Minna. .
Mira, who knew very little about these things, opened her bright eyes and imitated Ming Na, biting off the bark of the branch and cleaning her teeth awkwardly. After that, everyone ate the remaining bread and started on their way today.
The road from Fort Ellen to Wawasika is about the same length as that to Ashenil, but because it is located deep in the mountains, the road here is not as easy to walk as the other side.
Even after Vavasika opened the border five years ago, traders could pass through the Grigori Rift Valley and the province of the Otolo Empire on the other side - the former Kingdom of Roan, now Moldonisk - Trade is carried out, but for various reasons it is still sparsely populated.
The ale and bread carried have been exhausted. Although autumn is the hunting season, the wild animals in the Tambur Mountains are very wary of humans. In addition, there is a high proportion of magical beasts, so they have to hunt in the forest to fill up their supplies. Filling one's stomach can only be a very time-consuming act of trying one's luck, and right now everyone obviously doesn't have the time.
Fortunately, they didn't need to touch it.
Just like any other west coast country, there are always small villages scattered within a few kilometers of the castle. From early morning to noon, everyone who had walked less than half the distance encountered one as expected.
The village is located in a small recessed area on the edge of the forest - presumably because the villagers cut down the trees here for construction.
It's not big, just five or six simple low buildings. There is no shortage of stone on this side, so clay and large stones are used as walls on the wooden structure. The rough and uneven stones and poor workmanship make it look unsightly, but it only serves to keep out wind and rain. In terms of the required degree of sturdiness, it can already meet all needs.
The arrival of a group of people attracted the attention of the villagers. As mentioned before, there were not many pedestrians on this side.
Simple wooden fences are a standard feature of forest villages. After all, no one wants to be disemboweled by a sudden attack of wild beasts or monsters at night. A male villager who was chopping wood spotted Henry and the others first. He shouted loudly and waved his hands inside, and more villagers poked their heads out of the house.
"Neigh-" Bernie pulled the reins to stop the horse. He looked back at Henry and Ivan. The leader of the team obviously planned to enter to replenish some fresh water and bread.
The people of Avenera are no strangers to mercenaries and adventurers, so they only need to pay a certain amount of coins to get replenishment.
"It's just for a while." Henry nodded and agreed with Bernie's idea. The next road will take at least two days to walk. Placing all his hopes on hunting and picking wild fruits will obviously only lead to starvation for the group of them. .
The guides all agreed, and the leader of the team didn't hesitate. He immediately rode over. The villager who was chopping firewood just now came over with a hatchet in his hand. He stood next to the rough wooden gate, looking a little wary.
"Good afternoon, villagers, we want to buy some fresh water and dry bread from you." Bernie got straight to the point, but the villagers still did not relax their vigilance. He tightened the hatchet in his hand and did not reply, while Henry behind him half-squinted his eyes. Start observing this person.
Something was not quite right, and the sage was alert based on his first impression.
The man standing at the entrance of the village was quite strong and strong. Although his face looked dirty, his eyes were bright.
Henry felt a sense of inconsistency in this spirit that was not what a poor villager should have. However, the words that the other party spoke next gave a reasonable explanation to the sense of inconsistency: "Who are you? I used to I also worked as a mercenary. I know that ordinary mercenaries will not take women and children to work. But if you are a traveler, you are riding a war horse and you are fully armed."
The villager said with a serious face in Common Tongue with a Avenella accent: "If you are a fugitive lord somewhere, please stay away from us. The people who are chasing you will not let go of anyone who helps. This is just a small village and we don't want any bloodshed."
The vigilance and xenophobia of the villagers was expected by Bernie. The history of Avenella is as full of conflicts as any other country on the west coast. Although most neighboring countries do not dare to offend easily due to its current prosperity, But there have always been battles between the big and small lords and knights in the country.
It might just be that one farmer accidentally cut another farmer's wheat when harvesting, it might be that the livestock herdsmen grazed ate grass that they shouldn't eat, or it might be the most common thing, two lords took a liking to it at the same time. a lady.
Out of "dignity" and "honor", problems that may have been no big deal quickly worsened and eventually triggered a small-scale war. The lords and knights, well-equipped and brightly armored, sat on horseback and spoke generously with their swords raised high - and then let their peasants holding farm tools fight to the death.
Local fights involving dozens, dozens, or hundreds of people were staged every day. After the fight, the lords and nobles, large and small, ran to the king and cried. The king waved his hand and immediately returned to his castle to drink and have fun. . In the end, it was still ordinary farmers who shed their blood and sacrificed their lives.
"We are just mercenaries, and those ladies are the ones we escort, so you don't need to worry." The experienced Bernie gave a persuasive explanation. The villager frowned and looked at He thought about the weak women and seemed to think this was a reasonable explanation, so he nodded.
"Come in." He lowered his hatchet and stepped out of the way. Bernie nodded to him to thank him and waved behind him.
Not everyone entered the village. As scouts, Ivan and Jericho stayed outside. Bernie and Henry walked to the well and got off their horses. The leader of the team lifted the bucket and poured the water into the well. There was a wooden trough for the horses to drink, and the sage stretched out his hand to Mira. The girl was originally quite resistant to this kind of assistance, but the days of driving made her sore and difficult to dismount, so this time Acquiesced to Henry's actions.
"Huh -" Bjorn on the side picked up the cool well water from the wooden bucket and poured it on his face. His slightly injured arm was still inconvenient. The woman in her twenties He came over, untied the cloth from him and examined the wound.
Rodney and several other mercenaries took off the leather bags on their horses and walked towards the smokey wooden house, while Mira and Minna squatted down to refill the shriveled soft leather water bags.
Henry strolled to the side alone. He slowly turned around in a circle and carefully observed the entire village.
The exterior walls made of rough stones of different colors have unique surfaces. The thick thatched roof has not yet completely dried due to yesterday's heavy rain. The upper floors exposed to the sun show a yellowish-white color. The underside is a darker taupe.
The chimney, also made of clay and stone, is now emitting bursts of white smoke. The aroma of wheat and a bit of burning smell permeate the entire village square, and the cool air makes people feel refreshed.
The sounds of mercenaries and villagers talking could be heard from the nearby houses, and Rodney's sharp voice was particularly noticeable. Henry withdrew his gaze again. He was about to walk towards Mira and the others again, but the feeling from the rugged earth ground made the sage stop again.
He lowered his head. This was the case in most places in Avenella. Except for Ashenil, Wavasika and the royal capital Inizburg, which had stone-paved floors, most other cities also had stone-paved floors. There are castles that are just simple dirt floors.
No one pays attention to these places, they just walk past them day after day, but no one ever looks down at it - except Henry.
"..." The sage half-squinted his eyes. The flat soil where his feet stood was covered with countless overlapping arc-shaped marks. Henry followed them and looked elsewhere. There were more beside the well, and then extended , the doorways of several wooden houses are also filled with dense marks.
The tall black-haired sage twitched at the corner of his eye. He looked around, but he didn't find anything that looked like a stable.
"...Clang-" The next second Henry pulled out the big sword, and the shining blade made a buzzing sound, attracting everyone's attention.
"Henry?" Bernie turned his head, and Mira and Mingna stood up in a panic, grabbing their half-filled soft leather water bags.
"Look at the ground." The sage's voice was low and concise, and the blond leader followed his instructions and immediately noticed what Henry mentioned.
"Horse hoof prints? This deep...at least half a dozen, walking back and forth...this is a massacre." Bernie's eyebrows raised, he also pulled out his one-handed long sword with a "clang-", and then raised his voice He shouted: "This is a trap, these damn guys are Sivaliya soldiers!"
"Everyone! Prepare to fight"
The roaring voice of the mercenary squad leader with a bass like a bear reached everyone. Rodney, who was biting the hot toast in the warm wooden house, suddenly widened his eyes. In the next moment, just now The villagers, who were still smiling, pulled out their shining weapons with a loud sound.
