There is no other scenery in the grassland. Apart from the light blue sky and the white clouds floating above, the only thing that exists is the endless swaying weeds and the breeze that never stops blowing on the earth all year round.
Occasionally, there are a few shrubs and trees standing alone, which is in sharp contrast to the endless forests closer to the coastline in the south.
Moving and running are the eternal themes in this land in Rigar, which has the longest horizontal length in the world and almost spans the entire continent. We have mentioned the prairie war horses that grow here before. Their endurance is amazing. Although they are not tall and strong, But when it comes to long-term running, the mainstream tall horses of Avenella and Civalier are far from being able to compete with them.
Only the boundless Abu Serra prairie can breed such creatures. The herbivores here, including antelopes, cows and horses, are very good at running. Among the carnivores, unlike those living in the forest, Relatives prefer ambushes, and big cats like lions and cheetahs on the savannah often like to race their prey—so endurance becomes an important factor in determining survival.
There is no hiding place in the endless grassland, and natural enemies and predators are naturally not mentioned. Torrents caused by rain or natural disasters such as tornadoes can easily sweep across large areas. Animals without shelter can naturally only protect themselves by running and exercising. Life is always colorful. Although large animals such as elephants, rhinos, and large heterosaurs that choose to use their huge size to avoid being targeted by predators also exist in large numbers here, the vast majority of grassland creatures are still Uniquely capable of running and jumping over long distances.
Even those large creatures that are very slow in human impression actually migrate around all year round. The reason for this is naturally the change of climate. Although they are located in the tropics and subtropics, they have lost the shrubs and trees that serve as water and temperature preservation. , the environment here can be described as quite harsh. When the sun is directly shining during the day, the water will evaporate very quickly, and at night when the cold wind blows on the grassland, the temperature will quickly drop to more than ten degrees.
Water source is a very important factor that prompts the migration of all animals here. As the rainy season and dry season change, they must keep moving, otherwise they will die of thirst, starvation or even sunburn. And this is not only true for wild animals, but also for people living on the grasslands.
"Huh -" Mira stretched out her sun-tanned wheat-colored hands and took a look. Everything here reminded her of Acasta, her hometown where she grew up - except that the strong winds in Absera were not like Acasta. Casta only takes away the temperature in autumn and winter. Even in midsummer, it is said that if you come here to spend the night, it is best to bring an extra thin blanket or wear an extra layer of clothing.
The wind was howling, and the hem of the thin cotton robe was blown by the wind, revealing the gleaming half-armor on her body.
Since there is no obstruction, in order to prevent the metal from being rapidly heated by direct sunlight while wearing armor, causing overheating and heatstroke shock, a light burqa worn over the armor is a very important piece of equipment.
The white-haired girl is riding a taller war horse and is fully armed and heroic. Most of the people around her are mercenaries who are also wearing armor. These people account for about thirty people. Mira is here It's not very conspicuous. The remaining ten or so people looked like businessmen. Most of the people in the long team were riding horses. Four cargo carriages with canvas cloaks were pulling their survival supplies. In addition, there are more than a dozen carriages that are not too small in size and pull wooden cages.
These people are here to do business with the prairie people.
We have mentioned in the previous story that the only exchange between the southern border and the grassland is war and bloodshed. This is actually not entirely accurate, because even the Thoradin Highlands on the west coast have naturalized citizens of the grassland. Now that there are more "enlightened" grassland peoples who know how to sell some looted materials to obtain what they need, there will naturally not be a shortage of them.
The so-called wealth and honor are sought in danger. The officialdom and the overall region are in conflict and are constantly in a state of war with each other. But privately, slave merchants and traffickers of various treasures, gold and silver, often risk being beheaded and executed to try to get money from prairie people who do not understand market conditions and do not understand business at low prices. There, high-value treasures can be obtained at a very low cost.
The business group that Henry and Mira are in this time is a team of slave traders, or at least it seems to be on the surface - the reason why I say this is naturally to go with them to find the Felix family. Juan's incident is somewhat related. Because the conversation between the two was in Lamani and mixed with a lot of local slang and professional vocabulary, Mira could only understand 60% to 70%, and she did not know many specific details.
But despite this, Mira already had a rough idea of what Henry and her were here for.
She turned her head and looked at the elite mercenaries in front of her who were guarding her on both sides intentionally or unintentionally. They were wearing half-body armor and plate armor. The worst were armor and robes. There were about fifteen of them in total, wearing They have various styles and usually do not have much contact and communication. They are not very conspicuous among other hired free mercenaries - but they are not mercenaries who have truly accepted this task.
Just like this entire team of slave merchants, these dozen or so escort mercenaries were all drawn by Old Juan from the forces under the Ferrex family. The mission statement issued by the Mercenary Guild for hiring the remaining green and blue mercenaries states that the purpose is to escort them to trade with a certain tribe on the Absera grassland and come back, but only Mira and Henry are still there. There are other people under Felix who understand that this task is only secondary.
Old Juan's contribution this time is not insignificant. The Abu Serra prairie is full of dangers. Even the grassland peoples who have cooperated before may suddenly be in a bad mood today or decide to kill you if they are in a good mood. What's more, Don't mention the vast majority of hostile ethnic groups. All the troops sent here must be prepared to leave without returning, and a whole caravan plus a dozen elite mercenaries, for a noble family that is only considered powerful in the town, This can be regarded as mobilizing troops and mobilizing people.
Spending so much manpower and material resources to help Henry, according to Old Juan's own words, it is natural to have to make some sensational remarks, saying that it is for the savior, etc. What is the point of doing such a small thing? But even Mira couldn't be deceived by such words, so she could only maintain a little superficial warmth. After all, he is a cunning southerner who will not let go of hawks when he sees rabbits. Although it is true that he saved lives, if there is no benefit, Lao Juan can only express his support verbally and will never invest as much capital as he does now.
This is the nature of the people in the South. They always welcome people with a smile, but never really believe that they will do your best. If they are of no use value, they will kick them away mercilessly even if they are lifesavers. And our omnipotent The sage knew all this, so when he asked for help from Lao Huan, he naturally did not mention things like saving him many times like a stupid young man, but went straight to the point and offered an offer that the other party could not refuse. .
Mira looked at Henry's back in front of her. It was already the end of November. The road from the southern border through the forest to the grassland was not easy. Even if they took a relatively flat area, they still spent a lot of money. Time has just come here. At this moment, the lightly-armed mercenaries in front are riding horses as scouts to patrol the area to confirm whether it is safe. A team with more than a dozen carriages will definitely not be able to outrun those prairie people, so it must be confirmed in advance that there are no ambushes or people passing by in front. tribe before moving on.
'But in the end, will this be a good thing? 'Many of the people who stayed were drinking water or drinking alcohol to replenish their physical strength, while the white-haired Luoan girl was thinking this way, and her eyebrows were wrinkled again unknowingly.
"Are you still thinking about that matter?" Perhaps noticing her gaze, the sage in front flexibly directed the horse to retreat back to her in small steps, and then asked in low-pitched West Coast Common Tongue - - Mira nodded, and Henry was silent for a while, and then said to her: "Decisions and progress are always accompanied by pain, no matter which kind, it is the same, although it will bring good or bad things to us We don’t know yet, but after the pain passes, something will always change.”
"Besides, isn't this what you've been looking forward to?" Henry smiled at her, and Mira was stunned for a moment, then reacted and nodded vigorously: "That's right."
She said this, and after a while there were several brief "beep-" sounds from the front - this was the signal for the scouts to come back. They could see each other from a distance on the endless grassland, so if they were discovered by the patrol riders of the nomads, If so, they'd better get rid of each other quickly - if they simply identify clothing or other things, they may be killed and disguised by the other party, so people traveling here have naturally learned such a short whistle signal method.
"La--" The mercenaries in front released their bow strings facing forward and put the arrows back into their quivers, then turned over and climbed onto their horses again. Although there is a risk of being discovered by whistling, considering that when the scouts come back they have either been discovered by the enemy or have completed their exploration and found that there are no enemies nearby, the possibility of being discovered by whistling is quite slim.
"Confirm the situation ahead. Move forward!" The two blue-brand mercenaries who were responsible for acting as scouts said after returning. Many people who were resting nearby packed up their affairs and climbed onto the back of the horse or the seat of the carriage. , and then everyone shook their whips and started moving forward for another day.
The two blue scouts riding excellent prairie war horses returned to the team. After notifying the team to advance, they ran towards the front together again. Although they had been explored before, the presence of the flanks was still important. A dozen mercenaries were mixed in. Two of the men of the Felix family in the team also ran out in the other direction on horseback. Being outside the main formation, they could detect the traces of the nomads earlier, whether they were on alert for escape or fighting. Negotiation and gaining the upper hand are necessary conditions for rationally arranging countermeasures.
The mighty team marched forward, and the existence of the grassland nomads was always elusive. Not only did they plunder and kill the people from the south and the west coast, but the wars between the major tribes also continued year after year. Coupled with the lifestyle of driving cattle, horses and sheep to follow the water and grass, it is already a big adventure to find a specific tribe that has traded in the past and is still willing to trade now.
This journey may end up in vain, but no matter what, they have not yet reached that moment. They are just slowly continuing to move forward in the one-meter-high grass facing the scorching sun. .
Sunset, moonrise.
I spent a whole day walking through long grass, short grass, and grassland with small patches of water. All I saw were similar scenery. The initial shock of the endless prairie turned into numbness. Many people who came here for the first time, including Mira, began to feel a little tired. Fortunately, time passed quickly during the fulfilling progress. After the sun turned orange in the unobstructed sky, the With their last glimpse, they found a place with several big trees and many shrubs, and by the way, they also captured a few prairie dogs that were originally hiding here as a snack for the night.
Mila was somewhat reluctant to eat such rodent animals, but there were only a few hare-sized prairie dogs that were not enough to be eaten by everyone, so the white-haired Luoan girl had no choice but to eat them. Together with others, we enjoyed the bacon and grain soup cooked in a large pot, and paired it with bread and pancakes. It was considered a full meal.
The travel of the caravan was different from that of the hunting team. They took a relatively smooth road and the supplies they carried were very sufficient. A large amount of dry food and bacon were piled on top of the four supply wagons and tied and reinforced with hemp ropes. There are enough pickled vegetables and other things to feed the entire team until about February. In addition, there are various cattle, sheep, and hares. In terms of food alone, there is no need to worry too much for the number of people at this level. .
The only trouble is how to find the tribe that is their target.
A dozen carriages with cages surrounded the area to form a temporary city wall. Everyone took down their tents and started camping on the spot. No matter what, today was over.
After arranging the candidates for the first shift, the group actually spent the first night on the Abu Sera prairie.
here we go. (To be continued.)
