On the West Coast and in countless other self-proclaimed civilized societies, forests have long been associated with things like wealth.
Huge lakes and rivers are flanked by lush forests filled with all kinds of fruits and animals. Trees can be cut down to make a variety of tools, fuel, weapons and buildings. Fruits and wild animals can be used to fill the stomach. If a clearing is developed in the forest, crops can also be planted to provide for long-term settlement. Be well prepared.
Beautiful and rich, a plain with lakes and rivers relying on forests can support a population ten times more than a grassland with an area of ten times. It is no wonder that the nomads who settled in the Abu Sera Grassland have always wanted it. Heading this way to obtain necessary survival supplies.
In any case, after a long period of progress, Henry and the other three finally arrived at the sphere of influence on the west coast. Although there are no people here yet, if they run into the dense forest, they can finally stop and take a breath. They don't have to worry about sudden things on the distant horizon like they do in the wilderness and grasslands. A dozen cavalrymen appeared.
Prairie people rarely come here for reasons other than war, so they are naturally not familiar with the environment here. Even though this place seems deserted, they can indeed come here to obtain some supplies and even expand settlements, but considering that even lightly-armed cavalry have to walk about ten days to get here from Abu Sera, if they want to come here If wood and other materials are obtained here as building materials, the speed will only be slower if the carriage is included. The manpower and time consumed for the round trip alone is already a considerable amount, and coupled with the possible attacks from the West Coasters, the gains will outweigh the losses.
The wood used by the prairie people to build tents and fences, as well as to make cattle and carriages, is basically obtained from the southern border or the Kursimu area further to the west. The rugged terrain of the southern border determines that no large-scale and effective structures can be organized there. Crusade force - But back to the original point, the forests on this side of the west coast are also unattended. Over the years, it is natural that prairie people who were tired of the poor nomadic life came here to settle.
And where have they all gone? This question is also quite easy to answer.
Our sage and the Roan maiden spent a lot of time in Thoradin before coming to the southern border, and the "naturalized people" of the grasslands they met at that time who have not yet been fully accepted by the people on the west coast are These Abu Serra and their descendants came to the civilized world intermittently over a long period of time and chose to settle down. As a disadvantaged group that is neither fish nor fowl between the West Coast people and the Abserra people, we will not mention their situation here for the time being. They are just some wooden houses left by the people who once lived in the forest that are not completely abandoned. It became the first thing that our sages and the three of us, who knew this, went to look for.
Although the southern part of Thoradin in late autumn does not experience heavy rain like Absera, it will still be affected to some extent. After spending a lot of time and finally reaching the edge of the forest, the sky became obviously dark. .
Judging from the position of the still vaguely visible sun, it was estimated that it was only around three o'clock in the afternoon. It became dark at this time, and it was obvious that heavy rain was coming. The three people owned only two cloaks made of waterproof canvas. After running around for a short period of time, the dirt and continuous rain made the tung oil on them almost lose their waterproof ability. Coupled with the wear and tear caused by various situations, it is obviously not a suitable choice to use it to build a temporary camp.
The visibility has dropped significantly now, and it will only get worse if we enter the forest again. Considering the presence of pursuers, it was not wise to stay on the outskirts of the forest in search of materials to build a camp. Therefore, a group of three people and two horses carefully entered the forest, planning to spend the remaining few hours before the sun went down. Look for old log cabins and expect them to be not completely broken down.
The hot and humid climate in the Thoratin region causes considerable damage to wood. The same tree house in cold Sivalier or northern Maximilian can exist for decades without decaying, but here, once the moss grows, If bacteria and fungus begin to grow, and things like termites invade the interior, the house will quickly deteriorate after being abandoned, leaving only a pile of rotten wood covered with moss.
The primary task of surviving in the wild in a strange place: climb to a higher place and have a wider field of vision - this law will always apply wherever you go. After all, even if you are a sage, you would not dare to walk on this land by yourself. all angles and remember all the way. Even if that were the case, over time things could look completely different due to the forces of nature. So whenever you go somewhere, don’t run around in a hurry like a headless fly. Instead, run to a high place and look around to confirm the terrain. Use the greenness of the vegetation to judge whether there is a water source somewhere, and find a suitable place. The path continues.
This is knowledge that all experienced mercenary hunters, adventurers, soldiers and mountain people know. In Henry's current situation, considering that the prairie people who may have settled here in recent decades may have suddenly come here out of whim. The Thoradins living in the forest should all act alone or in a group, rather than on a large scale like an entire village. In order to prevent being attacked by sneak attacks, they will inevitably choose locations with higher terrain where they can detect the enemy early.
In addition, the surface of the tropical forest is full of moisture and venomous snakes and beasts. It is obviously a choice that normal people would make to build a wooden house on the mountainside somewhere with a lot of exposed rock oaks.
In any case, after entering the forest, the three people got familiar with the environment, and then roughly judged the trend and walked in one direction. In the afternoon when the sky was getting darker and darker, even when they reached an area with sparse trees, it still looked gray. Perhaps it was luck or their knowledge came in handy - or both. In short, they found a house made of stone and wood at the end of the cliff in the distance, and headed straight towards it. Go this way.
The house is located at the end of a winding mountain road on the west side of a hill in the forest. The hill itself is not high, and the time spent is mainly spent on finding the way to climb up. But it can be seen that the person who originally built it chose an excellent location - there is a forest underneath the house located on the protruding part on the west side, and there is no shelter in front or behind, which allows it to have good ventilation and be in this place. The humid forest also remained relatively dry.
The surface of the wood is not covered with moss like other wooden houses in the same area but shows the deep primary color it should be. Coupled with the stone base and roof tiles, the appearance looks quite satisfactory.
"Squeak -" Henry, who quickly came to the front of the wooden house after dismounting, pushed open the wooden door first. The original owner of the house was obviously much shorter than our Mr. Sage, so he had to bend down to see what was inside. scene.
"It's okay, come here." After investigating and making sure that there were no other creatures such as goblins living here, Henry waved to the two girls behind him. The sky was getting darker at this time. . "Ahem -" Time obviously has not let go of this room. Even if it is well ventilated, the dust accumulated inside still stains the hair and clothes of the three people who just came in with a layer of white. Henry also added a layer of dust in order to ventilate the room. The bright light went aside and pushed open the wooden window. The excellent wood and relatively dry environment made it still undamaged. Even if it made a squeaking sound, the iron hinges could still operate smoothly.
The faint light projected in clearly illuminated the scene inside the house. A pit on the dirt floor surrounded by burnt black stones was obviously used as a stove. Next to it, there was a pile of licorice and a bed made of moss, which was now dry and brittle. It broke into pieces when pinched. Two earthen pots that should be used to store fresh water were still in the corner of the room. They were also covered with a thick layer of dust and some old spider silk. The sage glanced at the iron pots. It was obvious that the owner of the house could not have left valuables such as utensils and tableware. All the valuable things that could be taken away were gone. Adding in the dust and a series of other things, it was judged that this place had been abandoned for at least 5 years. above.
This is a matter of course, but even if the pots are still there, they have nothing to cook at the moment. In short, after opening the window for ventilation, Henry uses the last ray of light to take the food from the horseback outside. I couldn't carry too much firewood because I didn't have a leather bag to hold it, so I squatted down and started to light it in the pit. Mira, on the other side, took the hay mat out of the window and wanted to shake off the dust on it to sleep on. Unexpectedly, as soon as she shook the whole mat, it fell into countless pieces, with pieces of hay and a lot of dust. It also smeared the girl's face and made her cough repeatedly.
"Use a cloak and cotton armor." Henry said, hitting the flint several times with his hand to light the fluffy tinder. Thin branches were put in, and the sage picked up a stick - they had no grease or cloth to use, so they didn't even have a torch - put it in the fire and burned it before walking outside, thinking about the original house The owner should have kept some firewood, and as expected, he found it.
The wood piled up and chopped with an ax was as dusty as the room. Rain began to fall, and Henry moved them inside quickly to prevent the precious fuel from getting wet.
"Looking on the bright side, at least the bonfire is solved." The gradually growing flames illuminated everything in the house. Although there is no need to worry about the cold in this area, a dancing orange flame can always give people peace of mind. a feeling of. It's just that they didn't have much food left on the way, and now even the bean flour cakes they made before have been eaten, so they can only go to sleep hungry that night.
Fortunately, it was surrounded by walls made of stone and wood, and there was a shelter above it. The sense of security this brought was far beyond what the open air or a thin cloak cloth could provide. Therefore, this night, on the contrary, The two Luoan girls slept the most peacefully since their escape.
The discovery of this house in the mountains and forests relieved the three people's embarrassing situation to a great extent. The pursuers on the grassland may have been able to pursue Abu Sera, but when they came to this complex and changeable vision, In a forest environment that is not open, the passiveness and initiative of both parties will be reversed. Coupled with the good view from the house, they could finally stay and recuperate for a few days before continuing towards the west coast.
There was no talking all night, only the sound of drizzle hitting the house. Mira and Lina, who had not been able to get enough rest for ten days, slept until dawn in a safe house. This experience of resting in a simple but normal house made people unable to help but feel deeply. I deeply felt the beauty of the civilized world, but my stomach growled as the rest ended. Just when the two of them got up to find something to eat, Henry, who had already gotten up earlier, brought some food with him. Fruit found in the nearby forest returned to the house.
As long as you know how to search in the tropical forest, you will never worry about not finding food. The rich land produces an endless variety of food. The ten days of starvation finally ended at this moment, and the protective gear faded away. Armor and cotton armor rolled up their sleeves and did not even bring a sword. The sage, who only carried a knife and a spear made from saplings, dressed as a hunter and did the same thing as a hunter, except for collecting wild vegetables and He also managed to hunt a hare and some chickens by throwing a spear. Although the long-lost barbecue did not have any seasonings such as salt, it still tempted people with a strong appetite. But unlike Mira and Lina, who grabbed the still very hot barbecue and started to eat it while blowing air, our Mr. Sage took out the picked fruits leisurely. The juice is cut and then squeezed out, dripping on the surface of the grilled meat that has been cut into a cross shape, and mixed with the fat to form a natural seasoning.
"Here." He looked at the two people looking at them eagerly, shrugged and handed over half of the fruit in his hand.
"Tick tick tick" The rain outside came again. While looking for food for the three of them, the sage did not forget their equally exhausted horses. There were no carrots, no hay or oats, but there were no plants that could be eaten by the horses. Not rare. "Whiss-" Enjoying the fragrant barbecue, the fresh air blew in from the window. For some reason, Lina's tears suddenly fell down. She sobbed loudly, holding the food in her hand for a long time. talk.
"It's okay, I will always live like this in the future." Mira, who deeply understood the other person's mood at this time, smiled at her and said this, while Her Royal Highness the Princess of Luo An kept shaking her head and biting gently Her lips just repeated that she wanted to remember this moment.
The rain gradually increased, and the three of them stayed in this wooden house to recuperate for a long time.
The rich forest gave them rich gifts. After fully restoring the energy of the people and horses, the sage took the time to tear the extremely tough bark into strips and make a simple net bag to hold some fruits as rations along the way. Mira also used the same thing to knit a pair of sandals for Lena to replace her broken animal skin shoes at the beginning. The remaining cotton armor that had been discarded from the breastplate could not effectively protect against arrows, so the girl also took it apart and used it to repair and fill in some key places.
All in all, after making adequate preparations and recuperating, the group of three people set out from the forest and walked a considerable distance. When they walked out of the forest and saw some remaining wood piles at the edge, they I was convinced that I had finally arrived at the edge of civilization.
Abu Serah is far behind.
But the danger may not end here.
(:,()!: .
