The wind travels between trees, picking up fallen leaves and taking away the temperature.
After more than ten days of winter, the temperature in the southern part of the empire finally began to drop.
As a wetland, the vapor-filled environment of the Bao Forest itself is coupled with a slight cold wind. Although it is not as unforgettable as the Northland, this chill is completely unable to be dispelled even if the cloak is wrapped tightly around the body.
The bright Xifink hangs in the night sky. On a clear night, the brilliance it emits cannot compete with the sun, but it is enough to illuminate the road.
A group of people are traveling through the night.
Although we repeatedly mentioned the vastness of the forest, and even Horno's encounter with them was just an accident, everyone still felt a little unsure when facing the unknown existence of the witch.
Of course it's best not to encounter it, but just praying to God without taking any actual actions is not a smart person's approach. Both mercenaries and merchants instinctively seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, so after a short weighing, they made some adjustments to the plan, accelerated the process, and rushed day and night, hoping to leave the Bao Forest and re-enter the boundaries of civilized society as soon as possible.
Although there are cultural similarities with the southern countries and they have been very peaceful in recent years, the southern border of the empire still has many more troops stationed than other places. The group's destination, Scotti Town, has a garrison of more than two hundred people. Although if the legend of the witch is true, most of these numbers will not be of any practical use, but at least it is better than a dozen people. many.
If you can go there, you will feel more at ease if you have the protection of the army and the church.
They didn't want to think about how to deal with the witch, and the elves who were good at magic didn't seem to be optimistic about the outcome of encountering her. This information was understood by everyone and they didn't go into it deeply. On the one hand, it is not a good thing to touch upon Horno's sadness. On the other hand, if one truly understands the detailed balance of power, it will only seriously demoralize one's own morale when one is isolated and helpless in the forest without any other solution.
People need hope to survive. Even if everyone knows that this hope is just a false fluke, it is still better than giving up after everything is revealed.
Horno has decided to pass with everyone, so the details of the incident can be told to the local garrison after arriving in the small town of Scotti. At that time, depending on the severity of the situation, the knights, nobles and local church leaders will make decisions to seek help and contact the empire's senior officials. These matters are not something that mercenaries and merchants like them are qualified to decide, and even Margaret, who was born into a noble family, is just an underage noble lady, and she is still in an isolated and helpless forest at the moment.
Just like what Uncle Mario said when he was arguing with Ferruccio before, in this wilderness, the status of a noble is not worth mentioning.
So in summary, even trying to understand the situation in depth at this time is just asking for trouble.
Knowing too much when one has insufficient ability is harmful and unhelpful. The Laman proverb "Foolish people are blessed" probably also includes this meaning.
All in all, with the bright moonlight as the main lighting method, they would take time to start their journey after dark every day.
The wind is a bit chilly tonight.
In order to facilitate movement, Henry and Mira wore shorter cloaks. This is another feature that can distinguish mercenaries from knights in appearance. There may not be much difference between high-level mercenaries and nobles in the eyes of laymen, but experts who are familiar with this can always tell the difference. Distinguish the two from the items and equipment you carry.
Compared with knights who specialize in the battlefield, mercenaries are more like generalists.
There are far more factors to consider than just a knight, so just a small detail like a cloak can make a big difference.
Most of the noble knights who ride on horseback wear longer cloaks when wearing armor. Some exaggerated princes and nobles wear cloaks that can even reach to the buttocks of their horses. This is not the case for mercenaries who need to walk from time to time. With a cloak that is as tall as their height, they can only step forward. If they step back, they will step on their own cloak and fall to the ground in embarrassment. For mercenaries who are mostly in a battlefield environment and pursue flexible street fighting, the best length of the cloak is to reach around the calf. This way, if there is no time to take off the cloak and need to fight, it can be used freely without being disturbed by others. Get in the way.
But the short cloak is a bit unsightly in the cold and windy winter. Margaret and others sitting in the carriage can wrap themselves tightly with only their faces and palms exposed. Henry and Mira riding on horseback But I just felt a little unconscious from the cold wind below my knees.
This is not to mention Ferruccio and Filippo who don't even have cloaks.
The old housekeeper and the noble young man obviously underestimated the horror of the wild environment. They only brought a small amount of supplies when they came out to take Margaret home. Not only are there not enough daily necessities for travel, but there is also a serious shortage of weapons and equipment.
At this time, it was so cold that she felt a little hairy, but because of the noble's face problem, she still felt embarrassed and went to borrow a cloak from Mario and his group, which made Mira feel angry and funny.
The saying that everyone has the same face is clearly reflected in the imperial nobles. Although they are already familiar with Mario and there is no longer too sharp class conflict, some deep-rooted value gaps cannot be changed.
Fortunately, they were still in the south. The cold and wet conditions during the night were uncomfortable but not enough to cause any real harm.
The sound of horses' hooves, the wheels turning, and the winter night wind blowing from afar all formed a serenade for the travelers.
The team formed a tight formation, led by Henry and Mira, who were the best equipped, followed by Filippo and Ferruccio who rode excellent horses. After them, several carriages were closely guarded by mercenaries. Everyone was very alert, paying attention to the slightest movement around them.
The torches were placed within easy reach so that they could be used when the moonlight was blocked or a brighter vision was needed, but the main purpose was to rely on the brilliance of the bright moon when traveling.
A temporary torch made of pine resin, pine cones and wooden sticks in the wild can only burn for ten minutes at most. Refined long-lasting torches that light up for longer periods of time require thick and oil-rich hardwood twine wrapped with hemp rope soaked in rosin. After drying, the process is repeated several times to achieve a burning time of tens of minutes. But even so it can only be regarded as a consumable.
It is common sense when traveling to save materials to prevent unexpected events and make use of as many things as possible in the local environment. After a short period of adaptation, even Margaret and three other nobles from the city like Parnilla became accustomed to traveling overnight under the moonlight.
Not to mention others, this experience has been very useful to the noble lady.
What she expected was an adventure, and now she gets more than she could have imagined at first.
Being naive and fond of fantasy is not a fault, as long as it does not stop at verbal bragging. What made Marguerite so unpleasant to Mira was that she had a quality in common with her, although our white-haired girl herself was always unaware of this advantage. Both of them are types who like to quietly work hard to overcome difficulties and have excellent learning abilities.
The kind of delicate and artificial aristocratic ladies that often exist in the field of literature. Although there are some in reality, the proportion is not high.
Margaret is a smart person. Although she often behaves naively and habitually, she is ultimately a person who has the patience to learn and think in a down-to-earth manner. This quality has nothing to do with one's origin, and it is not objectionable from a purely personal perspective.
Ignorance and weakness can be changed. As long as we don't rest on our laurels and become complacent, it's just a matter of time.
She now looks like a little adventurer.
The wheel continued to turn, and there was no church clock to tell the time. Judging by the moonlight, the approximate time could still be guessed.
It was almost eleven o'clock in the night, and if we continued on the road, we would not get enough rest tomorrow. Therefore, Uncle Mario, who was in the second carriage, raised his hand and shook it to signal the team to slow down.
Even next to the ancient road, a suitable place for a team of this size to camp would require a period of simple exploration. In today's situation, they pay more attention to the element of flat terrain in all directions rather than comfort, so that they can quickly evacuate if they encounter threats.
Even a Paderossi aristocratic novelist who has never experienced adventure would not describe in his book a plot that will find the perfect camp every time, and this is even less true in reality.
There are gains and losses. If you focus on the smoothness of being able to escape in time, then whether there are resources around you becomes a factor that needs to be reduced.
Fortunately, in wetlands like the Ba'ao Forest, they basically don't have to worry about water and supplies. Although the water in some potholes will smell like oxalic acid when boiled due to the rotting plants in it, every time they encounter it, When the puddle is large enough, they will replenish all the containers as much as possible.
Sounds like a relaxing outing, nothing serious other than a bit of exhaustion. But you must not take it lightly, this is a wilderness after all. Margaret learned this after she got too close to a large puddle when she went to replenish fresh water alone and was almost attacked by a predator lurking in it and was dragged down and drowned.
Fortunately, the size of this aquatic dragon lizard was not too large. After seeing the other people who came after hearing the sound, it quickly let go and slipped away and dived into the depths of the puddle. Under the protection of the armor, Margaret was only slightly frightened and shocked. After that, the team strictly stipulated that if they wanted to leave the team to resupply supplies, at least two people must be accompanied, so that they would be able to cope with any situation. Can take care of each other.
The wilderness is unforgiving and can teach you some impressive lessons if you're not careful.
Nature has demonstrated its power before, and the subsequent encounter with predators has once again made it clear that this is a place that must not be underestimated.
——And this was before the threat from the witch was known.
It is not good to be careless, but excessive nervousness can also cause things that are handled instinctively to go wrong. So after finding the camp that night, Uncle Mario decided to indulge in some luxury for a long time and make a hearty supper using some of the ingredients he had collected in the past few days.
The flames licked the bottom of the pot, causing the temperature to gradually rise. The aroma was overflowing, and everyone's index fingers were wide open. The extra servings for two people made the pot almost overflowing. Not to mention the bald man who was silent and only known as Barrow, Horno, whose appetite was out of proportion to his petite body, had not even boiled the water. Looking at the cauldron, his eyes lit up.
There are still many things that need to be explained clearly, and there are still many things that need to be asked, but these can all be done after they arrive in a safe area. There is no need to race against time now.
To be vigilant is to still embrace it.
Both of Barrow's axes were confiscated. He seemed to have some mental problems. Henry and Horno understood the reason, but they both chose silence tacitly.
This involves some advanced knowledge related to magic, which laymen like Mario cannot explain clearly, and speaking out will only lead to disputes within the team.
This is not a distrust of the businessman, it is just human nature itself.
The reaction of other people in the team when they met Horno and the others a few days ago had already proven that under such circumstances, it would be better not to mention some things.
In this way, everyone hides some things with their own thoughts. If they are exposed later, it will only make things worse. But even as a wise man, Henry didn't have much choice to make in this situation.
The words of his family are not as good as the long-term education and some deep-rooted prejudices received by the people of the Empire. In addition, some advanced knowledge is obscure and difficult to understand. If there is no guarantee that speaking can actually change the situation, it is better to keep silent. The lesser of two evils, this troublesome situation will probably not be uncommon in the days to come.
When people are young, it is always easy to imagine things in a single, rigid way. Friends are friends and enemies are enemies. Black is black and white is white. I believe that our stance will never change.
But the fact is that even if there are some issues among acquaintances, it is best not to touch them. Many times, the change of position only takes a moment. To keep the situation from completely collapsing, many things need to be cautious.
"In the world of adults, trust often comes only once."
The reason why a sage is a sage is not only because he knows when to take action, but also because he knows when to hold back.
Time passed by little by little, and after eating a warm and delicious supper, they arranged a night watch shift and camped in the middle of the circle surrounded by carriages to rest.
After a tiring day, everyone who had long been accustomed to this busy life fell into a very deep sleep, and a few hours was enough to restore their energy. And when the weak winter sun in the early morning could not fully shine on the earth, they got up again and prepared for a new day.
Repeated and repeated, a few days later, the team was already approaching the second half of the Bao Forest.
According to Horno, the elf village where she was born is also located in this area. Although you have to go deep into the forest and walk a long distance away from the main road to reach it, this is also the most dangerous section of the entire road.
The already cautious team became even more silent after entering this area. Everyone could feel the solemn atmosphere in the air, but this was obviously not just psychological factors.
The cold wind howled, and Mira, who was riding on horseback, looked around cautiously.
The dense temperate vegetation is green and mixed with withered yellow, but except for the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves, there is nothing else.
"Nothing," the girl whispered to herself.
"Not any, animal."
