Thirty kilometers away from Sedona City, a caravan of travelling merchants was advancing, their destination being precisely Sedona City.
"We're finally returning to Sedona City," Jeffrey sighed with emotion. Ever since the Lord of Sedona City had produced the new salt, forcing him to go to other cities to sell it, he had longed to return.
Now, having sold all the salt and unable to find a new source, he was on his way back. He had heard that the pirates along the coast were extremely fierce. A dozen or so large pirate crews roamed the coastal areas, periodically coming ashore to plunder. Many coastal cities had stopped going out to sea, and sea salt was no longer sold inland.
This situation had caused the price of salt to continuously rise, allowing Jeffrey to make a good profit. He was returning to Sedona City now because he had seen the great changes happening in the city before he left. Moreover, he frequently heard other merchants praising Sedona City, which made him even more eager to return there to retire.
Clip-clop, clip-clop...
Draft horses pulled three carriages along the muddy road, the wheels getting stuck in mud pits from time to time. The coldest part of winter had passed, and the breath of spring had arrived.
The snow was beginning to melt, a common sight for Jeffrey. The winter in these western lands came strangely and fiercely, and it retreated just as strangely and swiftly.
Jeffrey could especially feel the temperature slowly rising these past few days. He was wearing one less layer of clothing than before. He estimated that in a few days, the snow would completely melt, and the downstream areas of the Whispering River would likely be in danger.
"Alas, I wonder how many people will drown again this year," Jeffrey sighed.
The reason he was returning to Sedona City now was his fear that the melting snow would cause a major flood. Returning to the higher ground of Sedona City was the safest option.
Thump...
With a dull thud, a carriage got stuck in a mud pit again. This time, even the draft horse couldn't pull it out, causing several of his men to fall off the carriage.
"Damn it, I should have taken the waterway," Jeffrey said, extremely annoyed. He quickly shouted, "Quick, get the carriage out, or we won't make it to Sedona City by the afternoon!"
"Yes, sir!" The men responded in unison, starting to pry at the wheels with wooden poles.
"Sir, we won't run into horse bandits here, will we?" One of the men asked worriedly.
"What nonsense are you talking about? We're not far from Sedona City. No horse bandit would be foolish enough to operate around here."
Jeffrey glared and scolded, "Sedona City has wiped out horse bandits before. How would they dare to come back?"
Clip-clop, clip-clop...
Just as he finished speaking, the sound of horse hooves came from not far away, causing Jeffrey's face to stiffen. He instantly grew tense. Could there really be such a foolish horse bandit?
"Sir, it's the sound of only one horse," A sharp-witted man shouted.
"Phew... that's good, that's good." Jeffrey breathed a sigh of relief and looked up toward the road behind them.
"Huh? It's a beastkin driving a carriage," A sharp-eyed man called out.
"A beastkin?" Jeffrey raised an eyebrow and thought to himself: Could they have heard the news that Sedona City is taking in beastkin and are coming here to seek refuge?
The approaching carriage also spotted Jeffrey and his group and slowly began to decelerate. Then, a clear and gentle voice came from inside the carriage, "Jones, have we arrived at Sedona City?"
"There are people ahead." Jones's face was cold as she reached for her finger-blade glove, her red eyes fixed on the group stopped ahead.
"Huh? Is it the people who were chasing us?" Lucy's head poked out of the carriage as she asked in surprise. "Didn't we already shake them off?"
"They're merchants," Jones said after careful observation, pulling her hand out of the glove. With her keen eyesight, she could still distinguish whether they were in disguise.
"Merchants? That's perfect. Let's ask for directions so we don't take the wrong road again," Lucy said with pleasant surprise.
It had been nearly two months since they had set out from the Royal Capital. Originally, travelling light as they were, they should have reached Sedona City quickly, but they had taken a wrong turn, which was why they were still on the road.
"..." Jones remained silent. It was indeed her who had led them down the wrong path. She could only drive the carriage forward, approaching the merchants.
"Hello, sir. May I ask how to get to Sedona City?" Lucy spoke first.
"Oh?" Jeffrey raised an eyebrow, surprised that his guess was correct. He quickly said, "We are also heading to Sedona City. If you don't mind, you can follow behind us."
"That would be wonderful," Lucy said with a light laugh, stepping out of the carriage to sit next to Jones.
"Alright, the carriage is out!" At that moment, the men also managed to pull the carriage out of the mud pit.
"Let's go!" Jeffrey shouted loudly.
"Yes, sir!" The men urged the carriages forward.
"Jones, spring has arrived," Lucy said, looking at the trees by the roadside. Some of the withered trees were already sprouting new buds.
"Mmm!" Jones responded coolly, her red eyes vigilantly watching the men. Out here, she didn't dare to relax her guard for a moment. It was precisely because of this that they had managed to escape the pursuit of the First Prince's men.
"Miss, are you two going to Sedona City for pleasure?" Jeffrey asked tentatively, glancing at the cold-faced beastkin. For two such beautiful girls to dare travel outside, they must have some special skills.
"Yes, a friend recommended we visit Sedona City for fun," Lucy replied softly.
"I see." Jeffrey nodded. He could see that the other party was quite cautious, so he didn't try to converse further.
Clip-clop, clip-clop...
Two hours later, Jeffrey, Lucy, and Jones were not far from Sedona City and encountered the city's patrol soldiers.
There were three land routes leading to Sedona City, and each road had a checkpoint, which served for preliminary screening and early warnings.
"Are you merchants?"The soldier conducting the check asked, his sharp eyes scanning the group, not seeing any large quantities of weapons.
"Yes, I'm a merchant," Jeffrey quickly replied. "I've stayed in Sedona City before, and now I've returned."
"Pass," The soldier said indifferently, one hand resting on his sword.
"Thank you." Jeffrey breathed a sigh of relief and quickly had his men drive the carriages forward. He had thought he would have to pay a fee.
Jones's red eyes narrowed slightly. These dozen or so knights were not simple. Their stances were positioned for both offense and defense. Furthermore, a knight standing in the distance held his horse's reins in one hand, clearly ready to report back immediately if any trouble was spotted.
"A beastkin?" When the soldier saw Jones, he chuckled. "Sedona City welcomes you." The soldiers had all received orders not to give any trouble to any beastkin heading to Sedona City. So after checking they let them pass.
"Uh..." Jones was taken aback. Since when were humans so friendly to beastkin?
Clip-clop, clip-clop...
Jones frowned as she drove the carriage past the checkpoint. She turned her head to look back at the knights at the post, wondering who had trained them.
"Jones, I'm looking forward to Sedona City even more now," Lucy said softly. She had also heard the knight's words of welcome.
"I hope it's not fake," Jones said coldly, a flicker in her red eyes.
.
.
.
.
You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
300 Power Stones for 1 extra chapter.
5 New reviews for 1 extra chapter.