A skull was impaled on a spear, which was stuck by the roadside, and next to it was a series of similar spears.
Beside these skulls were their charred bodies, scattered haphazardly.
Some bodies were even placed as offerings on a makeshift altar nearby.
These skulls formed a silent warning, cautioning outsiders of the dangers of this place and conveying unspoken threats.
However, the Ross Warriors who witnessed all of this said nothing; such sights, while not an everyday occurrence, were not uncommon either.
These battle-hardened warriors had seen much, and their hearts were long unmoved; they had witnessed countless more gruesome scenes.
Upon officially setting foot on the land of Wallachia, Rostislav's first impression was desolation.
As far as the eye could see, vast wilderness stretched into view, dotted with sparse vegetation, and a sense of boundlessness washed over them.
At the edge of the wilderness, all that could be seen, besides more wilderness, were dense forests, appearing as dark as ink.
The local residents were also very gloomy; at times, peering Nomads could be seen beside the Ross Army, silently watching the army pass, their bows drawn and arrows nocked.
Sometimes, herders could be seen in the distance, their vast herds of cattle and sheep passing like a tide, a truly magnificent sight.
Unfortunately, such a spectacle often only appeared for a moment, as those herders, seeing the Ross Army from afar, would immediately drive their cattle and sheep away, and the next moment, they would vanish from their sight.
Other times, large Pecheneg convoys migrating by cart could be seen; these carts were arguably a symbol of the Pechenegs, but the stern cavalry accompanying these convoys imbued everything with a sense of grimness.
The indigenous Wallachians, witnessing all of this, remained unresponsive; the villages the army passed through were also lifeless, and they were very indifferent to the arrival of the Ross.
Because of the annoying Pechenegs, they had become filled with aversion towards outsiders, though they were not foolish enough to show this hostility too overtly, merely treating them with cold indifference.
However, Rostislav noticed that many local customs had commonalities with the Ross, and upon inquiring with the locals, he learned that the Slavs had once had a great influence on them.
Some large villages did have complete defensive fortifications, but they were as wary of passing groups as they were of Nomads, and the Ross Army was naturally denied entry.
As for the Lords of Wallachia, each remained within their strongholds, paying no heed to the army passing outside.
The local Orthodox missionaries from Bulgaria, however, showed great interest in this Ross Army, but after learning that the Ross were not here to subjugate the Nomad pagans in this land, they also became indifferent.
Despite their indifference, they still provided various forms of assistance to the Ross, and it was thanks to their help that the Ross found it much easier to obtain supplies and guides locally.
These missionaries also shared a lot of information, such as how, although outsiders might perceive the Pechenegs as having conquered this land, over time, their relationship with the Wallachians had grown closer to cooperation.
This was also why these missionaries were able to operate in this land; during the days when Pecheneg power was strong, they would have been killed upon entry.
Sometimes, as the Ross advanced on the road, signs of battle could be seen by the roadside.
Many human and horse corpses lay piled there, surrounded by broken weapons and armor, and blood was everywhere.
There were also gallows by the roadside, from which unidentified men and women hung, their bodies swaying like rags in the wind.
However, from the markings near the gallows, it could be seen that these were done by the Pechenegs to intimidate the local people.
Rostislav looked at all of this and couldn't help but recall the vampire movies and horror stories he had seen in his previous life; wasn't their stage this very land, known in later generations as Romania?
Every evening, this feeling intensified: the boundless wilderness under a gloomy sun, the dim forests, the lifeless and gloomy residents, and the fleeting Nomad tribes, along with the dry bones and hanged corpses by the roadside.
It was as if vampires or werewolves would emerge at any moment, and the cries of various animals, most notably wolf howls, would echo in his ears.
At the time, Rostislav was somewhat frightened, but he quickly adjusted his mindset; after all, he had killed so many people on the battlefield, adjusting his mindset was too simple.
After adjusting, Rostislav felt a little amused; he hadn't been scared by those stories in his previous life, yet now he was, which was quite a thought.
Thinking this, Rostislav quickly popped a few pieces of cheese into his mouth and adjusted his breathing.
Speaking of which, although this land gave a strong sense of gloom, the dairy products made by the local residents were truly delicious; it was Rostislav's first time tasting such delicious cheese.
And eating such delicious cheese, Rostislav felt even more amused that he had brought those horror stories into this land.
Really, why think so much? It's just making trouble for himself.
As for the others in the Ross Army, most did not have Rostislav's troubles, as they didn't have as many modern filters or horror stories about this land in their minds.
Only a few rookies on their first long journey were startled by this scene, but those people thought the wolf howls were some kind of monster.
Everyone's mindset was still very calm; since entering Wallachia, this force had indeed not been troubled by the Pechenegs.
At most, there were some peering Nomads, and so now, even those who were most apprehensive about entering Wallachia had become bolder.
But Rostislav and his uncles did not; they would not let their guard down on this land until they had completely passed through Wallachia; those Nomads were fickle, and they could break their promises and launch an attack at any time.
They had done so once before, after which the skull of a Rurik Prince became a Pecheneg war trophy, even made into a drinking cup, a treasured plaything among the steppe rulers.
It wasn't until seven years ago, when Rostislav recovered the skull from the Polotsk Khan's tent, that the skull of that ancestor, who shared a name with his second uncle, was placed in Saint Sophia Cathedral, allowing the soul of this ancestor to truly rest in peace and receive the Lord's salvation—though this ancestor was a pagan who despised Christian, which was undeniably ironic.
They all feared becoming the next Rus' Princes whose skulls fell into the hands of the Nomads, and thus they were extremely vigilant.
Large numbers of troops were on standby day and night, ready to sally forth at any moment, and the army's formation was even more stringent, giving the enemy no opportunity.
Rostislav and Sviatoslav were responsible for reconnaissance and patrolling, as both of them commanded powerful cavalry units.
And it was precisely because of this that Rostislav was able to confirm that Pechenegs were constantly active around them; these damned Nomads always had spies closely watching them, and heaven knew what they were planning.
In terms of marching, apart from potential raiding parties, their biggest problem along the way was crossing rivers.
Wallachia is a land crisscrossed by rivers, with countless rivers dividing the land into numerous sections.
If properly developed, this land would actually be very suitable for cultivation, but unfortunately, it was too open and unobstructed to the vast steppe, and the continuous influx of Nomads ruined the development of civilization in this land.
When facing rivers, the Ross Army could only detour to find fords, fortunately, it was the dry season, and there were many fords available.
Unfortunately, the fords were mostly known only to the locals, and to find them, they were extorted for a lot of money by the locals they encountered.
Crossing the fords was when the Rus' Princes were most cautious, as it was the easiest place for an ambush, but fortunately, no ambush had occurred so far.