Jasmine gazed up at the sky, which had become gloomy and overcast as if it were about to collapse upon them. The wind began to howl, blowing in gusts that carried a biting chill. With a trace of anxiety in her voice, she spoke:
"It looks like a torrential downpour is imminent, Angus. Have you been able to find any place where we can take shelter from the rain? I am afraid this carriage might not be able to withstand such a heavy storm."
In the past, when traveling from the Royal Capital to the territory, whenever they encountered bad weather, the Knights would always have the experience to find a place to evade the storm beforehand or set up a sturdy camp. There had been absolutely no need for Jasmine to worry about such matters.
"Near the Dry Tree Forest, there are many tall trees with wide canopies. When it rains, perhaps we can go under the roots of those trees to temporarily avoid the rain."
Previously, when the slaves went out to work and encountered rain, they would all find places to hide nearby under the dense canopies of trees.
Jasmine shook her head vigorously in disagreement. "That will not do. Lightning often strikes high trees. Look and see if there are any abandoned caves nearby. Unless it is absolutely unavoidable, try not to take shelter under the trees."
"Yes, my Lady."
The Bull-headed Man responded with a sound of acknowledgement. He instructed the other slaves to scatter and go ahead to search for caves or cliffs. As for himself, he slowed the carriage down, his eyes darting around frantically to see if there was any low-lying terrain or natural overhangs on the road suitable for avoiding the rain.
Surrounding them were vast plains stretching out as far as the eye could see. There were not even many hillsides; a single glance was enough to clearly see the surrounding situation. Aside from a few tiny rabbit holes, they could not find any caves large enough to be suitable for them to take shelter in.
By late afternoon, the color of the sky grew increasingly dark, eventually becoming as black as ink. The air was heavy, saturated with water vapor. With no other options, Jasmine had to lead the guards to find an ancient pine tree nearby. It was not very tall, but it possessed a wide canopy, and they stopped there.
The pine tree grew very densely, its branches and leaves interlacing with one another. Jasmine ordered the guards to use knives and spears to clear away the weeds that had grown too high around the base of the tree. This was to prevent snakes, centipedes, and poisonous insects hiding inside from crawling out and biting people.
They also found some dry and fresh tree branches to construct a simple grass shed that could block the rain, leaning it against the base of the tree. Jasmine only hoped there would be no thunder and lightning. she did not want to be sent off to the afterlife by a bolt of lightning before she had even laid eyes on the town of Ankera.
The grass shelter for the rain had not yet been finished when the rain began to pour down in torrents. Raindrops as large as beans whipped against their faces, causing stinging pain. Jasmine and the slaves had no choice but to work through the rain, mud splattering all over their newly sewn clothes.
"My Lady, please return to the carriage and rest. It is very cold out here."
The Bull-headed Man held two large palm leaves, which he had found somewhere, and held them over Jasmine's head to help shield her from the falling rain, advising her with genuine concern.
If the old Butler were to find out that the Lord, with her body of jade and ivory, had to endure the rain to do heavy labor alongside them, the Bull-headed Man would inevitably face a severe scolding upon their return.
"It is fine." Jasmine wiped away the rainwater that was streaming down her forehead. Her hands and feet were also smeared with mud. "Let us finish building the grass shed first, otherwise it will be miserable if everyone catches a cold."
The physical constitution of the slaves was inherently weak due to long-term malnutrition. Furthermore, in this desolate place with no doctors and no medicine, even a minor bout of the flu could turn into complications that could take their lives.
Therefore, when outside, one could never be too careful; health was the most important thing.
After they had struggled and toiled to finish erecting the makeshift grass shed, which was just enough to provide cover, Jasmine immediately ordered someone to start a fire. she always kept dry tinder and flint stones for starting fires in the carriage, wrapped carefully in oilcloth. Even if the tree branches they found were slightly damp and produced thick smoke, it would not affect their ability to get a fire blazing.
Jasmine set up a crude stove using stones. She used a ceramic pot to catch some clean rainwater dripping from the leaves, then sprinkled in a packet of ground ginger powder she had brought along. She boiled it until it bubbled and then ladled out a bowl of hot ginger tea for each person to drink. The spicy and pungent taste of the ginger spread through them, helping to warm their bodies; it had a very good effect in preventing colds and flu.
The Bull-headed Man wore two palm leaves on his head as he went to check for dangers in the surrounding area under the curtain of rain. Unfortunately, the rain around them was too heavy. The sound of the falling rain drowned out all other noises in the vicinity, and it washed away traces left by animals, making the task of keeping guard difficult.
In such dark and wet circumstances, no one dared to rest with peace of mind. The carriage was pulled close to the fire to dry it out. The few soldiers standing guard hugged their spears, shivering from the cold, but they remained fearful and on edge, scattering to stand guard on all four sides, straining their eyes to peer into the screen of the night.
Jasmine distributed the food; bread and beans were heated up again. She instructed the Bull-headed Man: "Tell them to divide into shifts to rest and take turns keeping watch. There is no need for everyone to guard the night together, or you will all die of exhaustion."
After the rain began, the sky darkened very quickly, and the space was enveloped in pitch blackness. Jasmine did not have a clock, so there was no way to estimate the current time accurately, but judging by the sky before the rain, she guessed it was not yet six o'clock in the evening.
This rain was persistent, and it was unknown how long it would last. Moreover, even if the rain stopped, the dirt roads would be muddy, and they would have to stop here until tomorrow morning before they could continue.
The guards had walked all day long, exposed to the rain and sun, and were already exhausted and falling apart. If they tried to force themselves to stay awake all night to keep watch, and if some mishap occurred or wild beasts attacked, would these people have any physical strength left to respond?
They were used to being slaves, only knowing how to obey orders to labor. This was their first time acting as guards. Even the Bull-headed Man was clumsy and did not know how to arrange the night watch duties reasonably.
Jasmine had no choice but to patiently teach them bit by bit. Since she wanted to cultivate loyal subordinates, she could not despise these slaves for knowing nothing; she had to train them slowly.
With Jasmine commanding, the slaves fell into a rhythm. Some dried their soaking wet clothes by the fire, steam rising up in spirals. Some helped warm up the meager dinner. Some remained alert to the surrounding situation, while others took advantage of the time to close their eyes and recover their physical strength.
Perhaps because they had work to do and were fed until full, their moods were much more stable, and they were no longer trembling with fear and panic as they had been at the beginning.
Perhaps due to the heavy rain, the night in the wilderness was quieter than imagined. The small animals that usually took advantage of the dark to destroy the castle's vegetable garden or hunt for prey did not appear; perhaps they were also sheltering from the rain somewhere.
Although Jasmine did not have to walk, bouncing along in the carriage all day still left her body feeling exhausted and falling apart, her bones aching.
However, she did not feel sleepy at all. Her spirit remained tense. She sat leaning against the door of the carriage, clutching the bag containing the Dragon Eggs tightly in her arms to draw warmth. Her eyes could only clearly see a small patch of empty ground, mottled by the flickering light of the fire.
Because the rain was so heavy, a small puddle of water had formed beside the fire, reflecting the dancing flames.
The guards, on the contrary, were not too affected by this heavy rain. Those arranged to rest huddled together on a pile of dry branches lined with leaves, leaning against each other for warmth, sleeping very soundly. The Dwarf brothers even snored as loudly as thunder, seemingly wanting to compete to see whose snoring was louder than the sound of the rain pattering outside the grass shed.
***