Elvius's joy was clearly visible, his phalanges tapping rhythmically against the cloth bag.
Being so happy, he once again could not suppress his artistic nature and wanted to burst into poetry and song to praise Jasmine's kindness.
Seeing this, Jasmine hurriedly gave a light cough to intercept him, skillfully declining Elvius's terrifying enthusiasm:
"It is already very late, Elvius. We have to wake up early tomorrow to depart for Ankera Town; the road is long and far, so please forgive me for being unable to converse with you through the night."
"Oh, what a pity, but that is alright, I understand. Sleep is important for living creatures." Elvius bowed his head, his voice sounding a bit disappointed but still full of politeness.
"Well then, goodnight, Elvius." Jasmine stood up, dusted off her dress, and waved goodbye to Elvius, only then hugging the Dragon Egg and returning to the carriage to rest.
"Goodnight, and have sweet dreams, my dear friend," Elvius's voice echoed back gently.
Early the next morning, when the dew drops were still lingering on the leaves and the sky was just beginning to brighten, Jasmine woke everyone up, leading them to pack their belongings quickly to depart.
They decided not to dismantle the grass shed erected temporarily to avoid the rain, leaving it in its original state.
When they returned, perhaps they could continue to rest here; in the middle of this desolate place, having a ready-made shelter from the rain and sun would be much more convenient and safe.
"When you return, you must come here to find me again; I will wait here. I am looking forward immensely to the interesting things you see and hear in the prosperous town of Ankera."
Elvius stood lurking at the edge of the Dry Tree Forest, waving his bony arm, his face full of lingering attachment, unwilling to part from his new friend.
Ever since the incident last night, not a single bone of Elvius dared to leave the safety range of the Dry Tree Forest by even half a step.
Jasmine did not know if it was her hallucination or not, but she felt that the current Elvius seemed much weaker and fainter than when they first met; back then, even when his head rolled entirely out of the range of the Dry Tree Forest, it had no major effect, and he could still chatter incessantly.
"Alright, I promise. At that time, I will tell you in detail about the situation in Ankera Town," Jasmine smiled to reassure him.
Ankera Town was a crowded gathering place, where adventurers armed to the teeth were everywhere.
Elvius was an Undead creature with a sensitive identity, so it was only right that he dared not approach that place.
Who knew if those bold and greedy adventurers discovered him, would they treat him as a monster to be destroyed or as loot to be processed right then and there?
The magical bones of an Undead creature were also a rare and expensive type of material for Alchemists; selling them could exchange for quite a few Gold Coins.
Bidding farewell to Elvius, Jasmine immediately led the group to continue on the road, the carriage wheels rolling and clattering once more on the uneven ground.
Today the weather was very beautiful; the sun had climbed high from the horizon early on, dispelling the damp mist and shining golden rays onto people, feeling warm and very pleasant.
Jasmine wanted to let the few injured guards sit inside the soft carriage compartment with her to recuperate, but those guards all shook their heads in fear, not daring to commit the offense of crowding into a narrow space with their noble Lord.
Finally, unable to persuade them, she could only let them crowd together with the Minotaur on the spacious driver's seat in front, while the others who were in good health and uninjured continued to walk on guard around the carriage.
Having gone through the terrifying wolf pack attack last night, the vigilance and discipline of the guards had clearly improved significantly.
They were no longer negligent; their eyes observed the surroundings sharply, looking more and more like a professional guard squad.
People who did not know the story, seeing this formation, would likely be surprised and unable to believe that these people originated as lowly slaves.
The segment of the road for the rest of the journey could be considered favorable, smoother than expected.
Although they occasionally encountered a few other carnivorous animals lurking about, the majority acted alone; even guards holding only crude wooden spears could easily drive them away with overwhelming numbers.
Unlike the cunning wolf pack that acted in an organized herd like before, this type of solitary carnivore was, for the group of slave guards who needed experience, actually more like a practical training exercise that was just right for their strength.
The walking speed of the guards was not fast because they had to move while keeping watch, added to the fact that the wild, muddy road conditions were poor—or to be more correct, there was absolutely no trail, and they had to open a path themselves.
They spent nearly five more days continuously exposed to the wind and dew before finally seeing the looming silhouette of Ankera Town in the distance.
In this season, there were not many people staying in Ankera Town; it seemed more deserted than usual.
The majority of adventurers took advantage of the warm weather of this season to go out and do missions or explore ruins; only a small number of people who needed to replenish supplies urgently or were injured would return to stop for a day or two to rest and recover.
Many slaves in the group had lived generation after generation within the four cold stone walls of the Black Dragon Castle; they did not interact much with strangers, and more than half their lives were limited to the narrow few acres of the castle grounds.
At this moment, suddenly seeing the bustling town architecture that was completely different from the ancient castle, they could not help but become apprehensive, anxious mixed with curiosity.
The two guards leading the way, who had been walking, suddenly stopped, turning their heads uneasily to look at the carriage awaiting orders, hesitating and not daring to take another step into that strange world.
"Is this Ankera Town?" Sitting in the bumpy carriage all day made her bones ache; now that they had reached the destination, Jasmine decisively lifted the curtain and stepped down from the carriage to stretch her muscles for comfort.
Ankera Town appeared before her eyes, very similar to some small towns with a medieval style she had passed through during her travels in her previous life.
Most of the housing architecture consisted of rustic wooden structures, with a minority being houses built from a more solid mixture of wood and stone.
Of course, interspersed with that were also tattered mud and straw houses, or even crooked, makeshift grass sheds.
Dilapidated places like these were usually the dwelling places of poor free people with no ability to earn a living and the lowly slave class.
Jasmine's group had a considerable number of people, plus guards wearing tidy uniforms sewn from old curtains but unified in color; even though their means of transport was only an old carriage, the aura they radiated meant no one dared to look down on them.
The moment they stepped into the perimeter of Ankera Town's gate, they immediately attracted quite a few curious and scrutinizing gazes from the local people and a few idle mercenaries, but due to caution, no one took the initiative to step up to strike a conversation or cause trouble with them.