Chapter 131: Summon Mount

After Samu left, Xia Duo and Wuke chatted a bit more, exchanging intelligence regarding Hexi Village, after which Wuke gathered his team, preparing to head to Hexi Village to resolve the mission.

Unlike when dealing with Orcs, because the enemies were only Goblins, Wuke's team only brought one shield, carried by Wuke himself; the others' primary weapons were uniformly Long Spears, though one-handed swords and bows were, of course, also indispensable.

Xia Duo also selected a one-handed sword in the Military Camp; now, due to his Bloodline Awakening, his physique was long since different from the past, and a one-handed sword weighing 5 or 6 pounds was simply effortless to hold in his hand.

He swung it a few times in various directions at will, adjusted the feel, then sheathed it and hung it at his waist.

"Captain Wuke, let's set off!"

"Alright!" Wuke gave the order, "Move out!"

……

The West District of Savile Town, also called the Commoner District or the Temple District.

Most of the ordinary people in town lived in this area; of course, it could not be called a slum, as true paupers could never live in the town.

The Temple of the Lord of Radiance was located at the easternmost edge of the West District, facing the Central Plaza. The first things Xia Duo and Wuke's team saw after crossing the Central Plaza were the main hall of the Temple and the Commoners occasionally entering and exiting the entrance.

After bypassing a certain distance, Xia Duo and the others continued west from the side of the Temple, passing through the low residential area, all the way to the West Gate at the far west of the town.

Not far outside the gate was the Wolfburg River, and a stone bridge with an ancient design spanned the river, wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side.

When Xia Duo first arrived in Savile Town, he had walked across this stone bridge, but at that time, having just arrived in an alien world, his mood was difficult to calm, and he had no heart to look closely at this stone bridge.

Now, seeing it again, Xia Duo immediately discovered something unusual. Logically, a stone bridge should be built of stone, which was fine, but stones would not naturally grow into the shape of a bridge.

And as for this stone bridge, through the few traces left by time, Xia Duo noticed that this stone bridge was clearly formed as a single piece!

Aside from Magic, there was probably no better explanation.

Stepping on the mottled bridge deck, Xia Duo asked Wuke, "Do you know the history of this stone bridge?"

"History? I'm not too clear on that, but regarding this bridge, there have always been some rumors in the Territory that are hard to distinguish as true or false."

"What rumors?"

Although Wuke did not understand why Xia Duo was unaware of even such common knowledge, he still explained it to him, "Some say this bridge is a gift from the Elves, others say it was summoned by the first Lord, and still others say it was built by Dwarves; no one knows what is true or false."

"Hasn't the Lord said anything?"

"Who knows! But I don't think it was summoned by the first Lord."

By the end, Wuke's voice was barely audible. Xia Duo did not ask further, though he also felt it unlikely that the first Lord had summoned it; otherwise, why not admit it?

Xia Duo did not care who built the bridge; he cared about how it was built. If it were truly built by Magic, then how could such Magic be realized?

While Xia Duo was imagining it, he had already followed the others' footsteps to the west bank of the Wolfburg River. The scenery on the west bank was exceptionally beautiful, with endless plains and hills, on which villages were scattered in an orderly fashion.

Within sight, the most eye-catching thing was a forest of evergreen trees to the northwest; this was the closest forest to Xia Duo and the others.

Without needing to think, that should be the destination this time. Xia Duo pointed to the northwest and asked Wuke, "Is it there?"

"Yes!" Wuke suggested, "Let's go straight to the forest; the people from Hexi Village should all be there!"

Xia Duo had no objections.

……

From the west bank of the Wolfburg River to the Olive Grove, there were no paved roads like in the town, only dirt country roads. Added to the moisture from the melting snow, every step made a muffled 'squelch' sound.

The mud dragged at Xia Duo's boots, refusing to let them go. Soon, Xia Duo felt his feet getting soaked. The weather had not yet fully warmed up, and as his feet turned cold, his whole body shivered.

He glanced at the people in Wuke's team; their boots were even worse than Xia Duo's, so they were likely not having a good time either.

Xia Duo suddenly felt he was a bit foolish for insisting on walking. Now that he had become a Level 1 Mage, although he hadn't yet learned 【Summon Mount】, he had the Scroll with him!

It was only a few dozen Gold Coins; for him now, it couldn't be called a trifle—that might not fit his net worth—but it was a moderate expense that Xia Duo could still afford.

After greeting Wuke beside him, Xia Duo walked outside the team, took the 【Summon Mount】 Scroll from his Scroll Case, and activated it with practiced ease.

Amidst a hazy glimmer, a sturdy Forest Horse suddenly appeared out of thin air, then trotted a few steps obediently, approaching Xia Duo.

"Wow—"

The soldiers of Wuke's team let out a synchronized gasp. They might have seen Mages riding horses, but they rarely saw Mages summon a living horse from nothing right in front of them!

Xia Duo ignored their gasps. As the Forest Horse knelt on its front legs, he hugged the horse's head and vaulted onto its back. Immediately, a sense of comfort, relaxation, and satisfaction welled up.

Without needing any words or Wisdom, this sturdy Forest Horse could grasp any Indication from Xia Duo, and it began to trot with a 'clip-clop' sound.

"Captain Wuke, I'll go ahead and take a look!"

Having said that, he did not wait for Wuke's reply and drove his mount away.

……

Clip-clop—clip-clop—

The horse ran and jumped happily, but this did not affect Xia Duo in the slightest. The early spring wind blowing on his face carried a hint of chill, yet it also felt gentle.

Xia Duo sat upright on the horse's back as if sitting on a cloud; it was so comfortable and soft. If possible, he even hoped to stay on horseback forever and never come down.

This also filled Xia Duo with goodwill toward the person who created this Magic!

The sun had already shifted west. The journey that would have taken nearly half an hour on foot was covered by Xia Duo in just a few minutes.

It was indeed an artificially planted Olive Grove, row upon row, neat and uniform. Looking through it, Xia Duo saw order and civilization.

Because he had not hidden his approach at all, people had already come to meet him from the direction of the grove. An old man, accompanied by a middle-aged man, came before Xia Duo's horse and bowed respectfully.

"This Mage lord, have you come to help us investigate the Goblins?"

Xia Duo gave a hum. He did not dismount, asking directly from the horse, "What is the situation now? Are the Goblins still coming?"

"Replying to the lord, after we cleared them out yesterday, more Goblins came today, and they are still gathering. We don't know when they will charge the Olive Grove," the old man replied.

The man behind him kept glancing toward the direction Xia Duo had come from; they had already seen the advancing Wuke team.

Xia Duo also looked back. Wuke and the others seemed to have increased their speed and might arrive soon, so he asked again, "How many people from your village are here? Where are the Goblins now?"

The old man replied, "There are 56 adults from our village here. The Goblins are currently gathering north of the Olive Grove, though there are also scattered ones running into the grove."

Hearing there were so many people, Xia Duo knew this mission probably didn't have much to do with killing monsters; the real mission was to find out the cause of the Goblins' unusual activity.

Xia Duo pointed at the old man who looked like the village head and instructed, "You stay here and wait for the soldiers behind. Let him take me to the north to have a look."

The old man dared not refuse, hurriedly urged his son to listen to the Mage lord, and then stayed where he was to wait, watching the two depart.