Chapter 221: Arrival

On the newly named "Lucky Owen," Xia Duo stood at the bow. The warm breeze between spring and summer blew against his face, feeling like a lover's hand gently caressing him—soft and warm.

This was the first time Xia Duo had traveled by boat since his transmigration, and naturally, it was his most enjoyable experience yet, even more so than when he first learned Magic.

Ahead lay a world that belonged solely to him, where he could do as he pleased and act with freedom. Although he knew he could not yet shake off his status as a dependent, that did not stop him from indulging in some daydreams.

Just as Xia Duo was daydreaming about the vast world and his potential for great achievements, Jibu walked out from the cabin. "My Lord, some soldiers are seasick. Could you let them come out to the deck to get some air?"

"Very well, tell them all to come out."

Although this boat was only a small cargo vessel, that was only in Xia Duo's eyes; there was more than enough room for two squads of men to stand on the deck.

Xia Duo was not a harsh person, so he agreed to such a small matter.

Soon, four or five soldiers walked out of the cabin, swaying, and leaned against the railings to breathe deeply. After they emerged, the remaining soldiers also scrambled out and began moving about the deck.

……

Xia Duo and his party had set out in the morning, traveling downstream. Although they were sailing against the wind, they were still faster than a normal voyage. By late afternoon, near dusk, Owen sent someone to notify Xia Duo—

The landing point was almost here!

Xia Duo's spirits lifted. They were finally arriving. A distance that looked like less than a palm's width on the map had taken so long to cover in reality.

Having grown tired of the warm breeze that had been blowing since morning, Xia Duo immediately ordered all soldiers to prepare; they were about to land!

What Owen called "almost here" was indeed quick. Just as all the soldiers had put on their gear and gathered on the deck, Xia Duo could feel the boat noticeably slowing down.

Looking at the surrounding environment and comparing it to the spell-map transcribed by the Lord, Xia Duo recognized that they were less than 200 meters from his chosen landing point.

This distance was a matter of only a few words. Owen brought the boat to a stop by the bank—though, to be precise, it was only slightly east of the center.

It was still a meter or two away from the shore.

The primitive riverbank was not a man-made dock where a boat could dock at will. After the gangplank was set up, Xia Duo was just about to order the soldiers to disembark.

However, he suddenly discovered trampled marks a bit to the south of the landing point. Out of caution, he immediately halted the landing operation; he treasured these soldiers dearly.

As for Jibu's squad, Lord Saville had not said how long he would lend them, nor had he even used the word "lend"—he had simply given the squad to Xia Duo. Xia Duo already regarded these people as belonging to Daxia Territory.

And the other squad, composed of subjects who had been Adventurers, were one hundred percent people of Daxia Territory. Losing even one of them would be losing 1 out of 56.

Therefore, Xia Duo decided to go and check the situation himself.

At this moment, Xia Duo was dressed like an Adventurer, wearing Leather Armor with a one-handed sword hanging at his waist. If armor didn't hinder his agility and wasn't so expensive, he would have been tempted to buy a full set of Iron armor.

"Jibu, give me your sword."

Jibu did not suspect anything and drew the sword from his waist, handing it to Xia Duo. Xia Duo took Jibu's sword and observed it carefully, discovering that this fellow's sword was even better than his own.

There was a distinct blue sheen on the blade; it was clearly a weapon containing Adamantine, at least more qualified to be called an Adamantine weapon than his own "Adamantine" Dagger.

Holding it with one hand, the hilt fit his palm perfectly. For a moment, Xia Duo even had the illusion that this was his own weapon.

He swung it a few times; it weighed about 7 or 8 pounds, but for Xia Duo's one-handed strength of 100 pounds, it was far too light. If it were a weapon made entirely of Adamantine, it might have been about right.

Carrying the sword, Xia Duo pointed to the trampled marks he had discovered and instructed, "Jibu, you all stay here. I'm going over there to take a look."

"My Lord! You cannot!" Jibu hurriedly advised, "Those are likely just tracks left by animals coming to drink; it won't affect the landing. If you are worried, I will go investigate personally. Please, My Lord, stay on the boat and wait for us to build a Temporary Camp before you disembark."

Jibu's expression was serious, but Xia Duo insisted on his own view. Territory development was not a vacation; there was no such thing as one hundred percent safety. He was willing to go out because he had full confidence in his own strength.

If these soldiers went out and one died, his heart would ache for a long time. At this stage, he had to ensure every living resource was preserved; only by staying alive could they create value.

Now was not the time for them to risk their lives.

During the Orc War, Xia Duo had experienced the death of teammates, but those people had little to do with him, and he didn't feel any heartache no matter how many died.

But now that he was in charge himself, his mindset was completely different.

"Captain Jibu, no need to persuade me further. Just do your job."

After saying this, Xia Duo jumped off the boat amidst a chorus of gasps, but he did not land in the water; instead, he stood steadily on the surface.

Jibu was left stunned. He knew that a Mage could fly and teleport, but until today, he had not known that a Mage could walk on water.

The other soldiers were also extremely astonished, and even the crew members resting in the bottom of the cabin couldn't help but poke their heads out upon hearing the noise, looking left and right at the cabin door in confusion.

……

On the other side, Xia Duo arrived at the spot with the trampled marks. He first stood in the middle of the river and looked from afar; there was no sign of the drinking animals Jibu had mentioned.

Xia Duo reached his hand into the water, closed his eyes, and let his Perception spread through the water of the Wolfburg River, first to both banks, then spreading upstream and downstream.

When he reached about halfway, Xia Duo suddenly withdrew his hand, and the previously clear perception of this stretch of water instantly became blurred.

But the perception did not break; it was as if this small section of the river had become a part of him.

Reaching his hand into the water again, everything in the water appeared within Xia Duo's Perception—

Water weeds, silt, a few small fish; there were no strange creatures.

Withdrawing his hand from the water again, Xia Duo walked toward the trampled marks on the bank. Bloodline Awakening had granted Xia Duo great strength, but this strength was only one manifestation of his powerful body.

Even without specialized training, his hearing could easily pick up tiny sounds in the surroundings. Xia Duo scanned vigilantly while using Jibu's Adamantine Sword to clear away weeds, dead branches, and small trees on the bank.

His ears caught only the sound of the wind, the water, and the voices from the boat.

Stepping onto the bank, Xia Duo stepped on a rounded stone smoothed by the current. With a "pop," a line of water splashed out from the bottom of the stone.

It hit the invisible Force Field of Xia Duo's 【Mage Armor】 perfectly, instantly losing its kinetic energy and falling down.

Xia Duo frowned, ignored this small matter, and continued walking forward.

The further in he went, the more obvious the trampled marks became, and Xia Duo could almost determine that these were not marks left by animals.

After all, what animal would walk in such a crooked, jagged path? This was definitely left by a sentient creature, and judging by the extremely unsmooth nature of the tracks, their Wisdom could not be very high.

Xia Duo immediately thought of a Goblin, but did a Goblin need to drink water?

Heh—