Chapter 107: Preparations Before Departure, Officially Setting Off, Leaving

After tinkering with a newly designed armor pattern for a while, Jier returned to the camp at Caimen Inn.

His tent had not been occupied for a while, yet there was no dust inside; clearly, someone was responsible for cleaning it every day.

He lay down to rest for a while, then got back up, making a show of renting a cellar from a resident next to Caimen Inn, and had the men in the camp help transport large barrels of Monster Vine Juice there for storage.

Zuojigela stood by, counting the quantity, and finally reported the total number of monster materials to Jier.

"My lord, there are thirty-nine full barrels of materials in total. I have six barrels left over here, enough to produce the potions you require."

Jier took the paper handed to him by the Herbalist, which recorded the thirty-nine barrels of materials stored in Yemei Town, the configuration plan for the six barrels of materials remaining with Zuojigela, and the other potion ingredients and related equipment needed for brewing the potions.

Zuojigela could, of course, brew potions by hand using his own skills and experience, but to maintain consistent potion quality and production—at least enough for dozens of his subordinates—he had to have his own set of potion-brewing tools.

The poor Herbalist; the set of herb-processing and potion-brewing tools he originally had at home had long since been sold by his family due to his disappearance.

It was said that they had even sold for a rather large sum of money.

He had, of course, confronted his family in town about this, but his family members had their reasons: those things were of no use, no one else in the family knew how to use them, and keeping them would only let them gather dust, so it was better to sell them for money to help cover the family's expenses.

In fact, his then-wife, who had been driven out of the family with their children at the time, had also taken a portion of the money from selling those potion tools.

Our Herbalist could say nothing at all.

"Sigh, fine. Once we reach a large town, I will purchase a corresponding set of tools for you. By the way, what do you think about the type of Travel Carriage I mentioned to you?" Jier looked at the projected potion quantity on the paper with satisfaction, then asked Zuojigela about the carriage.

The Herbalist nodded: "My family is very supportive of my idea, and the children are excited about traveling by carriage. I only worry whether my income can sustain the maintenance of a carriage and the feeding expenses of a pack horse. Furthermore, my two wives and several children—I don't know if their bodies can withstand such a bumpy life."

The Herbalist was not worried about the illnesses often encountered while traveling; he was confident in his ability to handle various common diseases, so he did not mention that aspect.

"Don't worry about the money. As long as you brew the potions you've devised according to my requirements, for every bottle you produce, I will give you the money for that potion. Of course, since I provide the bulk of the raw materials and tools, this money won't be as much as selling the potions, but it will be enough to maintain a decent life for you."

Jier patted his money bag, and the clinking sound of the coins inside made Zuojigela perk up, immediately feeling energized.

"As for the physical toll of the carriage, don't worry about that either. As long as you eat plenty of meat and staple foods to keep your body well-fed, the problems caused by the vehicle's bumps won't be significant. Let's get a carriage first and see; if your family's health really can't take it, I'll help you find a place to settle down then, and you can specialize in brewing that potion that boosts meditation effects for us to sell for profit at a fixed location."

Jier patted his chest: "I can guarantee that thing will make you and me a huge sum of money."

After hearing Jier's promise, the Herbalist's mental state was clearly much better.

Jier took a handful of Gold and Silver Coins from his money bag and handed them to the Herbalist: "The demand for carriages in Yemei Town is very high recently, so buying a popular carriage at this time will likely cost more, but don't worry, take this money; consider it a loan from me. Go find a relevant Merchant Guild now and pick out a carriage of suitable size; of course, it must come equipped with a healthy, young pack horse. Try to get it done before dark, and you and your family can move into the new carriage."

He pointed toward the northwest of the town: "Because as soon as tomorrow morning comes, we have to set off. This time, I estimate I won't be returning here for a very, very long time, and for you to return to Yemei Town, it will likely be a long time as well."

"Hurry up and get it done. By the way, take a teamster from the caravan with you; be careful not to be cheated by the people at the Merchant Guild, selling you a carriage in poor condition or an unhealthy, old horse at a high price."

Seeing that Jier was meticulous in his instructions and generous with his money, Zuojigela was deeply moved; he gripped the coins in his hand tightly and nodded heavily at the young man, Jier.

At this moment, several Church Priests carrying Wooden Boxes found the backyard camp of Caimen Inn; they had come to fulfill their previous promise.

A few days ago, when Jier needed to fight with all his might, the priests had promised to reimburse Jier for the expenses of his all-out battle. They were here for that now, and of course, there was also the matter of other merits regarding the rescue of the Changmai Village villagers; the church had also promised to grant a Fifth-Class Rescue Badge of the Agricultural God Church.

But this badge had not been crafted yet, and Jier would need to wait a while to receive it. Of course, the Agricultural God Church would find a way to deliver it to Jier when the time came.

As long as there was an Agricultural God Church priest near Jier, or if Jier himself prayed to the Agricultural God, his location could also be determined.

The next morning, before dawn.

The sun had not yet risen above the horizon, but Yemei Town had already awakened.

The news of the great victory of Young Master Bell of the Sasi Family's counterattack plan had already been passed back to Yemei Town yesterday through various means, and the streets of Yemei Town, which were already bustling due to the upcoming expansion plan, became even more lively and vibrant.

Even before dawn, many people had already gotten up and started working. Everyone was afraid of the days they had before, with nothing to do and living in constant fear.

At this moment, this state of everything flourishing and full of vitality made everyone in the town very satisfied.

Housewives climbed out of bed early to prepare simple but sufficient food for the men in the family who were going to work. Some young people in town ran out of their homes holding a piece of cut, hard Bread and headed toward the recruiting Merchant Guilds, intending to choose the one with the most generous pay to work for.

The Town Guard, who had been patrolling all night, passed by the entrance of Caimen Inn, yawning, and curiously looked into the backyard through the wide-open gate.

Jier's camp had also begun preparations for the long journey early on. Some of the larger tents began to be dismantled, the warriors who hadn't gone out to play yesterday were packing their luggage and bedding, and some particularly diligent fellows even took advantage of this time early in the morning to practice their martial arts.

After all, once everyone set off in a while, there would naturally be no time to practice martial arts.

The Cook preparing the food quickly and skillfully poured the ingredients prepared the night before into a large pot of boiling water, and cut the Bread provided by the Caimen Inn kitchen in advance with a thick Kitchen Knife, piling it onto trays.

The Dwarfs didn't start a fire to cook either; they just brought their own bowls and came over to Jier's side to eat. The Chef among them was also among the cooks, and she brought some breakfast with Dwarf characteristics for everyone.

To make it convenient for anyone who felt hungry at noon or in the afternoon, this Dwarf Chef even took out a Dwarf tool, cut and crushed the Bread provided by Caimen Inn, and then used the tool to compress it into palm-sized 'Bread Bricks'.

This thing was hard as could be, and holding it in one's hand, it felt like it could even be used as a weapon.

But Jier heard from this Dwarf aunt that as long as one simply prepared a pot of boiling water and added a piece of this thing into it, one could quickly produce a bowl of thick soup overflowing with the fragrance of wheat.

However, it was a pity that they didn't have the Dwarf tools that were easy to start a fire with, nor any high-performance fuel at hand. In the Dwarf Kingdom, they had a type of specially processed Porous Coal that could start a fire quickly and provide sufficient heat for a long time.

Furthermore, a precisely crafted Water Filter could filter the murky waste water in the Mine into clean water that could be safely drunk, which could even be used directly for cooking.

"But we don't have any of that here, and we can't even pre-mix more things into this compressed food. Dehydrated vegetables, powdered root plants, shredded meat that has been salted, roasted, and prepared in advance—if these things were added, it would be better and healthier. Even miners who work in the holes year-round could enjoy a hot, delicious meal deep underground!"

Jier smiled: "Don't worry, there will be some later. But do you have any intention of selling this set of things you make? Of course, not now; everyone still needs to use these things. I mean, when you find other Dwarf Merchant Guilds or Dwarf Caravans and are preparing to return, can you sell these things to us?"

After all, these things were sturdy and useful, and this type of kitchenware crafted by the Dwarf Craftsman was very suitable for the team's year-round outdoor activities.

"This thing has been with me for many years, but you helped everyone after all. If you don't mind that this is an old piece of kitchenware when the time comes, then I'll give it to you!" The Dwarf aunt patted Jier's forearm and promised generously.

Nearby, 'Xiaoxuezi' saw his mother offering to give away the family's treasured kitchenware just like that, and his expression was a bit hard to maintain. Usually, when he wanted to learn to cook, his mother would obstruct him in every way, saying that his life's calling was to inherit his father's skills and duties—relying on skilled martial prowess to protect everyone.

Therefore, she wouldn't let him learn work like cooking, which had no skill or status.

Even though he quite liked cooking.

After all, his father had gone out and disappeared very early on, and after he grew up, the only family-transmitted skill he could learn from the elders in his family was cooking.

But fortunately, they were now walking on an unknown path; he was no longer restricted by the rules of Dwarf society as to what kind of person he had to be or what skills he had to learn to make a living. He could do whatever he wanted now.

And the interest and complexity of human society also made 'Xiaoxuezi', who had stepped out of the Treasure Mine for the first time, feel curious.

He felt curious about everything in the outside world.

Although most of the Dwarfs in the Dwarf team were not very interested in human society.

"Jier, I heard that you even participated in a crusade against a god a few days ago? And that a god actually fell?"

While eating before dawn, the old Dwarf 'Iron Fist' found Jier with two subordinates, eating while holding food, and discussing some things while eating, just like humans did.

It wasn't that Dwarfs wouldn't talk while eating, but the old Dwarf came from a great Dwarf family and had his own etiquette when eating. But this time, having brought people to join the human team in an attempt to risk returning to the Dwarf Kingdom, he naturally wouldn't put on airs, but instead imitated the human way of communicating with humans.

These days, he had been talking to people everywhere in Caimen Inn and understood the social situation in the surrounding area very well.

"Oh, to think even you have heard of this matter. It must have been the Warriors in the troop who participated in the battle who told you, right? Uh, how should I put it? I can only say that I was involved in this, but the main force that actually fought was not a young Knight like me."

Jier shook the wooden spoon in his hand and added: "Bell, that Young Master of the Sasi Family, he also participated in this with me. But just as I said before, with the skills of young Knights like us, we had very little involvement in such a major event. The ones who actually did the fighting were others."

"Oh, could you elaborate? After all, I know that what comes out of your mouth won't be as exaggerated as what comes out of the mouths of the young Warriors under your command. Heh, they say all sorts of things; some even claim a giant taller than a mountain peak dug a bottomless pit in the ground?"

The old Dwarf smiled, seemingly taking this as a lie born of the Warriors' excessive boasting.

But Jier scratched his cheek, feeling a bit awkward: "Uh, how to say this, if we are talking about the actual situation, they really weren't lying."

"No exaggeration?" The old Dwarf did not believe him.

"At least from what I saw, that so-called giant wasn't as tall as a mountain peak, at most it was over two hundred meters tall!"

Jier wore a solemn expression, while the old Dwarf was dumbfounded.

"What exactly happened on your side these past few days? Can you tell me about it?"

He finally asked.

Jier eventually agreed to tell him in detail about his experiences over the past few days once they were on the road, including some of the things behind the scenes that could be spoken of. He was also curious about how this Dwarf viewed the events of these past few days.

From the perspective of a Dwarf.

However, after finishing his meal, while directing everyone to pack up and prepare for departure, he stood at the main gate, watching his Warrior subordinates, who all looked either drained dry or drunk.

These fellows covered their shriveled purses with embarrassed expressions, and some of the guys who were both drunk and drained had even been carried back by the merchants' people.

Of course, there was also a 'bill' recorded on paper.

Jier paid the 'bill' for the Warriors with a look of bad luck, then waved his hand to have the others in the Yingdi toss the listless and drunk fellows onto the already packed carriages.

Because they had replenished quite a few supplies in Yemei Town, Jier's caravan could no longer rely entirely on carriages for rapid movement this time; some Warriors would need to walk, or sit on the edges of the carriage beds when the road conditions were good.

As for their weapons and equipment, they naturally could not be worn on their bodies. The weather was so hot that if the Warriors were forced to march in full armor, it would exhaust them to death.

The walking Warriors only needed to wear whatever they liked, carrying a Water bottle and a Soldier Sword.

The rest of the weapons and equipment were placed on the carriages, to be put on if a battle was encountered.

In any case, the Dwarfs could temporarily hold the line for a while if they encountered enemies.

"Everyone, prepare yourselves and let's set off!" Jier shouted loudly.

The dozens of men under his command responded in unison, and the carriages were all prepared; even the Herbalist was driving a new carriage himself, which, besides some luggage, also contained his entire family.

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