Chapter 713: Caravan Guard Captain

The Caravan Guard Captain, who had stepped out alone, noticed that the approaching Priest had empty hands, but wore a set of crude armor over his shoulders and chest, and the Church Priest's robe on his body was stained with a large amount of blood, making him look quite suspicious.

The Priest himself was also a young man, but he did not look as fierce as the Captain had imagined; on the contrary, his expression was solemn and slightly resolute.

The bloodstains on the clothing and the restless horses prevented the Caravan Guard Captain from seeing which church the Priest belonged to, and it was not until the Priest opposite him stated his name that he realized this person was actually a Priest of the Agricultural God Church.

"This is not good, someone from the Agricultural God Church."

The Caravan Guard Captain calculated secretly, then he spoke up: "Greetings, Priest. I am 'Blue Dog' Nusi, the Caravan Guard Captain of the 'Burning Furnace' Merchant Guild. As you can see, behind me are my men and the caravan we are guarding. So, may I ask you..."

'Blue Dog' Nusi pointed his finger at the hundreds of people crowding the Shanglu not far away and said: "May I ask what you are doing leading these suspicious people?"

He looked around nervously, but the sides of the Shanglu were not, as he had suspected, hiding anyone trying to take advantage of the situation to ambush them. It was quiet, no different from the usual wasteland and mountain forests.

Priest Bata'er hurriedly waved his hands and said: "A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. The people behind me, they are not suspicious people."

"They aren't? But I see many people, hmm, quite a few are holding weapons, and they are dressed very much like the Bandits who plunder in the forest, aren't they?"

At this point, 'Blue Dog' Nusi snorted. To be honest, he even felt that Priest Bata'er was not a real Church Priest. Although the suddenly amplified voice earlier was indeed similar to the Divine Art methods used by various priests at festivals or celebrations, he, having traveled far and wide, knew that besides Divine Art, there were many other ways to achieve a similar effect.

Just because one uses a common Divine Art does not mean one can claim to be a Priest of the Agricultural God Church.

Moreover, when it came to the Agricultural God Church, he had no desire to have any contact or friendship with these people recently.

"It is like this, they are all refugee civilians that I and the warrior Jier—no, Knight Jier—brought out from the White Stone City Wall Guanka. You may know that the White Stone City Wall Guanka increased the crossing tax by dozens of times, and many refugee civilians without property were blocked there, unable to pass and unable to return home."

Priest Bata'er sighed and continued: "That place is too small to support so many people, and everyone's life is very difficult. Knight Jier and I passed through there, and at the urging of the elders among the people, we decided to lead the young people among them back to our Southern Province to find a safe place."

He pointed to the bloodstains on his body: "But as you can see, after leaving the White Stone City Wall Guanka, we encountered a large number of Bandit attacks. After the hard fighting of the Knight and everyone, we finally defeated those Bandits, and these bloodstains of mine were stained while treating the wounded. And the civilians also captured a large amount of Bandit clothing and weapons."

"Priest, where is the evidence for what you say?"

The Caravan Guard Captain did not simply believe the other party based on empty words, so he asked for proof. At the same time, he also noticed the vocabulary the Priest used; that rider who had not come over from not far away was actually a Knight.

That made sense; looking at the equipment, he also looked like a Knight, it was just that the equipment was a bit lacking, the armor was not shiny or imposing enough.

"You can come with me to take a look, take a close look, and you will know whether they are Bandits or refugees. In my group, there are not only the young people holding swords and blades in the front, but also a large number of civilians in the back carrying supplies captured from the Bandits, and there are also some merchants who were tied up and rescued from the Bandits."

"Are you not tricking me into going over to be tied up?"

"Absolutely not. You can send a trusted, loyal subordinate or companion to take a look, and you will know once you see. We are not Bandits and will not attack the caravan. Of course, I have a Knight sitting in command here, and I am not afraid of your twenty-plus caravan guards, but it is best to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings."

"That is of course, and I hope it is as you say."

After finishing their words, the two turned their horses around and rode back.

Priest Bata'er returned to Jier's side and took the Amber Metal Long Staff that Jier threw over.

"What did he say?"

The two were not speaking loudly, and with the neighing of horses all around, Jier did not hear clearly what they had said.

"I explained it; the other side clearly misunderstood us as Bandits. I asked him to send someone to approach the group to take a look."

Jier laughed: "If we were really Bandits, would anyone in this caravan still be alive? If we had ambushed a group of people on the other side's path in advance, and waited until they saw the main force and wanted to turn around, where would they have a chance to run?"

"Stop saying these things, it's creepy."

Priest Bata'er knew this was a joke, so he shook his head.

After 'Blue Dog' Nusi returned to his companions, someone immediately said to him: "Captain, I think that rider on the other side is not right. Facing our twenty people alone, he isn't even afraid?"

Rolling his eyes, 'Blue Dog' Nusi said: "That Priest said he is a Knight, I don't know if it's true or not. By the way, they said the other side is actually not Bandits, but a bunch of poor wretches who were fleeing west and got blocked at the White Stone City Wall Guanka. They are returning under the leadership of those two to find a place to live and survive. It turns out they were attacked by Bandits before and defeated them, capturing the guys' gear."

"That's all bullshit!"

Someone immediately cursed with disdain.

'Blue Dog' Nusi frowned: "But they said to send someone over to take a look, it doesn't look like they are lying."

"Could it be a trick to lure someone over and slaughter them?"

Shaking his head, 'Blue Dog' Nusi continued: "Doesn't look like it, he only said to send one person. So, who among you is the most loyal and dares to risk the other side playing a trick to go over and take a look for everyone?"

The twenty riders looked at each other, all very hesitant.

As for loyalty, many would risk their lives to protect the Captain himself. But for this kind of thing where it was obvious one might die in vain, many had to weigh it.

Finally, a young man under twenty years old spurred his horse and came out: "Captain, I'll go! I am willing to scout for you and for everyone. If I die, everyone must run quickly, and I entrust my family to you brothers."

'Blue Dog' Nusi waved his hand: "Rest assured, the death pension will be doubled, and I will personally provide an additional sum."

Others also expressed that they would contribute more money, all to be brought to the family of the brave young man who went to scout.

This young man forcefully struck the Mudu on his left arm with his right fist, making a thumping sound like a heartbeat.

Then, he kicked the horse's belly hard and drove the horse to run forward.

The eyes of his companions followed his back, and at the same time, everyone nervously held a shield or bow and arrow in one hand, and gripped the Jiansheng tightly in the other, ready to quickly turn the horse's direction and retreat rapidly at any time.

A young rider rode over. Jier whispered a word to Priest Bata'er; he himself did not move, while the Priest turned and rode side-by-side with the young rider who was approaching and passing by.

The young rider sized up that 'Knight', only to be frightened by the metal scratches all over the other's armor. Not just the armor, the metal shield was also full of starry scratches.

He did not know what kind of brutal battle it must have gone through to have such a result.

And when he got close to that 'Knight' and passed by, he clearly felt the hair on his body stand up, just like a Jumping Mouse being stared at by a wild cat.

It seemed that he could be easily pressed to the ground by the other party with one claw, and bitten to death or toyed with at will.

Shivering, the young rider accelerated and moved away from that person.

The two rode quickly toward the hundreds of 'Bandits' they had seen earlier. Once close, the young rider was first startled by dozens of refugees holding swords and blades, because wearing the beast skin clothing often worn by Bandits in the mountains, these people were really no different from Bandits.

But when he slowed down to get closer and look, he could distinguish the difference.

The clothing on these 'Bandits' was all tattered, especially the vital parts of the body, which often had bloodstains and damage. The young rider, who had been in a few battles, knew that this was a characteristic of captured clothing; clothing stripped from people who had been killed was just like this.

Because when fighting, no one would think about the damage or aesthetics of the clothing before defeating the enemy.

He even noticed the person who looked like the leader in the crowd; the simple Leather Armor on his chest or abdomen had huge tears and damage, and the clothing worn underneath could be seen, which was clearly captured.

That damage was probably caused by the Long Spear on the back of the so-called 'Knight'.

Thinking that the simple Leather Armor he was wearing seemed to have been lightened for the convenience of putting it on and taking it off every day for the journey, and its protection was not as good as the damaged Leather Armor of the other party, he touched the surface of his chest Leather Armor nervously.

"What's wrong?" Priest Bata'er saw that the other's face was not right, so he asked.

"Nothing, nothing." The young rider responded immediately.

As he drew closer, the young rider was able to look past the dozens of people staring at him with ill intent in front and see the others behind who were dressed normally.

Indeed, looking from afar, they were mostly unarmed, at most carrying a Dagger or Short Knife at their waists. And at their feet lay small boxes unloaded from their backs, or large boxes carried on poles.

These people were all carrying some supplies to varying degrees, and there were both men and women among them, with more women; they were dressed normally and their expressions were normal, not looking like people coerced by Bandits.

"Can I go closer and take a look?" Thinking of his responsibility to the group, the young rider steeled himself and proposed crossing through this group of hundreds to see what was behind.

"Of course you can. Everyone, move aside, please move aside."

Bata'er Jiaoshi responded, then called out loudly, asking the people in front to clear a path for the horses to pass through.

The Armed Civilian in front immediately moved left and right to clear a path, while the people behind, who had originally been sitting down to rest, grumbled as they climbed back up, carrying the boxes and supplies they were responsible for, and cleared a crooked path.

Then Bata'er Jiaoshi rode in front, with the young rider following behind.

"Lord Priest, why have we stopped? Walking and resting like this, how far can everyone go in a day? If you ask me, we could walk for half a day in one go, rest at noon, and then walk for another half day."

On both sides of the narrow road, some religious Villager complained to the Priest.

Bata'er Jiaoshi smiled: "We ran into a Caravan ahead. Everyone, please wait a moment. We will set off shortly. We are just discussing who should yield to whom. Everyone, please wait."

As for the suggestion from behind, he acted as if he hadn't heard it. This was nothing more than grumbling, because everyone's physical strength and constitution were different; how fast a group could travel was not determined by the speed of the fastest people in the group, but on the contrary, it was the slowest people in the group who determined the speed of the entire team.

This was a principle that Jier the warrior had taught him.

This principle was simple yet very profound, and it could be applied not only to traveling and hurrying, but also to many other matters.

Similar to when he was stationed at Changmai Cunzi in the past, the quality of public order in the village was not determined by how well the young people of the most successful families were doing, but by the poorest and most difficult villagers in the village. At the same time, when discussing matters in the village, it was not about how many people agreed with a proposal, but only when the people who most disagreed with something in the village relented could the matter be accomplished.

"It must be the other side that yields to us. We have so many people, and we have Jier the Knight, and Bata'er Jiaoshi is here too. How could they not yield the road to us?"

"That's right!"

People nearby were discussing loudly, and these words were all heard by the young rider, who silently took note of them.

Soon, they passed through the group in front and arrived among the ordinary people.

Here, the horses slowed down, fearing they might bump into those resting.

After observing at close range, the young rider finally breathed a sigh of relief, because this group was definitely not Bandits.

However, it was a strange thing that a Refugee Team of hundreds was not fleeing the war toward the Western Province in the west, but instead running toward the Southern Province, which was becoming increasingly chaotic.

Passing through the crowd of people, the young rider saw several carriages again, two of which were piled high with boxes of all sizes; they looked numerous, but the weight did not seem to be very heavy.

Two Northland Horse pulling the carriages were staying in place, their bits loosened, enjoying the green grass fed to them by the driver. The grass was just plucked from the side of the road; that's how it was in the wild, you could pull some grass to feed the livestock anywhere, but it wouldn't work in towns, where a handful of hay or firewood would cost money.

At the very back of this group were some disheveled Merchant and some women wrapped in ill-fitting clothing; these were the rescued Merchant and people.

Further back were another few dozen Armed Civilian. The young rider looked at the path these people had come from and found nothing else strange, then the two returned the way they came.

The two passed through the crowd and returned to the place of the standoff.

Bata'er Jiaoshi stopped his horse beside Jier, while the young rider trotted all the way back to his group.

"How is it?"

Seeing the person return safely, 'Blue Dog' Nusi had roughly made his judgment.

"It is indeed a large number of people, all carrying things; they are not Bandits. There are a few dozen Armed Civilian in the front and back, all wearing tattered Beast Skin Clothing and damaged Leather Armor looted after battles, and their weapons are also a mess. Also, there is no ambush behind their group."

The young rider said everything he observed in one breath.

The Caravan Guard Captain thought for a moment, then had everyone stay in place, and he drove his horse forward to approach the two and talk.

As soon as he got close, he felt a sense of discomfort and danger from that 'Knight', but after looking at the armor on the other's body, he roughly understood the reason.

The wear and tear on the armor looked very exaggerated; 'Blue Dog' Nusi felt that a large part of this might have been intentionally made to bluff people, but a small part should be surface scars truly earned in actual combat.

Having such combat experience, it was normal for him to feel uncomfortable.

"The two of you, my men have just checked, and indeed, it is a normal Refugee Team."

Jier spoke up: "Then, can we now discuss the matter of mutual protection and precautions during the process of our groups passing each other?"

"Sorry, I am just the Caravan Guard Captain. Such matters must ultimately be decided by the Caravan Steward accompanying the Caravan."

Jier narrowed his eyes at this person, making the other shiver for no reason, and he said in an unfriendly tone: "Are you playing with me? Why don't you hurry up and call the Caravan Steward behind you here, now, immediately, right away! Tell him to roll over here and take a good look, and then, I let you pass, you let me pass, and we'll figure out a result as soon as possible."

He looked up at the overcast sky: "Are we just going to let time be wasted like this?"

With his heart pounding wildly and cold sweat dripping from his head, 'Blue Dog' Nusi nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, I will go bring the person over immediately."

"Now!"

The Caravan Guard Captain immediately turned his horse around and galloped toward the back.

He shouted as he passed his companions: "I'm going to call the Caravan Steward, you all stay put."

The Caravan guards looked at each other, but after the young rider's explanation, they understood that those in front were not Bandits but refugees, so they all relaxed.

On Jier's side, Bata'er Jiaoshi complained that Jier spoke too impatiently, but Jier curled his lips: "It should be like this. If you don't urge them, who knows how many times they will dawdle. It's not a big deal, but it's not good to delay too long."

"Who would have thought that now, when Caravans rarely run the Shanglu, we could still run into a Caravan here. In the past, perhaps everyone would just yield and pass, but now everyone has raised their vigilance; if we don't do this, it's easy to start a fight."

Bata'er Jiaoshi complained. He could see with his own eyes that the once stable Southern Province was getting worse day by day, and the tension was clearly manifested in these small things that would not have been noticed in the past.

The two waited for a while, and two horses ran over from the Caravan where the carriages were turned toward the distance.

One rider was the Caravan Guard Captain 'Blue Dog' Nusi who had just left, and the other was a Caravan Steward wearing Merchant clothing, with a Cloak on his body, but wearing a set of Leather Armor comically over the Cloak.

This Steward was holding the Jiansheng with one hand to keep the horse running in the right direction, and pressing his waterproof deer-skin soft fur hat with the other.

The front of the hat was inlaid with a few small Gems and decorated with a bright red bird feather, which looked quite expensive.