Chapter 420

Dawn, in ten hours.

At eight in the morning, the faint light of dawn appeared on the edge of the horizon, followed by the clamor of voices and the aroma of toasted bread waking the sleeping camp.

Luo Yan and Sarah finished a simple breakfast on the first floor of the hotel with Ta Fu.

Perhaps because the "serenades" echoing in the hotel last night were too disturbing, Sarah's usually expressionless face bore a rare, subtle trace of fatigue.

She was the only one who hadn't slept well.

"Sarah, you look very tired," Luo Yan said, setting down his barley tea with a gentle tone, "If you need to, we can rest here for another day."

Hearing that they would stay here for another day, Sarah panicked slightly and hurriedly straightened her slumped waist and spine.

"That is unnecessary, Your Highness."

"But..."

"I am fine, Your Highness, please do not delay your itinerary for such a trivial matter," Sarah said, forcing herself to perk up as a focused light flickered in her amber slit pupils, "May I ask what the arrangements are for today?"

Seeing her insist, Luo Yan said no more, only smiling as he said: "Our 'Voyager' has gone on strike; I need to send a letter to Mr. Alberto to have the wreckage recovered. Besides, we need to find ourselves a new mode of transportation to the south."

"Great!" Ta Fu yawned and chattered a sentence in Dragon Tongue, "I never want to ride that thing again! I'd rather be a bit slower!"

However—

No one cared about the pet's opinion.

Luo Yan smiled faintly.

"There will be a chance to do it; sooner or later, I must have you learn to fly."

He had been an adventurer and a mentor, but he had never been a Dragon Knight; he would have to experience it sooner or later.

He made up his mind that once he returned to the Netherworld, he would discuss it with Professor Aiwen to see if the "dosage" of the medicine could be increased—a sustainable way of helping the seedlings grow by pulling them.

Ta Fu gritted her teeth and whispered.

"Are you a devil, you guy!? At least wait until I'm fifty before making me work!?"

"Don't even think about it; I'll wait three years at most."

"%￥#@!"

Watching the noisy human and dragon, a smile tugged at the corners of Sarah's mouth, her amber slit pupils filled with tenderness.

She truly wished to freeze time in this warm moment.

She had no grand pursuits, nor did she have the dreams—or rather, ambitions—of the Demon King's other Demon Generals.

She only wanted a home.

The group returned upstairs to pack their luggage, then went downstairs to check out and merged into the noisy crowd of the camp market.

This camp had been busy since early morning; the shouts of peddlers on the crowded streets were endless, and the air was filled with the fragrance of stews and toasted bread.

Not everyone who came here was for "confession"; some were here to mine.

That legendary "Miss Lina" had made her first pot of gold through the nuns and soon set her sights on the mountains in the east of the Eagle Rock Territory.

There were rich mineral deposits and forestry resources there, but the local lord had neither the people nor the money, let alone the ability to develop them, and even if developed, there was no sufficient transport capacity to move them elsewhere to be sold.

Now, the honorable Lord Lisi Te did not need to worry about this problem.

The people of Eagle Rock Territory had both people and money, and it had also attracted enough merchants to help them solve the sales channels.

Before long, those previously useless natural resources would be taken by more capable people and exchanged for the gold coins of the Aus Empire.

Compared to the gray income from uncollectible taxes, this money was a visible income, and a large portion would enter the lord's treasury, feeding the lord and everyone around him in the process.

In a sense, this was also a form of bribery.

And it was much smarter than giving money directly.

Next time Lord Lisi Te wanted to go crazy and lead troops to charge into the traveler camp, everyone from the servants to the butler and the guard captain would have enough motivation to jump out and persuade him otherwise.

If they really couldn't persuade him, they could even consider teaming up to replace him with a young child or a widow as this lord...

Passing through the noisy market, Luo Yan found the target of this trip at the edge of the camp.

It was a caravan preparing to set off, and it looked quite large.

Dozens of heavy four-wheeled carriages were piled high with goods wrapped tightly in tarpaulins; judging by the vague outlines, most were furs and ores, the specialties of the North.

The owner of the caravan was a slightly chubby middle-aged merchant with a booming voice, who was standing with his hands on his hips, loudly directing his staff to load the goods.

"Move faster!"

"If we can't leave by noon, don't expect me to treat you to a meal!"

"Mr. Tang Mu, where should I put this tarpaulin-covered crate?"

"On the carriage! Do I have to teach you that too?!"

Luo Yan observed from the side for a moment, confirmed the identity of the person in charge, and then walked up with a smile.

"Mr. Tang Mu, excuse the intrusion, may I take a moment of your time?"

Tang Mu, who was busy, turned his head and sized up the young man before him with his shrewd eyes.

He originally didn't want to bother, but seeing that the young man's clothing was simple yet made of exquisite materials, he subconsciously restrained the rudeness in his speech and said cautiously and politely.

"I suppose so... what is it you need?"

"My name is Kelin, a common traveler, and my companion and I are preparing to head south," Luo Yan introduced himself with a smile, "I saw that your caravan seems to be heading the same way, so I came to take a look... is it convenient to chat?"

"Ah, Mr. Kelin, nice to meet you! My name is Tang Mu... although you might already know, anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Tang Mu nodded readily and shook Kelin's extended hand, not realizing that this name had any connection to the Prince.

It seemed his caravan hadn't traveled as far as the Campbell Duchy, and it was even highly likely this was his first time leaving the North for the South.

And in the subsequent small talk, Luo Yan confirmed this from his words.

This Mr. Tang Mu used to be in the fur business, mainly traveling between the various baronial territories of the North, until he recently sensed a business opportunity and decided to switch to clothing trade.

This was even his first trip south.

"To tell you the truth, sir," Tang Mu pointed toward the camp, his smile containing both the mercenary nature of a merchant and the unique heartiness of the Luo De people, "This place used to be freezing cold, and the girls only wrapped themselves in rough sheepskin coats. Thanks to Lord Lisi Te, the girls now need more beautiful dresses to serve the 'Holy Light'."

"We plan to go south to stock up on a batch of goods; I heard the textile industry there is booming recently... but we can't go with empty carriages, so we plan to bring some local specialty furs and ores along the way; making a profit of sixty or seventy percent on this trip is no problem."

He lowered his voice and winked.

"How about it? Interested?"

He wasn't afraid of his business being learned by others; only shopkeepers stuck in their own little acre would keep their business secrets tightly guarded.

Tang Mu could tell at a glance that this soft-skinned fellow wasn't someone who could endure hardship; he definitely couldn't stand the weariness of the journey, and certainly wasn't any kind of traveler.

This kind of person was likely out "adventuring" with his father's money.

Rather than letting others benefit, he might as well benefit himself; at least he really had a caravan and was planning to go south anyway.

However, to Tang Mu's surprise, just as he thought this, the young man before him revealed a gentle smile.

"What a coincidence, we happen to be going south too; I wonder if we could accompany your caravan?"

"Ac, accompany?" Tang Mu was stunned and subconsciously said, "You... really want to go south?"

Luo Yan nodded with a smile.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

The smile on Tang Mu's face faded slightly, and those shrewd eyes began to size up the master and servant before him again, calmly and quietly.

The "Mr. Kelin" in the lead spoke elegantly, was high-spirited, and handsome; he didn't look like an ordinary person at all.

The female guard beside him named Sarah, although silent, stood tall with a sharp gaze; she must be incredibly powerful.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing was the... uh, pet held in the female guard's arms? In any case, he had traveled north and south for over a dozen years and had never seen such a noble "breed."

This master and servant with a strange pet looked like noble children who had slipped out of some big city.

Although he was happy to make friends, years of merchant experience told him that getting too close to such people could easily lead to trouble, and refusing could lead to even more trouble.

What to do? A trace of hesitation couldn't help but appear on Tang Mu's face.

Seeing that hesitant face, Luo Yan roughly guessed what he was thinking, so he smiled.

Without saying more, he calmly lifted his hand slightly and hooked his index finger toward the dozens of heavy cargo crates piled like a mountain not far away.

Those crates, which would have required two or three strong men to lift, suddenly floated into mid-air as if they had lost their weight, silently.

They seemed to be directed by an invisible architect, flying together like birds returning to their nests toward the carriages that weren't yet full, stacking up perfectly and silently.

The whole process took no more than a few breaths.

The caravan camp fell into a deathly silence instantly; everyone stared at the young man before Tang Mu, their eyes filled with awe and shock.

It wasn't because of his miraculous magic—

But because they hadn't expected that the honorable Mage would actually use his noble magic to fulfill a mortal's wish?! "Holy Saint Xisi above..."

Tang Mu was so shocked his jaw nearly hit the ground.

Looking at this "Mr. Kelin" who was hiding his true strength, he finally realized he had almost turned away a walking deity!

A Mage! This gentleman was actually a noble Mage! And looking at this effortless display, his strength was absolutely unfathomable! "My... my lord!"

Tang Mu's face was filled with a warm smile, and the previous hesitation vanished.

"Look at my eyes... I was truly blind not to see that you are a noble Mage! Please forgive my arrogance and rudeness; it is my greatest honor to accompany a noble Mage lord like you!"

His attitude underwent a 360-degree turn instantly, and the shrewdness and hesitation on his face turned into ecstasy and fawning in an instant.

It was no wonder he was like this.

After all, with such a powerhouse accompanying them, let alone bandits, even a legendary dragon would have to take a detour!

Luo Yan smiled gently.

"No need for formalities, Mr. Tang Mu; we can just get along as usual. By the way, I need a carriage; the one I had before had some trouble... of course, we will pay."

"Pay?! Talking about money is too formal, sir!"

Tang Mu's face was filled with undisguised fawning and joy, rubbing his hands together with a smile.

"Don't worry, leave the carriage matter to me! Including food and drinks for the journey, I will prepare them for you! I only have one small request..."

After fawning enough, Tang Mu gave a fawning "hehe" and continued to probe in a low voice.

"Although we have hired guards, it's hard to guarantee we won't encounter desperate outlaws. I mean... if we run into anyone blind, I hope you can lend a hand."

Hearing this, Sarah's brows furrowed slightly. A mere human daring to treat the noble Demon King as a caravan guard made her feel somewhat dissatisfied.

Noticing Sarah's mood, Luo Yan signaled her with his eyes to stay calm, then looked at Tang Mu and agreed with a smile.

"No problem, it's just a small effort."

He hadn't experienced the life of a caravan guard yet; this would be an interesting experience for him, and caravans often hired experienced guides, which could save a lot of time on detours.

Seeing the Demon King agree, Sarah lost her objections instantly, just as she had when the Demon King decided to experience being an adventurer.

Tang Mu breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and squeezed out a relieved smile.

"Co, cooperation is pleasant!"

This young man was quite easy to get along with, but the guard beside him was truly too terrifying.

Especially those pupils that were different from ordinary people, which made him think of half-blood demons.

Although the Church had declared those demons were also human, they had demon blood in their veins after all, so they were less favored by humans than orcs with more obvious beast features.

Tang Mu didn't know why this Mage lord wanted to hire a marginalized ethnic group excluded by mainstream society, but the Mage lord's eccentricities weren't something a mortal like him could gossip about...

The deal was thus reached.

Most people in the caravan were overjoyed by this, but a few workers moving cargo were huddled together, grumbling unhappily.

Someone passing by asked out of curiosity.

"It's not bad that someone finished the work for you, why aren't you happy?"

Those workers glared at him irritably.

"Happy about what? We get paid by the piece!"

"That lord waved his hand, and we lost out on a whole several silver coins!"

"Exactly! Can't these mages just stay honestly in their Mage Tower!"

"..."

Inside the carriage.

Ta Fu looked at Luo Yan with schadenfreude and made those "pu-pu-pu" laughing sounds again, as if mocking him for doing a good deed but not getting a good evaluation.

Poor guy.

To this day, this brat still hadn't realized that the sound she made was like a little pig snoring.

However, Luo Yan didn't care, nor would he remind her; he just smiled faintly and then closed his eyes to enter meditation.

During this time, he had been consciously strengthening his control over magic power and exploring the mysteries of the "Butterfly of All Phenomena" in his sea of consciousness.

He believed the gift the Curator left him wasn't just for the convenience of his travels; there must be other secrets hidden within.

For example—

Aether.

If he could understand the existence of Aether and utilize it, his mastery of transcendental power would undoubtedly rise to a new level.

That was an existence closer to the essence of the universe than "Source Power."

After all, in the research of the spiritual realm, the Solipuxi people, inheriting from the "Aus people," had advanced fifty centuries further on their own timeline.

To defeat Norville, one must grasp the extraordinary within it.

Just as Luo Yan was meditating quietly, Sarah guarded him silently opposite, and used the tea set she had prepared to brew him a cup of clear tea sprinkled with Quiet Snow Buds.

The fragrance of Quiet Snow Buds helped with meditation and condensing the spirit in the sea of consciousness; this was what the Demon King had once told her.

Although the lord might have forgotten it himself...

Time passed quietly, and the caravan finally set off.

During this time, Tang Mu came to the carriage to ask for instructions once, but after learning that the Mage lord was meditating, he retreated respectfully.

The caravan traveled for a day, and before night fell, the experienced Tang Mu chose a leeward side of a river valley to set up camp.

Dozens of carriages formed a circle, creating a temporary barrier. Inside the "barrier," several bonfires were burning brightly, dispelling the surrounding darkness.

The mercenaries hired by the caravan sat in a circle around the fire, drinking ale in large gulps and sharing wild rabbits stolen from the lord's forest, while boasting about their "heroic" deeds of fighting snow wolves on the northern snowfields; the atmosphere was very lively!

▲￠o

Luo Yan didn't disturb their "refined interest" but leaned leisurely against his comfortable carriage, reading quietly by the light of the bonfire, as if separated from this rugged atmosphere by an invisible barrier.

The atmosphere of the camp was like a roaring furnace.

Just as Ta Fu was drooling over the roasted wild rabbit on the bonfire, a commotion suddenly came from the outskirts of the camp.

Everyone subconsciously grabbed the weapons at their sides, only to see a young girl in a black robe running out of the darkness outside the camp, stumbling.

Her clothes were disheveled, her hair messy, and her face was full of tear stains and terror, like a rabbit chased by hounds all night.

"Holy Saint Xisi above," a young mercenary swallowed, muttered excitedly, his eyes restless.

It wasn't that he had ulterior motives, but quite the opposite; having suppressed himself for an entire winter, he saw an opportunity for "hero saves beauty."

That girl clearly needed help, and he happened to have plenty of strength.

"Damn it..." A slightly older mercenary wasn't as optimistic as him, and a trace of solemnity gradually appeared in his murky pupils.

This guy might have escaped from Miss Lina's hands...

As if confirming his guess, the girl staggered over and cast a near-begging gaze toward the group.

Even though she knew that this group of guys might not be good people either.

"Please... please... for the sake of Saint Xisi, take me away from here!"

"We have to help this poor person." The young mercenary lad looked at his companions around him and lowered his voice.

The older mercenary didn't pay him any mind but walked toward the caravan boss who was walking over.

"There's a situation."

"I know," Tang Mu cast an inquiring gaze at him and continued, "What I want to ask is what happened?"

The older mercenary glanced at the woman at the edge of the camp and lowered his voice.

"No need to ask, it's Lina's person; you know what I mean... this woman is trouble, and our trouble is that Lord Kabin's cavalry must be waiting ahead."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Tang Mu heard it clearly, and a look of worry couldn't help but appear on his weathered face.

Kabin was Lord Lisi Te's guard captain; he would never allow a "nun" to escape to the neighboring territory. Not only because the influence was bad, but more importantly, this would set a bad precedent, which was unfavorable to his majesty in this land.

Without surprise, this woman was now either a wanted criminal or a "runaway" on the lord's land. The soldiers waiting ahead would definitely stop them, and even if they didn't find anyone in their caravan, they would definitely use this as an excuse to extort some money.

If they didn't want to pay, they would have to turn back to a nearby outpost to be interrogated, and for such a large caravan to be delayed on the road for a few days, the loss would exceed the cost of the bribe.

The mercenary was hinting that the best way was to capture the "prisoner" for Lord Kabin. Other than that, neither pretending not to see nor deliberately helping her escape was a good idea.

But seeing that poor person, Tang Mu couldn't bring himself to be cruel.

He was a devout believer.

He could turn a blind eye to the "chaos" of the traveler camp, but it was hard to watch a poor person fall into hell.

"Could it be that we are overthinking?" he said, unable to bear it, "If she really is a girl who escaped from Lina, could she have escaped to here?"

The mercenary sighed.

"Sir, I'm only telling you this for the sake of the commission; I want to deliver this batch of goods and get the remaining balance even more than you do... so, stop worrying about how she escaped here, can we stop looking for trouble for ourselves?"

Tang Mu was silent for a while and thought of a compromise.

"We can take her with us first, and if we run into soldiers, we'll hand her over."

The mercenary shrugged.

"That's a good choice... but if you don't want her to be alert and run away, thereby causing more trouble, I suggest you don't let her see your intentions."

Although he would have preferred to tie her up directly and wait until confirming everything was fine before releasing her or making other plans.

Tang Mu nodded, bypassed him, walked to the sad-faced girl, looked at her, cleared his throat, and asked a question he already knew the answer to.

"Girl, who are you, what is your name, where are you from, and why are you crying... so sadly?"

"I, my name is Saintess Kalian..."

The girl's shoulders shook, her lips turned slightly white, and she dodged his gaze while recounting her tragic experience.

According to her, her hometown had suffered a severe famine, and she was forced to flee her homeland because she couldn't survive.

This was a common reason, or rather, an excuse.

Some refugees who couldn't prove their status as free citizens would all say they encountered a famine, and this was the only reason Saint Xisi granted them to leave their lord.

Otherwise, they would have to prove they were free citizens, or adventurers registered in a guild, or mercenaries with employment contracts, or carrying a letter of introduction from a lord.

Sometimes these things didn't work either; after all, even in the land directly under the Empire, not every place was as civilized as the Holy City.

"As long as... as long as you give me a bite to eat! I can help you wash clothes, cook, do any chores, I don't want money!"

Tang Mu watched her silently, feeling a secret pity in his heart.

Honestly, her acting wasn't very clever; even if he wanted to turn a blind eye, raising the muzzle of a flintlock by an inch was a bit of a stretch.

The cotton robe she couldn't bear to take off had already betrayed her identity, and likely only the sentence "starved for three days and three nights" was true.

Let everything be decided by Saint Xisi...

If the soldiers were waiting ahead, he would have to hand her over. If not, then it meant her escape was God's will.

It's just...

Would the honorable Saint Xisi forgive these blasphemous guys? Tang Mu sighed, hesitated for a while, and finally took a piece of dry bread from his bosom, broke it in half, and handed her half.

"Eat first."

He watched the girl wolfing down the food and said in a vague and gentle tone, "We will take care of our own meals. You just... help us wash some clothes, if we need it."

"Thank you, sir! You are truly a good person!" The girl named Saintess Kalian was moved to tears, wishing she could kowtow to him on the ground.

Tang Mu couldn't bear such a heavy gift and hurriedly persuaded her to stop and sit in the covered wagon to avoid the wind.

After settling this "uninvited guest," he happened to pass by Mr. Kelin's carriage, and after hesitating for a moment, walked toward the Mage who was reading.

"Sir, there was a little accident in the camp just now; I suppose you have seen it, but I still have to tell you... but don't worry, we will handle it well and won't trouble you."

Out of respect for his "partner," he told Kelin the whole story, including the girl's origin and his own decision.

Of course, he also hid some things, such as the plan he and his mercenaries had made, and that he actually saw through the girl's lies.

Every sound in the camp couldn't escape Sarah's ears, but that indifferent face seemed not to care about human joys and sorrows.

On the contrary, the "Dragon God," the former ally of Saint Xisi, showed empathy on her face.

Famine...

It was truly too cruel.

She couldn't imagine what famine was like, but she knew the feeling of being hungry wasn't pleasant. Occasionally, the Demon King would deliberately bring food back very late, and she could only wait until dark while hungry.

Luo Yan also knew the whole story.

However, he didn't say anything, just closed the book in his hand and sized up this shrewd merchant with interest.

"You knew she was trouble, why did you take her in?"

He remembered that during the day, this fellow was quite hesitant toward him. If he hadn't shown off a little, he feared that polite refusal would have been spoken.

Surely he didn't look more troublesome than a "nun"? Tang Mu smiled embarrassedly, his shrewd eyes dodging, and muttered while looking at the bonfire nearby.

"Sir, human hearts are made of flesh. I couldn't just watch her finally escape from hell only to fall back into hell... lords don't care about the lives of their subjects; even for the sake of face, it would be enough for her to die ten thousand times."

A trace of surprise flashed in Luo Yan's eyes.

"I didn't expect you to have such noble character."

"Character... I wouldn't go that far."

Tang Mu scratched his cheek with his index finger, his expression somewhat embarrassed, and said vaguely, "Sir, don't look at me as just a merchant; I also grew up reading the epics of heroes."

Leaving these words behind, Tang Mu left in a hurry.

Sarah stared at his back, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, then cast her gaze toward the Demon King beside her.

The Demon King didn't say anything, just opened the book he hadn't finished and continued reading the heroic epic that was almost at the end.

Soon they would reach the Kingdom of Laine.

Before entering the Kingdom of Luo De, the first thing he did was understand the history of the Kingdom of Luo De. And now, he was doing the same thing.

"It seems there are good people even in the land abandoned by the Holy Light," Ta Fu exclaimed sincerely, saying something surprising, "I thought those guys who were in heat for the Holy Light would eat her!"

Her head was full of white arms and... pfft, curiosity! Although they had left the traveler camp for dozens of miles, it was clear that this suppressed Dragon God lord's soul hadn't left that place yet.

Glancing at that not-so-innocent yet innocent dragon face, Luo Yan smiled meaningfully and turned the page.

"That's hard to say."