Crimson Silk Valley

Under the blazing sun, three small hills over a hundred meters high formed a concave shape, enclosing a merchant road more than four meters wide.

This terrain had a very ordinary name, yet one that made most people pale at the mention of it: Crimson Silk Valley.

Crimson Silk Valley did not refer to a grain called "crimson silk" growing here.

Rather, a group of bandits with red silk bands tied around their heads was stationed within this gorge. They were known to outsiders as the Crimson Silk Bandits, and this place was therefore called Crimson Silk Valley.

This was an important passage between Bidia City and other cities. Merchant caravans often passed through here, and the Crimson Silk Bandits' targets were precisely those caravans.

Of course, the Crimson Silk Bandits did not rob every merchant caravan. If one looked difficult to provoke at a glance, they would not even touch it.

The caravans they targeted were those without guards or with very few guards. They took thirty percent from caravans carrying plentiful goods and forty percent from those carrying fewer goods, living quite comfortably off it.

However, on this day, the leader of the Crimson Silk Bandits suddenly discovered that large numbers of people had entered his territory, and many of them were familiar faces.

They were bandits from the nearby hills. Until now, everyone had merely preyed upon passing merchant caravans within their own territory, so why had they all come to Crimson Silk Valley this time?

Could they be planning to drive his group out and seize this place for themselves?

But had they forgotten that the reason his group occupied the checkpoint closest to Bidia City was because they were the strongest bandits in the area?

Just as the Crimson Silk Bandits' leader was puzzled, news arrived from their scouts.

A large merchant caravan with more than forty carriages, along with over twenty independent merchant wagons behind it, was heading in this direction.

Barring any surprises, the large caravan would arrive here by noon tomorrow.

Upon hearing this news, the Crimson Silk Bandits' leader instantly understood.

He now knew exactly what these neighbors had come here for.

Sure enough, that very night, more than a dozen bandit leaders entered Crimson Silk Valley and reached an agreement with the Crimson Silk Bandits' leader.

A caravan stretched out like a long dragon as it traveled onward.

However, unlike the relaxed atmosphere of the past two days, every guard wore a grim expression today.

The scouts trailing the caravan had completely vanished last night.

If nothing unexpected happened, they would meet again in Crimson Silk Valley.

From time to time, the guards' gazes drifted toward the most luxurious carriage in the convoy.

Everyone knew that the main reason President Luqi had managed to gather such a large merchant caravan was the presence of that esteemed person.

A Rank 6 Mage...

Though a Rank 6 Mage was still somewhat weaker when facing a Rank 7 Expert,

before Rank 7, mages were generally considered a rank above warriors. To warriors who had not reached Rank 7, a Rank 6 Mage was no different from a Rank 7 Expert.

No, a Rank 6 Mage was even more terrifying than a Rank 7 Warrior.

Because even a Rank 7 Warrior had to kill one person at a time with his sword.

Even if he expended a great amount of Battle Qi to use a technique like Battle Qi Projection, he could at most kill a dozen or so people.

But what about a Rank 6 Mage?

Once a Rank 6 area-of-effect spell was cast, anyone within its range who had not reached Rank 7 Warrior would either die or suffer grievous injuries.

And how many Rank 6 spells could a Rank 6 Mage cast?

At least ten!

In other words, when it came to killing efficiency, a Rank 6 Mage was more than ten times as effective as a Rank 7 Warrior.

However, precisely because mages were so powerful, most of them had been recruited by the Frost Snow Empire to fight on the battlefield against the Temple of Light.

Ordinary people rarely had the chance to see a mage.

It was for this reason that, after receiving Locke's promise, Luqi had resolutely assembled this large caravan.

The other merchants were also willing to trust Luqi and Locke.

That was the deterrent power of a Rank 6 Mage.

Still, under normal circumstances, people rarely saw mages.

After all, nearly every Youth in the Frost Snow Empire with an affinity for water magic would be sent to a magic academy to train, then assigned to a legion to fight for the Frost Snow Empire after graduation.

Perhaps water mages and light mages were not everywhere on the battlefield, but across several squads, one could always find one or two military mages.

Some of these guards and bandits were soldiers who had retired from the legions, and they were the group most capable of appreciating a mage's might.

Time did not slow its passage for anyone's subjective will. The caravan assembled by President Luqi gradually approached Crimson Silk Valley.

Then, the foremost carriage came to a stop. More than a dozen guards quickly rushed to the front of the convoy, drew the weapons from their backs, and stared ahead grimly.

At the edge of their vision, nearly a thousand people stood in distinct groups within the ravine formed by the three mountains ahead, glaring fiercely at the entire caravan.

The commotion at the front was quickly noticed by the merchants at the rear. After causing a slight disturbance, everyone soon regained their composure under Luqi's reassurance.

Moreover, some of the merchants' guards moved forward to form a defense, while the rest gathered around the carriage where Locke was staying.

Surrounded by so many bandits, the only person capable of breaking the deadlock for the caravan was Lord Locke.

They had to ensure that Lord Locke had enough time to chant his magic spell.

Ahead, a stubbled middle-aged man with a red silk headband strode forward and shouted at the people in the caravan:

"Friends traveling this merchant road, this is not our first time dealing with one another."

"Crimson Silk Valley still follows the old rules."

"If you wish to pass through Crimson Silk Valley, you must leave behind twenty percent of your goods."

"However, there are a few more guests in Crimson Silk Valley today, so any friends wishing to pass through must leave behind fifty percent of their goods."

"Of course, in the name of Crimson Silk Valley, every caravan that leaves behind its goods may safely travel a thousand li along this merchant road!"

"What? Fifty percent of our goods?"

When the merchants heard the Crimson Silk Bandits' leader's shout, they cursed furiously.

"What are they trying to do? Just to pass through Crimson Silk Valley, they want fifty percent of our goods? Why don't they just rob us?"

"Cough, cough. Calm down. Aren't they robbing us right now?"

"What do we do now?"

"Are we really going to hand over fifty percent of our goods?"

"How could we? If we hand over fifty percent, won't we lose even our trousers?"

"Everyone, calm down. They may outnumber us, but we still have Lord Locke."

"Right, right, we have Lord Locke."

"President Luqi, hurry and ask Lord Locke what we should do now!"