Two-Headed Dire Wolf

It wasn't until evening that the caravan finally appeared on a small path in the woods.

The clear, melodious sound of bells rang out, and the lead horse was carrying a large load of goods. Commander Sindji walked at the front, looking to be in a very good mood.

The caravan camped at the valley entrance, where the horses needed a good rest. Elves were there to mend their hooves. The next stretch of road was rocky, and if a horse had a cracked hoof, it could easily get injured walking through the gravel-strewn canyon.

"I originally planned to arrive here by noon today, but the transactions in the village haven't finished yet, so it's been delayed by half a day."

When he talked about this, Commander Sindji's face was full of pride.

Business was good in every village on this trip to the Bulwark Village. We've already acquired a lot of Magic Herbs, and as long as we can return to Padesto City safely, we'll make a fortune.

Commander Sindji was naturally very happy.

At night, the cries of Harpy can be heard from time to time, and they make sounds that resemble sinister laughter, which even annoy the elves.

Gelu climbed to the top of a tree, intending to shoot a few Harpy to intimidate them.

Captain Sindji walked to the Adventure Group's campsite, sat in front of the campfire, and said to Instructor Nora, "They have always lived on the nearby cliffs. There are many caves on the cliffs of this canyon. They can fly inside the caves and ambush any hunters who enter the caves. Many hunters who enter the caves end up as food for the Harpy. Therefore, the elven hunters in this area never climb into the caves on the cliffs to capture these Harpy."

At night, they are also attracted by firelight. They hate the sound of bells, so as long as a string of bells is hung outside the tent, the Harpy will not come near.

The elves disliked the Harpy's leather, finding it wrinkled and unattractive, and few elven hunters were willing to hunt them. It was said that human nobles liked to keep Harpy in birdcages, but human Demon Hunter had no way to come to the Pattington Plane.

When we cross Tiger Leaping Tiger Leap Gorge tomorrow, we should try not to provoke the Harpy. Normally, they won't target us.

After saying that, Commander Sindji also gave Instructor Nora a string of bells.

"Understood. We'll follow behind your team and will absolutely not provoke them unless they launch an attack."

Instructor Nora stood up and said that she climbed onto a rock face and stood on top of it, vigorously shaking the bell in her hand.

Sure enough, the Harpy ' laughter stopped abruptly, followed by a whooshing sound of flapping wings coming from the forest. Several Harpy flew through the trees and into the cave in the canyon.

Instructor Nora assigned Roy to night duty, specifically the second half of the night, so Roy needed to get some sleep beforehand.

Just as he crawled into the tent, a group of Elf Warrior ran out of the forest under the cover of night. The Elf Warrior stopped when they reached the entrance of Tiger Leap Gorge.

Suddenly, a series of neighing warhorses rang out.

Roy poked his head out of the tent and looked outside. The Elf Warrior were all wearing metal armor, with longswords hanging at their waists and battle bows on their backs, looking very imposing.

When you jump off a horse, you can hear a clear metallic scraping sound.

These Elf Warrior were all Silver Moon Elf.

The leading Elf Warrior captain strode up to Commander Sindji and asked him, "Are you Padesto's caravan?"

"Yes!" Commander Sindji quickly replied.

The elven captain slightly raised his chin, pursed his lips, and said to Commander Sindji, "If you travel this road again, you will have to pay a tax to Lord Alvis. This forest, including the valley in front, has become Lord Alvis's territory. You are trespassing on his private land, and according to the laws of the Elven Kingdom, we have the right to expel you. However, since you are not yet aware that this forest has become Lord Alvis's private territory, we will not expel you immediately. If you do not wish to pay the tax, you will need to leave here tomorrow morning."

Commander Sindji was slightly taken aback. He seemed to have never heard of this matter before. However, the name Lord Alvis was quite famous in the Padesto City of Padesto City. He owned the largest Trading Company in Padesto City and was considered the most powerful Silver Moon Elven Nobles in the city.

Since the elven army was able to enter the jungle and spread the news everywhere, it seems that this matter must be true.

Commander Sindji asked the Silver Moon Elf captain before him:

"I'd like to know just how large Lord Alvis's territory is here?"

The elf captain coughed softly, then took out a Parchment Map from his pocket and unfolded it.

This map is a complete map of the Pattington Plane, but it only shows the area currently occupied by the elves, radiating outwards for 300 kilometers from the Padesto City.

Clearly, the elf captain had come prepared; he had already marked a green area on the map.

Pointing to the area, the elven captain said to Captain Sindji, "From Padesto City southwards all the way to the Griffon Bulwark Mountain Range, this land has now been purchased by Lord Alvis."

Not only was Captain Sindji stunned, but all the merchant guild members looked up at the elven captain. No one could believe that Lord Alvis had bought a quarter of the land in Padesto City in one fell swoop.

Commander Sindji hurriedly asked, "Um, you mean that the forests south of Padesto have all been bought up by this Lord Alvis?"

The elf captain corrected, "In fact, Lord Alvis's territory only extends to the foot of the northern mountains of the Griffon Bulwark. The area south of the Griffon Bulwark is not considered Lord Alvis's land."

Several instructors from the Adventure Group also gathered around. Among the instructors, only Instructor Nora was Half-Elf; the others were all Silver Moon Elf, and they were all wearing Magic Inscription Construct and leather armor, which clearly indicated their extraordinary status.

The elf captain glanced at the instructors and nodded to them.

Commander Sindji continued, "Will we have to pay taxes when we pass through Lord Alvis's territory in the future?"

The elf captain softened a bit, adopting a matter-of-fact air, and said, "That's how it is."

Instructor Nora asked curiously, "Where does Lord Alvis's territory extend eastward?"

The elf captain held up the Parchment Map in his hand and said to everyone, "The territory is about two hundred kilometers wide."

Commander Sindji's expression changed slightly as he noticed the thin line on the eastern side of the map. He frowned and asked, "You mean the east extends directly to the edge of the Mochias Mountain Range?"

The elven captain shook his head and pointed to the eastern area, saying, "It's not that far. The Blackwater Swamp is not currently Lord Alvis's territory."

Commander Sindji sat down somewhat wearily and said to the elf captain, "Okay, I understand. We will leave as soon as possible."

The elven captain and his group of warriors also set up camp at the entrance of the canyon, but their camp was several dozen meters away from the caravan.

Instructor Nora sat opposite Commander Sindji and asked him, "Will caravans have to detour through this territory if they don't want to pay taxes in the future?"

Commander Sindji wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and said with some worry:

"That would mean traveling almost three times the distance, and the Mochias Mountain Range are notoriously dangerous. The magical beasts there almost always roam in packs in the forests. Even in the Blackwater Swamp, the Long-Snout Giant Crocodile, Killer Bee, dragon flies, Patterned Giant Boa are all notoriously ferocious. Without Adventure Group or Mercenary Group accompanying us, our caravan would be unable to move an inch there."

"Huh? I didn't even know there was a place like this in the Pattington Plane. If we had known about Blackwater Swamp, why would we have gone on an adventure to Griffon Bulwark..."

Instructor Nora said loudly.

Guide Majeri, somewhat dumbfounded, said to Instructor Nora, "Didn't you come here to climb the Griffon Bulwark?"

"We didn't know there was a place like the Blackwater Swamp, which is why we decided to climb the Griffon Bulwark. If we had known there were Dragonflies in the Blackwater Swamp, we should have gone there to check it out..."

Instructor Nora said with some regret.

The other instructors didn't seem to care.

Instructor Eleanor asked with some concern, "What about the elven villages within the territory?"

"Of course, we need to pay taxes, otherwise we might be kicked out!" Commander Sindji said worriedly.

The instructors fell silent; this was the last thing they wanted to see.

"..."

Even Instructor Gru, who was usually not very talkative, couldn't help but say, "They've lived here for so long, and suddenly they've become Lord Alvis's subjects. Doesn't that make sense?"

In the elven village, they witnessed the oppression of these Half-Elf by the Padesto Silver Moon Elf. These Half-Elf living in the elven village had almost no opportunity to go to school, and many Half-Elf could only become hunters or herb gatherers in their lives.

Now, the Silvermoon Elven Nobles have seized the jungles they depend on for survival...

The atmosphere in the merchant guild was somber, which actually meant that Commander Sindji needed to open up a new trade route.

The next day, the caravan successfully passed through Tiger Leap Gorge and arrived at the next elven village.

The Elf Warrior arrived first and had already issued Lord Alvis's decree. The Half-Elf in the village were thrown into chaos as everyone came out of their homes to discuss how to deal with the situation.

Some of the Half-Elf did not want to leave their home, and many elves had lived here for half their lives, so naturally they did not want to leave.

Since we've chosen to settle in the village, the first thing we need to do is pay taxes to Lord Alvis.

Many elves don't have the habit of saving money; they only try to earn money when they need it.

Just then, Commander Sindji's caravan arrived at the elven village. Many Half-Elf people took out some Magic Herbs and magical beast materials from their homes and sold them to the caravan in exchange for some Kole and paid a tax.

Many of the young Half-Elf in the village do not intend to pay taxes; they plan to leave their homes and continue migrating south.

In their words: The world is so big, we will not accept slavery.

These young Half-Elf prepared to follow the caravan south, all the way to Bulwark Village.

The entire village became incredibly noisy. The once tranquil village is now filled with the sadness of parting, as many treehouses are about to be abandoned.

The young Half-Elf clamored to go with the caravan, and Captain Sindji had no reason to refuse.

However, Commander Sindji also had his own concerns...

The further south you go, the more dangerous the jungle becomes. Monsters often roam the jungle ahead, and the closer you get to the Griffon Bulwark, the more dangerous it becomes, because the Griffins are the true rulers of the skies over this jungle.

The Adventure Group still did not follow the caravan into the village. Led by their guide, Majeri, the group of Adventure Group arrived at a mountain hollow.

This time, Instructor Nora divided the Adventure Group into two combat groups, only 500 meters apart, walking side by side through the jungle...

Roy was still in a group with Instructor Virgil, Instructor Gru, and Instructor Eleanor; their group had three instructors.

Instructor Nora and Miss Scarlett, along with Sabrina and Miss Christine, were slightly weaker, but their group also had guide Majeri.

After leaving Tiger Leap Gorge, the mountains and forests here became noticeably more desolate. It was difficult to find paths in the jungle, and everyone was practically wading through the tall grass to move forward. According to our Majeri, dire wolves often roam these mountains.

The Wind Fox that the Adventure Group hunted before could only be considered level one magical beasts, but the dire wolves here are Tier 2 Magical Beast. These kinds of magical beasts are more dangerous for Roy, Sabrina, and Miss Christine.

Therefore, when Instructor Nora into groups, she repeatedly reminded Instructor Eleanor to take good care of Roy.

However, the responsibility of taking care of Roy ultimately fell to Instructor Gru.

As the archer in the Adventure Group, Instructor Gru's usual duty is to hunt down magical beasts and deliver a fatal arrow to them.

However, what a Great Elf Archer fears most is that magical beasts break through the encirclement of the other instructors. Once they reach Instructor Gru, Instructor Gru's combat power will be greatly reduced.

Roy's main role in the Adventure Group is to protect Instructor Gru.

Instructor Eleanor walked at the front of the group, Instructor Virgil was in the middle, Instructor Gru led Roy at the very back of the group...

In the mountains, a furious Two-Headed Dire Wolf lay lurking in the tall grass, its blood-red eyes fixed on the two Half-Elf hunters ahead.

The two Half-Elf hunters had just killed a Wind Fox in its territory.

Although it had long disliked the Wind Fox, the Wind Fox was too fast and too agile, and the dire wolf never found an opportunity to hunt it down.

But now that it saw two elven hunters trespass into its territory and kill the Wind Fox, the dire wolf suddenly felt it should teach the two elven hunters a lesson, such as making them its meal.

The dire wolf lay prone in the grass, not daring to move an inch, for fear of disturbing the two elf hunters.

It patiently waits for the right opportunity...

Finally, the two elven hunters crouched down, and they seemed to be starting to skin the Wind Fox. Just then, the dire wolf suddenly leaped out of the grass and charged towards the two elven hunters a hundred meters away.