Delan

Delan.

Delan was a fairly famous city in the south of the Main Continent. It was not far from Galan City, with barely over a hundred li between them in a straight line. Yet across those hundred-odd li lay two small mountain ranges, a forest, and countless Bandit Groups of every size hidden within the mountains and woods.

Thus, although Delan and Galan City were not far apart, there was not much exchange between them. Each month, only a handful of merchant caravans traveled between them to trade and exchange goods. These caravans all had numerous guards, and some even employed wandering low-rank independent Wizards and Magic-armored Knights. Only in this way could they shake off the harassment of the many Bandit Groups, sell each city the goods it lacked, and reap enormous profits.

In other words, the merchants who organized these caravans were all licking blood from the edge of a blade, taking enormous risks. Once their armed strength failed to inspire sufficient fear and wariness in the bandit groups along the route, the consequences would be unimaginable. So long as the first bandit group stepped forward to attack them and inflicted a certain amount of damage, the remaining bandit groups would swarm in like sharks that had smelled blood in the sea, biting them until not even scraps remained.

Such things had happened many times.

Yet no matter how often such things happened, trade between Delan and Galan City had never been completely cut off. This was all thanks to Delan merchants, who never feared sacrifice—only having no money to earn.

This was a trait shared by all Delan merchants.

It could be called vile, because it came from greed. It could also be called admirable, because it came from tenacity.

Whatever the case, it was precisely because