"We've suffered heavy losses. Many people are injured or dead, and we..." Annie took a deep breath and looked back at the fallen mercenary corpses and bloodstained carriages. Her eyes were slightly red. "We need help. Please ask for whatever you need—gold coins, goods, or weapons. The Voya Merchant Guild will never be stingy when it comes to helping its friends."
Crystal-clear tears welled in her eyes, like peach blossoms from early spring crushed into the mud. The ruin of beautiful things always caused an involuntary ache in the heart.
Richard swung off Windchaser's back. He reached into his pocket, just about to take out a handkerchief, but suddenly remembered that he had used the cloth to blow his nose not long ago. He quietly withdrew his hand again.
"What kind of help?" It was no small matter for Richard to establish even a slight connection with a major guild like the Voya Merchant Guild. At the very least, he wouldn't be cheated too badly when purchasing goods or selling spoils in the future.
So, as long as it wasn't especially troublesome, he didn't mind lending a little assistance.
"The people remaining in the caravan aren't enough to continue the trade, and we have no way to retreat to Koren City either. So we hope to rest briefly in your territory."
Their current position was extremely awkward. Whether they advanced or retreated, they would have to cross a vast stretch of wilderness. A caravan without enough guards traveling through the wilderness was no different from a slab of meat everyone coveted a bite of. What was more, the injured mercenaries were in no condition to endure the jolting journey.
Annie held up a cloudy white crystal in her palm. Wisps of gray mist drifted inside it. Strangely, the gray mist was actually floating back and forth as the crystal moved, and it was steadily increasing. Soon, it spread from the inside to the surface, completely transforming the white crystal into a gray stone within a dozen breaths.
"What is this?"
Richard's bumpkin nature was fully exposed. He was instantly captivated, turning it over and over in his hand. It was obviously some kind of magical item, but its specific function was beyond the scope of his knowledge.
Though many people had told him that he had absolutely no magical talent, he had always been extremely enthusiastic about such mysterious things. Unfortunately, he rarely had the chance to get this close to one.
"Deluphone Communication Crystal. I used it to send a magical distress message to the guild, but it can only be used once."
"How long will it take for reinforcements to arrive?" Richard secretly stuffed the discarded magical item into his empty money pouch, planning to study it carefully after he returned.
"At least three days. This place is simply too far from Koren." Annie looked somewhat dejected, her pointed ears fluttering lightly with unease.
"No problem. The gates of High Mountain Keep are always open to friendly guests."
There was a calm, unruffled river in the wilderness called the Raging Waves River. On the riverbank stood a wooden building atop a hill called High Mountain Keep.
Two Ogres stood knee-deep in the waters of the Raging Waves River. Bending over, they picked up colorful pebbles from the riverbed and placed the pretty stones in the crooks of their arms. Once they could carry no more, they returned to shore and piled them on the ground.
They occasionally shoved each other over ownership of a pebble, but soon returned to their respective tasks, focused and earnest.
Before setting out that morning, the lord of High Mountain Keep had left them behind to gather pebbles from the river. He had promised to exchange them for dried meat. The simple minds of the Hum-Ha Duo could not understand what use inedible stones had, but they certainly loved dried meat, so they worked with great enthusiasm. The pebbles on the shore had already formed a small hill.
As the sun began to sink westward, they heard heavy, muffled footsteps. They stood up and looked around blankly. Then they suddenly spotted a huge, fully armored beast slowly approaching in the distance with heavy steps. Sitting on the beast's back seemed to be the person who gave them dried meat.
The Hum-Ha Duo were as happy as children. They cheered and jumped for joy, showing off the results of their half-day's labor. Richard pretended to examine them for a few moments, then distributed the dried meat seized from the Goblin tribe to the two Ogres, encouraging them to keep working hard at gathering pebbles.
Gunther watched all this, filled with nothing but admiration.
Those dried meat strips were of unknown origin, covered in grease, and perhaps even ancient. Tossed onto the ground, they were no different from mud. Apart from foolish Ogres, who would touch them? Yet Richard had somehow tricked the Hum-Ha Duo into working for half a day before giving them the meat. With such a miserly attitude—even flies passing by would have a leg pulled off—it was no wonder he had become a lord!
More than a dozen fully loaded carriages slowly came to a stop behind them. Compared with the barbarians frolicking about in high spirits, the morale of both the drivers and the mercenaries had fallen to rock bottom.
They had lost nearly half their companions forever, and every survivor was injured. Some were even seriously wounded. Though they made their living by risking their lives on the edge of a blade, such a price was still far too heavy.
In Richard's eyes, quite a few of these people would die one after another over the next few days because their injuries were too severe. Take the One-Eyed Dragon who had performed so brilliantly earlier, for example. He had been bitten on the neck. Everyone knew that Gnolls had no habit of brushing their teeth, and the scraps of food between their teeth would cause the wound to become infected rapidly.
He would soon develop a high fever. The wound would begin to fester, followed by unconsciousness, until he finally stopped breathing. The entire process was almost irreversible in the wilderness. There were no priests here, and medicine was scarce. The natives would even deliver a quick stab to the seriously injured to spare them further suffering.
These people's lives were already difficult to save. But whether they were given a final blow or left to wail in agony until they died, the morale of the other mercenaries would be crushed. Richard felt that if he were in Annie's position, he would have trouble finding a solution too.
It was proof that the amount of gold coins a person possessed directly affected their way of thinking. The lord of High Mountain Keep had pockets cleaner than his face, so he clearly did not understand the saying that any problem solvable with money was not a problem.
Annie took a transparent, hexagonal long crystal bottle from a carriage. It was filled with a viscous liquid as thick as glue, its color the purest gold, as if actual gold had been melted into liquid. Under the sunlight, it shimmered brilliantly.
Richard had seen enough to recognize it at a glance: Concentrated Holy Water blessed by a high priest of archbishop rank. The immense spell power it contained had made the ordinary water within as dense as glue. Compared with ordinary holy water, it was also more stable and easier to store. A tiny sip was enough to produce an effect no weaker than a low-level divine spell.
Of course, he had considered storing some of this excellent stuff as military supplies. But after making a few inquiries, he immediately abandoned the idea.
Concentrated Holy Water was produced only in grand cathedrals at the provincial-capital level, and even then, in extremely limited quantities. Truly precious limited-edition goods could not be bought merely by throwing money at them. One also had to maintain a good personal relationship with the bishop himself!
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