Encountering Bandits on the Road (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Encountering Bandits on the Road (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

In the year 1006 of the Holy Radiance Calendar, the Month of Vitality had arrived once more, a season of growing grass, singing orioles, and reviving life.

Several months had passed since Blackwater Valley suffered the wolf disaster, and the lives of its people had returned to normal.

After clearing out the wolf pack led by the Mountain Sitting Wolf King, wolves had rarely been seen again.

Levi judged that the Black Mountain range around his territory probably contained only that one pack of Mountain Sitting Wolves.

Though such total extermination might disrupt the ecological balance of this small region, Levi could not afford to worry about that.

Besides, even if snow deer, hares, and the like multiplied, they would merely become easily acquired game before Levi's Full Level Archery.

That day, Levi wore light chainmail beneath a coarse linen robe.

Within all of Blackwater Valley Territory, only he and Knight Fred possessed chainmail.

Such intricately crafted armor was expensive, and for now, there was no way to issue it to every soldier.

"Young Master Levi, you must be careful. The Northern Territory is full of fierce folk, and with the Kingdom constantly at war lately, bandits, brigands, and Wandering Knights who have lost their fiefs have grown more numerous. Although you have already advanced to Pre-Knight, you must still be extremely cautious. Do not casually approach strangers. If you can run, then run. Wealth is only an external possession. You are the Black Serpent Family's last hope."

Knight Fred looked solemn as he nagged, his tone like that of a mother seeing her child off on a long journey.

Levi smiled. "Don't worry, Lord Fred. I'm already fifteen. I can take care of myself. While I'm away, I'll have to trouble you to pay more attention to the territory's affairs."

Knight Fred nodded. Levi waved, slung a large pack over his back, and quietly left the territory in the silent, deserted night.

His cultivation speed was slowing more and more, while the resources required for training kept increasing. This trip was meant to solve four problems.

First, he needed to purchase the Ambergris required to prepare Black Snake Secret Medicine.

Second, he needed to find buyers for the weapons and armor he had forged, preferably long-term, stable, and trustworthy buyers.

Third, he needed to collect more Breathing Techniques, especially Bloodline Breathing Techniques, and see whether he could cultivate multiple Breathing Techniques at once. If he could, then he would only need to find the Giant Breathing Technique to use that [Frost Giant] Magic Armor. At that point, Levi's strength would undergo a qualitative transformation! Fourth, he wanted to try his luck again and see whether he could find any traces of wizards.

Once he solved the first three problems, Levi could cultivate Breathing Techniques without any worries.

As for the fourth, he would leave it to fate. It would be best if he found something, but if not, he could take it slowly. The path of a Knight alone was enough to keep him grinding for a long time.

Levi's destination was Icewind City, several hundred miles east of Blackwater Valley. It lay in Earl Silver Mountain's Icewind Territory and was the largest city within a thousand-mile radius, one of the Northern Territory's four great cities.

To buy something as rare as Ambergris, he had to go to a large city. Levi did not trust anyone else with the task, so after much consideration, he decided to go himself.

For one thing, his strength had changed dramatically. He had been a Pre-Knight for some time now, and with Golden Cross Slash at the Advanced Vibration stage, along with Full Level Archery, even against a Knight, he was not without a chance. If anything unexpected happened, he should be able to handle it.

Besides, he was only going to buy things, not pick a fight. Under normal circumstances, there should not be any danger.

Still, just in case, Levi had made thorough preparations for this journey: dozens of pounds of dried rations and meat, as well as fifty feathered arrows. Iron Arrows were too heavy and inconvenient to carry.

In addition, he had several Fine Quality knight swords he had forged in his pack. He intended to use them to open up a market in the Northern Territory.

Naturally, he had kept the best-quality ones for his own soldiers. As long as he had iron, he would never lack weapons.

He had no intention of conquering the world. As long as he could maintain a few hundred well-equipped, fully armed troops in Blackwater Valley for self-defense and avoid being bullied by criminal forces like the Boar Gang, Levi would be satisfied.

Cultivation remained the main quest. Everything else was merely a side quest.

Levi did not ride a horse. With his current Pre-Knight physique, a horse was not much faster than he was, and would instead draw attention.

After all, in this era, anyone who could ride a horse was no ordinary person.

Following a muddy path where the snow had half melted, he traveled for a day and a night. The Evil Spirits he had feared most did not appear, which made Levi breathe a sigh of relief.

He was most afraid of encountering those undead ghosts immune to physical attacks.

But when he entered a mandatory mountain pass in Icewind Territory on the second day, trouble still came.

A group of sallow-faced, emaciated, vicious-looking mountain bandits blocked his path. Their leader was a burly man in cloth armor, gripping a large saber.

"Kid, if you don't want to go meet the Heavenly Father, obediently put down everything in your hands. Put your weapons on the ground and raise your hands," the burly leader said.

"That's right. We of the Wild Grass Gang kill without blinking. Heh heh heh," a bandit beside him laughed.

Levi looked around. Within his line of sight, there were thirteen bandits in total.

Judging from their ragged clothing and malnourished appearance, they were probably not very skilled at their trade.

The leader had some ability, though. He was probably around the level of a Pre-Knight. Levi could sense faint white mist flickering over his body, a sign that his Breathing Technique was operating.

He threw everything onto the ground and swiftly drew his bow and nocked an arrow! Bang! The feathered arrow tore through the air straight toward the Pre-Knight, but the man had clearly been prepared for Levi to resist and dodged it immediately.

"Very good. It seems you've prepared yourself to die." He put on the iron helmet hanging from his waist. It was the only piece of Knight equipment he had found along the road, and it could keep his head from being struck by an arrow.

Bang! Bang! But in that brief instant, Levi fired two more arrows! This time, however, they were not aimed at the leader. With his Full Level Archery, he barely needed to aim.

The two arrows flowed as naturally as clouds and water, instantly blowing apart the heads of two ordinary bandits. They had no equipment to speak of.

In truth, they had never imagined that anyone in the world could train Archery to such a terrifying extent.

Even if the Kingdom's Master Archers came, they would have to admit inferiority.

"Damn it!" The burly man rushed forward, swinging his saber down at Levi! The others also closed in from every direction. Against a Master Archer, they had to close the distance quickly. Otherwise, that brat alone could slaughter them all.

Seeing this, Levi smiled faintly and drew Frostmourne from his waist. Wisps of white vapor rose from his body.