Return to Territory, New Mission

April 7th, Year 6120 of the Norr Calendar.

A caravan laden with grain, cloth, and various daily necessities, escorted by over a hundred burly barbarian guards clad in armor, slowly made its way out of the city.

The luxurious carriage at the center of the caravan was pulled by three pure white, high-grade warhorses. Its doors, carved with exquisite patterns, exuded elegance and nobility.

The carriage interior was spacious, large enough for several people to lie down and sleep.

What drew the most attention from the crowd was the banner issued by the Noble Elder Council displayed on the carriage—a silver crescent moon.

Only nobles of a rank higher than Count were permitted to use the exclusive banner of the Silver Moon Kingdom.

It was a symbol of prestige and rarity.

Loren half-reclined on the carriage's soft cotton cushions, gazing out the glass window at the street with anticipation in his eyes.

After successfully subduing the barbarians yesterday afternoon, the five members of the Purple Thorn Merchant Guild had quickly equipped him with the supplies he desired—armor for every barbarian and a large quantity of daily necessities.

After resting for a night at the Jasmine Flower Merchant Guild, he did not linger in the city, departing directly with his troops and supplies.

The Gray Eagle Territory awaited its master's return.

Outside the glass window, the cityscape of this great northern city unfolded before his dark, deep pupils as the carriage moved.

The streets of Decker City, with their three-hundred-year history, were ancient and rugged. The towering obelisk-shaped buildings on either side were adorned with religious bas-reliefs, projecting an aura of majesty and sanctity.

At the crossroads stood bronze sculptures of sky knights battling griffins, exuding a sense of power.

His gaze shifted to the pedestrians on either side.

The streets were mostly filled with adventurers wearing leather or full armor; there were few commoners.

City guards in sturdy armor patrolled the streets, occasionally stopping to inspect shops.

Some adventurers returning from outside the city carried magical beasts, discussing animatedly with excited expressions. Merchants, upon seeing the magical beasts, would eagerly emerge from their shops to inquire about prices.

Others were covered in blood, their faces grim, their hands empty.

Still others carried their injured companions, whose arms or legs were missing, their faces etched with sorrow.

Beggars by the roadside looked at the adventurers who had captured magical beasts with a mixture of numbness, fear, and pleading in their eyes, hoping for a coin or some food.

But the adventurers hurried past, ignoring the beggars, with only a few young ladies, unable to bear the sight of particularly young beggars, taking out a few common coins and placing them before them.

Nobles, adventurers, beggars, merchants, city guards.

Loren was inexplicably stunned by this scene.

This familiar yet strange world seemed to open its curtain to him at this very moment.

Thump, thump~

The iron-shod hooves of the horses struck the bluestone ground with a crisp sound. Escorted by barbarians fore and aft, the caravan, after traversing the long street, slowly passed through the towering city gates.

The moment Loren saw the city walls of Decker City, he instantly raised his head.

As the largest city in the north, Decker City's massive stone walls stood over forty meters high, a veritable chasm in this world.

Above the walls, arrow towers stood every so often, extending more than ten meters higher than the ramparts.

Fearsome siege crossbows gleamed coldly from the embrasures, ever ready to hunt down any approaching enemy.

Even more striking were the enormous magical beasts in the sky—griffins.

These terrifying creatures, with the wings of eagles and the bodies of lions, soared through the air, casting shadows that blotted out the sun.

Sky cavalry had always been the sharp edge of warfare. The Griffin Legion of Decker City, along with the Gold Knights, were the primary reasons this city had stood for centuries.

It was hard to imagine what kind of power would be needed to conquer such a magnificent city.

These sights filled Loren with yearning.

The Gray Eagle Territory would one day be more magnificent than this city!

The caravan passed through the city gates, leaving the walls behind.

However, not long after the caravan left the gates, a gentle breeze blew. What should have been a comfortable breeze caused him to frown.

A smell of blood, a strong smell of blood.

Loren sensed something and abruptly turned his head to look back at the city walls.

He saw that the exterior of the chasm-like city walls was coated in a thick layer of blood, so much so that it had turned black.

The claw marks on the city walls, as if made by a wild beast's attack, were exceptionally dense, like tens of thousands of strokes from a carving knife on a piece of wood.

This scene had a profound impact on him.

Bloody Polluters.

These terrifying monsters, hidden in dimensional planes, attacked Human cities every Bloody Day.

As the largest city in the north, the pressure Decker City endured from the attacks of the Bloody Polluters each month was unimaginable to outsiders.

Soldiers in sturdy armor, towering arrow towers, flying griffins—all of these were prepared for those terrifying creatures.

"Fiana, you participated in the war against the Lizardmen Empire. Compared to the attacks on cities by the Bloody Polluters, which is more terrifying?"

Loren's gaze fell upon the cold, aloof girl beside him.

The Lizardman Empire bordered the Silver Moon Kingdom, and the two had engaged in an unprecedented war years ago. His predecessor's parents had died in that conflict.

"Lizardmen."

Fiana's eyes narrowed slightly, a few long-buried memories surfacing as she spoke in a low voice.

"Fighting lizardmen is to defend the interests of the Silver Moon Kingdom, while fighting the Bloody Polluters is for survival. They are not comparable."

She said no more, and the matter was dropped. It wasn't a memory worth dwelling on.

Loren observed the girl's thoughtful expression, sensing her emotions, and decided not to press further. He then looked towards the burly barbarian chieftain, Yas Frost, at the front of the convoy.

"This army is in your charge. Can you train them within half a month?"

Once Fiana's emotions had calmed, she shook her head.

"I am not skilled in training armies, and these barbarians are loyal to you. Even though I am Platinum-grade, the barbarians, given their nature, would never simply obey my orders. Their pride is etched into their very bones. These fierce warriors who fear no death will only truly obey if they are genuinely subdued."

Loren understood. The strength of the barbarians was undeniable, but it would take effort to utilize them effectively.

The convoy traveled at a speed of about 10 kilometers per hour, which wasn't fast. The physical constitution of Humans on the Nol Main Plane was far superior to those on Earth, so this pace was merely average.

After leaving Decker City, vast stretches of barren land began to appear. The Endless Wasteland had an extremely harsh environment. The reason it attracted so many Pioneer Lords to open up territory was the abundance of precious mineral veins hidden within the land. These were indispensable and valuable resources for forging weapons, crafting armor, and for daily life, which relied on countless items made of gold, silver, copper, and iron. Thus, it was a fiercely contested area among various empires and tribes.

The desolate landscape didn't continue indefinitely. After more than ten minutes, patches of farmland appeared alongside a small river, where green crops were blooming with pure white flowers. Even from a distance, the sight was uplifting, as if one were immersed in a sea of flowers.

"Is that the Blue Heart Fruit?"

Loren inquired of the girl beside him, the only one he could converse with. Fiana, whose expression was usually cool and detached, initially didn't want to bother with such a trivial question, but seeing his curious eyes, she couldn't help but respond.

"As a lord, you should learn the essential knowledge for a lord. Due to the existence of the Bloody Polluters, the main staple crop on the Nol Main Plane is the Blue Heart Fruit. The roots of the Blue Heart Fruit are buried about a meter underground and require a large amount of water to grow. Even if the flowers and leaves are removed before maturity, it can still grow. This is why, despite the Bloody Polluters attacking human cities every month, they haven't caused a complete crop failure."

Loren's curiosity satisfied, he smiled and said nothing more. His predecessor had been a typical noble son, proficient in certain artistic knowledge, such as appreciating Elf paintings, but was utterly clueless about things a farmer would need to know.

The rest of the journey passed in silence. Within approximately a hundred kilometers around Decker City lay the actual controlled territory of Decker City. Military patrols were frequent, and convoys laden with goods could be seen on the roads. Settlements and villages built along rivers were not uncommon, and the sea of Blue Heart Fruit flowers could also be seen often.

However, once the convoy left Decker City's controlled area, the surrounding environment immediately felt more hostile. Not only did the roads become increasingly difficult to traverse, but quite a few bandits also appeared, eyeing the convoy greedily. Fortunately, most of them had the good sense to retreat upon seeing over a hundred barbarians as strong as bull calves. No one wished to clash with Highland Barbarians unless they were prepared to die. This was all the more true for a noble's convoy.

Loren had initially intended to have the barbarians eliminate these bandits to gain experience, but these enemies, who retreated when approached and followed them from a distance, were too slippery and showed no desire to fight. The barbarians hadn't even gotten close before they fled. After several such instances, Loren lost interest in further entanglements with these bandits. He dispatched the barbarian chieftain with over a dozen barbarians to patrol the surrounding area, then sped up towards his territory.

Although ordinary human bandits dared not attack Loren's convoy, other races did not share the same restraint. In the Endless Wasteland, besides Humans, numerous other races resided. The most numerous among them were the Orcs. Orcs were not a single race but a general term for all intelligent beings with beast-like characteristics.

Gnolls, Kobolds, Ratkin, Boarmen, Werewolves, Tigerkin. And others like them are all Orcs.

Various Orc tribes, large and small, are scattered throughout the Endless Wasteland.

These savage races typically live by hunting. During the Bloody Day, they return to their territories or hide in unfathomably deep caves to take shelter.

If any outsiders dare to step foot into their lands, they don't mind playing the role of hunter and bandit.

The massive caravan, having strayed from the main Human roads, traveled across the wasteland, making it quite conspicuous.

And because of this, trouble soon arose.

After the caravan passed a small stream, the Barbarian Chieftain Yas approached with a grim expression to report—a large number of Kobolds had appeared in the vicinity, numbering at least two hundred.

Moreover, among these Kobolds, there seemed to be a Bloodline Mage.

Upon hearing this, Loren immediately became vigilant.

Kobolds themselves weren't terrifying, but even a clumsy Spellcaster shouldn't be underestimated.

Just as he was about to make arrangements, a system notification suddenly chimed.

"Ding~ Quest Triggered: Kobold's Stare.

Across the Endless Wasteland live Orc tribes of all sizes. Kobolds are one of them. These greedy and timid creatures become bloodthirsty and murderous when they gather in sufficient numbers.

Please defeat the Kobolds within three hours.

Quest Reward: The Kobold Bloodline Mage's Loyalty."