Yveta fell into thought. Should she bring her along?
The child seemed old enough to eat some rations and didn't need any special care.
And a servant with so many skills would be an absolute bargain for him, if he could hire her.
Black Wolf said instinctively, "I can drive the carriage too. We don't need you."
Alicia immediately replied, "But a strong warrior like you shouldn't spend all your time driving. That kind of work should be left to the servants."
Black Wolf blinked. He had actually been persuaded.
Right. A warrior like him shouldn't be doing a servant's work all the time.
Yveta realized that the woman was sharp-minded. He wasn't really the former Prince of Arthas, so he didn't have much of a noble's mindset.
He didn't truly believe that blood determined everything. There were talented people among commoners too; they just weren't given the chance.
"You've convinced me, Alicia."
"Leili, how much were you paying her before?"
Blackhearted Leili let out a sigh of relief. "Master, I used to give her 1.2 liters of wheat every eight weeks, and pay her five shillings each year."
Yveta nodded and said to Alicia, "Then I can provide meals for you, but you'll have to do all kinds of odd jobs."
"Also, since we don't have anywhere to settle down yet, I can't pay you the money or grain for now. But if we find a territory, I'll pay you for your work at that rate."
"Can you accept that?"
After all, the only money he had right now was the 34 pounds Leili had given him from his own savings.
He was short on money, and that made everything inconvenient.
Alicia's face lit up. "I gladly accept, merciful sir. Lord of All Things will bless you."
"Thank you for your generosity."
She immediately gathered up her child, climbed onto the carriage, and began driving.
The whole group climbed aboard the carriage.
Yveta also remembered to bring their cow. They had survived disaster together, after all; he couldn't just forget about it.
And so, they set off for the Viscount Independent State.
Soon, the road ahead left the forest behind and entered the mountains. Scattered trees stood among the mountains and highlands.
After they crossed ten connected hills, Yveta felt the magic inside him suddenly surge, and his body began to feel uncomfortable.
It was as if something heavy were pressing down on him.
The Old Witch seemed to feel something similar. She muttered and cursed, "Damn this Holy Mountain Desert phenomenon!"
"Who would want to live in a place like this? What terrible taste."
Yveta carefully sensed what was happening. The quality of the magic inside him hadn't declined, but its total amount had, and it had also become somewhat difficult to use.
It was as if someone had suddenly bound a person's hands in chains, making every movement awkward.
Yveta was puzzled. "Why does my magic suddenly feel so difficult to control?"
"It's not just you. Leili and I feel the same." Demon Hunter Black Wolf was growing restless. After the carriage crossed the ten connected hills, he had suddenly felt weak and listless.
"Hmph. You Demon Hunters only operate north of the Alps, so of course you wouldn't know about the Holy Mountain Desert. Those ten little hills we just crossed are the famous Ten Peaks Mountain Range."
The Old Witch's tone was gloomy. "Most witches and wizards hate the Viscount Ambrose's Independent State."
"This country lies wedged between the Magic Black Forest and the radiance of the Church's thirty-three Heavenly Mountains. The two supreme laws clash, creating a forbidden zone: the Viscount Ambrose's Independent State, this godforsaken place."
The Hearthstone Great Witch said bitterly, "In this place, everyone's supernatural powers are suppressed."
"It's like a fish swimming in water that accidentally ends up stranded on the shore."
"My magic has been suppressed by at least half."
"Because of this strange phenomenon, magical materials are extremely scarce throughout the Viscount Ambrose's Independent State."
"Magic is not flourishing here, and other power systems are relatively weak too."
Magic users, the Church, and even noble knights from other regions all hated coming here.
The Hearthstone Great Witch pulled aside the carriage curtain and looked toward the distant mountains, past Alicia and her child. "The advantage is that, under normal circumstances, the strongest people in the Viscount Ambrose's Independent State only reach the level of Great Knight. Only a very few Formal Witches ever come here, like my Beloved Disciple."
"The Great Witches wouldn't enter a cursed place like this."
Black Wolf and the others looked enlightened.
Black Wolf said, "No wonder the ruler of such a vast mountainous territory is only a viscount, and one who's technically independent, at that."
The Old Witch nodded. "Because supernatural powers are suppressed here, ordinary people's arts have flourished instead."
"The Viscount Ambrose's Independent State is one of the most densely urbanized countries."
"It's also a center of art, literature, and music. My Beloved Disciple told me that people in this country admire novelists, musicians, painters, and dancers."
Yveta asked, "But the professionals in this country are so weak. The strongest are only Great Knights, who are Third Sequence professionals."
"Why don't high-sequence professionals from elsewhere come here and start slaughtering people?"
The Old Witch bowed her head to Yveta. "Your Grace, you've astutely identified the problem."
"Because this is an ominous place."
"No one knows why, but whenever a professional above the Third Sequence—that is, a Fourth Order professional or higher—enters this territory..."
"The results are never good. Some contract a strange, serious illness; some die in accidents; some go mad. Over time, no high-level professionals have been willing to set foot here."
"Still, it's only a rumor, so occasionally a Fourth Level professional will pass through for a short time."
Black Wolf grumbled, "That sounds a lot like something you witches would do."
The Old Witch sneered. "For all we know, it was the Church. After all, this place is north of the Papal State, its northern gateway. I can understand them wanting to stabilize the situation."
"There must be a deep secret buried beneath this land."
"But that has nothing to do with us." Yveta stopped their argument in time. "Everyone, this land can't accommodate high-level professionals. That's actually good for us."
"It means we can make a real go of things here."
"Look ahead. There's the first town we've come across!"
Everyone immediately looked outside. A town lay on a small patch of flatland halfway up the mountainside.
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