Entering the Mountain

Leaving Lakeside Town and following the main road northeast, you pass through two territories.

The first is Pasture City, ruled by the Iron Hoof Viscount Family.

Pasture City is famous for raising horses. At least half of the Wushan Territory's horses, both ordinary and warhorses, come from Pasture City.

As an ancient family that existed even before the Orlant Empire was divided, the Iron Hoof Family holds a very high status in the Wushan Territory.

Earlier, Luo Ning had planned to go to Pasture City to purchase supplies, but now it wasn't necessary.

The second territory they passed through was Swamp Town, ruled by Baron Leysen of the Sain Family.

His predecessor didn't know much about this family, only that the current Baron of the Sain Family seemed to be an Advanced Peak Knight.

As the noble territory closest to Mountain Forest Town, Sain Territory could be considered Luo Ning's neighbor. He planned to find time to visit.

After passing through Sain Territory and heading further north, they saw rolling hills.

The mountains weren't high, at most one or two hundred meters, and the slopes weren't steep. However, there were many of them, stretching out in a continuous expanse, which was the reason for Mountain Forest Town's inconvenient transportation and remote location.

Luo Ning took out his map. It only had a rough mark indicating the location of Mountain Forest Town. Using it for precise navigation was clearly impossible.

Fortunately, there was a path through the forest that people had used, which guided their direction.

"It's noon. Let's rest here for a bit, everyone."

Luo Ning had Chahar inform everyone to rest. He himself stood on the forest path.

"Lord, the path into the mountains seems difficult to travel," Macken reminded him.

"That's inevitable."

Luo Ning sighed and squatted down by the side of the road. "But there are also carriage tracks here. Clearly, carriages also come out of Mountain Forest Town. Since they can come out, we can go in."

Mountain Forest Town had no lord, but there were carriage tracks on the road. This indicated that in addition to someone from Wushan Castle coming to collect taxes every year, the people inside also interacted with the outside world.

This was a normal phenomenon.

Mountain Forest Town didn't have all the necessities for human survival. Some things still needed to be bought outside.

"Once we reach Mountain Forest Town, if everything goes smoothly, I will form a hunting team to see if we can hunt Magical Beasts."

"If we can obtain Magical Beast hides, then Elrond and I will learn to make Spell Scrolls."

He currently had three bottles of the "ink" Pedro had left behind for making Spell Scrolls. If it weren't for the lack of Magical Beast hides, he and Elrond would have already started learning to make Spell Scrolls.

Forming a hunting team was a decision Luo Ning made after careful consideration.

After all, those who live by the mountains eat from the mountains, and those who live by the water eat from the water. Being close to the Magical Beasts Mountain Range, they should definitely eat Magical Beasts.

The materials from Magical Beasts could be sold for money, and Spell Scrolls were a derivative industry.

Of course, this was under the condition that progress was smooth. It had to wait until everything was stable.

"Elrond is willing to serve you, Lord!" the Mage respectfully responded to Luo Ning's suggestion.

These past two days, Elrond was the most idle.

He was not like Macken, whom he could guide in sword practice and combat. At the same time, he didn't need to train like the Guards. When he had nothing to do, he could only refine Mana, being the most idle and most bored.

With nothing to do, Elrond could only flip through the books in the carriage, increasing his knowledge.

"You don't need to worry about having nothing to do. Once we reach the territory, I estimate everyone will be busy."

Luo Ning had the air of someone about to undertake a major endeavor. After all, it was his own territory – the mountains, the water, the people were all his. Not managing it well would truly be a waste.

After a simple lunch, Luo Ning led the team back on the road.

The mountain road was bumpy, and some places had even been washed out into gullies by water, making it very difficult for the carriage to pass.

For comfort, Luo Ning didn't continue riding in the carriage but chose to ride a horse instead.

"To get rich, build roads first!"

This was a golden rule, but looking at these undulating hills, which weren't high but were numerous, he knew that building a road would be a very massive project.

"It will be difficult to build a flat road from Mountain Forest Town to the outside world in a short time."

Luo Ning sighed, he could only take it one step at a time. For now, ensuring the carriage could pass smoothly was enough.

"Elrond, do you think there's any Magic or Battle Technique that can open up mountains?"

"Certainly!"

Elrond was very certain. "Mages draw upon World Elements to cast spells, and World Elements are vast and boundless. As long as a Mage is powerful enough and can mobilize enough elements, I'm sure the power will be sufficient to open up mountains!"

"You have a point."

Luo Ning turned to ask Macken, "You have the Earth Attribute. Do you think there's any Battle Technique that can open up mountains?"

Battle Techniques utilized the Knight's own Battle Qi. In terms of power, they were generally weaker than Magic, but Macken also gave a definite answer.

"It's certainly possible, but compared to Magic, the difficulty should be a bit higher."

Luo Ning nodded. "From now on, the road from Mountain Forest Town to the outside world will rely on you to build."

Macken: "Uh... If you need me to, Lord, I will do my best!"

"Haha~"

As the group entered the mountains and forests, the weather became less hot. The coolness during breaks, especially with the mountain breeze, was quite pleasant.

However, it got a bit cold in the latter half of the night. Without enough bonfires, they would likely catch a cold.

Fortunately, the one thing they weren't short of here was wood.

The road was difficult to travel. Luo Ning and the others walked for over a day before finally crossing a small hill and seeing the town in the distance.

Luo Ning glanced at the huge rock by the roadside ahead. The name of the town ahead was clearly written on it in red letters—Mountain Forest Town!

"We're finally here!" he said happily.

They had set off on the fourth and now it was the afternoon of the thirteenth. They had walked for ten days and were finally close to their destination.

The guards, hearing Luo Ning's voice, also began to cheer.

Many of them had doubted whether they could reach Mountain Forest Town safely at the beginning. Now that Mountain Forest Town was in sight, they had done it!

For them, who had barely left Wushan City since birth, this was both a challenge and an achievement, and it would be something they could talk about with their descendants in the future.

"Chahar, we'll rest here for lunch!"

Luo Ning said with a smile, "Let everyone eat their fill and rest well at noon. We'll enter the town in the afternoon!"

"Yes, my lord," Chahar quickly went to make arrangements.

Luo Ning dismounted from his horse. David took the reins he handed over and stood to the side. Since the young man had become a Beginner Knight, Luo Ning had also arranged for him to be by his side.

"The terrain of Mountain Forest Town isn't bad. It's not a mountain city like I imagined."

Luo Ning stood in the middle of the road, looking out at the town in the distance.

Looking from the uphill slope, Mountain Forest Town was located in a plain between the mountains. Although there were hills within the town, they were not high and were much gentler than the peaks they had passed through on their way here, belonging to a typical hilly characteristic.

"I remember Holwart saying that after crossing the woodland to the east and north of Mountain Forest Town, you face the sea."

The sea was also a kind of resource. If they could extend the territory to the seaside, that would be a very rare thing.

Withdrawing his gaze, Luo Ning walked over to the road sign, which was the large rock. He patted the rock twice. This thing wasn't light; it weighed at least several hundred pounds.

"Macken, I have a task for you."

Macken stepped forward. "My lord, please tell me."

Luo Ning pointed at the large rock and said, "After we settle down and have some free time, I want you to move this road sign for me."

"No problem!"

Macken examined the rock. If he were to move it, he would probably need to use a carriage.

"My lord, where do you want me to move it?"

Luo Ning pondered slightly. "Just along this road, move it about fifty li south first."

"Oh, right. If it's inconvenient to move, just break this rock and erect another road sign fifty li away."

Hearing this, Elrond, who was nearby, smiled. "Congratulations, my lord, your territory has expanded another circle!"

"Haha, you're the one who can immediately understand what I mean!"

Looking at the road they had taken, there was still a lot of undeveloped land in this area. Who knew if Count Wiggins would send a Pioneer Knight here to compete with him for territory.

First, move the territorial marker further away. If anyone else comes, they'll have to wrangle with Luo Ning first.

"Macken, Elrond, David, you are all Transcendent. Your observation abilities are a bit sharper than ordinary people. Pay more attention to the surroundings during the break. Report immediately if there's any situation."

Although he had arrived at his own territory, Luo Ning did not lower his guard after the experience of being assassinated by the guards before.

He wasn't sure if it was his people or his enemies who were waiting to welcome him.