Abundance Oasis, a woodland path.
A caravan from Sumeru City was transporting goods unique to the desert back to the city. Merchants like them usually brought supplies that were scarce in the desert over from the rainforest.
On the return journey, they transported specialties from the desert that the rainforest lacked, so they would not have to return with empty loads. If those sold well, they could make an extra profit.
Now, passing through Abundance Oasis, the caravan was preparing to replenish its water.
Although the caravan still had plenty of water, normally enough to last until Caravan Ribat, they had come to replenish it simply to guard against accidents that might leave them short.
For example, monsters might attack, and they might accidentally spill or lose their water.
What they had not expected was that continuing along their usual route would have been uneventful, while coming to the oasis brought trouble instead!
The caravan continued calmly down the path. The next second, more than a dozen Eremite mercenaries suddenly emerged from the bushes on one side and surrounded them.
Faced with the sudden ambush, the caravan guards instinctively shielded the goods behind them. The middle-aged man leading the caravan scowled.
"Eremites... what do you want?"
Naturally, a caravan doing business somewhere as dangerous as the desert brought guards along. They had a dozen or so.
Although their combat experience might not match that of the Eremites, if it came to a fight to the death, they would not necessarily lose.
"Heh, nothing much. You've made plenty of money in the desert, haven't you? Leave the Mora and goods, and you can go!"
The leader of the Eremites sneered as he spoke.
He knew these caravan guards fairly well. If they left them no way out and demanded their lives,