"Don't be afraid! The invading enemies have all been killed by us, so the caravan is not in danger. Sir, please calm everyone's emotions and continue to rest; don't let this affect tomorrow's movements."
Chen Huijie's words carried a high level of credibility. The person in charge of the caravan also recognized this inspector from the Guard Department. Seeing her say this, the man finally wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"It's thanks to your attentiveness, Inspector Chen. Otherwise, with so many Ursus bandits, I'm afraid our caravan would have been doomed."
"It's fine. Since the bandits have been eliminated, we'll head back to rest first!" After speaking, Chen Huijie left with the Shadow Guards.
Only after they had all left did the person in charge look at the corpses. He shuddered and barked at his subordinates nearby, "What are you looking at? Move these bodies aside. We can't exactly drive over people when we set off!"
Hearing his words, the guards who had rushed over quickly got to work, tossing all the corpses to both sides of the road. Exhausted and covered in sweat, they finally walked back.
"Boss, if there were enemies in front, why wasn't there any noise at the back?" someone suddenly asked curiously on the way back.
Upon hearing this, the person in charge's face instantly changed color. He led his men to the rear, but heard nothing at all. The scouts here also reported that they hadn't noticed any movement. The person in charge was somewhat bewildered. Logically speaking, to deal with a caravan as large as theirs, the enemy would surely choose to pincer them from the front and back. Otherwise, by the time they charged in, at least half the caravan could escape.
But why were there only people at the front? Should he send someone to check the back? The thought had just arisen when he looked up at the thick fog that had risen behind them at some unknown point, and he shook his head. After telling the scouts to stay alert, the person in charge returned to his carriage and lay down, trembling with fear.
It wasn't until the next morning, when the sky began to brighten without any further attacks, that the person in charge finally breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, although he had lain down last night, he hadn't slept at all. After all, no one knew if another group of Ursus soldiers would come to strike them from behind. So, he had been in a state of extreme tension all night; the slightest rustle of wind would make him bolt upright. Through these repeated "sit-ups," he barely managed to hold on until morning.
After eating a few bites of dry rations, the convoy continued forward. Before they had gone far, they saw the corpses by the roadside. Only then did the others in the caravan realize that last night had not been safe. Enemies had crept right up to them, only to be dealt with by someone unknown. While everyone felt fortunate, their feet pressed down a bit harder on the accelerators.
However, misfortune clearly hadn't entirely spared this convoy that dared to risk crossing the battlefield before the war had fully ended. Before long, the lead vehicle came to a stop. The reason was simple. The lead vehicle was equipped with a device that could detect Originium Bombs. And that device was currently emitting a sharp warning, alerting them that a minefield lay directly ahead of the convoy.
Faced with this situation, the caravan members fell into a dilemma. There were currently two paths before them. The first was to return the way they came. The second was to take a detour. As for the option of forcing their way through, it didn't exist. After all, having Originium Bomb detection equipment was already the limit; one couldn't expect a merchant caravan to be equipped with minesweepers capable of disarming bombs.
Both of these options carried significant risks. If they chose to return, no one could guarantee that the area that was safe yesterday would still be safe today. Especially after such a large convoy had passed through. One must understand that their risky passage was based on the calculation that neither of the warring parties would expect them to dare such a move. Going back now might mean running straight into both sides, who would now be prepared. Thus, the danger level of returning could be said to be extremely high.
As for taking a detour. It seemed like there were roads to Lungmen to both the north and south. But in reality, the only route the convoy could take was to the south. Because to the north was a beast path through a forest. Leaving aside whether so many vehicles could even pass through, the two sides were still fighting fiercely in the forest right now. Even from outside, one could see the smoke and fire from explosions rising from the forest from time to time. In this situation, venturing north would truly be walking straight across the battlefield. Their convoy didn't have the ability to pass through a battlefield under a flag without being caught in the crossfire.
So they could only go south. And to the south... was Kazdel territory. One must know that even in "peaceful" times, venturing through Kazdel-controlled territory was an extremely dangerous endeavor. Let alone during a time of war. Thus, none of the paths before them looked safe.
After the caravan leader, Chen Huijie, and several other heads discussed for over ten minutes, they unanimously decided to go south and pass through the direction of Kazdel. Although some had doubts, the saying held: once those at the top made a decision, those below just had to follow faithfully. After all, this trip was a life-or-death gamble from the start. Since that was the case, the option of retreating was never in their plans.
The convoy turned and drove south, everyone tensely watching their surroundings. An hour passed without meeting any Sarkaz; two hours passed, and still no sign of the enemy. At this point, everyone's tense hearts began to settle. If their luck held, they should be able to get back onto the main road by evening.
But just then, the lead vehicle suddenly braked to a halt. Fortunately, everyone's attention had been highly focused, so there was no multi-car pileup.
"What's going on?"
Chen Huijie and the Shadow Guards instantly leaped out of the car and rushed to the very front in a few strides. There, in the middle of the road not far away, stood an old man holding a long staff, with long strips of cloth fluttering all over his body. Beside him stood dozens of people holding greatswords, also wrapped in cloth from head to toe. Just looking at these people made Chen Huijie feel a wave of trepidation. It was as if the opponent was some kind of irresistible existence.
At that moment, Flandre Scarlet appeared by her side. Seeing the person not far away, she couldn't help but speak up.
"Yare yare, we've really run into an SSR."
Hearing Flandre's words, Chen Huijie took a deep breath to suppress her fear. "You know him?"
"Sister Chen, how much do you know about the Sarkaz Ten Royal Courts?" Seeing that the other party made no move, Flandre asked.
"I know a bit." Although she didn't know why Flandre was chatting with her now, a calmed Chen Huijie still answered her question. Of course, she wouldn't be able to stay calm once she heard the other party's identity in a moment.
"Then do you know who among the Ten Royal Courts are still active?" Flandre continued to ask.
Chen Huijie was no fool. She looked at the figure and suddenly thought of someone; sweat began to bead on her forehead. "No way, could it be that person!" Looking at the old man in the distance, she swallowed hard. If it really was the person she was thinking of, she didn't know who in this convoy besides Flandre could survive.
"That's right. Before us is the Lord of the Scavenger Royal Court, one of the Sarkaz Ten Royal Courts, one of the Six Heroes of the Sarkaz, the god of war—the 'Nachzehrer King,' Nezzsalem."
As soon as Flandre's voice fell, she heard a thud from beside her. Looking back, she saw it was the leader of the caravan; he had fainted from sheer terror upon hearing Flandre's introduction. It couldn't be helped. In the eyes of ordinary people, meeting a Sarkaz with a "title" was enough to crush their caravan. Let alone this top-tier powerhouse before them, who had lived for untold years and once fought against the allied forces of various nations.
Never mind him; even the Shadow Guards felt a sense of powerlessness after hearing Flandre announce the other party's identity. With their abilities, they could at most go toe-to-toe with the people around Nezzsalem. But to challenge Nezzsalem himself—a man who had been active for centuries, gone through countless great wars, and earned the reputation of "god of war"—they could only try to use their lives to see if they could forcibly open an escape route for Chen Huijie.
At that moment, perhaps having heard Flandre's introduction, the old man raised his head and looked toward the convoy. He looked at Flandre in the crowd and recognized her identity in an instant. After all, Flandre's "contributions" were indispensable to why Ursus and Kazdel had started fighting. And information about her had naturally ended up in Theresis's hands.
He had heard before that she appeared in Lungmen, and Theresis had even prepared to have Duq'arael go find her. However, she had suddenly vanished during this period, and after losing track of her, Duq'arael had naturally suspended his plan to go to Lungmen. He hadn't expected to run into her here.
As for the people with her... Nezzsalem didn't care. He looked at Flandre.
"little one of the Blood Demon race, come back to Kazdel with me!"
"I'm not going!" Flandre refused immediately without even thinking... "Why?" Nezzsalem wasn't angry, but stared at Flandre, seeking an answer.
"Does Kazdel have villas hundreds of square meters large? Does it have supermarkets? Does it have shopping malls? Does it have amusement parks? Does it have endless books to read? I have all of these in Lungmen. So if Kazdel can't provide these things, why should I go with you?"
Flandre spoke with such righteous conviction that for a moment, Nezzsalem almost felt she had a point.
"Presumptuous!" One of Nezzsalem's guards couldn't help but raise his weapon at Flandre upon hearing her words.
"What, it's the truth, and you won't even let people say it! Besides, Kazdel is so poor, there's no good food and no banquets. I'm still a minor! If I go to your place and the nutrition can't keep up, what if I stop growing taller!"
Flandre spoke with absolute certainty. Beside her, the expressions of Chen Huijie and the others shifted from their initial fear and solemnity to barely being able to hold back their laughter.
Nezzsalem was silent for a good while after listening, then waved his hand to have his subordinates clear the road.
"I can feel the affection for Lungmen in your words. I am glad, child, that you have found a place where you belong."