Chapter 124: The Journey Continues

Once the meal was ready, Adam served three generous portions.

After the day they had just had, no one lingered long before they began to eat.

The wild boar meat had a stronger flavor than the pork Adam was used to on Earth.

It was also slightly firmer.

But with the mushrooms, potatoes, onions, and tomato sauce he had prepared...

The result worked surprisingly well.

Lyriana took a bite.

Then a second.

"I prefer this meat like this."

Adam looked up.

"Compared to what?"

"Grilled directly over the fire."

Elaria nodded.

"The sauce mellows out the strong flavor of the meat."

Adam smiled.

"There you have it. Two days with me and you’re already getting picky."

Lyriana gave a small smile.

"You’re responsible."

"I reject this accusation."

They finished their dinner quietly.

The sky was now completely dark.

Elaria invoked the spirits of earth and fire once more.

As on the previous night, the small entities took up positions around the camp.

The Steeds were calm.

The ground was clear.

And no dangerous presence had been reported in the immediate vicinity.

They were therefore able to sleep without organizing a watch.

Adam entered the tent.

Lyriana naturally took her place on one side.

Elaria on the other.

Adam looked at them.

"It’s becoming a habit."

Lyriana settled herself against his shoulder.

"Are you complaining?"

Adam thought for a second.

"No."

"Then everything is fine."

Elaria lay down in turn.

"A logical conclusion."

Adam burst out laughing.

A few minutes later, the camp returned to calm.

The fire burned faintly under the watchful eyes of the spirits.

And they fell asleep.

The next morning was almost perfectly ordinary.

A quick breakfast.

Taking down the tent.

Food and water for the Steeds.

Checking the equipment.

Then they set off again.

This third day was much less eventful.

No herds of monsters.

No fighting.

No major detours.

The landscape was nevertheless gradually changing.

The vast plains progressively gave way to rockier terrain.

The hills became more numerous.

Then higher.

The roads were less well-maintained than in the west of the kingdom, but they remained perfectly passable.

They encountered several travelers.

Two small merchant convoys.

A group of adventurers.

And even a patrol of about ten female knights heading west.

Adam mainly took advantage of the quiet to observe.

The regions they were crossing were much less populated than those around Valoria.

The villages were more spread out.

Farmland was less abundant.

And nature was gradually reclaiming more space.

At noon, they only took a short break.

Adam took out some bread, prepared meat, a few pieces of fruit, and drinks.

Then they quickly resumed their journey.

This time, they wanted to advance as far as possible before nightfall.

And it worked.

When the sun finally began to set...

Adam saw ahead of them an immense dark silhouette that filled the entire horizon.

Mountains.

Not just a few isolated hills.

A true mountain range.

Rocky peaks stretched for dozens of kilometers.

Some were covered in forests.

Others were almost entirely bare.

Several high peaks even retained snow.

Adam slowed his steed slightly.

"Shall we cross this?"

Lyriana nodded.

"Tomorrow."

Adam gazed at the mountains.

"And then?"

She pointed beyond.

"Sylvaris."

He straightened up.

"Already?"

"We’ve covered most of the distance."

Elaria added:

"After this range, there will still be some distance to go before the true elven border, but we’re getting close."

Adam looked at the peaks ahead.

Three days.

They had already covered most of the fifteen hundred kilometers.

The Windriders truly lived up to their reputation.

Lyriana searched for a suitable spot.

They finally set up camp near the foot of the mountains, far enough from the main road to avoid being disturbed.

The routine was already starting to feel natural.

Lyriana: The Steeds.

Elaria: Protections and spirits.

Adam: Food.

This time, he prepared something simple.

Grilled meat.

Roasted potatoes.

Mushrooms.

Some vegetables.

Bread.

And hot tea.

They ate quietly around the fire.

The mountain range rose before them, dark beneath the night sky.

Adam observed it several times.

There was something far more intimidating about these hills than in the Red Forest.

Trees could conceal danger.

But mountains...

They could conceal almost anything.

Once the meal was finished, they packed up camp and entered the tent.

Adam settled down in the middle, as on previous nights.

Then a question came back to him.

"The mountains tomorrow... are they safe?"

Lyriana and Elaria exchanged a glance.

Adam noticed immediately.

"Why doesn’t that reaction reassure me?"

Elaria adjusted her glasses.

"The road itself is relatively safe."

Adam narrowed his eyes.

"The important word is ’relatively,’ isn’t it?"

"Yes."

"Beautiful."

Lyriana smiled.

"Large creatures generally avoid well-traveled roads."

"Generally. That word again."

Elaria continued:

"The main danger doesn’t come from the surface."

Adam turned his head toward her.

"Caves?"

"Exactly."

The entire mountain range was riddled with a great many caverns.

Some natural.

Others carved by monsters.

Abandoned mines also existed in several regions.

"And what lives in them?"

Elaria counted calmly.

"Goblins. Kobolds."

Then:

"Certain arachnid species."

Adam winced slightly.

"Obviously."

"And several species of monstrous bats."

"Even better."

Lyriana stifled a laugh.

Elaria continued with utmost seriousness:

"But the flying species and several cave-dwelling predators are almost exclusively nocturnal."

Adam looked at the tent entrance.

Then at the black mountains in the distance.

"So we cross during the day."

"Exactly."

Lyriana added:

"Goblins and kobolds are the most likely encounters."

Adam immediately thought about his arrival in this world.

To the goblins.

To his first real fight.

To his advancement from level two to level three.

He smiled slightly.

"Goblins? I’ve seen them before."

Elaria looked at him.

"Your level was much lower back then."

"Much lower."

"Now..."

She thought for a few seconds.

"Most of the regular groups shouldn’t pose much of a threat to you."

Lyriana nodded.

"It’ll even be good training."

Adam closed his eyes.

"You’ve all really turned into Selene."

"No," Elaria replied.

"She probably would have said to deliberately seek out the strongest groups."

Adam opened his eyes again.

"...Okay. Argument accepted."

They talked for a few more minutes about the road.

The narrowest passages.

Places to slow down.

Caves to avoid.

Then they fell asleep.

At dawn, the three companions were up quickly.

Breakfast was deliberately light.

Eggs.

Bread.

Cold meat.

Some fruit.

Coffee.

They didn’t want to waste any time.

The camp was broken up.

The steeds were prepared.

And shortly after sunrise...

They entered the mountain range.

The road immediately began to climb.

It wound its way between large rock formations.

To the right...

A cliff face.

To the left...

A slope plunging in places for dozens of meters.

Adam looked ahead.

"Not exactly the ideal place to gallop at 150 kilometers per hour."

Lyriana replied without turning around:

"Absolutely not."

So they moved much more slowly.

But the Windriders remained perfectly at ease.

Their hooves seemed to naturally find the best footing.

They had barely covered a few kilometers when Elaria slowed down.

Adam immediately noticed the change.

"Already?"

She was looking at a large, dark opening in the rock face.

A cave.

Wide.

Very wide.

The path passed only about 100 meters from its entrance.

Adam sighed.

"Don’t tell me..."

A cry rang out.

Then another.

Shadows appeared.

About ten.

Then several dozen.

Adam stopped.

His eyes widened slightly.

"Seriously?"

He recognized the appearance.

Greenish skin.

Short stature.

Crudimentary weapons.

Some equipped with leather.

Others with small bows.

Goblins.

Or rather...

Like the first time.

Goblin girls.

"Exactly the same as when I arrived."

Lyriana immediately dismounted.

Elaria did too.

Adam activated Eyes of the World.

The information began to appear.

Most were low-level.

A few more powerful individuals.

But what particularly caught his attention...

Was their number.

Ten.

Twenty.

Thirty.

They kept coming out.

Fifty.

Sixty.

Adam frowned.

"There are a lot of them."

Lyriana wasn’t joking anymore.

"Far too many."

The goblins didn’t charge immediately, though.

They regrouped near the entrance.

Some were shouting.

Others were pointing their weapons at the three travelers.

Adam kept counting.

Nearly a hundred.

"That’s not a small group."

Elaria shook her head.

"No."

Lyriana was mostly observing the cave.

Her expression had become much more serious.

Adam noticed.

"What’s the problem?"

She answered without looking away.

"A hundred goblins don’t usually live together without some kind of structure."

Adam understood.

"A leader?"

"More than that."

Elaria moved closer.

"A tribe of that size probably means there’s a High Goblin inside."

Adam looked back at the entrance.

"High Goblin?"

Lyriana explained:

"A higher evolution of the species. More intelligent. Stronger. Capable of organizing dozens or hundreds of goblins."

Adam looked at the formations in front of the cave.

Indeed...

They seemed much more organized than the ones he had encountered upon his arrival.

There were even several small, distinct groups.

Archers in the back.

Fighters in the front.

Two larger creatures seemed to be issuing orders.

"And you said ’probably.’"

Lyriana nodded.

"The problem is, if the population has already exceeded a hundred..."

She fell silent.

Elaria finished:

"A Goblin Queen may have already emerged."

Adam narrowed his eyes.

"And what difference does that make?"