Chapter 83 - 30: [Night Journey Chat]

Chapter 83: Chapter 30: [Night Journey Chat]

The winding desolate road leading to the Ederic Empire crawled across the landscape like a giant python. As the road stretched on, the rotting dust and dry loose soil along the roadside grew sparser, gradually giving way to fertile black soil and ordinary verdant shrubs.

Trees, flowers, and common animals became increasingly abundant. Daisies bloomed all along the road, and a few rabbits peeked out from among the blossoms.

The demonic essence in the surrounding area was growing thinner—a clear sign that they were approaching the habitable zone.

The silhouette of Luojie City had been left far behind, disappearing into the hazy horizon. Dozens of carriages advanced along the desolate road. The convoy of nearly three hundred people chatted and laughed along the way, boasting and bantering with one another. Rather than looking like they were escorting precious cargo, it felt more like a group outing.

"Don’t fear a life of dissatisfaction, for all roads lead to Elysium..." An Assassin in the convoy, who also moonlighted as a Minstrel, cradled a worn lute. Sitting atop his team’s carriage, he sang a cheerful tune as they moved forward. "Everyone is an adventurer, and life is a land of gold..."

"Everyone is an adventurer, and life is a land of gold!" The rest of the convoy sang along in unison, roaring with laughter. Their resonant voices echoed across the desolate road, startling the birds in the roadside shade into flight, only for them to land back on the branches and chirp along with the song.

Two large-scale merchant caravans transporting high-level demonized materials, along with the eleven mid-level adventurer teams they had hired, made up this combined group of nearly three hundred people. The two parties had simply happened to be traveling the same way.

Under these circumstances, traveling together was obviously a wise and pleasant choice; no one could think of a reason to refuse.

Although bandits were rampant along the border, they were merely violent desperadoes—not actively suicidal.

The merchants were no fools. The adventurer teams they hired generally ranged from level three to level six. They had carefully checked the alliance mission logs, handpicking teams with good reputations that had been established for over a year. These adventurers weren’t as expensive as level seven or eight ones, nor were they as vulgar, rude, and unreliable as level one or two rookies.

Mid-level adventurers were known for their reliable individual combat prowess, keen observation skills, extensive experience in scouting unfamiliar environments, and relatively stable tactical minds. With a cluster of mid-level adventurers of this size guarding two large-scale long-distance freight caravans—equipped with roof-mounted crossbows and Hard Iron Armor—totaling dozens of carriages and nearly three hundred people, it was almost impossible for any bandit to dare risk their life attacking them.

Furthermore, for some unknown reason, they hardly encountered any Magical Beasts or Undead Warriors along the way. Only occasionally would one or two small Magical Beasts appear. Like introverted children forced out of their rooms to greet relatives, they would put on a show of circling around just to make an appearance before turning tail and running away.

As they drew closer to the habitable zone and entered areas where demonic essence was increasingly thin, all traces of Magical Beasts and the undead completely vanished.

All in all, everyone was in high spirits throughout the journey, making it feel almost like a picnic. After enduring the long-term tension and anxiety of an adventurer’s life, they were finally able to temporarily escape the cruel and brutal Barren Land and return to the lower-intensity survival of the habitable zone. This mission was a rare opportunity to relax.

Stepping away from the savage ecological food chain of the Demon Realm seemed to turn beasts back into humans—vibrant, passionate, civilized, and warm humans.

As night fell, everyone stepped out of their carriages to stretch their limbs. They took out their tents and set up camp on the grassy roadside, arranging night watches, lighting bonfires, searching for nearby rivers or other water sources, and roasting their food.

While the other members were busy setting up camp around the freight caravans, over twenty Hunters in the convoy spontaneously banded together. Drawing their bows and nocking their arrows, they hunted over a dozen rabbits, three wild boars, and two deer from the surrounding woods. They expertly deboned and carved the meat, generously sharing the rare, normal food with everyone. No matter how low the demonic essence content of a Split Claw Bird was, it was still a Magical Beast. When ordinary people chewed meat containing demonic essence, they would inevitably experience uncomfortable stinging sensations in their mouths and esophagi.

Infected by the atmosphere, the caravan leaders of the two merchant groups exchanged a glance and burst into laughter. Setting aside their penny-pinching business mindsets, they unlocked the storage compartments in their wagons and took out hardtack and baked flatbreads, sharing them with everyone free of charge. This made the mood feel even more like a joyous camping trip.

The spontaneous group hunting excursion came to an end. The twenty-odd Hunters joked with one another, competing over who had bagged the most game. After skinning their catches, they butchered the meat—bones and all—and threw it into large iron pots suspended over the bonfires. The pots bubbled and simmered with meat stew as the Hunters jogged back to their respective teams.

"Pariya-Kalakawa—the warm flame of the heart... This is one of the reasons we like spending time with humans." A pointy-eared Elf Hunter, holding an Ancient Wood Spider Silk Bow, bounded lightly across the roofs of over a dozen carriages. He returned to his team with a smile and spoke to his teammates. As his soft-soled boots stepped on the carriage roofs, they made soft, gentle rustling sounds, like falling leaves.

"I’m back." Randall jogged back to his camp with his hunting bow slung over his back and stretched lazily. He had hunted a rabbit and a wild boar, placing him in the top ten among all the Hunters’ catches.

"Oh, where is everyone?" he asked, looking around. In his team’s camp, only the Samo Cultivator remained, sitting by the edge of the tent.

"Eliot took a bowl and went to line up by the pot for meat stew... even though it looks like it’ll be another half hour before it’s ready," Samael shrugged. "But the aroma drifted over, and as soon as he smelled it, he couldn’t sit still."