泡芙影院

Chapter 151

Urich was fairly familiar with the mountain paths of this section. If they followed the ridge southward, they would reach a gorge that led to Yailrud. The bottom of the gorge was a cliff difficult for humans to cross, but the terrain above was gentler and lower, making it easier to descend.

"Gizzle, we\'ll go down along the ridge. It\'s too hard to go straight down."

Urich said, but Gizzle\'s response was barely audible.

\'He\'s lifeless. Gizzle needs to rest as soon as possible.\'

Urich hastened his steps. He held a sword in one hand and advanced through the bushes.

"Count sheep or something. Keep your mind focused."

Urich reached back and tapped Gizzle\'s cheek.

"Shut up."

Gizzle gritted his teeth.

As they continued down the ridge, the terrain became smoother. Urich scanned and read the path of the gorge, moving quickly even while carrying Gizzle on his back.

Even three years ago, Urich\'s physical strength was considered exceptional. But now it was incomparably greater. His muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance were almost superhuman, allowing him to traverse mountains off-limits to normal humans.

‘It’s like Urich is a man born to conquer the mountains.\'

Gizzle thought, barely opening his eyes. Urich had closed the distance that took Gizzle days in just a moment. His knowledge of the geography of the Sky Mountains definitely gave him a helping hand, but his monstrous strength played a large part. If it were easy to traverse, it wouldn\'t have remained forbidden.

"Found it."

Urich found the ‘Regal Arten Camp,\' traces of an expedition team annihilated by his hands. Equipment from their last camping site with Urich was still there.

‘There aren’t any signs of scavenging here. That means the imperial army hasn\'t paved an expedition route here, yet.\'

In the lightly snow-covered camp, various camping tools remained. Urich lit a fire, shook off the long-neglected blankets, and found preserved food tightly wrapped in a bag.

"It should be good to eat as long as we cut the mold off. Nice."

Urich took out a knife and scraped the mold off the surface of the hard bread.

Urich and Gizzle rested at the campsite. With night falling, moving further was difficult. Even Urich couldn\'t traverse the dark mountains. Night wasn\'t a time for humans.

"The smell is terrible. It\'s starting to rot."

Urich said while removing Gizzle\'s leather shoes. The skin on Gizzle\'s feet had turned a purplish-black.

\'Frostbite.\'

It was a strange injury to the tribespeople. The necrotic area spreads and creeps further up the body, so the frostbitten limb had to be amputated.

\'Can\'t do it here. We need to wait until we’re back in the village.\'

Urich searched the campsite and found a spare pair of fur shoes. The well-prepared leather shoes, layered with fur, were warm and didn\'t get wet easily.

"Ughhh."

As his body slowly thawed, Gizzle groaned. The pain was intense as his body, frozen then thawed, ached everywhere. His face was pale, and breathing felt like needles in his lungs.

"So, this is the curse of the Sky Mountains. Keke."

Gizzle grimaced and chuckled. He looked at Urich, sitting up in perfect health.

\'Are you the only one chosen by the heavens...\'

Urich was special. All the tribespeople knew Urich was different. Warriors born in the same era as Urich could never reach the top, no matter how hard they tried.

"It\'s not a curse. Just your body rotting from freezing. We\'ll have to cut off your feet when we get to the village."

Urich spoke calmly. Gizzle covered his face and leaned back.

"...Congratulations on becoming the chief, Urich."

No warriors would follow a chief who couldn\'t run or walk. Naturally, Gizzle would have to step down, and Urich would take his place.

"Gizzle, I don’t need, or want your favor. I’m the chief that the Stone Axe Tribe needs."

"Are you saying I\'m lacking as chief? I\'ve fulfilled the role of chief without any shortcomings. There were no problems before you came!"

Gizzle erupted in suppressed anger. Urich pulled out the stick which he was stirring the fire with and pointed eastward with it.

"Things were slow then. The times are changing. It would be too late if you tried to learn after experiencing it. You need to foresee the changes. You don\'t have that skill, Gizzle."

"Shut up!"

Gizzle grabbed a stone and threw it at Urich, who caught it with ease and tossed it behind him.

These were turbulent times. Samikan was uniting tribes using the power of civilized people, and the civilized were building the pioneering route Yailrud to cross the mountains. It was a time of continuous chaos inside and out. Being merely an outstanding chief wasn\'t enough to respond adequately to those changes.

"Soon the boundaries between tribes will blur, and we\'ll call each other brothers, standing back to back."

Urich stared into the fire, speaking as if he was predicting the future.

"That\'s impossible. The hatred and rage against the Blue Mist Tribe will never fade!"

"You’re right. There will always be minor anger. But we\'ll fight together. Because If we don\'t, we\'ll die together."

Urich closed his eyes. He wrapped himself in the blanket and fell asleep.

"Don\'t act like you’re so much better than me."

Gizzle muttered. He looked at his spear. Its tip was sharp. He had a chance to pierce Urich\'s heart.

\'But I am the chief.\'

A chieftain\'s spear shouldn\'t turn inward. Gizzle bitterly smiled and closed his eyes, hoping he would wake up to see another day.

* * *

After the disappearance of Regal Arten and his expedition team, there was a long absence of leadership at the Arten outpost. Emperor Yanchinus summoned the remaining explorers to the outpost, but they lacked experience in conquering the mountains. Under the command of these inexperienced explorers, the construction of Yailrud showed no clear signs of advancing.

Emperor Yanchinus dedicated all his efforts to the mountainous expedition and made bold high-personnel appointments. He dispatched Duke Langster, the current viceroy of the north, as the commander of the outpost.

Duke Langster was a competent governor who had conquered the sacred land of Mulin in the north and brought stability to the region. He had experience dealing with barbarians and knew how to fight in harsh and cold terrains.

"It\'s an ambiguous position. I can’t tell whether it’s a demotion or a promotion."

Duke Langster grumbled but accepted the role of outpost commander. Formally, it was a step down from being a viceroy to just a mere base commander, but it was a position that held the emperor\'s substantial trust.

\'Construction of the pioneer road has been sluggish since Regal Arten went missing.\'

Regal Arten was a key figure in the mountain expedition. He was well-versed in the terrain of the gorges and had been the one correctly guiding the direction of Yailrud\'s expansion.

"What a crazy idea. Building a bridge over such a rugged gorge to send an army through..."

It was an overwhelming task even for the great imperial army. People died for the emperor\'s great achievement. Reports of deaths from accidents came in almost daily.

Even the local workers were reluctant to participate in the pioneering road, so wages had to be tripled compared to the beginning of the expedition, and slaves were indiscriminately bought to take on the dangerous tasks.

\'If successful, it will be a great achievement; if not, he’ll be remembered as a fool emperor in history.\'

Under Duke Langster were knights and soldiers who had gained a plethora of experience in the north, and he also had several northern barbarians as subordinates. Northerners were known for their physical strength and resistance to cold.

Duke Langster had his northern subordinates undergo the training necessary for the expedition. The trained northerners were superior to civilized explorers, with their innate cold resistance and robust strength being ideal for climbing the Sky Mountains.

The northern exploration team became the vanguard of the outpost, scouting the mountains and drawing new maps. They meticulously surveyed the terrain to find lands suitable for connecting with Yailrud.

"The emperor is paying close attention to this job. If we do well, we\'ll make a fortune."

A northern explorer said. The team climbed the snow-covered rock piles with ease.

"All I ask for is the money going to my family."

"Ulgaro will surely look over us."

"What? I thought you converted? I saw your wife and daughter holding hands, entering the Sun Temple."

"My wife is my wife, and I am me. I am going to the Field of Swords."

The north was a land mixed with followers of Lou and Ulgaro. It was even common for followers of both gods to live under the same roof.

"Let’s get ready to camp out here, and don\'t forget to apply the ointment before sleeping."

The expedition captain said to his members. They applied an ointment on the sole of their feet and their fingers to prevent frostbite. The ointment, which produced heat when applied, was a long-standing wisdom of the northerners accustomed to the cold.

"Wait, don\'t light the fire yet. See that over there? Smoke. Someone\'s making fire over there."

A northerner pointed to the sky. The expedition team was made up of eight members in total. They looked at the rising smoke and grinned.

"That’ll make a good souvenir for Langster."

The northerners put down their loads and armed themselves. Even though they were northern barbarians, they were fully equipped with steel weapons and crossbows, thanks to the empire\'s full support. The northerners, clad in fur armor and wielding steel weapons, crept toward the direction of the smoke.

"It’ll get dark soon. Suck it up even if it gets cold."

Darkness was setting in. The cold was unbearable even for northerners without a fire. They shivered, desperately enduring the cold.

"Found them. They\'re natives from the west."

The northerners whispered, crouching low. They squinted their eyes, focusing on the campfire. Two natives were lying next to the fire.

"We\'ll get more money if we capture them alive."

The northerners stopped mid-motion as they were pulling out their crossbows. They surrounded the natives, signaling each other. They planned to ambush and capture them alive.

Ssssss.

The night in the mountains was fierce. The wind howled as ferociously as the screams of evil spirits. The northerners advanced cautiously against the wind. The cold was painfully biting, but they did not utter even a single groan.

Their ambush tactic was inch-perfect. Advancing against the wind, they made neither sound nor scent. Even sensitive wild animals would not have noticed.

But Urich was not a wild animal. He was a warrior familiar with death. Death always warned Urich. His hair stood, and his consciousness, which had sunk, resurfaced. Urich was already awake.

\'We’re surrounded. I didn’t wake up quickly enough.\'

Urich slightly opened his eyes. A warrior naturally slept with his back to the fire, so his eyes were already adapted to the darkness. He saw something blurry in the darkness.

\'Is Gizzle awake?\'

There was no way to protect Gizzle if he was in deep sleep. Urich could only hope that Gizzle was awake.

Twitch.

Pretending to toss and turn, Urich reached for his weapon. As soon as he grabbed the axe handle, he sprang up and threw it.

Crack!

He felt the impact. A scream echoed in the darkness.

"Gizzle!"

Urich shouted, running in the direction he threw the axe, hoping Gizzle was awake.

"I know, you idiot! Three on the right! Find the others!"

Gizzle also got up, seizing his spear. The excitement of battle drowned the pain in his legs.

Urich ran and swung his sword to cut off the breath of the enemy who was hit by his axe. While retrieving the axe embedded in the dead enemy\'s shoulder, Urich\'s eyes widened. He stared at the fallen enemy. The beard and build didn\'t look like a civilized person.

\'Northerners.\'

Urich\'s face twisted. Northerners were troublesome men. In such chaotic situations, northern warriors were more fearsome than the imperial army.