Chapter 493 - 372: In Front of the Red Arrow City Gate_1
On a rather rugged and narrow mountain path, several carriages covered in oilcloth were slowly moving forward under the escort of a group of mercenaries.
As the breeze blew, one could catch a glimpse of the goods from the occasionally lifted corner of the oilcloth.
They were just ordinary spices and salt, nothing special.
At this time, due to the sheer cliff on one side of the road with no barriers, the bottom was veiled in mist and seemed bottomless.
Thus, the middle-aged merchant driving the first carriage was extremely cautious, gripping the reins of the old horse tightly and never letting his guard down.
On the other hand, the surrounding walking mercenaries appeared somewhat relaxed and were whispering to each other.
Their destination was now within reach.
For a moment, the creaking of the wooden carriages, the occasional gusts of wind from below the cliff, and the low conversations of the mercenaries echoed together.
This formed a rather fitting and commonly seen scene on a journey.
“Captain, after this mountain, we’ll be entering Redarrow City’s territory. We’ve been out in the wilderness for quite a few days. Let’s have a good drink later!”
A handsome young mercenary wearing leather armor and with a trace of youthful innocence on his face put away the sheepskin map in his hands.
Looking forward with anticipation, he spoke to the nearby exquisite and spirited female mercenary.
“Newcomer, you little… Are you trying to hit on our captain?”
On the other hand, a middle-aged male mercenary with a square shield came up with a smug grin and teased: “Our captain’s nickname is the Thorned Rose that bleeds.
Not only her personal strength has reached the admirable Tier 2 Peak Level, making her extremely powerful.
But also, she is famously immune to the effects of alcohol. You, a greenhorn, should go and hone your skills for a few more years.”
“Senior… It’s not what you think!”
Hearing this, the young handsome mercenary shook his hands hurriedly and said with a flushed face: “I just think the captain is very cool, and I want to become a professional mercenary like her!”
“Old Roke, haven’t you been the defender in our squad for years?
Didn’t you have your sights set on our dear captain at first too? Why now that you didn’t succeed, you’re lecturing the newcomers?”
At this moment, a middle-aged priest in a patched-up white robe raised his eyebrows seriously and interjected.
“Hey healer, don’t talk nonsense. I… My youngest child at home can even do errands!”
Hearing this, Roke, the shield-wielding mercenary, blushed and hurriedly explained: “I just want the newcomer to learn when to back off.
You must know, our captain is an object of affection for countless mercenaries! Having too many enemies is not a good thing, including love rivals.”
“Alright, now is not the time for such jokes.”
At this moment, the spirited female mercenary, who hadn’t spoken yet, frowned slightly and said: “Did you guys forget what kind of place our destination is?”
Hearing this, Roke immediately shut his mouth while the handsome young mercenary was left with a puzzled look on his face, muttering: “Captain.
What’s different about this Redarrow City from other towns?”
“You’ve just arrived, so you don’t know that Redarrow City is notoriously cruel in this neighborhood.”
The priest in a patched-up white robe shook his head helplessly and began to explain: “Redarrow City has only one industry.
That is to breed a large number of irritable magic pearl monsters by the riverside and trade the magic beads they produce, making huge profits.
However, because these demon beasts are extremely difficult to rear, both collecting magic beads and feeding them could result in a deadly attack at any time.
Needless to say, the results are often tragic, and such events happen almost daily in Redarrow City.”
“So that’s how it is…”
Hearing that, the handsome young mercenary couldn’t help swallowing his saliva and then asked: “If that’s the case, why don’t they implement some protective measures to reduce casualties?
Or even, replace it with a new industry entirely?”
“It’s because the ruler here doesn’t allow them to.”
The spirited female mercenary captain sighed softly.
She continued: “As for strengthening protection measures, from the perspective of the ruler here, it’s too costly and high maintenance, and it’s not worth doing.
Compared to these exorbitant expenses, having a few insignificant civilians die every day is clearly the most appropriate business.”
At the time when the conversation between the mercenaries was going on,
The caravan went through a winding road and had now driven out of the mountain path, arriving at a spacious road.
At this time, the silhouette of a town not far away began to gradually enter their view.
Upon closer inspection, the city wall of this town was extremely towering.
Resembling a magic grid, defensive measures were scattered all over it. From time to time, one could see a surge of irritable electricity flash past.
This magic grid had almost no effect on cultivators above Tier 1 Five-star; they could counteract it by mobilizing the energy within their bodies.
However, for ordinary civilians, it possessed lethal destructive power.
Thus, the purpose of these magic grids was quite self-explanatory.