Chapter 37: A Familiar Aura

The merchant caravan’s carriages were not many, only a few dozen in total, and while exchanging idle chit-chat, the girls reached the front, where the official road was mysteriously destroyed and impassable.

On the roughly ten-meter-wide flat road, the ground had collapsed and cracked downwards, and the surrounding tree-lined areas lay in ruins. Neatly planted trees were scattered about as if trampled by some heavy object from above.

This scene stretched along the official road for over several hundred meters before gradually disappearing, certainly making it impossible for carriages to proceed.

“Hmm… indeed, this isn’t the kind of activity that ordinary creatures can orchestrate.”

Surveying the scene, identical to what had been detected earlier, the White Fox Girl casually remarked.

“Miss Vilyric, you mean that some huge creature passed through here?”

Seemingly pressed by her sister’s impressive upgrade, before she finished speaking, Miss White Feather, who shared the same ancestral bloodline but remained at the legendary level due to her carefree nature, hastily chimed in, trying to assert her presence but only adding unnecessary commentary.

Seeing Renée’s unusual reaction, Miss Vilyric secretly chuckled but didn’t expose her thoughts, instead nodding.

“Isn’t it obvious? The Holy Empire’s official road is typically paved with a mixture of granite and iron stone, with a standard hardness superior to that of the United Kingdom. Normally, not even a several-ton Earth Dragon would have issues bouncing around on it. But look here, the ground has shattered several meters deep, and even the granite reinforced with iron stone has been crushed like this.”

“At least… it must gather over a thousand tons of weight in a small area to cause such an effect, right?” Leila remarked thoughtfully from the side.

“Crushed? Are you saying these are marks from being tread upon? What kind of creature can do this, and why would it intentionally destroy this section of the road?” Miss White Fox appeared noncommittal and then said with a smile.

“How would I know? But… it’s also possible that they didn’t mean to destroy the road. After all, such obvious marks would easily attract the attention of anyone interested, especially the officials in the Holy Empire. Frankly speaking, it looks more like the aftermath of a major battle.”

As she spoke, Miss Vilyric’s gem-like silver-blue eyes beneath her fox mask inquired of the nearby Blonde Girl, who nodded in agreement.

“Yes, there are three lingering scents, definitely indicating that a battle occurred here. Two of them are quite similar, suggesting a two-on-one scenario. However… that lone scent feels somewhat familiar. I feel like I’ve seen that guy somewhere before.”

“Oh? Really?”

Upon hearing this, Miss Vilyric expressed mild surprise and asked further.

“Can’t you determine the specific target?”

Frowning in recollection for a moment, the Little Dragon Daughter ultimately shook her head in mild embarrassment.

“Sorry, Master, but because the area is so open, the scent residue is quite faint. Adding to that, the familiarity isn’t strong, probably just someone I’ve seen once or twice a long time ago, and they were the kind of individual I wouldn’t bat an eye at, so…”

“I see…”

Curiosity gradually replaced with helplessness, Miss Vilyric nodded.

“Well, while it’s a bit disappointing, it’s not crucial. Xiao Guang, don’t be so down. Let’s head back and see how the caravan plans to tackle this situation. It’s an issue neither too big nor too small.”

Casting one last glance at the road, which looked as if it had been crushed beneath a massive weight, the girl with the white fox mask quickly turned away and returned along the same path.

…

Afuri was a young executive working for the White Dove Merchant Association for about three years. Previously, he had been shadowing the experienced president of the association, who had over twenty years in the business, assisting and observing. Despite the rigorous travel involved in trading across the vast territories of the Holy Empire, it was overall within an acceptable range.

Primarily, the compensation here was quite generous. Afuri had initially joined the White Dove Merchant Association because the president offered an attractive salary, standing out among other options.

Another reason was that this was entirely a local merchant association of the Holy Empire, comprised mostly of devout followers of the Church of the Goddess, creating an environment that was quite comfortable for him, as a pleasant working atmosphere is essential.

Perhaps due to Afuri graduating from the Financial Department of the Holy Empire First Comprehensive Research and Education Academy, with a solid background and smart performance over the past three years, he gradually garnered appreciation and trust from the president.

Not long ago, the association received a significant order. Although the price was incredibly attractive and the client was a reputable local force, it was a bit peculiar that the boss clearly requested that the entire shipment not be transported at once but rather be divided by designated time slots for delivery.

To secure this payment and build a good relationship with the powerful entity within the Holy Empire, although the White Dove Merchant Association could fulfill the total demand in one go, they ultimately had to split the workforce into two transport caravans, alternating trips between Mingguang City and the association’s base.

The larger of the two teams was naturally led by the association’s president personally, while the role of leader for the other team fell upon the shoulders of the newcomer, Afuri.

Currently, he was part of the first batch of merchants set to deliver goods to the designated location in Mingguang City. Although Afuri had no prior experience leading, he was a graduate and a high-achieving student knowledgeable in theory, and having followed along for two or three years, he managed to keep everything orderly.

However, things did not go as planned.

This was Afuri’s first time leading a team, and he unexpectedly encountered trouble.

“Everyone, please remain calm, remain calm! Goddess above, out on business, none of us wish to face situations like this, right? We can’t possibly predict all unexpected occurrences, can we?”

“The cause of the road damage aside, we certainly aren’t the first caravan to encounter a situation like this. I’d wager there were earlier teams reporting to the nearby cities’ churches. In my humble opinion, we might as well set up camp temporarily nearby. Within three to five days, the Temple Knights should be able to lay down a new temporary route, and then…”

Before Afuri could finish speaking, a middle-aged man dressed splendidly, with a plump figure adorned in lavish accessories, loudly erupted from the crowd before him.

“What nonsense! I specifically chose your entire caravan because I saw everyone was on horseback, splurging to save time! It looks like we could reach New Aster City in a day or two, and you expect us to wait here for three to five days? I can wait, but how will my precious goods wait?! Who will compensate for these losses? Will it be your White Dove Merchant Association?!”

As these words fell, many voiced their agreement.

“Yes! We absolutely cannot stop!”

“Right, three to five days is far too long! Plus, this is just your guesswork. Who can guarantee the Temple Knights will actually show up? We might as well take a detour…”

Seeking to display their hardline stance, the crowd grew agitated, shoving each other while the caravan guards responsible for maintaining order couldn’t resort to violence against paying customers. Helpless, they could only form a human wall, using their armored bodies to fend off the onslaught.

“Ah, this…”

Afuri wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, appearing quite distressed, caught in a dilemma.

But in reality, this was merely an act.

He had anticipated this kind of reaction from the crowd. In three years of trading, he had grown accustomed to dealing with various human sentiments driven by money. Although the road damage indeed caught the young merchant off guard, human emotion, especially actions related to self-interest, was not difficult to fathom.

Just as the plump man in fine clothes pointed out, many aboard the White Dove Merchant Association’s caravan were well-off and diverse in backgrounds. Even some minor merchants often chose to invest a sum of money to travel with bigger caravans to ensure safety and efficiency, which had become a custom in the Holy Empire’s business community.

For merchants, time equated to opportunity; opportunity equated to money. Therefore, they would never agree to stop halfway and wait for several days.

   

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