Chapter 541 - 345: Trade Route (1)

The caravan members were mostly middle-aged people, followed by youths. There were very few elderly individuals.

They were almost all men. Women were a rare sight, save for the occasional older woman.

These people looked Ordinary, but the presence they exuded was anything but.

About half of them were likely High Tier Lords, and the rest were High Tier Martial Artists or Mages.

There might have also been some High Tier Physicians and Craftsmen.

But Zhao Chi couldn’t glean any more information than that.

Soldiers were interspersed throughout the caravan. One look at them was enough to tell that these Soldiers were high-Level and absolutely reliable.

He didn’t know whose Soldiers they were.

As he was watching, a burly, rough-looking man approached. He was stubbled, dark-skinned, and powerfully built.

Clad in a suit of Fine Steel Armor and carrying a Two-Handed Great Axe on his back, he looked like a bear made of steel.

If he charged with his full might, he could probably knock down a wall.

Zhao Chi was looking at him, and the big man glared back fiercely.

"You. Are you Zhao Chi?"

His voice was a deep, bull-like rumble.

"Huh? Yes, I am."

Zhao Chi hadn’t expected the man to know his name.

’What does he want?’

’Is it a crime to look at him?’

The burly man turned his head and bellowed, "Ruan Yu, is this him?"

Li Ruanyu approached from a distance.

Her figure was graceful, a stark contrast to her surroundings.

"Yes, that’s him."

Li Ruanyu replied from afar.

At the same time, her voice sounded in Zhao Chi’s ear.

[Zhao Chi, that’s Captain Tie Shan. He’s the caravan leader. Do as he says.]

’Tie Shan?’

’His name really suits him.’

’Calling him Iron Bear would have been just as fitting.’

Tie Shan strode closer and glanced at Zhao Chi’s carriage. "What’s this? Eight barrels of Super-Improvement Kerosene?"

Tie Shan knew it was Super-Improvement Kerosene, but he didn’t know it was a Special Super-Improvement type.

He assumed it was the Ordinary kind of Super-Improvement Kerosene.

Zhao Chi nodded. "That’s right."

"Is that all?"

"Mm..."

"And you think this small amount of Super-Improvement Kerosene is worth a trip to Dark Night City? What were you thinking?"

"I wanted to... see the sights..."

"See the sights?" Tie Shan snorted. "You mean you want to see the Dark Elf girls?"

’What is he even talking about?’

"That’s not it!"

"Look, I’m telling you, whether that’s your reason or not, Li Ruanyu asked me to look after you, so you listen to me. I’ll show you the sights, but don’t go running off by yourself, you hear?"

Just then, Li Ruanyu walked over.

She chimed in, "That’s right. Zhao Chi, this is your first time traveling, so don’t act on your own if something happens. Ask Captain Tie Shan about everything, understand?"

Zhao Chi nodded. "Understood. Thank you, Instructor Li. And sorry for the trouble, Captain Tie."

Li Ruanyu said, "Captain Tie, as long as it’s safe, you can give him some freedom. No need to be overly restrictive."

Tie Shan laughed. "Don’t worry, Ruan Yu. Anything you ask, I’ll make sure it gets done."

Zhao Chi asked, "Instructor Li, aren’t you coming with us?"

Li Ruanyu smiled. "Of course I can’t. I have too much to do here, how could I possibly get away? But with Captain Tie leading the team, you’ll be perfectly safe. He’s a renowned Fierce General around here. If you can learn even a little from him, you’ll improve immensely."

Tie Shan was ecstatic to hear this.

He slapped his own big head and chuckled. "It’s not that exaggerated. Ruan Yu, your praise is making me lose my bearings."

Li Ruanyu laughed. "How could that be? Captain Tie’s sense of direction is exceptional. You’ve always been reliable."

Tie Shan roared with laughter. "Not at all, not at all."

Li Ruanyu smiled. "I truly believe so. But I have other matters to attend to and can’t stay long. I’ll leave my student in your hands."

Tie Shan nodded. "Don’t worry, Ruan Yu. I’ll keep a close eye on him."

Li Ruanyu turned to Zhao Chi. "Be careful on the road. Listen to Captain Tie Shan in all things."

"Understood!"

"Good. I’ll be going, then. Captain Tie, I wish you a safe journey."

Tie Shan nodded. "Right!"

After Li Ruanyu left, Tie Shan was still basking in the glow of her praise.

He grinned broadly. "Zhao Chi, add me as a contact. Let me know if you need anything. But I’m a busy man, so don’t bother me with trivial crap."

"Understood."

Zhao Chi added Tie Shan to his contacts.

Tie Shan asked, "Your territory’s connection point—do you want it to follow the caravan, or should it stay here?"

A territory’s connection point was the passage that linked it to the Great World.

Within Snowfield City, the connection point could be moved freely.

Of course, moving it required obtaining local consent.

After all, it was like building a road through someone else’s yard—you certainly needed to get their permission beforehand.

Zhao Chi originally had 2 connection points: one at his home in Stream Village, the other at the Eighth Academy.

However, only the connection point at his home was permanent; the one at the academy was temporary.

Now, Zhao Chi’s connection point had been moved to his home in Jiaoya Town.

This also had been done with Jiaoya Town’s consent.

Now, Zhao Chi was heading to Dark Night City, and it was impossible that Dark Night City would grant him permission to set up a point there.

Therefore, if Zhao Chi wanted the ability to return to his territory at any time during the journey, he could have the connection point follow the caravan.

There were pros and cons to this.

The advantage was that he could teleport back to his territory at any time during the journey.

The disadvantage was that his territory would lose the protection of Snowfield City’s grand defensive formation and could be vulnerable to Attack.

That was why Tie Shan needed to confirm Zhao Chi’s decision.

Zhao Chi said, "Have it follow the caravan. Thank you for the trouble, Captain Tie."

"Alright, I understand. Come up to the front. You can just fall in behind my carriage."

"Alright. Thank you, Captain Tie."

A system prompt appeared:

[Your territory’s connection point is being changed. New connection point: Jade Team Caravan. Confirm?]

He tapped "Confirm."

’It seems this caravan belongs to Li Ruanyu after all. Does that make Captain Tie Shan her subordinate?’

Zhao Chi didn’t quite understand their relationship.

He followed Tie Shan to the front of the caravan, where there were many Soldiers.

Each Soldier was mounted on a horse.

The horses were large in stature, likely a breed that had undergone Improvement.

Behind these cavalrymen were three carriages. Tie Shan was in the one in the middle.

Farther back was Zhao Chi’s carriage. It was positioned on the left, with another carriage in the center and one on the right.