Chapter 465 - 464: A Chance Encounter in the Woods

Chapter 465: Chapter 464: A Chance Encounter in the Woods

White sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy, creating dappled spots of light on the ground. Under the influence of the dense foliage, everything looked dark green.

Colin trudged unevenly over the moss underfoot.

It was so thick that it felt like walking on a wool carpet.

Butterflies and bees flitted about everywhere.

Thanks to the stable temperatures of the Supreme Forest, this place was a veritable paradise for the small insects.

"Can... Can we rest for a bit?"

Albert asked, panting heavily. He squatted down and pulled open his visor.

Dorn said in surprise, "Are you serious? We’ve only been walking for half an hour!"

"Alright, use [Mind Whisper] to tell Kase. Let’s head back and rest for a while," Colin said.

Hearing this, Albert sat down on a tree root with a CLANK.

To increase his travel Speed, Albert had recently taken off his cumbersome leg armor. He was now essentially moving in a suit of Half-plate Armor.

Colin also sat on a root and took out a few berries Orelia had picked to snack on.

Although Colin and Ale had barely been able to catch anything to eat the last time they were hurrying through the Supreme Forest, things were different with Kase and Orelia traveling with them.

Kase had indeed learned a lot from his people. Besides being able to accurately determine his direction, he could secure prey whenever he tried.

As for Orelia, after studying the herbalism notes she had gotten from Father John, she had gone on to find other herbology books to expand her knowledge. Even in the Supreme Forest, she could identify the species and uses of most plants.

"To be honest, I haven’t been sleeping well lately. The birds in this forest are so annoying," Albert complained.

"I would have thought having a tent would be more comfortable than sleeping in a bedroll," Dorn said with a smile.

"I even brought earplugs for it." Albert sighed. "In any case, there’s nothing I can do."

"Then how did you travel through the Supreme Forest before?" Colin asked.

Albert said, "To get to the Silver Star Court, I used a Teleportation Array. As for other places in the Supreme Forest, I generally don’t go."

"I knew it..."

Dorn suddenly changed the subject. "Wait, Kase says he’s spotted a caravan up ahead. It looks like their wagons are stuck in the mud. Should we go take a look?"

"Let’s go see," Colin nodded. "Maybe we’ll find a caravan we can travel with."

"I can manage a few more steps," Albert said, pounding his thigh.

The group rallied their spirits and walked a few hundred meters further.

As they drew closer, they saw a caravan stopped in the middle of the main road, just as Kase had said.

The caravan was quite large. Looking closely, they counted nineteen wagons in total, with nearly a hundred people gathered around them.

This caravan was probably like the one Colin and his party had joined in Three Bays City—several smaller groups that had merged into one large caravan to brave the road, unwilling to remain stuck.

Kase, who had been hiding by the roadside, saw Colin’s group arrive and emerged nonchalantly from the bushes to join his companions.

Just as Colin was about to approach, the caravan members in the distance suddenly all stood up and began grabbing the weapons lying around them, as if they were under attack by monsters.

Colin glanced at the members of his own party and sighed.

He spoke up, "Albert and I should probably go over and say hello first."

The others, of course, had no objections.

The two of them walked down the main road toward the caravan. Sure enough, they saw archers in the caravan beginning to nock arrows to their bows, clearly preparing to defend against them.

Colin shouted first, "Don’t misunderstand! We’re not monsters, just passing Adventurers!"

"Save it, buddy. Just let the Ogre hiding back there come out. I’ve never seen an Adventurer traveling with an Ogre," a voice with a southern accent called out from the caravan.

At that moment, Albert took off his Helmet and shouted something toward the wagons.

Immediately after, a man wearing a Beast Hide tunic and a small woolen cap stepped out. He had bronze skin and looked like a merchant from the south.

The merchant came forward and shouted back in a language similar to Albert’s.

"Wait here, I need to go over there," Albert whispered to Colin. He then replied to the merchant and walked forward.

The two exchanged a few brief words. Then the merchant bowed slightly to Albert before shouting to Colin, "Please, come forward, sir! Forgive our offense."

’He probably recognized Albert’s noble status.’

The difference between nobles and commoners in this world was quite large.

Between Albert’s armor, which bore his family crest, and his face, anyone with a discerning eye could tell at a glance that he was no Mortal.

As Colin walked over, he heard the merchant say to Albert, "Greetings, Your Excellency. How may I address you?"

"I am Mikhail Tolchevich, just a minor noble traveling abroad. Those you see are my guards. As you know, the Northern Lands are a country full of surprises," Albert said.

’That sounds like a common name for nobles from the North. Is he not going to use his real name?’ Colin wondered, glancing at Albert.

"And may I ask your destination on this trip...?"

"We plan to take this path out of the Supreme Forest to the Kolva Barony," Albert replied.

"What a coincidence! Our destination is the same as yours. Would you deign to travel with us?" the merchant said with a smile. "Of course, there will be payment. As long as we can get out of the Supreme Forest, I am willing to offer two hundred and fifty Gold Coins as a reward—consider it a gift for this chance encounter."

Hearing this, Albert glanced at Colin.

Colin gave a slight nod.

Normally, a request to travel together wouldn’t involve payment, since it wasn’t a formal guard contract.

If this merchant had no other motives, he was likely trying to use the two hundred and fifty Gold Coins to build a good relationship with a noble like Albert. This suggested he was a southern merchant just starting to do business in the North.

Albert smiled and nodded. "We can agree on that."

"Oh, that is wonderful! Ah, we’re facing a small problem at the moment. Please wait here for a moment." After speaking, the merchant quickly turned and headed back toward the caravan.

After that, Colin used [Mind Whisper] to call the others over.

While waiting for them to arrive, he asked curiously, "What did you say to them just now?"

"Orakem, the language of the Ancient Empire of Ora Kaim. Most nobles take pride in being able to speak it. It’s a difficult language to learn, so generally only high-ranking nobles or Cultivators from the Church can speak it."

Albert explained in a low voice, "Of course, that’s not an absolute rule. Since they place more importance on martial strength, many nobles in the North are actually illiterate. You still have to judge a person by their bearing and attire."

’Seems a lot like Latin in the Middle Ages,’ Colin thought to himself.