Chapter 466 - 465: The Tailing Wolf Pack

Chapter 466: Chapter 465: The Tailing Wolf Pack

Once Dorn and the others got closer, the group made their way to the middle of the caravan.

It seemed most of the people in the caravan were from the south. There were only a few Half-Elf Rangers, who had probably been hired by the merchant caravan as guides.

The people in the caravan were sizing up Colin’s group, many with worried expressions, like sheep watching a Shepherd toss a wolf into their pen.

Sure enough, several wagons in the caravan were stuck on tree roots.

But with nearly a hundred people on hand, this was just a minor inconvenience.

After dealing with this small problem, the caravan set off again.

"Ou—Our luck is pretty good." Dorn laughed, patting the wagon beneath him. "Looks like that merchant is quite respectful of you, a noble. Kid."

The group was now sitting in a wagon with a simple canopy.

After they helped the caravan pull the stuck wagons free, the merchant had redistributed the goods from this wagon to the others and given it to Colin’s group. It was clearly a gesture to curry favor with Albert.

The wagon ride was shaky and bumpy, but it was better than nothing.

"I’m just saying, this caravan could be a smuggling ring that preys on its own," Albert said, ignoring Dorn’s offense. "We should still take turns on watch for the next couple of days, and it would be best if we prepare our own food."

"It can’t be that bad, can it...?" Colin frowned.

Albert continued, "You’re probably right. The merchant is a new face. I’m guessing he wants to build connections with the local nobility.

The Blue Dragon entrenched in the northern desert recently raised its tax rates. Merchants who felt there was no profit to be made have been shipping their goods south, planning to take a detour to get here. That’s why we should be seeing some southern merchants scouting the routes lately."

"To be safe, Orelia, you should swap one of your Tier One Divine Skills for [Detect Poison]," Colin said.

"There goes that uniquely human paranoia again," Dorn yawned.

Kase, who was driving up front, turned back and said, "Won’t he be shocked when he finds out you’re the Great Chief of the North?"

"I think he’d be even more scared if he knew you all once killed a Giant Dragon," Albert said with a laugh.

After a moment, he sighed again. "I was hoping to experience a genuine, unfiltered adventure. At this rate, it’s hardly different from a normal trip."

While listening to the others chat, Colin looked at the caravan ahead.

He had been mistaken earlier.

This was simply one massive merchant caravan, not several smaller ones that had joined together.

The caravan had over a hundred members, including forty servants and support staff like doctors, veterinarians, and blacksmiths. Their guards were a small Mercenary Corps of about forty members.

It was worth noting that this Mercenary Corps also seemed to be from around Rommon, or perhaps even farther south. Most of them had bronze-colored skin.

No wonder this group dared to enter the dangerous Supreme Forest.

After all, the caravan was large, and most of them were southerners unfamiliar with the Supreme Forest.

If they hadn’t run into Colin’s group, it was hard to say whether this caravan would have made it out of the Supreme Forest. Those two hundred fifty Gold Coins weren’t spent for nothing.

The caravan continued along the forest road.

Orelia detected nothing strange in the food with her [Detect Poison], and the others found no other abnormalities, so the team gradually began to relax.

Of course, this didn’t stop Dorn from mocking them for their "uniquely human paranoia."

The Dwarf always claimed he could tell these people had no ill intentions at a glance. Ale wholeheartedly agreed, believing that Dwarves, being similar in height to Halflings, shared the little folk’s unique talent for judging character.

During this time, Kase and his mount, Big Hoof Treasure, joined the Rangers’ party to hone his archery and riding skills.

Colin and the others did their own things in the wagon. Mog couldn’t fit inside, but the Ogre didn’t complain much about walking alongside it.

So, the group had a fairly leisurely time.

In any case, although it was a bit different from what they had imagined, they were still living a relatively easy life traveling with the caravan.

The only one who might have been unhappy was Albert, who was hoping to run into some monsters.

They crossed several small streams and skirted a few earthen mounds.

The caravan passed through a few villages nestled in the woods, restocking supplies and selling some goods along the way, but none of this had anything to do with Colin and his group.

Traveling and observing like this, two weeks passed.

One afternoon, Colin was practicing with some small tools on a few goblin weapons—spoils of war they hadn’t sold off yet.

The wagon continued to sway and rock as it moved forward, just like a large cradle.

Just then, a Half-Elf on horseback came rushing from the rear of the caravan toward the front.

Seeing the look on the Half-Elf Ranger’s face, Colin immediately had a bad feeling.

A short while later, the southern merchant they had met before rode up to their wagon on horseback, his expression somewhat grim.

"Is something wrong?" Albert asked.

"My guide says an Orc raiding party is tracking us, sir," the merchant said. "I’m also a stranger to this region and know very little about the customs of the northern Orcs. If trouble arises, I hope that you and your guards can offer us some advice."

"If there really are Orcs, we certainly won’t stand idly by," Albert said.

The merchant nodded and said, "That would be for the best."

"Can I go scout with those pointy-ears, then?" Kase glanced at Big Hoof Treasure, who was trotting beside the wagon. "I’m a real pro at this sort of thing."

The merchant looked at Kase, his expression turning a bit strange. In the end, he just mumbled a quiet assent.

Colin glanced back behind them.

The view was still nothing but towering ancient trees, making it impossible to see what lay beyond their massive trunks.

No one knew if a butcher’s blade or a fluttering butterfly waited behind those trees.

「Three days later.」

Sitting in the wagon, Colin looked up at the canopy of leaves.

The weather today was exceptionally foul. Dark clouds shrouded the entire sky, and combined with the dense canopy, it was nearly impossible to tell day from night. The caravan had been forced to light oil lamps to continue on its way.

During this time, the atmosphere within the caravan had frozen over. Aside from the crack of whips driving the draft horses, there was hardly any other sound. The idle chatter had completely vanished.

By the orange glow of an oil lamp, Colin looked down and took out the small notebook he carried with him.