Chapter 555 - 361: Things Are Not as Simple as Imagined, The Hidden Crisis

Chapter 555: Chapter 361: Things Are Not as Simple as Imagined, The Hidden Crisis

On an uneven dirt road, a merchant caravan of about ten horse-drawn carriages proceeded in an orderly fashion toward Dongwu City.

The curtain of a carriage in the center of the caravan was pulled aside.

A portly, middle-aged man in his fifties wearing a Landlord Hat asked the steward riding alongside the carriage, "How much longer until we reach Dongwu City?"

"Sir, it will be another hour before we arrive at Dongwu City," the steward replied after a quick estimate.

"This god-awful road is bumpy as hell, and another hour of this? It’s going to be the death of me!" the Merchant Team Leader grumbled.

Hearing his master’s words, the steward grumbled to himself internally.

’If you were just willing to spend a little more money on a carriage with better suspension, Sir, you wouldn’t have to put up with all this bumping. At the end of the day, you’re just too cheap!’

The Merchant Team Leader exchanged a few more words with his steward. Just as he was about to lower the curtain, he suddenly heard a loud rumbling noise coming from behind them.

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE...

Merchant caravans on the road had to guard against two things: attacks from Mutant Beasts and ambushes by bandits.

The Merchant Team Leader had never heard a rumbling like this before. It immediately put him on high alert, and he shouted for his guards to be cautious and prepare for the unexpected.

The steward looked in the direction of the sound. He saw a young man on a vehicle the likes of which he’d never seen, heading toward the caravan. He immediately reported back to the anxious Merchant Team Leader.

"Sir, don’t worry. It’s not a Mutant Beast or bandits... It’s just a young man on a strange vehicle."

The Merchant Team Leader heard his steward say that the noise was being made by a young man on a strange vehicle.

His curiosity piqued, he climbed out of the carriage and stood on it, peering into the distance.

Lin Li sped toward Dongwu City on his dirt bike. After riding for over ten minutes, he saw a merchant caravan on the road ahead.

The caravan had now stopped. Its guards stood with weapons in hand, watching him with caution.

’They’re on guard against me! But I guess that’s normal. After all, out here in the wilderness, a caravan loaded with goods would naturally be wary of a stranger...’

Lin Li glanced at the caravan personnel, then twisted the throttle. He picked up a little speed and quickly drove past them.

The dirt bike sped along the dirt road, kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured the caravan’s view.

When the dust settled, they saw that the young man on the strange vehicle had already shrunk to a small black dot, rapidly vanishing into the distance.

With no attack having occurred, everyone in the caravan breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Sir, you seem quite interested in that young man," the steward said, looking at the Merchant Team Leader who was still standing on the carriage.

"I’m not interested in the young man, but in that strange vehicle he was riding," the Merchant Team Leader said.

"We’ve passed through several cities on this trip, and we’ve never seen a vehicle like that.

Based on his direction, he’s heading to Dongwu City, just like us. Could it be that this strange vehicle is produced in Dongwu?" the steward mused.

"When we get to Dongwu City, go make some inquiries. If you can find a place that sells these strange vehicles, we’ll buy some to transport and sell in other cities." The Merchant Team Leader, sensing a business opportunity, said with a grin before climbing back into his carriage.

Lin Li’s passage had brought the entire caravan to a halt. After his departure, the caravan set off once more.

"Yah."

The caravan’s drivers cracked their reins, and the horses pulling the carriages immediately stepped forward, continuing their orderly journey toward Dongwu City.

...

Out in the wilderness beyond the city, one rarely encountered other people. Even if you did, once you parted ways, it was unlikely you would ever meet again.

That was why Lin Li didn’t mind using his dirt bike from Blue Star to travel outside the city, a vehicle no one in this world had ever seen. Even if other travelers saw him, it didn’t matter.

Once inside the city, however, the roads would be crowded. If he rode his dirt bike through the streets, he would undoubtedly become the center of attention, which was the last thing Lin Li wanted.

Therefore, as Lin Li approached Dongwu City on his dirt bike, he picked a relatively flat spot and stopped.

After stowing the dirt bike away in the Mysterious Small Island, he proceeded the rest of the way on foot.

The closer he got to Dongwu City, the more travelers he saw on the road. Most of them belonged to the merchant caravans he had passed earlier on his dirt bike.

The merchant caravans that traveled between cities were always extremely vigilant in the wilds for the sake of safety.

But the moment the massive gates of Dongwu City came into view, their frayed nerves could finally settle.

The road-weary caravan members chatted and laughed, discussing their plans for after they entered Dongwu City.

Since there were quite a few caravans, the carriages had to form a line to enter Dongwu City.

Of course, pedestrians didn’t have to queue up behind the caravans, as there was a separate walkway for them to enter the city directly.