Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Deep into the dawn, while the troops were still sleeping deeply, Yang Ling, who had spent the entire night training, slowly opened his eyes. Observing the green fog slowly scatter in the cold morning air, then looking at the large trees around him, Yang Ling formed a gesture for the Wizard Mantra. He silently teleported to another tree instantly.
This is the power of Wood Evasion?
In his elation, Yang Ling teleported at high speed all over the forest, combining Earth Evasion with the Wood Evasion, free as a fish in water. His figure would sometimes appear on the branch of a tree, and sometimes suddenly spring up from underground.
Yang Ling calmed himself after a time, having thoroughly confirmed that he had broken through to the level of mid-level Earth Wizard. His body’s Wizard Core was the size of a ping pong ball, pulsing as it pushed forth a massive Wizard Power. His body was filled with power, and a mere punch was enough for him to break a boulder in two.
Vast Wizard Power, miraculous Tree Eyes ability, coupled with the teleportation-like Earth and Wood Evasion Techniques…
Yang Ling believed that his abilities would be brought to the fullest within the vast forest. Even if he would not be a match for a sage level fighter like Elder Klive for the time being, he could at least escape safely.
After plunging his awareness into the space of the Wizard’s Pagoda, he realized that there were monumental changes in that space as well.
The space had more than doubled in size, the fields stretching boundlessly as far as Yang Ling could see. Two Unicorns, one large and the other little, were happily chasing each other in the field. There were small changes to the area of the lake with the sweet spring water. The water was much clearer, and he felt his mind jolt when he took a sip.
Compared to the clear water of the lake, the transformation of the sapling of the Tree of Life on its shore was much more prominent. It had grown to be two stories tall, and it had grown a layer of dark green bark that released waves of a faint fragrance. It had officially become a Tree of life. If it continued to grow at such a rate, it might perhaps reach maturation soon, and evolve into an Ancient Tree of War that could be used both in offense and defense.
After making his way around the space of the Wizard’s Pagoda, Yang Ling exited the space, then opened his eyes and snuck back to his tent before anyone else awakened.
“The sun is already shining on your butts, brothers, it’s time to wake up!”
Yang Ling had just laid down when the raspy voice of Fatso Hans came from outside his tent. In the past, he was the one who liked lazing in his bed the most, with Lia having to pinch his ears every day before he would get up. But these last few days, he had been excited after having obtained a Pegasus. He would often wake up to walk the horse even before the sun rose.
“Damn Fatso, you should be cursed by the demon Ulysses!”
“Oh Yiblis, why are you shouting this early in the morning!”
…
The troops shouted their curses at Hans. In her anger, Lia even shot an icicle at him, piercing Hans in the rear. He yelped pitifully, but all Hans could do was flee on his horse, hoping to leave the violent Lia behind as far as possible.
Yang Ling shook his head at the bickering soldiers and closed his eyes to rest. He only pretended to be waking up and walked over when Lia, Halalei and the rest of the troops had woken up. The group resumed their journey after Orlando packed the tents and carriages.
Just like always, the soldiers played as they traveled, sometimes accelerating on their horses as they chased each other. Orlando was responsible for scouting the road ahead, and was riding a fast horse at the very front.
They had not made it very far when Orlando returned on his horse with a report. “Young master, there is a group of aborigines ahead. Should we detour?” In order to hide their identities, Orlando would call Yang Ling ‘young master’ when they were in front of people, acting as his loyal servant.
Yang Ling creased his brows. There were not many people in the Wilderness of Siberia to begin with, and coupled with the heavy snow, the group had not encountered many during their journey. Aborigines that appeared in groups were even more rare.
“Brother Yuri, do you think that they could be bandits?” Unlike Lia, Hans and the rest, the knight Halalei was more dependable, speaking as he unfastened his lance from the pack on his horse in preparation.
Halalei had a grave expression, while Fatso Hans seemed to be nonchalant, cantering up to Yang Ling’s carriage. “What’s there to be afraid of?” he laughed. “The bandits are no match for my Green-skinned Condor, no matter how many there are. All I need to do is to spray them with acid to defeat them all!”
Looking at the boastful Fatso, Yang Ling shook his head. He found an opportunity where no one was looking at him, and sneakily ordered a Horned Bee Beast to find out more about the situation.
There were a large group of aborigines of varying ages in simple clothing on an empty field a few miles ahead of the group. Some of them were carrying heavy bags, some clutching black crutches, some even carrying babies… They did not look like robbers, but refugees.
Once he understood that, Yang Ling told Orlando that there was no cause for worry and instructed the Rossi warhorses pulling the carriage to continue forward. Hans and Lia followed him without hesitation, while the knight Halalei had no choice but to follow after a moment’s hesitation.
The group traveled fast and soon appeared before the travelers. As they approached, a number of the natives dressed so simply threw themselves to their knees, crying “Sir, please save us!” they cried. They blocked the path totally.
An old man with a white beard said as he knelt in front of Yang Ling’s carriage, tears running down his face. “Sir, our tribe ran out of supplies earlier this year and we heard that the Magical Beast Territory on the other side of this wilderness is recruiting laborers. We had no choice but to risk it all and move our entire tribe through the snow and cold. We have not had anything to eat for three days now. Please help us!” In his eyes, Yang Ling, who was sitting comfortably in the carriage, was naturally the leader of his group.
Moving to the Magical Beast Territory in the middle of winter?
Looking at the old man groveling on the ground, Yang Ling was a little surprised. He did not expect news to spread that fast. It looked like Argus had achieved considerable results on his mission through the Wilderness of Siberia. Disregarding the effects of exterminating the bandits, he had at least spread news of the Magical Beast Territory welcoming anyone to live there out to the world, and had attracted a large number of native groups living in tough conditions.
“Go go go, our supply of rations is far from enough, how are we going to find extra for you?” Lia glared impatiently at the aborigines blocking their path. She seemed so angry, it was as if she wanted to lash at them with her whip. But surprisingly, it was the jovial Fatso that jumped down from his Pegasus. He took out a meat bun from his robes and stuffed it into the arms of a child, his expression unchanging.
“Regrettably, I am only a small merchant. I came from the Magical Beast Territory in a hurry and did not bring much with me!”
There were just too many of them. If there were only a dozen, Yang Ling could have considered helping, seeing as they were planning to move into his territory. But since they were so numerous, he might not even have enough for them all if he emptied his entire Space Ring. After a moment’s deliberation, Yang Ling had no choice but to gently reject them.
The old man with the white beard perked up and said, “Merchant? Sir, I know where you can find a stand of healthy Arrow Bamboo. If you promise to share some of your supplies, I’ll take you there personally. ”
Arrow Bamboo was an essential material when it came to building high quality crossbows on the Tailun Continent. It was a tactical resource that every nation had in reserve. It would fetch a high price in cities like Montson and Bavaria. As long as he could transport them to Montson, Yang Ling would stand to earn a huge profit. The old man was sure that the merchant Yang Ling would not miss such a great opportunity.
“Oh, Arrow Bamboo. Are you sure that it is a large forest of premium Arrow Bamboo?” The archer Lobina was surprised, looking excitedly at the white bearded old man.
Yang Ling didn’t see what was so special about some bamboo, but Lobina was different. As an archer, she knew how precious and rare the Arrow Bamboo was.
“Brother Yuri, Arrow Bamboo is a material essential to crafting giant crossbows and sturdy bows,” Lobina explained. “In Montson, a premium Arrow Bamboo would fetch at least ten Purple Crystal Coins!”
Even though she did not like to talk, Lobina did have a good impression of Yang Ling and his group. If not for the tents that Yuna provided, she, Lia and the rest would have to sleep unsheltered from the elements. Without the great cook that was Yang Ling, they would not have been able to taste the delectable roast chicken and Jiao Hwa Pheasant during their journey.
Yang Ling was thinking. One of the most important reasons he was making the journey to Montson was to build healthy relations with the merchant associations and promote his resource-rich territory to them. Bringing along rare Arrow Bamboo might allow him to pave the way, and establish strong relations with the financial giants, or maybe even with nobles that held political authority. Earning a profit from the bamboo was secondary.
Furthermore, as his territory developed, there would be a need to set up a light cavalry centered around the Forest Elves. If that was the case, he would require premium bows and arrows. It would be beneficial to the development of his abilities if he had a forest of Arrow Bamboo.
Yang Ling said slowly, “I am sorry, even if I gave you all my rations, I don’t think that I have enough to last all of you all the way to Wissen Town!”
“Sir, as long as we have a portion of your rations and allow our tribesmen to rest, we can hunt on our own along the way!” Seeing Yang Ling soften his stance, the old man finally saw hope.
“Let’s do it this way. While I was doing business in the Magical Beast Territory, I got to know General Casey, who is stationed at the Aila Mountain Pass. I will give you a portion of our supplies, and send you on with a letter of introduction and a fast horse. As long as you can find General Casey, I believe that he will send someone to look after you!”
Yang Ling wrote a few lines on the beast hide Orlando handed to him, folded it, and handed it to the old man. He instructed Orlando to prepare a spare warhorse for them. After receiving the Pegasi from the Sumeer people, the group had kept the original horses as reserves. The Spellcaster Lia had complained that it was too much of a hassle, but to think that they would prove useful now.
Yang Ling had two reasons besides the rare Arrow Bamboo for helping the bedraggled group before him. Wissen Town was in urgent need of manpower. The aborigines before him were dressed in tattered clothes, but had muscular physiques. They would be a decent labor force after they got some rest and sustenance.
Furthermore, if they managed to brave the snow and successfully reach Wissen Town, they would serve as role models to other tribes that had been observing him in secret.
“Thank you Sir!” The old man cried appreciatively. He watched as Yuna removed supplies from her Space Ring, and Orlando brought a warhorse around, and then looked back at the letter of introduction Yang Ling was handing to him. He and his group shouted their thanks enthusiastically.
