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墨書 Inktalez
Due to the rotation of the imperial soldiers' warhorses, the convoy unexpectedly left the border of Byron Kingdom ahead of schedule.
In these three miles, there were not many troubles since everyone was on high alert.
The army of Byron Kingdom also deliberately avoided them from a distance.
As a result, the oppressive atmosphere of the entire convoy became more relaxed after leaving Byron, as they knew that Saladin's invasion had nothing to do with them anymore.
In this gradually cheerful atmosphere, only Baron maintained an emotionless expression on his face.
Time gradually approached afternoon, and the sun began to set in the west.
Baron waved his hand to signal the convoy to stop; they were already quite far from the Byron border.
Freya pulled her warhorse to a halt and looked around. She noticed that besides the straight road beneath her feet, there was nothing else on the entire prairie.
At Baron's signal, everyone dismounted. They took out some iron pots and bowls from the wagons, seemingly preparing to start a fire and cook.
It should be noted that for the past three days, aside from traveling and sleeping, everyone in the convoy had been solving their food issues while on horseback, which was unbearable for anyone.
Now that they were out of danger, they could finally enjoy a rare hot meal!
Eric happily pulled out a piece of cured meat from one of the food-laden wagons and handed it to a guard, instructing him to stew it in the pot.
This seemingly extravagant act was actually not excessive for the convoy.
It is unclear how Baron and Damsdin managed it, but after they made a round in the town, the empty horse-drawn carriage they brought back was nearly filled with various foods. Among all the carriages, except for those carrying valuables, it was the heaviest.
"Perhaps they just robbed it directly!" Freya speculated curiously.
Dismounting from her warhorse and standing on the soft grass, Freya looked up at the sky, which was blue and cloudless.
A gentle breeze brushed against her, carrying a light scent of grass, warm and very comfortable.
Before long, with everyone's efforts, the aroma of meat gradually wafted from the pot.
Freya walked over to Baron, who was frowning at a map, and gently said, "Father, does this mean we have reached Salko territory?"
Hearing Freya's question, Baron nodded and replied, "Yes, theoretically we are in Salko now. However, this area is Sikou Prairie, which lies between Salko and Byron. In reality, it belongs to a no-man's land between the two countries."
"No-man's land? Why?" Freya looked around at the picturesque prairie with mild curiosity. She knew that a no-man's land was a place where no one managed it and where bandits and criminals thrived.
Baron smiled, folded up the map in his hand, and pointed to the grass beneath her feet. "Because the land here is unsuitable for either farming or grazing. You see, this grass is called Poison Star Grass; it grows in saline-alkali soil and is a special toxic plant. Aside from being used as firewood, it has no other value. The entire Sikou Prairie is filled with this kind of grass, making it a no-man's land by necessity."
"Toxic?..." Freya looked at the tender green grass. If it really were toxic, wouldn't that make the entire prairie an uninhabitable place?
Seeing his daughter's expression, Baron patted her head and said, "Don't worry. These grasses pose no problem as long as they are not consumed. Besides, we won't be staying here for long. If there are no other factors involved, we can reach Daqier City in at most three days to resupply before we can take a boat!"
Freya frowned slightly. The "other factors" Baron mentioned likely referred to bandits or similar threats. However, it seemed unlikely that any strong bandits would be present; thus, they did not pose a significant threat to the overall strength of their caravan.
"By the way, Father, is it true that the Rudin Kingdom and Byron are completely different countries?" Freya casually asked.
She had previously come across some information about the country of Rudin in the castle's library. In that country, the highest authority was not held by the royal family, but rather by a council composed of many high-ranking officials who collectively governed the entire nation, which was also divided into various factions.
"Yes, I visited after your sister got married. The cultural literacy of the people in that country is much better than that of Byron, and it is managed by multiple individuals. Aside from some intense political struggles, everything else is quite good."
"That's nice..." Freya felt a bit curious, after all, the Rudin Kingdom might be where she would have to live in the future.
In the distance, while they were conversing, the soup had already finished cooking, and Howard Bailey was trying to stand up with a pale face.
This man, who used to be as robust as a bear, had lost a significant amount of weight during his recovery from fleeing. Fortunately, his injuries did not leave too many lasting effects. Now that his health was gradually improving, he felt an urgent desire to practice some movements to regain his strength.
Smiling at Howard Bailey's shaky appearance, Baron rarely showed a hint of a smile and took her hand.
"Come on, let's go eat!"
"Okay!"
The lunch was not lavish, but it was quite good for everyone.
Freya finished her bowl of soup and had a few bites of bread before feeling a slight fullness in her slightly rounded belly.
As others were still eating, she put down her bowl, stood up, walked to the back door of the carriage, and drew her Cross Sword from her waist, lightly swinging it a couple of times.
Two silver streaks flashed through the air and disappeared in an instant.
Looking at the marks she had made, Freya took a deep breath and thrust the cross sword forward before lifting it upward.
The swift movement caused the air to emit two faint "pop" sounds.
She practiced Stiletto's swordsmanship regularly, and perhaps because she was still in her developmental stage, she felt that her physical abilities were slowly but steadily improving.
The energy in her chest had also gained some noticeable flexibility through this period of training, as if it possessed intelligence, able to be transmitted to every part of her body according to Leta's needs.
The environment of Sikou Prairie was excellent; aside from the poisonous grass from Baron that made her somewhat uncomfortable, she was satisfied with everything else.
Taking a deep breath and lightly exhaling, Freya sheathed the Cross Sword back into its scabbard.
After a brief practice with Stiletto, everyone began packing their tools, preparing to set off.
This time, she chose not to ride a horse but returned to the carriage. Looking at the vast and beautiful prairie, she leaned against the carriage's interior. The gentle breeze tousled her hair, and she felt too lazy to tidy it up. She swayed along with the motion of the carriage, appearing relaxed and serene.
As the sun gradually tilted westward, its light slowly dimmed.
Unknowingly falling asleep, Freya opened her eyes to find that it was already late afternoon, approaching evening.
The carriage continued moving forward. Rubbing her eyes, Freya vaguely saw her father talking about something with Eric, who was walking alongside him.
She pondered idly about the paths ahead.
As time passed, darkness enveloped everything. In a daze, as the carriage rolled on, tiny points of light appeared beneath the wheels, resembling fireflies.
"What is this?" She looked at the floating light spots and reached out to gently catch one in her palm.
Suddenly, she realized that these were not insects or anything like that, but tiny plant seeds the size of rice grains, emitting a faint blue light that slowly faded away after a moment.
Curious, Freya gently squeezed the dimmed seed, and it lit up again, which was quite magical.
"Is it really glowing through compression?"
After playing with the magical glowing seeds for a while, Freya casually tossed one aside.
Just as she was about to find a comfortable spot to lie down for a bit longer, a series of faint sounds of metal clashing suddenly came from ahead.
A faint smell of blood wafted into her nostrils with the gentle breeze.
"Something's happening..." Freya's previously drowsy expression instantly cleared. She shouted to her trusted confidant driving the carriage, "Reiner! Tell Father to inform everyone to stop the carriage! There's a smell of blood!"
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