653 The Caravans

He looked forward to seeing what these caravans looked like, understanding their origins, and learning how they managed to survive in a world overrun by countless swarms of Vylkr vines at every corner.

Moreover, he hoped to discover if they had any information about the whereabouts of stronghold leader Drakar.

Though Orion recognized the caravan's strength, he began reassessing his thoughts after gathering information from the Village Chief and learning that some caravans were strong enough to hold their own against two-star warriors. He wondered if the four-eared individuals were equal to the warriors in strength or even stronger.

Nonetheless, he would only be able to know once they arrived, so Orion was very much expecting their arrival.

As he landed before the main gates of his manor, Orion surveyed the scanty streets before giving a nod of acknowledgement to the two guards stationed at the entrance. These guards were three-star warriors whom Orion had hired and compensated using the revenue generated from the cities, reciprocated his nod.

Though the profits were currently modest in comparison to the construction costs, even with the assistance of the Village Chief and the other key figures who shared in the revenues, Orion was optimistic that, with time and a growing population, they would not only cover the expenses but also generate substantial profits.

The guards respectfully opened the main gates, allowing Orion to enter. As he entered the main compound, he calmly said, "I'm home."

Despite his subdued tone, the words resounded throughout the entire compound and its hundreds of buildings.

.....

Two months later

Tiny snowflakes drifted gently from the sky, blanketing the main Village and the cities and extending over all the lands with a serene wintry chill.

Down the small river that encircled the main Village, stretching far eastward beyond the mountains into the unknown lands, a multitude of small steel boats, numbering almost a hundred thousand, swiftly advanced in the direction of the Village.

A notably larger boat was at the forefront of the boats, dwarfing the smaller vessels behind it. Perched at the edge of this boat was a young man with four long elven-like ears adorned with an earring hanging from the lower left side, dressed in an attire seemingly crafted from leaves.

He surveyed the frigid river ahead with a deep frown, aware that it would soon freeze in the coming weeks.

Suddenly, a Vylkr vine rose from the river, attempting to climb into the boat. Before it could do so, a compartment on the side of the boat immediately opened up.

From inside, a medium-sized rotating blade shot out and sliced it off. The blade moved effortlessly across the upper side of the boat, effortlessly slicing through the other encroaching Vylkr vines before retracting back into the boat.

Witnessing this scene, the young man took a step back, his frown deepening before he exhaled tiredly.

"Whether on land or sea, even the one-star Vylkr vines are still troublesome."

"Lyndon, didn't Father tell you not to get too close to the edge of the boat?" a feminine voice sounded behind him.

Lyndon turned around, looking at his sister standing behind him.

She shook her head, exhaling with a long sigh. "You standing there in a daze isn't going to change anything. Why don't you come inside and rest for a while? After all, we will be arriving soon," she added, stretching her body as though she had just had a long and comfortable rest.

However, instead of responding, Lyndon asked, "Will they happily receive us, as Father said, sister?"

"Of course, Father said that they would happily receive us, so I am sure they will," she responded.

"Are you sure, sister?" Lyndon asked, staring intently at his sister, Isadora. Like him, she also had four ears, two on each side, with an earring on the lower right.

She also had short, shoulder-length black hair and wore a long attire crafted from leaves covering her entire body. Also, a small, snowy-furred beast rested with its eyes closed on her left shoulder.

While Isadora wanted to respond to her brother's words, she found it difficult after everything they had experienced in the past months.

"Humph! So you aren't sure about it, too, right?" Lyndon asked with a sigh escaping his lips for the umpteenth time.

"Even if we aren't sure, that doesn't mean we shouldn't believe his words. After all, Father has been here several times already, more than us, so he must know them better than anyone about what kind of people they are. So, I choose to believe Father's words, even though I'm not entirely sure about it," Isadora responded with a firm expression.

When she finished speaking, as though understanding everything she had said, the snowy-furred beast on her left shoulder nodded in agreement.

Lyndon exhaled deeply at his sister's words, "Honestly, even I choose to believe his words. However, now that we're getting closer to our destination, I can't help but doubt if we are doing the right thing," Lyndon said.

"What do you mean?" Isadora asked with furrowed brows.

"Over a hundred thousand people of our race are currently on a one-way trip to seek shelter from another race, whom Father claimed were good people with whom he had only done business. Though I ignored the matter when we had just started running away, now that we are getting closer to our destination, sister, what do we do if they refuse to offer us assistance?"

"Where will we run to then? Our runaway city has already been captured, and everything within it has been ransacked. So, sister, what will we do if these people refuse us?" Lyndon asked, his voice trembling as he clenched both hands into fists.

Suddenly, just as Isadora was about to respond, the water before the boat moved, and a figure immediately jumped out of the river, landing before them.

"Prince Lyndon, I can hear your voice complaining from deep under the river," the figure said as he looked at Lyndon.