Two days after leaving the city, no significant eerie entities could be seen along the road. Occasionally, the grey-white text would flash a low-level prompt or two, but they were far off in the depths of the forest. With the array on the carriages and such a large group traveling together, weaker creatures didn't dare approach.
The further east they went, the quieter it became.
When night fell, the sandworm oil lamps were lit one by one. The bright white light enveloped the entire convoy, making even the horses feel a bit more at ease. Under the illumination, the cracks between the gravel on the road were clearly visible. Occasionally, shadows flitted in the distance, circling far away before vanishing without a trace.
Aside from the inn on the first day, they had encountered nothing else during the entire following day.
In the corner of his vision, the grey-white text quietly displayed a line of numbers.
【Sanity: 113/140】
On the day they left the city, it had been 89. After resting along the way, coupled with Margaret's long-acting medicine sustaining him in the background, the number had gradually climbed over the past two days. The grogginess in his mind had completely dissipated, and the half-second delay in his reactions from before was gone. He felt much lighter all over.
The wound on Dunn's right arm had scabbed over. His bandages had been changed twice, and it was no longer bleeding. The boy sat on the carriage floor, occasionally reaching up to touch the hard, shell-like scab, only to have his hand slapped away by Bo Er.
“Don't pick at it.”
Dunn pulled his hand back and said nothing.
The residents in the convoy had also recovered quite a bit. The deathly silence of the first day out of the city was gone. Some began chatting in low voices inside the carriages, and a few children leaned over the edges to look at the wild flowers along the road, only to have their heads gently pushed back in by the adults.
After a day and a half of peace, Lu Yuan kept his guard up where necessary, but he finally managed to breathe a sigh of relief.
Only one thing refused to relax.
Lu Yuan's own left leg.
Ever since discovering it that night at the branch, Lu Yuan had been keeping a close eye on it.
The thing was attached to his left leg. The grey-white text labeled it as “Parasitizing,” with no danger warning or signs of movement.
But after leaving the inn, it had suddenly become active.
It wasn't the kind of activity that suggested it was about to attack, but rather an inexplicable restlessness.
During his first few days at the branch, it had been completely quiet, almost imperceptible against his skin. But after leaving the inn, a faint chill began to seep from that area of his left leg. It was intermittent, weaker during the day, but noticeably stronger at night.
Lu Yuan grew suspicious.
Had this thing consumed something at the inn?
There had been twenty-seven corpses in that inn, each dying in a different way. Most had been literally scared to death, their faces contorted in extreme terror. The resentment and lingering unwillingness left behind by such deaths would certainly not be minor.
The Suspended Drowner was itself an entity formed from condensed resentment. Could it have absorbed the malice from those corpses, causing it to act up?
Lu Yuan wasn't entirely sure either.
Over the past two days, he had made time to check it once a day.
He checked it using the ability of the Knowledge Worm. Ever since the worm had been injured, it had been resting against the key to recover. Borrowing a tiny bit of its power wouldn't worsen its condition, though the worm glowed for a shorter duration than before.
This time, Lu Yuan nudged the Knowledge Worm through their symbiotic link once again.
Deep within his left eye, the Knowledge Worm glowed faintly, and the entire world instantly dissolved into mottled patches of color.
He looked down at his left leg.
Just as before, a pale human face was pressed against the skin on the outer side of his left leg, its features blurred and its hollow black eye sockets facing outward.
However, the black aura surrounding the face was a full size larger than the last time he checked.
Originally, the black mass was only the size of a palm, clinging to the edges of the face like a faint ink stain. Looking at it now, the stain had expanded outward, covering almost the entire outer side of his left leg from his knee to the middle of his thigh.
A chill ran down Lu Yuan's spine.
He focused his gaze, and the line of grey-white text emerged in the corner of his vision.
【The Suspended Drowner (Parasitizing) (?)】
【It seems to have undergone some unknown change.】
It was almost identical to the last time.
It was still merely clinging to his left leg, with no signs of moving elsewhere.
But it was indeed growing.
Lu Yuan stared at the expanded black aura, unsure of how to handle the situation for the moment.
He couldn't communicate with it, and he couldn't tell if it was good or bad. If he tried to force it out, he was afraid something might go wrong.
For now, there was no good solution.
He could only wait until his Sanity recovered fully and the residents were safely delivered to Oakwood City before freeing up his hands to deal with it.
He withdrew his energy, and the glow of the Knowledge Worm faded. The mottled patches of color receded, and his left leg returned to normal.
Lu Yuan pulled down his trouser leg and looked up, his gaze returning to the imperial road ahead.
The sound of hooves echoed in the distance.
It was the sound of an entire convoy rolling over the road. The clatter of hooves and the rumble of wheels blended together, echoing dully from behind the bend ahead.
Lu Yuan placed his hand on his waist, and Bo Er sat up straighter as well.
Behind the bend, a merchant caravan came into view.
It was of medium scale, with seven or eight tarpaulin-covered freight wagons. Their bodies were narrower but longer than the Nightwatchers' troop carriages.
The tarpaulins were sun-bleached and heavily patched, and the wheel ruts were pressed deep, indicating they were fully loaded. From the edges of the covers, one could glimpse several wine barrels, neatly stacked ores, and further inside, bundles of harvested herbs emitting a sweet fragrance.
In front of the caravan were several guards carrying sabers. Judging by their attire, they were common hired guards. They initially grew alert upon seeing Lu Yuan's convoy, but once they recognized the Nightwatchers emblem hanging from the lead carriage, they relaxed their shoulders and pulled over to the side of the road.
The two convoys slowed down as they passed each other on the imperial road.
On this stretch of the road, there happened to be a resting spot, with a stone trough and a watering pool under an old tree, clearly meant for passing convoys to rest.
Lu Yuan had also planned to rest here for a while to water and feed the horses. He parked the carriage and issued a rest order through the communication inscription array, allowing the residents to get down and stretch their legs.
The caravan stopped as well.
A middle-aged man hopped down from the lead freight wagon and walked over toward Lu Yuan. His face bore the marks of the elements, with high cheekbones, an old scar on his chin, and skin tanned to a deep bronze. Yet, his eyes were bright and sharp, observing others with a quick but non-offensive tact unique to traveling merchants.
He first scanned the deep grey Nightwatchers captain's coat on Lu Yuan, then looked at the residents stepping off the carriages. His gaze lingered on their faces for a moment. Asking nothing, he smiled and extended his hand.
“I'm Gordon, the leader of this caravan.”
Lu Yuan shook his hand and introduced himself.
Gordon withdrew his hand and tilted his head toward the convoy, his tone carrying a hint of probing.
“Judging by your direction, you must have come from Bronze City, right?”
Lu Yuan didn't deny it, nor did he say much, simply nodding in response.
Gordon didn't press further, as if he had already guessed as much. His tone grew more tactful.
“We are regulars on this route, often trading with the towns around Bronze City. We received word a week ago that trade with Bronze City would soon be suspended. Besides, it was just halted not too long ago.”
He looked at Lu Yuan, narrowing his words down to a very specific question.
“I wonder when Bronze City will reopen?”
Lu Yuan understood.
Kraus's arrangements were indeed thorough, even giving the merchants a heads-up. He didn't go into detail, offering only a vague estimate.
“Some eerie incidents occurred in the city, and the Nightwatchers are currently suppressing them. On top of that, some damaged buildings need repairs. I'm afraid it will take some time.”
The city's troubles went far beyond that, but there was no need to tell an outsider. Speaking too much would bring no benefit and could easily cause panic.
Hearing this, Gordon nodded slowly and stopped probing.
“Understandable, understandable.” He clapped his hands and shifted the topic. “But traveling with so many people, do you have enough food?”
He waved a hand toward his freight wagons. “I have some food on my carriages. I'll have some brought over for you. Since we're all out on the road, we should help each other out when we can.”
Lu Yuan glanced at him.
This man was shrewd but not unlikable. He knew that building goodwill with the Nightwatchers was worth the investment. By offering food to establish a connection, this favor would come in handy once Bronze City reopened.
Lu Yuan accepted the gesture but had no intention of taking it for free.
“We'll pay the fair price,” Lu Yuan said.
Gordon was taken aback for a second, then grinned, not refusing the offer.
Lu Yuan turned back and waved Bo Er over. His own money was all recorded on an internal Nightwatchers voucher—over a hundred imperial gold shields—which hadn't been withdrawn yet. Not knowing if Gordon would accept such a thing, he decided not to touch it.
“Bo Er, pay for it first. I'll reimburse you later.”
Bo Er agreed and pulled a few gold shields from his pocket to negotiate with Gordon. After a brief back-and-forth, Gordon quoted a fair price, pushed back the excess money, and turned to carry several bundles down from his wagon.
There was a large bundle of smoked meat and dried mushrooms packed in coarse cloth bags, deep brown in color and crispy to the touch.
The quantity wasn't huge, just enough for the entire Nightwatchers convoy to have a hearty meal. It wouldn't last for days, but after chewing on dried meat and hardtack every day, their palates were thoroughly tired of it. Having some mushrooms to change things up was a welcome treat.
Bo Er wasn't polite. He took the ingredients and went to find a spot to set up a pot, boil water, and build a stove.
A few of the Nightwatchers helped set up the pot, slicing the smoked meat and tossing in the softened mushrooms. Before long, the fragrance of the bubbling meat broth wafted through the air.
The residents were called over to gather and eat. Some held bowls to catch the broth, while others dipped their bread into the gravy. A few children munched on the mushrooms, leaving crumbs all over their mouths, which their parents wiped away with their sleeves.
The meal wasn't extravagant, but as they ate, everyone's expressions softened.
Lu Yuan also drank a bowl of soup. The savory sweetness of the mushrooms mixed with the saltiness of the smoked meat was far better than the dried meat he had been chewing on for two days straight.
By the time they finished cleaning up, Gordon's caravan had already departed. They had other places to go. Before leaving, Gordon waved to Lu Yuan, saying with a smile, “If you pass by in the future, please look after us,” before climbing back onto his wagon.
Lu Yuan watched the caravan round the bend and disappear at the end of the road before turning back to call the residents onto the carriages.
Bo Er packed up the pots and bowls, smothering the embers of the stove with dirt. Dunn helped wrap the leftover mushrooms in cloth and stowed them back in the carriage. His movements were much more nimble than they had been over the past two days, and the scab on his right arm looked as if it were about to fall off.
“Let's go,” Lu Yuan said, leaping onto the lead carriage.
Bo Er snapped the reins, and the convoy set off once more, continuing toward Oakwood City.
They traveled for about another day and a half.
It was already evening, and more and more convoys were passing along the road—some hauling freight, some driving livestock, and a few merchant wagons even smaller than Gordon's. They cast a few extra glances at the Nightwatchers as they passed.
Cresting a hill, Oakwood City appeared in the distance.
Rate on N.U.
