"Safar, I know what you can do for me. Do you frequent this route?"
Elias already decided to establish a trade relationship with Safar. There were a lot of herbs on the mountain, and if he could have someone procure whatever he needed, he could focus on trying to solve his problems without worrying about small things.
"Actually, this is the first time we passed here. I was looking for a new route that could potentially lower the time I need to travel from Ferur to Whifres, but I did not expect it to be this dangerous. Even though I am a True Breath level warrior myself, It is still dangerous for me. And I cannot afford to hire a small army of true warriors. Our caravan can deal with some bandits or a stray animal, but a pack of over hundred wolves is too much. There are limits to one's stamina."
*So he is at True Breath stage, but still is threatened by normal animals, as long as there are enough of them.*
Elias's mind wandered to wolves, and he remembered how some time ago he almost encountered a pack of wolves in the forest by the tribe's village.
*Could it be that it is the same pack? It makes some sense if they got a taste of human flesh from the guy who tried to attack me at the lake… That may have made them consider the caravan a viable target.*
The fact that there were wolves in the forest by the village was rather strange. That region was teeming with human activity and was even patrolled on a regular basis. Elias would have thought the wolves came from the mountain, but they were simply too weak to be from the inner reaches of the Fierce Tiger Mountain. As well as the fact that it was tigers who lived there, not wolves. This meant that the pack that attacked the caravan was likely to be the pack that Elias almost got surrounded by on that day. This also meant it was almost definite that the wolves were outsiders. The pack probably was forced to migrate, now, it is likely they will have to run again. If they don't Elias may have to clean them up.
"These wolves are not local animals. Their appearance is more of an anomaly. They are too weak to be someone who was exiled from the inner reaches of the mountain, so they must have come here from some other place. Now that they suffered such a defeat, they will have to go somewhere else. "
Safar furrowed his brows. He was clear on what Elias was hinting at, but still, going through these lands was equal to risking his, his sons, and his employees lives. And to be honest, Elias couldn't blame him.
"Are you sure of that, Elias? If this route proves to be safe enough, I will pass roughly once a week through here. However if it does not, it is likely I will never visit this place again. At least until I'm wealthy enough to hire warriors of your level."
"I am sure, but I'll leave it to your judgement. I also have another question. Is it really that hard to train as a warrior?"
Safar revealed a surprised expression, which was quickly replaced by an understanding look.
"It is hard to become a true warrior. Not only do you need to be working hard, you also need a lot of luck! Only one in ten is born talented enough to be a true warrior."