The sun was out, but not very high up in the sky.
It was still the late hours of the morning.
The horses galloped along the roads at a steady pace.
And like a smooth waterfall, their wavy manes bounced ever so gently with the touch of the warm breeze.
The air was rich with the aroma of all sorts of plants and flowers, some of which were foreign to Wolfram.
The journey had been long and exciting.
What did he not see?
Strange towns, cities, and villages.
Some had walls created from magic stones and barriers, while others like the towns, used strange but fortified wood that he had never seen before.
And the terrain was also very magical.
As expected, he was in a magical world.
But just like himself, everyone else was seeing these things for the first time in their lives.
As mortal villagers, they dared not move too far from Clovis village. Hence many had never even seen a city or a town.
The fear of bandits, evil Sky Hailers, and just nature killing them via route was too high for them to take that risk.
Thus, they lived and died around the corners of Clovis village.
Wolfram took in a big whiff of air, feeling the open roads cleaner and fresher than anything he had smelt in his previous life.
He dared to say that even the natural and forest sites in Blue Star weren't this clean.
'Is it because of Magic?'
Wolfram thought so.
Maybe it was the presence of magic in this world that caused the air to be this pure.
As for how long they have been traveling, it's been 3 months now.
Yes. That long.
And it might have taken a shorter time if they didn't stop so much.
However, Wolfram would prefer that they take these precautions. And after explaining his reasons, no one felt it was unnecessary.
For his precautions, Wolfram took a lot.
.
First, they never slept or traveled during the long hours of the night.
NEVER!
They were only mortal and weren't so sure about how their overall strength would fare if they met with other evil-intended mortals on the way.
The roads were filled with merchants, travelers, and many people who displayed their wealth or kept a low-key status.
There were some carriages escorted by thousands and thousands of Shy Hailer soldiers, probably belonging to a noble Sky Hailer too.
Some Sky Hailers dashed and vanished in a blink of an eye while others flew instead.
In short, for them mortals, they not only had to worry about these Sky Hailers but also had to worry about other mortals too.
The journey was no doubt a dangerous one.
Thus, their time on the road had been a long one.
The night and early morning hours were the most unsafe times since some bandits would choose to wait during these periods to rob many.
Additionally, the roads were somewhat scanty around these times, giving people the opportunity to breed evil intentions. Slave owners and even some nobles would choose to forcefully capture others.
Wolfram figured out that when the road was busy, they would be like a fish in a large school of other fishes.
This gave them the edge of being invisible in the crowd.
These were all conclusions and guessed Wolfram made based on knowledge from his previous life.
And in truth it has worked quite well for them.
Even when traveling out in the open alongside the many travelers, they had seen beautiful women get taken by force while their families were killed there and then.
The evil he saw made him know just how dangerous this world was.
That's why he insisted on everyone looking ugly.
And when they arrived in their first town, he quickly bought new wagons that looked neither rich nor poor.
It was sad, but the most picked on people were those who walked on foot, used fragile horses or very rundown wagons or carriages.
All in all, they traveled from 11 A.M to 7 P.M strictly on the busy roads... no dark corners, no shady roads, no early mornings, and no late nights.
You say he was too cautious?
Then bite him!
He would rather use the long way than choose the shorter one.
And by 8 P.M, they would've long entered the closest village city or town, never sleeping out.
Of course, most town and city settlements were days, weeks, and even months and years apart. So they ended up bribing various villages along the way for a night stay.
Though it diminished their wealth, it was far worth it!
Initially, when they reached their first town, they traded and sold off a few of their seeds and food for coins.
They only used coins when staying in cities and towns.
And when in villages, they paid with food. Most villagers had never seen coin before and had no use of it unless they planned to venture into a town or city.
.
Sigh…
Wolfram rubbed his elbows while lost in thought.
The Forest of Ashes.
They were headed towards that location, hoping to settle in any region somewhat close yet distant to it.
Everyone was petrified after realizing that Wolfram wanted to settle there.
But after listening to Wolfram and knowing that Torr might one day find the truth and come after them, they knew that the most dangerous place was also the safest too
It was a gamble they now agreed to take.
The forest of Ashes…
It was one of the deadliest places in the empire, just as its name suggested.
This forest was positioned at the Eastern borders of the Estian Empire and served as a divide and a natural wall between the Estian and Campbell Empire.
The forest spanned over thousands and thousands of kilometers, going as far as the eyes could see
And till this very day, no one knew its true depth.
People even cracked wise jokes, saying that one could spend a million years trying to understand the forest but eventually fail.
The place was shrouded with mystery.
And both empires, though enemies, dared not infiltrate one another via the forest.
Wolfram felt a chill climb up his spine when thinking of this elusive place.
Poisons, deadly gasses, and countless unspeakable creatures live there.
But as they say, where there is danger, there is also fortune.
And both empires knew this concept all too well.
They kept sending in teams to find and unearth these hidden treasures and mysteries within the forest.
.
Wolfram frowned
From the intel they gathered while traveling, death was too frequent for those who entered.
And because of the death difficulty rate, the danger level, and the raw magical energy one felt when advancing… the empire had the forest into ringed zones.
The first outer ring zone of the forest only had mortal creatures, making it relatively safe for ordinary hunters to venture into.
However, make no mistake.
These zones were still relatively large, with mountains, hills, valleys, creeks, and all sorts of terrain.
A person could still get lost in these ordinary zones.
But once a person starts crossing the 2nd~45th known zone, things get harder and harder.
Above that, no one had lived to tell of what they saw.
Yes
The 46th Ash-Zone was unknown and uncharted in the eyes of both enemy empires.
But from what they estimated, many believed that there might be over 100 Ash-Zones within this Forest of Ashes.
Legend speaks of a powerful item in the innermost and final Ash zone that both empires were trying to claim. As for its powers, no one was truly sure of what it could do.
'The forest of Ashes... I wonder just what sort of place it truly is.'
Wolfram leaned against the wooden wagon walls, thinking about this mysterious forest.
.
~Gallop. Gallop. Gallop.~
Their journey continued for a few more days.
And sure enough, the closer they got to their destination, the scantier the road grew.
Yes!
They were close to the Eastern Borders of the Estian Empire.
A location not too close to the Forest of ashes, yet not too far.
Maybe 3 or 4 days away from the forest.
Wolfram's eyes scanned the scene throughout their travels.
And soon, his eyes lit up in a twinkle.
The terrain, the hills, the entire site...
That's it!
This would be their new home!