Ivita fell into deep thought. Should she bring her along?
The child seemed to be grown-up enough to have some rations and didn't need special care.
Moreover, such a multifunctional servant could be a big bargain if she could be taken in.
Black Wolf reflexively said, "I can drive the carriage too, I don't need you."
Alysia promptly said, "But for a strong warrior like you, you shouldn't always be driving. These tasks should be left to the servants."
Black Wolf blinked, he had actually been persuaded.
Indeed, a warrior like him shouldn't always be doing a servant's work.
Ivita noticed this woman's sharp mind. He wasn't the real Prince Alsace, so he didn't have any noble thought patterns.
He didn't truly believe that bloodline determined everything. There could also be talented individuals among the commoners; they just lacked opportunities.
"You've convinced me, Alysia."
"Rayli, how much wage did you give her before?"
Rayli, relieved, replied, "Master, I used to give her 1.2 liters of wheat every eight weeks and pay her 5 shillings a year."
Ivita nodded and told Alysia, "I can provide for your meals, but you'll have to perform all sorts of chores."
"In addition, due to our current lack of a place to stay, I cannot pay you the original money or food. However, if we find a territory, I'll pay you according to these wages for your labor."
"Can you accept it?"
After all, his current funds consisted only of the financial aid that Rayli had provided — 34 golden pounds.
He was short on money now, which was inconvenient for anything.
Alysia's face lit up. "Of course I agree, kind sir, the Lord of All Things will bless you."
"Thank you for your generosity."
She immediately held her child and sat down on the carriage, starting to drive it.
Everyone together boarded the carriage.
Additionally, Ivita didn't forget to take their ox, as it was a fellow survivor and should not be forgotten.
And so, they embarked on the road to the Viscount Ambrose's Independent Country.
Soon, the path ahead shifted from a forest to mountains, with sparsely distributed trees standing between the mountains and highlands.
After crossing ten interconnected hills, Ivita felt a sudden surge of Magic Power within him; his body started to feel uncomfortable.
It was as if he was pinned down by some heavy object.
The Old Witch apparently felt something similar, mumbling and cursing to herself, "Damned Holy Mountain Desert phenomenon!"
"How can anyone live in such a place, they have such bad taste."
Ivita sensed carefully, realizing that the quality of his Magic Power hadn't decreased, but the total amount decreased and felt somewhat blocked when used.
It was akin to having one's hands suddenly shackled, making movements quite inconvenient.
Ivita was puzzled. "Why do I suddenly feel that Magic Power is somewhat challenging to control?"
"Not only you, both Rayli and I feel the same." Demon Hunter Black Wolf was somewhat restless. After the carriage crossed those ten interconnected hills, he suddenly started to feel weak and spiritless.
"Hmph, you Demon Hunters only operate north of the Alps, naturally you wouldn't know about the Holy Mountain Desert. Those ten small hills earlier are the famous Ten Peaks Mountain Range."
The Old Witch said gloomily, "Most witches and wizards hate this place, the Viscount Ambrose's Independent Country."
"Because this country lies between the Magic Black Forest and the Church's Thirty-Three Heavenly Mountains, the collision of these two supreme Laws creates a forbidden zone, which is this crappy place, the Viscount Ambros' Independent Country."
The Hearthstone Grand Witch spat resentfully, "In this godforsaken place, all the extraordinary powers people possess will be suppressed."
"It's like a fish that had been swimming in the water and accidentally beached itself."
"My Mana has been suppressed by at least fifty percent."
"Because of this particular phenomenon, in the Viscount Ambros' Independent Country, Magic materials are extremely scarce."
"Magic is not prosperous here, and other power systems are also relatively weak."
"Whether it's Magic Users, or people of The Church, or even the noble knights of other regions, they all dislike coming here."
The Hearthstone Grand Witch drew back the carriage curtain, looked past Alysia and her child towards the distant mountains. "The good news is, under normal circumstances in the Viscount Ambros' Independent Country, only up to Great Knights may exist, and very few official witches will come here, like my beloved disciple."
"The Great Witches wouldn't enter such an accursed place."
A look of comprehension appeared on Black Wolf and the others.
Black Wolf said, "No wonder the ruler of such a vast area of mountains and hills is just a Viscount, and this Viscount is even officially independent."
The Old Witch nodded. "As extraordinary powers are suppressed here, the arts of ordinary people have instead flourished tremendously."
"The Viscount Ambros' Independent Country is one of the countries with the densest cities."
"Also, it's the capital of art, literature, and music, according to my beloved disciple, people in this country hold novelists, musicians, painters, and dancers in high esteem."
Ivita expressed confusion, "But the professionals in this country are so weak, the third-tier professionals being the most powerful among them."
"Why wouldn't there be higher-tier professionals from outside coming in and causing a massacre?"
The Old Witch lowered her head to Ivita, "Your Highness, you've keenly detected the issue."
"Because this is an accursed place."
"For some unknown reason, as long as any Fourth-tier professionals and above — that is professionals beyond the third tier, enter this territory."
"The end result would not be good."
"Some contracted a strange severe disease, some died unexpectedly, and some went mad. Over time, no high-level professionals wished to set foot here."
"However, these are just legends, occasionally some fourth-tier professionals do briefly pass through here."
Black Wolf commented, "This sounds like something you witches would do."
The Old Witch sneered. "It might have been done by people from The Church. After all, this place is to the north of the Papal Country; it's the northern gate of their territory. I can understand if they wish to stabilize the situation."
"There must be a profound secret buried beneath this land."
"But it's none of our business." Ivita stopped their argument in time. "Everyone, it's actually beneficial for us that this land cannot accommodate high-level professionals."
"It means we can make a big scene here."
"See, right ahead is the first town we've come across!"
Everyone immediately looked out; they saw a town situated on a small plain among the mountains.