The group had gathered in preparation for their trip to the nearest city—Rock Castle City—where Morvess had gone a month ago to purchase some necessities. They were also tasked with delivering some items on this journey.
He just tagged along as he wanted to go out, so he asked his master Caine, and he let him follow the group of soldiers to the city.
Ash was excited, as after he arrived in this world, he didn't leave the small village. The only time he went outside was for hunting, and nothing else made him look forward to this journey.
The group consists of quite a lot of people and more than a dozen carts of goods. There were more than thirty soldiers, and the captain of the group was none other than archery teacher Edward.
All the soldiers were second-rate martial artists, but most of them seemed to barely reach second-rate, and few were stronger than second-rate martial artists.
But still, it was a very powerful group, as not many powers in the cities could come up with such strength. What he feels surprised about is not their strength but what the secret of Black Iron Village is, as there is actually such an army stationed here.
Not to mention strong people like his master Caine, village chief, etc. All living in a small village in the corner of the world.
Over the past two months, Ash had read extensively and learned that not every place could afford to have soldiers of second-rate martial artist calibre. In fact, such individuals were considered elites, often holding significant status elsewhere. Yet, in this remote village in the middle of nowhere, there weren't just a few—but hundreds of such soldiers stationed.
The situation raised some concerns, but after a moment of thought, he decided to set them aside and calmly joined the group.
He first went to say hello to his archery instructor Edward, and then joined Jin in the back of the group.
There were also some faces that he didn't remember seeing; they might not be residents of the village.
Once everyone had gathered, the group began their journey.
"Move out!" Captain Edward commanded, his voice firm and authoritative. With that, the caravan set off, their destination set for Rock Castle City.
The journey would take about a week, and the path was not without its dangers. Everyone knew they would need to stay vigilant, as anything could happen along the way.
"Hey, who are they?" Ash asked Jin, subtly gesturing toward a few unfamiliar faces in the group, particularly those seated in one of the carriages as they moved slowly along the road.
"Hmm, so you're curious about them?" Jin smirked knowingly. "Don't tell me you've also heard about the beauty in the carriage and want to know more about her."
"Beauty? What beauty?" He was confused, as his focus was mostly on training and improving strength, so he didn't care to listen to what others were talking about.
"Oh, you didn't know?" Jin looked towards him.
"No, I didn't hear. Tell me quickly what beauty is." Ash asked as learning about beauty, his interest increased.
"Heh, didn't expect you'd be interested too," Jin laughed. "That lady is the very definition of true beauty—big breasts, a slim, curvy figure, and a fairy-like face. I'm telling you, she's the first woman I've ever seen who comes close to Mrs. Leatrix."
Ash rolled his eyes. "Okay, enough with the details. Tell me the important stuff—where did they come from, and what's her identity?"
"I don't know much," Jin admitted with a shrug. "But I heard she's from the Empire's capital and is travelling around. She just happened to come to meet the village chief and seemed to be going in the same direction as us, so she joined the caravan."
"That's it?" He asked for confirmation.
"Well, that's it. Could there be more?" Jin laughed.
He didn't say anything as he clearly felt there was definitely a problem with it. First of all, he had met the village chief, and he wasn't an ordinary person, even though he was a low-key senior. So a person coming to visit such a person cannot be ordinary.
And second, it was far too much of a coincidence. The moment she arrived, the very next day, they were suddenly sent on a caravan trip to the city. There was no way this was random. If there was trouble, Ash thought, surely his master wouldn't have agreed to this. But no—his master had happily approved, without the slightest hesitation.
"Fuck," Ash muttered under his breath, suspicion creeping into his mind. Could it be that my master actually enjoys seeing me in trouble?' He frowned, the thought growing more ridiculous by the second. 'Is the old man a sadist who gets a kick out of watching his disciple suffer?'
"Ash, what's the matter? Why does your face seem to become a bit pale?" Jin, seeing the sudden shift in his mood, quickly asked with concern.
"Ah, nothing, nothing. Just remembered something bad."
"Hmm." Both then steadily followed the caravan.
Ash, having calmed his mind, looked around at the few new faces who had joined them and should be the subordinates of the lady from the capital.
[Dave level- 08]
[Smith level- 08]
[Hack level -09]...
The lady in the carriage didn't seem to have many subordinates—only nine. However, all of them were first-rate martial artists. Strong, yes, but he didn't feel they were overwhelmingly powerful.
This made him reconsider. Perhaps he was overthinking things. The lady in the carriage might not be someone extraordinary after all, and there could be no hidden meaning behind their journey.
He tried to use his spiritual power to see within the carrier, but the carrier was made of some extraordinary material, and his spiritual power could not seem to penetrate the carrier.
"Ah, something."