diymy Chapter 101 Caravan
Chapter 101 Caravan
As the saying goes, many hands make light work. If you don't push others, you'll never know how much ability they have hidden.
Of the thousands of evil creatures whose physical abilities were generally superior to those of ordinary people, apart from a few who were incorporated into hunting teams and responsible for going out to find prey, the rest were all sent to various hills to cultivate terraced fields.
Large amounts of gravel were piled up to form steps, soil from various places was collected together, and dry toilets were dug out, specifically for collecting excrement and composting.
These evil creatures are naturally undisciplined and do not have the habit of defecating in a fixed place; they will only relieve themselves wherever they are.
But ever since Saul issued an order—anyone who reports a fellow member for urinating or defecating inappropriately, and whose report is verified, can enslave that person for three days at will—the situation immediately improved.
In just a few days, the surrounding landscape has been completely transformed.
The kobolds, especially skilled at digging, even found a water source buried deep underground.
After consulting with Thor, he used his powerful, stored-energy heat ray breath to quickly blast out deep wells.
With this, the water problem was solved, and the entire camp was back on track.
Half a month after Thor arrived in the mountains, a caravan from the east finally arrived.
…………
The crisp sound of horses' hooves echoed through the wilderness, accompanied by the tinkling of bells.
A long caravan came up from behind the distant horizon, with more than thirty carriages lined up in pairs. The wheels left clear tracks on the ground, indicating that they were fully loaded with goods.
Mark stood on the shaft of the foremost carriage, his once-shiny chainmail now covered in a layer of gray-yellow dust from the desert winds. His right hand gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, while his left hand, with its rough knuckles, held a brass telescope, scanning the rolling low hills ahead.
He started traveling with his father as a merchant at the age of 10, formed his own caravan at 25, and ventured into the wilderness at 30. Now, nearing 50, he knows this long westward route like the back of his hand.
He knew that some gnolls and goblins were lurking near the valley they were about to pass through.
These vile and weak evil creatures are not worth fearing; the caravan's fifty-odd fully armed guards are more than enough to handle them easily.
But he was unwilling to waste his precious energy and arrows on these insignificant creatures, so he still intended to exchange some cheap jerky and food for passage, as he had done before.
Thinking of this, he turned his gaze to the back of the caravan, where several simple carriages were piled with dusty burlap sacks.
Transporting these worthless goods from the distant Blackthorn Harbor was quite an expense. This made him wonder if he should replace them with oats and beans for horses next time, which might save some costs.
As for eliminating the gnolls and goblins entrenched in the valley, Mark never even considered it.
In the wilderness, no territory remains empty forever. When gnolls and goblins die, other creatures will soon take their place.
Rather than dealing with new creatures that may turn out to be anything, it's better to pay a small price for peace of mind.
As I pondered, the distant mountains grew closer and closer, and a white column of smoke rose—a safety signal transmitted by the reconnaissance team roaming 3 kilometers ahead.
It seems this will be another uneventful transaction. Once I've earned enough money, my savings might be enough to buy a piece of land, build a farm and a mill, and live a comfortable retirement.
…………
The dragon's eyesight was far superior to that of ordinary creatures, and coupled with the high altitude of its lair, Thor spotted the caravan more than ten kilometers away, and could even make out its general layout and number of people.
There were a total of 32 vehicles, including 26 standard medium-sized carriages, 4 heavy carriages, 2 mule carts, 2 supply carts, and even a command carriage and a maintenance vehicle, making it a well-established large-scale caravan.
This is a good fat sheep. To avoid disturbing the approaching caravan, he summoned a squad of kobolds and began to give orders for his other creatures to hide.
Unaware of the danger, the caravan approached the valley step by step. A young man carrying a longbow looked curiously at the stepped carving marks on the low hills on both sides.
Mark, who was in the command carriage, also noticed the anomaly. His years of experience traveling in the wilderness made him inexplicably uneasy.
Gnolls and goblins cultivating the land? It seems highly unlikely. Has this canyon already changed hands?
This made him hesitate about whether to stop. The unknown is always particularly dangerous.
But stopping would mean the end of the business trip, and the losses from returning would be enough to break his heart.
Just as Mark hesitated and some of the experienced guards around him became wary, several gnolls with gray faces and dirt stuffed under their fingernails suddenly emerged from both sides of the valley.
Upon seeing these familiar monsters, the caravan members breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but make some jokes.
"I never expected these gnolls to be cultivating land. Are they thinking of becoming farmers?"
"Should we provide them with some seeds? Like cooked wheat or something?"
These words immediately enraged the gnolls. Forced to dig for days, their claws were dulled, and now they were being mocked by these weak humans.
With a strange howl, more and more gnolls emerged from all directions.
Seeing this, Mark remained calm. He first calmly instructed the guards around him to remain on guard, and then shouted loudly.
"As per the old rules, let us through, and the goods in the following trucks are yours!"
After he finished speaking, a guard stepped forward to untie the mules from the trailer, and the caravan prepared to continue its journey.
But they soon realized something was wrong. Usually at this time, the gnolls would have swarmed forward, fighting over the jerky.
But at this moment, they still silently surrounded them, their dim yellow eyes flashing with bloodlust, their drooling tongues hanging from the corners of their mouths, staring intently at them.
"Is it because they think we haven't given them enough? Have these stray dogs gotten so greedy? It seems we need to teach them a lesson and show them they can't be so greedy."
Just as Mark was about to order the caravan to shoot a few gnolls as a warning, a loud roar suddenly rang out, and the surrounding mountains seemed to tremble.
A fiery meteor appeared in the distant sky, trailing a long, fiery tail, hurtling towards us.
A loud voice resounded through the sky as he laughed wildly and unrestrainedly.
"You ignorant fool, you think you can just pass through my territory with this trash?"