After staying in Nied County for a while, the Lagetis caravan set off again, and they will turn from Nied County to the northern county province of Crancia.

After nearly a week's journey, the caravan gradually drove out of the hilly and forested Ned County and arrived at the slightly more open Hanyan County.

The sky was gray, and there was a cool drizzle floating in the field of vision, and the raindrops were like threads embellishing this green world.

The land is covered with vast expanses of grass, but these meadows are not continuous, but separated by rocky outcrops of varying heights. If you were to gallop along this land on horseback in a straight line, you would have to leap up or down "steps" at regular intervals. These steps are faults protruding from the ground, forming "cliffs" of varying heights on the ground.

The dark green rocks feel cold and very hard to the touch. Such a unique landform also earned this place the name "Hanyan County".

Thanks to the unique terrain here, it is easy to set up defense lines and checkpoints to resist the attacks of cavalry on the grasslands. Long ago, the human kingdom used this as a border, isolating the Gufia grasslands to the north.

Subsequent human kingdoms also inherited this idea with few changes, until the later West Wind and Clancy.

Loran Hill sat in the carriage, wearing a brown shawl over her light red dress to protect herself from the slightly chilly weather. She opened the curtains and looked at the uneven grass in the distance.

"Were those rock ruins once beacon towers?"

A maid in a black and white uniform answered from inside the carriage: "Yes, Miss, those are the watchtowers and beacon towers that Xifeng built or repaired in his early years."

"My ancestors once followed the King of West Wind in battle. Due to the vast grasslands and lack of water, the King of West Wind planned to build a fortress and a guard post here, using it as a base for advancing northward."

"Not only that, some lords with military merit were also sealed here to strengthen the defense and prepare for future conquests."

"Unfortunately, King Zephyr's health gradually deteriorated, and coupled with the issue of succession, the Northern Expedition was put on hold. It wasn't until decades later, when the throne passed and power shifted, that the country finally stabilized."

"At this point, the monarch was no longer interested in the Northern Expedition, as the high-ranking nobles had already realized that there wasn't much wealth on the grasslands, and ruling would require a great deal of manpower and resources, making it a thankless task."

"In its place, a large amount of border trade has emerged, and the lords who once divided the borders have also risen because of this. Our family is one of them."

"A large number of watchtowers and beacon towers have been left idle or abandoned. Hundreds of years later, most of them have become ruins overgrown with weeds."

"Didn't the orc tribes invade the south?" Loran Hill lowered the curtains and looked at the maid in the car.

"Perhaps there have been, but from what I can remember and from what I've heard from my elders, there haven't been any large-scale orc invasions."

"Why is that?" the girl asked curiously.

"My lady, the orcs don't have a unified country like we do. There are many divisions and conflicts between their tribes."

"The tribes closer to the south have made a lot of money through trade routes and have abundant food. Naturally, they have no intention of damaging relations."

"The tribes in the north are the ones that are truly hungry and warlike, but they are quite far away from the south. Furthermore, the southern tribes have a strong sense of territory, which serves as a buffer, so our borders are rarely invaded."

"Then over the years, has there been no one on the grassland who is capable of unifying the tribes and establishing an orc kingdom?" Loran Hill recalled the history of the Earth.

The Central Plains court often tried to win over and divide the people in order to maintain the dispersion of the grasslands and prevent them from expanding southward. However, even so, there were times when they failed, which led to their subsequent overthrow several times.

Although the west wind is strong, it is not at its peak in every generation. There have been many times of weakness and internal strife.

"Well... I'm sorry, Miss, I'm not really sure about the reason." The maid lowered her head apologetically. Although she was born into a noble family and had a certain amount of knowledge and understood the history of her family and kingdom, she had not thought so deeply about the historical reasons behind it.

"It doesn't matter, we'll know when we go and see."

Loran Hill comforted the maid and turned his gaze to the window again. In the corner of his vision, colorful figures and tents began to appear. At this time, the rain stopped, and the sky slowly cleared up. A few rays of sunlight passed through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating the green world after the rain.

As the convoy approached along the road, the noisy shouting, conversations, and the sounds of livestock gradually became clearer.

Loran Hill and Niya had been to the Gufia grassland before, but that time they went directly to the tribes in the north and didn't know much about the southern border. It seemed like a completely different scene here.

Compared to the vast Gufia Grasslands, the tribes near the westerly border are few in number, but they are also exceptionally well-off. In this wild market, you can see many alien tribes with animal ears.

They wear fur coats, are covered in colorful ornaments, and have ears and horns of various shapes. Compared to humans, they are much stronger and more powerful, and often taller.

However, inside the market, it is these strong orcs who often bow and scrape to people and act cautiously.

"Excuse me, how about this one? We have carefully selected and cleaned this batch of goods, and there is no peculiar smell. Please take a look at it." An orc with leopard ears was selling to a human merchant.

"Don't go, we can give you a lower price." The businessman shook his head and walked away casually.

"How much are these herbs for? We can trade them for fur..."

Loran Hill got off the carriage. She was wearing a sun hat with flowers on it and a veil covering her face. Accompanied by several riders, she walked into the open-air market.

With her strength, she naturally didn't need anyone to protect her, but in order to avoid unnecessary trouble and harassment, Mira still asked several riders to follow her.

These riders are wearing cloaks and armor, and they look like they are not to be messed with, which can indeed serve as a deterrent.

Compared to the orcs on the grassland, the rabbit-eared tribe is much happier now, and they look at these strange "compatriots" around them with a hint of curiosity.

The stalls and merchants in the market include humans and orcs, but the things sold by humans are different, while the things sold by orcs are similar.

An old man with horns was shouting loudly, describing how good his fur was. Several thick layers of fur were piled up around him. These furs were tied with ropes and placed on a simple wooden rack, like colorful cubes.

Loran Hill walked over and looked at the furs up close. Most of them were cow and sheep leather, but there were also furs from other animals such as fox, wolf, and deer.

"Can I touch it?" The girl's ethereal and clear voice came from under the veil.

"Of course, young lady, please take a look." When the old man with horns saw Loran Hill and his entourage, he knew that their background was not simple. He immediately flattered them and brought out several high-quality goods, placed them on the table, and let the girl choose.