A gentle breeze caressed the girl's long, golden hair. Under the night sky, the golden strands resembled a golden waterfall, swaying gently with the rhythm of the wind.
In the brief moment Lind was stunned, Alice had finished her meditation, lay down on the blanket, and said:
"Come on, lie down for a while."
As he spoke, he patted the cushion next to him.
Without hesitation, Linde naturally lay down next to the girl.
The girl gazed quietly at the night sky, which presented a breathtaking and magnificent scene.
Unlike the night sky on Earth, there is no light pollution or urban noise here. Only endless stars and mysterious nebulae intertwine to create a breathtaking cosmic landscape.
There were two moons, one white and one gray. The gray moon even had an asteroid belt, making it look particularly peculiar.
When Linde first saw this peculiar scene, he was still lying in a hospital bed in the Earl's Castle. This time, he certainly got a feast for the eyes on the way out.
"The largest star is called the Watcher. Its position in the night sky never changes, just like a watcher."
“My mother told me this. When I was little, I loved to watch the stars with my mother in the attic of the college.”
Upon hearing this, Linde recalled the legend he had heard when recruiting serfs in the earldom.
“Here, the locals call him a debt collector, meaning he’s like a nobleman who comes to collect debts, watching them every day.”
"Pfft, hahaha..." The girl's cheerful laughter echoed in the night breeze.
"Linde, you are truly the strangest nobleman I have ever met."
Seeing Lin De's surprised expression, the girl smiled and said:
“No nobleman ever remembers what the people say; they just say: ‘The Holy Spirit said, the Holy Spirit said.’”
Linde smiled awkwardly. He knew that although this young lady was a noblewoman, she was actually just like any other child raised among the free people, without any aristocratic airs.
From the perspective of the local aristocracy, perhaps this girl, whose words and actions lacked any aristocratic bearing, was the real anomaly.
Linde took the opportunity to ask Alice some questions about the ritual dagger, but unfortunately, the girl didn't know much about it either.
But Alice promised Lind that she had a friend at the academy who was an expert in patterns and designs, and that she would write to him to ask him about it once she got the territory.
After learning enough about the cultists, Lind bid farewell to Alice and returned to his tent.
It was already late at night, and Lin De didn't care about his appearance. After a quick wash, he fell asleep in his armor.
…………
The next morning.
"Ahhh~" Lind, who was riding on horseback, suddenly yawned.
Astaire advised him to sleep a little longer and set off later, but Lind was determined to get to the territory as soon as possible, so he didn't sleep any longer.
The unknown patterns and the cult attacks made Lind very uneasy. Lind could only try to increase the number of soldiers on patrol to ensure the safety of the team's advance.
According to the map I have, I should be able to reach the Fortified City this afternoon.
To be honest, Linde really wanted to see what this so-called fortified city looked like. It was said that its walls were over twenty meters high, while in his original world, the tallest walls were only a dozen meters high.
This city wall, which is over twenty meters high, was not built by manpower, but by the power of magic. It is said that a large amount of alchemical materials were used to build the wall, and it was forged with the help of enchantment and magic. It can be said that the company was very wealthy.
The city was backed by the towering Gur Mountains, which provided clean water. As long as there was enough food stored, the city would be an impregnable fortress, hence the name "Fortified City".
It seems somewhat ridiculous now, since the fortified city had already been breached by Grand Duke Clement a year earlier, and in just two days.
Treat it as visiting a famous historical site, and the old count also said that he would be very surprised, which made Linde even more curious.
As Linde waited anxiously, a large foreign caravan approached from the front.
Astaire rode up from the front and said, "My lord, a caravan is approaching. It looks like an orc merchant group."
"Oh? An orc caravan, flying the Earl's banner. Come with me and see what interesting things they have to offer."
Linde immediately became interested; this foreign merchant group must have brought a lot of good stuff.
Astaire led his army of 50 bronze warriors, flying the Earl's banner, and intercepted the caravan heading towards the Fortified City.
The sight of dozens of fully armed bronze warriors immediately put the entire caravan on high alert. Several well-equipped minotaurs in the caravan picked up their massive battle axes and blocked the group's path.
The leading minotaur warrior awkwardly spoke in a human language he wasn't fluent in:
"Who are you, sir? We are the Cloudclaw Merchant Guild, on our way to Gross (the Fortified City) to do business."
Upon seeing this, Astaire shouted, "The men are descendants of the Earl of North Truk, Baron Lind Truk. Bring your leader out; our lords wish to see your goods."
As the list of names was recited, the taciturn leader, the minotaur, was clearly struggling and scratched his head in frustration.
Suddenly, a clear, melodious laugh rang out, and a fox-man dressed in magnificent clothes walked over. Several burly minotaur men around him immediately knelt down, their huge heads pressed tightly to the ground.
"I am Nazla Adan, a merchant envoy from the Cloud Claw Merchant Guild. May I ask that you come inside?"
Linde looked at the fox-woman girl who seemed to be handling things with ease. He had previously thought that orcs were the kind of creatures with animal heads and human bodies, but after seeing her today, he realized that this was not the case.
This fox-woman's face didn't look much different from a human's, except that she had a pair of flexible fox ears on her head and a fluffy, soft tail behind her.
The ash-brown color shone like flowing silver in the sunlight, and the glossy surface was clearly the result of regular care.
"Bring five people with you and come inside with me to take a look."
Linde handed the reins of the bronze-colored horse to the soldier beside him and gave instructions to Astaire.
Aster waved his hand, pointed out five elite fighters behind him, and shouted, "The rest of you, wait where you are."
"yes!"
Linde walked toward the fox-girl, glancing occasionally at the enormous minotaur beside him.
His body was covered in solid muscles, with lines that looked as if they had been carved by a knife and axe, and every muscle was full of explosive power.
"This thing should be pretty strong on the battlefield if it's covered in armor," Lind thought.
"Does Your Excellency have taken a fancy to these strong guards?"
Nazra noticed that Linde was very interested in these minotaur guards and laughed, "These idiots are indeed incredibly strong, but they eat too much and are extremely stupid. Even if they wear iron armor, they can't beat a gold warrior. The upper limit of the minotaur race is silver, and their practicality on the battlefield is not as good as a silver warrior."
Then Nazra added, "Moreover, my daughter's journey as a merchant is long, and carrying these heavy goods along the way to deter some scoundrels is quite useful. Adults, please stop trying to take advantage of them."
Lin De looked at the fox girl. She looked young, but she was very shrewd and kept making small talk.
"This way, sir. My daughter's goods are over here." Seeing that Linde was no longer looking at the minotaur, Nazra stepped aside to make way for him.
Linde followed the fox-girl to a carriage filled with all sorts of strange orcish handicrafts. Some were ornaments woven from unknown materials, while others were peculiar animal statues carved from unusual stones.
Seeing Linde stop, the fox girl said, "These are all just cheap trinkets. Adults would definitely not want them, but they're perfect for children."
Linde wasn't interested in these trinkets and didn't want to get entangled with the fox girl any longer, so he asked, "What are the main goods of your caravan?"
Nazra said seductively, "My lord, don't be impatient, it's over here~"
Without saying a word, he took Lind's hand and pulled him to a carriage filled with large leather trunks.
Nazla instructed her servants to open the boxes one by one, and they were found to be filled with a large number of strange materials.
"These are enchanting materials?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com