"What about the cult leader of the Enlightenment Society? No one is chasing him?" Monica suddenly spoke in a hoarse and low voice, as if asking casually.
"I don't know. I haven't heard he was caught." The guard shrugged. "Maybe the legend of the Holy Light Church was seriously injured and no one had time to take care of him? Or maybe he was sucked into the space rift? Anyway, the Ice Abyss is now a restricted area, no one dares to approach."
Team Mark silently digested this fragmentary but astonishing information.
Theodore was seriously injured, the Oracle's whereabouts were unknown, the Heart of the Star Relic was missing, and two mysterious legends were stirring up trouble... The water in the glacier was deeper than they had imagined.
The dwarf that the Oracle captured... is most likely Torg Greybeard. It seems that the Oracle's control over the 'Heart of the Star Remains' will not be complete for a while.
The caravan leader noticed the tense atmosphere and laughed to smooth things over. "Those are matters of the bigwigs, far removed from us. Luckily, we were far enough away from that area to avoid getting involved."
"My friends, I see you're all quite high-level and quite skilled. Would you like to travel with me? The journey to the southwest isn't safe, so it's safer if we travel together. The price is negotiable."
Mark and Monica exchanged a knowing look.
This was the opportunity they had been waiting for.
"Of course!" Mark smiled broadly and held out his hand. "More friends mean more paths. It's really scary to be alone on this icy plain. As for the price, I'll help you with some of the work along the way. How about that?"
"Deal!" The fat businessman smiled and shook Mark's hand. "With good people like you joining me, I feel much more at ease on this journey! Let's set off at dawn and get out of this damn place as soon as possible!"
The campfire crackled, illuminating the faces of newcomers and caravan members.
Mark's team blended perfectly into the team heading south, but their thoughts had already drifted to the southwest, the Lor Swamp known as the Meat Grinder.
The chaotic aftermath of the Eternal Silence Ice Abyss was not something they could intervene in, so it was better for them to run as far away as possible.
…
Leaving the biting cold wind of the Arctic ice field, the four members of Mark's team followed the pack animal sled team of the "Ice Otter Trading Company" and embarked on a long journey to the southwest.
In the blink of an eye, four months had passed since they escaped from the close surveillance of the Eighth Knights.
During these four months, they completely integrated into the rhythm of the caravan.
The caravan became their best cover and also provided a relatively stable survival framework.
With his cooking skills that can stimulate the magical activity of ingredients, Mark has become an indispensable "head cook" in the caravan. He is also responsible for the coordination of supplies between the team and the caravan.
Enzo's brute strength made him a natural laborer. He worked extremely hard at carrying heavy objects, repairing sleds, and driving pack animals.
The dwarf's tenacity and pragmatism allowed him to quickly become friends with the caravan's guards.
Later, after leaving the ice field, many of the caravan's vehicles were built by Enzo himself.
Anna used the elves' affinity for nature to identify edible plants, find water sources, and take on the task of vigilance while walking. Her longbow could always resolve crises in advance when the caravan encountered small groups of ice beasts or roaming monsters.
Xiao Mu perfectly plays the role of an ordinary slime with a gray color and a bit of dullness. He occasionally helps to clean up the garbage or condense some ice water, and never attracts attention.
Monica took the initiative to undertake the reconnaissance and outpost missions outside the caravan.
She used her appraiser abilities to explore the route in advance and avoid possible dangerous areas.
Taking advantage of the opportunity of the caravan trading with tribes and villages along the way, they quietly collected the latest information about the road ahead, the situation on the continent, and especially the Lor Swamp.
Her presence gave the caravan an invisible sense of security when they passed through areas with tough folk customs or complex forces.
Of course, avoiding those minor troubles is only secondary. The most important thing is that Mark's team is worried about encountering people from the Church of Holy Light and the Enlightenment Society.
When he burned the Eighth Knights' food supplies, Mark had considered that his team would be on the wanted list of the Holy Light Church.
But later, after leaving the ice field and entering the sphere of influence of the Church of Holy Light.
Mark went to a local church bulletin board to check it out.
I found out that the latest wanted poster is the same one for Aunt Irene...
Now looking at the wanted poster of the Holy Light Church for a legendary warrior with only 5,000 gold coins, I find that the Holy Light Church is really humorous.
Let’s take a look at the “Time Witch Wanted Order”, “Abyss Church Holy Son Wanted Order” and “Fallen Paladin Wanted Order” with higher wanted levels.
Mark realized that it was no wonder that these wanted posters had not been completed for more than ten years.
I'm afraid even the Holy Light Church would find it difficult to complete these tasks.
Then he understood that their Mark team was not even high-ranking when they burned the food supplies of the Eighth Knights.
I'm afraid I don't even have the qualifications to be listed on this wanted poster board...
It was certainly good that he wasn't wanted by the entire Holy Light Church, but Mark wouldn't have much luck.
At least, they had offended Theodore deeply.
Let’s ignore those bad things for now.
Let’s talk about the journey we have taken.
The caravan is like a slowly crawling lifeline, traveling through the vast sky and earth.
They passed through dozens of tribal settlements, large and small.
Some of them are just nomadic settlements consisting of a few animal-skin tents, where they make a living by hunting ice beasts and taming cold-resistant pack animals.
There are also semi-permanent stone house villages built based on geothermal resources under the ancient ice sheet, which have developed simple planting and handicraft industries.
Every transaction is like a small social observation.
Mark and his companions witnessed the urgency of the tribes on the edge of the ice field in exchanging crude but practical rune bone tools for salt and iron.
He also witnessed the villages near the border of the human kingdom's desire for cloth, sugar, and cheap magic crystals.
The fat leader of the caravan is a shrewd veteran who can always offer the most cost-effective goods in exchange for furs, minerals, medicinal materials or local specialties according to different needs.
Mark's team followed the trade and also exchanged some necessary supplies, replenishing the consumed dried meat, salt, oil, and cloth.
Bidding farewell to the bitter cold of the ice field, they gradually entered the human kingdom area where the climate was relatively mild but also more complex.
The first place we passed through was a small kingdom mainly engaged in grazing and mining. The people were simple but also tough.
The caravan replenished a large amount of dried meat and cheese here, and also felt the border area's implicit vigilance towards strangers.
The second kingdom was larger and closer to their Lily Kingdom.
The neighboring country of this kingdom is the Kingdom of Karl, where the Lor Swamp is located.
When the slightly gloomy border of the Kingdom of Karl came into view, even the air seemed to become damp and sticky, and the wind began to carry the unique smell of rotting vegetation and wet mud in the distant swamp.
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