Chapter Sixty
"I'm sorry, not only have I not been able to help, but I've also caused trouble for everyone," Lady said, a little embarrassed.
She looked rather miserable; the heavy rain had nearly impaired her judgment. Especially after switching modes, her reaction time was so disrupted in the downpour that she could barely move.
However, she eventually arrived at Denos's side, and together with the little lamb, the three of them held off the Knights for quite some time.
This hard-won opportunity saved the Knights from being struck by the magical power of the two saints.
Denos collapsed completely to the ground. This guy had gone berserk for once, but this time it was no different from before.
After all, he was just a human who could use magic, and as an ordinary human, there were very few things he could do.
Denos really hoped that one day he would suddenly receive a gift from some demon god, like the girl sitting over there, and become a demon or something.
However, if the demon god is looking for demons, why not choose from among humans? Come to think of it, I'm considered quite strong among humans.
But their perverse sense of humor always seems to target children like this. What kind of child will it be this time? Denos looked at the child who had fallen asleep from exhaustion. She was now dressed in a clean robe, warming herself by a simple fireplace.
Now she can get a good night's sleep; at least she doesn't have to run in the pouring rain anymore.
There were originally three carriages, but just before they were about to leave, Karl said that he had actually wanted to escape for a long time, so he hid one of the carriages in the suburbs.
So now there are four carriages, and Karl's carriage looks really nice. It even has a high-quality windproof stove inside. It's also the largest carriage currently.
The carriage is currently assigned to Lady, Lori, and Deedrie, since there are three girls. There's a windproof fireplace and the only wooden tub for bathing. The carriage is also the sturdiest, with a cross on it containing a vast amount of holy power.
Through this cross, it is indestructible in chaotic lands.
The remaining three carriages were divided among the remaining people, and the one that was relatively sturdy was given to the abandoned one. It was in a worse state; its drainage wasn't as thorough as Lady's. Therefore, it was severely flooded, and to prevent itself from rusting halfway through its journey, it needed to completely repair itself.
It has basically disassembled itself and is wiping its parts one by one.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man was sitting at the very back with Karl and Ark.
Everything else was put into the third carriage, which was placed in the middle of the procession.
According to Yak, his most valuable possessions were all piled up there.
And looking at those things, there were only two cats.
While it was said to be the most valuable item, it was just a joke. Strictly speaking, there were only three coffins inside, and all the valuables were placed inside. The outer coverings were animal hides and other goods—Ark hadn't forgotten to take his previously purchased goods with him when he left.
He's a real shrewd businessman; he'll seize any opportunity to make money. For example, right now, he's bought a huge amount of animal hides in that small city.
Strictly speaking, this wasn't a money-making opportunity, as the city didn't have any particularly advantageous resources. However, animal hides were an exception, because in the next city, any tools requiring crafting would need fur. Direct contact with metal would most likely result in burns. Therefore, fur consistently fetched a good price there.
It must be at least a bit more expensive than buying it here, so that he can make a profit.
Carl had barely said a word since getting on the bus, only asking Yak for some wine and then drinking it silently by himself.
He seemed to be looking outside, since the scenery outside was quite rare these days.
A rare sunny day, without storms or torrential rain, not extreme, not even violent. It's a perfect day for a long trip.
Perhaps apart from those monsters that mindlessly pounce on the carriage at the first sight of it, there's nothing else that makes people feel uncomfortable.
Currently, Deedri is the one handling those monsters. It seems she's taking on the role of guard alone, perhaps to vent her frustration at having her armor damaged. Wailing and screams can be heard everywhere outside.
Everyone in the carriage remained calm, except for Lady. She hadn't seen many monsters like this, unlike others.
"You've got a good capacity for alcohol. I'll definitely choose a tavern to stay in when we get to the next city. There are too many people in our group who can drink a lot," Ark said, picking up his cup and taking a sip of tea.
"Where are we going?"
“Nedra, Lady’s house is there. Plus, steam-powered gadgets are selling very well these days, I want to make a fortune on this trip.” Ark said, looking at Karl’s serious face, and then said helplessly, “What’s with that expression?”
"I still remember how much you charged us for the salt."
“Even though I asked for a high price, you still bought it, didn’t you? That’s how it is with goods. You pay what you think it’s worth.” Yak shrugged. “And you have to know I have to pay the wages of everyone on this cart. If I don’t make money, I’ll be all alone again.”
“You can not pay me a salary, I don’t need it.” Carl said quite decisively, showing no sign that he had any attachment to such material things.
“Of course you don’t need one. Wherever there is faith, a priest will be welcomed. You can settle down in any city if you want,” Ark said casually. “But I do need one. I can’t afford to eat if I don’t have money.”
“I see you’re eating very well, and I see your reserves. Back home, your reserves could feed many people.” Karl looked at Ark with displeasure. “If what I’m saying offends you, I’ll find another place to sit, but I’m sorry, I’ve never had a good impression of merchants.”
"Of course, you are a saint. If the church and businessmen collude, then it will definitely be a corrupt organization that is unbearable to look at. Is corruption still one of the top three dogmas?"
"The punishments are much more severe than before. Now, if you're caught, you're basically dismissed from your post, or in serious cases, imprisoned for life. If you don't show remorse, you'll face the death penalty upon arrest."
"Oh ho ho, that's fantastic. She really handled everything very well there," Yak said, looking quite pleased with himself.
Carl didn't quite understand this guy; he seemed a bit different from the typical businessman. Although he reeked of money, this guy seemed different from the profit-driven types he knew.
Although merchants, as he put it, were generally considered despicable and profit-driven, things would be very troublesome without them. Merchants were astute, quickly identifying shortages in different cities. They consistently filled gaps in official supply transport, especially life-saving items like medicine, delivering them faster than government teams.
Their goods are indeed far more expensive than normal purchases because each caravan trip incurs high costs. Not all merchants can have a fearless team like Ark's; under normal circumstances, the survival rate on a journey is only 70% versus 0%. If the number of people is less than 70%, even returning alive becomes an unattainable goal. Monsters and the environment will kill them, and in this chaotic place, their goods will be destroyed.
Just like the carriage that was completely stuck in the ground not far away, Deedri found it and returned to report to Ark.
“Looks like we’ve found a good spot to spend the night. Let’s stop here for a bit.” Ark looked around; it was a place with excellent visibility, as the terrain offered a wide field of view. With proper lighting, they could deal with most attacks in the dark.
Yak wanted to get up, but then hesitated, remembering something:
"Can you lend a hand?" Ark asked Karl. "I need to go into the carriage and see if there's anything still usable."
Karl glanced at the wagon stuck in the ground outside. Only in these conditions, and given that it was the closest wagon to the city, could such wreckage have remained. It was probably a wagon trying to deliver supplies to their city, but it hadn't made it there alive.
As for the people who were originally here? They have most likely been corrupted into monsters; it's best to hold your weapon tightly when you get close.
Without waiting for Karl's consent, Ark got out of the carriage and walked towards it without carrying any weapons. Then he pulled back the wooden planks on top.
However, once opened, all that could be smelled was a putrid stench. Anyone who smelled it felt as if their head had been struck hard, because it was so strong that it made one want to curse the gods.
"This is..." When Karl walked over, he felt a little dizzy.
It was a pool of black water, placed inside the carriage. And within the black water lay piles of corpses.
It's impossible to count how many people were submerged inside; you could see more than a dozen arms just by looking at them. The corpses weren't intact; placed in the water, they looked like a witch's cauldron for brewing potions.
“I’ll go in and see what we can use,” Ark said, taking off his evening gown and handing it to Karl.
"Are you kidding me?" Karl frowned. The black liquid in front of him looked extremely suspicious; it wouldn't be unbelievable if a monster suddenly emerged from it. But even if it didn't, the smell in this tilted carriage was enough to kill anyone.
“No joke, because this wagon was abandoned in a real hurry. They didn’t have time to cremate or prepare the bodies for food. These bodies could have served as food for a long time if stored properly, but they were only soaked in water mixed with corrosive agents to prevent decay. This shows they were in a rush, hastily detaching a wagon to do these things, discarding some supplies besides the important items, and there might even be something useful. Look, like this notebook.” Ark tossed a notebook out of the wagon.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to do this for a notebook.” Carl frowned as he looked at the notebook, which appeared to be an unfinished novel, but it had been contaminated with corrosive agents, and most of it was gone, making it impossible to recognize what was written on it.
"And what about this thing?" Ark tossed out another object, which Karl caught and stared at for a moment.
It was a fountain pen, inlaid with gold and jewels.
Why didn't you take this with you?
“It’s possible that its owner was one of these corpses. In an emergency evacuation, there’s usually no time for a thorough inspection.” Yak came out from inside, coughed a few times, and this time he brought out two boxes of leather.
Then Ark took out a match from his pocket, struck it, and threw it into the wreckage of the carriage.
On the plain, the carriage began to burn, not because of the matches, but because Ark had left some magic inside, which he had turned into an accelerant.
“You can do these things yourself.” Karl looked at Ark with some confusion, not understanding why he was asked to come out for this.
“I just wanted to say that we could end up like this caravan at any time, abandoning one of our carriages in order to keep moving forward.” Yak shook his head helplessly, looking at the carriage parked beside him. “I don’t want to end up like them, having to soak my friends in it. That’s why I rarely take on new recruits.”
Have you ever abandoned a friend?
“Hmm.” Yak nodded honestly: “About three or four times. At first I felt guilty, but later I became numb to it.”
He said this without any emotional fluctuation, but Carl just felt a chill run down his spine.
Although he didn't ask for details, Carl was certain he wouldn't do the same thing. He was the stubborn type; there were some things he would never do, even if it meant death.
“I still can’t accept someone like you.” Karl sighed, turning to look at the still-burning flames. He made a simple cross on his chest and whispered a prayer for the dead.
"Of course I can't agree with that. It's a despicable act, and no matter what excuse you use to cover it up, it's still a despicable excuse." Yak shrugged and slowly walked away.
They had something to do that night, because the carriages weren't as good as they used to be, and it would take a little help to put them together in a circle.
As Karl watched Ark leave, he suddenly remembered something crucial.
Why would he say something like that? This lineup would have no problems moving around normally. At least as long as he's alive, they can escape no matter what kind of enemy they encounter.
However, if this guy's path includes a section of forbidden zone, then that's a different story.
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