Chapter 515: Sorta Bandit Trouble
For a few days, they boarded a local caravan, transporting unknown goods from South Drywall to Elmuish.
Unlike the two cities Northern had been to since his return from the dark continent, Elmuish was different.
It was no free city or governmental city; instead, it was a city that served as the capital state of the kingdom of Sassex, an old power kingdom.
Nations in the Central Plains are divided into two major categories: the old power and new power.
People often referred to the old power kingdoms as nations whose histories are rooted in the early beginnings of the Central Plains.
You'll find their activity running as deep as the history of the Central Plains goes. Because of this, they tend to carry more political significance and national independence power.
This translates into their military strength, national financial pocket, trade authority, and special resources.
There are some resources that you will find in these old power kingdoms that you won't find elsewhere. Sometimes (not in all nations) their entire ecosystem, down to military power, is often built according to these resources.
These resources are usually normal materials that have been affected by soul essence and the effect of several rifts manifesting in certain areas for an extended duration.
Because of this, the resources have mutated and evolved, becoming something valuable enough to match the importance of the resources that are found in the rifts themselves. Then the new power kingdoms are, of course, newly built and established kingdoms.
They might be financially more stable than even old power kingdoms sometimes, but old power kingdoms would often be found with the resources and sometimes military power. Including the Empire, Central Plains had twelve kingdoms, five of which are old power. Aside from these twelve monarch domains, there exist several cities, clan territories, dark plains, and islands, all of them still a part of the Central Plains.
For example, Arcadia is an island that had solely belonged to the government. The island that the academy was situated on is practically a city of its own.
No governmental or national authority affected this place; it was why the academy was almost like a continent of its own. And also why the Supreme Student Union had an authority that was absolute.
Sassex had seven cities, including Elmuish, and is prominent for its wood.
Called Elderwood Timber.
"Wood? How come wood is what a nation is prominent for?" Northern spoke nonchalantly.
But deeply, he understood what that must mean. However, he didn't want to-for now- display such reasonable understanding.
At least, asking the obvious and not understanding the easily understandable would give Alystren the opportunity to greatly underestimate him.
Although he didn't need to pretend to that extent for Alystren to underestimate him, he was sixteen; everybody underestimates him.
But what doing this would cause Alystren to be is less vigilant around him.
So, he wouldn't strain to put some pieces of certain puzzles together as to the true reason why he is following them.
'Like hell I would believe Thalen called in a favor with a friend this strong just because he wants to help us?'
He didn't trust Thalen at all, and for that, he was super wary of Alystren.
Although he was so casual towards the man that no one could even figure that out.
"Yes, but Timber wood is not just wood." Alystren explained, raising a finger with a chuckle.
He looked like he was telling late-night, dark stories to a bunch of children.
"It's just wood, really," Northern responded with an ignorant tone.
"This kind of wood cannot decay, and there are grades to it; some can even deflect steel."
Northern's entire face expanded with a childlike surprise.
"That's a lie..."
"You'll see when we get there. The city guards of the kingdom, even the knights and all the soldiers, they all wear wooden armor."
Northern scrunched up his face, "No way."
His reactions to the man's words deserved a special space in Thalen's heavenly library; that was how phenomenal they were.
Suddenly, the caravan stopped. The part they were in was a wooden cart, filled with grass-like carpets and barrels.
Ryan was resting on one of the barrels, while Shin was sitting cross-legged, also paying attention to what Alystren was saying but not actively in the conversation.
Northern looked around.
"Oh?" Alystren smirked.
It was quite obvious he knew something.
"What's wrong?" Northern probed.
"Since we joined this caravan as security mercenaries, we would get disturbed a lot," he spoke with a dark grin on his face.
"Is that so?"
'Why the fuck are you grinning about that?'
"Yes, there'll often be sorta sorta troubles during our journey, sorta blocked roads, sorta bandits, sorta troubles."
Northern, honestly, at this point, was dumbfounded. Sometimes, it was like he was trying so hard to be funny that watching him try so hard to be funny just becomes, in a way, funny. Northern suppressed an urge to grin; thankfully, the person that opened the wooden door of the closed cart they were in made it easy.
"Esteemed drifters. I think there's a roadblock in front."
"Oh? Roadblock," Alystren said, caressing his chin with his thumb, index, and middle finger.
"Yes, sir. What do we do?"
Northern narrowed his eyes a bit. 'What do we do?'
"I see, I see... if there's a roadblock, it must mean they are close by."
He turned to Alystren, "They who?"
"Bandits," Shin responded.
"Who wants to vanquish the foes of darkness and make justice reign again?!" He trumpeted,
raising his hands up like a mace of glory for anyone to grab.
Sadly, all three of his cart-mates totally ignored him.
"Uninterested," Northern said.
"I think I'll pass on this one, Mr. Tour Guide."
Alystren's green eyes defeatedly glided towards Ryan.
Snore snore snore
"You weren't sleeping before! Liar!"
"Sir Drifter...?" The man perturbed.
Alystren begrudgingly jumped outside the cart and headed towards the blockade; it was a pile
of logs, stacked on each other.
He angrily kicked them out of the way, sending them flying into the nearby forest both on the
left and right.
Then, with his head oozing hot steams of grudge, he marched back to the cart behind the
main caravan and settled inside, folding his arms like a child.
Northern stared at him blankly before bringing to his attention, "It is important to note that you'll also be the one delivering justice to your foes of darkness."
"What?! That's unfair?"
"Talk about fair... we didn't know we were going to be mercenaries! Don't they charge money
for these things?"