(Two weeks later, somewhere within the wilderness, Garron’s POV)
It had now been nearly a month since Garron had led the children away from Ashfang Village, and aside from the single death that had occurred roughly two weeks ago, he had somehow managed to keep the rest of the marching group alive and healthy, while the strength of every surviving cadet continued increasing at a pace that exceeded even his own wildest expectations.
Whether it was the demanding lifestyle of marching from before sunrise until dusk, the relentless physical training he forced them to endure along the way, or simply the natural pressure of knowing that weakness in the wilderness could easily lead to death, Garron could not say for certain.
However, regardless of the exact reason, the results were undeniable.
The bodies of the children had grown considerably stronger, their endurance had improved enough that most could now maintain an Aether-assisted jogging pace for several hours without collapsing, while their control over the energy circulating through their Soul Vessels had become far smoother after countless hours of meditation and repeated use.
Even the weakest among them had changed significantly compared to the frightened children who had first departed Ashfang Village, while several of the more talented cadets had already begun approaching the threshold separating an ordinary Aether user from a true Ember Rank cultivator.
At the current pace of their development, Garron suspected that the first breakthroughs would occur sooner than he had originally anticipated, and once that happened, the differences in talent, discipline, and potential hidden among the children would finally begin revealing themselves.
’I don’t want them to break through here in the wilderness, where the ambient Aether concentration is low.
Doing so could lead to non optimal results, and affect their future sale value.’
Garron thought, as he cast a glance towards Mary, Stacy, Garsim, Joane, and Terry, who were all now close to breaking through to the ember rank.
’One more week for the sisters.... Maybe ten days at best.
And two to three weeks for the rest.
It’s not enough time for me to get them to the border of the Valdrak Empire, but perhaps I could lead them to the mercenary village of Stoneville.....’
Garron thought, as he contemplated speeding up the journey in the coming days, so that he could lead the group slightly off course and towards the mercenary village of Stoneville, where they could use the breakthrough room facilities to properly help the sisters break through to the Ember rank.
However, while he was tempted to do so, what he also understood was that leading a bunch of unascended children into a lawless place like Stoneville was an extremely risky endeavour, since the mercenary village wasn’t exactly known for being the safest place for inexperienced travellers.
Originally established as a resting point for mercenary companies, bounty hunters, beast hunters, and independent cultivators travelling through the surrounding wilderness, Stoneville had gradually transformed into a lawless trading hub where almost anything could be bought or sold for the right price.
Stolen weapons, illegal Aether medicines, captured beasts, slaves, and even information regarding valuable travelling groups regularly changed hands within the settlement, as although several powerful mercenary companies maintained a fragile sense of order within Stoneville, their protection rarely extended toward anyone incapable of paying for it.
For someone travelling alone, Garron would have entered the village without a second thought.
However, leading several dozen unascended children through its gates was an entirely different matter, because the moment the wrong people realized that some of them possessed genuine cultivation potential, Garron could easily attract the attention of slave traders, kidnappers, or mercenary groups willing to murder him for the opportunity to steal his investments.
’If I take them to Stoneville, I’ll need to make damn sure nobody realizes just how valuable some of these children are.’
Garron thought, as for the first time since leaving Ashfang Village, he found himself wondering whether improving the quality of his merchandise was truly worth risking losing it altogether.
However, after thinking about it some more, he realized that not getting the girls into a proper breakthrough room would also be criminal, and so, despite the risks, he eventually decided to steer the group in that direction, making Stoneville their first and last civilized stop before entering the boundary of the Imperial Valdrak Empire.
—------
(Meanwhile Riven and friends)
Meanwhile, the relationship between Riven and the others had improved significantly over the past two weeks, as the group settled into a rhythm where they complemented the strengths and weaknesses of one another to thrive collectively.
After nearly a month of constantly rotating through the different responsibilities assigned by Garron, every member of the group had gradually discovered certain tasks that they were naturally better at than the others, as the experience they gathered while performing those duties slowly began benefiting everyone around them.
Dara, for example, had been assigned foraging duty several times over the past few weeks, and after making countless mistakes under Garron’s supervision, he had gradually learned how to recognize many of the edible fruits, berries, nuts, and plants growing throughout the wilderness.
Because of this, even when he was not officially assigned to gather food, Dara constantly scanned the vegetation surrounding the trail while marching, as whenever he noticed something edible growing within reach, he quickly collected as much as possible before distributing it amongst his friends.
Those small additions rarely amounted to a proper meal, however, over the course of an entire day, the handfuls of berries, wild fruits, and edible roots he collected helped the group conserve their dried rations while giving them more energy than many of the other children.
Riven had developed a similar talent for finding water, as after repeatedly being assigned the responsibility of refilling the group’s supplies, he had learned several methods of extracting drinkable water from the wilderness when no river or stream could be found nearby.
Whether it was collecting sap from certain trees, cutting open thick water-bearing vines, or gathering the dew that accumulated across large leaves during the early morning, Riven had gradually become responsible for keeping their canteens fuller than those belonging to most other groups.
Garsim and Stacy, meanwhile, had proven themselves to be the most capable hunters among the five, as after spending weeks learning beneath Garron’s supervision, they had become surprisingly efficient at setting simple traps and hunting small animals such as rabbits, rodents, and wild birds.
Whenever circumstances allowed them to hunt, the two worked together to bring back whatever additional meat they could find, giving the group another small advantage that gradually accumulated over the course of their journey.
Mary, however, had slowly become the person holding everything together.
During the daily marches, she maintained a steady pace that prevented the group from exhausting themselves too quickly while ensuring they never fell far enough behind to attract Garron’s anger, as whenever somebody struggled, Mary quietly adjusted their pacing and covered for them until they recovered.
Over time, these small responsibilities had transformed the five children into something far more functional than the loose alliance they had originally formed beside the campfire, as they no longer remained together merely because they enjoyed one another’s company, and had rather learned how to depend upon one another.
As together, they had gradually reached the point where surviving within the wilderness no longer occupied every waking thought, allowing them to finally enjoy portions of the journey while turning their attention toward becoming stronger.