Chapter 105: Caravan

The houses in the town no longer used the rammed earth construction method. Houses built that way did not look good and were only used as temporary housing. Now that the Brick Kiln was built, future houses would be constructed using brick and stone.

Su Lun planned for the Outer City to be divided into five areas: two residential areas, one Trading Market area, one military area, and one Noble District. The two residential areas were divided into a wealthy district and a commoner district. Except for a portion that would be sold to slaves and commoners, the remaining houses would be put up for sale.

In addition to the previous Trading Market, this area was also prepared for the construction of many shops and a commercial street. The military area was located close to the Inner City. According to Su Lun’s plan, after the city was built, it could house thirty to fifty thousand people.

Because of the good water supply system, Su Lun planned to build several fountains in the town. Apart from the large fountains in the Noble District and the commercial area, the others were scattered throughout the city. Su Lun had already planned ahead during the city’s development and reserved many empty lots for the town’s future growth.

The morning light shone on the Wasteland. A Caravan moved through the Wilderness toward Northguard Keep. The Caravan did not travel very fast. A group of people in ragged clothes followed along with the Caravan. Judging by their appearance, they were most likely Refugees.

Ever since Su Lun decreed that only those who brought a certain number of Refugees to his Territory could trade with him, these Caravans had no choice but to comply. These Refugees were brought by the Caravan. To ensure the Caravans did not simply go through the motions, Su Lun gave a reward of one Gold Nar for each Refugee.

“Old man Karn, when will we reach Northguard Keep?” A thin boy who looked about thirteen or fourteen years old asked the middle-aged man leading them.

“Little Kevin, get back in line and don’t run around,” the middle-aged man said. “This is the Wilderness. There are man-eating Goblins, Kobolds, and Gnolls everywhere. They especially like tender children like you.”

“Old man Karn, I’ve grown up. I’m not afraid of those stinky Goblins, Kobolds, and Gnolls.” Little Kevin waved his small fist.

“Is that so? Little Kevin has grown up.” Karn smiled and ruffled his hair with a rough, large hand.

“Old man Karn, don’t pat my head. I’m not a child anymore,” Kevin said unhappily.

“Alright, alright. Little Kevin has grown up.”

“Old man Karn, you still haven’t told me how long it will take to reach Northguard Keep,” Kevin pressed.

“The manager said if everything goes smoothly, we should reach Northguard Keep this afternoon,” the middle-aged man said after glancing at the Caravan. “Once we get to Northguard Keep, we can eat our fill. Little Kevin won’t have to go hungry anymore.”

“Once we’re there, we’ll have houses to live in, clothes to wear, and food to eat. We won’t freeze in the winter, and we’ll even have meat to eat.”

When little Kevin heard about eating meat, he swallowed hard. “Will there really be meat?”

“Of course, definitely,” Karn said firmly.

“Enemy attack! Form up, form up!” Just then, a Mercenary on horseback rushed over from the front.

Hearing about the enemy attack, Karn’s face changed. He quickly put little Kevin on a cart and directed the others to hide behind the cart formation. The Caravan immediately stopped upon hearing the alarm. The long line of carts began to form a circle. All the Mercenaries and Caravan guards took out their weapons. Even the stronger Refugees were organized and given weapons.

Soon, about a quarter of an hour later, the cart circle was complete. At that moment, a large number of monsters appeared in the distant Wilderness.

“It’s Gnolls! We’re finished!” Seeing the monsters clearly, the sight of Gnolls covering the hills nearly made the Refugees break down. These Refugees used to live near cities. Those Territories had been developed for hundreds of years. As long as they didn’t leave the city area, there were no Gnolls. Even Goblins and Kobolds were cleared out by patrolling Soldiers. They had never seen so many Gnolls covering the hills.

“I don’t want to die! I haven’t even gotten married yet!” One Refugee broke down and cried.

“I shouldn’t have believed their nonsense about coming to Northguard Keep! I want to go home!”

“Shut up!” The guard captain grabbed the Refugee who was making the most noise and held his sword against his neck.

“If you disturb morale again, I’ll kill you with this sword.” Seeing the Refugee nod repeatedly, he snorted coldly and let him go.

“I’m telling you, those Gnolls outside don’t take prisoners. Once the cart circle is broken, we guards and Mercenaries might have a chance to fight our way out, but you will definitely die.”

“Gnolls like to eat human flesh. They will kill you immediately and then eat you. Don’t think about surrendering! As for running away, the nearest Northguard Keep is over thirty kilometers from here. In the Wilderness, you can’t outrun those monsters.”

“So, you only have one way out. Pick up your weapons and kill all the Gnolls, or hold out until reinforcements from Northguard Keep arrive to rescue us! Besides that, there is no other option!”

“If you want to live, then pick up your weapons, follow orders, and fight them with all you’ve got!”

“Fight! Fight!” The surrounding Mercenaries and Caravan guards shouted in unison. The Refugees who were trembling in fear just moments ago also regained their courage at this moment.

Seeing the team’s morale high, the guard captain secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If their morale had broken earlier, the Caravan guards and Mercenaries would have been affected too. Then their situation would have been truly dire.

After boosting morale, the guard captain hurried into a carriage. Two people were already waiting inside.

“Vide, what’s the situation now?” The anxious Caravan manager asked urgently.

“Just calmed them down. The team’s morale is pretty good now. We should be able to hold out for a while. There are too many Gnolls this time. We can’t hold them off. Now we need to light the beacon fire to ask Northguard Keep for help.”

“Then light it! Ask Northguard Keep for help. We brought over a hundred Refugees this time, all urgently needed by Northguard Keep. They will come.” The Caravan manager gritted his teeth. Asking Northguard Keep for help was not free. Su Lun wasn’t running a charity. Each rescue cost at least five hundred Gold Nar.

As the Caravan manager, he naturally needed to keep costs as low as possible while maximizing profits. Selling White Sugar earned four to five thousand gold coins per trip. Spending one-tenth of that on rescue pained him. Unless absolutely necessary, they did not want to ask Northguard Keep for help.

Once they made up their minds, they did not hesitate. The guard captain immediately lit the beacon fire in the middle of the cart circle. Thick black smoke rose. The weather in the Wilderness was clear today, and the beacon fire was clearly visible on the Wasteland. Soon, three columns of smoke rose from the cart circle.