Chapter 39 - 39 36 Rocklands_1

39: Chapter 36 Rocklands_1 39: Chapter 36 Rocklands_1 A Gatu Swamp Beast was already a strain for this Lizardfolk Tribe to support, and now with three young beasts growing larger, it was becoming unbearable. The old Lizardfolk decided that before they caused disaster, they would come up with a solution to end the issue once and for all. The warriors often passing through Green Marsh Village were the solution he thought of. Anna was only able to find out the first part of the story; she didn’t get to hear the latter half. This deceitful old Lizardfolk told a true story indeed, but omitted the fact that the three young Gatu Swamp Beasts weren’t born this year or the last year, but the year before. He had been loitering in Green Marsh for over a year, tricking no less than four groups of warriors into going to help their village. The plight of their village went unresolved, and most of the warriors never returned. Clearly, this cunning old Lizardfolk was now killing two birds with one stone. If those warriors could take care of the Gatu Swamp Beast, then all would be well. If the warriors couldn’t handle the Gatu Swamp Beast, they would naturally become its food. An adult human could basically satisfy an adult Gatu Swamp Beast’s demand for meat—Gatu Swamp Beasts are omnivorous creatures that mostly feed on marsh moss and aquatic plants. A sated Gatu Swamp Beast naturally wouldn’t bother the Lizardfolk Tribe anymore. Not only would they not have to pay the promised gold, but they would also be exempt from providing meat for the month’s tribute; they might even pick up some gear from those warriors. Gaven had reason to suspect that even if they did kill all the Gatu Swamp Beasts, they might not get the hefty sum of gold promised by the old Lizardfolk. Just supporting the Swamp Beasts year-round had already left them exhausted, so where would they get such a sum of gold? And after they got rid of the Gatu Swamp Beast, what if they were double-crossed by the tribe? The likelihood wasn’t only possible, but it was also significant. Having understood the ins and outs of the whole matter, Gaven’s resolve not to go was even stronger. After listening to Gaven’s analysis, Anna, fuming with anger, grabbed her spiked mace ready to confront that cunning old Lizard, yet she couldn’t find him anywhere in the village. The deceptive old Lizard’s nose was just as sensitive; sensing that Gaven was searching for him worldwide, he knew his secret was revealed and slipped away ahead of time. This unexpected episode taught Anna a harsh lesson, letting her know the unknowability of human nature. As for the effect, well, that’s just laughable. Being taught from a young age that human nature is inherently good has led her to always look on the bright side of things. This habit, she reckons, is likely hard to change in this lifetime. That’s precisely what Gaven loved most about her—the belief that the human heart always yearns towards the light, especially those things he himself couldn’t achieve. In his past life, Gaven had two beacons of light; one illuminated the first half of his life, and the other illuminated the second half. The first was Zalanda, whom he had just parted with, and the second was the very person before him now. This kind of goods trading was once again held in the Far Sea Marsh. When they arrived, the entire merchant caravan was packed full; when they left, it was just as full. Only the goods they carried, eighty percent of them, had changed, some of them even several times over. In Felen, those caravans that take goods from point A to B without any change are not non-existent, but they are sparse. Sёarᴄh the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It’s mostly the large-scale caravans that can play this game, as only they have the manpower and resources to bear the expensive risk costs, and each successful trip yields incredibly high profits. More often, it is those merchant caravans formed by independent business owners that keep a minimal space to carry the core goods with the highest profit margins from the starting point all the way to the destination. The majority of goods are constantly bartered along the way, and then new goods are purchased, with the profits sustaining their subsequent travels. Even if problems arise midway and they can’t reach their destination, selling off the goods on the spot usually doesn’t result in too much of a loss, and they might even make a small profit. The risk is relatively low, and the profit margins are thinner. Along the way, they also encountered a village completely covered in various fungi, with even the livestock there covered in fungi. Under Gaven’s strong recommendation, they kept a wide distance from the village and sped away as fast as they could. He did not know what exactly had happened to the village, but experience told him it was either plagued or harboring some powerful predator, definitely not something they could afford to provoke at the moment. As the terrain began to change, Gaven knew their destination was soon to be reached. Rocklands. True to its name, what this place had in abundance were all kinds of stones. Lying on a spur of the Stormhorn Mountains, it was the most typical upland area, with the highest peak not going over six hundred meters. But the sheer number of small hills and crisscrossing ravines, like the wrinkles on the face of a centenarian, connected one after another, forming a gigantic maze; those unfamiliar with the routes might wander in and never find their way out. The Forest Kingdom of Komeer had always claimed ownership over it, yet they had never been able to occupy it. One major reason for this was the complex topology of the area. The mightiest Purple Dragon Legion of Komeer found it hard to find their battlefield here. When their large armies marched in, those monster communities would dive into the nooks of the mountains and play hide and seek with them. As time went on and supplies grew heavy, Komeer could not afford it and had to pull out. In not many years, the place would return to the realm of monsters. Finding no other solution, half a century ago, the Komeer Royal Family issued a special war decree, declaring that regardless of origin or background, anyone who could conquer Rocklands would be officially ennobled by the Komeer Kingdom and become the Baron of the land. Regrettably, half a century has passed, and to date, no one has achieved this honor. Traveling along with the caravan, Gaven had barely seen any substantial human settlements in Rocklands, whereas goblin lairs and gnoll dens were found everywhere. Here, whether it be day or night, one’s ears were filled with the shouts of goblins and the barking of gnolls. Fortunately, both were known for their cowardice; the caravan Gaven and his companions followed was large enough that they only dared to watch from a distance, with very few bold enough to attempt a robbery. There were also some tribes that traded with the caravan, though these were sporadic and not large in scale – at least not like the organized marketplaces of Tun Marsh and Far Sea Marsh. “Uncle Bede, do you have a moment to chat?” Gaven called out to the plump middle-aged man who was busy checking his inventory. “Gaven, my friend… just a moment, let me finish totaling this account, it’ll be done shortly.” Middle-aged Bede replied as he did mental calculations rapidly, his obese figure nimble, embodying the very meaning of ‘light on his feet.’ The middle-aged man’s name was Bede Sechi; he may not have had the title of the caravan leader, but he held that authority. Many critical decisions throughout their journey had been made by him. When they had first set out, his three large wagons were filled with provisions like grain, fruit, and barley beer. While other business owners traded with the villages along the way, he dealt with those businesses instead. Although most food could be foraged locally, barley beer and fruit were hard to restock, so, due to reasonable pricing, the business was good. This trade went on until Far Sea Marsh; aside from one wagon still carrying the same goods, the others were loaded with marshland specialty items, and there were two additional wagons – one purchased from other business owners and another that Gaven and his companions were asked to repair, found in the wagon graveyard of Tun Marsh. There were too many goods collected from that place to fit. These two extra wagons, along with their cargo, represented pure profit from the trip. “All set, finally done with the busy work.” Bede wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a beaming smile, “Gaven, my friend, what can I do for you?” “We’re quite familiar with each other now, so I won’t beat around the bush with you, Uncle Bede. I’ve reached my destination, and I won’t be continuing forward with you all,” Gaven said bluntly.