Chapter 271: A Reminder From the Desert Bandits
As night fell, the stars in the sky shone brightly.
The scorching temperature during the day had already dropped. Now that the temperature had suddenly dropped, it was a good time for them to trudge through the desert. As long as they could set up their tents and raise bonfires before the cold night arrived, they would be safe.
That was one of the reasons why the trade caravan left in a hurry and reported the situation as soon as possible.
But there were more reasons.
It was because they were afraid that Rolf would go back on his words and lead a group to rob them.
Just a few days ago, there was a rumor that the trade caravan that offended Rolf was attacked by bandits after leaving the posthouse. They died in the desert where it was half a day away from the posthouse and the Stone Pa.s.s.
As night fell, the stars in the sky shone brightly.
The scorching temperature during the day had already dropped. Now that the temperature had suddenly dropped, it was a good time for them to trudge through the desert. As long as they could set up their tents and raise bonfires before the cold night arrived, they would be safe.
That was one of the reasons why the trade caravan left in a hurry and reported the situation as soon as possible.
But there were more reasons.
It was because they were afraid that Rolf would go back on his words and lead a group to rob them.
Just a few days ago, there was a rumor that the trade caravan that offended Rolf was attacked by bandits after leaving the posthouse. They died in the desert where it was half a day away from the posthouse and the Stone Pa.s.s.
Everyone’s throats were cut to death. The head of the merchant who offended Rolf was stuck in a spear.
Although no one could prove that Rolf was the one who did it.
But everyone understood that it was this bandit-like guy who planned the attack in the dark.
Rolf could do it.
He had a bad reputation in the Continent of Caradia. He was different from the NPCs of the good faction like Firentis, Bunduk, James, and Manid. He was a complete scoundrel and a sc.u.mbag. There was nothing that he wouldn’t do.
The bottom line for him was a layer of membrane that he could break through at any time.
Just like a woman.
However, Rolf was extremely loyal to Kant.
In other words, the NPCs of the evil faction were all blindly loyal to Kant and unconditionally supported him.
They did not oppose Kant’s good deeds and welcomed Kant’s evil deeds more. They had no objections to this. Compared to the good faction like Bunduk and Firentis, the evil faction was undoubtedly more suitable for the development during the initial expansion. After all, the process of acc.u.mulating the initial funds was all about b.l.o.o.d.y slaughter, and good people could only be oppressed.
This was the truth of the world. When one did not obtain the corresponding strength, the so-called good could only be swallowed up by other fierce compet.i.tors. It was like fish and shrimp in a lake, devouring each other’s growth and plundering each other’s resources.
Therefore, Kant trusted Rolf very much, and similarly gave him great power.
Just in terms of military power.
Other than Firentis, who was in charge of “Drondheim” Castle, Rolf’s military power was the most important.
Kant believed that Rolf could solve the problem for him.
Rolf was very good at this kind of dirty work with blood on his hands.
Not only could he suppress the restless situation that the posthouse was facing, but he could also use the scimitar in his hands and the spears of the cavalries behind him to deal with it perfectly.
Everyone would be afraid.
Anyone would maintain their flattery in front of a butcher’s knife and learn to bend down and flatter.
Those merchants from the Dukedom of Leo, who had ulterior motives and each had a n.o.ble background, would also learn how to offer their humbleness to Rolf. They would pay a lot of great silver coins, which was just happened to be on their bottom line, in exchange for permission to access here safely.
Even if some people were unwilling to give up and bring a bandit gang, causing a riot, for Rolf who was already on guard, as long as he was careful, it would be an easy counter-ambush.
At night, Kant and Rolf had a deep discussion about the future garrison issues.
The focus was on any dangers they might encounter in the future, as well as the reactions of the n.o.ble families.
Rolf needed to remain vigilant.
They chatted until late into the night.
If Kant did not have to set off for the Oasis Lookout the next morning, they would probably have to continue chatting.
After all, this central posthouse, which was located at the Oasis Lookout, the Stone Pa.s.s, and even the mountain pa.s.s of the Senwaya Range, was Kant’s only window to communicate with the outside world.
The various problems and pressures he faced immediately came upon.
Rolf’s burden was very heavy.
But because of this, Kant chose to believe in him.
Rolf, who came from the Continent of Caradia and had gone through training, he naturally had outstanding abilities.
The night deepened.
Bright starlight filled the sky.
The merchants had all replenished their water and food, and left in the direction of the Stone Pa.s.s.
Kant and Rolf’s discussion ended.
The accompanying Swadian knights also entered their rooms to rest.
After all, they had to set off at dawn tomorrow. It was estimated that there was still a day and a night’s journey before they could return to Oasis Lookout. It was a long journey, and in the harsh environment of the Nahrin Desert, it was indeed a tiring journey.
Because of this, the posthouse soldiers gave their rooms to Kant and the others to sleep in.
The night pa.s.sed without a word.
The chill descended on the desert.
However, bonfires were lit inside and outside the posthouse.
The warmth dispelled the coldness, allowing the knights in the room and the cavalries in the tents outside to sleep peacefully.
The desert bandits who patrolled the night, they wore thick leather robes made from the fur of the sand gazelle, which kept them very warm.
As the stars shone brightly in the sky, the faint chill became more and more intense.
Late night arrived.
The night-duty cavalries changed their s.h.i.+fts a few times.
The dazzling starlight and the bright moonlight shone on the ground as if it was covered with layers of muslin.
Behind the surrounding dune, where even the patrolling desert bandits could not reach, a team of cavalry appeared. There were about 10 of them, and they were also wearing leather robes. Their entire bodies were wrapped inside, only exposing their nostrils and eyes, as they breathed, white mist with hot air spewed out, and their eyes were cold.
They did not say much. They were still extremely unaccustomed to the harsh environment of the Nahrin Desert. They turned their horses around and galloped. The horses, who were already exhausted, stepped on the dune, snorted, and ran deeper into the dune.
…
The night was silent.
The light of dawn pierced through the darkness, and the twilight at the end of the horizon proved that the day had arrived.
However, the dawn of the Nahrin Desert was still cold.
A slight breeze from the north blew past his face, and he could still feel the freezing chill.
The temperature of the desert varied greatly between day and night.
The high temperature during the day could boil water, and the low temperature at night could freeze it.
This was the reason why the Nahrin Desert was called a forbidden area for humans. No one wanted to live here. Even Kant felt a sense of helplessness towards this desert.
If one could live on a fertile plain, no one would willing to survive in such a harsh environment.
At the well next to the posthouse.
The clear and cool water from the underground lake had been lifted up by a wooden bucket.
Fortunately, a fish from the underground lake was caught in the wooden bucket. The carp, which was as wide as a palm and as long as a forearm, was sent directly to the kitchen and became part of the breakfast.
There were fish living in the underground lake that was connected to the well. Although there were not many of them, there were still quite a number of them.
But now was not the time to care about this.
The clear and cool lake water had filled up everyone’s water sack.
The high-quality feed that was sent from the Oasis Lookout was used to feed the Swadian knights’ warhorses.
Everything was well prepared.
In the kitchen, the breakfast was also finished.
In front of Kant was oatmeal, toast, dried meat, fried fish and eggs, and a small cup of malt wine as appetizer. Although it seemed simple, it was a sumptuous meal in the posthouse.
The others only ate oatmeal, toast, and dried meat.
Everyone swallowed down their food.
They had to wait for the sky to turn bright, and they had to take advantage of the fact that the temperature was not completely scorching right now. If they waited for the scorching sun at noon, it would be much more difficult for them to continue trekking in the desert.
After breakfast, Kant gave Rolf a few instructions and left with his team.
The 103 Swadian knights followed closely.
The tracks left by the camel caravans when they were transporting supplies were the roads.
Although they had been through a sandstorm, there were still camel caravans that had brought supplies to the posthouse recently. The tracks could be seen clearly. However, traces of horse hooves and ruts could occasionally be found.
Kant raised his head and looked at the dune on both sides.
There were some broken carriages left there, and there were also scattered corpses.
There were even some whose heads had been chopped off and inserted into the spear. They were raised diagonally, like primitive and ancient totem pillars, intimidating the travelers who dared to set foot on this road.
This was indeed a threat.
It came from Rolf’s unscrupulous killing.
Kant recognized that the carriage and the corpses were all merchants from the Dukedom of Leo.
They had been killed only a few days ago.
It should have been after the sandstorm.
It seemed that these merchants were trying to take advantage of the chaos after the sandstorm to enter the Oasis Lookout.
However, they were discovered by the desert bandits. Rolf directly killed them, slaughtering the group of people who dared to violate the rules between the dune. Even their heads were hung on the spear, intimidating those who came later.
But obviously, this deterrence was not effective.
On both sides of the dune, there were scattered corpses.
They were either dressed as merchants or adventurers.
But without exception, they were all found by the patrolling desert bandits. They chopped off their heads and stuck their longsword or spear into the top of the dune. They looked at the road in a miserable manner, still intimidating those who came later.
The desert bandits had no objection to this.
It was just killing a few people.
When they were in the Sarrand desert, they had done all kinds of evil.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t be called desert bandits!
Kant led the knights and sped forward, and the number of corpses between the dune on both sides gradually decreased.
It could be seen that there were too few people who could resist the threat of death and still wanted to enter the depths of the Nahrin Desert. Especially with so many corpses on both sides, it completely showed the ruthlessness of the cavalry.
To lose their lives for the sake of intelligence, this transaction was not worthy at the moment.
Kant and the others were galloping.
But behind them, there were five desert bandits who quickly rode their horses over.
“Slow down.”, Kant raised his hand to signal.
The advancing speed of the team immediately slowed down, allowing the small team of desert bandits to follow.
The leading desert bandits were panting, obviously galloping all the way. When they saw Kant and the others stop, they immediately rode their horses to Kant’s side, they quickly reported, “My Lord, our patrol team has discovered abnormal footprints on the dune. There may be spies deep in the desert. Rolf told me to inform you to pay attention to your safety!”
“Yes, I understand.”, Kant nodded, his eyes calm.
It was very easy to find abnormal footprints in the desert.
After all, if there was no wind and no sandstorms, the footprints between the layers of sand could be clearly seen within a few weeks.
It was because of this that Rolf was able to lead the desert bandits and Sarrandian hors.e.m.e.n to easily discover whether there were any spies or merchants who violated the prohibition and entered the depths of the desert.
Capturing them was also simple.
As long as they followed the footprints, they could capture these little mice.
“How many are there?”, Kant asked.