Chapter 62: Asage’s Grievance
Asage was a little angry today.
No one would be able to maintain his cool after learning that the desert trade route that he worked so hard to reopen was facing destruction.
In particular, this natural salt mine.
It was Asage’s most profitable resource at the moment. Thinking about the huge amount of money it spent on this trade route, on this salt mine, and to solve the livelihood issues of those lower-cla.s.s Jackalans, it felt even more infuriated.
It also felt a little wronged.
From Mannheim Coast, across the Nahrin Desert before reaching this place…
Even the strongest Jackalan miner would need to spend 30 days to walk all the way to this place.
As long as it could transport the white and coa.r.s.e raw salt back to the Kingdom of Grey Mane in the Mannheim Coast, the n.o.bles and high-cla.s.s Jackalans would buy these wonderful things that could season food. However, the most important thing was that it had not yet made a profit.
It had only been a year since it reopened this trade route and discovered this natural salt mine.
In order to solve the problem in the desert – dealing with the dumb low-cla.s.s Jackalans – it had to use gifts to impress the only one who could communicate with him, the Jackalan shaman. Just hiring these low-cla.s.s Jackalans as miners took him three entire months.
Moreover, it spent a lot of money.
Asage thought about it. For this trade route, it had sold everything it owned in the Kingdom of Grey Mane, which made its heart palpitate.
Three thousand silver coins in circulation in the Kingdom of Grey Mane had bought him a military map from ten years ago.
It had invested at least 500 silver coins every month in order to maintain the trade route and its trade caravan.
Now, it had to just give them up for nothing?
Asage’s mouth full of sharp teeth snapped tightly together. Its eyes turned from green to red with anger.
“d.a.m.n these lowly good-for-nothing Jackalans who should just eat sand in the desert! ”
An angry roar came from Asage’s throat.
Asage stomped heavily on the ground and kicked the body of a Jackalan who was tying linen bags not far away. Then, it roared, “If you didn’t provoke those humans, I wouldn’t be in this desperate situation now!”
The Jackalan was kicked away and wailed like a dog.
Its eyes were filled with fear and anger, but when it glanced at its companion who was tied to a wooden stick and had died after being left in the sun on the dune, the anger and ferocity in its eyes were replaced with fear. It lowered its head and trembled.
Asage, a Jackalan who looked the same as the other Jackalans, showed no mercy and did not empathize with them at all.
“Lord Asage, calm down.”
Behind them, a few Jackalans wearing mail armor and holding battle axes came over.
Using the Jackalan language similar to the common language of humans, the Jackalan advised Asage, “There’s nothing more we can do now. We’d better hurry back. After all, the Grey Mane Kingdom’s army has arrived. This salt mine is still yours.”
“Yes, yes. Lord Asage, you bought the map from the king and successfully opened up this route to the human kingdom. It is enough to get you a great reward.”
These high-cla.s.s Jackalans who wore mail armor tactfully consoled Asage.
After all, Asage was their employer.
They looked at each other and understood what each of them was trying to say.
A relatively strong and bulky high-cla.s.s Jackalan said, “Lord Asage, we’d better go back now and bring back news that the human kingdom has also started to set foot in the Nahrin Desert. I think His Majesty the King will gather many brave Jackalan warriors and return here to kill those small and weak humans and turn them into delicious meat jerkies.”
“Go back? You cowards only know how to retreat!”
Asage lowered its head. Its eyes were filled with anger, but it did not dare to say it out loud.
Asage had been able to safely cross the Nahrin Desert and get to where it was by relying on the protection of these Jackalan Guards. Without these cunning and cowardly beings, it would have been extremely difficult for him to return to the Kingdom of Grey Mane.
Asage licked its lips and said, “In that case, let’s go back.”
“This is a wise decision, Lord Asage.”
The Jackalan guards nodded quickly and smiles of relief appeared on their faces.
Asage looked at them coldly. It was furious. However, when it thought of the news from those low-cla.s.s Jackalans, the anger in its heart seemed to dissipate as if a bucket of cold water had cooled it down.
Its green eyes were filled with fear.
The human kingdom’s heavy cavalry forces had actually returned to the Nahrin Desert. Moreover, there were also many heavy infantries attached to them. They were all elite troops, and their combat strength was very high.
They had even destroyed the largest Jackalan tribe in the southern part of the Nahrin Desert. It was simply terrifying!
Although they were low-cla.s.s Jackalans who were uncivilized, dumb, and were unable to join the Kingdom of Grey Mane, they had at least 2,000 people. Even the regular army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane, a fully armed group of high-cla.s.s Jackalan warriors, would need to make a considerable amount of effort and suffer significant casualties if they wanted to destroy a tribe like that quickly.
However, the human kingdom forces had destroyed the Jackalan tribe so quickly.
“Could it be that these humans have discovered the fact that the Kingdom of Grey Mane had the intention to initiate an invasion?”
Asage gulped.
This piece of intel was part of the Kingdom of Grey Mane’s strategic plan.
After the low-cla.s.s Jackalans that had migrated into the desert 10 years ago informed the Kingdom of Grey Mane formed by high-cla.s.s Jackalans that a human kingdom existed across the desert, the idea of an invasion was formed.
However, these humans had no reason to know that the Kingdom of Grey Mane wanted to invade and plunder.
“We must hurry up and return now. ”
Asage finally made a decision in its heart.
Asage turned its head and looked at the bags of coa.r.s.e salt that the low-cla.s.s Jackalan miners carried on their backs.
As long as these white things were transported back to the Kingdom of Grey Mane, Asage would at least receive 1,000 silver coins. Moreover, if it were able to bring back news that the human kingdom had begun to set foot in the desert, it would definitely receive a reward.
Although the high-cla.s.s Jackalans that formed the Kingdom of Gray Mane were not good at naval warfare and could not fight against the human pirates that came from the sea, in the inland and desert areas, the high-cla.s.s Jackalan warriors who wore iron armor and held battle axes were the strongest. They could easily fight against three human warriors with the same equipment.
As long as they were the cavalry units covered in iron armor.
Asage added in its heart.
It calmed its mind.
Asage turned its head to look at the Jackalans who were preparing to leave. grabbed a whip and began to shout loudly, to make the tribeless low-cla.s.s Jackalans that it hired carry the coa.r.s.e salt that they had mined.
It could not lose these coa.r.s.e salts that were already available.
Asage was busy all the way until the evening. Finally, the packing had been completed.
Water sacks, food, and coa.r.s.e salt.
They could have left the desert and headed north toward the uninhabited Devil Desert.
There was no oasis or water there.
They could only endure and persevere by relying on their preparations.
Thanks to the strong physique of the Jackalans, they could bear the devilish zone in the Nahrin Desert. It took them 30 days to cross the desert to get to where they were.
The sun gradually set.
Dusk made the saline-alkali soil golden.
Asage was a little frustrated.
“I really don’t know when I will be able to come back.” It gently wiped the tears from the corner of its eyes.
Throughout its journey, it had invested nearly 10,000 silver coins. If it were not for the reputation and recouping part of its capital, Asage would have jumped off the cliffs of the Mannheim Coast.
“Lord Asage, let’s go.”
Behind Asage, 30 Jackalan guards wearing iron armor and holding two-handed battle axes comforted it, “The king will definitely reward you.”
Asage sighed and said, “Let’s get a move on then.”
No matter how rich the rewards were going to be, could it be as much as 10,000 silver coins?
Asage did not believe that would be the case.
However, before Asage could walk more than a few meters forward, the low-cla.s.s Jackalans behind it, who were carrying coa.r.s.e salt on their backs, suddenly let out a series of frightened howls. They sounded extremely uneasy.
“What’s wrong with this group of low-cla.s.s trash?”
Asage angrily turned its head towards these low-cla.s.s Jackalans, it had no intention of treating them as its fellow countrymen.
But when it turned its head back, its pupils suddenly constricted.
Under the twilight of dusk and on top of the dune, multiple fully armed humans riding on warhorses awaited orders.
Although it did not seem like there were many of them, at a glance, each of them was wearing a piece of fine and exquisite armor. Asage instantly realized that they were probably the elite vanguard of the human kingdom that destroyed the Jackalan tribe!
“It’s over!” That was the only word in Asage’s mind.
On top of the dune, the armored human heavy cavalry had already raised their three-meter-long lances before pouncing down toward them.
The most straightforward killing intent accompanying their charge.