[Verne County]

[Oak Town]

Old Madya Miklo woke up early, but he just lay stiffly on the bed, staring silently at the dome in the darkness.

The same goes for his wife.

In the spacious bedroom, you can only hear the two of them breathing slowly.

I don’t know how long it took, but finally, a string of sharp and loud rooster crows broke through the depressing silence.

A series of sounds came from downstairs, and Lao Ma Jiya listened speechlessly.

The morning noise in other people's ears outlined vivid pictures in his mind:

The elderly close-fitting male servant, Old Tasso, yawned, and pushed open the door that was not lubricated, hammered the knees that were also not lubricated, dragged their heavy steps, and walked slowly towards the stable; the maid in the house put on her coat, gently walked through the corridor, and carried the milk jug to the cowshed; the hound outside the house and the yard dog in the distance seemed to be greeting each other, barking one after another; the cattle herder shaking the copper bells and drove the cattle into the pasture...

Surrounding this beautiful two-story wooden building, awakened by the crow of chickens, is the vastest, most fertile and most beautiful farm in Oak Town - Majiya Manor.

Lao Ma Jiya listened carefully, not leaking even the slightest noise until the sun rose.

When the first beam of light hit the bedroom, Lao Ma Jiya immediately mechanically got up from the bed, pushed open the window, and inspected the manor in the morning light as usual.

His old wife walked towards the wardrobe silently, took out the luggage she had prepared the night before, and carefully helped her husband dress neatly.

"I will bring him back." Lao Ma Jiya said dumbly, as if making a promise.

His wife didn't say anything, but just touched her husband's hand.

Tasso, the personal servant who served Majiya Milok for many years, brought the four best horses in the manor.

The horses were already full in advance, and Old Tasso got up early and added ingredients to them, so they were all full of energy and would definitely be able to withstand the long journey.

But Matiya Miklo carefully checked the four horses with long, strong muscles and smooth fur, and changed their minds at the last moment.

He shook his head and told Tasso: "Prepare a bald horse."

The old servant couldn't help but widen his eyes: "Those old horses are not strong enough. If they ride them, we will not be able to go home before dark."

Matiya Milok has no explanation.

The old servant was used to the taciturn words of the "employer". He muttered and took the four good horses back to the stable. Soon, he walked out with four bad horses with bald tails.

The bad horses were old and knew they were going to go far, so they were anxiously biting the iron chew in their mouths, and the white saliva dripped down uncontrollably.

Matiya Milok went up to him with a sabre. He patted the horses on the necks, pressed the horses' back with his left hand, and then jumped into the saddle.

Seeing this, Old Tasso also tightened his belt with his sword and stepped onto his horse in the stirrups.

Mrs. Ma Jiya walked out of the room with a saddle bag in her hands and handed it to her husband's hand.

Without saying goodbye or seeing off, Milok and Tasso each took a horse and left the manor before the sun rose completely and set off for [Artemis].

There was a night that had not yet faded in the sky, and there were few pedestrians on the road, with only a few shepherds driving the flock out to eat grass.

If it were in the past, Matiya Milok and Tasso might have encountered caravans and travelers who also headed to Artemis, and they might have happily traveled with the latter.

But now, the master and servant do not want to meet any "companions".

War has changed everything around people so profoundly:

Villages and towns became closed and xenophobic, building high walls to reject strangers’ visits; the exchanges between settlements no longer exist, and only bandits with ill-hearted hearts and lawless soldiers wandering in the wild; the isolated farmhouses will turn into ashes overnight, and after the order is lost, the farmers who originally adhere to their duties may also become devils in one thought; as for those travelers who have reasons to travel, they will always hold their weapons, prick up their ears, and watch out for every movement in their vision with caution.

However, before the sun rose to the treetops, Matiya Milok was caught up.

"I'll go with you!" Majiya Raul gasped and announced loudly: "Dad!"

The old servant Tasso glanced at the horse under Raul's crotch, and couldn't help but hold his arm and curl his lips.

Madya Milok stared at his young son without saying a word, looking at his childish eyes, his beard that had not yet been raised, and his hunting suit soaked in sweat.

Raul was discomfort by his father's eyes. Unintentional shame and anger filled his chest in an instant. He pulled out the saber from his saddle bag with his backhand and turned anger: "Don't underestimate me!"

Lao Ma Jiya was silent for a moment and asked, "You... know where you are going?"

"Go to Artemis." Raul looked straight at his father without fear.

Lao Ma Jiya asked again: "Do you know what to do?"

"Reden people." Raul pursed his lips and replied in a low voice: "Or redeem the corpse."

"Do you know who you are going to meet?" Lao Ma Jiya asked again.

"I know." Raul avoided his father's gaze and looked at his father's boot tip: "That person."

Old Ma Jiya was like a stone statue carved with a knife and an axe. Although she had facial features, she had no expression: "Who?"

Under the coercion of his father's eyes, Raul was half disgusted and half afraid, and reluctantly said the name: "Blood Wolf...Your Excellency."

But speaking that name is like removing some invisible burden. Raul simply said everything: "So what? I want to see what's so great about that person!"

Lao Ma Jiya looked at her youngest son, for some reason, and neither taught the latter a lesson nor asked questions again.

But the old Tasso behind him smacked his lips and broke the stalemate between the father and son: "Master, in my opinion, even if you drive Master Raul away now, he will catch up again."

This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! Lao Ma Jiya said nothing.

In this world, I'm afraid no one knows how to please Madya Milok better than Madya Milok's old servant and convince Madya Milok.

Old Tasso blinked his eyes and complained half-truely: "Oh, it's true, it's just like you, all the ones poured out of the same mold as you, stubborn donkeys! Alas... Otherwise... or... would you take Master Raul to the county seat first? When you arrive at Artemis, you want to find a place to settle Master Raul... it shouldn't be difficult."

Old Ma Jiya pondered for a moment and gently pulled the reins. The old horse he was riding immediately understood and turned around.

Madya Raul was stunned at first, then was ecstatic and grimaced at his Uncle Tasso.

Tasso also patted Raul's shoulder silently, took out a sweat towel from the saddle bag and handed it to the latter.

The group of three set off again.

[Oak Town] and [Artemis] are both located on the west bank of the [Oya River], with a straight line distance of about twenty kilometers.

You can reach at most two hours without any effort.

However, because the Majiya family and his three consciously avoided the settlements and towns along the way, they took some long journeys and spent a lot of time.

In addition, the four old horses they rode were old and weak, so when the three arrived at the outskirts arranged by the "rebels" on the outskirts of the city, it was already noon.

The west of the provincial road leading to Artemis is [Lushan] and the east is the Anya River. The "rebels" set up checkpoints at the narrowest terrain between mountains and rivers, and there is no way to avoid it and no way to surround it.

The three of them stood on the hillside and looked at the congested checkpoint in the distance, Tasso couldn't help but look embarrassed.

"Master." The old servant whispered: "Otherwise, you'd better get around it?"

Raul laughed in silence. Although he was young, his brain reacted quickly: "By bypass? Where can I go? Can I still return the same way and go around Lushan? What if there is a checkpoint on that road? "

The old servant shook his head gently at the young master, indicating that the latter should be at ease.

Old Ma Jiya observed the outpost in the distance in silence, and finally nodded slowly.

Tasso's heart tightened - because he knew that Matiya Milok had made up his mind.

...

[Half an hour later]

"When will it be our turn?" Raul couldn't help but yell.

The "congestion" you see when you observe from a distance and the "congestion" you are in are completely different.

In front of the Majiya family and the three people, there is a long queue of more than thirty double-set carriages; behind the Majiya family and the three people, there are more single-set and double-set carriages.

The whole long line was moving forward so slowly that it was outrageously hot, and the scorching sun above my head was particularly vicious, so many coachmen simply hid in the shade of the trees beside the road and took a nap.

But Raul could only resist the scorching heat and waited for the convoy to move forward slowly at a anxious speed.

Fortunately, Old Tasso, who went to drink horses, returned quickly and brought back two full sheepskin clean water.

Raul cheered, untied the water bag from the saddle, bit the cork, and drank it happily.

It was not enough to drink it alone. Raul raised the water bag high above his head, poured the remaining water in the water bag on his body, and washed the sweat and the heat together with the sweat.

On the other hand, Lao Majiya took another water bag from Lao Tasuo, took a simple sip, put it down and looked at the old servant.

Of course, Old Tasso understood what it meant and replied with a smile: "I'm full by the river."

Old Ma Jiya nodded, took a few sips of water slowly, and then carefully tied the sheepskin bag and hung it back into the saddle.

At this moment, Old Tasso had already taken out the forage bag and took a break from his busy schedule to add some bald old horses to the meal.

After all this, Old Tasso rubbed his sore shoulders and walked back to the "old employer" and "little employer".

"The convoy in front, came from [Taima Town]." Old Tasso lowered his voice: "There are several "members" from [Shannan Town] behind, they are just guys who are single, so they will follow."

"Why are you..." Raul was stunned.

"When I was drinking, I asked around." Old Tasso and Old Ma Jiya looked at each other: "Don't worry, no one recognized me."

Raul looked at his father, then at Old Tasso, and after a brief digestion, he asked in surprise: "From Taihammer Town, Shannan Town? That's more than a day's journey..."

After saying that, Raul stood on tiptoe and looked forward, and then backward. The scale of the convoy stretching on the provincial road was so large that it was "abnormal".

Perhaps two or three years ago, this was normal.

But in the current situation, the normal situation is not normal.
To be continued...