Chapter 303 – This Way, As Expected Pt. 2

With the thousand year sandworm monster core driving it, Baltic took steady steps, pulling the giant war chariot stably down the slope. When Nicole, Xiang Yun, and Roger saw how life-like Baltic was, they couldn’t believe it was just a machine.

They couldn’t really be blamed. If Baltic’s shape was humanoid, everyone would definitely tell that its movements were stiff and unnatural. But the issue was, Baltic’s lower body was shaped like a spider, so even if its actions weren’t natural, one couldn’t tell.

Moreover, Baltic’s entire body was covered by the thick sandworm skin. The yellow leather looked like a human’s skin一this layer of leather was what gave others the feeling of Baltic being alive.

Finally, Baltic pulled the war chariot in front of the swarm of Thorn Mice. Faced against such a large fellow, the Thorn Mice began to wildly shoot out their poisonous needles in an attempt to destroy it.

Inside the carriage, Nicole suddenly perked her ears and asked in confusion, “What’s going on? Is it raining outside?”

Suo Jia was stunned by Nicole’s words at first, but he then broke out into laughter. He shifted his body slightly to reveal the sole window as he pointed outside, “See for yourself whether it’s raining or not.”

Nicole looked around his body and outside the window. All she saw was the dense swarm of Thorn Mice, each one wildly shooting its needles at Baltic and the war chariot. The sound of rain was actually the result of the needles striking the leather of the war chariot.

Although the Thorn Mice’s needles were sharp, the sandworm leather was just too tough. Even if the needles were ten times sharper than they were now, it would be no use. Putting aside the war chariot itself, even Baltic was fine as it continued to advance while pulling the war chariot, seemingly not feeling anything. The needles all rebounded off the resilient and flexible sandworm leather, not a single one managing to pierce through.

Nicole suddenly realized that many Thorn Mice were currently jumping onto the shaft with their sharp mouths open, beginning to gnaw at the chariot. This sight caused Nicole to cry out in shock.

Suo Jia’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat when he heard Nicole’s shout, and he hurriedly pulled her to the side to look. The entire chariot was now crawling with Thorn Mice…those fellows all had their jaws open, chewing at the leather on the chariot with their sharp teeth.

Suo Jia watched anxiously. He knew that if the creatures managed to chew through the leather, he’d have to immediately turn back. Otherwise, the chariot would soon be gnawed down until nothing of it remained.

But fortunately, the sandworm leather didn’t disappoint Suo Jia. It was as tenacious as rubber; although the mice’s jaws would bite it, the leather would immediately return to its original shape as soon as they slackened their jaws. There weren’t even any traces of teeth marks left behind.

Suo Jia let out a breath of relief and passed the responsibility of driving to Nicole. He then turned around to walk to a nearby couch and took out the magic automaton creation book to read.

At the moment, Baltic’s movements were being controlled by six rods. Moving forwards, backwards, left, right, jumping, and ducking were done by the six rods extended throughout the inside of the carriage. As long as one sat in the pilot’s seat, they would be able to control the movements through the chariot door.

Of course, a true magic automaton didn’t require these kinds of controls. Unfortunately, this didn’t qualify yet; it was just a machine. Moreover, it was the most basic, crudest type of magic machine; if one didn’t control it, it wouldn’t be able to move at all.

Along this trip, the amount of Thorn Mice surrounding them increased more, before decreasing in numbers again. They advanced for an entire day, covering hundreds of kilometers before finally breaking out of Thorn Mice Plains and reaching a riverside.

Suo Jia looked around and saw that while the number of Thorn Mice had drastically decreased, that was only a relative comparison. If they got off now, they’d definitely die.

Suo Jia looked out the window at the surface of the river. Soon…he found a broken bridge not too far away. Although it was broken, Suo Jia manipulated the war chariot so that it headed towards the bridge.

Although the bridge wasn’t intact, Suo Jia knew that without it, they’d definitely be unable to pass through. The murky water of the river made it impossible for one to determine its depth. However, it was for certain that it wouldn’t have any issue submerging their war chariot.

Suo Jia quickly drove the war chariot to the large stone bridge. When he saw how imposingly vast it was, Suo Jia very much wanted to alight the chariot to inspect it. But the reality of the situation was that if he dared to get off the chariot, he’d immediately be shot into a porcupine by the thorns. Without any other choice, he could only steer the war chariot onto the bridge.

Suo Jia piloted the chariot onto the stone bridge, only stopping once he’d reached the crumbled part of it. He then looked across at the other side. The entire stone bridge was probably hundreds of meters long, but 20 or so meters of the middle part had been snapped off. Unless their war chariot could fly, there was no way they’d be able to cross.

Suo Jia knew that this part of the bridge had definitely been broken by humans as a result of the mouse plague. If the bridge hadn’t been destroyed, the Thorn Mice would’ve crossed over ages ago.

While Suo Jia was thinking this, a blurry hint of a black figure could be seen swaying on the opposite side. When Suo Jia’s group looked closer, an old person’s figure slowly appeared on the end of the bridge.

Suo Jia pulled down the chariot window, prepared to shout. But just then, the elder shouted out first, “Oi! The warrior on the other side, block up the Thorn Mice on the bridge behind you. I’ll go send people to connect the path and let you guys over!”

Suo Jia was overjoyed at the elder’s words. He pulled out the little pet from his interspatial ring and tossed it outside onto the bridge as he said, “Go, herd those mice off the stone bridge. Once we cross, you can fly over!”

The little creature tilted its head and licked its tongue, stubbornly refusing to go. Seeing this, Suo Jia couldn’t help but bitterly smile as he pulled out a bunch of refined potions and threw them at the little pet.

It swallowed the refined potions in a single gulp, and closed its eyes in content. After happily nodding at Suo Jia, it ran off towards the back side of the chariot. As it bounded over, layers of Glacial Armor appeared over its body one after another. In an instant, the gigantic Diamond Dragon appeared once more!

Soon, the Diamond Dragon’s destruction caused the Thorn Mice to miserably run off the stone bridge. At the same time, a dozen youths appeared on the opposite side, pushing two meter long wooden boards to stretch across the gap.

Although the stone bridge was broken, the bridge pier was still there. The 20 meter distance had a total of four bridge piers. Once the strong layers of wooden boards were laid out, the youths waved at Suo Jia from the opposite side, gesturing at him to cross.

Although he was concerned about whether or not these wooden boards would be able to hold up under the war chariot’s weight, Suo Jia no longer had any other options. He clenched his teeth and drove the chariot forwards, directly steering it onto the wooden boards that had been hastily laid out.

Luckily, everything went smoothly. The chariot successfully drove over to the opposite side. The dozen youths then retracted the boards, and after the last one had been pulled away, Suo Jia commanded the Diamond Dragon to return.

The elder and his companions led Suo Jia’s group towards a village on this side of the stone bridge. Along the way, Suo Jia learned from the elder that this village was a relay station responsible for handling adventurer matters on the Greater Trade Routes, a place specifically responsible for receiving adventurers from various countries.

From the elder’s words, Suo Jia was able to confirm Nicole’s guess; the opposite side of the river had indeed suffered from a mouse plague. Moreover, it had already been over half a year since it had happened. During this period of time, Suo Jia’s group was the only adventurer group that had managed to successfully pass through Thorn Mice Plains and reach this relay station!

That wasn’t all; Suo Jia was able to learn some more shocking news from the elder. Not only were the people that entered the Greater Trade Routes blocked outside, but many people that attempted to leave the Greater Trade Routes were also blocked off inside the relay station. At the moment, there were already dozens of groups stuck here. It was precisely due to this reason that the elder had actively helped put up the bridge after seeing Suo Jia arrive. Otherwise, Suo Jia could’ve yelled for help for an entire night without someone necessarily noticing.

vChapter 304 – Unimaginable Horror Pt. 1

The old man led Suo Jia’s party of four into the relay station. This relay station was actually just a small village of around 200 residents. Although it didn’t look big, it had every amenity: a blacksmith, a miscellaneous goods shop, an inn…it was extremely complete.

Suo Jia’s party followed the old man. They entered the village by following a dividing limestone road. Although it was already evening, there were idle crowds packed on either side of the road. They were gathered into groups of three or two, observing Suo Jia’s party through the corners of their eyes.

Nicole didn’t pay any mind to these strangers’ gazes. Xiang Yun, whom possessed a bestial-like instinct, had his right hand at his waist with a serious expression on his face. It was clear to see that…Suo Jia and Xiang Yun both felt dark murderous intent from the crowds on the roadsides.

Suo Jia’s and Xiang Yun’s raised guards clearly didn’t escape the elder’s observation. He frowned, and suddenly shouted toward the crowds on the roadsides, “All of you, go the f*ck back to your rooms and stay there! If the visitors are frightened off, I’ll definitely halve your provisions tonight!”

The people on the roadsides slowly began to turn their bodies after having heard the elder’s words. They dispersed after giving Suo Jia’s party one last glance. With only a bit of effort, the road regained its quietness; not a single human figure could be seen.

“Bunch of trash…” The elder cursed in anger and contempt as he looked off in the direction the crowds had disappeared towards.

Suo Jia frowned in confusion. “Mister, what’s up with those guys? They…”

“Hmph!” The elder snorted in disdain and used his surprisingly loud and clear voice to say, “Those guys already lost their courage, trash that don’t dare to continue adventuring the Greater Trade Routes. They’ve been scared shitless, and now they just want to hurry back to the human world to save their petty lives.”

Suo Jia understood the elder’s words. These guys had originally wanted to return to the starting point of the Greater Trade Routes, but due to the obstruction of the Thorn Mice, they couldn’t embark on their journey. Thus, they could only be firmly blocked off here.

The elder gloomily said, “Youngsters, coming here means you’ve already stepped onto the Greater Trade Routes. There are no rules or laws here. You guys need to be careful, those people aren’t good figures. They do pretty much anything!”

“Huh?” Nicole shot a puzzled look at the elder and asked, “Isn’t this place a relay station? They shouldn’t dare to do whatever they want, right? Otherwise, why didn’t they just all come at us together?”

The elder glanced at Nicole and said in a heavy voice, “Those bastards only keep me in consideration. As long as I’m here, they really don’t dare to do anything. But once I’m not, they’ll stop caring. You guys must be careful, even a relay station is not safe. Not a single corner on the Greater Trade Routes is safe!”

“Hehe…” With a dark smile, Xiang Yun ravenously licked his tongue before excitedly saying, “Captain, you really found the best place. This kind of location can’t be any more well suited for my diet. It looks like…we probably won’t be lonesome anymore!”

“Tch…” Suo Jia tilted his head back to yawn in disdain. “Since you’re so excited, you can take watch tonight. No matter what happens, don’t call me.”

Suo Jia turned around to look at the elder and lazily said, “Mister, please arrange places for us to live and eat. We haven’t slept properly on a bed in ages.”

“Um…” The elder looked at Suo Jia in astonishment and hesitated. “Young friend, you guys shouldn’t be careless. Although those people were scared shitless, their strengths are just as overpowering. It was just that…the thing that scared them was just too mighty.”

As soon as the elder finished speaking, Xiang Yun happily continued, “The more I listen to you, the more excited I get! Quick, hurry up, where exactly are we living at? I’m already unable to wait any longer to meet those so-called experts!”

The elder couldn’t help but sigh as he saw Xiang Yun’s reckless expression. The elder brought Suo Jia’s party to a limestone building, and pulled out a key from his pocket. As he passed it to Suo Jia, he said, “While you are at this relay station, you guys can live in this stone building. There’s no other option…the inn was filled ages ago.”

Suo Jia casually accepted the key and sincerely replied, “Then thank you very much, Mister.”

“Mhm…” The elder nodded anxiously and said in a heavy voice, “My home is next to the village’s east gate. If they come to stir trouble with you guys, you can send someone to call me, or run in that direction. As long as you flee to my place, nobody will dare to touch you guys!”

“Hehe…” Suo Jia smiled gratefully and said, “Don’t worry, Mister. Since we dared to enter the Greater Trade Routes, there’s no way we’d fear any challenge. If those people are reckless enough to really come here, we won’t have mercy!”

As soon as Suo Jia finished speaking, Xiang Yun added, “That’s right, old man, if I try killing someone here, will anyone interfere? It’s not illegal to kill here right?”

The elder shook his head bitterly and stated, “On the Greater Trade Routes, laws are dictated by experts. As long as you win, you are the law. As for whether or not people will interfere, who knows? If someone tried to kill your companion, would you interfere?”

Xiang Yun nodded in understanding and gave a strange smile. “Thank you very much, old man. I understand what you mean. Whoever has larger fists is the law, right?”

“Yes…” The elder firmly nodded, and shot Xiang Yun a bemused look, “That’s right, that is the meaning. However…I stick by my previous words; you must be extra careful about everything. The Greater Trade Routes is definitely nowhere close to anything you could ever imagine!”

The elder stared deeply at Suo Jia’s party. He knew that he’d already done his best, if they didn’t go through any major hardships, they wouldn’t understand how terrifying the Greater Trade Routes were. Thus, he helplessly turned around and began to walk towards the east side of the village.

After bidding farewell to the elder, Suo Jia’s party entered the stone house. Suo Jia, Nicole, and Xiang Yun began to organize their luggage, spreading out bed covers, while Roger began to prepare dinner.

Roger was indeed worthy of being the descendent of a legendary family of chefs. His work was so high quality that Suo Jia and the other two almost ate their own tongues while wolfing the food down. After they’d eaten until they were beyond full, they all cleaned up. The three of them then fell asleep, leaving only Xiang Yun to keep watch.

Xiang Yun couldn’t help but smile at the sight of his three companions in deep sleep on the wooden beds. The more he interacted with them, the more he felt the warmth of friendship. To someone like him that had been a wanderer for so long, such a feeling was too precious.

Xiang Yun pulled out a cushion from his interspatial ring and sat cross-legged at the entrance. He quietly controlled his breathing, waiting for the so-called trouble that the elder had claimed would happen.

It was obvious that the elder understood those people too well. Time passed, and once the curtain of darkness had completely fallen, the clear sound of footsteps rang out from the limestone house. Xiang Yun frowned, and listened attentively. The sound of footsteps was clearly headed towards this stone house.

Xiang Yun excitedly opened his eyes, and lightly stood up from his cushion to check his body’s condition. Without question, Xiang Yun was currently in his optimal state. Qi circulated throughout his entire body. He almost wanted to immediately find an opponent and break out into a fierce fight.

Xiang Yun tightened his belt, tidied his clothes, and gently pushed open the door. Outside, under the reflection of the moonlight, a group of black figures were gathering at the stone house from both sides of the path.

Xiang Yun took a deep breath, and softly stepped outside the room. He then quietly closed the door. He didn’t want to shock his sleeping companions awake; he would deal with these guys!

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