Chapter 85: Can they really be that big?
The two dwarves, having already been robbed once, were terrified by Leona’s warning. They scurried away, their short legs carrying them as fast as they could, not daring to run back the way they came. Instead, they huddled behind East Wind, trembling, hoping the girl on horseback could hold off the bandits.
Leona and Flora were also on high alert, not for their own safety, but for Abyss’s. He was still asleep and couldn’t defend himself.
They were now in the southern region of the Western Empire, where the climate was humid and warm. Unlike the barren landscapes of the north, the roadside was lined with dense forests. A rustling sound came from the trees, and a bald man with a mace, wearing mismatched armor, emerged, leading a horse.
He looked at Leona and Flora, sitting on horseback, and asked, “Are the bandits gone?”
“What bandits? What are you talking about?” Leona frowned, looking around. She didn’t see any bandits, only heard more people approaching from behind the man, their footsteps accompanied by the rumble of wheels and the snorting of horses.
“We’re a merchant caravan. We spotted bandits nearby and hid in the forest,” the man said, his attire suggesting he was a mercenary. “Now that they’re gone, we need to continue our journey.”
Leona eyed him suspiciously. His story seemed plausible enough. It was common for caravans to avoid bandits. But the location where he emerged was strange. What kind of caravan would venture deep into the forest, knowing the rough terrain would be difficult for wagons and make escape impossible if they were discovered?
The man signaled to those behind him. “Come out, everyone. The coast is clear. Let’s get moving!”
Following his call, more people emerged from the forest.
Leading the way was a wagon pulled by two horses, followed by several cargo wagons pulled by pack animals. Then came about thirty mercenaries, dressed similarly to the first man, riding on lightly armored mixed-breed horses, wielding various weapons and wearing mismatched armor. They looked like a ragtag group, but their combined strength was enough to deter any would-be robbers.
The caravan headed southeast along the road. Leona watched the mercenaries for a while, then called out, “Hey, merchants, where are you headed?”
Flora smiled, saying nothing. She, like Leona, had noticed something strange about this caravan. Mercenary work was unstable and dangerous, so most mercenaries were commoners who had learned some basic Dou Qi or low-level rogue mages. Even retired soldiers rarely became mercenaries—they received a pension and wouldn’t risk their lives for money unless they were desperate. However, this mercenary group was different. Although they tried to appear untrained and lazy, their posture and gait betrayed their disciplined training. If they encountered thirty or fifty bandits, they could probably eliminate them within five minutes, even arranging the bodies neatly and perhaps even applying funeral makeup.
If it were up to Flora, she would have let them pass. She wasn’t one to stir up trouble. Since they didn’t know the true purpose of these soldiers, they wouldn’t interfere.
But Leona was different. Once her curiosity was piqued, she wouldn’t let it go until it was satisfied.
The caravan stopped at the command of someone inside the lead wagon. A portly middle-aged man, dressed in the embroidered and silk-trimmed attire favored by wealthy Western Empire merchants, stepped out and greeted Leona with a smile. “Noble ladies, we’re on our way to the Eastern Empire to acquire some high-quality potions and spices.”
“My sister and I are weak women, traveling with our mentally ill brother to seek treatment in the Eastern Empire. May we travel with you?” Leona said, fabricating a story without hesitation.
“Well…” The middle-aged man hesitated.
A young woman’s head poked out from the window of the lead wagon. “Father, let them travel with us. We can’t just leave them on this dangerous road. Besides, I’d like some company my own age.”
The woman, in her early twenties, had curly auburn hair and freckles, her beautiful blue eyes calmly observing Leona and Flora. The man, apparently doting on his daughter, smiled at Leona. “My apologies, I was being rude. Since you ladies are in need, we, as fellow travelers, shouldn’t abandon you to such dangers. Please, bring the young man into the wagon and chat with my daughter. Your mounts can follow the caravan. Our grooms will take care of them.”
Leona nodded in satisfaction. “Thank you for your generosity. We won’t impose.”
She wrapped an arm around Abyss’s waist, lifted him effortlessly, dismounted gracefully, and then offered a hand to Flora, helping her down from East Wind.
“Go, East Wind, follow us,” Leona said, patting the horse’s foreleg. East Wind twitched its ears and obediently joined the caravan.
The middle-aged man’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly. The strength Leona had displayed when casually lifting Abyss wasn’t ordinary. While most Dou Warriors could easily carry a slender young man, this girl, barely over 1.4 meters tall, had done it effortlessly, without any apparent technique, indicating that her body had been thoroughly tempered by Dou Qi training.
Weak women? He didn’t believe it. But he had already agreed, so he had no choice.
At the young woman’s invitation, Leona and Flora carried Abyss into the lead wagon.
Leona was pleased. She wasn’t in a hurry to uncover the caravan’s true purpose, only mildly curious. For now, she was content to ride in a comfortable wagon, befitting her status as a lady. Her curiosity about these fake merchants was overshadowed by her enjoyment of the comfortable ride.
The wagon was spacious, the six-seater model favored by the Western Empire. Leona placed Abyss between her and Flora, and he naturally leaned against Flora’s shoulder, snoring softly. The middle-aged man didn’t seem to be joining them. He had mounted a horse and was riding alongside the wagon.
Leona glanced at Flora and noticed she was staring at the young woman’s chest.
Flora rarely showed such an expression, so Leona looked as well—
“My goodness, can they really be that big?”
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