Chapter 63: The Suspicious Caravan

With thoughts weighing on his mind, Dean did not immediately head to the tent where the suspicious merchants were staying. Instead, he entered the yurt pointed out by the Barbarian Patriarch. Traveling through the Snowplains Dense Forest for two consecutive days had been quite a burden for Dean. He certainly would not mind having steaming hot food and a warm place to stay.

Inside the yurt, there was a small fire pit. It was dug about a foot and a half deep into the ground, with the sides lined to form a square opening about a foot in size. One of the four sides was chosen to dig a trench large enough to feed firewood into. A large cast-iron pot sat on top, or one could choose to set up a rack.

In fact, in the Four Northern Counties, this kind of fire pit was the top choice for the wild or for camps.

As for the South?

With the damp ground, building a bonfire on the surface was obviously more suitable.

Bubbling, bubbling…

The sound of soup rolling arose from the large cast-iron pot over the fire pit. Immediately, a rich fragrance drifted out from the pot. Just by relying on the scent, Dean could determine that this was deer meat soup.

Picking up the wooden bowl at the side, Dean lifted the pot lid, scooped up the soup inside, and then soaked his dry rations in it.

As for the deer meat?

Just as the Barbarian Patriarch had said, it had already been mostly taken by the previous “guests.”

For Barbarians, the food used to treat guests and friends was not supplied without limit, except during festivals and celebrations. Dean could even be certain that if he had arrived a bit later, after the fire in the pit had completely died out, he would not even have been able to drink this soup.

Whoosh!

As the mellow soup entered his stomach and the warm feeling instantly spread throughout his body, Dean could not help but let out a long sigh.

Then, Dean scooped himself another bowl.

Perhaps there were no whole chunks of meat, but the meat soup had long since absorbed the essence of the deer meat, so it could be said to have sufficient nutrition.

Moreover, it was definitely much better than chewing on dry rations.

Therefore, Dean did not refuse. He poured the remaining soup from the iron pot straight into his belly. Then, he added more firewood to the fire pit. Leaning against the pit, he spread his coat on the ground like a blanket, curled up slightly, and lay there, preparing to enter dreamland.

As for investigating the suspicious merchants?

Clearly, visiting in the middle of the night was unwelcome, especially when the other party was full of suspicion. This was definitely not a good choice.

At daybreak, during a chat before they set off, Dean believed it would be enough for him to figure out their background.

As for safety?

Inside the Barbarian Stockade, there was no need to worry. Although he had only taken a quick glance earlier, Dean could be certain that the military power in this small stockade was definitely not something to worry about. Aside from a Barbarian Patriarch who was surely of the Knight-rank, there was at least one Barbarian Elder proficient in Secret Techniques. The special tent decorated with bones, stones, and dead trees was enough to explain everything.

With two such existences, plus nearly thirty Barbarian Warriors.

Even if he encountered danger, Dean would not worry about being caught off guard.

However, things did not always go as one wished. Just as Dean was about to fall asleep, a very light sound of footsteps, which ordinary people would hardly notice, rang out.

If not for the accumulated snow, Dean would also have found it extremely difficult to detect such footsteps. The other party had avoided the patrolling Barbarian Warriors and walked toward the yurt Dean was in along the shadows. Although these shadows concealed the other party’s figure, the accumulated snow within the shadows, which was not easily cleared or melted, transmitted the sound.

Almost immediately after hearing such footsteps, Dean woke up instantly and made this judgment in his mind.

However, his instincts, honed through long-term training, still made Dean emit long, slow breaths, just as if he were asleep.

The other party was still approaching cautiously, but the sound of accumulated snow being stepped on would still ring out from time to time. Whenever this sound rang out, the other party would stop and listen for any movement from Dean. Undoubtedly, those long breaths were the motivation for the other party to continue forward.

Knight-rank strength, but not skilled in stealth and tracking; he probably did not belong to the Thieves Guild!

Dean judged.

Without the strength of a Knight, it would be impossible to achieve such light footsteps.

Yet, after achieving such light footsteps, they still made noises that shouldn’t be there. Clearly, members of the Thieves Guild wouldn’t be this clumsy.

In fact, within the Thieves Guild, even those who were not of the Knight-rank knew how to avoid making sounds when stepping on accumulated snow.

Therefore, Dean determined that the other party was certainly not a member of the Thieves Guild.

However, this determination was of no use at all. After all, apart from the fact that the other party was from that suspicious caravan when they went out, his true identity had still not been confirmed. As the other party drew closer, Dean’s hand had already reached for the dagger at his waist.

It was not the Demon Blood Dagger. Once the Demon Blood Dagger was activated, the special aura on it was too easy to discover. Those Barbarian Elders would not ignore it after discovering the aura of Hell. So, if Dean did not want to cause unnecessary trouble for his “negotiations” due to such an aura, hiding the Demon Blood Dagger for now was the best choice.

In the next moment, Dean’s hand had already grasped the dagger at his waist. As long as the other party entered the tent, he could launch the most rapid attack immediately.

However, the other party did not lift the tent curtain and walk in. Instead, he just stayed quietly outside the tent, listening.

A full two minutes later, the other party returned the way he came.

“Is this a probe?!”

Dean was stunned. Then, quickly and silently, he slipped out of the tent. Standing in the shadows where the moonlight and firelight intertwined, Dean could clearly see the other party’s retreating back.

Tall, robust, wearing leather armor, with no weapon hanging at his waist, and his hands were empty.

However, this did not make Dean let down his guard.

After all, the other party was a Knight-rank person. In a frontal fight, he would be hard to deal with. Added to that was the Talent awakened after the Knight’s Baptism. In a frontal fight, winning against him was nearly impossible.

Therefore, Dean was very careful.

After keeping a distance from the other party, he quietly trailed behind him.

The other party clearly had not discovered the silent Dean. Relying on countless experiences of assassination, Dean was already familiar with such silent movement.

Moreover, it was obvious that the other party had become a bit careless after completing his task.

At least, in Dean’s eyes, if he really wanted to assassinate the other party, during this journey, there were at least five opportunities, and the chances to kill the other party with one hundred percent certainty were no fewer than two.

After all, the other party’s back was always facing Dean.

However, Dean, who wanted to investigate the truth, would not make a move. He just trailed behind the other party to the west side of the Barbarian Stockade. This was the direction the Barbarian Patriarch had pointed out for the caravan to temporarily station. The tents, different from the Barbarians’ yurts, further indicated the identity of the owners here.

Here, two people dressed as Mercenaries were keeping watch. However, Dean keenly discovered two more people in the shadows. The combination of obvious and hidden sentries was not common in caravans; it was a habit of the military.

Dean, who was already suspicious, frowned even more tightly at this moment.

“Herd!”

A low call came from the shadows of the tent. Following this call, a man of medium build walked out. Suddenly, Dean was startled.

First, Dean had not discovered this person before.

Secondly, two Longswords actually hung at the other party’s waist.

The former was enough to show that the other party was also a Knight, and the latter showed that he was skilled in some special techniques.

Either point indicated that the other party was difficult to deal with.

“Actually, there are two Knight-ranks…”

Dean thought to himself.

While Dean was thinking, the Knight with two swords at his waist had already lifted the tent curtain behind him. Although he did not lift it completely, only halfway, the light coming from inside was enough for Dean to see the people sitting inside clearly.

There were two people inside.

Dean was not familiar with one of them.

But the other was someone Dean was extremely familiar with, even deeply etched in Dean’s mind. The future King’s Advisor of the Gosai Kingdom: Momon!

In the future history, he was the figure Dean had tried to assassinate more than once, yet he repeatedly escaped.

In the end, he, along with Dean and the King of Gosai, was shattered to pieces in the Explosive Crystal!