Chapter 854: Prelude to the Journey (2/2)
Seeing Xula's still-raging fighting spirit, Trivar had to step in once again. ”Please, we're going to depart now. You can fight to your heart's contents once you reach Hworn City.”
”Hmph.” Xula snorted after that and began to walk towards the carriage in the end. She met up with her team of four and began discussing their preparations.
Once again, the place resumed its lively activities as cultivators rushed to and fro, carrying goods safely before packing them within the carriages to ensure they wouldn't be damaged. Items that Krune had never seen before moved one after another into the carriages that his head spun a couple of seconds later.
”Please follow me.” Trivar looked at Krune and the Silver-Winged Mouse couple, beckoning them to follow him as he trailed through the long line of carriages. Along the way, they saw a stable of sorts where a certain group of demon beasts was being fed and cared for.
Cultivators bathed them, inspected their health, and attached reins to them at the end. They also made the demon beasts wear specially made soles, a One-Star God Foundation Realm equipment. It seemed to help with long-distance running.
They then attached headgear covering their mouths, preventing them from biting on an unsuspecting traveler. After that, they would place over the reins an armor that covered their vital areas.
”Wow, so many preparations,” Diana remarked as her eyes glistened.
”These demon beasts are called the Zenith Pluggers. They're what every merchant desires to have. Upon maturity, they reach the Ninth Stage God Foundation Realm. They can even fight pretty well. Also, among all the demon beasts in our continent, the Zenith Plugger is the best at defending itself from harm. They're also easy to maintain and cannot be tamed a second time.” Trivar laughed boisterously, showing off his accumulations. It was the same as men showing off their luxury cars on earth.
The Zenith Plugger was 12 meters tall and 19 meters long on average. It had a large snout and a short but flexible neck. Its curvy body was streamlined to allow faster movement while its four legs were strong and stable. Its frame was also quite wide, so even if someone hit it on its sides, most likely nine times out of ten, it wouldn't lose balance.
Seeing Krune checking it out, the Zenith Plugger exhaled a powerful gust of air that caused mud to fly and cover the clothes of the working people. They unanimously shot looks at Krune, with some of them on the verge of crying.
”It's awkward, brother,” the Zenith Plugger spoke with a gruntled voice. ”I cannot assume human form until this trip ends.”
Sure enough, it also had sentience, like all demon beasts in the God Realm.
'Bro, I had just taken a bath.' One of the workers wiped his tears as he saw the mud reach his knees. His clothes looked like they had experienced an apocalypse. He slapped his pocket, watching muddy water pump out from it. Sulking, he walked away to take a bath.
”They don't like it when you look at their eyes. Their bestial nature increases when in their demon beast form.” Trivar then led them to a carriage. ”This is carriage number 80. There are rooms within for you and your team to stay. It's not much, but we have made sure to make it comfortable. Your task is to defend carriage number 40 to 79 from danger.”
Krune and the other two in his team nodded and entered the carriage, noticing that it was wide within. There was a meter-wide path in the center for walking, acting as a corridor of sorts while four rooms were on either side. The first room on the left had Krune's name stuck on the door, while the first and second rooms on the right had Diana and Vardin's names, respectively.
Krune entered his room, noticing a foldable bed placed on the right. If he wished to, he could fold it into the wall, giving him more space within. The room was three meters in length and two meters in width. It was more than enough space considering they were on a journey.
Krune extended his divine sense, noting that it was blocked by the formation installed in this place. He then used his mental energy scan to check the other rooms, noticing that at least three people were within a room. Bunk beds were installed for them to rest.
Krune sighed after that, realizing that they were treated better since they were mercenaries and were commissioned to protect the caravan. The end of his room had another door that, upon opening, led to a balcony of sorts. A table and chair were placed there, allowing him to stare at the surroundings while traveling.
It was also installed for the mercenaries to rush out of the carriage immediately upon detecting danger.
Trivar's shout resounded throughout the area as the demon beasts were harnessed to their respective carriages, causing them to tremble once. ”Here's to a profitable journey!”
”Yeah!” Everyone among the caravan shouted after that in high spirits.
”It's starting.” Even Krune felt excited as the carriage started to move. This was his first journey in the God Realm. He was anticipating what he would be witnessing from now on.