Chapter 162 The Dragon Slaying Troop Team (1/2)

Although the carriage's warhorses were strong, and their endurance enhanced with magic spells, they were still overcome with fatigue sometimes. So, after every four or five hours of non-stop traveling, the three companions would take a break and rest.

They traveled during the day and rested in their tents at night, maintaining the horses' strength and good form as they traveled further away from Wissen Town.

Despite the heavy snowfall, the three companions still encountered mercenaries and merchants along the road from time to time.

A few enterprising fellows had established commercial trade between the still-developing Black Water City and Wissen Town, selling little toys to the Beastmen living along the Black Water lakefront in exchange for local specialty items.

Before the trade routes and their waysides had been cleared of bandits, no merchant-- nay, not even the mercenaries-- dared to travel alone, fearful of losing both person and possessions to the desperate and conniving outlaws.

But things had changed. After being driven out by Argus and offered amnesty by some Fox Elders, many bandits, even those who turned down the protection of the Magical Beasts, were wary of going back to lives of crime.

At times, the three companions would come across a chatty merchants or mercenaries, but the quick-witted Orlando would brush them off with a few casual words, deflecting attention away from them. It certainly would never have occurred to these merchants and mercenaries that passing right by them in this unremarkable carriage was the infamous Yang Ling.

Whenever they stopped to rest, Orlando would leave the party to hunt, relying on his superior sense of smell, agility, and near-perfect accuracy with the javelin to catch his prey. Sometimes he would catch a few pheasants, other times snow rabbits, and once, even a ravenous porcupine.

After concluding his training, Yang Ling would pull out three tents from inside his Space ring and set them up swiftly. The three would then work together to prepare a nutritious meal, and after, they stored their leftovers in the Space ring.

Despite the relatively harsh conditions, the three companions chatted and joked with one another to keep themselves in somewhat high spirits.

One day, the sun had already begun to set over the mountains, but they had at least 100 miles to go before they would reach Black Water City.

Yang Ling decided to set up camp for an early night, instructing Orlando to halt the carriage on the mountain's leeward side so that it was out of the wind.

As usual, Yang Ling set up the tents promptly, while Orlando went out hunting and brought back a brace of plump pheasants.

The Ladak Mountain Range was all-encompassing, covered with many plump pheasants, sitting prone in the grassy knolls like tortoises, numb from the cold. As long as their nesting spots were found, catching the pheasants was an easy task, providing Yang Ling enough succulent wild game to to eat his fill every day.

”My Lord, do you want to eat Jiao Hwa pheasant or roast pheasant?”

As he spoke, Orlando shook the snow off his cloak. After traveling with Yang Ling for some time, he had been exposed to many unusual eating practices. Amongst them, the unforgettable taste of Jiao Hwa pheasant lingered in his mind.

”One Jiao Hwa pheasant, and one roast pheasant, and I will also give you two warm pots of rum!” Yuna replied in a rush before Yang Ling had a chance to respond. After tasting Jiao Hwa chicken for the past couple of days, her mouth had started hankering for it. The first day she had tasted the golden-yellow roasted Jiao Hua chicken, she had nearly swallowed her own tongue, she had eaten it so quickly.

Shaking his head and laughing, Yang Ling retrieved various spices from his Space ring, tenderly prepared by Alice in advance. Upon learning that Yang Ling intended to visit the faraway Livenza Alliance, she had worried herself to tears, her eyes growing puffy and red as she prepared everything that Yang Ling would need.

From food spices to thick, heavy overcoats, they had everything they needed.

After plucking the feathers and washing out the entrails, Yang Ling spread the seasoning evenly all over the chicken, then wrapped it up with snow lotus leaves and tied up the bundle with string.

With a fireball, Yuna ignited the firewood that Orlando had gathered and put the two pots of rum over the fire. Grabbing a few empty wine jars, she crushed and ground them into a fine powder, added some water and blended it into a clay-like mixture, then skillfully spread it out on a dampened piece of cloth.

After that, Yang Ling's well-seasoned pheasant was placed in the center of the dampened cloth and wrapped from all four corners into a tight chicken-shaped bundle.

When the clay had dried up, the wet cloth was removed. Another layer of snow lotus leaves was applied, and then the bundle was placed under the coals to bake.

Meanwhile, Orlando had speedily plucked and washed another pheasant and was grilling it over the fire, sprinkling some salt and spices over it from time to time.

With the Space ring, everything from fresh water to all kinds of spices was readily available.

Amidst their careful preparations, the aroma of wild game began wafting out slowly away from the campsite.

Thud...

As Yangling and his companions were about to tuck in, a sudden clip-clopping of hoofbeats reverberated in the distance as several mercenary-like folk rapidly approached.

On this wild mountainside, was this simply a group of mercenaries passing by, or an ambush?

Observing the other group galloping towards them with no signs of slowing, Yang Ling appeared completely unfazed as he continued to turn the roast pheasant gently in his hands.