Chapter 274 On The Road (1/2)

After Brightblade's departure, Arran spent so his wounds It wasn't too bad — some burns, a few shalloounds, andthat would take more than a few hours to heal

Just two years earlier, these saht have killed him And even if he'd survived, he would have been bedridden for weeks if not er since then, and now, the injuries were little more than an inconvenience

Still, he did not hurry in leaving He sat quietly for several hours, looking out over the onwas already nearing when he ell enough to travel, but after giving it soht Without knowing the region, traveling in the dark would be both dangerous and foolish

Of course, he felt so out so close to the formation — and the creatures behind it — but he forced himself to suppress it The barrier had lasted for thousands of years already, and it should endure another night without issue

And if this was the night the formation would finally collapse… well, there was no point in worrying about the sky falling down

Arran slept unexpectedly well that night, better than he had in weeks Perhaps it was the exhaustion fro escaped the mountains' creatures, but whatever the reason, he awoke the next er to start his journey

Yet before he could depart, there was one last matter to handle — his appearance

He didn't exactly look like a typical e, but in the borderlands, few people wouldrobes with an enchanted sword for anything else

Moreover, his status in the Ninth Valley nized Few of the Valley's le one of those could reveal who he was

He was unwilling to take that risk, and so, he decided to do a thorough job in disguising hi off his beard He'd had it since he spent a year breaking Master Zhao's seal, and without it,him But he didn't stop at that His blond hair was alh, he decided it would have to go as well

Barely ten nizable, albeit with a rather cold head

It wasn't a style he preferred, but he kneould h a taken for one of those would stoptoofro and inspected its contents He was relieved to find that most of the clothes it contained were sensible — which, with Brightblade picking the

He briefly ruh the pile of clothes, then picked out a pair of thick linen trousers and a gray shi+rt, along with a pair of good boots and a weathered leather coat All of those were things a rough-edged traveler ether with Arran's newly shaved head, they completed the picture of a former mercenary as best left alone

Next, he belted on one of the unenchanted swords his void ring held Although it had a fine blade by coood in a real battle But then, the contents of his void ring were only a thought away if he needed theuise, he set off toward the edge of thejourney

He soon discovered that si the htblade'sout the reat a task, and had instead filled the area with sles that bore little relation to the actual ate a path for hieneral direction, the s frequency, throwing hi in the right direction

Yet after half a week, he finally reached the foothills And here, without inconveniently placedhis way, his pace quickly increased

Another half-week passed before he can of habitation since he had left the Valley with Brightblade

The village vaguely reminded hies Just like most others, this one had a blacksmith, a butcher, a baker, a small inn that doubled as a tavern, and no sers to cast suspicious looks at outsiders like Arran

He ignored the locals' distrustful gazes and sought out the bowyer — another staple of villages around the world

The fat, bearded man received him with barely veiled distrust ”You're not from 'round here,” he pointed out somewhat needlessly

”Aye,” Arran replied ”Spent a decade as a caravan guard in the Eh of the bandits there Decided I'd try my luck across the border, and as that the borderlands had good lands for hunting and fishi+ng”

At this, the bowyer's expression softened Arran's appearance suggested he was either a mercenary or a bandit, and he had clearly worried it was the latter But while caravan guards could be every bit as rough as bandits, at least their job was a proper one ”Didn't join the es on your way here?” he asked