85 Chapter 85 - On the Road Again (1/2)

It was finally time to leave.Gren managed to fix his problems by purchasing the Nonmetals One research project a bit early.What the system neglected to mention was that it took time for the research project to finish.One quarter hour per research point spent.

Although it gave Gren access to steel, he was more excited about the fact that he would now be able to create rubber.Rubber was pretty versatile if you could put up with the terrible smell.It could be turned into a flexible lightweight armor that was slightly better than leather which helped solve the problem of both Kuroa's and Dhalra's armor.

In order to get Jessica's approval for Jasmine to come, Gren needed to build a new covered wagon to keep her warm and the rubber came in handy.Rubber coating on the top protect the steel from rusting with a padded leather interior to prevent the heat from escaping.Rubber-coated wheels for more grip since steel had little to no traction.A rubber seal on the door so that it didn't let in wind as they traveled along.Rubber condoms... couldn't be made yet; he needed the Carbon Byproducts technology and that wasn't needed until he wanted to make vehicles.

Their little army was all gathered around.Twelve independent mercenaries and nineteen of their own forces--or twenty if Mimi counted--with one tag-along; the vampire that Gren needed to keep giving blood to.In the end he decided to give Buthi and Gallia massive shields so that they could defend against the arrows while giving Buthi a spear to make up for the fact that only one of her top arms had a weapon.Kuroa was given a hard rubber armor that only protected her chest and head; it was decided that she would be throwing spears from far above.Gren also decided to build a barrier on wheels that could be pushed which was currently sitting in his pocket dimension.This might end up being a proper siege battle so Gren wanted to be prepared.

His own equipment saw a good amount of improvement.The iron armor he had been wearing was a little bent up so he replaced it with steel armor.His old sword was destroyed so he replaced it with a steel one that would fit in the shield's sheath; the shield was still fine so he didn't replace it.

Annie was one of the only other people that had on steel armor and she was chosen as the leader of the group for the duration of the request.After meeting up with the merchant and his family at the transportation company and hiring on enough horses and wagons for everybody, they left Adierton.Gren calculated that the journey to Fort Togo would only take a couple of days with the horses they hired traveling twelve hours each day and there was a village between Adierton and their destination.There shouldn't be a need to camp away from civilization.

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Their caravan was made up of four wagons--the two that belonged to the guild and two that were rented--and the carriage that belonged to the merchant that they were escorting.Gren didn't know how to control a horse so he was currently riding shotgun in the front-most wagon.The person with the horses' reins in his hands was the former knight that became a mercenary: Osmond.He only became a mercenary because his father's noble status had been revoked by the King and his preferred weapon was a lance despite the fact that he no longer had a horse to ride.

”The wagon you've got is surprisingly light.I thought that the horses would be struggling to pull it right now since it was made of metal.”The roads they were on were rough so Osmond figured that the horses could only pull about twice their own weight behind them.”Where did you get this?It's pretty well-made.”

There was no way that Gren was going to tell him that he magicked it out of thin air.”That's a company secret but I can tell you that it's light because the frame is hollow.Solid metal isn't necessary for a vehicle like this.”Gren used a tubular chassis beneath the wagon's bed because the solid metal frame was too heavy; in the simulation it would result in the wheels snapping off at high speeds over bumpy terrain.”If you're interested in getting one, I can contact our provider and you can buy one through us.”

”There are too many costs for an individual like me to own a wagon.I'd sooner buy a horse but I can't afford one of...”Osmond suddenly tapped on Gren's shoulder and pointed ahead.”Downed tree and a carriage.Signal the others to stop.This could be an ambush.”

Gren got up and waved around the side of the wagon towards the one just behind them.After they signalled the ones behind them, the caravan came to a stop.”Why are we stopping?”Annie was inside the wagon itself; with her was Jasmine, Mimi, Letta, and the two elf girls: Nadia and Nalia.”Is there a problem?”

Gren nodded before realizing that she couldn't see him with the door closed.”There's a downed tree up ahead.There might be an ambush so Letta might be needed.”

Letta opened up the door and walked out.”Finally, some fresh air.It's a bit packed in there.So, what do you need me for?”

Gren pointed towards the downed tree before speaking, ”We're going to go check out what's going on up ahead.Grab your crossbow and keep watch for anything suspicious.”It was technically Gren's crossbow but he couldn't get used to it while Letta was a natural with it.He didn't mind letting her have it.

”Got it.You guys be careful out there.”Letta gave a small salute before resting the crossbow on the back of the driver's seat.

Annie exited the wagon next; her armor looked weird with the bulge on the back but it was necessary to protect both her and Mimi.”Hold on, you two are staying behind.I'll take Ahk and Dill to go check it out.”Right.Annie was the leader on this request so she made the decisions.”Get the archers ready, just in case.”Annie hopped off the wagon and left with the other two... three.Mimi was waving at Gren from the hole in Annie's armor.Gren waved back even though he wasn't sure if she could see him.

The result was more boring than Gren expected it to be.A carriage went off into a ditch after a tree fell in front of them.The drawhorse was injured and the front left wheel was cracked so Gren was called forward to help.Healing the horse was easy and it helped show the independent mercenaries that he could use healing magic so he did it for free.