479 Prisoner (1/2)
There were lots of dangerous beasts hidden in the dark forest, but Steamed Dumpling and George continued to walk for a long period of time without seeing any beasts. They didn't even see any small animals. As they approached Victoria City, it became apparent that there were no small animals, not even small rabbits.
\”Did the warriors of Victoria City eat all the animals?\” George said jokingly.
Steamed Dumpling didn't expect George to joke. After all, they had gone through life and death and hadn't yet reached a safe place. Who knew when there would be Victorians appearing?
Steamed Dumpling didn't respond. George felt that his joke was inappropriate, so he remained silent as he led the way.
When they ventured deeper into the forest, the frequency that George stopped to find paths became longer.
To evade the Victorians, George didn't use the usual paths. He chose deserted paths that made him lose his way.
George was lost, but he didn't tell Steamed Dumpling. He preferred escaping with a companion.
He remained calm. Fortunately, the forest looked less dense. It seemed like they were going out of the forest.
George couldn't ascertain his location, so he could only take it a step at a time. He couldn't possibly walk out of the King's Territory.
They didn't know that they had walked out of the King's Territory and walked into the territory of Eternal Kingdom. To be precise, it was the Stronghold that the gamers of Eternal Kingdom had built on the Surface World.
When they arrived at the edge of the forest, they hugged each other in excitement.
They thought they would never walk out of the forest. They could even have been caught by the warriors of Victoria City.
\”Sir George, thanks to you, I'm able to survive. Though the Duke of York has passed on, I believe the King will remember the Duke's contributions. I won't forget your help!\” Steamed Dumpling said excitedly as he looked at the barren surroundings. If they continued walking, they would enter hilly terrain.
He asked, \”Sir George, do you know how to proceed from here? Let's go to the nearest town of the Kingdom.\”
George hesitated before speaking, \”Actually, I…\”
Strange sounds were heard from the forest behind. They became nervous, thinking the Victorians had caught up with them.
It wasn't the first time they encountered such a situation. They dashed towards a huge rock by the side, but they didn't manage to hide their horses.
The sounds came closer. When they were hidden, four to five people walked to their previous spots.
\”I heard some sounds here. Someone was speaking the language of Victoria City.\” (Dungeon language)
\”What's that language? The officials said that it's the Surface World common language, not the language of Victoria City.\” (Dungeon language)
\”As long as you can understand. Why are you so fussy about the details?\” (Dungeon language)
\”Stop chatting. Let's look around. Wait! There are two horses!\” (Dungeon language)
They found the two horses left by Steamed Dumpling and George. There were pieces of luggage on the back of the horses.
Sweat was dripping down the forehead of Steamed Dumpling. He was hesitating about whether to escape. If the enemies rode the horses to pursue him, he wouldn't be able to escape. He should have ridden his horse and fled. As the enemies came stealthily, Steamed Dumpling didn't have the chance to react. Hence, he was trapped in this precarious situation.
Steamed Dumpling regretted chatting with George. That was how he got into this mess.
George was also looking grave. It was as though mixed clay had locked up his brows.
Both of them held their breaths as the enemies led their horses away. The horses snorted uncomfortably, but they couldn't resist because of the reins.
The enemies chatted with a strange language.
\”Why are there only horses? We didn't see any of the gamers from Victoria City.\” (Dungeon language)
\”Aren't you happy with the horses? Isn't it better the gamers of Victoria City aren't here? We'll take their horses away.\” (Dungeon language)
\”Stop talking. Arthur and the rest are still waiting for us. Let's hurry back and help them with the trees. The gamers of Victoria City are busy pillaging the York Territory. Let's make haste. If we're discovered by them, it will be troublesome.\” (Dungeon language)
The enemies seemed to be leaving, but the footsteps didn't sound right. They were approaching the hidden location of Steamed Dumpling and George.
Steamed Dumpling panicked. He stood up and fled without looking back. George followed behind Steamed Dumpling. Whoever was slower would die!
George ran closely behind Steamed Dumpling.
They were blocked by a group of strange creatures.
That was a group of Orcs, Gnomes, and Houndhead Men.
George and Steamed Dumpling were dumbstruck. They had never seen such strange creatures. Orcs and Gnomes hadn't appeared on the Surface World for thousands of years, and the Houndhead Man was a strange and terrifying creature.
\”They aren't citizens of Victoria City. They're NPCs!\” (Dungeon language)
\”That's golden-haired George and Count Steamed Dumpling. I saw photographs and videos of them. That's how they're being called if my memory serves me right.\” (Dungeon language)