When Lynn arrived in the courtyard, Angley, clad in a black cloak, was already standing just outside the main gate.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Angley walked straight towards the downhill path.
Lynn followed closely behind, while Lauren wrapped himself in a curtain-like cloak and walked at the rear.
By the side of the dry dirt road, a black carriage stood silently by the roadside. Two horses were harnessed to the front, and behind them was a black carriage with four wheels.
The carriage was not very large, and there was a luggage rack on top specifically for placing belongings.
In front of the carriage, an old man sat by its side, puffing on a pipe, creating clouds of smoke.
Lynn approached and presented the token given to him by Ted yesterday to the old man for verification. With the verification complete, Lynn and his teacher boarded the carriage.
As Lynn and Angley got closer, the horses seed fine, but when Lauren followed, they beca uneasy, swaying slightly and making anxious neighs.
As Lynn and Angley got on the carriage, Lauren tried to join them, but the remaining space inside the carriage was limited. Given his size, the space would beco excessively crowded.
Angley looked at Lauren and calmly said, “You don’t need to co up here. Just follow us from behind.”
Lauren was taken aback, “Yes, Master.”
“Just follow us from behind.”
Lauren obediently stood by the roadside.
The coachman sitting in the front seat of the carriage saw all of this, but he was sensible enough to know when to ask questions and when not to.
There were too many strange things in this world, and over the years, he had encountered so peculiar incidents while traveling around. But he managed to live a stable life up until now, and the most crucial point was knowing the rules— knowing what to listen to and what not to listen to.
After Angley and Lynn settled down in the carriage, the coachman spoke, “Hello, sir. My na is Kim, but you can call Old Kim. I’ve been driving carriages for over thirty years. I’ve been on this road to Bangor Port several tis, so rest assured, as long as nothing unexpected happens, we’ll reach our destination in at most fourteen days.”
“I’ve prepared food and water in the carriage. It’s right here.” Old Kim leaned down and pulled open a concealed compartnt next to the carriage’s bottom, which surprisingly slid open like a drawer.
Inside, it was filled with fragrant, soft white bread, truffle sauce, and fresh milk.
“All of this is prepared for you, sir. If you feel hungry or thirsty during the journey, just let know.”
“Hmm,” Lynn nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face.
“Very well, let’s set off.”
Old Kim nodded, “Sir, there are blankets and pillows ready inside the carriage. I wish you a pleasant journey. And now, the journey begins.”
Old Kim pulled the reins and skillfully guided the horses forward.
It must be said that Old Kim truly lived up to his reputation as an experienced carriage driver. Though the road was bumpy at tis, he adeptly steered the carriage to avoid any rough patches on the way.
Moreover, the carriage’s speed remained steady, neither too fast nor too slow, ensuring a comfortable ride without any feelings of dizziness.
At the front of the carriage, there was a contraption resembling a small drum.
Through a small opening, Lynn could catch glimpses of the gear chanism inside.
As the carriage advanced, the gears within turned slowly.
Lynn also noticed two small hamrs next to the drum. Did they strike the drum every ten kiloters they traveled?
The device seed quite intriguing.
Sitting in the carriage, Lynn saw his teacher, Angley, with closed eyes, seemingly in ditation.
ditating in a carriage?
Lynn discreetly tried it out but found it difficult to calm his mind, and he couldn’t achieve a ditative state at all.
Having finally managed to enter a ditative state and about to build his earth ring, Lynn was abruptly jolted out of his ditation by the bumpy carriage ride.
After several attempts, Lynn had to admit that he still couldn’t find the inner calm required for ditation in this environnt. So, he simply decided to take out and study the notebook given to him by teacher Angley.
Though there were no daily tasks to be completed during the carriage journey, Lynn didn’t feel rushed at the mont.
Inside the quiet carriage, the only sound was that of the young man flipping through his book.
As ti approached dusk, Old Kim spoke, “Sir, there’s a village about three to four miles ahead. If you don’t mind, we can stay overnight there. I frequently travel this road, and I know quite a few of the farm owners in the village.”
Lynn glanced at his still ditating teacher.
Angley showed no reaction.
Lynn understood that the decision was up to him.
“Alright, then let’s stay in the village for the night,” Lynn said.
“Very well, sir!” Old Kim replied.
As the carriage gradually approached, a village ca into view.
It was a small village, with a few scattered cottages sitting along the main road.
Looking further into the distance, one could see more houses, making it a rather loosely-knit village.
The surrounding area was a vast plain, with wheat fields stretching across it.
As the carriage neared the village, the barking of a dog could be heard.
Old Kim brought the carriage to a stop in front of a house on a farm by the roadside.
The house was fenced with wooden rails, and in the yard, a sandy-colored, curly-haired dog was barking loudly at Old Kim.
The dog’s barks woke its owner.
“Who’s out there?” ca the voice of a man from inside the house.
Their dog was very clever— if it were a villager, it might bark, but not with such intensity. Only strangers from outside the village could trigger such fervent barking.
“Hey, Tang Jide, it’s , Old Kim,” called Old Kim from outside the yard.
“Old Kim?” mumbled the man inside the house. “I rember now, it’s you, you old smoker. Smoke less, your sll is so strong even Sweet Potato1 wouldn’t recognize you.”
Soon, the door latch was pulled open.
A tall man with brown curly hair erged from the house. He had a sturdy build and glanced outside to see the familiar figure of Old Kim.
He and Old Kim were fairly acquainted. The old smoker was a coachman who frequently traveled around, sotis bringing guests to his place to rest, and of course, paying for their overnight stay.
He would also purchase so supplies from him while he was here.
For Tang Jide, this was an excellent arrangent. Since Old Kim was a familiar face, he felt reassured.
“Just this one guest?” Tang Jide sized up Lynn, who looked quite young.
“There’s one more guest, a total of two,” Old Kim replied.
“Alright, I’ll prepare two empty rooms. We happen to have them available,” Tang Jide said.
After confirming, Old Kim went back to drive the carriage over and parked it in the stable behind Tang Jide’s house.
Lynn and Angley each had their own room, while Old Kim spent the night in the carriage.
Tang Jide arranged the rooms for Lynn and Angley, then closed the doors for them.
He was sowhat curious about their identities. They seed to resemble father and son, but the one who appeared to be the father was wearing a cloak, giving off an air of mystery, sowhat akin to the wizards spoken of by wandering minstrels.
Thinking this, Tang Jide couldn’t help but shake his head and scold himself for such fanciful thoughts.
The situation in the north had been unstable recently, and this year’s weather had been scorching, resulting in poor harvests in the farmlands.
A few days ago, there was a group of refugees from the north, and he had heard from them that there was even a war outbreak in the northern regions.
Presumably, these two individuals were refugees from the north.
In the evening, Lynn sat cross-legged on his bed, deep in ditation.
Outside the window.
Under the cover of night, the grass by the roadside rustled and swayed.
The dense vegetation parted like flowing water, revealing a vague and indistinct figure. All that could be seen was a massive dark shadow moving swiftly through the wilds.
Behind the figure, a human-shaped silhouette ran with great effort.
Before long, they ca to a halt outside a farmhouse.
In the yard, the once incessantly barking large dog now cowered with its tail tucked between its legs.
Its fur stood on end, and from its throat ca a whimpering growl.
Creak, creak.
The wooden fence emitted strained groans under the weight.
The curly-haired dog shivered uncontrollably, its legs trembling as it released a pungent scent.
A yellow liquid trickled down from its hind legs.
In front of it, a colossal head, covered in scales, and as large as a water barrel, peered down at the dog.
The creature’s tongue flickered, licking towards the dog’s head.
The large dog let out a whimper before collapsing unconscious on the ground.
Lynn, who was in ditation, suddenly felt uneasy as if being watched by so dangerous presence.
Lynn recalled what his teacher had ntioned in his notes— that wizards, during ditation, entered a special state where their senses were heightened, and they could even sense danger.
Among the wizards, there was a faction known as divination wizards, who, it was said, needed to ditate before performing their divinations.
Could it be that the owner of this house was planning sothing unfavorable towards him?
Lynn stopped his ditation, and his right hand reached for the magic staff closest to his pillow.
Then, in the next mont, he raised the magic staff in his hand towards the window, aiming it outside.
The presence outside the window almost obscured the light, and a massive gray lizard’s skull stared back at him. In the dim night, its orange eyes shone brightly.
“Lynn?” The lizard unexpectedly spoke in a human tongue.
——
TL/N: Sweet Potato / Yam ( 番薯 / fānshǔ ) — It was the dog’s na. ↩︎
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