Chapter 012: Buya Pass
Buya Pass is the name given to a medium-sized tribal gathering area located on the Red Soil Plains within the Lanii Empire.
Situated at the border between the Red Soil Plains and the Dusk Mountains, this place is plagued not only by bandits and marauders but also by wolves from the plains and magical beasts from the mountains, which frequently invade the area. As a result, it has long become one of the most dangerous places in the Lanii Empire.
However, there’s a common truth in this world: the more dangerous a place, the more benefits it can offer. For example, although Buya Pass lacks any unique products, its proximity to the Dusk Mountains means that adventurer groups heading there for adventures often stop here to rest. Those in need of rare items also come here to offer rewards, as it is said that nothing here is unobtainable—only things you can’t afford.
Legends also claim that the once-prosperous elf race of the continent once gathered in what is now Buya Pass, leaving behind relics that are said to contain invaluable treasures and even a great secret. Because of this, Buya Pass has long become a gathering place for people from all walks of life across the continent.
Of course, such a place naturally has a dominant force. In this barren Red Soil Plains region, which even the Lanii Empire avoids governing, it is said that the ones in control of Buya Pass are not the wandering tribes of the plains but rather a mercenary group called Wolf Fang.
Of course, legends are just that—legends. No one really wants to know, nor dares to know, the truth.
On this day, Buya Pass, bustling as ever, saw people from all over the continent coming in and going out, while the guards patrolled cautiously. But at that moment, two riders were seen speeding toward them from afar. Though both riders looked disheveled, one wore a long sword at his waist, and the other wore an indifferent expression, which made the guards guarding the pass even more cautious.
When the two arrived at Buya Pass, they pulled back on their reins. The one with the sword suddenly smiled and said, “Well? Prince, are you planning to break in forcefully, or follow their rules? If you follow their rules, I’m afraid there won’t be enough time!”
With that, he glanced backward and faintly saw a dark spot approaching from deep within the horizon. The cold-faced man said calmly, “Of course, we follow the local rules… My lord Duke, please never forget our current situation…” Then, the cold-faced man slowly dismounted from his horse. But as soon as he stepped down, his knees seemed to give way, and he nearly fell. The man with the long sword chuckled and hurriedly followed. These two were undoubtedly Du Fan and Garfield, who had been fleeing all the way. The warriors were puzzled upon seeing them. If they were adventurers, their attire didn’t seem like it at all; but if they weren’t adventurers, their bodies clearly showed signs of battle injuries… Looking at the dark shadow approaching from the horizon, an experienced warrior began to understand something. He snorted, casually raised his spear to block Du Fan and Garfield’s path, and said softly, “If you have any disputes, please resolve them outside Buya Pass… Although Buya Pass isn’t anything special, we also don’t welcome troublemakers.” Du Fan laughed, touched his nose, and said to Garfield calmly, “Your Highness… Are all the tribes in the Lanxi Empire governed by such rules?” Garfield, a man of great pride, replied coldly, “The Red Soil Plains have always been under my brother’s control. How could I know?” The warriors, though confused by their conversation, became even more vigilant. Seeing their expressions, Du Fan suddenly smiled slightly, fumbled in his sleeve for a moment, then stepped forward to the leader-like warrior among them and said calmly, “Brother, rules are rules, of course, but rules are ultimately just matters of human relations… Don’t you think?” With that, he silently slipped a small bag of gold coins into the warrior’s hand. The warrior grabbed it and found at least fifty gold coins inside. His expression changed instantly, and he decided to step back, giving a gesture before saying, “Please, go ahead!” Du Fan chuckled, pulled Garfield along, ignored their horses, and headed inside. After a while, he turned back and laughed softly, saying, “By the way, brothers, we don’t need those two horses either. Consider them a gift for you!”
With that, he pulled Garfield and squeezed into the crowded crowd. After pushing their way through the crowd, they were almost hidden from sight behind others. Du Fan then led Garfield a few more steps to a slightly less crowded area before looking around. The Bu Ya Pass was quite similar to the commercial districts of bustling cities, with shops everywhere. However, there was usually no strict planning here—there was a blacksmith’s shop here, and a restaurant there. Regardless of the type of shop, they all seemed to be built from animal skins, with no fixed structures. The people wandering around Bu Ya Pass were mostly adventurers, along with some merchants wearing small hat-like caps. Du Fan and Garfield, dressed in plain robes, stood out significantly in this environment. An idea struck Du Fan, and he went to an equipment shop, picked up two pieces of leather armor, tossed in a few gold coins, and had himself and Garfield change into them before blending in with the crowd in Bu Ya Pass. They then squeezed into a restaurant and ordered some beer and bread. Though both were peerless warriors, even the strongest needed to eat. Having gone days without food or drink, they didn’t care about anything else and started eating heartily. During that time, Du Fan also fed a little to Chenchen in his arms. After a moment, he narrowed his eyes slightly and frowned, saying, “If I’m not mistaken, LeoPorter should have entered Bu Ya Pass by now… We need to be extremely careful from now on. He definitely won’t let us go. If he catches up with us, things will get really troublesome.” Garfield opened his mouth, gave a bitter smile, but ultimately stayed silent. Du Fan understood the feelings of this peerless warrior. He originally had great skills and had reached the level of a domain warrior, considered invincible across the continent. But now, he was being chased by an eighth or ninth-level warrior to this extent—his frustration was imaginable. “We should split up for now,” Du Fan hesitated for a moment before adding, “If we stay together, we become too obvious targets. If LeoPorter catches up with us, everyone will be in trouble… Besides, Lord Garfield, we have different goals. We might even become enemies in the future. If we continue together…”
Garfield shook his head and lowered his voice, saying, “Du Fan, I’ve never relied on others’ kindness. This time, you saved my life… Rest assured, no matter what happens in the future, as long as you don’t invade my Lanni Empire, I will never be your enemy. As for the Southern Plains, I’ll return them to you as a thank you for this.” At these words, Garfield’s expression turned cold, exuding a sense of desolation.
Du Fan smiled and said, “Return the Southern Plains to me? Your Highness… You joined forces with Landi to attack me this time—does that have nothing to do with our Prince Fisher? If you return the Southern Plains to me, it’s not an act of gratitude but rather a huge trouble for me! My prince already hates me so much now; if the entire Southern Plains falls into my hands, I doubt he’ll even be able to sleep.”
Garfield gave a bitter smile and said, “Don’t worry. After this, I’ll definitely cut off ties with Prince Fisher… Attacking you this time was also at the request of the Lionheart Family. Otherwise, as someone like me, Garfield, I wouldn’t stoop to such schemes.”
Du Fan shook his head and said bluntly, “I’m sorry, Your Highness. Even though you say that, I still can’t trust you… After all, it’s a fact that I almost died at your hands, and it’s also a fact that you almost died at mine… How can these things be forgotten so easily? To be honest, even if I saved you, didn’t I have my own motives? As long as you’re alive, Leoport won’t have a chance to rise to power, and that gives me a chance to take revenge. If he really becomes the ruler of a nation, even as a domain powerhouse, I might not be able to get revenge.”
Garfield’s expression turned gloomy as he simply said, “You’re right. Even the strongest domain powerhouse is still human… not some legendary being. If the opponent dares to be ruthless and send hundreds of thousands of troops, they can exhaust even a domain powerhouse to death… It seems the only mistake Leoport made this time wasn’t attacking me. If he hadn’t targeted you back then, I might really have died at his hands by now.”
Hearing this, Du Fan only shook his head. Their conversation had reached such a extreme point… What were once enemies locked in a life-or-death struggle now seemed like close friends who shared everything—this feeling was truly bizarre to the extreme.