Chapter 400: The Caravan

As Rod stepped out of the gate, the man who had seemed to recognize him the previous night stared blankly at his retreating figure, standing there motionless for a long time.
“Hey, what are you thinking about? Let’s hurry up. We don’t have much time left. It’s still three days to Dark Moon City. Damn it, I don’t know if we’ll make it in time. If a big battle breaks out there, we’ll suffer huge losses!” another middle-aged man beside him urged.
“What are you looking at?” The middle-aged man asked after seeing no reaction from him.
“That man looks familiar. I seem to have seen him somewhere!” The man muttered, frowning.
“Come on, do you really think you know everyone in the world? Didn’t you say last night you were just dazzled by the lights?” The middle-aged man said irritably, rolling his lips.
“I really have, I really have seen him. Let me think… it’s very familiar!” He frowned, deep in thought.
“It’s him! How could it be him!” Suddenly, the man screamed, gripping the arms of the man beside him tightly.
“I remember now! I’ve seen him. That’s right, it’s him! Really!” He spoke incoherently, trembling with extreme excitement.
“Damn it, let go of me! Idiot! Who is it? Why such excitement?” The man complained as his arms went numb. Seeing his companion so excited, he was puzzled. He knew his companion’s personality all too well—who could make him act like this?
Watching the group gradually disappear from sight, the man was still confused. But he quickly shook off his companion’s grip. He was a god-tier warrior; in his excitement, he lost control of his strength, and that grip made him gasp in pain.
“It’s him! Rod, it’s him! Didn’t you see? That woman is Lucy!” Seeing his companion’s confusion, the man shouted.
“What? It’s him!” The middle-aged man was also moved. Rod—what a legendary man! Over the past few years, he had created countless legends and myths in the Source of Darkness. Recently, he had led the Black Phoenix clan to destroy the Mi Jiao clan, break through Wuyou City, and capture Shuimu City—each a feat of great significance. How could such a person appear here? And even pass by him?
“Are you sure you’re not mistaken?” the middle-aged man asked doubtfully.

“Surely not, there’s no doubt about it. I saw him once in Wuyou City during that martial arts tournament back then—you weren’t there that day! Damn it, it really is him. Then yesterday we…” Thinking of what he had said the previous night, the man’s expression turned grim. If those words were heard, it would mean he had completely offended him.

“Cough, cough… Well, forget it. Others won’t care that much about us. Besides, the entire Dark Source is discussing this matter. How could he kill them all? He won’t hold it against us. Let’s hurry up and set off—time is running out!” After pondering for a moment, the middle-aged man reassured them. He saw things more clearly; looking at the time, the sun was already high in the sky, so they couldn’t delay any longer. He urged them on.

“Hmm, it’s time to go!” Only then did the man notice the time. With a sigh, he packed up his things and headed outside. But after a short while, he suddenly turned back. “That’s not right. How did he appear here? Shouldn’t he be in Water Screen City at this time? Doesn’t he know that the main faction’s army and the people from Ice City are already heading there? Isn’t he worried about the safety of the Black Phoenix clan?” he asked in confusion, utterly puzzled by Rod’s presence here.

“Why worry about others? If he’s left, he must have his own plans. Damn it, can’t you see he’s here? He must be going to Dark Moon City. Don’t forget—the opposition is his ally. Dark Moon City is in great danger right now, so it’s not strange for him to go there!” The middle-aged man said with a bitter smile, then spat sharply. “Why am I telling you all this? What does their fate have to do with us? As long as our interests aren’t harmed, that’s enough!”

Adhering to a hands-off attitude, the middle-aged man clearly didn’t want to delve deeper into these matters. For small merchants like them, as long as they lived well and their interests and lives weren’t threatened, they wouldn’t care about anything else. Especially in a place like Dark Source, where there were no real countries, whoever ruled didn’t matter to them—as long as they could protect their interests and make money, it was fine.

“Damn it, what are you talking about? How can it have nothing to do with us? Don’t forget our destination this time—what are we going there to do?” The man grew upset upon hearing the middle-aged man’s words and complained indignantly.

“Dark Moon City—to resell these medicinal herbs. What’s wrong with that?” Looking at the convoy of medicinal herbs behind him, the middle-aged man said excitedly. Where there’s war, there’s profit.

They can’t sell weapons or obtain food, but they’ve managed to get the most important thing? Where there’s war, there’s death; where there’s war, there’s bloodshed and injuries. All of these require medicinal materials, so recently the price of such materials in the Dark Source has been rising steadily, which has delighted these small merchants. Especially in Dark Moon City, with a major war looming, medicinal materials are in high demand, bringing huge profits. There are also many other benefits, such as those promised by the pro-war faction—merchants who supply them can engage in free trade within the Dark Source after the pro-war faction wins, with reduced taxes. This is a huge temptation. Of course, the opposition also has various policies to encourage them. Both sides have started bulk purchasing even before the war begins, but things don’t seem to be going well; they still can’t obtain enough medicinal materials. So for these two men, the medicinal materials in their caravan are something both sides would want to get their hands on. “How could you not know! We’re here to resell medicinal materials. Think about it—our destination is Dark Moon City, and Rod is going there too. If we buy medicinal materials and sell them to one side, it’s fine, but if we sell them to the pro-war faction, it means we’re enemies with Rod. You can’t not know that!” The man said gloomily, rolling his eyes. Only then did the middle-aged man seem to realize the seriousness of the situation. This choice was crucial for them; standing on the wrong side could have disastrous consequences. Before, they would have undoubtedly sold the medicinal materials to the pro-war faction, as the advantages were too obvious. But now it’s different! Because of Rod’s arrival, because of the Black Phoenix clan’s recent rise, and because it’s unclear what changes Rod’s trip to Dark Moon City will bring, they need to think carefully. “Hmm, that’s a problem. We need to think it through!” The middle-aged man said solemnly after a long pause, his initial joy greatly diminished. …… “Boss, news has arrived. As expected, the second prince of Ice City and the eldest prince of Wuyou City have joined forces and are approaching Water Curtain City!” It was dark, and after a day of travel, Rod and his group stopped on a hillside to rest that night. Late at night, Viski came to Rod to report that although they had left Water Curtain City, they had maintained contact through carrier pigeons.

“Well, then let them proceed according to the plan. What’s a Water Screen City anyway? Just give it to them; they’ll return it to us obediently when the time comes!” Rod said indifferently, a cold smile playing on his lips. Now, he was even more concerned about the developments in Dark Moon City.

The situation there was becoming increasingly tense. Ancient Sword really knew how to hold back—remaining inactive at this point, it was unclear what he was thinking. Was it a test of endurance? Perhaps he had seen the problems involved and didn’t want to get drawn in.

If that was the case, things would get even more troublesome. The crisis in Dark Moon City would worsen, indicating that Ancient Sword had placed all his hopes on Dark Moon City, planning a last-ditch effort—a struggle whose outcome would be decisive. Dark Moon City was in grave danger. It was unknown what was going on inside the city, whether Aida and the others could keep things under control.

There were still two days’ journey to Dark Moon City from here. Hopefully, they could make it in time. It seemed necessary to hurry and carry out this plan. Since the pro-battle faction wanted to engage in a decisive battle, so be it! They would surely lose this fight! Rod was determined to win.

He had spent two years carefully planning this move—how could it fail?

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves came from the valley below. Someone was still traveling at such late an hour—it seemed there were more travelers around these parts lately.

Upon closer inspection, a caravan could be faintly seen. Rod wondered why there was still a caravan passing by at this time. Didn’t they know the basic precautions? Traveling after dark was dangerous.

From the direction they were heading, it was clear they were heading to Dark Moon City, as there was only that city ahead on this road.

But after some thought, Rod guessed the reason. With the war intensifying, the battlefield was the most resource-intensive place. It was likely that Dark Moon City was facing supply problems, so they must be offering high prices to acquire goods.

Driven by huge profits, these caravans would take risks—profit always clouded people’s judgment. Traveling through the valley at midnight—didn’t they know it was the most vulnerable time to encounter robbers? During war, chaos reigned, and it was precisely then that bandits and those with ulterior motives would cause trouble!