Chapter 7: Forced Joining (Part 2)

The Oran caravan consisted of over twenty large vehicles, most of which were loaded with goods, while a few carried supplies of food—since there were few supply points along the route, it was necessary to bring plenty of food. That wasn’t enough; some hunters were also needed to hunt for meat en route.

Guo Shier had not sat on stinky furs with ordinary people in a long time. He was quite content, occasionally chatting with Oduoba. He was in a good mood, especially when he saw Ezek running behind the caravan—his mood improved even further, to the point where the stench of the furs seemed to fade away.

“Hehe,” Guo Shier couldn’t help but laugh, startling Oduoba into a shiver. The sudden laugh was indeed a bit frightening. Guo Shier himself felt embarrassed and said, “I suddenly remembered something, so… hehe.” It was then that Oduoba realized Guo Shier was actually easy to talk to, lacking any trace of a master’s dignity.

Oduoba said, “The Dukedom of Ek has one main city and seventy-one castles, which are quite famous in the duchy.” He continued the previous conversation.

Guo Shier did some calculations and found that there were many skilled warriors in this duchy. According to local rules, one had to reach a certain level of martial prowess to build castles and cities. By that standard, this duchy wasn’t weak.

On the Spell Continent, there was hardly any concept of nations; most places were ruled by families or sects, which often occupied large areas of the continent—completely different from the situation here.

Guo Shier asked, “The Dukedom of Ek… um, whose is it?” Oduoba couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Of course, it belongs to the Ek family. It has been passed down for seven generations. The current Duke of Ek is truly remarkable—a true expert in barbarian magic, extremely powerful. If not for him, the Dukedom of Ek might not exist today.”

Guo Shier asked in surprise, “What do you mean?”

Oduoba replied, “It’s a long story…” He glanced at Guo Shier, seeing no sign of impatience, and continued, “It was during a war, a war between duchies. Hehe, the Dukedom of Ek originally had 154 castles, but after that war, only 52 remained. It has only now recovered to 71 castles.”

“The previous duke died in battle. If it weren’t for the emergence of the new Duke of Ek, the Dukedom of Ek would likely have been destroyed. Hehe, no one expected that the Duke of Ek would be Hesabado.”

Guo Shier thought to himself, “Level seven… It’s actually a level seven Barbarian Spirit expert. No wonder.” The so-called Hesabado was the name for the level here. He didn’t bother translating it, but its meaning was clear—according to this place’s ranking of combat skills, it meant a level seven expert, already close to being a top-tier expert. A level seven Barbarian Spirit expert could almost sweep through a large area. At such a level, many people would abandon their duchy, but Duke Ek didn’t give up. He was dedicated to managing the duchy left by his ancestors.

Guo Shier asked, “If Duke Ek doesn’t leave is to maintain the duchy, does that mean he hasn’t found a suitable successor yet?”

Odoba replied, “That’s not the case. It’s because he can’t leave. Next to Duke Ek’s duchy is the Duchy of Chiska…” Chiska meant “barbaric.” The Duchy of Chiska was, in other words, a barbarian duchy.

“…The duke of the Duchy of Chiska is Duke Ek’s mortal enemy. Once Duke Ek leaves, the Duchy of Chiska will attack without hesitation.”

Guo Shier asked, “Is the duke of the Duchy of Chiska very powerful?”

Odoba said, “They have many experts. They have 478 castles—more than Duke Ek’s duchy even by a small margin. Moreover, the strength of the Duke of Chiska is only slightly less than Duke Ek’s. If it weren’t for respecting Duke Ek, hehe, Duke Ek’s duchy would have been destroyed long ago.”

Guo Shier shook his head with a smile and said, “Duke Ek is really unlucky.”

Odoba replied, “Then that’s not our concern…”

As they traveled, over ten days passed quickly. Every night, Aizek would complain endlessly, grumbling about why Guo Shier had to follow the caravan. The slow pace of the Oran caravan annoyed him to the point where he wanted to kill someone. If they could fly, it would take less than half a day to cover such a distance.

Gradually, Guo Shier also talked to many hunters. With his status, he could lower his pride and interact with them, and those men didn’t dare refuse. As time went by, the hunters gradually lost their hostility toward Guo Shier, but they still viewed Aizek with hostility.

One day, they arrived at a densely forested area. Wutuqi rode his horse up to the cart and said, “We’ll soon reach the Karabaza Trail. Should we rest here before entering the trail?”

Odoba replied, “Let’s go to the bend. There are often caravans resting there. Maybe we can join them and enter together.”

Guo Shier said, “The Karabaza Trail… Hehe, we’ve finally arrived.” He was thinking that perhaps the Karabaza Trail had some plants and materials he needed. The more dangerous the place, the more valuable things there often were—something he understood well from experience.
To Audoba, these words sounded ambiguous. What did it mean? Had they finally reached the Karabaza Trail? Was he planning to rob them or something? He felt anxious inwardly; if Guo Shier resorted to robbery, things would get very troublesome. Doubt appeared on his face.
Guo Shier didn’t know what Audoba was thinking. He sat happily in the cart, watching the caravan move forward quickly.
After passing through a grove, there was a camp surrounded by wooden fences, with noisy voices coming from inside. Audoba breathed a sigh of relief—more people meant greater safety. He said, “Let’s enter the bend. We’ll rest here today and see how many caravans are heading through the Karabaza Trail together.”
Ezek watched as the caravan entered the fenced area and rushed in after them. He leaped onto the large cart where Guo Shier was. Fortunately, the cart had just stopped. The two pulling horses let out a frightened neigh and collapsed to the ground. Ezek shook his head and said, “So weak…”
Guo Shier said helplessly, “Ezek, can’t you control your aura? You’re causing trouble for everyone.”
Ezek replied, “I can’t!” he said confidently.
Guo Shier said, “As you wish. Since you can’t control your aura, just run along with the caravan.”
Ezek’s face fell. He wasn’t afraid of running, but following the caravan alone seemed extremely boring. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I… I can’t control my aura…” He was used to showing off and had never considered hiding his strength, fearing others wouldn’t recognize his power.
Guo Shier sighed and taught him a method to conceal his aura, saying, “Do it this way. It’s not impossible—very simple.”
Ezek tried it briefly and said, “It’s really simple.” His body trembled slightly, and his aura weakened instantly. When he approached the horses again, though they were still a bit frightened, they weren’t too scared to move.
The camp was large. Each caravan had its own circle surrounded by large carts, with piles of bonfires burning. Guo Shier glanced around and did some calculations. There were seven large and small caravans, along with many hunters traveling in groups—about a hundred people in total, making the camp quite lively.

The Oran Caravan also formed a large defensive formation with wagons in one corner, creating a circular barrier for protection. This was a common practice whenever any caravan stopped to rest outside. The horses were led aside to drink and eat, and then the caravan members started to light fires and eat. Guo Shier and Ezekiel sat by the campfire. This time, Ezekiel didn’t ask for grilled meat; he sat quietly, continuing to practice hiding his breath. Wutuqi came over with two plates of food and said, “Eat something.” He placed the large tray in front of Guo Shier. On the tray were slices of hard bread, a large bowl of thick soup—whose ingredients were unclear—emitting a strong onion scent mixed with a hint of milkiness, along with a few slices of boiled meat. In one corner of the tray was a small pinch of fine salt, and there were also ten boiled eggs. Ezekiel glanced at the tray and lost all interest in eating. No matter how much he ate, he wouldn’t get full; to him, it was trash. Another hunter came over, carrying a small wooden barrel, and said, “Want some rye wine?” Guo Shier recognized this man; like Wutuqi, he was a hunter named Aru. After a long winter, he had saved many good items, planning to take them back to the Duchy of Ek to sell and then rest for a year. Here, a year meant 24 months, equivalent to two years in his previous life—12 months of winter, three months of spring, six months of summer, and three months of autumn. A barrel of rye wine weighed about 15 jin. Aru took out four wooden bowls, placed them casually on the tray, then opened the barrel lid and poured the rye wine into them. Guo Shier was very curious; it was the first time he had seen local wine. Rye wine was a common drink here, affordable for ordinary people. The liquid was dark brown, slightly bitter in taste but with a long aftertaste. The rye wine Aru brought was of good quality; according to him, it had been stored for seven years, giving it a pure flavor far better than the water-diluted rye wine sold in shops. Aru looked at Guo Shier expectantly, hoping he would approve of the wine. Guo Shier took a sip. Its taste was somewhat similar to whiskey from his previous life, though only somewhat. He nodded and said, “It has a unique flavor… a distinctive drink.” Ezekiel picked up a wooden bowl, poured the wine into his mouth, and immediately spat it out. He said, “What is this stuff… it tastes so awful!” Aru smiled bitterly. He knew he had encountered someone who couldn’t drink, but Guo Shier’s praise made him happy.

Aoduba walked over, plopped down next to Guo Shier, and said, “Aru, bring me a bowl of barley wine. Sigh, we’re in big trouble…”