Yefutidaolu

Chapter 99 Song Da
Theoretically, Gao Jian could use the flying boat to reach the easternmost end of the fifth circular road, which is only 3,000 miles away from the East China Sea in five days. There should be a county town there.

Then there are only three thousand miles left. All you need to do is buy a magical horse worth ten gold coins, spare no effort, and gallop at full speed, and you can reach the destination in one day.

The five circles and eight directions of the Divine Dynasty's straight road start with the Divine Capital Yangjing as the center, and start drawing circles one by one.

The westernmost part of the first ring is the secondary capital Xijing, which is also one of the "two capitals".

Then the second ring expanded, followed by the third ring, and so on, one layer after another, until the westernmost end of the fifth ring, which is Cangzhou.

Then, still with the Divine Capital Yangjing as the intersection, eight straight roads converged here and led to the borders of the Divine Dynasty in the eight directions.

The Five Circular Roads and the Eight Straight Roads basically cover all the large cities in the Divine Dynasty. The capital of Cangzhou is also within the coverage of the True West Straight Road and is also at the edge of the True West Straight Road. On Gao Jian’s first day in the inner city of Cangzhou, he had seen a group of flying boats passing through this straight road and heading to the interior of the Divine Dynasty. (See Chapter 40 for details)
Those ten-story tall ships carried mountains of supplies, such as the tens of billions of pearls produced by the Baishan River Dragon Palace every year, as well as the specialties of other forces in Cangzhou. They were transported to the interior of the Divine Dynasty one after another via such ships.

Almost all large cities in the Divine Dynasty are built next to circular straight roads or next to some large waterways. Cities that are luckier have all three.

The divine capital Yangjing is a typical example.

The confluence intersection of the 'Xuan Jiujiang River', which can be regarded as the mother river of the Divine Dynasty, is located inside Yangjing. In fact, many years ago, Yangjing was built around this waterway intersection.

The Xuanjiu River is 500 miles wide and gathers almost all the large water systems in the western part of the Divine Dynasty. Rivers like the Baishan River all flow into the Xuanjiu River, and then the Xuanjiu River flows downstream and divides into many tributaries and finally flows into the sea.

It itself is the converging place of all straight roads, but it is not next to the circular road because it is the center of the circle itself.

Calculating the distance and marveling at the grand scale of the Divine Dynasty's infrastructure, Gao Jian arrived at the carriage and horse shop in Anshui County.

Of course there is a circular road in Yuezhou, but not in Anshui County. He needs to start from Anshui County and ride on horseback to "Yuean", a big city in Yuezhou, which is about a thousand miles away.

Afterwards, take a flying boat from Yue'an City to the easternmost end of the fifth circular road, then get off the flying boat there, and ride the remaining three thousand miles on horseback.

Alas, it is not easy to travel a long distance after all the travel. There are all kinds of transfers and running around. Just buying tickets is exhausting.

But it’s okay.

Gao Jian was actually quite excited. As early as when he was riding a walking dragon and rushing through Cangzhou, he had already felt the grand scale of the Divine Dynasty and had thought about taking a good look at the magnificent rivers and mountains.

But first we have to look at the means of transportation.

A horse may not be the most suitable one. It would be best if there was some other magic weapon that would not leave any traces.

If possible, Gao Jian actually wanted to travel with some caravans that were in a hurry to travel. If someone was covering their tracks, it would be more difficult to find him.

For example, the art of divination generally involves tracking qi or cause and effect. As long as one's own cause and effect and qi are mixed with those of others, it will become a mess, increasing the difficulty of divination.

This is one of the reasons why 'great hidden people live in the city'.

The more people you get involved with, the harder it will be to catch you with divination. At this time, the only way to catch you is by traditional means.

However, on the other hand, because you are entangled with too many people, it is easier to leave clues, making it easier to find you using traditional arrest methods.

And Gao Jian...

He decisively chose traditional arrest methods.

Rather than being caught directly by someone using divination or something like that, it is better to let him compete with others in a game of wits and courage. It's hide-and-seek, the more people there are, the harder it is to find him.

Thinking of this, Gao Jian asked around and looked at road signs, and finally found the carriage and horse shop.

It is quite lively here, with birds flying and beasts alight, dust high and carriages passing by. Various kinds of mounts, birds and beasts, and some mechanisms for riding are all displayed here.

The Chemahang is not just a place to sell things, it is actually a place similar to a train station.

Like various large mounts, not to mention super-large reptiles, elephants and the like, even if it's just a horse, it's not convenient to carry it anywhere at any time, and there are also messy problems such as feeding, defecation and urination, etc.

There are also cases where the mount is sick, injured, or simply has a bad temper and needs to be re-tamed, which are things that ordinary owners cannot handle.

Therefore, generally speaking, people who do not have a fixed residence, or who are not wealthy enough to have a dedicated animal trainer or horse groom at home, will usually choose to leave their mounts at a carriage and horse shop, and pay someone to help keep them.

Various types of mechanical vehicles also need maintenance, oiling, parts replacement, etc., and not everyone can do it, so the carriage and horse business takes on these tasks and makes some money in the process.

Gao Jian used to raise Zoulong with the help of horsemen from the Demon Suppression Division camp, and he bought the feed himself. If he were asked to take care of Zoulong himself, he would definitely not have the free time.

Just brushing the hair, trimming the hooves and feeding the cats would take up a lot of time, and Gao Jian doesn't have that much free time.

As a result, places like the Chemahang naturally became a gathering place for mounts. When Gao Jian walked here, he felt like he was walking in a zoo.

Gao Jian looked around at the mounts around him. Most of them had owners. As for the goods that could be sold, a bunch of straw was stuck on them.

"Boss, I'm going to Yue'an. Is there any faster line recently?" Gao Jian found a shop that looked more reliable and went to ask.

The reason why this place is reliable is that it is relatively clean. Although it is a carriage and horse business, you can't smell any feces or urine. The signboard and the hall are not small, so it seems that the business is relatively good.

The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man with a mustache. He stroked his beard and said, "Let's go to Yue'an. Do you want to prepare a horse and find a guide yourself, or rent a horse?"

"Is there a convoy?" Gao Jian asked.

"The convoy... well, let me take a look. Please wait a moment, sir." The shopkeeper flipped through the book and took a look at the recent itinerary.

"Oh, you are really lucky. There is a convoy tonight. It is from Xinglong Commercial Bank and is going to Yue'an with a batch of goods. They are using goat-shaped mechanical beasts that are good at off-roading. The route is through the mountains and forests. It is a short route, but it is a bit dangerous to take a shortcut. What do you think?"

"Why do they want to recruit people to travel with them? Shouldn't a caravan taking such a dangerous route recruit outsiders?" Gao Jian asked.

After Gao Jian asked this, a voice popped up in Gao Jian's head: "Huh!?"

Obviously, it is cinnabar.

Without even having to think about it, Gao Jian knew that this stupid dragon must be surprised at why he could find such a problem.

At this time, the shopkeeper explained: "I don't know about that, but you can go and ask in person. The convoy is over there."

As he spoke, he pointed to the square at the back of the store.

The store leads to an open space at the back, where there are many mounts and mechanisms. The capital of the carriage and horse business is at the back. In a very conspicuous place in the open space, a team of people are preparing to set off. Next to them, there are three or four mechanical beasts, which are three meters high and fully loaded with goods. It seems that there is no place for people to sit.

Gao Jian looked from afar and saw a familiar face.

The fat executioner just now.

He still looked the same, smiling, with a beheading knife behind him and a bag of medicine in his hand.

What a coincidence.

Gao Jian then stepped forward and asked: "Excuse me, is Xinglong Commercial Bank looking for companions?"

When Gao Jian heard this, he saw a woman with a pale face and pockmarks, sparse hair, and a skinny figure. She was not very pretty, but her eyes were scanning up and down and left and right, looking very sharp.

The woman stood up and walked up to Gao Mian: "Brother, do you want to take a ride in the convoy?"

"Yes, but it seems that you want to take a shortcut, which is a bit dangerous. Why would you invite outsiders? Generally, only trustworthy people would go together on this route, right?" Gao Jian asked directly without any politeness.

Although the Divine Dynasty is powerful, it has not completely cleared the wilds. Both the strong and the army do not care about these things at all. Even if monsters cause incidents of cannibalism, everyone is accustomed to it and does not think that the government will send troops to kill them.

Occasionally a few strong men would sweep the area for their own reasons, but it would not last long, as there would always be new monsters breeding in the wild.

Perhaps, this is actually a disguised form of "no-cost farming"?
Therefore, crossing the wilderness is still quite difficult and risky. Are these people prepared to go as a mob?
"Ah? Is it very risky?" The woman raised her eyebrows: "You don't look like a mortal with low cultivation. You must have some skills. Look at us, there is one person in the third realm, eight people in the second realm, and among the rest, only the kid over there is stupid. And even Song Da came with us. In this county town, you must know Song Da, right?" The woman turned around and pointed at the fat executioner.

Gao Jian looked over.

The other party also saw Gao Jian and seemed very surprised. He immediately bowed and saluted Gao Jian.

Gao Jian immediately returned the gift.

Seeing this, the woman said confidently: "Look at our business, do we need to worry about the risks? There are a few little demons on the road, they might run away when they smell the blood."

Gao Jian did not reveal the fact that he was from another place. Since the other party had already thought that he knew Mr. Song due to coincidence, he might as well just accept it.

So he smiled and said, "That's true. With this level of cultivation and this number of people, the ones who should be afraid are the little demons. I was worrying too much. Can you let me join?"

"Well, but let me make it clear first. If your cultivation level is not high, this trip is not cheap. After all, it is not safe. What is your cultivation level?"

"I am in the second realm." Gao Jian replied.

"What's the point?"

"Tanzhong, Jianggong."

"Warrior, that's fine. Since you've reached the second realm, I won't charge you any money. But if you get attacked, you can't just stand there and watch." The other party looked at Gao Jian and reminded him.

"Okay, okay." Gao Jian nodded with a smile.

Since it has been confirmed, both parties made an agreement with each other and did not need to sign any contract. They just joined the team directly.

Gao Jian walked over, approached Song Da first, and then said, "What a coincidence, we meet again, brother."

Song Da also laughed and said, "What a coincidence, you were also tricked into coming here? This company really knows how to do business."

"It can't be called a lie." Gao Jian shook his head, somewhat amused, as he also noticed the situation.

These two realms around seemed to be completely unfamiliar with each other.

Looking at it this way, it is obvious that this business used a name to gather people from the second realm, and then the second realm pulled people in, one by one, and finally formed such a group of people.

In this way, these people become his free or even paid bodyguards, and those who are in the first realm must pay money before they can come in and follow him.

It was really a case of getting something for nothing. Without spending a penny, she managed to attract a group of people from the second realm to escort her for free, and even a person from the third realm came.

If we only trick a few people in the second realm into coming, they will become a mob and be quite dangerous. They may all scatter and fly away when disaster strikes.

But now that they have deceived more than a dozen people, everyone is much calmer. After all, as long as the group sticks together, there is no risk at all, and the cohesion is improved.

"Wow, these people really know how to do business." Gao Jian glanced at the yellow-skinned, pockmarked woman.

Normally, if we hire a group of second-level bodyguards like this, the expenditure would be tens of gold. Now we have taken a shortcut and didn't spend a penny. It's really awesome.

"The people in the business firms are very smart, but they are just average. The people in the money houses and bill shops are really scary. Ten gold coins can turn into twenty gold coins after passing through their hands. I don't know where the extra money comes from. Anyway, someone must have lost ten gold coins." Song Da sighed.

"Brother, what are you talking about? Did you suffer a loss?"

"If I don't suffer any loss, why would I leave my wife and children behind and go to Yue'an? Who wants to make extra trips for no reason?" Song Da sighed, "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Little brother, find a place to sit by yourself. It's time to set off."

"Yeah." Gao Jian didn't continue the conversation.

In fact, he started chatting with this "Mr. Song" just to solidify his identity as a "local" in the eyes of others.

This county is so big that no one can possibly know everyone else, but Song Da, as an executioner, is a celebrity and his reputation should be pretty good. If you chat with him familiarly, you can find that he looks like a local.

There are dialects in the Divine Dynasty, but most of them are still "Mandarin". As long as you speak Mandarin, everyone can understand you. Those who speak dialects seem to be a minority.

Regarding this point, Gao Jian has always had a question, which is... why does he speak the official language of the Divine Dynasty?

The writing system and official language of the Divine Dynasty were exactly the same as those in his previous world.

But he didn't pursue it much.

What else is there to investigate now? Can you think of a reason?

So he simply gave up.

After a while, the caravan finally set off.

(End of this chapter)