Wasteland Lord: Starting from Thirty Days to Live

After receiving the wine, Old Martin did not drink it immediately. Instead, he poured it into an exquisite wine glass and handed it to a young nobleman with white skin and curly hair who had been observing from behind.

"My lord, please have a taste."

Vittorio took the glass, took a small sip, and the first taste was spicy and hot, like swallowing fire, followed by the sweetness of grains, and finally a slightly numbing aftertaste, which was proof of its purity.

The taste is similar to the grain brandy from my previous life. Although it's not exactly a top-tier liquor for Vittorio, it's a game-changer for the people of this world.

Sure enough, after Vittorio, old Martin began to taste the wine, and his eyes lit up as soon as it entered his mouth.

"I've never tasted... such a crisp and refreshing drink before!"

Vittorio nodded in approval, then asked Old Martin to bring out a glass. He then left the basement and went to the conference room in the south hall, where a group of unfamiliar guests were sitting.

A group of people dressed in practical but sophisticated clothing sat around a long table. The leader of them was a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance but a very approachable demeanor.

The man was clutching his felt hat tightly, staring nervously at the locals in the hall.

Edmund sat at a distance, looking somewhat reserved, as if he wasn't good at interacting with them.

Upon seeing Vittorio enter, the middle-aged man's eyes immediately lit up, and he stood up from where he was.

Vittorio stopped him from speaking, instead handing the man his wine glass and saying with a smile, "Mr. Gil, before you speak, try some of our territory's own brew and tell us if it's worthy of being your best-selling product."

The man named Jill took the glass, looked at it first, and then smelled it.

"Is this water... or wine?"

Jill stared at the transparent liquid, finding it unbelievable that it smelled like alcohol.

He then downed the wine in one gulp, and his eyes widened suddenly, as if he had been subjected to a tremendous shock.

Wow...what an impactful flavor!

Gil had traveled all over the country and had seen a lot of things, but he had never seen such a clear wine, without the sour taste of grains or the taste of impurities.

The alcohol content of the liquor was so high that he was caught off guard and gulped it down. Before long, he felt dizzy.

Jill put one hand on the table, which made the others burst into laughter.

But when Vittorio gave each of them a glass, and they tasted the wine, they could no longer laugh.

"What...what is this thing?"

Faced with the questions from this group of bewildered guests, Vittorio gave a mysterious smile.

"You may call it—the water of life."

…………

……

two days ago.

Gil abandoned his wagon caravan and, with only a small group of men, galloped off toward the Reach.

Moreover, behind him was a group of soldiers on horseback, laughing and joking, chasing him at a leisurely pace, much like a pack of wolves chasing a flock of sheep.

They were riding horses, and although they could have easily caught up with the person, they were in a toying mentality and simply lagged far behind.

Finally, when a dense forest appeared ahead, Jill led her men into it without hesitation.

The pursuing cavalry then leisurely drew their bows and shot down those who lagged behind.

However, a few people managed to escape the rain of arrows and disappear into the dense forest.

Finally, the pursuing soldiers laid down their weapons and began discussing terms like "borderline" and "contaminated land."

"We can't go any further. The territory of the Kingdom of Neo-Augustus is just ahead. If we go there, it will be considered crossing the border."

"What's there to be afraid of! Nobody knows about the past anyway."

"Across the river is the Reach, the territory of a minor earl, polluted by the fissures. Are you sure you want to go there?"

The soldier who had just been saying what he was afraid of immediately cowered and took two steps back.

"Alright, alright, we've managed to get the goods and completed the captain's mission."

"Those merchants are like chickens, unarmed. Going to the contaminated rift is just suicide. We don't need to worry about them anymore. We'll just report to the captain that they've all been killed."

This group of people convinced themselves in just a few words and turned back.

Jill, leading a group of survivors, watched them leave from a distance in the dense forest, but dared not show herself from the forest, much less return the way she came.

At this moment, they were simply lying on the ground, having survived the ordeal, exchanging information with each other.

"Everyone, those damned bandits have finally left, we're safe for now," someone said with a sigh.

"What's the point of living? All our goods have been stolen. Those were goods we invested a year's worth of savings in. Now these robbers have taken them. It's worse than being killed!" someone said dejectedly.

"What are goods? If you run out of goods, you can buy more; if you lose money, you can earn it back. But if you lose a person, they're truly gone!"

Finally, Gil made a definitive statement, declaring that he was the leader of the group of merchants and that everyone obeyed his orders. Upon hearing this, they fell silent.

"Mr. Gil, what do you say, shall we go back the way we came?"

"Go back the way you came? Are you out of your mind? Those soldiers at the gate are bandits, even worse than bandits! At least bandits know to steal money but not kill. These soldiers used the excuse of inspection to find out everything about our goods when we passed through the checkpoint. Then, seeing our wealth, they tricked us into the city and then launched a night raid." Jill said angrily.

"Nobody expected the old city lord of Zhakou City to suddenly die of illness, nor did they expect his subordinates to become such ruthless wolves and tigers, seizing power directly! Now, the three rebels in Zhakou City are all refusing to submit to each other, creating complete chaos. Someone is definitely taking advantage of the situation!"

They explained their situation clearly in just a few words.

They now face a choice: return the way they came or continue deeper into the forest?

Returning by the same route would mean facing the pack of wolves and tigers of Zhakou City, but venturing deeper into the city was not necessarily safe either.

"This seems to be the border between the Federation and the Kingdom. It's said that a rift once broke out here. I wonder if it's been cleared up now?" someone said uncertainly.

In the end, it was Jill who made the final decision.

"Let's keep going deeper into the area; anywhere is better than that bandit's lair!"

Jill's choice was also out of necessity, because to them, humans were more terrifying than monsters.

Despite his current predicament, Jill showed no signs of discouragement; in fact, a hint of cunning and hope still burned deep within his eyes.

He carried a small bundle in his arms, which he always kept with him.

Compared to his other goods, this bundle contained his most important cargo.

Even if all those goods are taken away, if the goods he has can be successfully delivered to the seller, it will be enough to make up for his other losses.

Thinking of this, he became even more determined to venture deeper into the forest.

He can't die. He needs to find a gathering place to rest and recuperate before returning to Zhakou City to close this big deal!

As Jill thought this, he never expected that after a day and a night of traveling, he would arrive at an unexpected place.

At the foot of a magnificent, newly renovated, and thriving castle.

River Bend Fort.