Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

Just as he was about to reach his barracks, he suddenly stopped, thought for a moment, and changed direction, turning from the doorway toward the camp area on the right.

The artisans accompanying the army were busy using axes and adzes to chop and chisel sturdy wood, using planes to smooth out uneven areas, and reinforcing important parts with iron bars and driving nails into them. They were extremely busy.

There are no purely civilian laborers in the empire's army. Every man in the country has received a certain level of military training. After being conscripted into the army, they become auxiliary soldiers, receive basic equipment, and are responsible for complicated tasks such as transporting supplies. There are also a considerable number of auxiliary soldiers here who help the craftsmen process timber.

Upon seeing him arrive, the head of the artisan camp immediately led his men to greet him, while the others didn't even turn their heads, focusing intently on their work.

"How are the preparations going?"

Surrounded by several master craftsmen, he walked through the bustling construction site. Unlike ordinary craftsmen and apprentices, they no longer needed to exert themselves. Most of the time, they were responsible for overseeing the overall project and ensuring that it did not go astray. The timber piled up here was all sturdy and thick, high-quality material that had been transported from warehouses in the southern provinces. It had already been air-dried and was free from the risk of cracking.

"Seventy percent has been completed..."

An elderly man with a white beard was the chief craftsman, highly respected throughout the empire. He had experienced countless missions like this, accompanying the army to build war machines, and was considered the most experienced among them.

"The wood in Norsca Province is indeed excellent. There are only so many old trees left in the province now. They were all prepared in advance, lowered down the river, and then dried and stored in the southern provinces. Now it's just right, and it will be ready to use in a few days."

"Moreover, we have prepared a sufficient amount of iron this time, which allows us to use more iron reinforcements and significantly reduce maintenance costs."

Tersolius nodded slightly. These were all pre-prepared components. Once transported to the enemy city, they could be used to immediately construct towering towers, sturdy battering rams, and powerful heavy catapults. These were essential for attacking fortified cities; otherwise, human lives would have to be sacrificed.

He didn't intend to linger in the city for too long, so he prepared an exceptionally large number of engineering machines. There were no enemy troops on this plain who dared to fight his army in the field, so he could prepare at his leisure, waiting for the army to arrive, and then crush the Hols' resistance with an overwhelming force in a short time and break through the fortified city.

Through precise calculations and strict control, the specifications, size, and flatness of these components have very strict standards. Moreover, these are things that have been made in a familiar way, so they can be easily disassembled and transported. When the time comes, they can be assembled according to their numbers and positions at a very fast speed, and the city wall can be bombarded on the same afternoon.

A weathered-looking craftsman is measuring and gesturing on the surface with a steel ruler, inspecting it according to standard dimensions. If there is even the slightest deviation, he will loudly reprimand the person in charge and order them to make immediate corrections. In each area, there are people with axes and adzes chopping and chiseling large pieces of wood, cutting and separating them with saws, and using planes, chisels, and various other tools to trim and polish them. Finally, a layer of anti-corrosion and moisture-proof wood oil is applied to the surface.

This oil is also extracted from the fruit of a tall tree. It has excellent drying and moisture-proof and anti-corrosion properties, and is widely distributed. Every city in the central and southern parts of the empire grows it to some extent.

After staying a while longer and confirming that the progress here was in line with expectations and there were no problems, Tersolius left the artisans' camp with the respectful farewell of the people in charge. He then traveled around and arrived at a new camp.

Before he even got close to the camp gate, he could hear the lively sounds inside. Countless mouths were cheering and arguing loudly, making the place as noisy as a vegetable market.

This would normally draw reprimands and punishments from officers. But today it's permissible—a day or two of rest is often given before a major battle to allow soldiers to relieve stress and prepare.

A large open space near the central square had been surrounded by people. Dust was flying and footsteps were hurried. Two people were wrestling, grabbing each other's clothes and pulling at each other's hands and feet, trying to break each other's lower body and throw their opponent hard to the ground.

The soldiers surrounding them were in high spirits, cheering wildly for the two men in the arena. A quick glance revealed that more than half of them were mountain archers, while the remaining half were elite soldiers from Karila's chief vanguard of a hundred men.

As expected, Colin and Carila were standing in the middle. Judging from the armor they were wearing and the weapons scattered on the ground, they must have gotten into a fight during the competition, which naturally turned into a wrestling match.

As expected, Colin was at a disadvantage. Karila was tall and had very strong long legs. She stood firmly in the yellow dust as if rooted to the ground. No matter how hard she tried, she could not budge her an inch. In fact, she was being pushed backward all the time, and her face turned red.

Just as Tersolius approached the circle, the tall Carila seized an opportunity, suddenly exerted force upwards, and amidst panicked screams, lifted Colin off the ground, turning to throw him to the ground as if he were a sack.

Seeing that defeat was imminent at this final moment, Colin gritted his teeth and grabbed the other's somewhat messy hair. Amid Carila's angry curses, the two rolled onto the ground together, tangled up in a fight amidst the scraping of armor plates, both of them getting heated.

The onlookers clearly hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Even the mountain archers, who had just sighed in regret, thinking their leader was about to lose, rushed over to pull them apart as the two got so into the fight that they were about to lose control. If they continued fighting, something bad was likely to happen.

The two were blaming each other, and they didn't seem to have calmed down yet; they could break into a fight at any moment.

Although the two seemed to be at odds, like mortal enemies, Tersolius was not in a hurry at all, and just watched from outside with a smile.

Things like this happen every few days. They seem to be natural enemies, always ready to fight. Even if their relationship gets better, they'll still start fighting without hesitation.

For them, this kind of competitive interaction is a strange way of getting along, but it doesn't affect anything else. They still eat and drink as usual.

"Both of them are free?"

The soldiers parted in unison, each with a look of surprise and panic on their face. There was a slight commotion, but they quickly quieted down and, led by their officers, paid their respects to the governor.

Colin and Carila were also somewhat surprised, and then they stood up a little awkwardly and greeted him with a bow, feeling a bit guilty.

"Haha, it's nothing, just a friendly spar. My bones are sore from not moving all day..."

"Haha, me too. I need to exercise after eating, otherwise my stomach will feel bloated..."

Thesolius couldn't help but laugh out loud, then his expression returned to calm:

"If you're so free, come with me. There's a place I want to see for myself."

"okay."

"As ordered."

........................

The horse's hooves crushed the fallen leaves on the ground, leaving a deep pit filled with moisture, where tiny buds began to grow.

The surrounding trees are not very dense, and only a small portion of the yellowed leaves remain on the branches. The leaves piled up on the ground are several inches thick, and stepping on them feels like walking on a soft, dense carpet.

Colin stood beside a tree, running his fingers along several rough marks on it, comparing their height from the ground, and then flipping over the leaves next to it to examine the marks on the soil.

"What are you looking for? This place is completely bare, there's nothing here, right?"

Karila casually chopped down a small tree with an axe, then hung the axe back on her waist and began peeling the bark off the trunk with a knife, gradually creating a smooth and sturdy stick in her hand.

“I’m looking for traces of the bear… but it seems hopeless. The claw marks have almost healed, and the bear has probably disappeared somewhere long ago.”

"That's a real shame. I'd love to try bear paws again. When I have the chance in the future, I'll take you to the north of my hometown to catch one of those big bears."

"Although there are no bears, there are still traces of deer... Let me see, they went west, and not long ago. If we follow this road, we will definitely catch up."

Karila was immediately intrigued and looked at the animal trail in front of her with a sense of eagerness. The trail was made by animals over a long period of time, and of course, people could also walk on it.

"Don't forget why we came out here. Go back on your horses."

One sentence quelled their restless impulses. Tersolius slightly pulled on the reins, made a quick assessment of the direction, and then continued to urge the horse forward.

The guards followed on horseback, moving as if they were one with their warhorses, their bodies barely swaying. They only needed to exert a little force with their feet to adjust the direction of their horses. Compared to them, Colin and Carila seemed a bit more inexperienced.

Chapter 246 Preparation (2)

As the reins of the warhorses were pulled taut, the bit in their mouths exerted a strong controlling force, causing these enormous creatures to slowly stop shaking their heads and snorting incessantly.

Tersolius observed the scene before him. It was a deep canyon, hidden dozens of miles around the city, nestled in dense forest. It looked as if a giant spear had pierced the earth and then pulled upwards, creating a huge gap. The canyon was filled with cracks and caves of all sizes, and it was barren, a dark place of mixed yellow and black.

This is highly unusual. Weeds are incredibly resilient and can grow almost anywhere, even in barren, arid deserts. But here, it's literally barren; you can't see a single blade of green. It's as if a large group of extremely diligent farmers come here every day to meticulously pull out every single weed.

The long-legged hounds growled menacingly, surrounding Tersolius's horses as a warning to their master; they had smelled danger.

He bent down and gently stroked the head of the lead dog, calming the fierce and agile creatures. Tersolius surveyed the strange surroundings before him, and a strange sense of familiarity suddenly welled up within him.

A strange atmosphere gave him a creepy feeling, but after a moment's thought, he remembered why this strange place felt familiar—he had also seen a similar cold and eerie place on the high mountain near Alpert.

“The cavalry scouted this place yesterday, but after a thorough search they found nothing and deemed it safe. However, they still sent a report to my shore. They probably can’t see anything wrong, so we’ve come to take a look.”

Carila peered tentatively into the deep canyon:

“There’s definitely something wrong here! The grass around here is withered but still growing lushly, but this place doesn’t even have any fallen leaves. Someone must have been cleaning it up.”

“But there are no signs of roads or activity here…” Colin surveyed the canyon's surroundings, then frowned as he looked at the jagged rocks and crooked slopes:

"The only trace here was left yesterday, probably by scout cavalry. If someone really cleaned up here, how could they not leave traces? To clean up the entire canyon, it would take at least one or two hundred people."

Tersolius turned to look at Talina:

"Doctor, what do you think?"

Tarina was digging in the soil with a silver knife, frowning as she dug. She brushed aside the top layer of dirt mixed with twigs and fallen leaves, revealing the dark soil underneath.

"Please wait a moment, sir, I need to do some simple tests..."

As she spoke, she pulled a small silver box from her bosom. Colin immediately recognized it as something she'd bought in the East, after haggling over the price for quite some time. A quick thought raced through her mind, and she promptly asked:

"Have you figured it out yet? Didn't you say it would take at least two or three years?"

"This one is much simpler. Its previous owner didn't interfere much, probably using it as a regular box. We're just lucky; it can easily detect the content of elements in the soil..."

As she spoke, Tarina carefully used a knife to pick up the finest black soil, meticulously removed all the impurities, and smeared it on the inside of the box before gently closing it.

"Just wait a little while. If the box turns black, that's normal. If it turns yellow, it means that a lot of the 'nutrients' here have been consumed."

After wiping the dirt off the knife, Talina rinsed the blade with a small ceramic bottle of refined liquor, her eyes never leaving the box in her left hand. Everyone began to wait patiently, and all eyes in the vicinity focused on this spot.

Tersolius was also somewhat curious. Based on his limited knowledge, silver turning black usually meant it had come into contact with sulfides, and turning yellow might be due to oxidation or something similar... The box in front of him should be unrelated to those things; it was something beyond his knowledge.

Moreover, it remains to be determined whether the box is made of silver; now we just have to wait for the final result.

Just as the dogs were getting bored and scratching their heads with their hind legs, Tarina suddenly clasped her hands together:

"All right!"

Tersolius turned his gaze—and then he saw that the silver box had visibly turned a warm yellow, as if it had been frequently touched and soaked in sweat, aging decades in the blink of an eye.

"As expected, the elemental energy here has been largely consumed, almost to the point of having almost nothing left... Generally speaking, without interference, the elemental energy is distributed quite evenly and can be seen almost everywhere. There must be something affecting this place."

Can you pinpoint the exact location?

"Yes, as long as we explore further using this method, we can roughly pinpoint the area by finding the region with the most dramatic changes."

"Then let's get started... Perfect timing, this place is ideal for setting up camp. Go and relay my orders..."

………………

The dry tree was pierced by a heavy axe, and the wood became even harder after drying, making it more difficult to cut than when it was wet. However, it made excellent firewood, which would burn fiercely as soon as it was thrown into a fire.

The soldiers worked together and quickly felled the withered old tree, then chopped it into firewood. They loaded it onto a raft and dragged it away to use as fuel for cooking and for lighting fire pits at night.

The army's camp for the upcoming siege will be set up here. The vanguard has arrived and begun preparations. The area around the canyon is now filled with armored soldiers and auxiliary troops, and the scene has suddenly become bustling with activity, no longer as cold and gloomy as before.

The sounds of numerous cattle, horses, donkeys, and mules could be heard everywhere, and there were hoofprints everywhere. Trees were being felled one after another to make stakes to repair the damage caused by the camp. Everything was proceeding in an orderly and efficient manner, without delaying anything else.

While most of the tasks of dividing up the camp could be delegated to the staff, he still needed to make the final decisions, arrange the order, and divide the areas. By the time he finished his work, Talina had also finished her own tasks.

"Let's eat first, and then we'll watch it."

Before the girl could speak, Tersolius handed her a bowl of steaming meat porridge. A gust of cold wind swept through the woods, causing Talina to shrink her neck. She quickly took the bowl and used the heat emanating from it to warm her stiff fingers.

Tesorus also held a bowl, stirring the warm porridge inside with a wooden spoon. The smoked meat in it was cured with plenty of salt, so it was salty enough without needing any extra salt, serving as both meat and seasoning.

This kind of jerky is very tough and difficult to chew if eaten directly. Even young people with healthy teeth will have to work hard to eat it. It usually needs to be cooked in hot soup before it can be eaten. It also contains chopped cabbage and onions. It is most palatable when it is slightly cooled down but still steaming hot.

The felt tent was warm and windproof, made of wool from Kurist. Winter tents had to be set up this way, otherwise they wouldn't be able to keep out the cold wind. Outside, the cold autumn wind was howling, but inside, illuminated by an oil lamp, was a warm and cozy atmosphere.

After swallowing the last mouthful of hot porridge, Talina's soft cheeks flushed slightly. She took a breath, rubbed her hands together, and quickly took out the box from the white lion-skin pouch at her waist. She then took out a piece of parchment from her pocket, took the brass pen handed to her by Tersolius, and began to write and draw on it.

After sketching out the general shape with just a few simple strokes, Tarina began to recount her discovery:

"The entire canyon is shaped like a date pit, wider on the east side and narrower on the west side, with most of the forest located on the east side."

"The distribution of the element also gradually decreases from east to west, disappearing completely in the far west, which basically defines its range here. The depth increases from the gentle slope here, but unfortunately I haven't had time to go down and explore it yet..."

“That’s not a place you can go alone.” Tersolius stood up. “It’s already dark. Let’s go back and rest. We’ll go down and see what that thing is tomorrow.”

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