Armored Cavalry, survive in a world full of mods

Compared to these imposing and menacing cavalrymen, the mounted archers following at the rear were considerably less well-equipped, but they were still incredibly skilled and disciplined. They drove their mounts steadily to keep pace with the cavalrymen, and the longbows, crossbows, and heavy arrows on their backs were ready to unleash a dense rain of arrows at any time. Given the right opportunity, they could unleash terrifying power.

Such a fully armored, majestic, and dazzling army passed by them, with hundreds of flags of various sizes and symbols fluttering in the sky like ears of wheat in a field, and surging past them like a river of steel.

No man could resist such a scene; it would instantly captivate their hearts and fill them with an irresistible longing.

The three young men were completely stunned. Even though the army had gone far away and the only trace they could see was the dust kicked up by the horses' hooves, they were unwilling to leave for a long time. Hot blood flowed in their veins, their hearts were beating at an alarming rate, their faces were flushed red, and they were breathing heavily through their noses.

Their heads were spinning, and they couldn't think straight for a long time. They were completely oblivious to their surroundings and didn't realize that everyone else had left, leaving only the three of them standing foolishly by the roadside.

"If I could become that kind of cavalryman, even for just one day, I would gladly give my head..."

Bartarias spoke almost as if in a dream, his whole body stiff, as if he were emerging from a beautiful dream.

"I've made up my mind. I'm determined to have that day in my life..."

Caledo clenched his fist. This young man, who had always been very opinionated, had finally found his purpose in life. Although this was their original goal, he now had an even stronger reason not to fail.

"We'll take the things we bought back and let everyone eat well for two days... We'll definitely succeed!"

The other two nodded, and were about to leave with their jumbled belongings when Bartalis suddenly roared:

"You damned mad dog! I spared your life, and you dare to come back! Put down my mutton, or I'll skin you alive and pull out your tendons!"

The other two then noticed that the skinny dog ​​covered in mange had sneaked over at some point and, while the three of them were in a daze, had snatched a piece of mutton. Now, it was limping away on one hind leg.

The three men, forgetting all their initial excitement, cheered each other on. That piece of mutton wasn't cheap; how could they let it end up in a dog's mouth?! So they quickened their pace, shouting and cursing as they chased after the dog, determined to snatch the meat back from its jaws.

Three young men shouted and yelled as they walked through the market, drawing laughter from the surrounding vendors and pedestrians. Even the dust in the air seemed to swirl merrily in the afternoon sunlight.

………………

As night fell, the guards were setting up a tent.

They drove rough wooden beams into the ground and then built frames on top of them. The joints of these wooden frames were secured with brass and iron connectors to ensure that the structure was durable and would not collapse even in the face of strong winds and heavy rain.

After setting up the basic framework, I took out a large piece of tarpaulin from my backpack and laid it on top of the framework to protect it from the wind and rain.

Despite its fine craftsmanship and durability, the tent was still too small to match the distinguished status of its occupant. It couldn't even fit a table inside, only a simple bed for resting.

But Terzoles wouldn't care about these things. He had experienced far worse conditions in the south and had even eaten and slept on horseback before, so he had no interest in fussing over such formalities.

A tent of this size is just the right size to be carried by two horses, eliminating the need for a heavy horse-drawn carriage, which is perfect for the current situation.

This is a clearing in the forest. The nimble mountain people used their axes to chop down the obstructing bushes and saplings, making this flat land usable. The entire army camped here, and the warhorses, which had been traveling for half a day, rested in the nearby woods.

The campfire was lit and the soup was cooking—it's hard to find fresh meat when you're traveling, so the soup only contained salted dried meat and chopped onions.

The bread is very dry and hard—it was baked just yesterday for easy long-term storage and transport. This type of bread, known as travel hard bread, is intentionally made dry and hard. If you are careful, it won't spoil even after two months, but eating it dry will definitely be a challenge for your teeth.

The soldiers would chop the bread into pieces with a knife and soak it in the soup. Once the bread softened, they would have a bowl of thick meat porridge. They could fill their stomachs by eating a big bowl of it without even realizing it.

"You don't need to worry too much."

Theolys, who was calmly eating, looked at the worried Colin beside him and couldn't help but offer some words of comfort:

“This band of bandits appeared five years ago, when your father was still living in your hometown. The timeline doesn’t match up, so it’s highly likely that he passed through here and left a mark.”

“You’re not like yourself at all. If you’re always so worried, you can’t do anything right. You’re bound to mess things up because of your hesitation and indecisiveness. Eat your food and go rest. We’ll need you to guide us tomorrow.”

169 The Father's Trail (3)

Eating is arguably the most important thing in life. No matter how strong, brave, or extraordinary a person is, they must eat to survive in order to bring out these noble qualities; otherwise, it's all just empty talk.

Many nobles in the empire did not have any special feelings about food. In their view, being able to eat well and be full was a natural outcome. With a wave of their hand, the hand that held power and wealth could bring countless precious ingredients, which would be cooked by the best chefs and then squandered at one grand banquet after another. The leftover wine and meat would even be fed to hunting dogs and pigs.

The common people of the empire, apart from the slaves, lived a much better standard of living than ordinary people in the surrounding countries, enough to survive, but such a luxurious lifestyle was unimaginable to them... Even the beggars in the capital could occasionally receive charity from nobles, and on average, they might eat better than the common people.

Although Tersolius was among the most elite nobles in the empire, he never liked extravagant banquets and despised the practice of deliberately wasting food to show off one's wealth, which he saw as a sign of a lack of intelligence.

For him, a whole roasted lamb, fresh fruit, and a feast made with luxurious ingredients were good things, worth eating every last bit. Even when conditions were limited, coarse and unpalatable food was still worth cherishing and was an important currency for winning.

Moreover, the porridge simmering in the iron pot in front of him tasted quite good, with fresh onions and minced meat in it, which was enough to satisfy him.

The life of a soldier was very monotonous. After dinner, everyone would rest, leaving only men for guard duty and patrols. The time before falling asleep was for Thesolius to think.

The mountain girl who had traveled with him all the way from the south had earned his trust and respect. He was also well aware of her forthright and straightforward nature. Even setting aside all the daughter's admiration for her father, a village chief like him shouldn't have done such a thing.

There must be other reasons for the unusual events, but unfortunately his sources of intelligence are limited. He can only find out the truth by capturing a truly valuable leader, and all of this will have to wait until tomorrow... then he can find out what exactly happened in this forest.

………………

The forest was still slightly chilly in the early morning. Dew on the leaves would dampen clothes and skin as people passed by, the air was so fresh it could cleanse the lungs, and even the rising sun seemed exceptionally clear and gentle.

A stag with intricate antlers strode along its long legs. It walked along, stopping and starting in the bushes, occasionally lowering its head to nibble on tender grass and berries. Its long, sensitive ears twitched in all directions, picking up any unusual sounds.

This agile and delicate creature is extremely alert. As a fragile herbivore, fighting is never its first choice. At the slightest disturbance, its long legs will take the lead, using its excellent jumping ability to send predators flying several meters away, and then it will run away without looking back, leaving those foolish predators only to drink the northwest wind mixed with a few wisps of down.

To hunt them, a strong body and a clever mind are both indispensable; most carnivores cannot even get close to these swift creatures.

But men are clearly an exception; for them, it's not a difficult thing to do...

The man was very unkempt, his hair and beard were in clumps, and dark grease stains were visible everywhere.

Logically, such an appearance would surely produce a strong body odor, making it noticeable to prey with a keen sense of smell. However, the man had specially fumigated his body with herbs before leaving, completely masking his scent. In addition, he hid himself among the dense foliage of a large tree and was downwind, so even the young stag did not notice him at all.

The strong stag remained oblivious and continued on its way, munching on fresh and delicious nuts and tender leaves along the way. Although it maintained a certain level of vigilance, it showed no sign of being disturbed.

And so the stag continued along the path trodden by wild beasts through the forest, while the man kept his eyes fixed on his prey without making a move, showing no intention of using the longbow he carried on his back.

With a snapping sound of a small twig breaking, a thick rope was suddenly pulled up from the ground, and the noose in the middle accurately caught the male deer's foreleg, hoisting the nimble creature off the ground. No matter how desperately it kicked its powerful limbs, it was to no avail, and its panicked howls echoed through the forest.

Only then, having gained complete confidence, did the man leap down from the treetop, draw a short hunting knife from his waist, and leisurely approach the struggling stag. He easily dodged the stag's wildly thrashing antlers and plunged the blade into its heart.

This strike was swift and decisive, without the slightest deviation, accurately piercing the heart through the gap between the ribs and sternum, without damaging the precious fur, demonstrating the man's exceptional hunting skills.

The strong stag struggled a few times before dying. The flowing blood, a translucent red, trickled down its white chest fur like a stream and onto the ground, quickly forming a pool of blood.

Without any intention of delaying, the man immediately and decisively began to remove the precious fur. Using the blade close to the gap between the skin and the fat layer, he peeled off the soft fur without damaging it in the slightest.

They spread the pelts on the ground and began to butcher the deer carcass, breaking down the large chunks of good meat into suitable sizes and placing them on the pelts. Finally, they removed the two particularly conspicuous forked antlers, tied them with straw ropes, and hung them behind their backs.

He gathered the fur on the ground together to form a bundle, which contained a large amount of fresh meat and was quite heavy. However, the man did not change his expression as he picked up the strange bundle and slung it over his shoulder. He then quickly left after finding the right direction, leaving behind a large amount of blood and some difficult-to-process internal organs, which began to attract bloodthirsty flies and carnivores in the forest.

…………

The man moved quickly along the forest path, the heavy pile of fur and fresh meat on his shoulders not burdening him at all. He maintained a strong and steady pace, without slowing down in the slightest.

This road is far from easy to walk on; it is not only rugged and uneven, full of ups and downs, but also covered with thorny brambles and weeds, making it seem like few people travel there. If one is unfamiliar with it, it is difficult to even distinguish it from the ground, and getting lost in the forest is not impossible.

Walking up such a road must have consumed a lot of physical strength, but this strong middle-aged man never seemed tired. He just got too hot halfway through and opened the collar of his short robe. He still walked like the wind, whether going uphill or downhill, it was as if he were walking on flat ground.

Even with such terrible road conditions, it didn't stop him from reaching his destination in a very short time. Thinking of the newly established village, a smile involuntarily appeared on the man's face.

The journey was incredibly difficult. Even though he was mentally prepared, he never expected it to be this difficult... Many people died, but fortunately, most of them made it here alive.

They had traversed an entire mountain range before finally finding a place rich in resources enough to sustain them. No one wanted to continue trekking; their food supplies were exhausted, and if they continued, they would all die…

They never imagined that this place would be so rich... Unlike their cold and damp hometown, where finding a rabbit was a difficult task, two villages would fight to the death to hunt a herd of argali, and young men would lose their lives every year for various reasons in order to store food for the winter.

In this place, even a short walk on the road will startle a few rabbits. Herds of roe deer and wild deer can be seen everywhere in the woods, and they are far less cunning than the creatures in their hometown; they can be caught with a little effort.

What's even more wonderful is that after walking through the woods for a while, they would see a wide road leading to a market. They could easily and conveniently exchange their hunting spoils for precious cloth, ironware, salt, and other necessities. Life was much better than before, and several families were planning to have one or two more children because they could afford to raise them now.

Thinking of this, his brows suddenly furrowed again, worry and sorrow filling his heart—his daughter had led the other half of her tribe in the opposite direction in search of a way to survive, and he wondered how they were doing now… How many of those tribesmen would survive…

His reason told him that the most likely scenario was that his other half had all perished, but his heart refused to accept this conclusion... Even though the messengers he sent out never received any news from them, he still held onto hope that his daughter could find a way to survive, just like him. He didn't ask that they live a good life, he just wanted them to be able to live healthily...

Therefore, he specially dispatched capable people to leave marks along the route they had taken – hoping that the silly girl could find this place through these marks when she was desperate, and that one day his family could be reunited.

The man's personality has always been somewhat unconventional, often having whimsical ideas and being extremely proactive, often doing what he thinks of. His daughter inherited this trait, her mind full of clever ideas, always proving useful at crucial moments, and she is decisive and can convince others.

That's why this heavy responsibility fell on his daughter's shoulders.

Since they parted ways, he had never had a moment of peace, even though he knew it was the best way—to survive separately, at least guaranteeing that half of them would live. And that crazy girl Colin had even taken on the responsibility herself. But what father could bear to see this happen? It was a disgrace to them, proof of their own powerlessness.

Tormented by his inner turmoil, he has become taciturn, often waking up in the middle of the night terrified by the horrific scenes he witnesses, breaking out in a cold sweat. He is filled with anxiety every day, waiting for the people he sent out to bring back the news he hopes for... or terrible bad news.

He feared he would never see that crazy girl again... unless a miracle happened to him.

"Dad! Daddy!"

A crisp sound suddenly rang out, startling him. He then shook his head with a wry smile.

"I think I'm going crazy, I can actually hear my daughter calling me..."

"Dad, where are you looking? I'm over here!"

"I'm really stubborn; I actually heard it again. Oh well, I should go back and rest early; maybe that will make things easier..."

"Salatag! Are you deaf, old man? I'm right here!"

A stone suddenly flew towards the back of his head with a whoosh. Before his mind could react, his body instinctively prepared, lunging forward to drop the large bag of venison on his back. He turned and drew his short sword from his waist, looking warily behind him.

Then the strong middle-aged man suddenly froze, as if he had turned into a stone statue. Every joint and every part of his body was filled with a stiff texture, and time seemed to stand still around him.

The woman standing before him was none other than the crazy girl he had been longing for these past few days—his own daughter, Colin. However, instead of her tattered clothes, she was wearing a brand-new cotton robe with fine chainmail over it. Even her hair had been carefully trimmed, smooth and neat, which made her pretty face look even more dashing.

Even his feet were adorned with gleaming, thick brown leather boots, exuding an air of extravagance reminiscent of noble lords from the plains…

The two men stared at each other in silence for a long time before the man's expression finally changed—becoming solemn, serious, and wary.

"O wandering soul in the forest, I have no intention of offending you. Please calm your malice and anger. The dead must eventually return to the peaceful earth. Deceiving others here will only bring you more pain..."

Before he could finish speaking, Colin, unable to contain himself any longer, grabbed his water bottle from his waist, swung it around, and threw it with tremendous force.

"Old man, open your eyes wide and look! What part of me looks like a dead person?!"

The blow was precise and swift, giving the man almost no time to react before slamming into his face. He let out a muffled groan and fell backward to the ground, even dropping the short sword from his hand and embedding it in the nearby soil.

Ignoring the pain on his face, the man reached for the familiar kettle and was once again stunned. After a long while, he raised his head, his lips trembling…

170 New Developments (1)

For the first time, tears welled up in the eyes of the unshaven man. This was the first time the man, who had been in a gloomy state for some time, had such a vivid expression. After confirming that what was in front of him was not a hallucination or the work of a ghost, a surge of emotions overwhelmed his heart.

A miracle truly happened to him! It was as real as spring rain falling from the sky onto the ground, a tender and loving blessing upon him, moving him to the point that he wanted to express his gratitude to all the gods he knew.

He sniffed his nose, which was bleeding. The man excitedly got up from the ground, opened his arms, and rushed forward unprepared. He stammered, unable to speak, and his legs went weak with excitement.

Such a heartwarming scene was enough to move even the stone man to tears. The man, his emotions overflowing, did something he had never done before: he wanted to give his long-lost daughter a hug.

His daughter seemed just as excited as he was, rushing to greet him without hesitation, which brought tears to his eyes—this carefree, wild girl was finally acting like a girl…

The instant they drew near, to the man's surprise, Colin reached out and grabbed his wrist, then turned and began to pull him in one direction:

"I don't have time to explain to you, come with me now!"

The man stumbled as he was pulled, and asked with a puzzled look:

"What happened? What happened? What serious incident has occurred!"

"Don't say anything, just come with me, hurry up, and remember to keep your mouth shut and don't say anything out of line."

His daughter showed no intention of explaining, but hurriedly pulled him in one direction, as if something extremely urgent had happened.

The man wasn't unreasonable, so he quickly became serious and silently prepared himself—

As he expected, the direction his daughter was pulling him towards was their new village; she had indeed found it by following the markings.

Only now could the man calm down and think about what his daughter's impressive outfit really meant... It seemed that, contrary to his expectations of a terrible outcome, this crazy girl had gotten lucky and seemed to be having a much easier time than he was.

This discovery relieved him and made him realize that what he was about to encounter might not be such a bad thing.

They continued forward along the road, traversing the rugged path with ease, their pace undiminished. Colin even managed to complain to him without breaking a sweat:

"I watched you walk right past me carrying your prey. You weren't this careless before. I was standing right next to the woods, and you didn't even see me? I had to call you back. If this happened back home, a wolf could bite off your heel and you wouldn't even know it!"

"I called you several times, but you acted like you didn't hear me..."

"I told you long ago, wear those animal skin shoes when you go hunting. These cotton shoes are so worn out they're practically useless! They cost three rabbit skins to get them, so be careful."

"I'm already quite old, why do I have to rely on others to take care of everything for me?"

………………

The morning dew would wet people's clothes, making dry clothes damp and cold. Therefore, experienced hunters would wrap their legs with a layer of animal skin to protect themselves from the thorns in the forest and to prevent the cold dew from wetting their clothes.

Hunters wearing these leg guards will not be disheveled by the rain even when they venture into forests that have just been rained on, and they can also withstand the severe cold brought by the snow in winter. They are an essential item for mountain hunters.

Because it must provide a certain level of protection, the leather used to make these leg guards cannot be too soft. To sew together the tough leather, one needs some strength in their hands and a sharp awl to help.

A middle-aged woman wearing an apron was busy under the eaves, with a whole deerskin placed in front of her. The tanning was rather rough, and you could still feel the unique texture of dry, hard leather.

Use a pair of worn, concave scissors to cut the entire deerskin into a regular geometric shape. Trim away some stray hairs to make the surface as neat as possible. Then, punch holes in the edges with an awl and sew them together with leather cords.