Witch Troupe and the Undead

No matter how much you teach, it won't have any effect. You should find another teacher. Besides, she herself is not very good at teaching. She can only read notes and textbooks. Some techniques are just... basic common sense to her. For example, depending on the water element in the crucible, add a small amount of ice crystal to suppress the water temperature without affecting the dissipation of water element.

“I’ve scouted ahead, and the route is still safe. I haven’t found any trace of monsters.” Alessina walked into the rest area. Monsters do come into this dwarf tunnel, and they are all quite dangerous ones. It is said that dragons have used this place as a temporary nest before.

“Then my men will keep watch.” Rhine assigned two Thunderbird Knights to keep watch, and as for the two rest rooms, Livia and her group would have one, and the rest of the group would have one.

The dwarves' resting quarters were also square rooms, with repaired iron rings on the walls for holding torches or oil lamps. Half of the room was a half-meter-high platform made of earth, which Roach felt might resemble a heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed), but without a fire pit; it was simply a platform made of hard, dry mud bricks.

The brick surface features dwarven-style reliefs. According to Rhine, these platforms were the dwarves' beds. Dwarves disliked human beds because they interfered with their intimate connection to the earth. Therefore, most dwarves slept on the floor.

To prevent mosquitoes and ants from crawling into their beards and to avoid dampness, they designed these platform-like beds, where they could sleep on a mat. As for the issue of dryness and hardness, it was not a problem at all for the dwarves' physique and build.

The mud bricks have perforated sections, which were used to stuff insect repellent spices. Some dwarves would also keep pets in these sections, usually small insect-eating creatures such as toads and some kind of tiny snake.

Alessina carried thick bedding from the carriage and spread it on the platform, which became their resting place. Then, they fetched a jar of clean water from the outside pool for washing up in the morning. Finally, they lit a campfire in a square pit about a foot deep in the center of the room and began to prepare dinner.

The provisions for the journey were naturally not very tasty, especially since they did not take the southern route but instead chose to detour through here to Rubyshire, and there were not many opportunities to buy supplies along the way.

Grind the biscuits known as "hard cakes" and add cheese, nuts, bacon jerky, and a little pepper to make a pot of steaming, slightly milky porridge.

Livia held the wooden bowl and sipped the porridge, seemingly unbothered by its coarse appearance. However, everyone knew that she simply had a high tolerance for food; in reality, she liked delicious food and hated unpalatable food just as much, but this dislike wouldn't show on her face, or rather, it wouldn't manifest as "refusing to eat."

“There are people keeping watch outside, but I prefer to do it myself. You guys go to sleep first.”

"..." Luo Qi opened his mouth, then pointed to himself, then to the little witch who had obediently crawled into bed, yawning and saying goodnight to everyone, "You mean..."

"Don't be so particular when you're out and about," Alessina said indifferently. As an adventurer, it was perfectly normal to sleep huddled together under a blanket with your companions.

Then, Roach barely slept all night. Even though he didn't deliberately try to get close to the witch, the sweet scent of roses kept wafting towards him, and Vivi's body temperature was also higher on the other side. So, it was a truly gentle and warm place, fragrant and cozy.

However, the fatigue of the journey eventually overwhelmed him in the latter half of the night. As for the night watchman, it was Vivi, who also didn't need much sleep. As a dragon, she could sleep for a month if she really wanted to, but if she didn't sleep, she could go a week without closing her eyes without any problems.

The next day, Roach felt something warm and soft, wriggling around in his arms. When he opened his eyes, he saw a golden ball of fluff in his arms, wriggling uncomfortably, while behind him, a pair of rather large things were pressing against the back of his head.

Clearly, Alessina, having finished her night watch, chose to sleep on the edge, squeezing Roach, who was originally sleeping on the edge, over to snuggle up to the little witch.

"Hmm..." Her emerald green eyes opened lazily, and a tuft of light golden hair curled up by her ear. "...Good morning~" The little witch yawned, patted her cheeks, and seemed to show no dislike or anything special about being squeezed together with Luo Qi.

On the contrary, Leslie on the other side looked as if she had seen a ghost when she saw this scene.

The next two days were the same: walking, resting, eating, and sleeping. Roach originally wanted to visit the ruins of the dwarf city, but it was said that the main gate was a short walk down the side road. So, considering the itinerary and safety, he eventually gave up.

At noon on the third day, the light of the exit finally appeared ahead, and everyone except the people at the back of the line turned off their lights one by one.

The road at the exit was also in a state of disrepair. The winding mountain road descended along the northwest foothills of Shield Mountain. The colorful forests and the distant snow-capped mountains formed a scene that Roach found somewhat familiar, somewhat similar to the road he took to reach Riverwood after leaving the cave in Skyrim, only longer and more winding.

"Roar~" A two-legged wyvern swept across the sky, seemingly wanting to prey on large animals like horses on the ground, but after being glared at by the black horse in front of the carriage in the middle, it hurriedly pulled up and flew away.

"A wyvern? That's not a good sign~" Rhine lit his pipe. Not being able to smoke in the tunnel was incredibly frustrating for an old dwarf. In fact, dwarves weren't allowed to smoke freely in the dungeon; they could only do so in specific areas and relatively open platforms.

"How to say?"

“A dwarven proverb says: If you see a pile of wyvern dung, your day will be terrible.” Rhine explained briefly, “Because wyverns love to attack large livestock, such as horses and ibex, and ibex are the dwarves’ main livestock. So, if you see wyvern dung, it means you’re going to lose your ibex.”

These large, horned sheep, about the size of cattle on Earth, were the main draft animals of the dwarves and the primary prey of wyverns—after all, horses raised by bipeds weren't everywhere.

"Not to mention a live wyvern, it would terrify horses and ibex, making it impossible for them to do anything."

Rhine complained that the sudden appearance of the dragons did indeed cause some chaos in the caravan, but fortunately, apart from the draft horses, the remaining warhorses were much calmer because they had been trained with dragon dung.

Horses are also very good at "reading the atmosphere." When the other horses were calm, these draft horses quickly stopped jumping and neighing and obediently followed the driver's control, walking down the mountain path covered with fallen leaves and dead branches.

At the end of the mountain path is a logging camp built on the edge of the canyon. The camp is surrounded by a fence more than two meters high made of thick logs. Inside, there is a brick and stone building and several simple drying sheds. The felled wood is dried and processed here, eventually becoming necessary materials such as planks.

A sturdy wooden bridge connects the other end of the canyon, and rushing water flows through the canyon, making a gurgling sound.

"The logging camp is just ahead. It doesn't have a name, but everyone calls it Little Ghost Castle."

"Why is it called Little Ghost Castle?" "Little Ghost" is a general term for monsters, which comes from the elves' derogatory term for short, demi-humanoid monsters, including goblins. Although it is called short, in fact, in the classification, those ogres that are almost two or three meters tall also belong to the Little Ghost species, while "Big Ghost" or similar terms belong to orcs.

“I don’t know either, that’s what everyone calls it anyway,” a Thunderbird Knight answered Roach’s question. People who don’t specialize in this kind of knowledge wouldn’t care about the origin of place names.

"By the way, the chefs in the camp are quite skilled, especially their stew. They use giant crabs from the nearby Water Jade Cave, stewed with rock goat meat and fresh mushrooms. It's incredibly delicious." It seems this knight is also a connoisseur of good food.

But as the group drew closer, things started to look strange. Normally, this would be the busiest time of year for the loggers, with shouts and calls to get to work filling the air. The campfires and open kitchens would probably be bustling with activity by now. But instead, all was silent.

"Stop!" Rhine raised his hand to signal the group to halt. Two Thunderbird Knights drew their longswords and approached the camp. They did not enter the camp at the same time, but only one of them went in, while the other guarded the entrance. Moreover, he was not facing the entrance, but rather at an angle to ensure that no one could attack from behind. Meanwhile, the rest of the caravan was watching from a distance in the blind spot.

Inside the logging camp. "..." The knight's face turned extremely ugly. Everywhere there were mutilated and highly decomposed corpses. Many of the corpses had been half-eaten by rats and scavengers. He carefully moved forward among the scattered corpses, turning over the bodies with the tip of his sword.

"At least one-third of its flesh has been eaten. Judging from the teeth marks, it should be a carrion demon..." A kind of monster that looks like a dog. It looks very thin. Its most distinctive feature is its mouth full of fine, sharp teeth and its mouth that can open like a snake by dislocating its jawbone. It looks ferocious and terrifying, but it is actually a harmless monster.

Because these monsters only eat carrion, their fangs, though sharp, are not very strong. They also have long, thin tongues covered with very sharp barbs that can scoop out bits of flesh from between bones. They are timid and afraid of fire. They are classified as monsters because they carry a weak amount of death magic, making them a kind of supernatural plague spreader.

In other words, carrion demons spread diseases and plagues, which is what makes them dangerous. Their fighting strength is no greater than that of an old dog. Anyone who is not a child can easily defeat several carrion demons.

"Why didn't you continue eating?" The Thunderbird Knight stepped over the corpse. The carrion demons would try their best to eat the corpses completely. These monsters were particularly greedy and would eat any corpse. The number of them who ate themselves to death or were poisoned was really quite large.

“There are no signs of poisoning or fighting. They must have been scared away by other powerful monsters…” The knight checked the entire camp but found no signs of fighting. It seemed that everyone had been killed suddenly, and the corpses had been mutilated beyond recognition by carrion-eating creatures. He was not a professional forensic doctor and could not find any further clues.

"Be on high alert, the situation at the camp is very strange." The lumberjacks are not some weaklings who can't even kill a chicken. Their axes and machetes (for clearing paths) and their muscles are enough to make them fight on equal terms with ordinary mountain bandits. And these are just ordinary lumberjacks. If they have a proper camp to rely on and a capable leader, they can fight against a small army.

After all, logging in the mountains is a matter that requires a great deal of courage and discipline; those who break the rules either die or disappear. And anyone who can silently and without leaving a trace kill so many loggers, whether they are assassins, aliens, or monsters, represents extreme danger and something unusual.

"..." The little witch stared at the camp for a long time and shook her head slightly. The aura of her soul had dissipated, and even she could not see what was going on.

"Be on high alert, everyone grab your weapons. Miss Livia, please stay inside the carriage and do not come out."

Rhine decisively ordered the team to continue advancing. Staying in place would only make things more dangerous. As long as they could leave the Shield Mountain area and enter the Black River Valley in time, they would be fine. Because of the Black River, the valley area was very civilized, with countless villages, towns, and post stations.

The caravan immediately sped up, and all the knights took off their shields from their backs and hung them by their hands. The infantrymen sitting on the wagons also jumped off and used the wagons as cover to advance on foot.

Chapter 178 Attack

No one dared to linger around the camp, but danger never fails to come knocking, no matter how cautious you are. Almost as soon as half the people were crossing the wooden bridge, a rock at least the size of a horse-drawn carriage came crashing down from the mountain and instantly broke the bridge in half.

"Damn it, they're werewolves! Run!" Rhine's scalp tingled when he saw the creatures covered in thick wolf pelts on the hillside.

"What werewolf?"

“It’s a werewolf!” Rhine jumped onto Roach’s carriage and raised his whip to strike, but Alessina was quick-witted and snatched it away.

"Hurry up!" The black horse seemed to realize the urgency of the situation, glared at the old dwarf, and then quickened its pace.

Arrows rained down from above, constantly striking the walls of the carriage. Every now and then, the accompanying infantrymen screamed in pain, and even one of the Thunderbird Knights fell off his horse.

"What is a werewolf!?" Roach gripped the glowing fragment in his hand, while the little witch huddled in the corner of the carriage, covering her head. Only Leslie drew her bow and fired a few useless shots at the forest. Fortunately, Roach quickly found his hand cannon.

It must be said that the magic bullet is indeed powerful; a single shot blasted the upper body of a so-called werewolf into dust in mid-air. However, the power of this magic bullet hand cannon is linked to the charging speed of the rune disk, and the ammunition is also very complex and expensive.

"What are werewolves!?" Roach had asked this question for the third time already; he wanted to know exactly who these attackers were.

"Werewolves are wolf people. They live in this area and were natives before the empire ruled this place." They are similar to Native Americans. And given the state of the Stoll Empire, they must have done a lot of terrible things.

"Because their custom is that after reaching adulthood, they must hunt a highland wolf alone, skin it, and wear its pelt for seven days, so everyone calls them wolf people or werewolves, because they look like upright wolves."

"Seven days, and the wolf pelt won't smell anymore?"

"Therefore, it will attract many predators, and they must survive these trials to become adult wolf warriors."

"...More barbaric than us," Alessina, as a beastman, said in this way, which was indeed a bit too barbaric. Arrows kept attacking the caravan, and soon, a supply wagon fell into a deep valley because the horses were hit by arrows. Now, the number of people had been reduced by at least two-thirds.

Why did they attack us?

"I don't know. Although the werewolves have a grudge against the Empire, they are smart enough to know that going head-to-head with the Empire will only lead to their death. Therefore, they are very careful about their attacks on the Empire." The Empire might not care about attacking caravans, but attacking a knightly order's caravan is a different matter.

"And where did they recruit the one-eyed ogre from?" In the distance, a brown-skinned monster at least five or six meters tall lifted a huge rock. Its face was mostly occupied by a huge eye and a gaping maw that split open to its ears, with a single horn on its head.

The longer a one-eyed ogre's horns grow, the older it is and the stronger it is in combat. When its horns stop growing, it begins to age.

"Whoosh!" The stone came towards the black horse. The old horse was really about to lose its composure, but if it transformed now, the little witch's carriage and the witch might roll into the valley on the mountain road. So it could only endure the humiliation and speed up.

The boulder crashed down behind them, completely blocking the mountain path. Now, apart from Rhine, the carriage in front of the black horse, the guards on the carriage, and the two knights, the entire group was divided into three sections.

"Don't linger here. We must get to Ruby County quickly. The Imperial army will come to teach these werewolves a lesson later."

"..." On the mountaintop, the man draped in a heavy wolf pelt watched the carriages gradually leaving the ambush zone below. He raised his hand, stopping the others from pursuing him. "Clean up the battlefield. We need to leave here. Leave those ogres behind; they'll take care of the corpses." Without looking back, he disappeared into the forest, then removed his wolf pelt, revealing blood-stained armor underneath.

Werewolves never wear armor, not only because it's too expensive, but also because it's unsuitable for mountain activities. "Shouldn't we go after that car?"

"I let them go on purpose."

"But..." "I have my own plans." The man waved his hand. Those nobles were using him as a tool, but wasn't he just playing with them?

"Let's take the back road back to town, speed up, and avoid being discovered." Ruby County, Black River Valley. A dark blue river meanders along the hillside, flames spread wildly through the villages, and masked bandits grinned as they dragged their victims out of their houses one by one. Just as they were plundering and killing, the sound of hooves and a carriage came from the distance.

"Wait, another easy target is approaching."

"Those damned bandits!" Rhine said through gritted teeth as he looked at the tragedy on the side of the road. However, they could not afford to waste time and had to get to the mountain city of "Kabeko" as soon as possible.

"Boom!" The roadblock blocking the way was smashed open by Old Ma, and the bandits' arrows landed on the carriages, making only a crisp thud. It seemed that the villages and towns throughout the Black River Valley were being attacked by unknown thugs and bandits. Screams mixed with thick smoke echoed in the air, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.

"What happened?" Rhine didn't understand. Ruby County was fine when he contacted them before, so when did it become like this?

Fortunately, as they approached the city, the looting decreased significantly. Corpses hung from the dead trees along the roadside, and several grotesque soldiers were hanging a noose around the kneeling farmers' necks. "Wait a minute," Rhine gestured for Roach and the others to stop, then looked at the soldiers. "What are you doing?! What did these people do?!" He wasn't surprised that the bandits were being hanged, but these people were clearly just an ordinary farming family, with children among them.

"Pah!" The captain of the soldiers spat, intending to say something, but upon seeing the knighthood insignia on the dwarf's body, he reluctantly said, "Supporting thugs and plotting a rebellion, sir."

"What thugs do they support? I remember before..."

"Who knows?" The captain of the soldiers spat out another mouthful of phlegm. "Who knows what's going on with these guys? Several groups of thugs have appeared in the last few days, under all sorts of pretexts. Earl Warren is almost driven crazy with worry."

The Earl of Warren was the administrator of Rubyshire. Yes, administrator, not lord. Rubyshire was a royal domain, and the lord was the Emperor himself. However, he could not personally handle matters there at all times, so he needed a proxy. The Earl of Warren was that proxy.

Before the emperor became emperor, when the royal family was just a collection of feudal lords, the Warren family served as their stewards. Generations of loyalty and service earned them this opportunity.

As far as Rhine knew, this generation's Earl Warren, although not as capable as his predecessors in managing everything in an orderly manner, was a complete mediocre person. However, he was just a mediocre person, not incompetent. In fact, among the noble courtiers of the empire, he was considered one of the more shrewd and capable types.

Seeing that Rhine remained silent, the captain of the soldiers signaled his men to hang the wailing farmers on the treetops. Soon, several human-shaped wind chimes appeared at the crossroads, swaying slowly.

“It seems something has happened in Ruby County as well…” This is a big deal. This is the royal family’s purse. If something happens here, it means something is going to happen to the royal family. “We must get back to Cabel as soon as possible! We’re not far from Cabel now. Soon we’ll be able to see the ruby ​​on that mountaintop.”

After continuing for several hours, the Ruby at the summit finally revealed itself. It was a city built entirely of bright yellow rock, with buildings rising up the hillside one after another. It was brightly lit, and the faint sound of cheerful music could be heard. It was exactly the same as when Rhine left, without any difference.

Just as the stench of corpses and thick smoke outside the city could not penetrate this magnificent city, it remained forever bustling and noisy. The carriage rushed along the cobblestone road to the city gate.

"Halt!" An arrow landed in front of the horse's hooves. Even in Cabel, known as the city that never sleeps, it is not allowed to rush into the city gate at night. After all, those who covet the wealth here are not only the feudal lords and nobles, but also thieves and bandits.

“I am Rhein, a guest of Count Warren.” Rhein tossed a gold medal onto the city wall. The night patrol commander glanced at the medal and waved to his men to raise the metal gate of the city gate so that the carriage could pass.

The city of Kabel is laid out in a zigzag pattern, with buildings arranged alternately upwards along the mountain road. The section near the city gate entrance is where ordinary citizens live, while the lower section along the side road is where miners' shacks are located.

This is a city built on a mine. Roach suspects that if this were on Earth, the city planner would have been dragged out and burned by the city construction bureau and various engineering institutes. You're building such a large city on a mine? Do you think it's not spectacular enough if the whole city doesn't collapse into the mountains?! But this is another world, so he could only barely hold back.

The biggest difference between Cabel and other cities is that there are no slums. If you don't count the miners' shacks, the whole city, even the entrance area, consists of very neat two-story or single-story brick and tile houses, uniform in appearance, with black iron fences at the entrances, and black-painted streetlights that extend all the way to the magnificent main city on the hilltop.

The building's style was somewhat similar to Yharnam in Bloodborne, which made him instinctively tense up, fearing that a beastman would suddenly appear from the side and deliver an eight-hit combo.

Fortunately, this city has no connection with Yharnam. It is just an ordinary city mainly engaged in jewelry, gems and trade. It is divided into two districts, the upper and lower districts. The part on the top of the mountain is the main city or the real city of Kabel. The part below is newly built.

As gemstone mining decreased and trade increased, it became impossible for merchants to travel and resupply by climbing mountains, even if the so-called "mountain" was actually just a series of hills a few hundred meters high. Therefore, a new town of Cabel was built at the foot of the mountain and on the slopes.

This explains the origin of the quiet street that Roach saw. It was a place where merchants gathered, warehouses, budget hotels, horse markets, and so on. Naturally, the people serving these facilities were all craftsmen with a skill, so it was normal not to see the messy houses and shacks of the slums.

Ascending the slope, an ancient church separates the old and new city areas. No one knows which god this church worships, as no clergy are present to oversee its work. Only the weathered stone buildings and the mix of old and new tombstones on the slope remain. This scene sent a chill down Roach's spine. The carriage quickly passed through this desolate area devoid of pedestrians and arrived at the entrance to the main city.

The main city has no city walls, but there is a metal fence around it as a simple division. Compared to the deserted new city at night, the main city is much more lively. Even before you get close to the double metal gate at the entrance, you can hear cheerful music. Women dressed in the tutu skirts that are unique to the Victorian era and gentlemen dressed in gentlemanly attire walk in twos and threes on the streets, occasionally bursting into cheerful laughter.

The denser streetlights in the main town made it almost indistinguishable from any other European town Roach had ever seen on Earth, even more bustling. Compared to its appearance in the eastern border region, it had a more 18th and 19th century London feel. There were even sewer openings at the corners of the cobblestone streets, with wisps of steam rising from them.

A guard carrying a lantern crossed the intersection and tipped his hat in salute to a carriage speeding past. Most of the shops on both sides of the street were indeed closed, but some were still open, their windows emitting a warm glow.

The coffee shop at the intersection was closing. The owner was wiping cups, and a waitress in a thin uniform took a obviously worn coat from the coat rack by the door, wrapped herself in it, and hurried across the cold street, quickly leaving around the corner.

The street scene, filled with the most quintessential Victorian-era British style, made Roach wish he could travel back to Earth and get a camera. Damn, no history buff could resist the urge to take pictures at this moment. If this were on Earth, he could publish papers on this so many times he'd be overwhelmed!

Guided by Rhine and led by two knights, the two carriages sped into the high ground in the center of the main city, stopping in front of a five-story hotel. "I'm sorry, Master Roach and Miss Livia, you'll have to make do here for the night. I will arrange suitable accommodations for you tomorrow and discuss the rest of the itinerary."

He certainly wasn't going to rest immediately; instead, he went to find Earl Warren to find out what was going on. That was the reason he hadn't taken Roach and Livia directly to the luxurious manor in the center of the city—in case something went wrong with Earl Warren… that would be walking right into a trap.

He didn't quite believe that Earl Warren would betray His Majesty, but it was hard to say if Earl Warren wasn't in charge inside now.

“Shining rubies? I’ve noticed that people here really like rubies.” Roach asked. He had taken a look around the city and noticed that many shops used rubies or blood-red gemstone-shaped wooden signs as signs and decorations. Moreover, the noblewomen and even ordinary women along the way wore ruby ​​jewelry of different qualities.

"Because Cabel means 'City of Rubies,' and the rubies produced here are famous throughout the empire, sir."

The hotel steward, dressed in a crisp black vest, spoke politely and opened the car door for Livia, carefully extending his right arm to indicate that she could put her hand on his arm as she got out of the car.

"Hmm~" Livia showed no manners whatsoever, jumping off the carriage while lifting her skirt. She even caught her large hat, which was about to fall off. Her face was slightly flushed, as she had never seen such a luxurious building before. Her gaze lingered on the exquisite gargoyle reliefs and the bright red velvet curtains.

"It seems Miss is quite lively~" the butler smiled. There are no idiots in this line of work, and even fewer in this position. Even if Livia tripped and fell when she got out of the car, he would still have to find a reason to cover it up for her.

"Your companion's room has also been arranged." Roach and his companions didn't need to go to the lobby to complete the formalities. Almost as soon as Rhine and his group arrived, the staff inside had already started working, checking that the rooms that met the standards were empty, and then waiting to make arrangements according to the butler's covert hand gestures.

The guests who could bring a knight and two knights were no nobody. Even though there was a beastman among them, they didn't show any aversion. It was as if Alessina, the beastman dressed as a mercenary in leather armor and carrying a greatsword, was a noble lady.

This made the fox girl feel uneasy, with a strange sense of tension, as if the whole world was out of place with her.