On the dirt road leading to Anda Town, a cool autumn breeze swept up the dust.
In front, two grey donkeys pulled a wooden cart piled high with supplies. They plodded along with their heads lowered, their hooves making dull thuds on the dirt as the cart creaked behind them.
Four teenagers walked alongside the cart, occasionally helping push it uphill, while casting alert glances at the increasingly desolate wilderness on either side of the road.
Matthew sat near the shaft of one of the donkey carts, slightly adjusting his posture with the swaying of the vehicle.
Beside him sat Sierra, a trace of awkwardness visible on her face.
After all, everyone else was walking, while the two of them were riding on the cart.
Matthew noticed Sierra's expression and was about to offer some comfort, but Uncle Delank beat him to it:
“...Don't feel bad, you two. We'll only feel at ease if you stay seated.”
He grinned at Matthew and Sierra, his eyes serious.
“If we run into any blind fools on the road, we'll have to rely on you two to hold the line. Resting and building up your strength to strike at the critical moment is more important than anything else.”
As soon as he spoke, the teenagers pushing and walking beside the cart nodded in agreement. The slightly older boy added, “Yeah, Brother Matthew. With you guys here, we feel much more secure.”
Although Aidan and the other boys didn't speak, their eyes were filled with agreement. They didn't feel any resentment about walking while Matthew and Sierra rode.
Hearing this, Matthew looked at Sierra, whose expression had softened slightly, and then at the sincere faces of Uncle Delank and the surrounding boys. He nodded, letting go of his reservations.
He understood that in this danger-filled environment, the caravan truly needed him and Sierra to remain in peak condition to handle any potential emergencies.
He nodded to Uncle Delank, accepting the arrangement.
Then, Matthew turned his gaze back to the winding dirt road ahead and asked Uncle Delank,
“Uncle, at our current speed, how long will it take to reach the town?”
Delank did a quick calculation and replied, “If nothing goes wrong and we only stop once by the creek to rest, we should arrive tonight.”
“However... we usually choose to camp out in the wild for a night. After all, if we enter the town too late, lodging costs money. Plus, the shops won't be open for business, which is inconvenient.”
Matthew made a mental note of this, gaining a clearer picture of their itinerary.
After a brief contemplation, he nodded and said, “I see. But I think we should still find lodging in the town. Safety first—the wilderness is too unpredictable.”
“I'll cover the expenses for staying overnight in the town this time. Everyone's safety is what matters most.”
Before Uncle Delank could refuse, Matthew counted out over a dozen silver coins from his pouch and handed them straight over.
This money was more than enough to cover basic food and lodging for the entire group.
Uncle Delank looked at the silver coins in front of him, then at Matthew's uncompromising expression. He opened his mouth but ultimately swallowed his refusal. Accepting the coins, he said with emotion:
“You kid... Alright, let's pick up the pace and make sure we get into town before nightfall!”
The teenagers' eyes lit up upon hearing this. The tension on their faces, brought on by the long trek and the prospect of sleeping in the wild, instantly melted into expressions of relief and anticipation.
Spending the night in a walled town meant a much more peaceful rest and warm food, without having to stay up all night on edge, guarding against wild beasts or worse.
Their admiration and gratitude for Matthew deepened yet again.
Sierra wasn't surprised by this; she could tell Matthew was a very generous person.
The caravan continued along the dirt road, but the atmosphere was much livelier than before. The boys whispered among themselves about their expectations of the town, and their steps as they pushed the carts seemed lighter.
Matthew refocused his attention on scanning the surroundings, but his thoughts began to wander.
As he scanned the bushes and knolls on either side of the road for potential dangers, he silently calculated his current situation and future plans.
The proficiency of 【Basic Archery】 on my panel has already reached (117/200), he mused. It's not too far from the Practiced Rank.
Once my archery also reaches the Practiced Rank, combined with my breathing technique and life energy, will I be able to figure out a combat technique like 【Melting Slash】?
This thought made his heart stir slightly.
After all, he had already experienced the power of 【Melting Slash】 firsthand; it was a definitive boost to his combat strength!
If he could apply a similar principle to archery—whether it was increasing the penetration and speed of his arrows, adding special effects, or enhancing certain passive abilities—it would undoubtedly boost his capabilities immensely.
He knew very well that for the vast majority of Black Iron Rank Class holders, time and energy were extremely limited.
Usually, they could only focus on a single primary combat skill, refining it to a certain depth.
Dabbling in multiple combat skills at the same time and raising them all to the Practiced Rank or above to derive combat techniques required not only staggering talent but also massive resource support...
In the vicinity of Anda Town, there was probably no one who could achieve such a feat.
This thought filled Matthew with excitement and gave him a clearer goal to work toward: raise his archery proficiency to the Practiced Rank as quickly as possible!
Just then, Matthew suddenly remembered something he had almost forgotten.
“Right, my Green bow!”
His heart stirred, and his brow furrowed imperceptibly.
“It's still with Old Joel...”
Counting the days, it had been quite a while since Old Joel went to town to purchase the Green bow.
Ordinarily, the time required for the purchase and the round trip should have been more than enough.
“Hopefully, he was just delayed on the road. Once we get to town, besides taking care of our trade, I'll have to ask around for news of Old Joel.”
“After all, that was a whole gold coin!”
Matthew kept this matter in mind.
That high-quality Green bow was purchased using Instructor Calm's funds. It was crucial for his future archery training and even for developing potential long-range combat techniques, so he couldn't just let it disappear without a trace.
He took a deep breath, pushing down his thoughts about Old Joel and the Green bow for now, and focused his attention back on guarding the road ahead.
...................................
The caravan pressed on. As the sun began to sink in the west, it cast long, thin shadows of the people and donkey carts onto the dirt road.
The scenery alongside the road grew increasingly barren, with sparse shrubbery and piles of jagged rocks replacing the fields that still held a trace of green.
They had already covered more than half the journey. Not far ahead, they would enter a hilly area known as "Mute Pass." With its complex terrain, it was a stretch of road notorious in merchant caravan records for ambush attempts.
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