Chapter 66

At dusk, the grass at the foot of the Gandar Mountain Forest was bathed in the afterglow of the sunset.

The last rays of sunlight painted everything in golden hues. The clouds on the horizon, the mountains and forests of the forest, the vast grasslands, the military camp at the foot of the mountain, the Thunder Rhinos grazing by the river, and the weathered face of the old veteran chewing tobacco on a rock, all were tinged with gold.

It had been about half a month since he left the camp of the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment, and the camp before him had more than doubled in size.

In addition to the construction of four or fifty-meter-high arrow towers at the four corners of the camp, the wooden fence walls had become double-layered, with yellow earth tamped in between. The wooden fence had turned into a simple city wall, and a group of soldiers carrying alloy bows and long spears on their shoulders patrolled back and forth on the wooden walls.

The camp of the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment had almost been completely transformed, turning into a military stronghold.

At the entrance of the camp, two large wooden gates had been built, and from time to time, a group of cavalry would pass through the gates. In the distance, under the afterglow of the sunset, squadrons of cavalry were galloping towards the camp. The knights on the Kubo horses wore heavy armor, and on one side of their saddles hung five-meter-long lances. The leading knight carried a banner on his shoulder, which fluttered in the wind as the warhorses ran.

The temporary market on the hillside was piled with various supplies, and at this time, more supplies were still arriving by cart, making the market bustling with activity. Some newly arrived merchants were unloading their goods from the wagons, while the assistants of the merchant caravans were leading the horses to the river for washing. Some assistants were setting up tents on the grassy slope.

Some merchants were choosing temporary residence locations and began to interact with other merchants to understand the market conditions.

The open-air tavern, originally at the end of the market, was now surrounded by the successive arrival of merchant caravans, and had become the core area of the temporary market. The tavern not only served barley wine but also expanded its business to provide various meals for the nearby caravans.

The Battle of Moyun Ridge had not yet begun, but the forest camp was already filled with the tense atmosphere of a pre-battle. To compete for the market share of the spoils after victory, dozens of merchant caravans had flocked here, crowding the hillside along with the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment's caravans.

He Boqiang waded through the tall alfalfa grass, climbed a distant hillock, and, under the afterglow of the sunset, took in the bustling scene of the camp.

Four demon heads still hung from his waist, the vine having worn a green mark on his leather armor. His leather armor, soaked with sweat and dried by the scorching sun, now had a layer of salt crystals.

At this moment, he looked like a destitute wanderer, and if it weren't for the heavy Roman sword hanging from his waist, the passing soldiers might have driven him away.

The demon heads were wrapped in a layer of ash, making it hard to see their original appearance.

On the way from the hill to the temporary market, he had encountered at least three rounds of questioning by patrolling soldiers. Fortunately, the patrol duty in this area was handled by the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment, and even though many of the soldiers didn't recognize He Boqiang, many knew Suldak, which allowed him to pass through the three rounds of questioning smoothly.

He Boqiang did not go directly to the military camp to find Suldak, as the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment's camp was not easy to enter. Instead, he dragged his weary body back to the merchant Lakin.

The temporary market was still bustling at dusk, and the open-air tavern was packed with people. The smell of roasted meat and barley wine wafted far, making He Boqiang's empty stomach cramp. He licked his dry, cracked lips and walked back to Lakin's tent.

In front of the tent, the curly-haired boy Gabi had already packed up his stall and was squatting in front of the tent, counting the supplies. It seemed that another batch of goods had arrived from home, and Lakin would be busy for a while.

Seemingly sensing someone standing nearby, Lakin subconsciously looked up and, upon seeing the wild and disheveled He Boqiang, widened his eyes and exaggeratedly asked, "Heaven, Dake, what have you been through..."

Dake...

The long-lost voice made He Boqiang squint and smile foolishly at Lakin.

At this moment, Lakin quickly stood up, ignoring the counting of supplies, and said to the curly-haired boy Gabi,

"Take him to the river for a good wash... Oh, no! Ulysses, you lazybones, stop sleeping and get up quickly to fetch some water. Gabi, start a fire and boil some water. Dake needs a hot bath to relieve his fatigue."

Lakin shouted into the tent.

The muscular Ulysses, bare-chested with bulging muscles, ran out of the tent, still half-asleep, and without a word, picked up two large wooden buckets from beside the tent and ran to the river.

This big guy's job was to stand guard at night, so he usually slept in the tent during the day. Being able to sleep through the noisy market until this time was a testament to his sleeping skills.

However, Lakin was not wrong to scold him; he had clearly overslept today.

In contrast, the somewhat slender Gabi was much more agile. He was almost Lakin's little assistant, and despite his young age, he could help Lakin in many ways.

At this moment, Gabi went without a word to start a fire and boil water.

Lakin walked to He Boqiang's side. Although He Boqiang's wounds had been properly treated, the holes in his leather armor, the bloodstains on the bandages around his shoulder, arm, and chest, all testified to his injuries.

"My God, you're injured...!" Lakin's voice was full of concern as he helped He Boqiang take off his belongings and said, "Suldak has been talking about you a lot recently. He wanted to find you, but the 57th Regiment's situation has changed, and he hasn't been able to get away."

Seeing the Roman sword with a slightly curled blade, Lakin's mouth formed an 'O' shape.

Then he said, "He told me you went into the mountains. You're a real daredevil."

He Boqiang untied the vine from his waist, letting the four demon heads roll onto the grass.

They felt like coconuts falling from a coconut tree, and Lakin glanced at them casually.

Then his eyes were deeply attracted to the dirty, rotten coconuts on the ground, and for a moment, he was too excited to speak.

Lakin's tongue stumbled as he stammered, "This... I... By the Goddess of Liberty, you... you... I'll go get some boxes, these things need to be properly stored. You actually carried them like this, hanging them behind your back?"

His expression was like he was looking at a fool, and he lowered his voice to He Boqiang,

"You're lucky. If you did this in the wild, 'death' would be your only fate."

Lakin said seriously to He Boqiang in a low voice,

"Whether it's slave hunters... adventure groups... or those patrol teams, anyone who sees you traveling alone through the Gandar Mountains with these valuable items would not hesitate to attack you..."

"..."

He Boqiang looked at Lakin speechlessly.

Lakin stared at He Boqiang and said earnestly, "You don't believe me? Hey... this world is far from as beautiful as you think."

In fact, apart from the endless planar war, He Boqiang had always thought the world was incredibly beautiful.

Whether it was Suldak, the other warm-hearted warriors of the Second Squad, or the merchants Lakin, Gabi, and Ulysses, everyone was very kind, which made He Boqiang believe this might be a fine quality of the people of the Green Empire.

He didn't expect Lakin to be much more pessimistic.

After saying so much, Lakin finally realized that He Boqiang was carrying demon heads.

Since Dake could defeat demons, Lakin's eyes showed a hint of reverence as he asked He Boqiang,

"Speaking of which... how did you get these things? Could you be a hidden demon hunter?"