Chapter 18

A few hours had passed as Remy kept walking. The scenery didn't change much since the road cut through the jungle. At this point, he was sick and tired of trees, vines, and any other related things.

Thankfully, nothing jumped on him again. He didn't know if he had the energy to deal with another crisis happening so soon. Not even a week had passed since he had been imprisoned inside the Nest and he somehow went through three life and death situations. Even more, if you count stealing the crate of potatoes and sneaking up on the troll.

Looking back, the first and foremost cause for his misery had been other people. He expected the criminals here to give him some amount of trouble, but he could not predict things going this far.

Fortunately, even after all this time walking, he has not met anyone, which was a bit strange as Remy believed this to be quite an important road in the Nest. After all, it linked the trade point and the camp. You'd think the place where so many goods and mithril were shuffled around would be better guarded or at least patrolled.

Maybe he was thinking too much, after all this was not the Empire and he doubted Xander had enough manpower to waste on these kinds of things. The goods themselves were much more important. His men probably stood close and moved along with them instead of just keeping the way secure.

Another hour had passed and Remy finally reached his destination. As the trees became scarce and the jungle opened up it gave way to a large open field with towering mountains in the distance that pierced the clouds.

A river with a large stone bridge ran before what Remy assumed to be Xander's camp. A great, delipidated fort that was surrounded by a solid palisade so tightly held together that almost nothing could be seen beyond it.

The way inside was a gate guarded by numerous men. Red flags with a single black "X" in the middle stood on either side of the entrance.

Remy took a few minutes to marvel at the fantastical scenery. He had seen far more impressive buildings and landscapes on Earth, but none had that "fantasy" feel to them.

When he looked past the novelty, the camp was not nearly as majestic as it seemed at first glance. If one word was used to describe it, it would be "improvised". The fort itself used to belong to the Empire, the station that garrisoned the local forces and housed the first generation of Nest convicts.

After twenty years people built around it, adding bits and pieces here and there until it became a large settlement.

Honestly, they did a decent job considering the lack of resources, even with the mithril trade. Outside the Nest, the patch-work fortifications might seem like a sad joke, but here? It was probably one of the safest places around.

'Well, relatively speaking.' Remy thought as he eyed the bodies in the distance.

Realizing he couldn't really avoid the people here unless he planned to live as a hermit, Remy let out a resigned sigh and walked towards the camp.

He hesitate a little when he was about to cross the bridge. It was probably sturdy, but it also looked old and without an ounce of maintenance. But if Xander trusted it enough to carry his mithril over it then Remy could trust it to take him to the other side.

The palisade was much larger than it appeared from a distance. At the very least, it had to be around fifty meters high with tree trunks as its main component.

The gate was opened and a few of Xander's men were loitering about. Some were strikers judging by their clothing while a few of them were part of the upper strata that Remy didn't know about.

Remy approached slowly, not making any sudden moves. Who knew what these people considered an aggressive action.

Fortunately, it seemed like he had been thinking too much. Everyone but the upper strata ignored him, while the first simply glanced at him before dismissing his existence entirely.

Remy took a bit more courage in that fact and continued to get closer to the camp's entrance. Still, even if everyone was ignoring him, he didn't have to guts to just casually stroll inside.

It was really strange, why isn't anyone questioning him? Weren't they supposed to be guarding the gate?

"Excuse me, um, sir?" He hesitantly asked the nearest man.

"What?" he lamely answered.

"This is Xander's camp, right? Can I just go in?"

The man looked confused for a few moments and then seemed to have realized something.

"Ah, you're a newbie aren't you? Here to join the camp or just passing by?" He asked

"I'd like to join preferably. I heard this is the best place for newcomers."

"You heard right, an extra pair of hands is always appreciated around here. Just go inside. Look for Vincent, he's the Taskmaster."

This was...surprisingly easy? Remy honestly didn't know what he expected, it was just less...violence than he thought he would find.

Was his perception spoiled by the earlier events? Were Xander's men tamer compared to the Seekers? Or was it because this was a place where some social rules had to be followed for things to work? Remy would personally bet on the last one since people couldn't live together if everyone gave in to their more criminal impulses.

He vaguely remembers some documentaries in his previous life about how some prisons had ridiculously stringent non-written rules. After some time a special code of conduct had formed between the inmates and if you wanted to stay in one piece you had to follow it religiously.

It appears something similar had happened inside the Nest.

The more he thought about it, the more Remy found it ironic.

Laws made and enforced by outlaws.

Is this what "extreme chaos eventually creates order" means?

"Any idea where I can find Vincent?" Remy casually asked the man.

"No." He answered before turning away making it clear that he said all he cared to say.

With a sigh, Remy left it at that and went inside the camp.