chapter 29

Alex, accompanied by the girls, followed Flema on foot to locate the merchant group. After 30 minutes, they noticed a merchant wagon with a horse hidden in the bushes at the side of the road, along with two mercenaries in the trees and a slave accompanying the merchant in the wagon.

"Pia, you go to the wagon. Ayelet, move closer to the mercenaries. When I shoot the first mercenary, both of you reveal yourselves and finish them off or distract them," Alex instructed quietly.

Taking cover, both girls approached their targets. After that, Alex fired an arrow and took down one of the mercenaries with a headshot.

The second mercenary jumped from the tree to take cover but was swiftly dispatched by Pia with a swift jab to the heart. At the same time, Ayelet revealed herself, although her task was difficult because the merchant and his slave were in the wagon, preventing her from attacking them directly.

Noticing her presence, the slave attacked Ayelet without command, causing the merchant to grow nervous upon hearing the shout from the second mercenary.

After finishing her target, Pia headed towards the wagon to assist Ayelet. She arrived within seconds, finding the slave injured from Ayelet's spear thrust. Pia joined her and finished off the slave. At the same time, Alex approached them.

"Why are you attacking us?" Merchant asked

"What were you doing hiding in the forest?" Alex

Hearing this, the merchant realized they were aware of their plans.

"Listen, spare me, and I will give you everything I have. If... if... if you kill me, my friends in town will avenge me," the merchant pleaded.

"And how will they know about me?" Alex asked, his tone firm.

The merchant fell silent, unable to provide an answer. Before he could fabricate a response, Alex swiftly ended the conversation by separating his head from his body.

"Good job, both of you. I am very pleased with your work. Tell me, if there's anything reasonable you want, I'll do my best to fulfill it," Alex said.

But all he received in response was a stare.

"You two don't believe me?"

"Master, you said anything, right?" Ayelet asked cautiously.

"Anything reasonable," Alex confirmed.

"Master, can we tell you later what we want?"

"It's okay. You two can ask for anything reasonable later. For now, Pia, get our cart and horse. Ayelet, gather any useful items with me."

Alex retrieved a storage ring with a 16-meter cubic space (4 meters from each side). Inside were some weapons, the armor of the slave who died fighting a salamander, some orange fruits the size of baby fists weighing around 5kg, and 30 silver coins. The slave had nothing else except his armor and the sword he was using.

Ayelet collected two storage pouches, along with weapons and armor from the two mercenaries.

In the wagon, they found ten bags of dried chilies. The horse was also of F rank. Alex then emptied all storage pouches into the storage ring, totaling 50 silver coins, weapons, and fruits in the storage ring, and transferred all the chilies into the storage pouches.

They waited for Pia, and once she arrived, they transferred their belongings and the horse into the wagon. They made some modifications to the wagon, removing the flags of the merchant union the deceased merchant belonged to.

They then proceeded towards town. They had no plans to rest because if anyone noticed them, their lives might be at risk. The next day, they arrived at Barter Town.

"Listen, both of you. When they ask us how we acquired this wagon, say that we exchanged our cart for it in the previous town. If they inquire about the extra horse, say that when purchasing the horse, I negotiated to include both the horse and the wagon together for 8 silver. We don't know that merchant," Alex instructed.

"But, Master, what if they ask about your ring?" Ayelet questioned.

"Don't worry. I'll hide it in the cart. They won't inspect the wagon thoroughly for no reason," Alex reassured her.

"But, Master, why not tell them everything? It was self-defense," Pia interjected.

"They won't harm us, but the merchant union he belonged to, along with his friends and relatives, might seek revenge. So, both of you stay calm, answer what you know, and if you don't know, say so. Understand?" Alex explained.

The guards at the gate stopped their wagon.

"Who and where are you from?" the guard asked, looking at Alex.

"Sir, I am Alex. Here are my documents. We are traveling to the capital to attend an exam," Alex replied, handing over his results, which carried more authenticity than other documents made in the village.

"Okay, come with me to fill out the details," the guard instructed.

Alex followed the soldier while another approached the girls.

"What is your name?"

"Sir, Alex."

"Age?"

"14."

"Where are you from?"

"A village near Vet Town."

"Are you carrying any weapons?"

"Yes, sir."

"Whose wagon is this?"

"It's mine."

"Who was in the wagon?"

"Slaves."

"Do you have any serious injuries?"

"No."

"Did your group lose anyone during travel?"

"No."

"Okay, Alex, why travel at night?"

"Sir, I was tired of eating monster meat prepared by them," Alex responded.

The soldiers only filled out the necessary details after the list of questions.

"Okay, you have to pay 7 coppers per person and 3 coppers for each slave," the guard informed Alex.

Alex paid the total amount and returned to the wagon, driving it inside the town.

"What did they ask?" Alex inquired, turning to Pia.

"Master, they asked for your name and details, about the horse, and about the items we are carrying. We told them we only knew about the weapons, and the rest we didn't know," Pia reported.

"They also asked about the previous town we visited and where you bought us. I told them the truth," Ayelet added.

"Okay, nicely done," Alex praised.

As the wagon approached the crowded area, Alex stopped it.

"Hey, brother, excuse me," Alex called to a random person, flashing two coppers in his hand.

"Yes?" the person responded, taking the coppers.

"Do you know of any place with good food at a reasonable price and a place to keep our wagon?" Alex inquired.

The young man pondered for a moment before responding, "If you want good food at a reasonable price, go left at the next corner. You'll see a decorated tree. Visit the inn next to it, and on the same street, you'll find a stable."

Satisfied with the directions, the person left.

"I asked the wrong person," Alex thought as he watched the person walk away.

"Master, why don't we inquire more?" Ayelet suggested.

"Hmm, let's first visit there and grab a bite. If we like the food, we'll stay," Alex decided.

"Okay, Master," Pia acknowledged.

Alex directed his wagon towards the street. He spotted a tall tree, three floors high, adorned with light stones. They first visited the stable, paid for the maintenance of the horse