Chapter 50: Battle in the Wasteland 2

Actually, before leaving the castle, I had been stopped by Lord Schwartz. "I have a request for Lord Han." "If it's something I can do, anything at all." "I hear you are on close terms with Master Shenlong of Kitai. Is that true?" "Yes, that old man and I go way back." "Then after delaying the enemy, I would like you to go to Master Shenlong. I have a favor to ask of him." "You're asking that old man? He's incredibly greedy, so he'll overcharge you." "That's fine this time. It will be crucial for the next battle. Please." "I understand. As long as you pay him enough, I think he'll do anything." "We will pay plenty. I'm counting on you."

So that's why we're not returning to our country, but heading north toward Kitai instead. Well, the enemy probably wouldn't expect us to go north, so it's good for our escape too.

After riding north for several days, we came across a collection of enormous tents. These were the Kitai's paos. Since I've been here many times, everyone knows my face. "Han, it's been a while," a familiar man called out to me. "I have business with Shenlong. Where is he now?" "Oh, I think he's in that central pao over there." "Thanks." I headed toward the massive central pao. The man guarding the entrance was also familiar. "Han, have you been well?" he greeted me cheerfully. "Yeah, I've been fine. Is Shenlong here?" "He's inside. Master Shenlong, Han is here! Seems he has some business."

After calling inside, Shenlong himself came out. I've known this old man since I was a child. He's one of the many Hans of Kitai and leads one tribe. He was apparently good friends with my father, and he was quite fond of me when I was a child. He was already an old man when I first met him, and he's still the same old man now. I suspect he might have been born an old man.

"Johan, it's been a long time. Come in," Shenlong was unusually cheerful. I entered the pao. Inside was a nostalgic scene from my past.

"Johan, those potatoes and wheat you sent were remarkable. We harvested so much that we no longer need to buy food from others. Well, some say farming goes against our pride, and that if we need something, we should just take it from others. But increasingly, especially among women but some men too, people think it's better not to have any fighting. There's a growing opinion that skills should be honed through hunting rather than killing each other. Well, when bellies are full, extreme opinions tend to decrease."

"Recently, there's been a country invading the western nations, and the country we used to buy food from has changed. These new guys are no good—they jacked up the food prices, but thanks to those potatoes, we didn't need to buy from them."

"Then they suddenly attacked us, but we gave them a thorough beating." Shenlong laughed heartily. This old man is incredibly strong. I feel sorry for his opponents.

"That's good to hear. This time, I've brought a letter from Lord Schwartz." Shenlong's expression changed as he read the letter.

"So those fools have invaded?" "That appears to be the case." "You should have said that first! I'll teach those scum another lesson. This time, I'll help you at my asking price."

He's still going to charge us, after all.