Chapter 44 16. Beautiful scenery of Red Poison River
The team had not walked far when they saw Druzy, dressed as a waiter of the Thorn family, waiting for Water on the side of the road.
Ryan looked at Walter and said jokingly, "Your waiter."
"Ryan, go and take a look. Be careful."
Ryan flipped over and jumped off the cold lizard, holding the hilt of his sword with his left hand, and walked over cautiously. The waiter respectfully handed him a gold velvet bag. Ryan directly drew out the noble curved sword and stuck it on the rope of the bag, saying, "You can go now!"
Darkus nodded at Ryan and said, "Did you see that? Learn from this. This was probably sent by your good brothers."
Ryan walked back, pulled out the serrated dagger hanging on his boot, cut the edge of the velvet bag, and poured out the contents. There were no needles or blades, only a letter. Ryan took a pair of gloves from the bag next to the saddle, put them on, and carefully examined the envelope.
Alyssa also dismounted and leaned over to check whether there was any magic or poison in the letter.
Ryan said to Daquus with a serious expression, "Sir, it should be fine." Then he handed the envelope forward.
The envelope was made of fine material, with a beautiful wax seal bearing the Thorn Family emblem. Dacus opened the letter, glanced at it for a few seconds, then handed it to Walter and said with a frown, "I'm not feeling well right now. This is written to you by your good brother."
Walter opened the letter and took a few glances. The notes were scribbled and seemed to have just been written.
To my dear brother:
I wish you a happy and joyful life under the command of His Excellency Dacius Hellbane, and may you live a long and healthy life.
Give my regards to His Excellency Darkius Hellbane.
Your brother, Baisong Thornthorn.
There were only these two sentences in the letter. After reading it, Walter said, "Sir, this is written to me by my third brother." Then he folded the letter and put it in the bag next to the saddle.
"Well, that needs to be put away. What a wonderful souvenir. If I were you, I would frame it and put it in a prominent place."
Walter was stunned for a moment, then said: “Sir, you are right.”
After leaving the noble district, a team of city guards were waiting there. They led Daquus's team out of the city. The team shuttled through the winding and twisting streets. There were few pedestrians on the road and their footsteps were fast.
Early in the morning, the sounds of swords clashing and shouts of killing could be heard from the alleys next to the civilian streets. The gangs in the city began their morning exercises for the new day, while the marching city guards continued to move forward as if they were deaf.
Dacus observed the buildings on both sides of the road. There were no streetlights, only the dim candlelight shining through the small windows of the houses. He could faintly hear children crying, cursing, screaming, objects colliding, and groaning from inside.
"Holy shit! What a fucking place! The people are so simple and honest. If I were walking alone, I'd be stuck in a maze. Luckily, it was a corporate guy who started it all. If I were a street kid, I'd be dead by now."
Each major city in Duruchi has its own unique and often bizarre policies and laws. For example, Har Ganthi, the headquarters of the Cult of Khaine, boasts the best security. Murder, theft, and gang violence are considered crimes there, with the sole punishment being sacrifice to Khaine. This brings immense suffering to the Duruchi who reside there, who can only find inner joy through the Night of Death. Karonde Karr prohibits the hunting of harpies, while Hag Graves maintains a strange ritual. In the far south, Clar Karonde is open and free, allowing for anything to happen.
So what is the population of Duruchi?
There are two roads leading out of the Screaming Gate. One leads along the south bank of the Red Poison River to the farthest forest farm, which is Daquus's destination. The other leads to the Venom Glade, a small town full of military families or civilians fleeing city life. There are barracks and a distribution center for supplies, which are usually sent to the various forest farms.
The Red Poison River originates from deep in the Black Spine Mountains. The river is about 80 meters wide. The river flows through the Shadow Forest, passes through Clar Karond, and flows into the Sea of Evil. The river water is extremely turbid. The cold wind in the mountains whistles past, blowing Daquus' hair. Walking on the road along the river, you can even smell a faint smell of sulfur.
Every Tuesday is Wood Gathering Day. Soldiers would order slaves to pull carts to the river bank and push black pine logs into the river. The black pine logs would float along the Red Poison River to the shallows at the mouth of the river on the east bank of the city of Clarkalond, where slaves would pull the logs ashore. The dried logs would be made into various ships, crossbows and chariots, adding to Druzy's war machine.
Daxus admired the surrounding scenery. The black pine forests on both sides of the river that had been cut down for thousands of years had now become endless noble manors and plantations. The underground sea and the Sea of Malice connected to Hag Graef, Naggarond continuously provided food for the northern cities, and crops similar to winter wheat had been sown in the fields.
"The Volga barge haulers and the helots of the Southern Paradise."
The nobles rode on cold lizards and hung behind the team. Daxus nodded to Alyssa, and Alyssa took two animal trainers and rode on dark Pegasus into the air to begin reconnaissance.
“Walter, do your good brothers have a manor south of the Red Poison?”
"Sir, yes, it's eight kilometers outside the city. My second and third brothers have estates there."
Dacreus smiled sinisterly and asked, "Do you think we'll be ambushed?"
"Sir," said Franais calmly, "I don't think there will be an ambush. It's winter now, and the fields nearby are bare. Even if the ambushers were hiding behind haystacks and wood piles, they would be too conspicuous, unless they had dug hiding holes in the fields in advance."
Ryan added, "Could it be that a paddle boat sets out from the city, sailing upstream? And then the ambushers rush out from the manor?"
Daxus shook his head and said, "Unlikely. The risk is too high. Unless those ambitious families come together and go all in." He paused, stretched, and said, "I'm bored. Let's not talk about this anymore. I need to test my 'Hooked Claw Storm' now. You guys should stop controlling the mounts."
"Big guy, let's turn around."
The giant horned cold lizard under Daxus's crotch was smaller than the cold lizards next to it. The giant horned cold lizard let out a low cry, and the five powerful cold lizards turned around in an instant.
"Big guy, charge!"
The five cold lizards broke into a trot and gradually gained speed. After accelerating, Darkius slowed them down again. The large man turned his head and glanced at him, as if questioning him, but his speed gradually slowed down. He then tried a few more difficult tactical coordination moves.
The Takia brothers and Walter were used to it. Ryan even raised his hands exaggeratedly. Bainie asked curiously, "Sir, are you a tamer?"
Daxus laughed heartily. "I guess so."