"Alex you don't have to say anything now. You can choose your own future and choose the person you want to be standing beside you at that time, it doesn't matter how many. I just feel that Anna can have a place with you in that future." Donald turned his head up to look at the moon.
"Uncle Donald you got too emotional, anyway is that your permission to start pursuing your daughter openly. Maybe I should start flirting with her from tomorrow on wards." Alex said trying to lighten up the mood.
"Hahaha now, now don't get ahead of yourself if you do that then I will also start beating your ass from tomorrow" Donald didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his words.
"If Anna wants to have her future with me than it will be my honor. I will protect her till the end whether she wants to be with me or not. That's my promise." Alex said seriously.
Donald smiled "I will take your word then. Hah, it feels good to have talked it out with you. But look's like we have to stay hidden for a long time in this forest after what had happened today."
"We don't have to stay hidden for long, trust me we will go out with a bang." Alex said as he smirked.
…
Morning quickly came; Fitch and Grady started looking for that hill. It took one hour but they finally found it.
It was very difficult to notice that lump of land behind those big mangroves.
Before crossing the swampy area, they had to find if there are any Demon Beast roaming near this area.
Fitch and Grady volunteered to go first and check if it is safe. Alex stopped them and said he will do it in a safe way.
Alex tied a rope behind his arrow and fired a shot just like he had done before with the wooden raft.
This time his aim was a trunk of a big mangrove tree. The arrow penetrated deep into that trunk. Alex is now freely using his low grade crescent bow, last night people noticed him using that bow. It did turn some eyes but no one tried to do anything. Of course he doesn't make it vanish in front of them.
Alex tied the other end of the rope to the mast of the ship.
After that he took an axe with him. Than with his hands and legs, he reached another end of the rope without placing his legs on the ground.
People were curiously watching this scene. Alex strongly gripped his axe and started to clear the branches of the mangrove tree that came in between the next mangrove tree he will jump on. Also he had to stay alert for any demon beast that might have these mangrove trees as shelter.
It took two hours but Alex cleared a way through the mangrove tree to the base of that hill where hard ground started. Cultivators could also do same thing as Alex, jump from tree to tree to reach the hill. But they also had common people with them which consisted of old, young and women and had to think about them too.
Alex called for some guys to come to him just like he did.
After that Alex told some of them form a group and scout out all the area behind the hill. He then told the remaining guys to help him in making a wooden path that can reach from the base of the hill and straight to the ship.
This wooden platform does not have much technical content. They just needed to cut trees long enough to reach the ship. It was not hard to find such trees, in half an hour they had already cut down 4 trees.
They placed two tree trunks side by side and another two trees on the other end. Alex used the strong roots of the mangrove trees hanging from their branches as rope. He tied the tree trunks with the mangroves so that they don't sink into the swamp because of the weight of the people.
That way one by one people crossed the swamp easily with their luggage.
The ships were then tied to the mangrove tree and left alone. They didn't have to worry because no one comes this way normally.
Everyone have to thank Fitch and Grady because the place they found was very good. It had a large flat area which was dry. The soil was fertile so they can even plant some vegetables to get fresh food. Drinking water was never a problem on this island because of many lakes distributed all over the forest.
This area was surrounded by continuous hill that worked as natural barrier. The fourth side that was on the west side had another natural barrier that was the swamp which worked as a moat to keep most of the heavy Demon Beast Out.
There were plenty of trees here so everyone started to cut them down and make some simple shelter.
The area had already been scouted. Other than some normal snakes and insects there was nothing else here that could be considered dangerous.
Donald had brought salt with him which was enough for 200 people to use it for 2 to 3 months. It took them a whole day to build a sturdy shelter for every family. At night they had a grand feast as celebration in forming the new mercenary group.
The structure of the mercenary group had already been decided before. The name has not been decided yet so everyone started to discuss about it between them. The name which Hank suggested was finally selected. From today onward their group would be know as <<The Blazing Sun>> Mercenary group.
…
The Lord of the Jordan Family, Cole Jordan, became very angry when he heard the news about what had happened in the Pearl Village.
Slap!
Gareth who was standing in front of his father with a bandaged shoulder was slapped hard on his
left chick.
"I told you to do one thing, Gareth, one thing!! Even that you couldn't do. Because of you, all of the aristocrats are laughing at us. You know what they are saying. They say that we can't even deal with some commoners. How are we going to fight in a war. The Jordan Family name was disgraced because of you...huh...go get out of my sight. " Cole Jordan was very angry not because his son was injured but because his family name was shamed. The other thing that made him mad was that some lowly commoners could even dare to offend his family like this.
The subordinates of the Jordan family were ordered to find Donald and the villagers that escaped with him. They were sent to every village to find their trace. Some were even sent into the forest but Cole Jordan was not optimistic in finding them there because it was too dangerous for normal people to go and live there.
After not hearing a thing about those villagers for three days, Cole Jordan suspected that they might have escaped to the territories of other city lords.
Since they also had some ships with them, it was possible for them circle around and go there or maybe they had gone to the small islands near them but this was much more difficult as the small ships on which they escaped were not able to cross such distance.
He never suspected them going eastward with their ships because there was not even a single landing point there that he knew off. Even if they do go there, they won't be able to live there for a long time.
Anyway, Cole Jordan didn't have so much time to waste on them as the war was still going on and he now had to help the City Lord so that he can defend his new gained territory As for the offenders he just gave a bounty reward on their whereabouts' and also on catching them alive or dead. Anyway, they won't be able run away for a long time.