Across a desolate field, on a dry dirt road, a merchant caravan was slowly making its way. Over a dozen wagons were protected by a contingent of several dozen mercenaries. Everyone chatted as they walked, their conversations hinting at a very profitable journey. Smiles were evident on many faces.
On the mountain behind them, a cavalry troop silently appeared. Their lances gleamed, their armor pristine, as they silently watched the merchant caravan ahead. They were clearly not ordinary bandits; they were a regular army.
A man with the bearing of a general turned his head to glance at the mage standing right beside him, and suddenly asked:
“Are you certain?”
“Absolutely!”
The mage nodded, pointing towards the caravan:
“The item is on someone in the caravan.”
The general drew the longsword from his hip and pointed it skyward. At his movement, all the cavalrymen held their breath, watching as the blade swept down, pointing towards the caravan:
“Kill!”
Boom.
As if ignited by an infernal flame, the cavalry troop surged forward. Hundreds of cavalrymen, with fierce momentum, began to charge towards the caravan.
Hearing the thunderous charge of the large cavalry unit from behind, the last few members of the caravan hadn't even had time to react to what was happening when the cavalrymen's sharp lances had already pierced through those at the very rear.
Seeing their comrades cut down, the mercenaries, with great courage, raised their weapons and began to confront the frenzied cavalrymen. Their eyes glowed red, as if they were not facing regular cavalry, but a rabble of bandits.
“Go!”
Someone suddenly shouted. Then, a figure, like a phantom, emerged from within the caravan, leaping directly onto what appeared to be the strongest horse in the caravan. The burly man's hands trembled as he pressed himself against the warhorse, launching it forward like an arrow.
Not far ahead, across the desolate field, lay the border of another Duchy. Once he crossed the border, the army behind him would be powerless to act against him, unless they wished to provoke a war.
However, even if they dared to provoke a war, as long as he produced the item on his person, the Duchy's army on this side would protect him like a king and escort him to safety.
Almost there! Almost there!
The national border was already in sight. The Duchy's army on the other side also saw him, a lone figure, strangely galloping across.
Whoosh.
His warhorse carried him across the Duchy's border. The cavalry troop behind him was still frantically charging in their direction.
“All that spice and magic core are the Duchy’s property!”
The burly man shouted loudly.
The army on this side seemed to have reacted in time, quickly forming a defensive formation to protect him.
If this man had declared that, it meant that much of the valuable cargo behind him belonged to this army. Or rather, it belonged to all the people currently before them.
“Halt! Do you wish to provoke a war?”
The leader of the receiving party shouted loudly towards the charging cavalry, as if trying to use the threat of war to make them stop.
“Hand over that man and the item on him. Otherwise, I will give you war right now!”
The general spoke without the slightest hesitation. The cavalrymen showed no intention of slowing down.
Just as the general spoke, a figure rose into the air.
“A mage!”
Seeing the cavalry charging wildly towards them and the figure in the air, the leading soldier cried out in terror, quickly abandoning his position. He was afraid of obstructing the cavalry’s path.
The soldiers behind him, seeing this, immediately scattered like birds, revealing the burly man behind them.
The burly man had initially believed himself safe. But now, seeing the scene unfold, he couldn’t help but roar:
“You fools! Do you know what I’m carrying?”
Unfortunately, he had barely uttered this sentence when he couldn’t speak the next.
Whoosh!
A sudden sound rang out. Immediately, the burly man felt only a slight, not very painful, prick in his body. However, the warhorse beneath him, in an instant, its legs buckled, and it slowly collapsed to the ground.
At this moment, the burly man suddenly felt an intense pain surge through his body. A bloodstain on his chest became increasingly clear.
When he realized this, he couldn’t help but cry out in fear. Then the sound was abruptly cut off. His upper body suddenly rolled off, blood spilling everywhere.
The mage’s figure suddenly appeared behind him, floating in the air. He looked at the man’s corpse, let out a cold snort, then bent down and began to carefully search his body.
A moment later, he pulled from the man’s leg a piece of animal hide that resembled a greave. Holding this piece of hide, the mage then retrieved an incomplete magic book from the man’s chest. He performed both actions very meticulously.
“Have you found it?” From behind came the sound of hooves and the general’s anxious voice.
“Found it! The second one!”
The mage raised the piece of hide and the book in his hands for the general to see. He clutched the hide and the book tightly in both hands, as if holding something precious and rare in the world. His fingers ceaselessly stroked the symbol on the book.
“There’s still one more piece. I’m afraid we won’t make it back in time.”
The general also stared intently at the symbol. His gaze was equally fervent, as if seeing countless gold coins and many beautiful women.
The general waved his hand:
“Retreat!”
The cavalry behind them formed an orderly marching formation and returned to the other side of the national border. Along the way, only a large pile of goods and a solitary corpse remained.
“Master, what do you say this symbol of Master Antonio ultimately means?”
The general and the mage spurred their horses, riding side by side. On horseback, the general couldn’t suppress his curiosity and carefully asked the mage.
“I don’t know.”
The mage replied concisely, bowing his head to look at the symbol for a moment:
“Perhaps it’s some strange magic pattern!”
The mage’s fingers stroked the symbol. It was a golden circle. Inside were many magic patterns, as the mage called them. Looking closely, it was actually a Chinese character, in standard script, perfectly neat.