The First Order

Translator: Legge

On the first night after the trade caravan set off from York County, the vice president of the York County Chamber of Commerce, who was in charge of the entire expedition, organized everyone to set up camp.

Ren Xiaosu realized these people were quite particular when it came to setting up camp. The horse-drawn carriages were parked in a circle around the campsite, and they even used suitcases as wheel chocks for them.

In just a short while, a variety of horse-drawn carriages were placed on the perimeter of the camp, forming a wall.

"How professional," Ren Xiaosu praised, standing next to Melgor. "What does that vice president do? Why is he so professional?"

In Ren Xiaosu's opinion, it would be very difficult for bandits to charge into the camp with a wall like this. This was especially true as Ren Xiaosu saw that the Chamber of Commerce's members were armed with bows. In a civilian population that could not arm themselves with firearms and explosives,

they would have no problem fending off four or five times the number of enemies.

"The vice president is a retired veteran who used to hold quite a high rank in the royal army." Melgor explained, "Actually, he has no knowledge in business. The reason why the Chamber of Commerce gave him the position of vice president and offered him a large salary was because they valued his ability

in organizing such trade expeditions. He's the person who leads basically all of the large trade caravans in York County."

"That's why he's not in charge of business discussions and just needs to lead the trade caravan's guards?" Ren Xiaosu nodded and said, "No wonder he doesn't look like a businessman. A vice president of the Chamber of Commerce who's always carrying a bow on his back and has a broadsword on his hip is

a really weird sight. Let's put it this way. Look at the surrounding horse-drawn carriages. The alternating short and tall horse-carriages are well-spaced. The guards in his trade caravan all look energetic and never relax while they're standing guard. This shows that that person is really good at leading

troops into battle."

"Sir, you flatter me."

'As Ren Xiaosu was praising the vice president, a nearby voice suddenly thanked him.

Melgor turned around and was surprised to see Qian Weining, the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, standing next to them.

Ren Xiaosu asked, "Is the route to Ghent City so fraught with danger? You hafta be this cautious?"

"Sir, aren't you also from the Kingdom of Sorcerers? Why would you ask such a question?" Qian Weining smiled. "There's a dozen mountain ranges controlled by bandits along the way to the north. Moreover, this estimate was from four months ago. Now that four months have passed, there might be even

more of them. I don't know why, but they seem to be suddenly increasing in numbers."

"Does no one do anything about it?" Ren Xiaosu asked.

"Those bandits are all seasoned veterans. Unless the lord sorcerers personally take care of them, no one can stop them. But the lord sorcerers… haha, Lord Melgor, I'm not criticizing you. I know you. You're a good person," Qian Weining said.

'With that, Ren Xiaosu understood the nation of sorcerers was on the verge of collapse. Coupled with the drought last year, all of the residents were unable to pay their taxes.

Right now, they only had two choices left. They could occupy a mountain and reign over the surroundings, and even if they were surrounded later, they could still live happily for a while. Otherwise, they could just go to prison and suffer for not paying their taxes.

Qian Weining said, "But Lord Melgor, don't worry. With you leading the trade caravan, everything will definitely be fine."

Melgor smiled and said, "Mhm, if the bandits really attack, I'll take care of them."

Ren Xiaosu thought to himself that the people in the Kingdom of Sorcerers had really praised the sorcerers to high heaven. Melgor was acting as though he did not know what he was truly capable of.

With Melgor's Wind Bind and Earth Bind spells, he could at most control four or five bandits if they came. If several hundred of them were to charge together, he would still get hacked to death, even though he was a sorcerer.

At this moment, dozens of campfires had been lit. Hundreds of people were around their own campfires, and some of the youth were even singing and dancing.

The women held up their fluffy skirts and linked arms with the men as they danced a dance Ren Xiaosu had never seen before.

Qian Weining had someone bring over the food that had been prepared. Ren Xiaosu looked around as he ate. He was surprised to find that the middle-aged woman he had encountered earlier in the day did not seem to have gotten out of her carriage and had remained inside.

He looked over to the carriage and saw the window curtain had been lifted a little. It looked like someone was secretly sizing him up from behind it.

When Ren Xiaosu looked over, whoever was behind the curtain quickly lowered it.

In the carriage, the young sorceress lowered her voice and said, "Aunt, that guy seems to have noticed me."

'The woman said, "Were you spying on him?"

"Mhm." The sorceress muttered, "I wanted to watch him, but when his gaze swept over, I felt like I was spotted."

'The woman thought for a moment and pulled open the curtain. She smiled at Ren Xiaosu and waved at him. It even seemed like she was inviting him into the carriage.

Immediately, Ren Xiaosu shifted his gaze away.

'The middle-aged woman said to the young sorceress, "He's more than meets the eye. We can't be sure if he's already started to suspect us, so you should stop spying on him."

"OK," An'an answered.

In the dead of the night, the sound of horses trotting suddenly came from outside the perimeter of carriages.

A lot of people were jolted awake. Before they could figure out what was going on, they heard a whooshing sound above them. Then a fletched arrow landed in the middle of the camp.

Someone screamed, "Bandits! Bandits!"

Qian Weining, who was sleeping, jumped off the ground and shouted at the trade caravan's guards, "Follow me!"

'The bandits were approaching from the east, which happened to be where Ren Xiaosu, Melgor, and the sheeple were at. They watched Qian Weining quickly assemble his men and use the carriage windows as battlements to fire back.

Melgor was a little flustered. Although he was a sorcerer, he had never experienced a battle like this before. One after another, arrows kept flying in, but it was impossible to get a clear sight of them in the dark.

Everyone looked for cover to hide behind while Ren Xiaosu grabbed Melgor and quickly moved off from where they were.

During this time, Melgor was a little surprised to discover that when arrows flew over on two occasions and should have hit them based on their trajectory, Ren Xiaosu seemed to have unintentionally dodged them each time.

Although they looked a little pathetic while running away, it didn't really matter as long as they were still alive.

Melgor did not know that someone was secretly watching everything from the window of a carriage in the distance.

Although her aunt had instructed her not to spy on Ren Xiaosu anymore, An'an could not help but look at where he was the moment the bandits arrived. She wanted to see how he would deal with them. Perhaps she could find out more about him during the chaos.

However, Ren Xiaosu's reaction disappointed her.

An'an muttered, "Why'd he just run the moment the bandits showed up?"

Her aunt glanced at her. "This is what a smart person does. If you encounter a hail of arrows in the future, remember to find a spot to hide.."