Novel Full Chapter 357 - Port Town
After one week, they reached the port town, and once again, Zaos and Aleni found a place bustling with soldiers. It wasn't weird, but… Zaos had never seen so many soldiers being mobilized. He was starting to think that the king was arming even citizens to make Zaos nervous. Naturally, Zaos didn't approach the port town on the wagon. He had stationed the vehicle a few miles away and came to check things by foot at night.
"It seems things will be difficult here as well," Zaos rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"If you have someone to contact, I can find them easily," Aleni said.
"The smuggler said that I can send a message to him via one of the taverns of the town, but I won't take the chances of using a middleman, at least not here," Zaos said. "Can you check things there for a while? We will bribe some shady captain or invade and remain hidden for a while and then force the members of any crew to take us to where we want."
"That will lead to some obvious trails," Aleni said.
"I know. That is why plan B," Zaos said. "We can't risk staying here for too long, after all. We have some valuable magic weapons here, so it should be enough to bribe any greedy merchant. Only the most influential individuals of this country would know the existence of these weapons, so it should be fine to trade them."
Aleni nodded and then moved to scout the port town. Truth to be told, he really didn't want to put plan B in action. He would have to abandon Moody, after all. While he was a troublesome horse, it was one that helped him quite a bit. Loyalty could only be paid with loyalty… it was weird to be loyal to a horse, though.
While they had some stock of food and milk for Milliendra, Zaos knew that he should feed a newborn baby with fresh milk. So, they needed to plan, and if they succeeded, then they would have the chance to buy some goats to travel with them. It would be the only way to find fresh milk while they are on a ship.
"The life on the battlefield suddenly feels so simple…" Zaos sighed and then smiled.
Doing the job of a parent was anything but easy… fortunately, Aleni returned after only two days, and that apparently was the sign of some good news.
"I found one who is willing to smuggle us," Aleni said. "However, since he isn't from here, he won't be able to help us enter the town."
"How trustworthy is he?" Zaos asked.
"Trustworthy enough for him to be trash-talking about Vezar and Sairus kingdom while drinking," Aleni replied. "Apparently, he was someone who made a lot of money working for the man you defeated four years ago in the ocean."
"Who defeated him was Ameria, but I get your point…" Zaos said. "When is he going to leave?"
"Tomorrow night," Aleni replied.
Aleni returned at night, so they had some time yet. Aleni could sneak in the port town with Milliendra while using her weird abilities, and then Zaos would be able to pass the port town's entrance… unless… he finds Erean. He recalled that he had become a lord in this region, but he still was on active duty.
There isn't a single boat big enough to fit two adults and a horse that they could steal from a nearby village and then meet the smuggler ship beyond the port. Not to mention, that wouldn't give them the chance to buy the goats.
"All right… Before sunrise, you will enter the city with Milliendra. I will enter the town as soon as possible with the wagon and the horses," Zaos said. "If you have the chance, you should enter the ship and wait for me inside it."
"I can't… I can't look after Milliendra properly," Aleni hesitated. "What if she suddenly began to cry?"
"You will have to calm her down. We don't have any other choice here," Zaos said. "We will need to buy several things from this trip, and I won't be able to do that if I have to fight all the guards in the place. While I wouldn't say that this is exactly impossible, remember that our goal here is to help Milliendra protect and raise her in a good environment. If one day she discovers that we had to kill hundreds of people for that, it will all be for naught."
While that made sense, Aleni still seemed pretty nervous, and that was a first. It was probably because she saw herself as unworthy of looking after Milliendra or even touching her due to her profession. Zaos could understand that since he had killed hundreds of enemies… even if he had only killed the people who pointed their weapons at him first.
Before sunrise, Aleni took Milliendra to the port town as planned, and then Zaos also began to move with the wagon and the horses. Although he had good eyes, Zaos couldn't possibly identify all the guards from a distance. Still, he had learned Appraisal over the last week since he used all his free time to avoid unpleasant surprises. So, he could identify them from a distance. As expected… he was there.
Erean
Health: 1440/1440
Mana: 220/220
Stamina: 2850/2850
Strength: 720
Magic: 110
Endurance: 1425
Resistance: 110
Focus: 01
Magic Resistance Lv 16, Swordsmanship Lv 45, Axemanship Lv 26, Spearmanship Lv 27, Archery Lv 19, Martial Arts Lv 14, Shield Mastery Lv 26, Pain Resistance Lv 47, Poison Resistance Lv 15,
Erean was a bit more round than Zaos remembered, but if Appraisal showed that name, then it was really him. Zaos clicked his tongue in annoyance since he was probably the commander of that operation in the port town.. Things had really taken a complicated course, and Zaos had no idea how to pass the gate without being recognized by him.