Chapter 102: The Bandit Scourge
The Lost Plains, an important economic artery leading to the Demon Capital, Diya.
This place could be said to be one of the most guarded against places for all merchants.
The complex terrain had given rise to a group of bandits who specialized in robbery, and their numbers were not small. According to investigations, along this road, there were at least a dozen named bandit gangs, as well as a group of scattered bandits who considered themselves capable and would occasionally come to this road to make a score.
There were too many incidents on this road, and those who passed through were generally some well-known merchant caravans. One successful robbery could set them up for life, so cases were frequent. But because the merchants who passed through this road traveled in groups and hired enough mercenaries to protect the normal transportation of their caravans, there were not many major problems.
Under normal circumstances, with the protection of a reputable mercenary group, those unorganized bandit gangs would not dare to forcibly rob a merchant caravan. For this reason, many bandit gangs of average strength had been wiped out. Unless they were driven to a dead end, those small bandit gangs of a few dozen people would never dare to rush onto the blades of the mercenary groups.
At the request of passing merchants, the Turin Empire had once sent troops to encircle and suppress those unsightly bandit gangs. But in this plain and mountainous area, which was suitable for scattered actions, those guys were as smart as rabbits. Although their fighting skills were not good, their escaping skills were top-notch. Often, by the time the army found their lairs, the place was already empty. It was a wasted effort. During the bandit suppression operations, everyone seemed to have evaporated into thin air. But once the wind died down, they would be like new weeds on the plains, raising their flags again and gathering in groups.
The country’s army could not always take care of this place. Over time, they were left to their own devices. The merchants were also helpless. With the idea of spending money to avoid disaster, there were generally no incidents. Anyway, the wool comes from the sheep’s back. They could just raise the profit of the goods they sold later. Good things were never short of buyers.
At this moment, on the official road of the Lost Plains, a person was riding a white horse, heading forward, but his figure seemed so abrupt.
On this road, most of the passersby were merchant caravans in groups. Unless one had enough confidence in self-protection, few individuals dared to walk this trade route alone. At the very least, they would be robbed clean. In the worst case, they would be gang-raped and killed by some heavy-tasting bandits. Anyway, nothing was impossible.
The abruptness of this person was not only in his traveling alone, but what was even more surprising was that this person was dressed in almost luxurious attire…
A luxurious cloak made of gold-threaded silk, studded with jewels, sparkled in the sun. His whole body was covered in jewels, exuding an air of wealth. The most vulgar thing was that each of his ten fingers was covered with precious gemstone rings, two on each finger, as if he were afraid that others wouldn’t know how rich he was.
Which of the merchants who came to this road didn’t hide themselves deeply? The goods they transported were all wrapped up tightly. In this way, if they were really robbed, they wouldn’t be the first target.
But when a merchant caravan was robbed, it was rare for a large amount of goods to be robbed under the protection of mercenaries. But the protection of individuals was sometimes a bit insufficient. Smart robbers would take advantage of the chaos to specifically target some rich masters, grab some money, and then retreat. The success rate of this kind of situation was slightly higher.
If an experienced merchant saw this guy’s attire, he would definitely curse: This guy is asking to be robbed!
Or, this guy was definitely doing it on purpose!
As the plot would have it, after seeing this fat sheep, a group of bandits who had been hiding in the woods for a long time had their eyes light up. They roughly assessed the situation and began to eagerly prepare their brothers. When he entered the encirclement, with a command, the whole team suddenly let out a howl and rushed out like wild dogs, ready to rob the money-giver.
Was a tragedy about to happen?
Indeed, it was just that the target was a bit beyond the expectations of the group of bandits.
Just as several bandits were about to rush to the unlucky guy, suddenly, a sharp gust of wind blew out. A few streams of blood shot out, dyeing the ground red. A few guys didn’t even have time to scream before they fell heavily to the ground. The few small bandits who were rushing in front were immediately killed by a returning great axe.
At this, everyone was surprised to find that behind the fat sheep, a giant in steel armor on horseback had appeared out of thin air. The joints of the man’s body were covered with astonishing steel spikes, and the steel helmet had two ferocious giant horns. Put together, it exuded a soul-crushing aura.
The sudden change startled the group of bandits, and they were eager to escape.
But the giant in steel armor was relentless. After receiving the returning great axe, the steed he was riding was surprisingly fast. In the blink of an eye, it caught up to a few bandits.
With the swing of the axe, people fell. A series of screams. He was not at all ambiguous when it came to killing people. In addition, for the few guys who were farther away, the man in steel armor took out the javelins he had brought with him from his back and steadily pierced the few who were running away. This small bandit team of more than twenty people was wiped out in just a few exchanges.
Until all the bandits were killed, the man in steel armor slowly rode his mount to the front of the money-giver and said lightly, “Boss, how was the efficiency this time?”
“Not bad. Your movements are getting faster and faster.”
The money-giver smiled and took off the hood of his cloak. The face was none other than Chen Ran, who had been away from Xilan City for some time.
Feeling the blood essence from all directions converging into his body, he immediately felt comfortable.
Because these dead guys were all insignificant characters, they didn’t provide much blood essence to enhance his strength. But along the way, it had also raised Chen Ran’s level to 29.
The strategy was simple. Chen Ran, the money-giver, would lure them in front, and Johnson, who was armed to the teeth and had a Light and Shadow Art cast on him, would protect him from a short distance behind. Once any blind fellow came over, he would cut them down one by one, and Chen Ran would absorb the blood essence to enhance his strength.
Along the way, although they were still some distance from Diya City, the number of robberies they encountered was increasing. They had already experienced more than a dozen encounters before even entering the most dangerous area. Now, they were about to enter the most densely populated area of bandits, which was the area where the major large bandit gangs were stationed.
To increase efficiency, Chen Ran had made a set of spiked gladiator armor for Johnson, a set of good-grade (green) armor. The enchantments were all for increasing agility and speed attributes. The whole set was not bad. The gladiator’s great axe was even enchanted with the “Whirlwind” characteristic, achieving the effect of a long-range kill. It was a complete set of noob-abusing gear.
By killing insignificant small-timers along the way, the blood essence Chen Ran absorbed had also raised his level by nearly two. He estimated that if he found a few more ordinary bandit gangs and wiped them out, he could easily reach level 30, and then he would have a few more practical skills.
