Chapter 21: Arriving at Ellwich City

Ever since battling the four wolves, Tamara had seemed tense. She had not said a single word to Tyrak and only concentrated on guiding the horse forward. Their advancing speed had increased significantly due to her efforts, and they even managed to exit the forest within an hour.

They, at some point, joined the provincial road leading to Ellwich City. But even then, Tamara didn't slow down. Her expression was somber as she held the horse reins tightly with her slender hands. She was clearly running from something.

The horse seemed to feel her anxiety. It continued galloping forward on the provincial road. An hour later, they eventually reached a point where the carriages and pedestrians on the road grew in number. Only then did Tamara take a deep breath and slow down the horse.

"Since we are close to Ellwich City, we should be safe now," she spoke for the first time in hours. "Let's get off the horse and allow it to rest. We shall cover the remaining distance on foot. Ellwich City is only a mile away."

Tyrak nodded and jumped off the horse. Tamara did the same and started leading the horse by the reins as they advanced on foot toward the direction of Ellwich City.

Around them, many others were progressing in the same direction. In particular, a large man over seven feet tall caught Tyrak's attention. He was in full armor and walking just a few paces ahead. In his left hand was an enormous axe gleaming under the rays of the afternoon sun. As for his other hand, it was holding onto a large gunny sack thrown over his shoulder.

Tyrak's sharp nose could naturally catch the scent of raw beast meat emanating from the gunny sack. He immediately concluded that the giant man was most likely a warrior returning from a hunting expedition with a large haul.

Tyrak turned to the other sights around him. He spotted a few other men and women who were like the giant man. They were also in full armor and holding weapons like bows, swords, large sabers, and spears. As a finishing touch, they also carried gunny sacks of various sizes packed to the brim with their gains from their respective hunting trips.

"Everything is as I remembered..." Tyrak sighed and then took a good look at the carriages passing by. Most were horse-drawn, while a few relied on exotic beasts to pull them along. Tyrak was especially surprised by two grandiose carriages towed by ferocious tiger-like beasts the size of domestic cows. Wherever the carriages passed, even warriors would scramble out of the way in panic. Most likely, the occupants of the carriages were a privileged group within the Albrorian Empire.

"Why are you zoning out?" Tamara suddenly asked from the side. "Is it your first time in a city? Or is it your first time seeing carriages drawn by tamed wild beasts?"

"That's not it. I just recalled some things..." Tyrak shook his head and let his voice trail off while matching Tamara's step. He had spent the last seven years as a slave in the mines. As such, everything he saw was refreshing.

Whether it was the commoners in their casual shirts and baggy trousers, the warriors and rangers in their armor and combat pants, or the carriages of the privileged nobles and wealthy merchants, they all forced him to recall those dear memories he had buried so deep. At that moment, he reminisced about the time he spent walking the streets of Albroria, his birth city, with his parents. A powerful wave of sorrow assaulted his senses, and he repeatedly sighed, again and again, thinking how life in the Albrorian Empire had never changed, even after he wasted away his previous seven years as a slave in some mines.

"Are you really okay?" Tamara asked worriedly from the side.

"I'm okay..." Tyrak forced the sad thoughts concerning his parents to the back of his mind. He inclined his head and glanced at Tamara's pretty face. "Can you now tell me why we were rushing the entire way? Was it because of the blood wolves?"

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Tamara inclined her head and held his gaze for a moment. Then, she asked, "Do you know why they are called blood wolves?"

"Isn't it because of the blood-red shade on the fur around their necks?"

"That's not entirely true," Tamara said. "They are called blood wolves simply because of their abnormal behavior to seek revenge. They possess that peculiar trait of going far and beyond to repay debts of blood. That's why many refer to them as blood wolves."

"Oh!" Tyrak nodded. "Even if that's the case, we're still safe. It's good we left before the other blood wolves arrived. Otherwise, we would have been in deep shit."

"True!" Tamara agreed and lowered her voice. "But we still haven't escaped entirely. I'm an apprentice oracle. By now, you should already know that my senses towards impending danger are especially accurate."

Tyrak nodded.

Tamara sighed and continued, "All along the way, I sensed a dangerous entity chasing us from behind. That was why I was rushing to get to Ellwich City."

"Eh!" Tyrak's eyes narrowed. "How are the blood wolves able to chase us all the way here? We stored the carcasses in a spatial artifact and left immediately after the battle. Could it be that the wolves can innately use divination like you?"

Tamara chuckled, causing a few people to glance over. Some men watched her for a while longer, probably due to her incredible beauty. But they didn't do anything improper, especially since they were close to the gates of Ellwich City. They finally turned away reluctantly and continued progressing forward on the road.

"You're funny!" Tamara ignored all the gazes cast upon her and smiled at Tyrak. "How could wild beasts learn the sacred art of divination? If our matriarch heard you saying such a thing, she would feed you to wild pigs."

Tyrak shrugged. "I'm just wondering why they are able to track us for this long!"

"They do have a great sense of smell," Tamara answered. "Blood wolves can distinguish individuals even from the slightest residue of body scent. Moreover, they are relentless in their pursuit and can follow that scent for even hundreds of miles until they get revenge on their enemies. So, please avoid returning to the forest before you gain enough strength to take on a wolf pack led by a rank-1 savage beast. Those wolves should still be out there hunting for our scent."

"Oh! Okay. Don't worry. I won't return to the forest any time soon."

"Good!" Tamara nodded and suddenly seemed to recall something. "Do you have any gold coins on you, by the way?"

"Nope!" Tyrak replied. "But I'll obtain some when I finally sell all the beast carcasses in my storage ring."

Tyrak was really hopeful. Along the way, they slaughtered over thirty wild beasts. Although they were only weak rank-0 beasts according to the beast power ranking in Othea, they could still fetch a considerable sum of about sixty gold coins if sold to a suitable merchant.

"The beast corpses will get you gold coins," Tamara said. "However, you might need some money to spend before you manage to sell the carcasses. Let me get you some coins."

Without waiting for a response, Tamara shoved her hand into Tyrak's side pocket, and it suddenly bulged. She took away her hand and then smiled sweetly at him. "Don't worry about expenses. You can use those coins for the time being." She declared with an 'I'm a boss lady' expression.

Tyrak's eyes widened, and he felt for his pocket. He could discern that a bulging pouch filled with coins was in there. His fingers worked nimbly at its opening without taking it out. Seconds later, he managed to take out one of the coins. He stealthily brought the coin out of his pocket and exposed it under the sun. The golden rays reflecting off its surface caused his heart to skip a beat. He hurriedly shoved the coin back into his pocket before storing the entire pouch in his spatial ring.

He stared at Tamara for a while before eventually sighing and asking, "How much did you give me?"

"A couple of a thousand gold coins," Tamara replied quietly with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'm not quite sure about the exact amount."

"Damn!" Tyrak couldn't help but let out an expletive. "Why did you give me all that? I don't think I'll need it."

"That's where you are wrong," Tamara said. "You are not a commoner but a warrior. You'll need more resources than you can imagine. Just take the coins as a loan from me. You can repay me when you finally make it big."

Tyrak felt a warm feeling welling up like a rising tide in his chest. But he quickly forced it down and glanced at Tamara without a change of expression. "Thank you," he mumbled. "I'll surely repay you when I get the money."

"Please repeat that!" Tamara's stopped in her tracks and pretended to be surprised. "Did I hear incorrectly, or did you just thank me?"

Tyrak was annoyed by her response. He discarded the good feeling he had just developed for her and decided to ignore her completely. They continued progressing without conversing until they finally arrived near the gates of Ellwich City.