Scattered on the ground were several small packages, including iron cans of potato flour and oatmeal, leather-wrapped dried beef, and flattened white bread—mostly foods that were convenient for long journeys.
In addition, there were small boxes of pepper, rosemary, curry powder, and fine salt. It was clear that the owner of these goods was a gourmet who wouldn't skimp on his meals.
These items were purchased by the lord's servant on Barrett's behalf. Even though he and EeDeChi were regarded by the local people as "invincible warriors," the two still paid with gold coins.
Barrett tied these large and small packages together with twine, dividing them into two large backpacks about half the height of a person. He and EeDeChi each took one, preparing to leave Lord Martin Smith's castle and head south.
Although they both had spatial rings, they still had to disguise themselves as "ordinary travelers." As soon as they reached a secluded corner, they would store the two large bundles into their spatial rings.
EeDeChi also carried a small gray cloth bag, which seemed heavy, as though it contained an oval-shaped ball. If someone stared at this bag for a long time, they would notice it shaking slightly, as though there were something alive inside.
Inside, of course, was Cheeko. EeDeChi and Barrett had promised to take it along on their journey. With a cute cat to pet now and then, it would surely help relieve the exhaustion of the long trip.
"Warriors, thank you for everything you've done for the people of this land." Martin Smith shook his chin beard and looked away from the gray cloth bag on EeDeChi's back, his face expressionless.
He turned to Barrett and said, "Could you please tell me your true names? If your deeds are passed down among the people, they will want to know who it was that helped them."
True names? Barrett furrowed his brows. During this time, the lord and the people around them had always called them "warriors" and never used their actual names. Barrett spoke up, "My name is Mongo Bartley."
He pointed to EeDeChi, whose face was mostly covered by a scarf: "His name is Samus Clifford."
Martin turned his gaze to EeDeChi and let out a soft sigh. "A warrior worth ten thousand gold coins, yet why are you helping such an evil cat?"
"Did you recognize me?" EeDeChi's eyes widened in shock, her hand instinctively clutching the bag around her waist that contained Cheeko.
Martin smiled. "Just dyed your hair, and you're bold enough to watch your own wanted poster with the onlookers. I have to say, a strong person's courage and strength always go hand in hand, breaking through the sky without limit."
EeDeChi stared at him coldly. "Do you want ten thousand gold coins too? Let me give you a piece of advice—no matter how much money you have, if you don't live to enjoy it, it's nothing but a pile of worthless dirt."
Barrett gripped the hilt of his sword and threatened in a low voice, "We've been fighting with the Sorcerer Kingdom for so long, and we're not some benevolent, soft-hearted good guys. I wonder if your wife and daughter's lives are worth more than ten thousand gold coins?"
The three of them were in the castle's main hall, just after noon, with not many people around. This tense conversation was only audible between the three of them.
"Alright, alright," Martin Smith said, smiling and waving his hands. "Calm down, both of you. Ten thousand gold coins is indeed a large sum, but as a lord, I'm not short on money."
It was hard to tell if his display of generosity was genuine. EeDeChi signaled for Barrett to sheathe his sword, which was still half-drawn, its cold gleam still visible. After all, they couldn't really threaten to kill the lord's entire family.
A servant hurriedly ran into the hall, not noticing the serious and cold expressions on EeDeChi and Barrett's faces. He spoke to the lord, "My lord, the Black Rider Spirits are here again. They're here to inquire about the Stone Giant incident from yesterday."
"Uninvited guests, one after another," Martin shook his head and walked out of the hall with the servant.
EeDeChi and Barrett exchanged a glance. They stopped pretending to be "ordinary travelers," stowing their large bundles into their spatial rings and heading directly out of the castle.
As soon as they reached the castle ramparts, they saw Martin Smith standing outside the gates, talking to two men dressed in black riding black horses.
At first glance, the two men in black didn't seem suspicious, but Barrett quickly noticed something strange. On the necks of the black horses were black holes, revealing stark white bones. The black-robed men wore hoods that covered their faces, leaving only hollow, sunken eye sockets, glowing with eerie blue light.
Dead men riding dead horses. The worst part was that on the chests of the black-robed men, purple thread was embroidered with the Sorcerer Kingdom's insignia. This could only mean one thing—scouts from the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
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"Prepare for battle!" EeDeChi hid behind the wall, ready to draw her giant sword at any moment. She inadvertently noticed the lord's second daughter hiding behind a stone pillar, curiously watching her father interact with the black-robed men.
The black-robed men turned their horses and slowly rode away, seemingly unaware of anything. Martin Smith walked back to the castle and caught sight of EeDeChi's hostile expression. He shrugged calmly, "Ten thousand gold coins slipped right through my fingers."
"You didn't report us?" EeDeChi stared at the shrewd middle-aged man. It was he who had initially tried to use EeDeChi and Barrett's power to eliminate what he saw as the "evil cat" Cheeko.
Martin smiled and greeted the girl hiding behind the pillar, his voice suddenly tinged with sorrow:
"I have three children. My youngest daughter died from a bizarre illness called 'Death's Kiss,' and my eldest son sacrificed his life on the battlefield against the Sorcerer Kingdom. You've probably heard about it—the war, years ago, when Ainz Ooal Gown used earth-shaking magic to massacre over a hundred thousand of our soldiers.
"Though on the battlefield everyone meets their fate, I still feel a deep anger. But I'm just an ordinary lord with no strength to seek revenge.
"And now, with my help, those that the Sorcerer Kingdom was relentlessly hunting slipped right under their noses. This is probably the one thing that could keep me happy for a lifetime—no amount of gold can ever buy it!"
Martin Smith flashed an infectious grin as his second daughter ran across the cobblestone path, eagerly asking what it felt like to speak with the Dark Undead Knights. EeDeChi suddenly realized that this seemingly unremarkable father possessed a warm and radiant smile.
Martin took a parchment scroll from his chest and handed it to EeDeChi. "The king has issued a command for all armies to cooperate with the Sorcerer Kingdom in tracking your whereabouts. This scroll contains the defense maps of my territory and the surrounding regions' military positions. Maybe it'll be useful to you."
EeDeChi silently took the scroll. The two of them thanked Lord Martin Smith and mounted the highland brown horses they had purchased from nearby villagers. The horses' hooves clattered over the cobblestone road in front of the castle as they gradually rode farther away...
...
Midwinter had passed, and the snow had melted, but the weather had become even colder.
The sky was a vast, pale gray, and a wide, winding river stretched into the distance. Along the riverbank stood a towering, swaying suspension bridge, with several guards on top of a high tower, constantly scanning the area below.
With the defense map of the garrison given by the lord, Barrett and EeDeChi no longer had to choose muddy mountain paths to avoid detection. They quickly arrived at the Mirelle River in Cortshire. After some careful planning, they decided the best route was to follow the river downstream. It would save them energy and help them avoid patrols by the local militia.
However, they didn't have a boat. But that was no obstacle for the resourceful adventurers. EeDeChi and Barrett started chopping wood in the forest by the river. They combined logs and thick planks, bundled them with coarse hemp ropes, and applied a magical adhesive. Soon, a makeshift, rough boat was ready.
As night fell and the sky darkened, the two adventurers quickly ate dinner, then carried the small boat and pushed it into the river. The narrow boat was just big enough for them to lie side by side.
As the night grew deeper, everything fell silent. The twinkling stars gradually appeared in the sky, shining brightly, like scattered gold flakes on dark blue velvet.
The plump cat, Cheeko, lay on Barrett's chest. It looked up at the night sky, its round, bright black eyes reflecting the entire starry sky.
EeDeChi lay in the open boat, reaching out to count the stars, trying to find a constellation or two. Bored, she took out the Bronze Seal and began tossing it in her hand. The ancient brass seal flew toward the deep night before falling back into EeDeChi's palm.
"It's hard," EeDeChi sighed softly. She reflected on the events of the recent period. The goal of defeating the Great Tomb of Nazarick seemed far out of reach. To overcome the obstacles before them, they would need to grow stronger. But her strength was already at the peak of the world, and she didn't know how to become stronger.
The last of the Thirteen Heroes, Rigrit, had once told her that only by breaking through the world's ceiling could one surpass the level 100 barrier. "Breaking through the world's ceiling" was a concept that sounded absurd and mysterious, and to this day, EeDeChi hadn't figured out how to do it.
"I suggest you find a few strong teammates," Barrett said beside her. His broad hand stroked the cat on his chest, and Cheeko lazily squinted its eyes in contentment.
EeDeChi sighed deeply. "Teammates are hard to find. The people in this world are too weak. Those with near level 100 strength are rarer than fish in a desert."
She tossed the Bronze Seal high into the air, and suddenly the boat beneath them shook for a moment, shifting its position. The Bronze Seal fell into the river.
Barrett looked up and breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out the boat had just hit a small rock, but there was no serious damage.
"My Bronze Seal!" EeDeChi couldn't stay calm. She quickly stood up and dove into the river. Within moments, she grabbed the seal and climbed back into the boat, her clothes dripping wet.
EeDeChi valued the Bronze Seal far more than her own clothes. It was her exclusive magical item. She took out a white handkerchief from her spatial ring and wiped the seal clean, drying off the water stains.
Suddenly, the Bronze Seal burst into bright golden light. The golden radiance detached from the seal and formed a line of text, which appeared in the dark night:
[Hero's Companion:
[ When the holder is in adversity, a banned character can be summoned to assist in battle.
[ Would you like to summon?]
EeDeChi stared at the string of characters, her gaze lingering on the words "banned character" for a long time. She had a vague premonition that if she summoned it, something significant would happen.
"Is our teammate here already?" Barrett exclaimed. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and summon!"
EeDeChi gritted her teeth and silently murmured, "Yes, summon."
The golden text vanished like smoke, and everything around them returned to silence. The only sound was the steady dripping of water from EeDeChi's wet clothes onto the floor of the boat.
"That's it?" Barrett looked around, the night darkening as the small boat slowly drifted downstream, moving as though it were gliding on ice. "So... nothing? I thought there would be a beam of light from the sky and a powerful warrior would appear."
EeDeChi was also a bit disappointed. Suddenly, the golden text reappeared:
[Recruitment Event:
[ Please, holder, post a recruitment ad to start the event.
[Even those with conflicting ideals should join hands and move forward together.
[Good luck.]