Tang En felt utterly unlucky.
He was just an ordinary merchant, traveling between Yongye City and Hermes for a decent profit, selling Graycastle's furs and flannels to the church while bringing back amulets or statues soaked in holy water. The competition in this business was fierce, and it had taken him nearly a decade to gain a foothold in both places.
With some spare money in hand, he wanted to expand his business, so he bought a house with a warehouse on the outskirts of New Holy City to store goods. Just as he was about to make a big splash, he didn't expect the situation in the north to take a sharp turn for the worse. First, the new king of Graycastle had a fierce conflict with the church, causing the demand for religious items like amulets to plummet, forcing him to return empty-handed, losing about a fifth of his income.
But as long as the fur business could still be done, he wouldn't lose everything. Plus, due to the escalating conflict, fur prices had actually risen. At that time, he believed that the church would win sooner or later. As a regular at the Holy City, he naturally knew how strong the church's foundation was. A knight who could swagger around in the kingdom was probably no more than a strictly trained and cultivated Judgement Warrior in Hermes.
However, to his surprise, the church not only lost, but suffered a complete defeat. His business also came to a complete standstill, with prices reduced by 30% and no one asking about them. It wasn't until the Holy City's order collapsed and the inventory in his warehouse was looted that Tang En realized this place had become a dangerous zone.
Or rather, since hearing the news of the Great Cathedral collapsing overnight, he had a premonition of impending doom, but the bit of wishful thinking in his heart kept him from abandoning the family business he had painstakingly built up. The news of the Dawn Army appearing at the foot of Hermes Mountain was the last straw that broke the camel's back. The purpose of those people being here at this moment was almost self-evident – they were undoubtedly after the wealth accumulated by the church over hundreds of years. Once they were consumed by greed, let alone furs, he was afraid even his life would be lost here.
With a heavy heart, Tang En followed many merchants south. After days of hardship, he finally safely retreated to Graycastle. The warriors stationed at the border didn't make things difficult for them, merely questioned them briefly, and then took them to a special reception camp, informing them that the Duke of the Northern Region's convoy would take them back to the city in two days.
Tang En originally thought that this nightmare had finally come to an end. Although years of business had been reduced to nothing, at least he was still alive. He still had a house in Yongye City where he could find shelter, and his wife and children were still waiting for him, unlike his old rival, "Miser" Sokas, who died on the road while fleeing. Thinking of this, he felt a little better.
But in less than a day, this sense of security vanished without a trace. Two warriors of the new king found him and took him out of the camp. He tried to slip them a few silver wolves, wanting to find out what it was all about, but was refused.
Could it be that they wanted to skim off the top?
Tang En couldn't help but cover his money bag, which was his last property. If it was robbed, he really wouldn't be able to survive.
But if he didn't give it, he didn't have the courage. The fierce army that could defeat the church was definitely not something he could refuse. If he angered these killing gods, the consequences would be even worse.
As he walked, Tang En couldn't help but want to wail. Why was he so unlucky? There were so many merchants, why did they pick him? Was it because he threw the unsold amulets and statues into the gully, thus being cursed by the gods!
This feeling of despair distracted him, and he couldn't quickly come back to his senses when a leader who claimed to be a deputy camp commander asked him a question.
"W-what... a path?"
The other party didn't get angry, but asked again calmly, "One of my soldiers said that you know a path that can directly reach the foot of Hermes Mountain without passing through New Holy City, is that right?"
"It's the one you told me about - some merchants often use it to smuggle some high-value goods, and you've followed them a few times," another person added.
Wait... it's not for the gold dragon in his arms? Tang En glanced at the latter, and found that the speaker was the young warrior he met on the road, whose name seemed to be Dingzi. At that time, he thought he was quite enthusiastic, so he chatted with him a bit, also hoping to gain his approval by secretly evading
church commercial taxes. He didn't expect this move to bring him such trouble!
But what's done is done, and there's no use in regretting it now.
"Uh, there is indeed such a road. Locals call it the Cloud Ladder," Tang En said with a stiff face, "It only appears after the snow melts every year. It can't be traveled when it's foggy or raining, and it's said that there are several exits, but I only know the one leading to Dawn."
"Very good," the commander nodded. "Take my people for two trips. As long as it can be passed through, I will reward you."
"I wouldn't dare, sir!" Tang En immediately knelt down. "How dare I accept your reward? I only hope that you will let me go home after the trip is over."
"Unfortunately, that's not possible." The other party's words made his heart half cold. "To ensure that nothing goes wrong, you must follow us for the next few days, until the mission is completed."
"B-but sir—" Tang En hadn't finished speaking when five gold dragons were thrown in front of him.
"This is the deposit. There will be another five after it's done," the commander interrupted. "You should know what kind of things ten gold dragons can buy in most parts of Graycastle."
They can buy a life, he swallowed. After so many years of business, he only had a little more than thirty gold dragons in his liquid funds. The other party's meaning was obvious - this was money to buy his life, and it was impossible to refuse.
"You... will you really let me go?" Although he knew that this question was meaningless, he couldn't help but ask.
"Of course, as long as you do your best as a guide, I will send someone to safely escort you back to Yongye City. You can rest assured about this."
...
Tang En left the camp anxiously, only to find that the one accompanying him was the young Dingzi, as well as an old warrior.
"You've put me in a terrible situation," he said with a wry smile. Judging from the expressions of the two, this matter should just be a coincidence, not a deliberate frame-up.
"How is this putting you in a terrible situation?" Dingzi frowned. "Ten gold dragons is by no means a small sum. As long as you don't have any bad intentions, you don't have to worry about encountering any danger."
"Don't worry, the head's words are still reliable. He said he would let you go, and he will." The old warrior interjected, "Besides, getting ten gold dragons for guiding the way, I'd be overjoyed if it happened to me."
"You are..."
"Call me Uncle Sang. Also, you don't need to use honorifics with me. If you're going to use them, use them with Dingzi. He's a squad leader, one rank higher than me."
"I-is that so?" Tang En couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. He had always thought that this young man was just a low-level soldier.
"Just use the previous address," Dingzi waved his hand nonchalantly.
"Then can you two tell me, what is the mission that your deputy camp commander mentioned... exactly?"
"We are going to bypass the Hermes Plateau and stop the Dawn Army's offensive at the foot of the Old Holy City."
"Squad leader!" Uncle Sang reminded.
"It doesn't matter. He will be with us all these days anyway. Appropriately revealing some information can prevent him from overthinking, which will help us complete the mission. If he makes any slight move, I will kill him immediately."
Dingzi's words made Tang En shudder, but the first half of his sentence was even more bizarre—
"Stop the Dawn Army?" He widened his eyes in surprise. "That path is only wide enough for two people, and some places are collapsed. If you're not careful, you'll fall off a cliff. Even if you walk from morning to night, you can only get a few hundred people through in a week at most. What are you going to use to resist those knights? Not to mention, the church may also launch an attack from behind!"
"We are not fighting alone," Dingzi said calmly. "His Majesty's reinforcements will arrive at Coldwind Ridge soon. At that time, you will naturally see the First Army's combat methods."