Volume Three, Blood and Fire, Chapter 181: The Crimson Principality (Part 1)
Everyone walked leisurely but not at all slow on the grassland in the eastern part of the Crimson Principality.
Since her beloved horse Grape stayed in the territory of the high elves of the Silver Moon clan, Ekaterina, who had pain in her lower body and weak limbs, rode on the transformed black panther of her maid Jenny.
Faced with Yekaterina's strange behavior, most people in the War Eagle clan didn't know what was going on. They only thought that Yekaterina was weak and had not had a good rest.
A small group of young people from the War Eagle clan who had tasted the forbidden fruit, including several female druids, secretly chuckled to themselves. Of course they knew that Ekaterina was feeling uncomfortable because she broke the melon for the first time.
Although this small group of people concealed it well, how could the sharp-minded Yekaterina not know what they were thinking, so she blushed and secretly pinched Eloise's lower back when no one was paying attention.
Later, Ekaterina simply stopped hiding it, and she and Eloise were very affectionate and affectionate all the way, which made others envious.
The further you go west, the grassland gradually disappears.
Slowly, the hills are getting closer and closer.
When they arrived at the hilly area, it was about an hour before noon.
In the middle of the green hillside is a bare ridge, extending all the way to the north. The land under their feet is very hard, and the weeds are quite stubby. Between them and the distant river is a ten-mile-wide depression, which is covered with various kinds of grass.
Various plants.
"Through these hills, we will go to Tirisfal, the easternmost city of the Crimson Principality. There, we must hide our identities and must not be exposed. Didn't we gain a lot from the Silver Moon Clan and ancient tunnels?
Are they the artworks and weapons of the high elves? If there is an inquiry, we will say that they are caravans from the Xirel Empire."
Ilosi gave detailed instructions to everyone on how to respond to the official interrogation of the Crimson Principality. They must not reveal their true identity, because the Crimson Principality is a lawless place.
This country is filled with countless complicated forces such as mercenaries, fugitives, killers, and even alien races. The situation is very complicated.
If Catherine's identity as the escaped princess of Albrecht is revealed, everyone will be subject to endless harassment and various assassinations.
When leaving the Crimson Principality by boat and heading north, Iloth still hoped that everyone could spend this period of time calmly.
"Should we find an opportunity to buy a group of horses? This way it will look more like a real caravan." Ekaterina suggested.
"Of course, let's buy it in Tirisfal."
After everyone crossed all the hills, the sun began to set.
The group of people had been running non-stop for many hours, and everyone's pace had slowed down.
"Let's climb up this green hill first! The view here is better, and we are getting closer to Tirisfal. We still have to be careful," Eloth said.
Everyone followed him up the long slope to the top of the mountain.
It is a round and bare hill located in the far north, which seems to be somewhat lonely.
The night became very cold. Everyone fell into a deep sleep. Whenever they woke up, they would see Elos pacing back and forth or singing softly.
Under his singing, stars bloomed in the dark sky.
Although everyone was curious as to why Eloise was able to maintain a high spirit with very little sleep, they had no time to care about anything else at the moment, and their sleepiness prompted them to fall back and continue sleeping soundly.
In fact, Ilosi himself is also very strange. Since awakening his bloodline, he has become less and less dependent on sleep. If there is no consumption of fighting, then even if he does not sleep, it will not affect his mental state.
The night slowly faded, and everyone who had rested for the night watched the dawn appear from the cloudless sky, until finally the sun also rose.
The sky is very clear, the east wind blows away all the fog, and the land in front of you is shrouded in a faint light.
They could see the endless plains of the Crimson Principality, which was no different from the scene they saw by the river a few days ago.
Eloise's sharp eyes followed the footprints to the river, and then turned to the forest. He saw a rapidly moving shadow on the green land in the distance. He immediately activated his extraordinary perception and felt it carefully.
Ekaterina stood nearby, covering the sun with her slender fingers, releasing the eagle eye technique, and using it to look into the distance.
In Yekaterina's eyes, they were not black shadows, but many cavalry. The spears in the cavalry's hands reflected needle-like light in the sun. Mortal eyes could not distinguish it so clearly, at least except for the opportunity.
Except for the druid who releases the falcon for reconnaissance, others cannot see clearly.
Farther behind the group of cavalry, there was the rising black smoke. There was silence all around, and everyone could hear the sound of the wind blowing across the grassland.
"Cavalry!" Yekaterina shouted: "Many cavalry on fast horses are rushing towards us!"
"That's right," Elos said: "There are one hundred and five horses in total. They have golden hair and shining spears, and the leader is very tall."
The druid who released the falcon praised: "Lord Iloth's vision and perception are really great. He can see further than my falcon."
"These knights are only twenty miles away from here! If they are further away, we have to rely on the detection methods of your druids." Illos said modestly.
"Whether it's one mile or twenty miles, we can't escape on this empty plain. Should we wait for them or continue on our way?" Ekaterina asked.
"Of course we are where we are. We are just a caravan at the moment. Come on, take out all the magic weapons and artworks and put them in the package. Since you are pretending to be a caravan, then pretend to be more like it."
Eloise took out the magic weapons and works of art stored in the Ring of the Lake Lady, put them together with the items carried by everyone, then packed them up and waited for the arrival of the cavalry.
Everyone left the top of the mountain to avoid making themselves clear targets, and walked slowly down the hillside.
Not far from the foot of the mountain they stopped and sat down wrapped in cloaks.
Soon after, everyone could hear the deafening sound of horse hooves.
The cavalry seemed to be on routine patrol and were now approaching the hilly area. They moved as fast as the wind.
Clear, strong shouts came along the grassland. Suddenly, this group of people on horseback swept in like a thunderstorm. The knights at the front took the lead, leading the group to gallop along the lowlands to the west of the hills, followed by the knights behind them.
All of them were extremely strong, wearing shining plate armor, and the scene was very spectacular.
Their horses are tall and strong, covered with full body armor, their gray fur shines in the sun, their fluffy tails fly in the wind, and their carefully combed manes sway around their necks.
The warriors on horseback were even more heroic. They were tall, with golden hair flowing freely under their light helmets and tied into many thin braids on the back of their heads. Their faces had a look of perseverance and bravery.
They held redbud spears in their hands, colorful shields hung on their backs, long swords on their belts, and finely crafted plate armor covering their bodies.
They worked in pairs and advanced in tight formation, glancing to the left and right from time to time.
However, the knights did not seem to notice that the people who were watching them silently on the grass seemed that the cloak given by the high elf was really a practical magical equipment that could perfectly fit any environment.
It wasn't until the cavalry was about to pass that Elos suddenly stood up and shouted:
"Is he a knight from the Crimson Principality? How far is Tirisfal?"
All the knights stopped their horses with lightning speed, turned their heads, and rushed towards the direction of the sound.
Soon, everyone was surrounded by a group of knights, and the circle became smaller and smaller.
Elos stood silently, while everyone stood motionless behind him, all ready for battle.
Without warning, the knights stopped. Their spears were pointed at the people in the center of the circle.
Some knights already had bows and arrows in their hands, ready to attack at any time.
Then, a tall knight rode forward. The top of his helmet was decorated with a flying white ponytail. He kept moving forward until the tip of the spear was less than a foot away from Ilosu's chest. Ilosu didn't stop at all.