On the deserted ancient road that has not been repaired for a long time, two figures in brown cloaks walked slowly. A short horse carried their luggage and moved slowly. There was a wasteland in the field of vision, with no terrain blocking the view.
There were no people or buildings in sight. The occasional wind blew up the yellow sand brought from the north, but it was blocked by the low hood and could not affect the progress of the two travelers.
Logically speaking, few people are willing to leave the comfortable territory of the Theocracy of Saint Leon and travel to the desolate north - even businessmen who are greedy for profit will carefully calculate whether the benefits outweigh the potential risks, not to mention that there are not many in the north.
It is a product suitable for trade. Judging from the materials and carriages carried by the two, it is equally unlikely that they are merchants.
The truth may be unexpectedly simple. They came here just because one of them wanted to bring the light and warmth of Leonos to those in the darkness. The other one wanted to look at her as
The friend she grew up with accompanied her through the first part of her journey.
They are Helencia and Elena. One is the famous "Silver Witch", and the other is just a fledgling girl who is just eighteen years old - still two years away from becoming an adult. However,
, the person who started this journey was the latter.
Most of her friends - mainly the nuns in the church - expressed concern about her intention to leave the church and travel alone, hoping that Elena would change her decision after careful consideration. They cited what they had heard about
Various examples were used to prove the cruelty of the outside world and the dangers of traveling alone; and then as a comparison, they emphasized how happy it is to live in a big city. Others analyzed how her parents and relatives would worry, or
As her friend, there are so many things we want to do together.
It's a pity that Elena looks weak, but she is a girl with a lot of ideas. If she wants to change what she has already decided, it is no easier than using human power to pull a carriage full of stones. In addition, Karan
The white-robed bishop and the "second one" of the Templars both expressed support for the girl's idea. Although she was still young, all the matters related to leaving the current church and becoming a traveling nun were smoothly handled.
.
The day of departure was chosen on the third day after the Autumn Harvest Festival. Friends who were originally opposed to her traveling saw that the matter was a foregone conclusion and sent their best wishes. Sophie, Elena’s best friend in the church,
He gave her an exquisite silver necklace. The necklace was round in shape and about two fingers wide in diameter, with the words "es·s" - the initial letters of their names - engraved on it.
"I don't want to see you leave! But, if that is your wish -" she sniffed and wiped away the tears that accidentally fell, "in short, you must come back this time next year, or earlier.
I!"
"Don't worry~ I will come back well and tell you all the interesting things and people I met~" Elena still replied in her usual tone, "When I'm not around, you have to
Eat well and sleep well, and don’t cause trouble to everyone~"
"It's...you don't need to say anything!" Sophie gave her a bear hug to cover up the flash of blush on her face.
The Earl and Countess of Silver Birch - or rather the girl's parents did not appear at the farewell scene, but asked someone to send a letter full of concerns and advice. This is probably the result of Helencia's negotiation, otherwise her mother's
If she has a bad temper, she will send someone directly to take her back, Elena thought to herself.
In response, she also handed over the letter she had already written to the attendant sent by her family. She did not explain her specific plans and whereabouts in the letter, because that would only make her parents more worried. The letter simply thanked her for the past few years.
The church took care of her and taught her, and also sent her regards to her parents and relatives. The end of the letter read like this -
"When I return home again, maybe I will be Lord Qiu Yue. Well, this is just my delusion, but I will try my best not to embarrass the Yinhua family, not to disappoint the church that taught me, and not to be embarrassed for myself.
People who are despised.
Please wait patiently for the good news about your daughter.
——Yours sincerely, Elena Tia Qiu Yue."
Afterwards, she and Hylanthia embarked on a journey together. When the silver-haired woman asked about her destination, she thought for a moment and gave a straightforward answer.
"It should be in the north~" the girl said while braiding her long, fluffy hair into two braids, "I want to go to the Sachi people's territory first~"
Helenthia nodded, without asking the reason or persuading her to change her mind. She just took her to add some necessary luggage and equipment, bought a carrying mount, and then took her all the way north.
Come.
The first few days of hiking were interesting, but soon after leaving the bustling area, the fatigue of the journey and the boring scenery came one after another. However, the relaxed appearance of the silver-haired woman inspired the girl's will, and she imagined
I hope that one day I can become like this powerful sister, even if my whole body is sore from traveling long distances and sleeping in the wild, I don't complain.
"This is not okay." To her surprise, the silver-haired woman did not show approval, but objected to her approach, "When traveling in the wild, knowing where your own limits are is far better than trying to be strong...or rather
What's more important is willpower." She said softly, with concern and a little reproach in her tone, "If you get sick because your body exceeds its limit, it will easily delay more time and put yourself in danger. As a teammate who is traveling with you,
, ensuring that every member is in good enough condition is the correct way to travel."
The girl listened to the other party's words carefully, thought for a moment, and then nodded vigorously.
In the next few days, they slowed down their progress, and Elena gradually adapted to the rhythm of travel and no longer felt tired. Along the way, Helencia told her from time to time some precautions when traveling, such as sleeping outdoors.
Methods, means of finding food, responses when encountering natural disasters, and various supplies that need to be prepared when traveling, etc.
Those are all necessary and practical conclusions drawn by an experienced traveler. A dozen days later, when Elena arrived at the border of the Theocracy of Saint Leon, although she still seemed unfamiliar, she could barely calculate
You are now a qualified traveler.
The procedure for leaving the Theocracy was very simple. The border guards just told the two of them to pay attention to their safety and then let them go. In the northern border, which is composed of countless tribes, there are not even so-called border soldiers - let alone a piece of land.
In the wilderness, it is unrealistic to guard the border.
Their first stop was Rubble Town, a dilapidated small village located less than five kilometers from the Theocracy's border.