After staying in Nied County for a period of time, the Lagdis caravan set off again. They would turn from Nied County to the northern county of Crancia.
After nearly a week's journey, the convoy gradually drove out of Nied County, which has many hills and forests, and arrived at the slightly open Hanyan County.
The sky was gray, and cool drizzle floated in the field of vision. The raindrops dotted the green world like threads.
There are patches of grassland on the ground, but these grasslands are not connected into one piece, but are separated by high and low broken rocks. If you ride a horse and run in a straight line on this land, you will have to jump or jump on it at intervals.
Jump down a 'step'. These steps are faults that protrude from the rocks on the ground, forming a series of 'cliffs' of varying heights on the ground.
The dark blue rocks are cold to the touch and very hard. Such a unique landform also gave this place the name "Hanyan County".
Thanks to the special terrain here, defense lines and checkpoints can be easily set up to resist the impact of cavalry on the grassland. A long time ago, the human kingdom used this as its border to isolate the Gufia Grassland to the north.
Subsequent human kingdoms also inherited this idea one after another, with few changes, until the later West Wind and Clancia.
Lorraine Hill was sitting in the carriage, wearing a brown shawl over her light red dress to protect against the slightly cold weather. She opened the curtains and looked at the grass of varying heights in the distance.
"Were those rock ruins once beacon towers?"
A maid in a black and white uniform replied in the carriage: "Yes, Miss, those are the watchtowers and beacons that were built or repaired by Xifeng in the early years."
"My family's ancestors followed the King of the West Wind in battle. Due to the vast grassland and lack of water sources, the King of the West Wind once planned to build a fortress and warning point here and use it as a base to move north."
"Not only that, but some military merit lords are also sealed here to strengthen their resistance and prepare for future conquests."
"Unfortunately, the King of the West Wind's health gradually deteriorated, and due to the issue of heir, the Northern Expedition was put on hold until the throne was replaced, the rights were changed, and the country became stable again, decades later."
"The monarch at this time was no longer interested in the Northern Expedition, because the high-ranking nobles already knew that there was not much wealth on the grasslands, and ruling would also consume a lot of manpower and resources, which was thankless."
"Instead of this, a large amount of border trade has emerged, and the lords who used to entrust the border have also risen due to this, and our family is one of them."
"A large number of watchtowers and beacon towers have been idle or abandoned, and now, hundreds of years later, most of them have become overgrown ruins."
"Aren't the orc tribes going south to invade?" Lorraine Hill lowered the curtains and looked at the maid in the car.
"Perhaps there was once, but from the time I can remember and the past events I heard from my elders, there was no large-scale orc invasion."
"Why is this?" the girl asked curiously.
"Miss, the orcs don't have a unified country like us. Their various tribes have many estrangements and fights with each other."
"The tribes near the south have made a lot of money from trade routes and have abundant food. Naturally, they have no intention of ruining their relationship."
"Those who are really hungry and warlike are the various tribes in the north, but they are quite far away from those in the south. Coupled with the territorial concept of the southern tribes, this serves as a buffer, so there are few incursions on our borders."
"Then for so many years, has there not been anyone capable of unifying the various tribes on the grassland and establishing a kingdom of orcs?" Lorraine Hill recalled the history of the earth.
The Central Plains imperial court often tried to win over and divide the grasslands in order to maintain the dispersion of the grasslands and avoid moving southward. But even so, there were times when they failed, and they overturned several times later.
Although the West Wind is strong, it is not always at its peak of strength and power in every generation, and there are many times of weakness and civil strife.
"Um...I'm sorry, Miss, I'm not very sure about the reason." The maid bowed her head apologetically. Although she was from a noble family, had some knowledge, and understood the history of her family and kingdom, she had no idea about the history behind it.
I didn't think about the reason so deeply.
"It doesn't matter, we'll find out when we get there."
Lorraine Hill comforted the maid and turned her gaze to the window again. In the corner of her field of vision, colorful figures and tents began to appear. At this time, the rain also stopped, the sky slowly cleared up, and a few rays of sunlight passed through the clouds.
The gaps between them illuminate the green world after the rain.
As the convoy approached along the road, the sounds of shouting, chatting, and the braying of livestock gradually became clearer.
Lorraine Hill once went to the Gufia Grassland with Niya, but that time they went directly to the tribes in the north and didn't know much about the southern border. This seemed to be a different scenery.
Compared with the huge Gufia grassland, there are not many tribes near the west wind border, but it is also very moist. In this wild market, you can see many alien races with animal ears.
They wear fur coats and are decorated with colorful decorations, and the ears and horns on their heads are also of different shapes. Compared with humans, they are much stronger and stronger, and they are often a bit taller.
However, inside the market, it is these strong orcs who are often nodding and bowing to people and being cautious.
"I'm sorry, what do you think of this? This batch of goods has been carefully selected and cleaned by us. There is no peculiar smell. What do you think of it?" An orc with leopard ears promoted to a human businessman.
"Don't go, we can get it cheaper." The businessman shook his head and walked away casually.
"How can I sell these herbs of yours? We can exchange them for furs..."
Lorraine Hill stepped out of the carriage. She wore a sunhat with flowers on her head and her face was covered with a fine veil. Accompanied by several riders, she walked into the open-air market.
With her strength, she naturally did not need anyone to protect her, but in order to avoid unnecessary trouble and harassment, Mira still asked several riders to follow her.
These riders are wearing cloaks and armor, which makes them difficult to provoke at first glance, and can indeed act as a deterrent.
Compared to the orcs on the grassland, the Rabbit Ears tribe is much happier now, and they also look at these strange "fellow tribesmen" around them with a hint of curiosity.
The stalls and merchants in the market include humans and orcs, but the things humans sell are different, while the things sold by orcs are more or less the same.
An uncle with horns was shouting loudly, describing how excellent his fur was. There were several thick layers of fur stacked beside him. These furs were tied up with ropes and placed on simple wooden shelves, like individual colors.
Colorful squares.
Lorraine Hill walked over and took a closer look at the furs. Most of them were cow and sheep leather, but there were also furs from foxes, wolves, deer and other animals.
"Can I touch it and see?" The girl's ethereal and clear voice came from under the veil.
"Okay, please take a look, young lady." When the horned uncle saw Lorraine Hill and his entourage, he knew that his origins were not simple. He immediately brought a few pieces of good quality goods and put them on the table with compliments.