The soft rattle of the carriage did not prevent Zack from resting comfortably in his carriage. The night before, in the village, he had been busy, and he had not been able to rest appropriately.
Despite knowing that it was extremely important for him to prepare as much as possible, the hardness of the seats against his back made him regret on more than one occasion he wasn´t able to sleep more yesterday. Still, Zack knew how essential a good rest was, so he forced himself to sleep in the carriage, enduring the discomfort. Just when he seemed to be falling asleep, an unpleasant sound rang outside.
Neigghhh
The carriage stopped, and the sounds of the horses rang in Zack's ears, who stuck his head out to see what was happening. Seeing what was in front of him, Zack relaxed and went back inside to prepare.
The carriage had stopped in the middle of a small barracks. Behind the barracks was the entrance to an immense forest. Giant trees were constantly spreading, and small plants of an unknown nature to the inexperienced, were appearing, differentiating themselves from the constant grass that covered the sides of the road Zack and the two men had just traveled.
After chatting with the guards, and a little check, the carriage entered smoothly. Once they located a place to leave the carriage, the two men in charge of his 'security' approached him and knocked on the door.
"Mr. Wizard. Please come out" one of them said out loud.
"Why have we stopped?" Zack's voice sounded from the other side of the carriage, while he slightly opened the door to speak face to face.
“We have reached halfway. In front of us, there is a forest we will need to cross to reach our destination. Unfortunately, due to the difficult terrain, it is impossible to continue by carriage. We'll have to cross on foot"
"Eh? Oh really?" Zack asked as if he had no idea what the guard was talking about.
“We will continue in a bit. First, we need to stock up. Most likely, the journey will be long” said the knight while asking Zack to follow them.
Zack had studied the path they would travel on more than one occasion. It could be said that he knows the terrain better than his companions.
Although the forest they were going to cross had no official name, it was the largest forest in the entire kingdom, separating the kingdom´s territory in two, and leaving the northern part isolated from the rest. Due to its large size and multitude of resources within. The villagers call it 'the forest of abundance'. Zack had to admit that it was an apt name. Multiple towns and cities around it are sustained by the resources collectors obtain from it. It is said that several dungeons have even formed within, hidden until the intended person discovers them.
Zack got out of the carriage and went with his guard to the inside of the barracks to get supplies to cross the forest. On the way, a couple of guards passed by, chatting, without even inspecting them before entering the building.
Noticing Zack's look, one of them seemed to want to tell him something, but the presence of his bodyguard made him lose interest.
The interior of the barracks was quite poor, except for the warehouse, which was permanently guarded, there was nothing of value inside, the quality of the guards' equipment was absolutely average, and the quality of the guards was poor.
Seeing this, Zack couldn't help but sigh.
There are more barracks like this one along the edges of the Forest of Abundance. They officially exist to prevent the monsters inside from escaping and attacking nearby settlements, but the reality is different. As its name says, the forest is full of resources, that includes food and water.
What kind of animal or beast would move away from such a place to travel several kilometers to attack other places with hardly any value? Just because they are animals doesn't make them stupid.
The real reason these barracks are spread out on the outskirts of the forest is only because the kingdom wants the forest´s resources as well. The true function of the barracks is to stop anyone who wants to enter or leave the forest and apply a 'toll' to them. The kingdom is aware of the amount of money the forest produces and is not going to allow it not to take its share. As much as someone wants to deny it, that is the truth. Otherwise, by the time the monsters came out of the woods, Zack had no doubt that with the quality of these guards, there wouldn't be a man left alive.
After gathering supplies for a day and a half of travel, Zack was ready for the forest.
…
The interior of the forest could be considered a paradise on Earth.
The edge of the forest is awash with lush vegetation. A venue of trees full of vitality begins to appear, their bright green leaves seeming to move on their own. The sun filters through the leaves, creating a play of light and shadow that seems to dance on the ground full of green.
As one enters the interior of the forest, the atmosphere slowly begins to change: The air becomes fresher and more fragrant, and flowers of all kinds begin to appear.
The sounds coming from the barracks start to fade as Zack goes further into the woods, and are replaced by the sound of the wind against the trees, and birds calling to each other. Butterflies, insects, and small animals occasionally appear as if they were not afraid of what might happen to them.
With each step, the plants around him change, moving away from the familiarity Zack had with the plants of his world, and taking on an unfamiliar aspect. Plants and animals not seen before appear, and the trees acquire strange and fascinating appearances.
The peripheral zone of the forest is not dangerous. Harmless animals and plants roam without a care in the world. And people from nearby places come to collect the fruits of the trees, animal fur, and medicinal plants.
Unfortunately for Zack, his path will take them deeper into the forest. Although they will not have to enter the danger zones, it is inevitable that unexpected events may occur.
Zack noticed how his 'travel companions' drew their swords the moment they entered the forest.
The road they were crossing began to fill with roots from nearby trees, making it impossible to access this place by carriage.
It's not that the kingdom hasn't tried to make a path connecting one end of the forest to the other, but it just can't be done. Within a few days of forming a path, trees begin to appear in the middle of it, and grass sprouts everywhere. In a week, there is no trace of it. The growth of plants in this forest is amazing. That is why no matter how much the residents of nearby places come here, the forest´s resources never seem to run out.
Due to the difficulty in advancing. Often the knights guarding Zack had to clear the way with their swords. Despite the noise they were making, none of them had seen anything that could threaten them, only some harmless animals, which were attracted by the noise.
Compared to his two guards, Zack's pacing is messed up. He had never had to cross long distances before, let alone a forest. Even if the other two busied themselves with clearing the way, it was obvious that Zack was holding them back. By the time they decided to take a break, Zack's body was completely flooded with sweat, and the others didn't even have any complications breathing. The physical quality of a tier 1 mage is too far from that of a tier 2 warrior.
“We will camp here tonight” said one of the guards. Zack slumped on the ground upon hearing those words, trying to breathe better, while one of the soldiers set up camp, and the other went to get some firewood.
Tsk. Zack cursed internally. Even in this situation, there was still someone next to him watching over him. He knew that the moment he tried to escape, they would stop what they were doing and chase him.
During the entire trip, none of them tried to get close to him. Each word was used when necessary, and they always used a respectful tone. Zack tried many times to get their attention and get to know them a bit, but until now he didn't even know their names.
(It doesn't matter) Zack sighed and tried to calm down.
(Not that he didn't foresee this situation) Zack's gaze went to the nearby trees.
The forest of abundance is divided into a core zone, an inner zone, an outer zone, and a peripheral zone. In the outer and peripheral zones, there are hardly any threats, only some harmless animals and common plants. In the inner zone is where truly valuable resources begin to appear. Similarly, the danger increases proportionally to the gains.
Suddenly, a small animal appeared from the grass, sniffing something. After appearing, the glances of Zack, and the little animal crossed.
Zach smiled.
His plan had just begun.
------------------------------------- ------------------------------------- ------------------------- -----------------------------------------------
If you want more chapters visit my patreon:
patreon.com/DaoistwgQxZL
If you want to know about updates and chat about the novel, here is my discord server: https://discord.gg/e9BCf5uX
The soft rattle of the carriage did not prevent Zack from resting comfortably in his carriage. The night before, in the village, he had been busy, and he had not been able to rest appropriately.
Despite knowing that it was extremely important for him to prepare as much as possible, the hardness of the seats against his back made him regret on more than one occasion he wasn´t able to sleep more yesterday. Still, Zack knew how essential a good rest was, so he forced himself to sleep in the carriage, enduring the discomfort. Just when he seemed to be falling asleep, an unpleasant sound rang outside.
Neigghhh
The carriage stopped, and the sounds of the horses rang in Zack's ears, who stuck his head out to see what was happening. Seeing what was in front of him, Zack relaxed and went back inside to prepare.
The carriage had stopped in the middle of a small barracks. Behind the barracks was the entrance to an immense forest. Giant trees were constantly spreading, and small plants of an unknown nature to the inexperienced, were appearing, differentiating themselves from the constant grass that covered the sides of the road Zack and the two men had just traveled.
After chatting with the guards, and a little check, the carriage entered smoothly. Once they located a place to leave the carriage, the two men in charge of his 'security' approached him and knocked on the door.
"Mr. Wizard. Please come out" one of them said out loud.
"Why have we stopped?" Zack's voice sounded from the other side of the carriage, while he slightly opened the door to speak face to face.
“We have reached halfway. In front of us, there is a forest we will need to cross to reach our destination. Unfortunately, due to the difficult terrain, it is impossible to continue by carriage. We'll have to cross on foot"
"Eh? Oh really?" Zack asked as if he had no idea what the guard was talking about.
“We will continue in a bit. First, we need to stock up. Most likely, the journey will be long” said the knight while asking Zack to follow them.
Zack had studied the path they would travel on more than one occasion. It could be said that he knows the terrain better than his companions.
Although the forest they were going to cross had no official name, it was the largest forest in the entire kingdom, separating the kingdom´s territory in two, and leaving the northern part isolated from the rest. Due to its large size and multitude of resources within. The villagers call it 'the forest of abundance'. Zack had to admit that it was an apt name. Multiple towns and cities around it are sustained by the resources collectors obtain from it. It is said that several dungeons have even formed within, hidden until the intended person discovers them.
Zack got out of the carriage and went with his guard to the inside of the barracks to get supplies to cross the forest. On the way, a couple of guards passed by, chatting, without even inspecting them before entering the building.
Noticing Zack's look, one of them seemed to want to tell him something, but the presence of his bodyguard made him lose interest.
The interior of the barracks was quite poor, except for the warehouse, which was permanently guarded, there was nothing of value inside, the quality of the guards' equipment was absolutely average, and the quality of the guards was poor.
Seeing this, Zack couldn't help but sigh.
There are more barracks like this one along the edges of the Forest of Abundance. They officially exist to prevent the monsters inside from escaping and attacking nearby settlements, but the reality is different. As its name says, the forest is full of resources, that includes food and water.
What kind of animal or beast would move away from such a place to travel several kilometers to attack other places with hardly any value? Just because they are animals doesn't make them stupid.
The real reason these barracks are spread out on the outskirts of the forest is only because the kingdom wants the forest´s resources as well. The true function of the barracks is to stop anyone who wants to enter or leave the forest and apply a 'toll' to them. The kingdom is aware of the amount of money the forest produces and is not going to allow it not to take its share. As much as someone wants to deny it, that is the truth. Otherwise, by the time the monsters came out of the woods, Zack had no doubt that with the quality of these guards, there wouldn't be a man left alive.
After gathering supplies for a day and a half of travel, Zack was ready for the forest.
…
The interior of the forest could be considered a paradise on Earth.
The edge of the forest is awash with lush vegetation. A venue of trees full of vitality begins to appear, their bright green leaves seeming to move on their own. The sun filters through the leaves, creating a play of light and shadow that seems to dance on the ground full of green.
As one enters the interior of the forest, the atmosphere slowly begins to change: The air becomes fresher and more fragrant, and flowers of all kinds begin to appear.
The sounds coming from the barracks start to fade as Zack goes further into the woods, and are replaced by the sound of the wind against the trees, and birds calling to each other. Butterflies, insects, and small animals occasionally appear as if they were not afraid of what might happen to them.
With each step, the plants around him change, moving away from the familiarity Zack had with the plants of his world, and taking on an unfamiliar aspect. Plants and animals not seen before appear, and the trees acquire strange and fascinating appearances.
The peripheral zone of the forest is not dangerous. Harmless animals and plants roam without a care in the world. And people from nearby places come to collect the fruits of the trees, animal fur, and medicinal plants.
Unfortunately for Zack, his path will take them deeper into the forest. Although they will not have to enter the danger zones, it is inevitable that unexpected events may occur.
Zack noticed how his 'travel companions' drew their swords the moment they entered the forest.
The road they were crossing began to fill with roots from nearby trees, making it impossible to access this place by carriage.
It's not that the kingdom hasn't tried to make a path connecting one end of the forest to the other, but it just can't be done. Within a few days of forming a path, trees begin to appear in the middle of it, and grass sprouts everywhere. In a week, there is no trace of it. The growth of plants in this forest is amazing. That is why no matter how much the residents of nearby places come here, the forest´s resources never seem to run out.
Due to the difficulty in advancing. Often the knights guarding Zack had to clear the way with their swords. Despite the noise they were making, none of them had seen anything that could threaten them, only some harmless animals, which were attracted by the noise.
Compared to his two guards, Zack's pacing is messed up. He had never had to cross long distances before, let alone a forest. Even if the other two busied themselves with clearing the way, it was obvious that Zack was holding them back. By the time they decided to take a break, Zack's body was completely flooded with sweat, and the others didn't even have any complications breathing. The physical quality of a tier 1 mage is too far from that of a tier 2 warrior.
“We will camp here tonight” said one of the guards. Zack slumped on the ground upon hearing those words, trying to breathe better, while one of the soldiers set up camp, and the other went to get some firewood.
Tsk. Zack cursed internally. Even in this situation, there was still someone next to him watching over him. He knew that the moment he tried to escape, they would stop what they were doing and chase him.
During the entire trip, none of them tried to get close to him. Each word was used when necessary, and they always used a respectful tone. Zack tried many times to get their attention and get to know them a bit, but until now he didn't even know their names.
(It doesn't matter) Zack sighed and tried to calm down.
(Not that he didn't foresee this situation) Zack's gaze went to the nearby trees.
The forest of abundance is divided into a core zone, an inner zone, an outer zone, and a peripheral zone. In the outer and peripheral zones, there are hardly any threats, only some harmless animals and common plants. In the inner zone is where truly valuable resources begin to appear. Similarly, the danger increases proportionally to the gains.
Suddenly, a small animal appeared from the grass, sniffing something. After appearing, the glances of Zack, and the little animal crossed.
Zach smiled.
His plan had just begun.
------------------------------------- ------------------------------------- ------------------------- -----------------------------------------------
If you want more chapters visit my patreon:
patreon.com/DaoistwgQxZL
If you want to know about updates and chat about the novel, here is my discord server: https://discord.gg/e9BCf5uX