The caravan had only a few carriages, just a few dozen in total, transporting goods. After a brief chat, the girls arrived at the very front, where the official road had been damaged and was no longer passable.

On the road, about ten meters wide, the ground had collapsed and shattered, making the surrounding tree-lined area look dilapidated. The neatly planted trees were scattered and toppled, as if they had been crushed and trampled by some heavy object from above.

This damage extended along the road for several hundred meters before gradually disappearing. At this point, carriages could no longer proceed.

“Hmm… indeed, this is not something ordinary creatures could cause,” the white fox girl commented casually as she assessed the scene, which matched her earlier scan.

“Miss Violet! Ahem, I mean, Miss Dawn, does this mean a large creature once passed through here?”

Seemingly anxious about her sister’s impressive advancement, and eager to make her presence known, the white-winged girl, who also had ancestral bloodlines but was still at the legendary level due to her casual demeanor, hurriedly asked in a somewhat sycophantic tone.

Violet noticed the subtle intentions behind Rene’s unusual reaction and found it amusing but chose not to expose her. Instead, she nodded and explained.

“It’s quite obvious, isn’t it? The Holy Empire’s roads are generally built with a mixture of granite and ironstone, which is sturdier compared to that of the Human United Kingdom. Normally, even a several-ton land dragon bouncing on it wouldn’t cause any issues. But look here—the ground has shattered several meters deep, and even the granite reinforced with ironstone has been crushed like this.”

“At least… it would require a weight of over a thousand tons concentrated in a small area to produce such an effect,” Leila said thoughtfully from the other side.

“Tread marks? You mean, this is the result of being stomped on? What kind of creature could do such a thing, and why would it specifically target and damage this road?”

The white fox lady seemed non-committal and replied with a smile, “How would I know? But… it might not necessarily be an intentional road destruction. After all, such obvious marks would easily attract the attention of those who are observant, especially the Holy Empire officials. If you ask me, it seems more like the aftermath of a major battle.”

At this point, Violet’s gem-like silver-blue eyes, visible through her fox mask, turned towards the golden-haired girl standing closest, and the dragon girl nodded in understanding.

“Yes, there are three residual scents, indicating that a battle definitely took place here. Two of them are quite similar, suggesting a two-on-one fight. However… the scent of the lone one feels somewhat familiar. I might have encountered this individual somewhere before.”

“Oh? Really?”

Violet was slightly surprised and inquired further, “Can you determine the specific target?”

After frowning and pondering for a moment, the dragon girl eventually shook her head apologetically.

“Sorry, master. Due to the open space, the residual scent has already faded quite a bit. Moreover, the familiarity isn’t very strong. It’s probably just someone I might have seen once or twice a long time ago, and someone whose strength didn’t impress me, so…”

“I see…”

Curiosity gradually replaced by resignation, Violet nodded and said, “Alright, although it’s a bit of a pity, it’s actually not that important. Xiao Guang, don’t be too disheartened. Let’s go back and see how the caravan is planning to handle this. It’s a problem, neither too big nor too small.”

After taking one last look at the road, which had been shattered and collapsed as if crushed by a giant object, the girl with the white fox mask no longer lingered and quickly turned back, heading in the direction they came from.

……………………………

Avery was a young executive of the White Dove Merchant Guild, having been employed for about three years.

Previously, he had worked alongside the experienced president of the White Dove Merchant Guild, who had been in the business for over twenty years, assisting and observing.

Although traveling and working throughout the vast territories of the Holy Empire was somewhat arduous, overall, it was within an acceptable range.

The main reason for his choice was the generous compensation offered by the president, which attracted him to join the White Dove Merchant Guild among many other options.

Another reason was that this was a completely local Holy Empire Merchant Guild, with members mostly being devout followers of the Goddess Church. The internal atmosphere was quite comforting for him. After all, a good working environment is very important.

Perhaps due to Avery’s graduation from the Finance Department of the Holy Academy in the Angel City and his substantial experience, coupled with his smart performance over the past three years working closely with the president, he gradually earned more recognition and trust from the latter.

Recently, the Merchant Guild received a large order. Although the price was very tempting and the recipient was a reputable and reliable domestic force, what was unusual was that the boss explicitly requested that the goods not be transported all at once. Instead, they had to be delivered in batches according to specified time periods.

To fulfill this order and establish good relations with the influential local force within the Holy Empire, the White Dove Merchant Guild, although capable of meeting the entire demand in one go, had to divide its personnel into two separate transport teams, alternating trips between the Western Bright Light City and the Chamber’s headquarters.

The larger team was naturally led by the Chamber’s president, while the responsibility for leading the other team fell to Avery, the rising newcomer.

At present, he was assigned to deliver the first batch of goods to the designated location in the Western Capital.

Although Avery had no prior independent experience, he was a highly educated graduate with a solid theoretical background from the academy and had been learning by example for two to three years. Consequently, he was capable of managing routine matters in an orderly manner.

However, misfortune struck, and Avery’s first time leading a team encountered unexpected trouble.

“Everyone, please remain calm. Please remain calm. By the goddess, none of us want to encounter such a situation while out on business, right? We couldn’t have anticipated all possible accidents, could we?”

“Regardless of the cause of the damage to the official road, we are certainly not the first caravan to encounter a similar situation. It’s likely that earlier travelers have already reported the situation to the nearby city’s church. In my opinion, we should set up a temporary camp nearby. Within three to five days, the Knights Templars should be able to establish a new temporary route. By then…”

Before Avery could finish speaking, a middle-aged man in the crowd, dressed in luxurious clothes, with a bulky figure and adorned with fancy jewelry, began to shout angrily.

“What a joke! I specifically chose your caravan because everyone was on horseback, and I paid a premium for the journey to save time. Now, just as we were about to reach New Aster City in a day or two, you want us to wait here for three to five days? I can wait, but what about my precious goods? Who will compensate for this loss? Will the White Dove Merchant Guild?”

Upon hearing this, the crowd began to echo the sentiment.

“Exactly! We can’t just stop here!”

“Yeah, three to five days is too long, and this is just your guess. Who can guarantee that the Knights Templars will actually come? It might be better to find a detour…”

It seemed like to show their strong stance, the crowd grew increasingly agitated, pushing and shoving.

The caravan guards responsible for maintaining order were reluctant to use force against these paying clients. As a result, they could only form a human wall, using their armored bodies to block the crowd’s advance.

“Ah, this…”

Avery wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, appearing extremely troubled, caught between a rock and a hard place.

But in reality, this was just an act.

Such reactions from the crowd were anticipated by Avery. After three years of trading, he was well-acquainted with the various human behaviors driven by money.

Although the damage to the official road was indeed unexpected for this young merchant, understanding people’s behavior, especially when related to interests, was not difficult.

As the wealthy, bulky man in fine clothing had said, there were many paying clients with the White Dove Merchant Guild on this trip, a mix of all kinds, including some small traders who often spent money to travel with large caravans for safety and efficiency. This had become a norm in the commercial world of the Holy Empire.

For merchants, time equals opportunity, and opportunity equals money. Therefore, they would never agree to stop and wait for several days.