The air inside the carriage was foul, the smell truly offensive. This was hardly surprising—the cramped space, designed for a dozen people, was now packed with nearly thirty children. Though their frames were much smaller than adults, the carriage was still shoulder-to-shoulder, suffocating.
Elara Stonefield, leveraging her slender build, nimbly squeezed into a corner of the carriage, doing her best to avoid the press of children around her while surreptitiously observing her peers.
These children, who had come to participate in the Stonefist Outpost's entrance trials, could clearly be divided into roughly three distinct groups based on their attire and demeanor. The first group centered around a lavishly dressed youth in the middle of the carriage, who was surrounded by most of the other children, clearly the center of attention.
This youth was named Weyn Stonebreaker, thirteen years old, the eldest among them. Logically, his age already exceeded the Outpost's upper limit for new apprentices, but it was said his older cousin was married to a magic instructor within the Outpost who wielded considerable power, so this minor issue of age was naturally overlooked. Weyn's family operated a locally renowned fighting academy and was quite wealthy. He had practiced some basic swordsmanship and unarmed combat skills since childhood. While not exceptionally proficient, it was more than enough to deal with village children like Elara, who only possessed ordinary physical strength and had never received any magical or systematic martial arts training.
Evidently, a youth like Weyn, with his affluent background, notable connections, and decent skills, naturally became the leader among most of the children in the carriage.
The second group consisted of those children fawning over Weyn. These children came from various backgrounds: some from shopkeeper families, others whose parents were mercenaries, and some whose families relied on handicrafts for a living. But they all had one thing in common: most had grown up in towns and had, to varying degrees, learned from their elders the survival skills of observing social cues and seeking advantages while avoiding harm. Thus, they all orbited Weyn, calling him "Young Master Stonebreaker" or, more intimately, "Weyn," vying to flatter him. Weyn seemed quite accustomed to this, rather enjoying the compliments.
The last group was children like Elara, hailing from remote villages, from impoverished families that scraped by hunting in the mountains or fishing in the streams, living quite meager lives. This group was the smallest in the carriage, numbering only five or six. Their demeanor was mostly timid and reserved; they dared not speak loudly, a stark contrast to the boisterous, laughing town children.
The carriage departed from Clearwater Crossing and sped westward, stopping at several more villages and towns along the way to pick up more children. Finally, at dusk on the fifth day, the convoy reached Twilight Ridge—the headquarters of the Stonefist Outpost.
As soon as the children disembarked, they were captivated by the dazzling colors of the sunset over Twilight Ridge. Myriad rays of light, like a brocade of colors, spread across the sky, illuminating the layered mountains. It wasn't until an Outpost guard named Roland called out loudly for them to hurry that the crowd snapped out of their awe of the magnificent scenery and followed the group onward.
Twilight Ridge, according to ancient legend, was once known as "Ashwing Ridge." It was said that in a distant age, a magnificent fire phoenix underwent nirvana here, its final sacred flame embers imbuing the mountain range with strange and beautiful colors. Ever since the Stonefist Outpost occupied this place, outsiders could no longer freely come to admire this extraordinary vista.
Twilight Ridge was the second largest mountain range within the territory of Silvermere, second only in scale to the majestic Wyrm's Spine Mountains. It covered an extremely vast area, its rolling peaks extending for dozens of miles. Within the range were over ten precipitous and towering peaks, each garrisoned by a branch camp of the Outpost. The main peak of Twilight Ridge, "Dayfall Peak," was particularly treacherous. Not only did it soar into the clouds with sheer cliffs, but there was also only one narrow, rugged mountain path leading from its base to the summit. The Stonefist Outpost had established its main headquarters here, setting up thirteen overt and covert checkpoints at various strategic points along the mountain path. The defensive fortifications were extremely strong, reputed to be impregnable.
Elara cautiously observed her surroundings while closely following the group forward. Suddenly, the procession ahead halted, followed by a rough, hearty greeting: "Roland, why have you only just arrived? You're two days later than scheduled!"
"Instructor Gavin, we were slightly delayed on the road. Apologies for making you wait," Roland, at the head of the group, immediately bowed respectfully to a ruddy-faced old man upon hearing the voice, shedding the slightly stern demeanor he had shown the children on the journey and putting on a humble smile.
"Which batch of prospective apprentices is this, sent up to the Ridge?"
"Reporting to Instructor, this is the seventeenth batch."
"Hmph!" Instructor Gavin surveyed Elara and the other children with an air of importance.
"Take them to Pine Barracks and let them rest well for the night. Tomorrow morning, we begin screening for qualified apprentices. Those who don't pass, send them down the mountain as soon as possible, lest they linger here and violate the Outpost's rules."
"As you command, Instructor Gavin."
Stepping onto the stone stairs leading up the mountain, all the children seemed excited, yet no one dared to make a loud noise. Though young, they all understood that this place would be crucial in determining their future.
Roland led the way, a friendly smile constantly on his face, warmly greeting everyone he encountered on the path. Clearly, he knew many people within the Stonefist Outpost and was quite popular.
Most of the people they encountered on the road wore tough leather armor or dark, close-fitting attire, with longswords or daggers at their waists. Occasionally, they saw some individuals without obvious weapons, but their waist pouches were always bulging, seemingly concealing spell components or small magical devices. Judging by their agile and nimble movements, these individuals undoubtedly possessed considerable martial skills or had mastered some low-tier practical magic.
Elara and the others were taken to a relatively lower peak, atop which stood a cluster of simple stone houses. The children spent the night there. That night, Elara had a peculiar dream. She dreamt she was clad in a magnificent silk robe, tightly gripping a silver longsword encrusted with dazzling gemstones, wielding what she imagined to be immensely powerful magic, and giving the blacksmith's son from her village, who used to bully her, a sound thrashing. The feeling was truly awe-inspiring. Even after waking the next morning, she savored the dream's imagery.
The next morning, Roland did not arrange breakfast for everyone but instead led the group directly to the foot of the mountain, before a slope covered in tough thorn bushes. Instructor Gavin, whom they had seen yesterday, and several serious-looking young sentinels they hadn't met before, were already waiting there.