Inside the castle, panic reigned, but Baron Clod did not make things difficult for the people. He summoned everyone together, announced his impending departure, and terminated all their contracts, allowing the castle's servants to make their own decisions. The baron did not object to those who wished to leave, nor did he force those who did not.
Most of the servants in the castle chose to leave, and the Baron generously gave them some travel expenses as compensation for their years of service. Only a small number, those with no ties or who were completely loyal to the Baron, chose to leave with him. This group mainly consisted of the castle guards and promising candidates for the Breathing Technique. The Baron handled the final matters of the castle methodically.
As for Ashville, Laila, and Mia, their only option is to leave. As nobles in the castle, they will certainly face retribution from the Saladin Kingdom. Given the beauty of the three girls, it's not hard to imagine what will happen once Saladin's army discovers them.
In the past two days, Green also learned the detailed route plan. According to the strategic intentions of the Saladin Kingdom, they would definitely occupy the territory on both sides of the road by crossing the river first, so the first thing to do was to stay away from the river.
The Baron planned to have the caravan head north at top speed, into the Vesas Plains, and then turn towards the largest port in the Maslow Alliance, Allendale.
As for why they didn't flee towards the capital of the Kingdom of Lodin, it was because the road to the capital would inevitably pass through the territory of Duke Lotahan. The baron's territory was sandwiched between Duke Lotahan and the army of Saladin, so he could only go north, which would also keep him away from the river flowing south.
The wars between the Kingdom of Saladin and the Kingdom of Lodin always resulted in a large influx of refugees into the Maslow Alliance. While the Maslow Alliance refused entry to refugees, it was very welcoming to nobles carrying large sums of money. Once one could safely reach a port of the Maslow Alliance, the rest would be relatively simple.
In just two days, the invasion of the Kingdom of Saladin had already had a huge impact on the entire Kingdom of Lodin, with a large number of refugees passing through Baron Kro's territory.
The refugees passing by wore expressions of fear and exhaustion, their eyes vacant and lost. Every now and then, they would look back at the road they had come from, filled with longing. The war between the Kingdom of Saladin and the Kingdom of Lodin would inevitably involve these ordinary civilians. These civilians were illiterate and knew very little about the outside world. Not knowing where to go, they could only head towards the capital of the Kingdom of Lodin, hoping to find refuge there.
Standing atop the castle, Green watched the slowly moving refugees and sighed softly.
These refugees are unlikely to fare well. The capital will absolutely not allow them in, and there's a high possibility that Saladin's spies are mixed in. To ensure the capital's safety, these refugees will be tossed around like a ball between various territories, struggling to survive in misery. Saladin's kingdom also needs these refugees to constantly move around, disrupting the internal workings of the entire Kingdom of Nottingham.
After two days of sorting, most of the valuable items inside the castle have been moved onto horse-drawn carriages.
Green needed to prepare very little, and old Green had nothing to take with him; the entire wagon was filled with food and water.
However, the entire carriage had been completely renovated. To prevent any unexpected incidents or breakdowns along the way, Green replaced all the old parts of the carriage, reinforced it, and removed unnecessary items to make room for more food and water.
As the sun was about to set, the entire horizon seemed ablaze, the blood-red clouds foreshadowing the impending carnage on this land. Inside the castle's training grounds, a dozen or so carriages were neatly arranged. These carriages varied in size, but were all tightly wrapped, their contents unknown. Horses followed, with castle guards mounted on them. Others stood beside the carriages; at a glance, the entire procession numbered nearly a hundred.
Baron Clod's guard captain Oss, Green, and two others stood on the outer perimeter of the city wall. As the main force guaranteeing this march, their importance goes without saying.
Standing on the city wall, the three of them awaited the final news. Baron Clod had already sent out sentries to gather information on the progress of Saladin's army.
"Captain Os, I heard you once went to the Maslow Alliance. Can you tell me about it?" Standing on the city wall, Green asked the guard captain Os in a low voice.
Oss, clad in heavy armor and possessing an exceptionally robust physique, had been gazing out of the castle with a sorrowful expression. Upon hearing Green's question, a hint of reminiscence appeared on his face.
"Yes, I have been to the Maslow Alliance before, but that was more than ten years ago. It was when I was still in the army that I was assigned a mission to transport food and had the opportunity to go to Elendal." A trace of nostalgia flashed across Os's face.
"Green, do you know? The Maslow Alliance is completely different from us. The Kingdom of Lodin and the Kingdom of Saladin are both led by the king, while the Maslow Alliance is led by a parliament. All orders need to be voted on by the parliament before they can be implemented. Some orders can even be vetoed. Here, the king is supreme, which is completely different from us."
The port of Elendal in the Maslow Alliance is extremely prosperous, with countless cargo ships trading every day. The size of the city far exceeds that of our royal capital. "Os became more and more excited as he spoke, and began to draw the large ships he saw in the port of Elendal.
"Commerce there is extremely developed; you can buy almost anything. Goods from the Kingdom of Lodin and the Kingdom of Saladin are everywhere, and even items from other overseas countries. There are no nobles in the entire country; the higher-ranking members are either members of parliament or top-tier merchants. After we go there, I plan to open a swordsmanship school to teach others swordsmanship." As the conversation deepened, Os even revealed his own plans. "That place is definitely suitable for development."
"The Maslow Alliance is actually very powerful. Knight apprentices can be seen everywhere on the streets, and there are also many formal knights. It can even be said that it far surpasses the Kingdom of Notting and the Kingdom of Saladin. However, for some reason, the Maslow Alliance never expands outwards, and the Kingdom of Saladin and the Kingdom of Notting have never launched a war against the Maslow Alliance. Even during wars, neither country has any objection to the Maslow Alliance selling supplies to the Kingdom of Saladin and the Kingdom of Notting."
"That's strange?" Green's curiosity was piqued. According to Os, the Maslow Alliance seemed to be a particularly transcendent entity. The Baron was also drawn in by Os's words and turned to listen carefully. Although the Baron's status was higher than Os's, he had never been to the Maslow Alliance.
"According to this route, it will take us about half a year to reach our destination. This is mainly because we need to avoid the army of the Saladin Kingdom. We need to go north to the Visas Wasteland first. The journey in the middle is relatively easy. The Visas Wasteland is the main problem. First of all, the water problem is very serious, but we can prepare water in advance, so this problem is not too big."
The main problem is that we might encounter bandits in the Vessas Wasteland. As a vital route to the former port of Elendal, the Vessas Wasteland is teeming with bandits who frequently rob passing caravans. This time, there are many nobles fleeing, making it a feast for those bandits. However, with the three of us here, there shouldn't be too many problems. Grin, your archery skills are a huge threat to those bandits. Bandits aren't desperate criminals; they'll retreat quickly after suffering losses."
Green frowned. Not because of the bandits, but because of the large-scale noble caravan. According to Os, there were probably many nobles, both high and low, fleeing in the wilderness. He would likely have to be wary not only of bandits, but also of other noble caravans from the Kingdom of Lodin. Since there were no restrictions, robbing others would allow him to have a better life in Elendal.
After expressing their thoughts, Baron Clod and Oss both showed seriousness on their faces.
"Green, your concerns are not unfounded. You should also be careful when dealing with other nobles in the future."
The three began discussing the arrangements for the convoy after entering the wasteland.