Armored Cavalry, survive in a world full of mods

The man hesitated for a moment, but quickly recovered, offering a simple smile and wishing him a safe journey. However, a hint of regret couldn't be suppressed on his face—although he knew it would be difficult to continue doing such a good job, he was still reluctant to give it up, and he never expected it to end completely in just one month…

Fortunately, he still made money this month, and as long as he is careful, things should get much better in the future.

The man from Assele noticed his disappointment, smiled slightly, and continued speaking before he could finish:

“You don’t need to worry. I have an old friend who lives in this city. He’s also in this business, but he works with large workshops in Arias. You can sell to him later at the same price.”

………………

Politely declining the man's profuse invitation to stay at his home, the Assele man turned and left with a smile on his lips. His steps were light and quick. His luxurious swamp-dwelling leather boots swiftly traversed the muddy wetlands, navigated the intricate streets, and arrived at a smooth, paved road.

Two burly men with broad shoulders and long arms stood by the roadside with their horses, waiting for him. As soon as he came out, they went to greet him.

The man was still in a very good mood. He went to his Thoroughbred Arthur, whose coat was as smooth as silk, put his feet in the stirrups, and sat up. Then he led the way and rode away, prompting his two sturdy bodyguards to follow closely behind.

It took him a while to get back to his temporary lodgings. As soon as he entered, a servant knelt down and used a brush and soft towel to clean the mud off his feet. Only after his boots were spotless did he step onto the oak floor inside the door.

The city was unusually quiet today, as most people, whether they could get in or not, had gathered near the arena, making their journey back on horseback quite smooth with virtually no stops.

Even many street vendors stopped doing business, or rather, I moved my business to the vicinity of the arena, where I bought a spot at a high price in order to take advantage of this opportunity to make a fortune.

A tender leg of lamb, thickly sprinkled with spices, was served on a wooden platter. The table in front of him was piled high with all sorts of dried fruits, candied nuts, fresh fruits, and other fruits and foods, as well as fine wine. The man ate and drank by himself, while everyone else stood respectfully around him. Only one or two beautiful and graceful maids served him.

After downing the wine in the golden cup to wash away the grease in his mouth, the man, who rarely had a hearty appetite, was about to continue savoring the food when he suddenly frowned and turned to look to the side:

"It's basic etiquette not to interrupt when someone is eating at your host's house. Or can't you even do that?"

The tall, thin eunuch appeared beside him without him noticing. The turban on his head was unexpectedly crooked. Although the other party quickly noticed this and corrected it, it still surprised the man. This guy was usually as fussy as a woman and unkempt was almost unrelated to him. How could he have such a big lapse in composure?

Despite the other party's expressionless face, Prince Asel still sensed something was amiss and subconsciously put down the wine glass he was holding.

"You've gone a bit too far with your game, Your Highness."

The eunuch spoke expressionlessly, but anyone could hear the sarcasm and subtle emotion in his words. Surprisingly, Prince Asel was not angered by his words; he merely frowned.

"They've already been exposed?"

“That’s right. I guess the one in the Golden Palace already knew we were in this city, and even sent someone to play this game with you. If that man hadn’t shown a slight flaw, even I might have been fooled…”

"what do you mean……"

“That’s exactly what I mean, Your Highness. Don’t underestimate the people here… You can’t even imagine how terrifying things are hidden in this city. I was just as careless… To avoid causing any trouble, we’d better leave as soon as possible.”

Prince Asele fell completely silent, his previous good mood vanished without a trace. After hesitating for a long time, he lay back in his chair, waved for the servants to remove the food, and then sighed helplessly.

"I'm such a fool... I thought I could do something, but in the end I still have to rely on you."

Even the fiercest lion can die in the jaws of a hyena when it is young and inexperienced. People always need to accumulate experience to become more mature.

"No need to comfort me... How did he do it? How could he let his wife and children endure poverty? After having that kind of ability, wouldn't it be easy to get money? He completely fooled me..."

“That’s not his wife, nor his child.”

The eunuch stepped forward expressionlessly and said in his shrill voice:

"They're just a group, a group that can be put together whenever there's a need... The so-called children are two dwarfs. If needed, you can see another impoverished family that's completely indistinguishable from the real one, and they can even add an elderly person who's been bedridden for a long time due to illness."

Prince Asele fell completely silent, and after a long while, he waved his hand in despair.

"Go pack your things, we're leaving tomorrow. You're right, I'm still too young."

........................

"The rat has left; the target will be detected later."

The man in gray stood on the side of the tall tower, hiding himself in the shadows. Even people with excellent eyesight would have a hard time spotting him. He was like a vine that silently spread out of the darkness.

"He does have some skill. Although he ran as fast as a scaredy-cat, he could at least figure out what was going on."

“If you don’t stop me, I can slit his throat four times, and no one will know where he died.”

"There's no need for that. The investigation in the south has already been completed. He's just a little prince. Once one of his brothers takes the position of Shah, he'll be killed by poison or a hidden dagger. He's not an important figure. But this eunuch has some connections. There's no need to cause him too much trouble."

"If you ask me, it's best to nip it in the bud. It's quite normal for them to die on their journey, isn't it?"

"Don't do unnecessary things."

The man's face, covered by a mask, was turned toward the darkness beside him, where there seemed to be nothing, but if you focused your attention carefully, you could see a blurry outline at the edge.

"His Majesty didn't mean that, so we can only monitor him and can't do anything unnecessary. Do I need to teach you that?"

"...You're right, I was reckless."

"Let's go, I'm going to the next area. We can't relax during this time. I'm leaving the Black Card area to you."

After speaking, the man silently stretched his hand upwards. Like a feather, he descended along the edge of the tower to the rope below, and moved forward like the most nimble cat, quickly disappearing into the shadows of the building.

A minute or two later, a new shadow leaped lightly down the tower and swiftly and quickly disappeared in the opposite direction.

----------------------

"Coo coo! Beep beep!"

A strange sound suddenly came from the room. The tall and fit Rigut woman looked at the house next to her with some confusion. At the same time, her right hand subconsciously touched the axe behind her, her fingers eagerly reaching out and moving.

After a slight hesitation, Karila ultimately did not make a quicker choice based on her instincts. She reached out and knocked on the door, and waited patiently for a while until Tarina opened the door and peeked out.

"Is something the matter? Karila, didn't that batch of supplies reach your hundred-man team? That shouldn't be the case, I arranged it last night..."

"No, no..." Karila quickly shook her head and explained why she had knocked on the door:

"I heard a strange noise coming from your house... it sounds a bit like a crow or something, I can't quite tell. Could you let me see what it is?"

"Oh, I see..." Tarina breathed a sigh of relief, thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Of course, no problem."

Karila followed behind, looking around the room. It was naturally filled with bottles, jars, and various books, and the crisp, subtle sound was coming from a wooden box...

216 Tarina's New Discovery (2)

This is an extremely ordinary box, without any decorations that can be described as exquisite. It is just a pile of roughly planed wooden boards nailed together. It is of poor quality and not durable enough. At most, it can be sold for a few copper coins.

The two approached in silence. A sudden, excited smile appeared on Tarina's previously calm face. She nimbly leaped to the box in a few steps, then turned and beckoned to her:

"Look at this little guy, I've put a lot of effort into him."

Karila curiously took two steps forward, then peered into the box lined with clean straw and lint... After a long pause, she whispered:

"This bird is so fat and round..."

Goooo!

Seemingly protesting Karila's words, a clear chirping sound came from inside the box, and the sound of the little creature hopping around inside could be clearly heard, making one feel the unique texture of its claws sliding on the straw.

As Karila said, there was only one big bird in the box, about the size of two fists... a fat bird with a round body and head that did not look like a typical bird. Its eyes were unusually large and bright on its relatively flat face, and its pale yellow beak was small and hooked. Short, coarse gray downy feathers were scattered around its small beak.

Not only its head, but its belly was also round and plump, with fluffy gray-white feathers covering even its two claws, making it look like a soft ball.

At the same time, these fluffy feathers also create a certain illusion—the illusion that the bird is very fat and meaty, but as long as you reach out and pinch it, you can feel the solid flesh and bones under the fluffy feathers.

Karila was now completely captivated by this illusion. She had even begun to consider whether she could have a proper meal with this large bird—she wouldn't have let such a plump delicacy slip by when she was traveling alone. She had even started fantasizing about the soft, crunchy fat beneath the crispy skin after plucking its feathers...

Seemingly sensing Karila's malice, the chubby little bird, which had been chirping incessantly, suddenly shrank its neck in fear, turning into a small ball, and cautiously retreated until it huddled in a corner of the box.

Seeing the little bird's signature two short horns on its head... or rather, its ear feathers tucked up, and even its large eyes closed in a somewhat self-deceiving manner, as if it would die safely if it couldn't see the danger before it, Karila couldn't help but laugh out loud:

"Hahaha! I didn't expect you to be so particular, Doctor, raising birds to eat. They're already so fat, there's no need to keep raising them anymore. I just happened to see the fire in the kitchen being lit when I came in..."

Tarina, both amused and exasperated, quickly shook her head, stopping the other person from this idea that was arguably a waste of resources.

"This isn't something to eat; it's very precious!"

As she spoke, the girl carefully took the chubby little dumpling from the box and held it in her palm, as gently as if she were holding a handful of melting snow.

"The Karasayas Scops Owl... This is the little helper that every spellcaster dreams of. Don't let its unassuming appearance fool you; this little guy is quite clever. Not only can it help deliver messages, but it can also be of great help to me in many other ways... I've wanted to keep one of these creatures for a long time, but their numbers have become extremely rare. If it weren't for the good fortune of finding a similar egg, even then I wouldn't have been sure..."

Karila listened in a daze, and finally frowned, summarizing with some difficulty:

"So you mean this thing can be used to deliver messages but can't be eaten, right?"

Tarina frowned and said with a hint of helplessness:

"Although it's a bit one-sided, this is indeed its main function—this little guy can not only remember dozens of locations without the slightest confusion, but also clearly understand his master's instructions and deliver letters or other things accurately, which can be achieved with very little training."

"Don't scare it. I'll take it to an important place to familiarize it with the environment, and then we can rely on this little guy to deliver messages for you."

Like a mother hen protecting her chicks, Tarina hid the trembling little bird behind her, avoiding Karila's aggressive gaze. She let the sharp-toothed Rigut woman smile, then was startled by the sound of bells outside the window. She hurriedly stood up, her heavy chainmail and scale armor clanging rhythmically.

"Oh no, I'm going to be late!"

Talina also realized what was happening:

"You're participating in a competitive sporting event today, right?!"

"That's right, that's right! I was just thinking of taking a carriage, but I completely forgot about it. I'm running late, I have to go now!"

"Wait a minute!"

Just as Karila realized she had almost missed her mission and was about to rush to the arena at her fastest speed, Talina suddenly called her back. Then, under her anxious gaze, she began rummaging through the pile of messy boxes behind her and quickly pulled out a green leaf.

"This will bring you good luck. Best of luck."

"Oh, thank you, doctor. I'll keep this with me."

Karila grabbed the leaf and rushed out of the room, quickly leaving amidst a flurry of activity. In the midst of her sprint, she finally noticed the peculiarity of the leaf in her hand…

It looks like a soft leaf, but when you hold it in your hand, it feels as solid and resilient as a piece of hardwood that has been carefully cut, and it has a warm and cool touch like jade, which makes you inexplicably fond of it.

But she didn't have time to worry about anything else now. She casually stuffed the leaf into the small pouch at her waist. Karila, who was about to be late, was hurrying on her way...

----------------------

With a heavy chop forward, the axe in his right hand deftly probed and hooked at the last moment upon contact with the opponent's weapon, using the groove on the back to catch the opponent's blade, creating a momentary opening.

In that instant, Karila had already firmly grasped him, and her left-hand axe followed closely behind. Almost at the same time as blocking the opponent's blade, it had already heavily slashed into the armored side ribs. The heavy impact made the strong man in front of her widen his eyes, and he made a sound like a deflated balloon, his body bending to the side. After struggling for a couple of moments, he collapsed to the ground.

Her fluid movements never faltered. After delivering that decisive blow, she immediately ducked forward, slipping under the man's arm to dodge a short sword thrusting from behind, while simultaneously turning to face her opponent who had almost succeeded.

This was the third match of the day. Kalila, covered in sweat, stretched her shoulders with relief, feeling happy about her good luck. She had thought she would miss the match because of the crowd, but unexpectedly, she happened to run into Tersolius's honor guard on their way here. She hitched a ride and arrived here without any obstacles just before the match was about to start.

In this 2-on-2 battle, only the two of them remain—Carila's so-called teammate was basically useless and was knocked to the ground by the opponent's preemptive strike, so now she can only rely on herself.

She stuck out her tongue and licked the corner of her mouth. The sweet, metallic taste told her that blood had flowed from the wound on her cheek... Although they were all relatively safe weapons that were not sharpened to reduce weight, minor injuries like these were always hard to avoid.

A sinister smile crept across her lips, an indescribable joy filling her heart, giving her an urge to burst out laughing—leaving her hometown had indeed been the right decision. Here, she could easily encounter powerful opponents and revel in the thrill of battle. If she hadn't dodged in time, she would have perished along with her first opponent.

The remaining opponent was a middle-aged man with a resolute appearance, holding a shield in his left hand and a short sword in his right. He cautiously approached her in the standard defensive stance of a legionary soldier, his broad tower shield like an insurmountable high wall.

A probing attack, unsurprisingly, failed. The opponent's short sword, hidden behind the shield, was as dangerous as a venomous snake waiting to strike—nimble, swift, and elusive. Karila could only swiftly withdraw like a cat offering its paw, searching for a new opportunity.

The two axes in her hands were weapons provided by this arena. Unlike the battle axes used in battle, which are sharp and heavy, these axes were not only blunt but also significantly lighter, making it difficult for her to tear the shield apart with brute force. She could only carry the axes and look for openings.

Most people might feel anxious and tense in this situation, but Karila doesn't. For her, it's a rare enjoyment—not the kind of weakling who collapses at the slightest touch, but a real contest where someone can pose a threat to her, where both sides are probing each other and looking for an opportunity. This makes her feel like her whole body has come alive.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, then tensed his body and suddenly stepped forward with his right foot. This immediately triggered an instinctive reaction from his already tense opponent, who turned his shield to the right. Although the man realized something was wrong the next moment and managed to block the shield in time, the axe blade still struck the thinnest and most fragile side of the shield heavily, leaving a cracked dent.

He braced his shoulder against the side of the shield and launched a fierce charge with all his might, while his blunt-tipped short sword lay ready at his side, poised to strike at any moment... Then he saw his opponent actually jump slightly, push off his shield with one foot, and leap back a meter or two, creating distance between them.

One test after another, like dancing on a knife's edge, spinning on a tower... Every flaw could lead to defeat. Amidst the tension, confrontation, enticement, and defense, and amidst increasingly enthusiastic cheers and applause, the last person standing on this wide field is deciding the outcome.

Karila was like a ferocious and agile wolf. She nimbly darted around, occasionally leaving marks on sturdy shields with her sharp teeth and claws, attempting to break through her opponent's defenses and devour their succulent flesh.

Her opponent, a centurion from the army, also defended impenetrably. His shield was like a high wall, blocking all attacks and creating opportunities for his short sword to strike, ready to plunge its deadly fangs into the heart of his prey and win the highest honor for himself.

Once again, he pushed his opponent back with a fierce shield bash, only to find that his attack with a short sword thrust from the side of the shield was still ineffective. His opponent knew exactly what was important and even took the shield bash head-on to dodge the short sword.

Seeing that his attempt to lure the opponent had failed once again, the man calmly used his shield to protect himself again—he had already witnessed the opponent's astonishing stamina and brute force, and he absolutely could not reveal the slightest opening, otherwise he would inevitably face a barrage of heavy blows like a storm.

His opponent was just as patient as he was; the blonde Riggt woman was slowly circling him, forcing him to spin along with her to prevent any openings from falling into her opponent's hands...

The atmosphere was growing tense, something indescribable was being squeezed together, and it was expanding and about to explode. The audience's emotions were also rising, waiting for the moment when it would be completely ignited. Both of them knew that it was not far away.

With a crisp scraping and clanging sound from the chainmail, the man immediately perked up, adjusted his position, and prepared to meet another fierce charge and attack from his opponent.

He definitely felt the impact of the blow on the sturdy shield in his hand, but a crisp cracking sound made his confident expression freeze. The next instant, as the axe sank deep into the sturdy shield, a terrifying force erupted from it, and his reliable companion was instantly shattered into pieces, leaving only a fragment with a handle connected to a small piece of the shield in his hand...

Caught off guard, his short sword, which he barely managed to defend, was knocked heavily to the ground by the axe. He could only watch helplessly as another axe came crashing down on his face... In the instant he was knocked down, he clearly saw the deep dents on the edges of the scattered shield fragments on the ground, each one located at the joint of the wood, each one the most vulnerable spot... And the attack just now was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

In the blink of an eye, the outcome was decided. All the spectators stood up and cheered loudly, showering the wide arena with countless cheers for the final victor.

Karila raised her two axes high, a wild smile on her face, and laughed unrestrainedly, completely ignoring the sweat streaming down her forehead that irritated the wounds on her cheeks, causing waves of pain...

217 Battle for the Championship (1)

What an intense, magnificent, and glorious struggle this was! The clash of swords echoed endlessly in the arena. The cheers and fervent applause of the crowd roared like thunder, soaring to the heavens. Sweat, steel, and unwavering will were poured out here. This was a clash of courage, a contest of skill. There was no place for cowards here, no honor for the weak. It was a true battle for the pinnacle!