Lord of the Oasis

Chapter 80: Arriving at the Stone Pass

The foreman’s expression was sincere.

Kant, on the other hand, was slightly stunned.

He did not understand why Firentis’ father did not go through the construction workers from Suno, but instead went in such a roundabout way to ask the construction workers from Veruga of the Kingdom of Rhodok, to submit a family letter?

This was undoubtedly unnecessary.

However, on his retina, the system’s dialog box suddenly popped up.

[Ding… Side Quest issued]

[Side Quest: Firentis’ Family Letter]

[Quest Reward: Troops recruitment doubled (Permanent)]

[Introduction: Family ties are indelible emotions. When the wandering child continues looking for redemption, the old father whose hair had grown gray longs for the child who had made a mistake to return to his side.]

A side quest appeared.

Kant first scanned the introduction and could not help but sigh. “So, it is like that, huh?”

It was just as the introduction described.

It was a gray-haired elderly father longing for his child who had made a mistake.

He understood the plot, and he also understood the story of Firentis.

The originally radiant eldest son, whom an elderly father adored and entrusted the most, had accidentally killed his own brother because of a promiscuous socialite. He felt immense pain after he regained his senses. After that, he chose to exile himself in search of redemption.

However, as an old man and the father of the two brothers, was he not feeling more pain and sorrow in his heart?

To Firentis, he had lost a younger brother.

To his father, he had lost two sons.

The estrangement they felt diluted as time passed. The old noble had entered his old age. He constantly worried about his son who had made a mistake. He hoped that his son would return to his side; to inherit the family, and start his life anew.

“I will pass this letter to Firentis.”

Kant opened his mouth and spoke. At the same time, he picked up the thin family letter and placed it on his chest.

“Thank you for your help, Lord.” The foreman immediately bowed.

After all, a commoner like him asking Kant, a noble, to pass a letter was the equivalent of being disrespectful. If he were to encounter a stubborn old man with a bad temper, it was absolutely possible that the soldiers beside him would have to drag him out and whip him a few times.

“It’s fine.” Kant waved his hand.

Turning his head to look out of the window, Kant found that it was already deep into the night.

The light of the stars and the moon sprinkled down as if adding a thin layer of silk on the world.

“Everyone, rest.”

Kant stood up and walked towards the second floor.

Manid and the five Sarrandian Horsemen followed. They were all sleeping on the second floor.

After all, it was a posthouse, and it could occasionally be used as an inn. There were three rooms on the second floor. If one were to tidy the place up, it would become three large bunks. Not to mention them, even if the ten desert bandits were to be included, they would still be able to sleep well.

But for safety reasons, the ten desert bandits were better off staying on the first floor.

The soldiers had no objections to the arrangement while the construction workers would not dare to make any objections even if they had any.

They brought blankets from Veruga, and they could make beds easily by laying them on the floor. Moreover, there was a fireplace in the living room. The burning wood emitted enough heat and made it much better than sleeping in the sand pit.

On the second floor, Kant had his own room.

After saying good night to Manid and the five Sarrandian Horsemen, he closed the door and lay on the wooden bed.

He did not take off his clothes.

Kant reached out and touched the letter in his arms.

His expression was a little gloomy and uncertain.

Although he agreed to it firmly in front of many people, he was a little hesitant. It was because Kant did not know if his current general would choose to leave if he were to hand this letter to Firentis.

Such a thing had never happened in a game before since those had been virtual worlds controlled by programs.

But now, it was the real world.

Firentis had his own thoughts and beliefs. He also had regret for his dead brother and guilt towards his old father. Perhaps he would really leave Oasis Lookout and return to Suno in the system.

Now, to tell the truth.

Kant did not want to give this letter to Firentis even if it meant that the the temporary side quest had to fail.

“Doubled troops recruitment.”

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly as he glanced at the reward of the quest.

So what if the number of recruits doubled? It would still not be able to match Firentis’ value.

This was a knight who was a military noble and familiar with the Kingdom of Swadia’s troop configuration. He was the equivalent of a general who would lead the Kingdom of Swadia’s troops in the future. How could he let him go so easily?

Kant let out a deep sigh. His eyes were filled with gloom. “Troublesome.”

Compared to the virtual world where data was king, reality was really troublesome.

Manid, the soldiers, and the construction workers all saw Kant accept the letter.

Even if Kant could give the order and prohibit them from telling anyone, Firentis’ father had entrusted this construction team to deliver the letter. This meant that he could also entrust other construction teams to complete this task. It was not something that could be hidden for too long.

“Forget it, it’s just a letter.”

Kant closed his eyes and decided to simply not think about these troublesome things.

He understood Firentis’ character. He was definitely the standard of a knight of justice.

During the start-up phase of the Oasis Lookout, during their most difficult time, if this general of his who had been entrusted with high hopes were to choose to leave, it was possible that an indelible influence would be left deep in his heart.

Kant opened his eyes. Then, he closed them again.

He knew that Firentis was a good man.

A good man would have ideals and principles.

Fortunately, he was not one.

The night froze.

The light from the posthouse pierced through the window and illuminated the sand outside.

Time passed little by little.

The distant horizon lit up with a touch of white.

At dawn.

The fragrant smell of food had emerged from the kitchen of the posthouse.

The desert bandits were using the charcoal in the fireplace to bake bread and dry meat.

Just outside the posthouse, the construction workers from Veruga had already finished unloading the materials on the carriage. They were busy with their tools and were cautiously digging the well beside the posthouse.

Kant also woke up.

He walked down the stairs and saw that Manid was handling some trivial matters.

After chatting for a while, he asked the Sarrandian Horsemen and the desert bandits to head over and have breakfast together.

They still had a lot of things to do.

“My Lord, are you leaving soon?” The foreman was also a little surprised.

Kant nodded. “That’s right, you guys work hard over here. We have left some food and water for you. I saw that you have brought also your own bread and water, so we left some dried meat for you.”

“Thank you so much, my Lord.”

The foreman immediately bowed deeply to thank him.

Kant chuckled. “Do your best and dig the well. By the time we come back from afar, I hope that we can drink fresh and clean water from the well.”

“Definitely.” The foreman nodded with gratitude.

Without saying anything else, Kant continued onward and led the team forward.

The posthouse was only one of the quests. Even after Kant reached the Stone Pass, he would still have to inspect the surrounding Senwaya Range to look for an empty space that could be used for a lumberyard. He would then have to send camel squads and peasant farmers over to cut down the trees and transport the lumber back.

Charcoal was absolutely necessary for the brewing of white salt.

The sun rose and time passed.

Morning, noon, afternoon, dusk.

Just as the sun was setting in the west, emitting layers of dim yellow light through the clouds and dyeing the desert golden, the originally faraway Senwaya range that looked like a gigantic majestic dragon was already within reach.

Kant’s route was correct.

And as he gazed into the distance at the connected and consistent Senwaya Range, a gap suddenly appeared in his sights.

It was said that it was a canyon that appeared due to the wrath of the gods.

However, now, it was the only link between the Nahrin Desert and the northern county of the Dukedom of Leo.

The Stone Pass was located within it.

It was built on the south side of the canyon, near the Dukedom of Leo. It was built entirely from stones and wood of the Senwaya Range. It could not be considered as a strong and well-defended castle. However, against the Jackalans who did not have siege weapons and possessed few armor pieces and iron weapons, it was more than enough.

“We’re here.”

While continuing to lead Manid and the cavalrymen forward, Kant let out a sigh of relief.

The wide canyon was right in front of them.

The mountain rifts on both sides were quite smooth. It was as if they had been sliced open before being moved to the sides, forming the two cliff walls.

The wind had brought and spread yellow sand into the canyon.

Crushed rocks and sand were everywhere. There were also many withered trees that had fallen from the cliff at the top of the mountain. No one had cleaned them up. As the years went by, debris accumulated and made it somewhat difficult to walk on the road.

Luckily, around a thousand meters of the canyon could still be considered empty.

They had to spur their horses to travel a considerable distance.

Then, around a thousand meters in front of them, a stone wall connected to the cliffs of the Stone Pass on both sides appeared in front of them.