Chapter 114: Plans in the Snow Hut

Wade thoroughly destroyed all traces of the slave merchants’ cave. The three captured young men watched with complex expressions as the snow buried that place, realizing their fates had been completely altered. Their past was buried here along with those dead men – from now on, they could no longer use their original names, only being called Number One, Number Two, and Number Three.

Wade boarded the snow sled driven by Igna with his remaining three skeletons. He pointed in a direction, and the dragonkin immediately understood, shouting, “Follow behind me!” The reindeer began running, pulling their cargo away from that valley toward the parked heavy snow sled.

There were no surprises here – the two skeleton guards left behind had done their duty well. The bone deer and bone goat stood before the snow vehicle. The oak snow sled taken from Sven’s pirate group was worth ten of those small sleds combined.

Wade had everything loaded onto the heavy snow sled. The three young men didn’t dare slack off either – without needing orders, they voluntarily went to work. They believed being able to work meant they still had temporary value, so they desperately tried to prove themselves, with one even carrying an entire wine barrel alone. The miscellaneous items were far from enough to fill this sled capable of carrying twenty to thirty people plus livestock, wine barrels, and prisoners – there was still plenty of space after loading everything.

The dragonkin asked, “Lord Wade, where should we go?”

Truthfully, Wade didn’t know where to go. He couldn’t understand that map – deciding the direction should be left to someone who could read maps. So Mia wrote floating words in the snow for Wade: [You decide].

Igna could clearly see the words in the darkness – she naturally possessed darkvision. “Understood,” Igna replied. She had promised Wade she would guide the souls and determine their current destination – this was exactly what she should do. Taking a deep breath, she vowed not to make any more mistakes.

First, she took out the map and unfolded a corner. She called the three slaves and asked, “Which direction did your original group come from? Where are your troops and warships stationed?”

All three pointed behind them, further beyond the valley. “We came from that direction. The warships are still further away by the sea. Over there we…” Number One said, “They captured a smuggling port and took control of it.”

Igna determined the direction, identifying locations on the map. The Lizardmen Faction’s slave merchants had marked secret port locations on the map – they had their own ports and transport ships. The black dots along the coast represented their trading locations.

Now they obviously needed to avoid the Icelanders’ forces and find a safe place to regroup first. But blindly fleeing backward wasn’t a good choice either. She first eliminated all the marked black locations – if the Icelanders could find the cave where demi-human slaves were stored, it meant none of the Lizardmen Faction’s bases were safe anymore. The Icelanders likely obtained the same map and were searching all marked locations.

So they needed to avoid coastal ports and bases, heading toward blank, uninhabited wastelands to avoid detection. “Head southeast,” Igna declared her decision, pointing at a blank area on the map. “This direction takes us away from warships and ports. The secret bases marked on the map have probably been discovered by the Icelanders too. Going here lets us avoid direct combat as much as possible.”

Wade nodded. He had Igna ride a small reindeer-pulled sled to lead the way while the remaining sleds followed behind. The dragonkin took up the responsibility of guiding them, wielding the reins as she, Number Two and Number Three drove three small sleds forward across the snow. The bone beasts also pulled the heavy sled forward. Across the endless snowy plains, three small and one large sled advanced into the bitter wind.

…

Late at night.

Number One and Number Two took down the kerosene lamps from the sled while Number Three used the fire tube to light them. They carefully carried down the pinewood boxes one by one, placing them before the dragonkin and skeletons. Before the sled stopped, all skeletons except one had disappeared, leaving all the hard labor to them.

Trembling, they looked up at the ice walls above. They were now inside an ice hut – a small house built from snow and ice. Not long before, the snow sleds had stopped at a mountain’s base, then they witnessed something incredible – the snow and ice moved on their own, forming a circular ice house that sheltered both sleds and people. The bitter wind was blocked outside as snow piled up to disguise the house as an ordinary snowdrift at the mountain’s base.

In such cold weather, they actually had an ice hut to shelter from wind and snow. Inside this house, they finally felt a little warmth. Though unease still lingered in their hearts, they began accepting their fate.

Just work obediently – what else could they do? Choose death instead? Being compliant at least let them keep their lives.

They obediently followed the dragonkin’s orders. The reindeer had already lain down to sleep, digging through the loose snow to lie directly on the ground. The six reindeer huddled closely together in a circle, their thick fur protecting them from the cold.

They somewhat envied these reindeer who could sleep so carefree in such conditions.

Over there, the dragonkin was reading through account books, spreading the map on the ground while explaining something to the skeleton. Numbers One, Two and Three paid no attention. Even if they needed to urinate, they had to hold it in. The three stood silently by the sled, not daring to move around as they organized crossbow bolts and equipment.

Number Two suddenly felt a chill on his neck. He turned sharply but saw nothing, only hearing an eerie little girl’s laughter. Goosebumps covered his body as he closed his eyes, trembling while counting wooden arrows. When he opened them again, he saw a translucent little girl’s face right before his nose. Startled, he stumbled backward, dropping all the arrows in his arms.

Wade looked helplessly at Mia. The little ghost giggled, clearly pleased with her prank as the young man was thoroughly frightened. Wade waved his hand, calling Mia back. The dragonkin shot Number Two a cold glare, making him jump up and hurriedly gather the arrows before returning to his work station to continue counting silently.

Mia landed on Wade’s palm. He flicked the little ghost’s forehead, and she flew to perch on his shoulder, hugging his neck affectionately. He pointed at the account book, signaling the dragonkin to continue.

The dragonkin cleared her throat, pointing at the newest page. “Lord Wade, the merchant wrote here that in two days they have a transaction with the Black Cat Society. From the coded language I deciphered, the meeting place should be here.” She pointed at an unmarked mountain area on the map where there was an inconspicuous valley.

“‘Under the Morning Star, three anchors at the twin rivers’ crossing’ – this is their meeting code,” the dragonkin explained. “‘Morning Star’ refers to the east. ‘Three anchors’ represents the mooring place – this is the transaction code. ‘Twin rivers’ crossing’ likely means this cross-shaped valley. They arranged to meet here to conduct business with the Black Cat Society.”

“I’ve never heard any rumors about this Black Cat Society. They’re probably just a small local organization in the Northern Territories. During these turbulent times, their approach to the Lizardmen Faction likely means they’re seeking assistance – showing intentions of allegiance.”

“Since Lord Wade also wishes to find a port and leave the Northern Territories by sea, I think we should start with this Black Cat Society. We’ll need more hands to crew a ship, and the intelligence these people possess could be useful too. If we can use your power to subdue them, we can make them work for us.”

“Can you keep these people under control?” Wade wrote with a quill. He had no experience leading troops, and he was a skeleton after all. Making people fear him was easy, but getting them to work for him – he didn’t think he had that ability. These underworld types – he lacked confidence in controlling them properly, likely causing trouble later.

He wasn’t entirely convinced by the dragonkin’s suggestion, but she looked into his eye sockets and solemnly replied, “I’m confident I can control them. Please believe in my determination to rescue my kin.” This wasn’t just blind impulse – she quickly presented her plan to Wade.

The dragonkin opened a wooden box, revealing a stack of Slave Mark Scrolls in the firelight. Her gaze fell upon the three Icelanders – Numbers One, Two and Three were still organizing equipment taken from their original unit.

The dragonkin whispered, “Those bullies who prey on the weak – when facing someone stronger than themselves, they’ll tuck their tails between their legs and put on obsequious smiles.”

Wade considered the dragonkin’s plan. After a long silence, he nodded. The dragonkin was more proactive and strategic than he’d imagined. While he was still pondering their next destination, she had already proposed a complete plan on their very first night.

Unlike Wade the former baker, he felt the dragonkin was truly a “figure of capability.”