Chapter 47: Offering Respect

Lucas stood by the riverbank, watching his fellow villagers cross the ice bridge one by one.  

The wandering knight was already standing on the opposite bank, as steadfast as ever. His black iron helmet, his hand resting on the worn sword—it was calm and steady, like a knight’s statue gazing into the distance.  

He seemed to be staring toward the end of the mountain range.  

What kind of distant and magnificent scenery lay there?  

On this vast and boundless land, beyond Tania, how many landscapes had Lucas never seen?  

With a hint of longing, Lucas looked toward the direction the wandering knight’s gaze pointed, then glanced back.  

The shadows of mountains and forests came into view. The sky, once covered by dark clouds, had a patch where sunlight broke through.  

The evening glow pierced the clouds, dyeing the snow-capped mountains red, as if something sacred had arrived on those towering peaks.  

He was too exhausted and tense, having forgotten that the Creek Forest itself was a beautiful place.  

Was the wandering knight admiring that beautiful sunset glow?  

Perhaps so.  

Just as Lucas was lost in these thoughts, Avery held his wife’s hand, lifted his daughter in his arms, and stepped onto the ice bridge.  

They had a well-behaved hunting dog with them. Unlike cattle or sheep, only the smart and agile hunting dog could accompany humans through mountains and rivers.  

“Slow down, Emily.”  

“Daddy, this is amazing!”  

The five-year-old girl’s eyes sparkled like stars.  

She looked down at the ice bridge beneath her feet and expressed the most sincere wonder.  

“I want to walk down, Daddy. Can I?”  

“Are you still able to walk, Aya?”  

“Mm-hmm, I can.”  

“Then be careful and hold Daddy’s and Mommy’s hands.”  

“Okay!” The little girl nodded firmly.  

Avery smiled and gently set his daughter down. The young couple held their child’s hands, moving forward together.  

The wide ice bridge was spacious enough for three people to walk side by side.  

“Let’s go too, Lucas,” Uncle Bardel said.  

Everyone else had already crossed the bridge.  

“All right.” Lucas nodded.  

He stood on the riverbank, eyes lowered, watching the ice bridge spreading out in just a few seconds. He took a deep breath.  

When he lifted his foot to step onto the ice bridge, he felt his blood surge with excitement.  

This scene felt familiar to him.  

Many years ago, when he packed his bags and planned to leave the village with a passing caravan, he stood at the village entrance just like this. At that moment, about to step onto unfamiliar land, his blood had surged with the same excitement.  

It turned out his blood was still warm.  

“Lucas?” Uncle Bardel glanced back at him, slightly puzzled.  

“Nothing. Let’s go, Uncle Bardel.” Lucas smiled, and side by side with the bearded Bardel, he stepped onto the ice bridge.  

Whether intentional or not, the bridge surface wasn’t slippery but steady, like walking on a proper road.  

One hundred and thirty-seven people all crossed the Prague River smoothly.  

They had passed the greatest challenge in the Creek Forest and were not far from Alvado. One more day’s travel would bring them out of the forest.  

Some came up to Wade and paid their respects.  

The men took off their hats, placed their hands on their chests, and bowed.  

The women slightly bent their knees and bowed in respect.  

This was the highest level of etiquette for Tania’s free people. For guests of equal status, they never bowed or stooped; the most they did was hug or shake hands.  

Usually, this kind of etiquette was only performed when a tax collector came to collect the domain’s taxes or when nobles inspected the area.  

But at those times, villagers more often feared the power behind the visitors rather than truly respecting them from their hearts.  

The sincerity behind that etiquette was completely different from the moment now.  

Wade also received a small flower, picked from somewhere. Avery’s five-year-old daughter placed a white wildflower in Wade’s hand.  

Wade patted the girl’s head. The little girl shyly lifted her dress in a bow and hid behind her mother.  

After many others, Lucas also approached Wade, took off his hat, and bowed.  

“Lord Wade, thank you for your help. I will always remember this kindness,” Lucas said. “Though my strength is meager, if one day you need me, I will surely offer you my power.”  

He said this earnestly. If one day Lord Wade wanted to return to Nidran but lacked trustworthy people to handle errands, coming to invite Lucas, then Lucas would follow him without hesitation.  

Wade nodded and gave a thumbs-up.  

“Let’s go, keep moving forward!” Lucas grinned and turned back to organize the villagers.  

The villagers prepared themselves, ate some jerky and bread to fill their stomachs, then continued deeper into the forest.  

Before it got completely dark, they reached the oldest Tania mountain pine forest. Here, each pine tree’s trunk required three or four people to circle it with their arms.  

They rested under the trees that night without lighting a fire, simply huddling and lying on the ground, sharing warm clothes.  

Wade sat alone against a mountain pine tree, holding his sword. He looked like he was sleeping but was actually sensing the remaining magical power within the necromantic core.  

Using the power of this magical crystal, the Mia hidden inside his helmet had created the ice bridge.  

Not much magical power was consumed. Although the Prague River’s water was flowing, its temperature was still very low, almost at freezing point.  

With just a bit of frost power, the river water could be frozen solid.  

Mia made that wide ice bridge about seven or eight meters long, consuming roughly only one-tenth of the magical power.  

The problem wasn’t the power consumption, but why the river hadn’t frozen.  

In this season, under natural conditions, it shouldn’t be flowing.  

Wade had personally experienced Tania’s deep winter. When he dug up the radiant-class longsword, even the reservoirs two or three meters below the permafrost layer were frozen solid.  

As they crossed the Creek Forest today, they saw ice pillars on cliffs everywhere and encountered several natural streams—all frozen without exception.  

In winters cold enough to freeze the sea surface, an inland river like this shouldn’t remain unfrozen.  

Was something wrong upstream?  

Wade pondered these irregularities, recalling the rough route map Lucas had drawn last night.  

The Prague River was the “River of Life” in the viscount’s territory. The vast majority of villages and towns in the viscount’s lands were built along this river.  

Living by the water was human nature.  

Looking upstream along this tributary of the Prague River was obvious.  

The nearest inhabited town was the endpoint agreed upon by Wade and the Tanians—Alvado.  

That border town had an adventurer’s guild, a governor, and stationed guards.  

Had someone melted the nearby icy river?  

Wade considered how it could have been melted.  

By burning wood? Or magic?  

But why?  

For water?  

Even the villagers had reservoirs. How could Alvado not have water?  

Something felt subtly wrong. He was uneasy.  

But before truly reaching Alvado, all they could do was move forward.