Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 103: Book 2: Chapter 20: Travel

Read chapter 103 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 2: Chapter 20: Travel Book 2: Chapter 20: Travel [Time Remaining; 682 Days, 18 Hours, 12 Minutes. ] The wagons never stopped for long. From the moment they left Vrung’s Quarry, the convoy traveled like a steel warship over the ocean. Meaning it was slow, implacable, and always under very heavy guard. They crossed through dry red hills where the wind howled like a dying beast, rapid moving rivers that thrashed the wagons about like turbulent aircraft, and frost bitten high plains that signaled to all the coming end of fall and the fast approaching chill of winter. Day after day. Week after week. At night, the wheels groaned to a halt and camp was set. Tents flared open like blooming flowers, the glyph-sealed wagons parked in the center like caged relics. They were treated as bird’s held hostage in their homes. Inside the wagon, it was cramped and uncomfortable. Everyone was worried, everyone had questions, but no one had answers. Throughout the first day, there were attempts by Alex and the others tried to talk among themselves. A fools ambition to come up with a plan of action. Perhaps escape, perhaps just a means to maintain survival. That was put to a stop by the guards rather quickly. They didn’t seem to like when the prisoners talked together. So they tried to tell Alex and the others to stay quiet. At least, that was what he assumed they were telling him at first. Because he couldn’t understand them at all the first day of travel. The soldiers had taken their translation rings after all. They had taken everything. It was rather bureaucratic, more organized than he had thought it would be. The captain had the soldiers set up a table, after, Alex and the others were brought up one by one to empty out everything in front of him onto the table. The Captain, Tharek Drenn, was blank faced as he went about the work. Turning over and looking at each item before writing it down on a long piece of parchment. It was thorough work, and immensely boring. Alex waited patiently as Holly’s items were counted before him. Tharek looked at her sword, potions, ring, armor and other odds and ends she had bought in the Dungeon Shop as well as their time in Vrung’s Quarry. They seem just as bored as we do. He mentally nodded towards the two guards, which flanked the table, to Obby through their mental connection. “ Yes, it doesn’t look like they expect to make a haul during this. Maybe you will get your stuff back after all.” Obby whispered in his mind, even though nobody could hear him besides Alex anyway. I surely hope so, I spent a lot of points on some of this stuff. “There is one of them here that isn’t as bored as the rest though,” Obby highlighted a person in his vision. His eye turned slowly, carefully, to not raise attention until he glazed over the area that Obby had pointed out. Off to the side, seemingly pretending to tie up some horses for the day, was the man Alex remembered having held a dagger to Celeste’s throat when they were arrested. The man wore the same armor as the rest of the rank and file soldiers that milled about, except for his cloak, which had a much better level of glyphwork embroidered into the fabric. Despite the man’s efforts, Alex could see that he was casting suspicious glances at the group as they waited their turn for the items to be essentially counted for civil asset forfeiture. Once his eyes met Alex’s, he nonchalantly looked away pretending to have been doing nothing of the sort. He’s probably the lieutenant then. Given his level of power and his abilities. “Agreed.” Cale Varr, that’s what some of the other soldiers had called him, right? While the many soldiers refused to talk him, they had no misgivings about talking to eachother in front of him. Names were rather easy to pick up, context was key, but Alex hard some sharp ears now that his stats had been rising exponentially. We certainly need to watch out for him. “Next,” Tharek’s voice rang out over the camp. Alex stepped forward. The man’s voic