Chapter 286: In Search of the Archmage (5)
Chapter 286: In Search of the Archmage (5)
Karnak and his companions continued north along the imperial road. It was a long journey on foot, without horses or carriages. Not, of course, because they couldn’t afford it. Surely no one believed Karnak’s group was that short on funds. Rather, it was a deliberate choice to avoid drawing the eyes of the Cult of the Black God.Horses and carriages were expensive, and expensive things left a paper trail. Even simple farm horses or secondhand wagons came with transaction records. Careless spending would immediately expose their movements.
In fact, one of the most basic tactics for any intelligence organization tracking a target was to examine recent horse and carriage purchases. They couldn’t use a carriage from the Altas merchant guild either. If they left with one less carriage than they arrived with at Grental, even the dimmest cultist would notice something was off.
At the very least, they needed to travel on foot until they reached a major city. Only once lost in the crowds could they safely purchase transport without revealing their identities. With that in mind, Serati packed thoroughly. They would have to endure nearly ten days of sleeping outdoors and subsisting on rough meals, so proper preparation was essential.
Unfortunately, her meticulous efforts never saw the light of day. Karnak absolutely refused to camp.
"We’re in a hurry, aren’t we?" she protested.
"We are in a hurry," Karnak replied, "but that doesn’t mean we have to rush through it eating garbage!"
After all, a human life barely lasted a hundred years. Assuming three meals a day, that came out to just over a hundred thousand meals. How could he waste even one of them? With such logic, he made sure their route included decent inns and restaurants every single day. The rest of the group was deeply moved.
"You’re planning to live more than a hundred years?"
"A hundred thousand meals is barely anything?"
And so, the group continued their journey at a leisurely pace, eating well, resting properly, and sleeping in comfort.
"Are we really doing the right thing?" Leven asked with a worried frown.