22. Fred's request

Warming is a secondary magic that restores magical value quickly. For a wizard, meditation in a non-combat state is the best way to recover magical power, and by meditating for a long time it can also increase the magical reserves of the magic pool and increase the wizard's mental power. This is not the case with warmth. The biggest drawback to these types of secondary magic is that they can only slightly increase the original properties. The warming effect was not very high, as well as the fact that the warming could only increase the magic recovery speed by ten percent on top of the original magic recovery speed.

Kurtz snored loudly, the little orc especially liked to curl up and sleep, like a baby conceived inside its mother's body. I sat in the tent, somewhat speechless, embarrassed to see the anti-magic I had cast disappear after seventeen minutes, the magical power stored in my body's limbs being absorbed into my body, so this cockamamie heater only added two minutes to my maintenance time, which was no different from nothing, I laughed to myself.

Fortunately, the magic backlash that would have happened to other wizards didn't follow, and the moment my magic power was depleted, the anti-magic was interrupted. I would have overlooked it. I thought to myself with more certainty, "It really does require magicians to exhaust their magic, and this warmth is really the kind of growth support magic that can be advanced with proficiency.

After some random thoughts, my eyelids sank a little and I fell asleep without realizing it.

-Beautiful divider-

It was already the third day and there was still no news from the Wind Chasers. I stood on a slightly elevated mound and looked out over the blue sky and green grass, where dozens of lakes, large and small, shimmered in the evening sun. In the distance, the sound of a low thundering rhinoceros, more like a ferry whistle, comes from the taller thunder rhinoceros in the meadow and can be heard for a long way. This giant land animal, several times larger than a heavy truck, comes into its rut just before summer. Before then, the male thunder rhinos become extremely active and aggressive, and it was the first time I had seen these big guys with eyes the size of ostrich eggs so full of hostility that only their closest handlers and deputies dared to approach them. I suspect Lord Payles will be in an even worse mood, no one wants to climb the northern foothills of the Pai Plateau when the Thunder Rhinos are in a mood. But we can't stay on the Star Lake grasslands for long, they're about to get their true masters and millions of one-horned bison will be trampling all over the area and into the icy tundra further north before summer arrives. I don't want to be stranded here then, trampled to a pulp by those rampaging bison.

Kurtz was sitting beside me polishing a wind wolf's tooth repeatedly with a strip of oil stone to make it as perfectly tapered an arrow as possible, a tooth that Uncle Fred had given us yesterday when Kurtz, with a strange cry of joy, snatched the wind wolf's tooth from Uncle Fred's hand and ran around the camp in a big, happy circle. For bowmen, the tooth of a wind wolf is an excellent material for arrows. It can even penetrate heavy armour when polished into an arrow, and has a natural wind effect that can increase the range of an arrow by more than five per cent, making it a material that is in high demand in the market.

Of course Uncle Fred wouldn't give it to us for nothing, but in this caravan, the exchange of goods for money is the bottom line and the rule of the land, and no one tries to override it. And what Kurtz and I had to give was just out of our reach. Someone in the dance troupe wanted to ask Kurtz to cook a delicacy, and the price was the wolf's tooth. And I was used as Cuz's little helper chef and was forced to come along.

After the guinea pig vermicelli stew, Cuz's cooking skills became famous throughout the caravan, and many watched Cuz dance his spatula up and down in front of the big iron pot, but few cared about me, the little one beside him, and Cuz privately wanted to return the honour to me, for which the little orc was a little apologetic. Instead, I patted his furry chest and said, "What's the point of dividing good buddies so clearly?"

Although Kurtz still didn't understand why best buddies couldn't be so divided, he was still happy with my words. This simple little orc is as simple-minded as they come, and will give unreserved support to those he trusts. I asked him to help me keep my secret and he agreed without hesitation.

"Ja, do you think what we've prepared will work?" Kurtz was a little worried that the dish he had prepared would not be approved, he didn't want his wolf's teeth to be taken back, so he asked me a little uncertainly.

I sat down beside him, resting my chin on my knees with my hands in my lap, and just smiled at him without saying anything.

He scratched his head in embarrassment and took a deep breath before saying, "Okay, I get it."

Uncle Fred finally came over just before sunset and led us strutting towards the dance. The middle-aged uncle had been looking a little haggard lately, and although he had cleaned his only leather coat slightly before arriving, I could still smell the faint scent of blood on it, which is hard for a leatherworker not to deal with.

I put my hands behind my head and needed to walk fast to barely keep up with them "We've been waiting for you for a long time, you're late."

"Yes, I wouldn't have been late if that damned Bichon hadn't cut my hand, I'm always a stickler for time." Uncle Fereyd coughed slightly, slightly embarrassed, and explained. "Master Payles has been so angry lately that no one would dare offend him at this time of day, I'm just picking up an extra hide, and I think I'm still quick."

"It's not me you need to explain to, I'm just worried if you'll still be able to climb into that bed where you belong tonight." I said with a mean sarcastic remark.

Choking on such a cryptic remark for such a small person, Uncle Fred didn't know what to say, so he changed the subject "Kuz, how's the secret sauce coming along?"

Kurtz pulled off the small cloth bag tied around his waist and held it in his hand for a moment, Kurtz had never been one to communicate with anyone other than old Kulu and me. Uncle Fred's eyes lit up at the sight of the little cloth sack. He was aware of how unique the spices inside the cloth bag made the food taste when sprinkled on it, and the knot in his throat made an involuntary swallowing motion as he remembered the last time it had been delicious.

Thirteen magical caravans surrounded a rectangle, like a castle. There were three precious bison with brute blood tethered to the grass behind the caravans, grazing leisurely and mooing from time to time. It was the first time I had ever seen one of these magical caravans up close, I had only seen them from afar with Kurtz, but now that I was closer I realised that they were much bigger than I had imagined, the whole body and chassis were made of black iron, the body was almost ten metres long but no more than two and a half metres wide and almost four metres high. I drew a deep breath, wondering how much strength it would take to haul such a behemoth away. Underneath each caravan were eight cast iron wheels, which were beautifully engraved with patterns and I could clearly feel that each wheel had a large number of magical formations flowing from them. At the centre of each wheel was an egg-sized crystal, which Kulu said was providing a constant source of energy for the magic formations carved into the caravan. The body of the caravan was carved with a large number of mandalas, and I wondered what kind of magical formations could carry such a huge object. The power of the huge bison seemed so insignificant in comparison.

From time to time, groups of girls came out of the dance camp, carrying various supplies towards the lake, and some dancers came towards the caravan camp with their long, wet hair and washed clothes in wooden pots. They surveyed our group with curious eyes, a very familiar middle-aged older man, a young orc and a child.

"Fred, I thought we agreed not to be late?"

We were just standing at the entrance to the caravan camp when a woman with dark brown flowers showing on her red dress came running around the corner, looking a little tall. Standing with Uncle Fred, her long, coiled hair could even match his. The girls in the dance troupe were in perfect shape, and I could even feel how powerful her waist and stomach were with her slender thighs. Her eyes were very slender and her lips were extraordinarily thick and sexy. She was walking briskly at this point, spouting a quick spurt of Imperial with a strong brogue, and seemed to be waiting a bit impatiently.

Fred laughed and said to the woman, "There's been a lot going on in the Merchant's Guild lately, as you know. Isn't this the end of the line?" As he said this, one of his hands touched the soft flesh around the woman's waist in a very unfaithful manner.

"Hands off! The seventh girl is still waiting, so come with me, you guys. Is this the orc who can make unique flavoured food?" The woman pushed Fred aside and led our group inside the caravan camp, still glancing at Kurtz.

"Ah, it's him. His name is Kuz and he's the grandson of the Kuru witch doctor. The kid next to him is called Giga, the one who was returned by Kulu." Fred introduced us both to the woman, and as I sized her up from the sidelines, I realised that she was actually supposed to be quite young, just dressed somewhat maturely.

"Call me Singh!" The woman turned back to us and then suddenly pointed at me and asked Fred "Does he know how to cook too?"

"It's not really that hard, it's mostly about having a unique seasoning, if I had that, even I could make it, and the heat would be even better than what those two boys can do." Fred started bragging about his cooking and Kurtz kept his head down and wouldn't say much.

My mind was on these beautifully made caravans, the workmanship, the materials used, even every little detail was polished to perfection, all the sharp corners of the petals and branches embossed on them were smoothed out so that they would never be scratched by the hard edges, I was completely enthralled.

"That's good, let the little one go up later when the cooking is done. The Kurtz warrior will have to rest in the back kitchen." Singh said directly to Fred, once again knocking off his unfaithful hand