Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 149 Li Wei's Plan (Bonus Chapter 1 for Alliance Leader lanruoruo)

It was early August.

The mountains are high and the forests are dense, the grass is thick and the landscape is monotonous dark green.

It looks nice from a distance, but up close it's just torture.

Especially when the sun rises, it generously showers down sunlight, making the air sweltering and humid. You'll break out in a sweat with just one breath, and feel like you're already seven-tenths cooked just by exhaling.

Especially considering that Li Wei and the other six were all wearing leather armor and had to push wheelbarrows, that was really something, they were really pushing the limits.

However, they are all living beings after all, and beings with first-level physical awakening are not comparable to ordinary people.

Even after running thirty miles in a morning, I only felt a bit unbearably hot.

Surprisingly, they didn't suffer from heatstroke or collapse from exhaustion. Once under the shade of the trees, they were lively and energetic again in no time.

When the group of six reached the top of a relatively flat hill, the intense heat immediately lessened, and even the mountain breeze became a little cooler.

"Stop! We'll camp here today. Clyde and Coras, you two take water bags and go fetch water from the stream below. Liu Zhongyuan, you'll be in charge of setting up the camp and cooking fire. Charles and Pang Wu, go gather some firewood. Be careful not to get bitten by poisonous snakes, and also watch out for the sky. The witch's ravens sometimes appear in this area."

As Li Wei was speaking, he suddenly drew his dagger and threw it, killing a venomous snake that was silently slithering in the grass a dozen meters away.

"My lord is mighty!"

Liu Zhongyuan jogged over and picked up the venomous snake that was still wriggling, but whose head had been poked with a big hole. It weighed at least two or three pounds; he was in for a treat.

Everyone was used to this, and Kolas even smiled silently. This lord was quite good at using both kindness and severity.

But aren't you going to send people hunting?
Also, why climb over this mountain? It would be safer to walk down the stream. Even in this weather, it would be no problem to cover forty miles in a morning.

Of course, no one dares to voice or raise these questions unless the lord asks or a conspiracy card is used under appropriate conditions. Otherwise, it's best not to question the lord's orders and just follow them obediently. In any case, if something goes wrong, remember to prioritize saving your life, and the lord will naturally take full responsibility for the rest.

At this moment, everyone immediately sprang into action, some fetching water, others gathering firewood.

Li Wei took the dagger Liu Zhongyuan returned, left him the short-handled shovel hanging on his backpack, and continued walking towards the mountaintop. The route he was leading this time had already deviated from the route he had taken last time.

From the place where the spoils were divided, the road veered westward, passing through wilderness and mountains.

His intention was to cross the continuous mountain range to the west.

Of course, this comes at a considerable cost.

The six of them set off at 5:30 this morning and covered 20 miles in just over an hour. Everyone was relaxed and happy, and they didn't even use up a tenth of their physical strength.

However, after the spoils were divided, it took them three hours to walk about ten miles. Along the way, they took turns clearing the way with machetes, ready to repair the road at any time. If all else failed, they would carry wheelbarrows over cliffs and steep slopes.

Upon reaching this small hill, apart from Li Wei, the other five people actually only had about fifty points of stamina left.

Li Wei did this for a reason.

Firstly, while heading south along the stream bank was a simple and flat route that facilitated marching, it also greatly increased the chances of being discovered by the black-robed witch's crows.

A month has passed since the last fierce battle.

During this time, Li Wei was also on guard. Otherwise, he wouldn't have arranged for Ron, the knight who seemed to be the strongest, to forge iron. Wasn't it so that if anything happened, this knight could react the fastest?

With the addition of the blacksmith Clyde on duty, the two of them could at least hold the city walls.

As a result, last month, not only did the Snow Mountain Witch not seek revenge, but not even a single crow could be seen.

Is this reasonable?

Furthermore, only one of the three Snow Mountain Witches showed up, making this obvious piecemeal tactic undoubtedly foolish.

Therefore, Li Wei guessed that this might be the black-robed witch Missy acting alone. She had been restlessly wandering around, from Kah City to the family camp, like an immature little girl who was easily swayed by her emotions.

If Blood Wolves and Ravens are war units that can be replenished at any time, then the three-star Fallen Guardian Knight is definitely a non-renewable resource.

So, from Aunt Luna's perspective, wouldn't she just drag Missy back and beat her up?
They should at least be given a lesson.

Of course, if Aunt Luna is also a strategic idiot, then it's impossible to speculate.

However, you should try to avoid that area in any case, because the behavior of the black-robed witch Missy is unpredictable.

What if they discover my whereabouts and then we have to fight back?
Li Wei was not afraid of her, but he had to buy salt first.

Can you just take the family's supplies and pretend nothing happened? Can you simply shrug it off when the time comes and let them do whatever they want? No way.

They have priority in purchasing salt.

But where is the salt?

Even if there is still stock in Kah City, it will be very expensive and involve too many complications.

But the last caravan that came from the north had its caravans filled with salt in hidden compartments, at least three hundred pounds.

What does this mean? It means that caravans all knew that smuggling salt to Kah was very profitable, and that the further north they went, the easier it would be to buy salt.

So this is Li Wei's plan. Suppressing bandits, participating in the witch's burning dance in Kahe City—all of these are unreliable. Once you dive in, it's hard to get out.

I have to finish the task first before I can go over there and have some fun.

Now, what Li Wei needs to do is to determine the general direction and find the road leading north.

This is why he carried a wheelbarrow even though he knew he would have to cross mountains and valleys. Once he got over these mountains, there would be a road that, while not perfect, was at least passable and had a very high chance of avoiding the witch's crows' search.

It should be around 11 a.m. The sky was cloudless, but the temperature was over 30 degrees Celsius. The trees on the mountain could not form a continuous, shady forest, but with a little care, it would be enough to avoid aerial reconnaissance units.

Li Wei walked unhurriedly, his breathing steady. Although he was sweating a lot on his forehead and body, it wasn't as serious as he had imagined. This was because he was only responsible for leading the way, while Clyde and the other four took turns pushing the cart and carrying the wheelbarrow.

He's a lord, the heir of the Kah family, and he wants to push carts and move things with you? What are you thinking?

"Quack quack!"

A flock of pheasants suddenly took flight from the grass ahead. Li Wei didn't even bother to take out his bow and arrows. He drew his dagger with lightning speed and threw it twice in quick succession. Immediately, the two largest and fattest pheasants fell to the ground.

They need to hunt, otherwise the food they carry won't be enough.

After retrieving the pheasant and wiping the blood off the two daggers, Li Wei continued forward, climbing all the way to the top of the mountain. There, he stood under a large tree, enjoying the lush greenery and surveying the surrounding terrain. He paid particular attention to memorizing the topography around the campsite and analyzing it to find the route he would take the next day.

That's right, I'm not going anywhere today. I need to rest and recover my strength.

About half an hour later, Li Wei finally withdrew his gaze. At this point, he had a basic understanding of the terrain within a ten-mile radius. However, he would have to go out again in the afternoon to explore the specific details, which would take him at least fifty miles away.

Next, Li Wei did not return the way he came, but went down the mountain in another direction. There were deep valleys and dense forests. He lingered there for more than an hour. When he returned to the camp, he had another roe deer in his hand, a few herbs in his backpack, and a small pile of one-star quality mushrooms.

By this time, Liu Zhongyuan had already dug a makeshift stove for the army to release smoke, set up tents, and even dug drainage ditches.

Clyde and Coras retrieved the water, while Charles and Pang Wu gathered a considerable amount of firewood and wild vegetables. The latter even hunted a rabbit and was boasting about it with great pride.

However, upon seeing Li Wei's haul, he was momentarily stunned.

"Dig a pit and bury the entrails and bloodstains. Clyde and Coras, stay at the camp to keep watch. Liu Zhongyuan, you cook. Charles and Pang Wu, go fetch water again."

Li Wei tossed the two pheasants and mushrooms to Liu Zhongyuan, along with a rabbit and some of the food they had brought, which was enough for them to eat.

As for that silly roe deer, we'll have to deal with it by the river.

The strong smell of blood could easily attract unnecessary trouble. In addition, Li Wei also wanted to wash off the bloodstains on his body and take the opportunity to patrol. He was not tired at all. Being in the mountains and forests felt as comfortable as being at home.

Two hours later, Li Wei, carrying several water bags on his back, and Charles, carrying the processed roe deer, leisurely returned.

Liu Zhongyuan had already prepared the meal: mushroom stewed pheasant, which was actually a one-star quality dish. If Li Wei had hunted a one-star quality pheasant this time, and had enough salt and various seasonings, he might have been able to make it into a two-star dish.

"My lord, please enjoy your meal."

Liu Zhongyuan respectfully served Li Wei a full bowl of bread, then chopped up the flatbread and put it into the chicken soup. Tsk tsk, it was really delicious. The one-star quality mushrooms were exceptionally fresh.

The six of them devoured the food in no time, leaving nothing behind, even the soup and broth.

"Rest well this afternoon. Fetch water again before evening. If anyone knows how to fish, they can go with us, but be sure to stay alert and don't get carried away. Also, leave two people behind to watch over the camp and take turns on night watch tonight. Clyde, you arrange all of this."

After eating and drinking his fill, Li Wei left these words and went into his tent to quickly fall asleep, seizing the time to recover his strength and ensure he was always in peak condition—this had long been a habit of his.

Half an hour later, Li Wei woke up, informed the others, and then left on his own with a shovel, as he was going to walk the route he would take the next day.

Because observation is superior to blind confidence, and on-site exploration is superior to observation.

It's always better to be prepared and have as much knowledge as possible than to cram at the last minute.

(End of this chapter)