Armored Cavalry, survive in a world full of mods

"That's what I said at the time, but the person was just too polite and enthusiastic... and it was still early, we thought we could have a few drinks and still have time to get things done... who knew that after just a couple of sips... and then I opened my eyes and it was this time."

He frowned. He remembered the five cups he'd seen on the table earlier. Clearly, there should have been another person here. This person had persuaded the four-man patrol team to come into the yard for drinks, and then quietly left...

A sense of foreboding was surging through his mind, almost bursting his heart... He didn't think things were such a coincidence. These four people weren't exactly heavy drinkers, but they shouldn't have passed out after just a couple of sips, unable to be woken up no matter what. There was a high chance they had been ambushed.

Why would this guy ambush a patrol? Sooner or later, someone would find them and wake them up. What could he possibly accomplish in such a short time? And why would he need this much time?

As Yak thought about it, he became increasingly alarmed, but at the same time, a strange sense of excitement began to emerge in his heart—a kind of exhilaration at seizing clues and opportunities, which made him rack his brains to think.

Eliminating the patrol teams in this area is certainly not the other party's goal, but merely a means to achieve it. This guy needs to be unguarded here for a period of time so he can accomplish his objective... But what is the most crucial thing here, capable of stirring up unrest?

The area here consists mostly of ordinary houses. It used to be a fairly ordinary neighborhood with two bakeries, a simple tavern, a vegetable stall, and a well that supplied water to the entire area!

380 Surge (3)

The more Yak thought about it, the more convinced he became. In an instant, he broke out in a cold sweat and even trembled. The hand that had been gripping the drunkard's collar unconsciously loosened its grip.

The other guys were doused with two more buckets of cold water, and then they finally woke up one after another. They started yelling things like, "Why does my face hurt so much?" and "Why is my waist bruised?" They were kicked and beaten to their feet by the other two, and they were all startled by the pitch-black night, so they all panicked.

At this moment, Ark felt his limbs getting cold. He realized that this was no longer a small matter that they could handle alone, so he made a quick decision and turned around to shout behind him.

"Barbosado! Tell those two outside to report to the garrison immediately. Someone may have poisoned our wells. Hurry!"

Finally, he turned his head back:

"We can't just sit here doing nothing, we have to go check it out! Hurry up and get everything ready, stop standing there doing nothing. If you guys don't get to work done, you're in big trouble tomorrow!"

"Bring your torches and weapons here, quickly! We need to go check this out, hurry!"

Without giving the four drunkards time to process their actions, he kicked and punched them out the door. Knowing there was no time to waste, Yak made the necessary arrangements and led the others towards the well. Their hurried footsteps quickly dispelled the silence of the night, even lighting up some houses.

Of course, since no alarms have been sounded yet, there are only some awakened civilians peeking through the windows. It hasn't reached the point of mobilizing the masses yet... but it might change in a little while.

None of them dared to slow down; they all ran until they were drenched in sweat, panting heavily. Barbossado, the slightly overweight one with the big nose, in particular, had run until his face was flushed, and the sweat had made his hair stick to his forehead in small curls.

As they ran, the gap between them naturally widened due to their physical condition. The overweight and weak Barbossado naturally fell to the back, and later he even had to use the shaft of his spear to support himself while panting heavily.

Just as they were not far from the well, after running breathlessly for a while, they saw the stone well platform surrounded by three houses in the distance.

"Stop for a moment, move slowly, let's go together."

Upon arriving here, Yak became more vigilant. He urged everyone to slow down, form a line, and then approach, to prevent anyone from preparing to ambush them.

As they got closer and closer to the well, everyone's hearts were in their throats. Barbossado even felt a little hesitant to move his legs. This was partly because he had run too fast earlier, but also because he was afraid of losing his life there. After all, he had never been a brave person.

This well platform is also an old well, which has been providing water to the people here for more than a hundred years. About 20 years ago, the nearby residents raised some money to build a stone well curb. Children who play around here are usually scolded and driven away, for fear that they will dirty the water.

This is also because it is the only sweet water well in the city. Wells in other places have become bitter and unpalatable due to the accumulation and sinking of sewage, which pollutes the groundwater. Even slightly wealthy people would have their servants come here to fetch water. In the past, this place was even controlled by a gang, which used it to make money.

Now, most of the former gang members have become heads on flagpoles near the city gate, so this well truly belongs to them, and they naturally dare not neglect it.

The well was covered with a bluestone slab to keep out dust and debris. Under their torchlight, the slab remained perfectly in place, seemingly unaffected… but this well was used daily, and not a speck of dust ever accumulated around it. At this moment, there was no way to determine if someone had tampered with it. After all, those four guys had been sleeping since evening; they had plenty of time for someone else to do as they pleased.

In the end, they could only move the stone slab aside, then light torches and peer out at the shimmering water below, trying to discern any clues that made things different from usual.

This was obviously a waste of time. The water inside neither changed color nor produced any impurities. Even if they found a wooden bucket and scooped up a bucketful, it would be the same. Although they dared not taste it, it looked no different from ordinary water, still clear and icy cold. The four guys who had drunk too much that day couldn't help but swallow and want to take a few sips to quench their thirst.

Just as he was at a loss, Yak, who was scratching his head, suddenly noticed a large, gray rat sniffing around in the alley next door. He immediately had a plan:

"...Be quiet, look, there's a fat rat over there. Let's catch it and let it drink some water..."

The others nodded in agreement, since they couldn't think of any other way. Barbossa volunteered to catch the mouse.

The fat man with the big nose looked left and right, then grabbed a clump of soil from a nearby flowerpot, added some water to make a sticky mess, aimed at the direction the mouse was heading, weighed it in his hand, and then threw it forward with a thud—

With a snap, the mud accurately covered the unsuspecting mouse. The sticky mud made it difficult for the agile and light creature to escape despite its desperate struggles. Barbossado, however, had already jumped up from the ground and grabbed the mouse before it could break free of the mud.

This was a brilliant move, but the others were already used to it. They just urged Barbossado to bring the rat back quickly, and a group of people gathered around with torches, watching intently as the rat was soaked in water and drank its fill.

Half-drowned, the rodent was terrified. It was struggling desperately in the fat man's hand, but couldn't break free. The attention of the surrounding men was all focused on it, anxious yet strangely expectant.

Yak was equally worried—no one wanted the well to be contaminated, otherwise he couldn't imagine how they would drink water in the future, or how they would manage their business… The reason their bread was soft and sweet was thanks to the sweet water here; if they used bitter water from other places…

Things seemed to be turning for the better. Despite being stared at for a long time, the mouse remained energetic, constantly turning its head and trying to bite the hand that was holding it.

Finally, after their legs had gone numb from squatting, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Barbossa was even ready to throw the rat away:

"Looks like we were overthinking it... That guy named Taylor probably didn't come here with any designs on this place; maybe he's after something else..."

At this point, a strange smile appeared on his face. His gaze kept drifting downwards as he looked at the four drunkards. Even Ark couldn't hold back anymore and burst out laughing, along with the other unrelated people. For a moment, the air was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

The guy who messed up the job blushed, but couldn't really explain himself, so he could only mumble a few curses while worrying about what would happen next... Of course, there were also two who had started to have doubts, and they were even more worried at this moment.

Just as they were relaxing, heavy footsteps and the clanging of armor suddenly came from the street in the distance. Accompanied by the officers' shouts and a large number of torches, countless torches illuminated the entire street as if it were daytime. Under the torches, a group of soldiers in full armor and carrying weapons were approaching.

The leading officer, whose helmet had brass trim, carried a shield in one hand and a battle axe in the other. He walked briskly straight toward them, waving them over from a distance.

The group straightened up somewhat awkwardly, then quickly approached in the formation they had practiced in the past, stopping about five steps away from each other and saluting first.

"What exactly happened? I heard that a thief is trying to poison the well. Where is the thief? Have you seen him?"

The officer looked around impatiently, his expression surprisingly excited. He unconsciously twirled the axe in his hand, as if ready to chop someone at any moment. This sent chills down the spines of the patrol team members. The murderous aura emanating from him was almost impossible to conceal, and even the axe seemed to carry a hint of bloodlust on its blade.

Yak had no doubt that the officer in front of him had at least a dozen lives on his hands, and that such a ruthless man was actually assigned to maintain order in a city, which even made him feel a little flattered.

"Report: We noticed that a patrol team had not been on patrol as scheduled. When we came to look for them, we found that they had been drugged and knocked unconscious. So we guessed that the target might be the most important well in this area, which is why we came to check."

"Oh, so have you found anything?"

The officer's beard twitched as he looked around; even when communicating with others, his attention remained focused on his surroundings.

“We suspect the well water may have been poisoned, but we caught a rat and tested it, and there was nothing wrong with it… We are currently preparing to search other areas.”

"...Is this the rat you're talking about?"

The officer suddenly stopped, then frowned, took two steps forward, picked up a twitching mouse from the corner of the well, and showed it to them.

The rat that Babusado had just thrown away, which had been quite energetic, was now twitching its limbs and nervously gnawing at its own tail, drawing blood but refusing to let go, its gray fur bristling like a hedgehog.

"Yes, yes, that's the one. Just now... just a moment ago, this rat was perfectly normal. The well water really is poisonous!"

Everyone's expression changed drastically, especially Barbossado, who had just soaked his hands in water for half a day. His face turned pale as he frantically wiped his hands on the pillar next to him, even though his hands had long since dried.

"Sound the alarm and seal off the surrounding area. Commander, please order the city gates closed and everyone to refrain from drinking well water for the time being."

The officer, frowning, turned and calmly gave the order, then turned back to look at them:

Which patrol team is responsible for patrolling this area?

Four of them immediately turned pale, standing out conspicuously. The officer didn't ask any further questions, but simply pointed, and soldiers grabbed them.

"He was detained for neglecting his post and drinking alcohol, which caused serious consequences. He will be punished according to the law later!"

Yak and the others were so frightened that their hands and feet went numb. They could only watch helplessly as the others begged for mercy while being tied up and led away. Their mouths were dry, and they kept swallowing.

........................

"Sir, something has happened in the city to the north!"

Tersolius raised an eyebrow as he watched Talina hurry into his tent and take the parchment from her.

"There have been reports of poisoning in two cities and eight towns, covering a wide area, almost the entire second province of Hols. Moreover, the perpetrators' methods are very similar, basically poisoning under the cover of night or distracting patrols."

"It has now been confirmed that the well water is toxic, and 38 victims have died. People are unwilling to drink the water, and rumors are spreading, causing considerable panic. The water sources in the entire city and surrounding towns are no longer safe, and it is foreseeable that the panic will continue to spread."

This time, Tersolius frowned, his eyebrows raised high like swords:

"Has the poisoner been caught? Didn't your henchmen get any prior intelligence?"

Tarina shook her head, her expression equally grave.

"The poisoners are very cautious and well disguised, and their henchmen... well, our network in the newly conquered lands isn't fully in place yet, so it's difficult for them to catch these guys... We still need time to continue tracking them, but one township sheriff did personally kill one."

"...Those guys?"

"Yes, according to the intelligence we received, it's confirmed to be related to the Holy Order of Knowledge. The poisoner who was killed showed obvious signs of mutation, and the body, along with venom samples, has been collected and is being prepared to be sent here. However, the journey is long, and the weather is hot, so it's estimated that it will take a while to get here..."

At this point, Tarina's expression hardened:

"Sir, I wish to leave the front lines first and go there to investigate... The widespread pollution of the water sources will surely cause even greater chaos, and we need to deal with it as soon as possible."

Thesolius put down the parchment in his hand and then gently shook his head.

"grown ups!……"

Talina was about to say something more when Tersolius stood up:

"No need to rush. Things here will be settled soon. I'll order everyone to guard the water sources tightly, and then we'll return together. Even if you set off now, it won't be much faster. And if I'm not mistaken, this is just a test and a disruption..."

381 Passage (1)

"This is a huge problem! Our water tank is only a little over half full; it wasn't filled with water at all before. What are we going to do now?..."

Seeing his wife's worried expression, Yak sighed as well. He licked his dry lips, forcibly suppressing his thirst and preventing himself from looking at the water vat beside him.

The city's wells have been confirmed to be toxic, and many residents who are used to getting up early to work have been infected. Without exception, none of them survived; they all died with their faces turning blue and black. This has frightened the residents so much that they no longer dare to go near the wells, let alone drink the water from them. For the past two days, they have been relying on the water stored in their water tanks at home.

But this is not a long-term solution. Ordinary people's water tanks will be empty after three or four days, and the water in the city is polluted. Even if it has not reached the point of being troublesome, it has already caused unease among the people. In the past two days, rumors have spread throughout the city, and things are quite chaotic... If it weren't for those fierce legion soldiers suppressing the unrest here, there would probably have already started to riot.

Yesterday, some idiots even tried to take advantage of the situation to inflate prices. They were caught and beheaded that same day, which forcibly suppressed the chaos in the city. But anyone can see that the chaos will continue as long as the people in the city still don't have water to drink.

Especially for a bakery like theirs, which needs a lot of water on a regular basis, business has been suspended for the past two days, but the water tank is still visibly half empty, which makes the whole family very worried.

Many residents in the city don't usually cook, and mostly rely on buying bread from him. The fact that his family isn't doing business affects far more than just themselves; residents in the surrounding neighborhoods have been without food for the past two days and have to find their own way to make a living.

"There's no need to worry too much. We've been organizing people to transport water from other places these past few days, so the water supply won't be completely cut off."

"How could transporting water alone possibly sustain the entire population of a city?"

Doris showed no sign of being comforted and continued to sigh with worry.

“This city has over 30,000 people, and I don’t know how much water it would take to sustain it. How could we possibly rely on just transporting water? It definitely wouldn’t last. I’ve never heard of a city that could survive after its water source has been polluted… I suspect there might be danger here soon. Should we hurry and hide with my mother?”

Yak's brow furrowed so deeply it could almost trap a mosquito... He knew, of course, that his wife was right. Supplying drinking water for a city of 3 people with horse-drawn carts was simply unrealistic, and the river outside the city was already thoroughly polluted by the city's garbage and excrement—it was utterly stench-inducing, let alone drinkable.

Leaving the city under these circumstances is certainly a good option, and in fact, many people have already done so. After all, those villages are not worth poisoning, and with the Imperial army nearby, it is not as dangerous as it used to be. Even the city's administrators intend for them to go to the countryside to hide, so that they will not cause any more trouble in the city.

But after thinking for a long time, he finally shook his head firmly and gave a compromise:

"You guys go with Uncle Sacto and his family next door, so you can look out for them. I won't go."

"Um?"

Yak pursed his lips, remaining resolute:

“We’ve just accomplished something, and it looks like we’re about to have a chance to be selected as officials. If I leave the city now because I’m afraid, all our efforts will be wasted… After you leave, the water in this tank will last me a while. If it really doesn’t work, I’ll come back to you.”

His wife hesitated for a moment, a hint of sorrow on her face, but ultimately agreed. After all, she knew very well how much effort Ark had put into becoming an official in the empire, and it was indeed not worth giving up all that effort.

"Take all the food with you. Your mother probably doesn't have much food. You'll be staying there for a while, so be careful."

The two exchanged a few final words, but ultimately remained silent, only sighing.

....................................

The heavy wooden buckets were lifted by strong, sturdy shoulders and then poured into a water tank next to them through a wooden funnel. This was no easy task; the waterlogged buckets were already quite heavy, not to mention filling them with clean water and then lifting them high above their heads before pouring them into the wooden water tank on the carriage.

Even a strong young man like Cato felt his back aching and his arms were so sore and numb that he couldn't lift them. He had to put down the bucket, rest for a while, and lean his whole shoulder against the carriage to catch his breath.

They chose a stream with dense bushes and tall trees to fetch water, which also provided shelter from the scorching sun. After filling the large water tank, they would have to walk dozens of miles back to the town to deliver the water to the eagerly awaiting villagers.

Moreover, one trip wasn't enough. They borrowed several water tank wagons, divided them into five or six groups, and traveled on the road from morning till night just to barely supply water. And this supply only ensured that everyone wouldn't die of thirst and had water for cooking; forget about anything else.

Accustomed to the convenience of drawing water from the well, everyone was suffering from the trouble and exhaustion of this new method, but there was nothing they could do. After all, the well water had been confirmed to be poisonous, and hastily washing the well had no effect. No one dared to drink the poisonous water... They could only hope that the well water would purify itself on its own in the future.

He didn't come alone. The old man, Lydos, was fast asleep in the carriage, his face covered with a leaf. The task of fetching water was almost entirely left to him, while he was only responsible for driving the carriage. But Cato didn't complain at all. In fact, he had been pestering Lydos for the past two days, hoping that the other man could teach him a move or two of his swordsmanship.

The old man, Ludos, has made quite a name for himself in their town these past two days. He's no longer the sheriff he used to be, but has been promoted to mayor... and the reason is quite simple—there were poisoning incidents in several other places, but only in their town were the poisoners killed on the spot, which naturally earned him credit, and he was promoted that very day.

He knew that Ludos had shattered the inhuman monster with a single sword, since he was there and couldn't hide it from him. It was because of this that he changed his usual frivolous ways and made up his mind to learn the other's excellent swordsmanship so that he could use it to make a name for himself in the future.

But for some reason, the old man suddenly seemed to have become lazy, and no matter how much he pleaded, he refused to agree...

Finally, as the last bucket of water was poured in, he inserted the wooden stopper into the mouth, shook the old man awake with a hint of helplessness, and the two of them got into the carriage and continued their journey back along the road, just as they had been doing for the past few days, only wondering when these arduous days would end...

………………

He was so tired that he didn't want to talk anymore. His arms were sore and numb that they were throbbing. The mud that had soaked into his shoes had made his toes squeeze together, turn white and swollen. He could even pick off the swollen skin with his fingers. Every night he felt as cold as an ice cube.

Even the tent was moldy and damp from being soaked in this damn rain. Sleeping in it was as uncomfortable as sleeping in the belly of a dead cow. The only saving grace was that we could at least drink hot soup and eat bread every day, which was enough to make us barely get by.

These days were truly unbearable, making him feel as if his bones had been softened by the mud, leaving him listless and unable to do anything—after all, what they had to do was to carve out a road through the mountains, and deal with the slippery and soft road after being soaked by rain, not to mention having to do it secretly! This kind of work was a tough job even if done properly.

Although they knew they were doing something big, they were still eager to see some results. After all, it was really unbearable to keep enduring this hardship, as if they were not mercenaries who were risking their lives, but a group of slaves locked in a mine.