Chapter 148: The Great Thousand-Mile Plain

Gazing at the majestic mountain ranges on both sides, Sun Licheng felt a sudden surge of poetic inspiration. He began to recite the "Qijue" poem by the Great Ancestor: "Amidst the vast and hazy twilight, I behold the sturdy pines; through the chaotic clouds they soar, calm and unperturbed. Heaven created a celestial grotto, where infinite splendor rests upon the perilous peak."

"Sun Licheng, what language are you speaking? I don’t understand a word of it."

Caroline, riding on the back of a massive yak beside him, asked with a look of utter confusion.

Seeing her face, flushed like pink rouge under the sunlight, Sun Licheng smiled and said, "It is the language of my homeland. It is a poem, similar to the songs your bards sing, only shorter."

"So that’s it. No wonder I thought it sounded pleasant. By the way, what does this song—or poem—actually mean?" Caroline understood and pressed further.

"It was written by a great hero from where I come from. In your world, he would be considered a hero-god," Sun Licheng said with pride. If not for his familiarity with the Great Ancestor’s masterpieces, he would likely have been lost in this world by now, hiding in some corner, wallowing in self-pity.

Seeing Caroline’s keen interest, Sun Licheng began to recount the life of the Great Ancestor, albeit in a "magical" version; after all, explaining industrialization to a primitive person was far too difficult.

"He truly is a hero-god. A deity... I wonder if I could ever become a hero-god, revered and worshipped by people across the world?" the young girl said, her eyes filled with yearning.

"Heh, you already are a hero-god," Sun Licheng thought to himself.

For this trip to Shiqiaobao, the caravan consisted of seventeen people. Besides the couple and Chapman, there were ten ogre warriors from the Red Flame Tribe, and the rest were four clever goblin laborers.

To facilitate this trade, Chapman had prepared a massive amount of supplies, including treasures scavenged from the Red Flame Tribe’s spoils of war, bronze wares, hides, and magic crystals. The remainder consisted of cassava cakes and "Amber Light," which Sun Licheng had helped the others produce.

The cassava cakes were much like the baked naan from Earth. After being seasoned with spices and rich oils, they tasted incredibly enticing. Moreover, they were easy to store and carry, making them both an excellent source of sustenance for the group and a valuable commodity for trade. As for "Amber Light," there was no need to mention its worth; since even His Majesty the God of Fine Food and Pleasure favored it, its market value was beyond question.

To transport these goods on their long journey, Chapman had prepared a full hundred sturdy highland yaks. These yaks were significantly larger than those on Earth, generally standing over two and a half meters tall. With their astonishing strength, they were the most vital means of transport in the highland regions.

Even if the ogres had to endure the suffering of their own kin being preyed upon, they were loath to kill these yaks for food. For the sake of his daughter and son-in-law, Barit had bled his own resources, providing nearly one-third of the tribe’s total yak population to the caravan.

Thus, the caravan, stretching nearly a kilometer long, moved slowly along the primitive path. Through sunrise and sunset, they finally emerged from the mountains.

"Sun Licheng, ahead lies the Maxkar Plain. It is a vital grain-producing region for the Goblin Kingdom, responsible for over two-thirds of the kingdom's food supply. It is currently garrisoned by the kingdom’s second-largest legion, the Maxkar Legion."

The rabbit-man Chapman, sitting on his yak, pointed his whip toward the boundless fields ahead and spoke to Sun Licheng.

Sun Licheng shielded his eyes from the sun and gazed into the distance. He saw countless fields spread across the endless plain, with a multitude of black specks working the land. Caravans passed by on the roads between the fields from time to time, presenting a scene of great tranquility.

"This is what civilization looks like," Sun Licheng sighed.

Having been in this world for over a year, constantly dwelling in primitive or semi-primitive communities, Sun Licheng had almost forgotten what civilization looked like. Now, seeing the expansive fields again, he felt as if he were in a dream.

"Let’s go, to Maxkar."

After his reflection, Sun Licheng moved forward, followed by an excited Caroline. Although she was sixteen this year, this was her first time traveling so far, and seeing such large-scale cultivation fields made her very happy.

As they entered the plain, the population clearly increased. Aside from goblins, there were many orcs, and occasionally, a few ogres could be seen.

"It seems their production efficiency is still quite poor," Sun Licheng observed as they drew closer. He noticed that the farm tools used by these goblin farmers were extremely primitive; many were actually made of wood, with very little metal to be found. The spacing of the crops in the fields was also sparse and uneven.

While Sun Licheng observed the goblins, the goblins on both sides were nervously watching them in return. Although there were many caravans in the Goblin Kingdom, one of this scale was rare, especially with such a peculiar composition.

Ogres rarely left the mountains unless they were in the military, and most of those who did were bandits. The sudden appearance of ten tall ogres in this caravan—armed ogres clad in armor, no less—exerted a massive deterrent force on the surroundings.

Of course, while the ogres were terrifying, there were many of them within the kingdom; however, elves were extremely rare. Though goblins were generally quite ugly, they still possessed a sense of aesthetics, and their eyes were immediately locked onto Sun Licheng and Caroline.

Even the goblin women, who were considered decent-looking thanks to the blessing of the Spring Goddess, couldn't be compared to Caroline on the back of the yak; they didn't even qualify as green leaves to her flower. As for the male goblins, they were not even worth mentioning; Sun Licheng appeared like a sun god in their midst.

Such a handsome pair of elves appearing in the still quite isolated Goblin Kingdom immediately drew endless curiosity.

Sun Licheng felt somewhat uncomfortable being stared at by the prying eyes, but when he turned to look at Caroline, he found she seemed completely oblivious, and he couldn't help but marvel at the thick-skinned nature of ogres.

"Sun Licheng, I expect someone will come looking for us shortly," Chapman said to Sun Licheng suddenly.

"Hmm?" Sun Licheng asked, puzzled.

"Look, that’s a messenger. He’s likely off to report to the local lord," Chapman said, pointing his whip ahead.

Sun Licheng looked and saw, sure enough, a wild boar rider galloping rapidly into the distance.

Sun Licheng scanned his surroundings and shouted to the group, "Stay sharp, everyone! Prepare for defense!"

With the group’s loud acknowledgments, the atmosphere of the caravan became tense. The ogres pulled the studded maces from their backs. Because these fellows were so tall, they had been walking the whole way, but their speed was by no means slow.

Before long, banners began to flutter ahead, and a troop of wild boar riders came galloping toward the caravan.

"Halt!"

Sun Licheng raised a hand, and the entire column stopped immediately.

Sun Licheng urged his yak to the front of the line. Caroline, worried, gave her own yak a slap; the beast felt the sting and followed him forward.

Soon, the riders approached. Leading them was a goblin who was quite tall by goblin standards. He wore a set of leather lamellar armor and a bronze helmet, clearly the leader.

"I am Atuli Jinmai, the local garrison officer. Who is the leader of this caravan? Please come forward and speak."

The leader of the riders pulled his wild boar to a halt and called out to the caravan.

"I am Sun Licheng, the leader of this caravan. May I ask what the matter is, Lord Atuli?" Sun Licheng urged his yak forward two steps and replied.