The First Legendary Beast Master novel Chapter 498

Chapter 498 Oakhamping

After they got up in the morning, the road began to take them northeast along the bank of a large river. Oakhamping, the next major city on the route, was built along the banks so that they could have plenty of fresh water, but Karl did wonder if they had problems with spring floods.

The road itself was in rough shape, but it showed signs of having been groomed. There were drag marks where something large, perhaps a group of logs, had been pulled along the muddy road surface to flatten it.

The traffic was light, and the fields were busier, with more livestock and fewer pulse crops. It made the area feel more alive, even if the ambience still felt somewhat unwelcoming to Karl.

There was no good reason for it that he could tell. The people were kind enough and happy to see him, but he got the feeling that the land itself was rejecting him.

The city of Oakhamping was impossible to miss. Unlike Halsearing, it was a stone-walled fortress city, designed as an eight pointed star fort, on a hill beside the river. Being twenty metres over the riverbank, plus ten metre walls, Karl could see it from a dozen kilometres away, and Hawk had been giving him updates all morning, while avoiding getting too close, as the town had huge crossbows on the walls equipped with magical bolts.

When they got a few kilometres away, Hawk returned to his space and Karl led Thor into the lineup to get into the gates.

There was a massive Rock Troll in an ornate guard uniform filling water skins for travellers and asking questions.

"What are you importing?" He asked, ready to make a note on the sheet attached to his clipboard.

"We've got an assortment of tools from Halsearing."

The Troll nodded. "Anything else in the wagon?"

"A barrel of Rum and one of cooking oil. That's also going to be up for sale if we find a buyer."

The Troll whistled and raised his hand, which brought over a smaller troll with deep red skin and highly polished tusks that had golden bells hung from them.

Karl almost mistook him for a jester, then he realized that it was the Troll version of a nobleman's outfit.

"Yes, Guard Captain?" The Troll asked.

"Check this wagon, they've got good stuff to sell." The big Troll explained.

The Troll Noble gave Karl an appraising glance, estimating his power level and wealth. His outfit was naturally mostly made with an Epic Grade skill, but the coat was Royal Rank silk.

That caught the Noble's attention, then he noticed the inner lining of the wagon's cover, which had also been made by Rae.

That was enough for his trained glance to know that Karl was no average merchant, no matter how cheap the good he was selling were. In fact, with the two Royal Rank Naga Warriors guarding the clerics and their personal guards, it didn't take a genius to know that Karl was more likely to be a mercenary than a merchant.

That didn't matter to him, what mattered was that they might have items that the city was short on, which could be sold at an unusual markup.

Tessa pulled back the cover on the tools for the Troll to check, and he smiled in satisfaction.