Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

The farmers of Wolf Town mostly hid in the nearby forest.

They were quite adept at this process because when the conscription teams used to come wave after wave, the farmers would always burrow into the old woods.

Many farmers had even dug hidden cellars in the woods to store their food.

As for Winters, he knew he was the primary target, so he hid even farther away.

He crossed the Big Horn River and ran into the uninhabited area.

The wilderness was vast, and he was not short of horses. Let alone Ronald not knowing where he was, even if he did, there was no hope of catching up to him.

"So this is what rebellion is?" Little Lion was quite curious, "Why do you always end up being chased wherever you go?"

The two sat side by side on a hillside, which offered the best view within a five-kilometer radius, leaving no place for anyone trying to approach to hide.

"After all, it's my first time, I'm not yet skilled at it," Winters said with a smile, then asked, "You mentioned that your brother is organising the people. Can you explain that to me in detail?"

Little Lion handed Winters a stalk of sweet grass, "Reed (Dexe Zen) taught him, and it's roughly about weaving the commoners together like weaving a basket. I don't quite understand it myself, and even if I did, I wouldn't want to tell you."

"Weaving the people of the Red River Tribe?"

"No, my brother subdued the lord of the Kin and captured his people, so he first wove those of the Kin."

Winters chewed on the stalk of sweet grass, pondering the meaning of "weaving the people together like weaving a basket."

The first time the term "organising the people" was mentioned, he sensed a hint of danger.

Little Lion also chewed on a stalk of sweet grass and lamented, "Rebelling on the steppe is simpler, call your men and horses, and head straight for the enemy's lair. If you win, you win; if you lose, you run away—simple and clean."

Winters laughed heartily.

"Don't laugh; that's how it is. Steppe society is loose, and everyone follows the strongest, same goes for battles. When war comes, the tribes gather and elect a leader as the commander. If the leader dies or is defeated, the army immediately falls apart."

"And what if there's a victory?"

"It falls apart just the same," Little Lion said with a light chuckle, "but everyone feels a bit better about it."

Winters laughed openly, even startling Bard and the quiver bearer on the other side of the hill.

After the laughter, Winters turned serious and said to Little Lion, "Since you've told me about the steppe, I'll tell you something from beyond the steppe. I'll teach you how to do business."

"What do you mean?" Little Lion's eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"Do you know what the most important thing is in business?"

Little Lion answered bluntly, "I don't know."

Winters' eyes were bright, "Capital."

Little Lion looked in the direction of Wolf Town, "But your capital is gone."

"Yes, Ronald has destroyed my capital." Winters, too, gazed in the direction of Wolf Town, then shifted his tone, "But if all goes well, I should've already taken Ronald's capital."

"I was wondering why there were no soldiers here," Little Lion said with a grin, "I was even thinking of advising you to come find me sooner, at least then you wouldn't be chased around. Since you have capital, do you intend to do business with my brother?"

"Exactly."

"Fine," Little Lion dusted off his hands and pulled out a rope, "We can talk about the price of the captives."

"I'm not going to use this capital to ransom captives. I want to use it for a bigger deal," Winters said with a smile, "So, I'm actually thinking of asking for credit."

Little Lion was at a loss for words, his Adam's apple moving, "This..."

Andre interrupted Little Lion with a loud shout, "From the south! Someone is coming this way!"

Winters and Little Lion sprang up and ran for their Warhorses.

"They have really tracked us down." Andre said indignantly, "Isn't Ronald tired? Why doesn't he just go back to Revodan? What's with dallying with us here? Can't he save everyone some effort?"

"If it were you, you would have been here even quicker," said Bard while saddling a horse.

Bard's pale yellow horse was no more, and neither was Andre's prized black horse; they were both riding Hurd horses gifted by Little Lion now.

The people resting on the hillside had, in the blink of an eye, mounted up: Winters, Bard, Andre, and two Dusacks, as well as Little Lion and his six guards.

Aside from their mounts, each person's saddle also carried three packhorses.

Even if Ronald grew two more legs, he wouldn't be able to catch up.

"I had another gift, which I intended to give you when we departed." Little Lion said with a smile, "I'll just give it to you now."

He blew a whistle.

A quiver bearer took out a roll of cloth from his saddlebag—no, a banner.

"Could it be?" Andre's eyes widened suddenly.

Winters would recognize what it was.

"Yes, that's it," Little Lion laughed heartily, "It's the banner you were wrapped in when I found you. My brother told me to deliver it to you."

Winters accepted the former Jeska squadron, later Montaigne squadron's military flag, and tucked it into his chest.

"Let's go!" he said as he gently tugged on the reins.

"Wait!" Andre called to halt everyone. He squinted his eyes towards the newcomers, "Looks like it's our people. It looks like Heinrich!"

Winters looked intently and saw two riders galloping towards the hillside.

The rider on the left was the scout he had sent to monitor Revodan's army, and the one on the right was indeed Heinrich.

Heinrich had returned to Paratu with Bard, and since he couldn't find his grandfather amid the chaos of war, he stayed with the army, serving as a constable under Bard.

When Bard reunited with Winters, he too came back to Winters' side.