CH433 The Roadblock and Toll I

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The region was volatile—oases rose and fell, routes shifted, settlements appeared and vanished. Any map was outdated the moment it was drawn.

The only ones who possessed anything resembling accurate maps were veteran adventurers… or slavers who had survived navigating these lands for years.

Still, crude as they were, Alex's two maps provided some direction.

Alex marked their current location and calculated their route towards their first target destination within the Wildlands—

Camp Red Rock.

After confirming the route, he folded the map away and turned his attention to OmniRune via his Beta Bracer.

He had been scraping together every spare moment to work on the Rune–Sigil translation function. The basic language translation module was already complete—and it worked perfectly.

Except for one problem.

While OmniRune could now translate between Pangean and Verdantian common tongues—limited only by the literary data it had been fed—the expedition's comms system had a fundamental limitation.

The Mage-assistant AI could translate what the expedition members heard…

…but it couldn't speak for them.

The earpieces lacked that functionality.

At best, OmniRune could only relay translated speech for the wearer to parrot manually.

From that perspective, Eleanor's [Translate] spell remained superior.

It handled both listening and speaking seamlessly.

There were several ways to address the issue, but Alex couldn't be bothered with them at the moment—his hands were already full.

Using the framework of the language translation function, Alex repurposed it into a Rune–Sigil translation prototype, something that would become invaluable once he eventually acquired formal Sigil knowledge.

Before he realised it, he had lost track of time.

He paused only briefly to eat before plunging right back into his work, and by the time he finally looked up again, the sun had already dipped below the horizon.

The expedition party was fully rested.

Alex gave the order, and they resumed their journey.

It had to be said—despite its reputation, the Hollowcrest Wildlands was surprisingly traversable. One could technically take almost any route and still arrive at their destination.

The problem wasn't navigation.

It was the danger.

Some paths were far worse than others.

That was why it was best to stick to beaten routes.

These weren't proper roads—no paving, no markings—just shallow grooves carved into the rocky terrain by countless travellers over time. Where people walked often, the land remembered.

Alex did his best to adhere to the route plotted on his map, though that proved difficult in an unfamiliar desert where landmarks were scarce and distances deceptive.

Fortunately, luck—or something akin to it—seemed to be on the expedition's side.

They eventually arrived within sight of their destination.

It was impossible to miss.

An oasis shimmered far on the horizon, its greenery standing in stark contrast to the red and yellow wasteland surrounding it.

Camp Red Rock.

All that remained was the final approach.

However, as they drew closer, Alex noticed something that made him frown.

A roadblock.

Whistle!

A sharp sound pierced the air.

A man stationed atop a crude watchtower near the obstruction had spotted them and blown the signal.

At once, a burly man who had been lounging on a stool before the barricade stood up and strode forward with deliberate, intimidating steps.

"You lot!" he barked. "Come over here. This stretch belongs to Desert Razor Brieger. Anyone heading to Camp Red Rock has to pay a toll."

The expedition party halted a safe distance away.

Alex answered calmly,

"We're not going to Camp Red Rock."

The burly man froze.

For a moment, he scratched his head, visibly confused.

This route led nowhere else.

Were these people really taking a longer path just to detour toward another encampment?

"Stupid fool!"

Another figure suddenly stepped forward and slapped the burly man on the back of the head.

The newcomer was scrawny and far less imposing than the others, but the men around him immediately straightened. Despite his appearance, there was no mistaking it—this man held authority. He was likely the leader of the group.

He turned toward the expedition party and shouted,

"I don't care whether you're heading to Camp Red Rock or not. Once you've reached our toll gate, you pay the toll. That's the order from Leader Brieger!"

Alex guided his party a little closer to the roadblock.

"Indeed, we are heading to Camp Red Rock," he said calmly. "How much is the toll per person?"

Then he tilted his head slightly, eyes sharp.

"We passed through this route before and paid nothing. When did that change?"

The burly man grinned, showing yellowed teeth.

"What do you know? The land and its rules change like the wind. And judging by those horses, you lot look like a wealthy merchant band. That's good."

He raised a finger.

"One hundred shards per person—and per horse."

"If you pay obediently, you'll receive a toll card. With that card, doing business in Camp Red Rock becomes much easier. Our boss might even help clear your inventory for you—of course, at market price."

Alex frowned.

Charging a toll per horse when the rider was already paying was excessive—even by Wildlands standards.

"Do the people of Camp Red Rock know you're doing this?" Alex asked coolly. "And who exactly is this Brieger? I was under the impression the camp's leader was Azgrug."

He glanced sideways at Udara.

She gave a subtle nod.

Alex hadn't chosen Camp Red Rock on a whim. The decision was based on the intelligence Udara and her scouting team had gathered. Thanks to that information, he wasn't walking into the Wildlands blind—at least not when it came to outer camps like Red Rock.

As for the deeper, more powerful encampments, information on those could only be obtained after entering the Wildlands.

The expressions of the two toll collectors shifted.

The scrawny man snapped angrily,

"Azgrug is still the boss of the camp, yes. But Boss Brieger is one of its strongest figures. He has plenty of influence."

He pointed aggressively.

"Enough questions. Stop spouting nonsense and pay up!"

***

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