"Hmm, this meat is pretty tasty," Horan commented, taking a sip from a glass of wine, gazing at a map before him as he calculated the distance left for them to reach the Xetuka Kingdom.
He was relaxed on his cushion, casually looking through some documents regarding his subsequent plans. And once he was done looking through a scroll, he threw it in the air, watching it vanish mysteriously.
Of course, from the start, standing in the shadows of the room, behaving like a statue was a youth that was almost thirty years old. He was a Master Porter, a rare individual that was still alive.
As Porters were typically killed or enslaved, it was hard for anyone to even become a Master in the first place.
This Porter was perfectly alright, showing no signs of torture or dissatisfaction on his face. He was wholeheartedly devoted to serving Horan for the simple reason that he and his family were saved by him.
In truth, everything was meticulously arranged by Horan the moment he chanced upon this Porter. To take advantage of him, a plan had been sketched and executed. And once it was executed, everyone part of this process was mysteriously fed to the Stone Ogres.
This way, information regarding the plan would never see the light of day.
Once the Porter came under his wing, Horan set up a woman that he naturally fell in love with. And over time, they married and had children.
Since his family was being protected by Horan, the Porter's loyalty towards him was unwavering. It was especially since he was aware of the plight that Porters usually faced in all human kingdoms.
In contrast, here he was, leading a worry-free life. The only trade-off was the fact that his existence had to remain concealed to avoid any trouble.
But, he was fine with it though, for he indeed had a blessed life. Horan was a cunning individual indeed, but he was also someone that valued his people.
Valued might be the wrong term. It was just that due to his strong greed, anything that was his would remain his, including his people. So, he ensured that they were taken care of well, disliking the loss of any subordinates.
He had a somewhat twisted character, but in the perspective of his subordinates, he was a ruler they could pledge their loyalty. After all, anything that he considers as part of himself would be protected.
This was somewhat similar to Compass Carburettor in nature.
The Porter didn't say a word from the start, only taking out scrolls from time to time to hand over to Horan while storing everything else in his dimensional space.
Of course, his family too was part of the caravan.
Currently, there was a fierce succession war happening in the Fawnker Dukedom. And fearing that his subordinates might be harmed in his absence, Horan moved all his belongings with him, betting on this journey.
For this, he even sold all his property to his father, consolidating everything into liquid assets, and placing them in the safety of the Porter's dimensional storage.
A collar wasn't necessary to control him, as the chains binding the Porter were stronger than any magical seals. It was an emotional bond.
After all, a Porter didn't have any combat ability. So, if he were to flee with all the wealth in his possession, he would be killed for that sooner or later. He couldn't protect it.
Too high of a burden would be placed upon his wife, a Fire Warrior Master, to safeguard their wealth. Even though Masters were strong, they weren't too strong when the scale expanded a little.
After all, before a Grandmaster, a Master was nothing. And considering their wealth, droves of Grandmasters and even a Pseudo-Saint might be involved, making it impossible to survive.
Moreover, the Porter's wife too was wholeheartedly devoted to Horan. She had even grown up in the Duke's house from childhood, trained as a Warrior Maid.
These were the intangible chains that ensured the Porter would never betray Horan. A decently cunning man would employ physical means.
But a cunning man with a smart head would use multiple mental means to create a strong bond. Instead of forcing the other party to obey him, he formed such a strong relationship that the other party would gladly die for him.
This was a difference between a second-rate ruler and a top-class ruler. Horan considered himself that, especially why his conduct was always steady, only taking action after analysing the entire field of operations laid before him.
The caravan continued to pass through one dangerous territory after another, expertly dealing with the various dangers without any casualties. Quite a lot of them suffered grave injuries during the process but were treated using potions after that.
Potions were damn expensive but were akin to water to someone of his stature and wealth. And throughout this journey, Stencil observed Horan's actions, making note of his mental state.
After a journey that lasted for more than six months, the caravan finally left a gorge, arriving on a plateau as the outline of a town was visible far away.
"My Lord, we've entered the Xetuka Kingdom." A messenger arrived to relay the news from the Cartographer.
"Send a messenger to the Royal Family." Horan said, "Take our best horse and deliver the message as quickly as you can."
"Yes, my Lord." The messenger bowed in response before sending out a couple of messengers on their swiftest horses, giving them a parchment each.
The messengers soon disappeared from view, making a beeline towards the capital. This was to inform the Xetuka Royalty of his arrival. It was impolite to make a visit unannounced and hence, this information was sent in advance.
It would take at least a week to reach the destination after the messenger relayed the news to their target.
Even though it was called a kingdom, the Xetuka Kingdom stretched across a vast piece of land with steep mountains scattered throughout the region, making travel slow and difficult.
So, the caravan needed a lot more time than the pair of swift horses to reach the destination.
The moment they entered the Xetuka Kingdom, Compass Carburettor looked around, noticing mountains on all sides, stretching as far as his eyes could see, smiling as he looked at Stencil, "Great view, right?"
"Of course!" Stencil laughed in response, happily partaking in the breath-taking view as the caravan passed through the sea of clouds while taking an uphill route.
