The blood flowing from the bandits had almost formed small streams, turning the ground ahead a deep, reddish-brown.
"All right, everyone, take care of these bodies. I'm heading back to the carriage."
After confirming that every bandit was completely dead, Locke withdrew his spiritual energy. He gave a sharp nod to the head of the guards beside him before turning and mounting his horse.
"Yes, Lord Locke."
The bodies of the bandits nearly covered the entire road ahead.
The scene was brutal. The guards were trained for such horrors, but the merchants? None of them had ever witnessed anything so terrifying.
Their faces were pale, legs trembling uncontrollably.
Many even ran aside to vomit.
Before Locke had displayed his power, everyone knew he was strong—but they had no concrete idea just how strong.
Now, standing before nearly a thousand corpses, the true disparity was undeniable.
From this moment, the gazes cast at Locke were no longer curious—they were filled with deep reverence.
This was fear of power.
As the guards began moving the bodies aside, more bandits gradually approached from farther away. Ross's caravan was large enough to tempt many.
Yet when these new bandits caught sight of the piled corpses from the Red Silk Valley—heaped almost like small hills—they immediately turned and fled without a word.
This caravan wasn't something they could casually harass.
One wrong move, and they'd be off to the underworld, awaiting either memory restoration or serving as nourishment for someone else's rise.
For the rest of the journey, Ross's caravan traveled without interruption, and Locke barely had to lift a finger.
Bandits had their sources of information, and many already knew: a massive caravan departing from Vidia City, escorted by a powerful mage, had completely annihilated a bandit alliance of nearly a thousand.
No one wanted to encounter a mage with such lethal intent.
For the merchants and guards of Ross's caravan, this journey was almost like a leisurely trip.
Magnificent and orderly, they traversed the Vidia Territory without a hitch.
"Lord Locke, we've arrived in the Enzo Territory."
That day, after passing through a canyon, Ross approached Locke's carriage and respectfully addressed him.
"Good. Don't worry, Lord Ross. When it's time for me to act, I will act."
"Thank you very much, Lord Locke."
Ross thanked Locke, and only after moving a few meters away from the carriage did he wipe the cold sweat from his brow.
Every time he spoke with Locke, Ross felt as though he were defenselessly standing before a dragon's open maw, with the terrifying notion that a single bite could devour him whole.
Yet he had no choice but to speak with him.
Unlike most of the Vidia Territory, the Enzo Territory had fewer bandits. But it was full of mountains and forests, home to countless magical beasts.
Occasionally, these beasts would attack towns or villages. In the wild, the danger was even greater.
Honestly, without Locke, Ross would hardly ever venture into the Enzo Territory.
Even if goods from Vidia sold for higher prices in Enzo, he wouldn't risk it.
Ross knew his own limits—he only took as much as he could handle.
The last time he helped deliver a letter for Locke, he had used his own network to ensure its safe delivery.
Now, knowing Locke intended to return to the Enzo Territory, Ross was willing to take a gamble.
If Locke could establish a foothold here, Ross's merchant guild could experience tremendous growth.
And judging by the caravan's journey through the Vidia Territory—nearly a month without a single loss—it seemed half the gamble was already won.
Along the way, they passed through several towns, trading and restocking goods repeatedly. The profits from this month alone were nearly three times what they normally earned.
The remaining success would depend on whether Locke could help open a safe trade route in the Enzo Territory.
If Ross's guild could secure a foothold here, it would rapidly grow and expand.
Upon entering the Enzo Territory, the caravan's guards became far more vigilant than in the Vidia Territory.
Bandits feared Locke because they knew he had once slain nearly a thousand raiders attempting to attack a caravan.
Magical beasts in Enzo, however, didn't have access to such intelligence.
The caravan had grown to sixty carriages.
Several independent caravans trailing Ross had paid a protection fee and joined his guild.
In Vidia, they could rely on Ross's reputation; in Enzo, that leverage no longer applied.
Magical beasts were different from humans—only those above level seven possessed significant intelligence.
Beasts below level seven acted purely on hunting instincts.
The strong preyed upon the weak—it was in their nature.
If these smaller groups didn't merge with Ross's guild, they would serve as the perfect buffer once entering Enzo.
All beasts would target them first.
Unlike bandits, beasts didn't differentiate between merchants and guards.
Bandits merely stole goods and killed guards—they didn't harm merchants, since they wanted the merchants to return next time along the same trade routes.
Beasts attacked purely for food. Every human was just prey.
The caravan now had over 160 guards:
More than twenty were level-six warriors.Over forty were level-five warriors.The remainder were all mid-level warriors, above level three.
With this force, the guards could handle any standard beast.
Indeed, Locke hardly intervened the entire way, yet the caravan safely reached the largest city in the Enzo Territory, home of the Duke of Enzo: Enzo City.
The merchant convoy disbanded there, negotiating with local guilds to sell their goods.
Unlike other guild leaders, Ross didn't rush to buy new goods. After selling everything, he boarded a carriage, protected by several guards, and departed Enzo Territory.
(End of Chapter 12)