76 Uneventful

Though Amanda's behavior was a mild concern, the fact she had yet to even speak to him outside of their initial introductions gave Linnaeus the impression she wasn't a real threat. Thus, in response to Zezim's concerns, he gave a shrug of his own before disappearing under the cover of night.

As someone with [Night Vision], Linnaeus already expected to be given a similar task to Emilia so he took the initiative to venture out ahead of time. While it may not be safest to go alone, his [Presence Concealment], [Stealth], and [Assassination] were far more useful when he could actually make use of them.

With this in mind, Linnaeus trecked out a few hundred meters from the convoy, scaling a nearby hill to give himself a better vantage point. Truthfully, he was more worried about being attacked by the members of the convoy than any dangerous monsters as, while the night often brought danger, the plains and forests outside of the established gathering areas were sparsely populated with genuine threats.

In the low light, it was easy to mistake friends for foe so, if he encountered another member of the convoy, there was a non-negligible chance they would mistake him as a scout. This was the danger of not knowing everyone else on the convoy but, due to having signed similar contracts, they would at least receive a notification after the first attack; warning them of the penalty if they continue to attack an ally.

While the Akashic System served as the foundation for virtually everyone's life, that didn't mean it was completely without loopholes. Those that were clever could manipulate others to carry out all kinds of schemes that violated the usual rules and restrictions put in place by the system. Thus, in the brief moment where they didn't know whether or not they were friends or foes, there was a chance people could kill each other without getting flagged by the system. After all, in situations like this, accidents did happen...

Fortunately, even after an hour manning his post, Linnaeus only saw a single duo approach near his position. Most people didn't venture nearly as far out as he did so, with the distance between each of the carriages, overlap was only possible if someone decided to roam around, patrolling.

Since they wanted to make use of the same hill he was using, the duo approached until they were only a few meters away from Linnaeus' location. Despite this, they didn't seem to notice him at all as they were more focused on their hushed conversation than their actual surroundings.

Hearing the duo talk about mundane topics, Linnaeus just rolled his eyes while internally willing them to move on quickly.

As if to spite this thought, the male of the duo sat down on the grass and, after teasing his female companion, they ended up flirting together while watching the faux-stars overhead.

Realizing they were going to stay for the long haul Linnaeus focused his mind, ensuring his presence was completely erased as he did his best to ignore them and focus on his surroundings. They were actually giving him a bit of experience every couple of seconds so, while it was annoying to have a couple flirting nearby, he at least received a minor benefit as a result.

---

Just under four hours after the change in shift had been called, a trumpet sound could be heard echoing throughout the area, breathing life into the convoy once again. This caused the duo who had been cuddling to rise with a start, departing from the hill to return to their own place in the convoy.

Finally liberated from his unsuspecting companions, Linnaeus appeared a few seconds after the duo had departed, a bit of fatigue visible in his eyes as he stretched his limbs. Staying still for nearly three hours wasn't the most pleasant experience as the blood would settle due to poor circulation. As a result, his left leg had temporarily lost feeling and, even after it began to return, Linnaeus had to deal with a prickly feeling for several seconds before he was finally able to jog down the hill...

Though she was never a morning person, Eliza was waiting for him near the back of the carriage with visible bags under her eyes. It was easy to see she had stayed awake all night but, knowing it wasn't the best idea to inquire, he offered a slight smile and said, "Good morning, Eliza."

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In response to his greeting, Eliza released a loud yawn before closing the short distance between them and giving him a quick. Then, after issuing a small hum, she released his body and said in a slightly more energetic tone, "Good morning, Lin...have you eaten anything?"

Shaking his head, Linnaeus said, "I'll get something to eat once we start moving. If you're still tired, try and get some rest after we depart."

Since it looked like the convoy would set out at any moment, Linnaeus felt they didn't even have time to stand around talking, much less eat breakfast. Eliza seemed to realize this as well so, after an acknowledging smile, she climbed into the back of the carriage, joining the waiting Emilia, the latter of which was already snacking on a large sweet bun full of curry...

Seeing the ravenous girl happily busying herself with breakfast, Linnaeus just waved at her before hopping onto the staging perch next to a disgruntled-looking Yorgen. When he noticed Linnaeus was looking, however, a smile returned to his face as he lightly nudged the former with his elbow and asked, "How'd tha night watch go, lad? Any troubles afoot?"

Though Yorgen would undoubtedly get a kick out of it, Linnaeus elected not to mentioned the duo that had 'invaded' his post during the watch. Instead, he just shook his head, explaining, "It was an uneventful evening."

Hearing Linnaeus' response, Yorgen gave a half-laugh-half-snort, a peculiar reaction that Linnaeus didn't really know how to interpret. Fortunately, he followed up the strange noise, explaining in a hushed tone, "It was a right battle around 'ere, ya keen? Them lasses don't know the meanin' of civility. Never in me life did I regret choosin' ta stay back and keep watch more'n I did last night."

Since it didn't take an overactive imagination to understand what Yorgen was getting at, Linnaeus offered a wry smile in response, choosing to withhold a remark. He had the distinct impression that all three girls had heard Yorgen's remark as, despite his efforts to speak in a hushed tone, his deep and gruff voice carried far.

Fortunately, before Yorgen could say anything else to potentially trigger the girls, Krone and Cyrus returned to the carriage, the latter actually sitting on the former's shoulders.

Seeing the unexpected sight, Linnaeus was at a momentary loss while Yorgen, reacting as if it was the most normal thing in the world, just asked the duo, "How'd tha night watch go? Any troubles?"

Krone wasn't the most personable person in the world so it was Cyrus who, after hopping off the former's shoulders, answered, "We were attacked by a small group of Rashu but, thanks to Big Bro, I was able to deal with them without too much trouble~!"

Hearing how Cyrus addressed Krone, Linnaeus gave the latter a questioning look but, instead of an actual response, the grey-skin man just snorted before disappearing around the carriage to sit at the front.

Though Krone's response wasn't all that surprising, the fact Cyrus happily followed after him caused the cogs in Linnaeus' mind to jam up. This was noticed by Yorgen who, after a bit of gruff laughter, took it upon himself to explain, "Cyrus is a good lad. He's always had a knack fer makin' friends. It don't matter if yer the quiet type or the gruff type. If Cyrus wants ta be yer friend, he'll find a way to break through yer shell."

In response to Yorgen's claim, a feminine voice rang out from within the carriage, stating, "Yorgen may be our Party Leader but Cyrus is the glue that holds us all together. If he hadn't begged to have me join the Party, I would have stayed in the Western Kingdom."

Hearing Amanda suddenly insert herself into the conversation, Linnaeus turned his head to find the sensual woman smiling at him. In response to her words, however, Yorgen guffawed before stating, "Don't let that lass' words fool ye. She ended up following our little lad back like a lost kitten, ain't that right, Mandy?"

Rather than dignify Yorgen's words with a response, Amanda crossed her arms, propping up her breasts slightly as she turned her head in a huff. This resulted in another loud bellow from Yorgen while, back in the carriage, Emilia and Eliza were looking at the brown-skinned beauty with what could only be described as 'taunting' expressions...

---

After about fifteen minutes of checking the wheels and axels of each carriage, each of the drivers, starting from the rear, issued a loud bellow. This continued until their shouts reached the very front of the convoy. Afterward, a loud sequence of trumpeting echoed through the area, followed by the convoy setting out.

If they made good time, it was possible to reach the Monster Ant Colony without having to set camp for a second night so, with this in mind, the Dumbswallows were urged to increase their pace. Since he was riding on the back of a carriage, Linnaeus was able to see how swiftly the ground was moving beneath them and, while he could move faster in short bursts, the fact the silly-looking birds could keep the pace for more than half a day reminded him that monsters couldn't be underestimated.

With another carriage following on a few dozen meters behind theirs, Linnaeus could see into the eyes of the Dumbswallows at the very head of the procession. They seemed to genuinely enjoy the act of running as, rather than anguish or frustration, they had glimmering eyes filled with happiness as they somehow managed to keep pace with each other, rarely falling out of cadence.

Other than strange thoughts of what would happen if he accidentally fell off the back of his carriage and got trampled by the resolute birds, Linnaeus found himself wondering what it would be like to ride on the back of a Dumbswallow. He knew they could be mounted, as he had seen several people riding them around, so it was worth looking into if they ended up wanting to travel without relying on merchant convoys in the future...

As if he could read Linnaeus' mind, Yorgen nudged him slightly, stating, "Don't stare too long, lad. Some say Dumswallows have the power to make anyone that looks into their eyes just as dumb as them. Yer better off gettin' a Pack Lizard or a Steelback if ya want to find a mount. They may be a wee bit slower but they're a lot easier to rear than the onery bastards."

Though Linnaeus knew what a Pack Lizard was, as they were nearly as common as Dumbswallows, he had never heard of a Steelbacks. Since he was always eager for new knowledge and information, he immediately inquired further, asking, "Can you tell me more about Steelbacks? We're still pretty new to the Fifth Floor so any information is helpful."

Like most of the Dwarves Linnaeus had encountered thus far, Yorgen had no problem at all when it came to sharing information. Their entire race seemed to be full of rather jovial fellows so, without beating around the bush in the slightest, he happily droned on about Steelbacks for nearly half an hour. As a result, Linnaeus learned they were basically giant feline creatures but, rather than a coat of fine fur, they were covered in sleek, steel-like, scales.

Though it took some training to ride one, Steelbacks were far more nimble than Dumbswallows and, in a combat situation, they were capable of providing direct support due to their ferocity and razor-sharp claws. The females even had retractable spines on their tails, able to pierce through plate steel and demolish tree trunks with considerable ease. The only real downside was the fact you had to be present at the time of a new Steelbacks birth so they could imprint on you. They were fiercely loyal creatures so, unless you had a Blessing related to taming, it was impossible to acquire one without contacting a specialized breeder and waiting upwards of half a year...

(A/N: Sorry for the recent delays. I ended up getting sick for a short while but, rather than sickness, the main reason behind the slow releases was due to the fact I was plotting out the story. Originally, I started writing just to create a unique world from scratch but, as I don't want the story to go on for thousands of chapters, I had to plot out a more comprehensive storyline. Now that I have a better idea of the direction I want the story to take, I will be returning to daily releases once again. Thank you for your patience and understanding.)