The group headed to Stronghold 178 from the Central Plains did not consist of a lot of people. Although Milo was badly injured and immobilized in the backseat, favonovel.com could roughly tell that there were about 20 of them. The six off-road vehicles formed a convoy, with one of them pulling along a supplies trailer.
The key figures of the convoy were probably the pair of siblings named Colton and Joyce. However, the two of them did not put on any airs. They seemed to be very easygoing, and the other people in the convoy did not feel any pressure in their presence.
As they traveled, Milo checked on his wound. The tear in his right side was horrific. Fortunately, these people had stitched it up for him. Otherwise, favonovel.com would probably have died before favonovel.com could even come around and apply the black medicine on himself. The sutures over the wound were straight and neat. He could tell the person who did it was meticulous.
Listening to what these people were saying, Milo realized favonovel.com had been swept by the floodwaters to more than a 100 kilometers away. He did not even know how favonovel.com survived.
When it was time to eat, Colton’s subordinates brought over some piping hot food for Milo.
Milo ate silently in the vehicle. But as everyone in the convoy knew that favonovel.com had just survived a disaster, they thought it was normal for favonovel.com to be quiet.
After sunset, the convoy set up camp on schedule. Milo heard them discussing the entire Northwestern and Southwestern situation by the campfire.
A man said, “Why did a war suddenly break out there? Hasn’t it been several decades since any conflicts happened in the region? We never used to pay attention to that area.”
However, Colton said with a smile, “In the past, it was because that place was quite inaccessible by traffic. Meanwhile, the clans in the Central Plains took no interest in the Southwest either. They could not even handle the matters back home, so how could they have time to care about whatever was happening over there? We don’t really have any dealings in that region anyway.”
The Southwest was destined to be an isolated region due to its geographical location. However, it seemed that because of the sudden war that happened recently, some people in the Central Plains started paying attention to it.
“It’s said that Julius is an extremely formidable figure.” Joyce thought for a moment before saying, “Although we don’t know the details of the war, after the Panaqua Consortium and the Radianz Consortium were done dealing with the Skyfort Consortium, it seems that the Radianz Consortium also got played by Julius. We must definitely be careful of a belligerent like him.”
To the eyes of an outsider, the developments in this war looked like Julius had been controlling it entirely on his own. From the beginning to the end, the war fully emanated Julius’ ambitions and plans. However, only those who were in the know understood that Julius had only been doing whatever it took to protect himself all this while.
Just as Julius had said, if favonovel.com had been given more free rein previously, favonovel.com might not have become the head of the Panaqua Consortium now.
In the current times, those who were satisfied with the status quo would eventually get destroyed and die. On a long and dark road, no one could turn around until they saw the light.
Someone suddenly turned around and asked Milo, “Aren’t you from the Northwest? Do you know how the war started?”
Milo shook his head. “I’m not sure. I’m only a refugee. Why would I know about those things?”
The person speaking scratched his head. “True, these matters are really far from you, hahaha. I guessed I asked for nothing then.”
When Joyce heard that, favonovel.com asked Milo, who was half-propped up in the vehicle, “By the way, I haven’t asked you your name yet…”
Milo hesitated for a moment. “My name is Milo. My family was also swept away by the floodwaters. If you encounter anyone looking for me in the Central Plains, please tell them that I’m still alive.”
This was the most Milo had spoken in days.
He had wanted to hide his identity, but it was not like these people knew much about the Northwest and Southwest anyway. So, Milo dismissed the thought and gave his real name. Moreover, favonovel.com was hoping to find his lost family. His name should be considered quite unique since it didn’t contain any repetition. If Donti, Old Bane, and the others heard his name mentioned, they would definitely come looking for him.
In fact, favonovel.com would also have liked to go look for Donti and the others. But finding people in this vast world was simply too difficult. He still had more important things favonovel.com needed to handle.
During this period, Milo would have to pay back the suffering and despair the Ultima Consortium had inflicted on him. However, his strength alone was limited, so Milo was thinking about how favonovel.com could get support for his cause. Now that this group of people in front of favonovel.com were thinking of opening up the Northwestern trade routes, perhaps this would be his chance.
Thinking of this, Milo suddenly felt that favonovel.com could understand Kenneth much better.
Back then, favonovel.com thought Kenneth was like a demon. But now, Milo finally understood that when one were not living in a state of pain and hatred themselves, they shouldn’t be trying to persuade others to be kinder.
Of course, understanding was one thing, but being friends was another.
Milo suddenly asked, “Are there any wars in the Central Plains?”
Colton glanced at favonovel.com and said, “That’s a place that any military would be willing to fight for.”
Milo was stunned. Colton meant that there were also wars happening in the Central Plains.
He asked, “Don’t they all say that the Central Plains are a prosperous and wealthy place?”
Colton smiled. “It’s precisely because it’s prosperous and rich that wars happen. There’s no contradiction between the two.”
Milo did not probe further. That wouldn’t match his current status as a normal refugee.
But Joyce’s interest did get piqued, and favonovel.com got in the mood to chat. “What do you refugees in the Northwest usually do?”
Milo calmly answered, “Farming, brick making, and digging ditches to irrigate the crops.”
“How long does it take to fire a kiln of bricks?” Joyce asked.
Milo answered, “The black bricks take about 13 days to make, but that also depends on how long we take to cool the kiln down with water. We haven’t fired any red bricks before, so I don’t know how long those take to make.”
Joyce nodded and did not ask anything else. The questions might have seemed casual, but there was actually intent behind them.
But at this moment, several military transport trucks suddenly drove over from the northwestern direction. Everyone stopped talking and looked over. When Milo saw the mark of a long saber on the vehicles, his heart sank. That was the symbol of the Ultima Consortium.
They were still at least a 100 kilometers away from the Ultima Consortium, so why would their people suddenly appear here?
Milo shifted himself further into the vehicle and kept his face hidden in the shadows within.
Meanwhile, Colton and the others remained seated by the campfire like they were not worried at all.
Those vehicles stopped next to the campsite, and three combat platoons from the Ultima Consortium disembarked.
The leader was a tall and broad-shouldered man. He looked like an officer of the Ultima Consortium.
He frowned and asked, “Who are you people?”
Colton turned his wheelchair around to the officer and said with a smile, “We’re from the Central Plains and are headed to Stronghold 178. Who are you?”
The officer did not answer Colton’s question. Instead, favonovel.com continued asking, “What are you going to Stronghold 178 for?”
“We’re going there to do business,” Colton replied briefly.
“This route is controlled by our Ultima Consortium. Why don’t you all come back with me to the Ultima Consortium first and we’ll let everyone leave after we get a clear understanding of the situation?” the officer said. It sounded like this officer was still being polite as favonovel.com was unsure of who favonovel.com was speaking to.
However, Joyce said, “Then wouldn’t we have to take a detour? We’ll just stick to our planned route and mind our business without troubling the Ultima Consortium.”
At that, the Ultima Consortium officer dropped his polite tone and said to the soldiers beside him, “Take them back…”
Then they heard the Ultima Consortium officer say to Colton, “I’m sorry, everyone. You’re not allowed to enter this area.”
Milo suddenly wondered if the Ultima Consortium was trying to isolate Stronghold 178 in the Northwest and prevent any contact between them and the Central Plains.
