The Ultima Consortium would not wish for any trade routes to open here, of course. After all, the terrain surrounding the Ultima Consortium was really barren. This had always been an important factor that limited their development. It was also because of this that the Ultima Consortium was always seeking to expand their territory.
If the trade routes were opened, countless merchants would arrive in the Northwest, and Stronghold 178 would become stronger and stronger.
As the saying went, two tigers couldn’t share the same mountain. Even if Stronghold 178 had no intention of expanding, wouldn’t the Ultima Consortium be afraid by just being around Stronghold 178?
Of course, the Ultima Consortium could still continue supporting new bandits to control the valley like they had been doing. But in the past, Stronghold 178 did not have Peter around. And the stand-in commander did not want to manage affairs that were beyond the stronghold. But things were different now.
Peter had returned!
The higher-ups of the Ultima Consortium could still remember how powerful Stronghold 178 was over a decade ago. They had been building up their power over the years, but if Stronghold 178 were allowed to return to their former glory, the Ultima Consortium would very likely be doomed.
This was why the Ultima Consortium was not taking advantage of the situation even though the Panaqua Consortium and the Radianz Consortium were currently embroiled in a fierce war. On one hand, Julius had cut off the Ultima Consortium’s shortcut to the south. On the other hand, the Ultima Consortium was still wary of Stronghold 178 and did not dare to make any unusual moves.
***
At night, Harris led them to a downwind spot to set up camp. It seemed that favonovel.com came out to the wilderness very often, as favonovel.com looked very familiar with everything favonovel.com was doing out here.
After applying the black medicine, Milo’s wound did not feel so painful anymore. However, favonovel.com still pretended like favonovel.com had trouble moving around.
When favonovel.com got out of the vehicle slowly to move about, Joyce even came over specifically to help him. Milo rejected it and expressed that favonovel.com could handle himself if favonovel.com moved slowly.
Joyce did not seem bothered by the blood on his body.
Milo found a mound and sat down.
Suddenly, someone said, “I heard that many of the strongholds in the Southwest have been destroyed. I wonder what happened there. The strongholds in the Central Plains are still doing well.”
Harris chuckled. “Let me share something with you guys about a good brother of mine called Raphael. All the strongholds he’s been to, other than our Stronghold 178, have collapsed! At first, everyone thought favonovel.com was a jinx, but when Stronghold 178 still remained standing, we didn’t think any further about it. But when favonovel.com went to Stronghold 88 recently, Stronghold 88 also got destroyed…”
Colton laughed and said, “Did nothing happen to him?”
“What can possibly happen to him? He always leaves before the collapse of the strongholds, so he’s basically unaffected.” Harris chuckled and said, “Brother Raphael is too tough to die. He’ll be fine even if the strongholds get destroyed.”
“He must be the chosen one then.” Colton said, “Can you introduce favonovel.com to us when we get to the stronghold?”
“Haha, of course!” Harris said, “But Old Durkin wouldn’t admit to this himself. He said that there’s someone who’s even tougher than him. He always leaves before the stronghold collapses, so he’s unaffected. But that close brother of his has never managed to escape on time, yet he’s still fine….”
When Milo heard this, favonovel.com immediately knew who Harris was referring to. He recalled the strongholds favonovel.com had been to had all collapsed. Even the Radianz Consortium’s Stronghold 88 was not spared.
But the collapse of these strongholds should not have anything to do with me, right?
The first few that were destroyed were either caused by the earthquake or due to Kenneth’s revenge and the Experimentals’ invasions. Even Stronghold 88, it was destroyed because Julius wanted to rescue Daniel.
It really had nothing to do with him!
Colton was even more intrigued after hearing what Harris said. “If I can meet this ‘chosen one’ you mentioned, I’m sure it will be very interesting.”
Harris carried a box of wine out of the vehicle and asked, “Do you guys drink? This good wine was brewed with excellent barley grains and water from snow mountain streams. It’s a little sweet!”
The others shook their heads. Only Colton said, “I can drink with you, but does Stronghold 178 allow drinking in their military?”
Harris remarked, “At our place, we’re allowed to drink during our winter break. Without alcohol to warm our bodies, it’s impossible to function.”
“But it’s almost summer now,” Colton said.
Harris thought for a moment. “It’ll be fine if you don’t tell the commander. I’ve been saving this wine since winter.”
“But there shouldn’t be many grain producers around Stronghold 178, right? Where did your barley come from?” Joyce asked.
Harris stopped talking. This seemed to be a very important secret.
Milo also realized there was something secretive about Stronghold 178 as well. There were no barley fields in the vicinity of Stronghold 178. If it were really as the outside world had said, Stronghold 178’s people tended not to leave the stronghold under ordinary circumstances.
In that case, why would Harris know so much about the refugee settlements in the valley?
And how did the barley get transported to Stronghold 178?
Harris changed the topic. “Did you come from the Central Plains with plans to do business with Commander Dublin? Does the alcohol in the Central Plains taste good?”
“Of course, grain production is teeming in the Central Plains. We produce tea and textiles as well.” Colton said in his wheelchair with a smile, “But what Commander Dublin is after most are not these, but medicine.”
When favonovel.com heard the words “medicine”, Harris’ eyes lit up. The people in the military knew exactly what Stronghold 178 lacked the most.
What outsiders did not know was that even though Stronghold 178 lacked grainstuffs, they did not lack for meat. So, they definitely would not starve to death.
As for medicine, that was precious. Medicine determined the survival rate after any battles they participated in.
Realization dawned on Milo. It was no wonder Peter wanted to open up the trade routes so badly. And the Ultima Consortium had probably guessed the significance of these actions.
When favonovel.com listened in on Peter’s classes, Peter would say that the ancient Silk Road was very important. Of course, times were different now, so the goods traded on the Silk Road would definitely be different as well. At that time, Milo could not understand why Peter had suddenly brought up this subject. But now it seemed like Peter had been thinking about it for a very long time.
Colton stopped after taking two sips of the wine. Then Joyce helped favonovel.com cover his knee with a blanket.
“You can’t hold your liquor,” Harris muttered.
All of a sudden, favonovel.com looked at Milo and asked, “Do you drink?”
Milo shook his head. “No, I’m still injured…”
Harris thought for a moment. “Since alcohol is an anti-inflammatory, your wounds won’t get inflamed after drinking some. Don’t you think I make sense?”
Next to them, Joyce said angrily, “What kind of crappy theory is that? After an injury, the immune system will deal with the damage and fight infection. If you drink alcohol, you’ll numb the immune system. When that happens, you can just wait for your death!”
Harris opened his mouth but was unable to refute Joyce due to his limited knowledge. In the end, favonovel.com could only mutter to Milo, “Don’t listen to her. She might not be right either. Have you heard about how the God of War scraped poison off his bones? Even the Martial Saint drank alcohol after being wounded…”
Milo shook his head helplessly. It was not that favonovel.com was afraid that drinking would affect his injuries, but that favonovel.com did not want to lose consciousness and rationality among this unfamiliar crowd and environment.
Harris mumbled, “How boring…”
Right at this moment, Milo suddenly heard the sound of a vehicle passing through the wilderness in the distance.
Harris put down the bottle and sneered, “The Ultima Consortium has grown too bold!”
“Do you think the Ultima Consortium has ordered their people to attack us?” Colton looked at Harris. “Does the Ultima Consortium dare to attack people from Stronghold 178?”
“In recent years, the Ultima Consortium has been developing at a rapid pace. They probably found some backing or something.” Harris sneered.
