Arcane Era-Chapter 84: The Caravan (Part 1)

Roehel was the commerce hub and Yabamiah was the technological hub.

Both Great Nations were immensely wealthy and, for the most part, essential for the economy of the world. The Oculus Diviner, which practically every respectable organization required to accurately measure the Grade of an Armament, was made in Yabamiah.

Of course, they had a direct collaboration with the Great Nation Haiaiel, showing the importance and relevance of cooperation among Great Nations. However, the unity of Roehel and Yabamiah wasn’t merely collaboration.

They were in an alliance.

That was far more significant, and the benefits would have to be huge.

"So we’re not taking that..." Liyah smiled in relief. "What were you talking to that man about, then?"

"He’s transporting those goods somewhere, right? I figured it was most likely a caravan, so I asked... and sure enough, I was correct." Kamara answered with a mild shrug.

This response caused Liyah’s face to pale even more.

Suddenly, the K’curt began to seem like a very palatable means of travel.

"Y-you don’t mean..."

"Yes, we’ll be traveling using a caravan. I got directions from the man, and it seems like they’re offering a good deal too." Caravans didn’t only transport goods, but they were also cheaper alternatives to traveling—especially for long distances.

Most people couldn’t afford expensive rides like carriages, and since R’acs belonged to the extremely wealthy, the best option for the common man was to hitch a ride with a caravan while paying a relatively smaller fee.

But this meant enduring very harsh transportation conditions, and Liyah was very unfamiliar with that sort of life.

"Must we use a caravan? There are carriages we can take, right?" Liyah mumbled, staring at Kamara with pleading eyes. However, the team leader mercilessly shut down that idea while maintaining her signature smile.

"A carriage isn’t only expensive, but it also stands out too much. Using that method means we also need to hire private security to safeguard us, which adds to the expense. Considering the fact that the journey to Sarvos is several days away, I think it’s better to use a caravan, since we can leverage on the security they already possess."

Her reasoning was very sound.

Since a caravan was the business of a private individual, or a culmination of multiple businesses with the shared interest of profit, they would naturally possess security—whether hired ones or Mercenaries. Armament Wielders could also be involved if the caravan was large enough and the goods being transported were luxurious.

Using that logic, it was far more cost-efficient to use a caravan.

"But we have Armaments, don’t we? We can protect ourselves." Arlet protested, though in a less frantic way compared to Liyah.

He tried to hide it, but he was also dreading the experience.

At this point, even Kaycee was beginning to feel nervous about caravan travel. His experience with seasickness was devastating enough; he didn’t want another crippling experience that would dissuade him from his goal of traveling the world.

"Y-yeah... I mean, our combined strength is probably greater than whatever security that a normal caravan would employ, right?" He blurted out, causing both Liyah and Arlet to nod in agreement.

"We can rely on our own power. Plus... we even have you, Miss Kamara." Liyah tried the bootlicking route as well, her desperation evident with the way her eyes shone and her lips trembled.

Theo silently watched all of this and laughed to himself. ’If only those tactics could work on someone like this...’

He had personally experienced Kamara’s real side, and she was a cold-blooded killer who would do anything to achieve her goals. Theo didn’t think he was that ruthless, and even he wouldn’t fall for their paltry attempts to change their team leader’s mind.

"This is your first mission, so I’ll chalk up all of your words to inexperience... but it’s ill-advised to use your Armaments very openly." She sighed after hearing all of them speak. "The general rule of thumb is to avoid drawing too much attention to oneself, especially if the mission is a sensitive one."

"...." The group fell silent.

"As such, it’s best to minimize the use of Armaments—both to conserve your Ne’sh, but also to hide your cards from whoever could be watching."

The moment she said that, her eyes met Theo’s, and they both exchanged subtle knowing glances.

’The Sarvos government most likely sent those Dark Shadow Brothers. It’s possible that their agents are watching us in this port as well. She’s making us hide our capabilities so the government doesn’t fully know what they’re dealing with...’ Theo reasoned, gleaning as much meaning as he could from her words.

Even besides the Sarvos government, there were other forces at play that could be considered malevolent—or at least, ones they had to watch out for.

’The Revolutionary Army could also have their agents spying on us, and there could also be third parties. If information regarding our abilities are exposed, then it’s possible that the enemies can develop counters for it.’

Unless the Armament was an Imperial or Grand Imperial Grade—where very little could be done against it, even if the enemy knew the Arcane Ability—it was far safer and better to simply keep one’s power hidden. Kamara had enough experience and insight to adopt this method naturally, but Liyah and the others had just recently gotten a hold of amazing powers; powers most people could only dream of. This naturally made them haughty and more willing to try out those abilities.

Unless they were the overly cautious type, like Theo, the temptation would be too strong to overcome.

’But the reality is, no matter how powerful you are, there’s always someone better.’ Theo sighed, glancing at his teammates with some understanding. ’No matter how amazing our Armaments are, if we draw the wrong attention and expose ourselves, we can run into trouble that we won’t be able to deal with.’

Normally, such troubles wouldn’t appear to people who didn’t expose themselves.

However, by claiming to be strong, it was a direct challenge to the ones already strong. They would be attracted to the claimant and could also cause trouble. Perhaps the claimant could resist, but what if they couldn’t?

These were all factors that Kamara had already taken into account.

’She’s the cautious type... like me.’ Theo smiled a little. ’No, maybe even more so.’

There was no doubt that Kamara had some method of observation, but even if she possessed an observation-type Armament, she couldn’t detect everything. Plus, there would always be someone with a superior Arcane Instrument.

’If we draw attention to ourselves and fall under such a person’s radar... it could be dangerous.’

What if the person was already observing them? Then it was wise not to show any cards, which would make the person unable to fully decipher their abilities. Such a person would maintain their distance and choose to be cautious.

Most importantly, they wouldn’t be able to learn anything from them.

’This is also why Miss Kamara told us not to discuss the mission on the road. We were briefed in the Ak’ashi Guild, and the moment we left... we’ve entered enemy territory.’ Theo narrowed his eyes and nodded quietly.

He wholeheartedly agreed with Kamara’s plan.

’A caravan is the best way to go.’