The next day, the group was in their temporary room, sorting through the gear they would bring on their trip.

After finding a guide the previous afternoon, they had stopped by Dingding Blacksmith Shop. To their surprise, the service was quite fast; the gear they had dropped off for maintenance was already finished.

In addition, they had Holy Water, Weak Antidotes, and dry rations.

The dry rations were the same special packs from the general store that Edwin had first given to Colin and Kase—enough for six days. They also had three bottles each of Holy Water and Weak Antidotes, one for each of them.

The party also had a Weak Healing Potion and other supplies like ointments and bandages.

Since the Paladins had mentioned there would be Undead Creatures in the Endless Wilderness, the Sacred Oil they had found earlier in the Goblin Lair should prove useful.

As for the materials from the Scorpion-tailed Lion, they left them at the Church for now.

There probably wasn’t a safer place in all of Rommon than the Church.

"All packed?" Colin asked, shouldering his bag.

The other two nodded.

The group left the Church and walked all the way to the Half-Sheepmen’s residential area.

The Half-Sheepman, Salin, stood in the middle of the main road with a pack on his back, looking around. When he saw them approach, he gave a lazy wave.

Yesterday, Colin had asked the Paladins about this Half-Sheepman.

He was, in fact, one of the more famous guides in Rommon. Not only was he competent, but he also had a peculiar habit: every so often, he would offer his services to a party for free. The only price was that they had to escort him to a specific ruin in the Endless Wilderness so he could play a song.

This practice had made him quite well-known in Rommon.

To this day, no one knew his motives, but since no one who traveled with him had ever run into trouble, he was considered trustworthy enough.

The moment Colin made up his mind, a new request appeared on his Panel.

-----------------

[Request: Escort the Half-Sheepman]

[Rating: 0]

[Reward: Uncalculated]

-----------------

"Ready to go, youngsters?" Salin grinned.

"Ready!" Orelia chimed in. When she saw the two men beside her remain silent, she quietly lowered her head.

"Let’s just get going," Colin said flatly.

The party left Rommon and headed north toward the Endless Wilderness.

There were few trees in the Endless Wilderness, with moss and lichen growing everywhere.

True to its name, the wilderness stretched on as far as the eye could see.

While it had looked like a vast grassland when viewed from the Roaring Mountain Range, they discovered upon entering that its "undulations" were quite significant. The landscape was a mass of rolling hills, each several hundred meters high.

Countless streams flowed through the valleys between the hills. Clear water bubbled up from cracks in the rock, meandered across the wilderness, and eventually disappeared back into the earth.

Perhaps because there was little wind, the fog here was so thick that the sun was completely blotted out as they walked between the small hills.

Without a guide familiar with the area, it would be incredibly easy to get lost.

The area was also much quieter than other places, with almost no ambient noise. As a result, the only sound that reached their ears was the singing of Salin the Half-Sheepman.

"The moonlight’s our curtain, the grass is our bed,

The night wind is singing, and life’s being spread!

Cast off your rules and your worldly attire,

And follow your heart’s most primitive fire!

My fur smells of wilderness, wild and so free,

My song is the prelude to wild revelry.

Stomp on the shadows, throw doubt to the breeze,

Let pleasure entangle us, tight as you please..."

The Half-Sheepman sang, tapping out a rhythm with his hooves.

Beside him, Orelia silently plugged her ears.

The lyrics were rather scandalous by this world’s standards, but Colin found himself thinking, ’His voice isn’t half bad, though.’

Walking alongside them, Kase grew impatient. "So, are there no wild animals around here? We’re not going to run into any ’side jobs’?"

"This is Hobgoblin territory," Salin explained. "Any dangerous predators, like Wild Wolves, were either killed off long ago or domesticated by them."

Salin continued, "All that’s left are things like horses and sheep. You even get Horse Catchers from Rommon coming here to try their luck. Besides them, the only other thing you’ll run into are Skeletons, and those aren’t worth a dime."

"So, should we try to catch some horses later?" Kase asked.

Colin replied, "We can try if we have time on the way back."

As they walked on, fatigue began to set in, and conversation dwindled.

By noon, the thick fog had finally dispersed.

After several more hours of walking, Salin the Half-Sheepman, who was leading the way, suddenly raised a hand.

The party halted instantly, the sound of their footsteps replaced by the faint whisper of the wind.

The sheep-like ears on Salin’s head twitched.

He glanced back and whispered to the others, "Follow me."

With that, he crouched low and started up a nearby slope. The others exchanged a look before following their guide.

The group silently scrambled to the top of the slope.

As they reached the crest of the hill, a colossal structure sprawled across a smaller hill in the distance came into view.

It was an enormous, half-finished fortress. Its broad walls were only half-raised, surrounded by scaffolding made of some unknown, wood-like material.

Hobgoblins, just like the ones they had seen in Rommon, were cracking long whips, forcing massive creatures to work. Some were clearly Ogres, while others were tall, green-skinned humanoids.

They had long, sharp claws and bestial faces with two fearsome tusks jutting up from their lower jaws. Based on the description, they had to be...

"Are those Trolls?" Colin asked.

"You guessed it, kid," Salin said, catching his breath. "Looks like we’re taking a detour."

"I feel like a guide should be a little more competent! We almost walked right into a Hobgoblin army! You didn’t think they were going to invite us in for a hot meal and a good night’s rest, did you?" Colin said, annoyed. Beside him, Orelia nodded earnestly in agreement.

Salin gave a helpless laugh. "Hey, I spotted them ahead of time, didn’t I..."

"It looks like they’re preparing for a war," Colin said, continuing to survey the fortress.

Aside from the laborers, the other Hobgoblins were training in the bailey. Spearmen practiced formation drills, archers were at target practice, and the elites were engaged in sparring matches... They had all the training regimens of a regular army, and they looked even more professional.

Honestly, with their strict discipline, they looked every bit the part of an elite army.

Compared to an army like this, the Militia from around Thousand Masts City would look like they were just playing house.

"These Hobgoblins are all disciplined warmongers... But the last time they built a fortress on the Surface was probably sixty or seventy years ago," Salin said.

"Now this is what a proper city should be about! Battle, glory, and an army!" Kase’s voice was filled with excitement. "I’d love to have a real fight with them!"

"All right, we were lucky we didn’t run into a Warg Rider patrol, or their arrows would’ve given us a world of trouble," Salin urged. "If you’re done sightseeing, let’s get a move on, my tourists."

Watching the mass of Hobgoblins, Colin was suddenly reminded of the Scorpion-tailed Lions in the Roaring Mountain Range.

’The Elf Greatswords those creatures were wielding probably came from the Endless Wilderness. This area is full of ruins from the old Elf City-States, after all. It’s very likely the Hobgoblins’ expansion forced the Scorpion-tailed Lions to migrate to the adjacent mountain range.’

’Monster ecology, I suppose...’

"Come on, kid," Salin urged. "Don’t let those Warg Riders spot us!"

Colin grunted in acknowledgment and turned to catch up with the others.

’No point thinking about it now. The swords are in my hands, and that’s all that matters.’