Beasts and Magic Crystals

Seeing Old Tyr's current state.

Yara seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation and hurriedly asked:

"What's wrong?"

Old Tyr organized his thoughts and said:

"These past few days... many hunters who left Canaan to hunt in the forests have been injured..."

"Some strange animals seem to have increased in number throughout the eastern forest..."

"Some young men have even spotted traces of those wild beasts around Canaan..."

Yara was somewhat confused and said:

"There are wild animals in spring..."

"Isn't this normal?"

Old Tyr shook his head and explained:

"It's normal to have wild animals..."

"What's abnormal is the size and strength of those beasts..."

"A few days ago, some villagers asked me to investigate this matter, so I gathered a few strong young men and we went to take a look..."

"And then, guess what I found deep in the forest?"

Yara frowned and asked:

"What?"

"Don't tell me you've discovered the Nemean Lion..."

Old Tyr looked at Yara solemnly and nodded, saying:

"That's right...you guessed it..."

"It really is the Lion of Nemea..."

"However, it's not the kind we used to fight against..."

"And it's not just lions, other wild animals too..."

"There are a lot..."

"But what they all have in common is that they are all very powerful..."

"It possesses power at the level of bronze, or even silver..."

"Who knows, there might be a few more beasts capable of taking down the Golden Warrior."

"and......"

Old Tyr paused in his speech.

He reached into his pocket, as if rummaging for something.

Finally, he took out a shiny crystal about the size of a thumb and placed it on the table.

"Look what I found!"

Yara was startled and asked in surprise:

"Magic crystals?"

Old Tyr nodded and explained:

"They dug them out from the carcasses of those wild beasts..."

"This is very strange..."

"I'm worried there might be some kind of conspiracy."

Yara glanced behind him, while his wife looked at him worriedly every now and then.

Seeing this, in order not to worry his wife.

He led old Tyr out first and arrived at the meeting place in the center of the village.

He also summoned the clan elder, the pockmarked man, and other village leaders...

The Canaanite leadership.

They sat around a fire.

They roasted fruit while seriously discussing matters.

"Yara, Master Tyr is right... Recently, there have been more and more wild beasts around Canaan, and most of them are quite ferocious. Several experienced hunters have almost perished in the jungle..."

The pockmarked man quickly took out a roasted fruit and summarized the news he had recently heard.

Seeing this, the clan elder added:

"Not only are there more wild animals... but there are fewer people too..."

"Usually, as spring arrives and the ice and snow melt, caravans begin to increase..."

"Canaan, situated on a crucial trade route..."

"Even if caravans don't pass by every day, they do happen at least every few days..."

"But it's been almost two months since spring began, and we haven't seen a single caravan..."

Yara frowned.

After hearing the elder's words, and considering the complaints Dick had made in his letter earlier,

He suddenly had a bold guess and said:

Is it possible...?

"It was this that caused the beast plague..."

"Caravans from other city-states simply cannot get in..."

He then looked at old Tyr and continued:

"So... what Dick wrote about those city-states rebelling for independence might actually be true..."

"However, regarding the suspension of trade between other city-states and Argos..."

"Actually, it was those caravans that were blocked by these wild beasts?"

Old Tyr followed Yara's train of thought for a while, and suddenly many things seemed to make sense. He analyzed:

Even if the King of Argos falls...

"The foundation of Argos City won't dissipate so quickly..."

"The only places in the world with the most honored warriors, besides Sparta, are Argos..."

"If these beasts really do each possess the strength of a bronze or silver warrior."

"Then the caravans of other city-states simply cannot afford such a heavy price..."

"They can't afford to hire honored heroes."

"Ordinary guards would find it difficult to deal with beasts of the caliber of honored warriors..."

"Therefore, in order to maximize their profits, they had no choice but to bypass Argos."

"However, the Athenian blockade of maritime trade... seems to be inexplicable for the time being."

"What conflicts or disagreements exist between Argos and Athens?"

"We need to settle things with Dick to find out the truth of this..."

Yara nodded in agreement.

He needs to go to Argos in person.

Talk to Dick and explain this to him.

Moreover, it is necessary to see for oneself along the way what those abnormal wild animals are really like.

He also needed to have a serious talk with Dick about the Nine Commandments and the faith in the Lord...

"Then I will set off immediately for Argos..."

Yara glanced at old Tyr again and said:

"However, Master Tyre, you must remain in Canaan..."

"With a Gold-level expert like you in charge, I can leave with peace of mind."

Old Tyr chuckled at this and joked:

"It seems that I will have a difficult old age in Canaan."

......

Take a deep breath and exhale slowly.

In the still somewhat chilly spring, a puff of white mist emerged from Yara's mouth.

Besides his wife Sarah, the slave girl Siaja also helped out at home, doing some housework while Sarah took care of the children... so that Sarah, who had just given birth, wouldn't have to be busy all the time.

Therefore, even if Yara leaves at this time, he can rest assured.

He pushed open the door and found his wife holding baby Isaac, standing in front of the door, waiting for him.

Are you leaving again?

In the dim light, his wife's expression was not visible.

But Yara guessed that his wife's expression was definitely not good...

Yara stood at the doorway, not going in. He looked at Isaac, the baby in Sarah's arms, intently playing with his mother's hair, and sighed softly:

"yes..."

"But this time it won't take too long..."

"I just went to ask Dick something."

"I'll be back after I ask, at most a month..."

His wife stepped aside to make way for Yara to enter.

Step inside.

Yara put on the cloak made of Nemean lion fur and took a bronze sword from the wall, hanging it at his waist.

Just as he turned his head, he saw Sarah gazing at him with deep affection...

He stopped in his tracks.

When Yara wanted to say something.

But the wife spoke up:

"I...don't want to be a woman who stops you from achieving great things..."

"I'm just...worried about you..."

But... what if you don't come back one day...

"I will hate myself for the rest of my life..."

As she spoke, Sarah gently placed the tired little Isaac on the small bed in the living room and covered him with a blanket.

Sarah then trotted into the kitchen and brought back a large bottle of liquor in a jar...

She reached out and offered it to Yara, saying:

"I know there's nothing I can do to help..."

"But you need to take this bottle of wine with you..."

"I have poured a great deal of the [Breath of the Purple Robe] energy into this bottle of wine..."

"Maybe it won't be of much use to you..."

"But you have to take it with you."

His wife's eyes, as clear as autumn water, were slightly red as she gazed earnestly at Yara...

Yara took the bottle of wine and gripped it tightly in her hand.

They looked at each other without saying a word.

Then, under his wife's gaze.

He strode out the door.

It disappeared into the howling wind.

......