A few days passed after they buried Tuis' remains.
During these few days, the caravan was still traveling through the forest, and the road became more and more desolate.
On the rugged road, Romuona and the others could still see some broken fences and walls.
It was obvious that it wasn't an abandoned building from the New Moon Empire, nor was it something left behind by the Twin Eagle Empire. It looked more like an ancient ruin from a long time ago.
However, these stones were worthless. They were just obstacles in the forest. Even if there were any valuable items in these stone bricks, they had long disappeared over the years.
Stolen, battered by the wind and rain … the valuable items were long gone. They were just a few obstructing stones.
During these few days of travel, they did not meet any special guests like Tuis.
Perhaps it was because Lulunaka no longer did those strange things, or perhaps it was because, as she said, it was very rare to meet a skeleton like Tuis that could move around in the eastern part of the forest. A skeleton like Tuis that had self-awareness was even rarer.
After a light rain yesterday, the air in the forest became a little moist and a little chilly.
Although the cold winter had passed, the beginning of spring had just arrived. There was still a trace of cold air coming down from the mountains in the north.
This made the already gloomy Forest of the Dead even more chilly, even though it was already noon and the sun was hanging at the highest point in the sky.
The caravan stopped in front of a ruin.
Although it was called a relic, there was nothing valuable in it. It was just a few pieces of broken stone walls surrounding it. Moreover, there were gaps everywhere. It was like a basket that leaked air everywhere.
Broken stone bricks were scattered everywhere. There was not even a house that could shelter them from the wind and rain. They had probably been washed away by time, the north wind, and the rain. Only a few pieces of what looked like a wall were left.
This wasn't a special place. Looking at the scale of the surrounding stone walls, perhaps there used to be a grand building or a spacious square. But now, nothing was left. There were only walls entangled with vines and bricks covered with a layer of moss.
The originally grayish-white stone bricks were covered with a layer of moss, making them wet and slippery, making people feel disgusted from the bottom of their hearts.
Perhaps this place once had a place name, a resounding name, but now, it was just a nameless ruin.
The caravan stopped at the edge of the worthless ruins. There was a relatively flat ground here, and because of the abundant sunlight, the ground was not so wet and slippery, making it easier for the horses to move.
If the caravan stopped in the interior of the ruin, the horses might fall due to the slippery ground. Even the carriages behind them would suffer.
When the caravan stopped, Julius walked towards the interior of the ruin out of curiosity. Then, he immediately returned.
Not only because he felt that it was dangerous to walk alone, but also because the ground was too hard to walk on.
If he encountered something strange and unfriendly, he wouldn't even be able to run away. He would fall to the ground directly because of the moss on the ground. He would either die from hitting his head on the corner of a brick, or be caught by something that might be chasing him from behind. Either way, he would die.
Therefore, Julius obediently stayed near the caravan and did not do anything else.
This was not the safe southern part of the forest. It was the east that he had never been to before. Considering that he had met Tuis a few days ago because of Lulunaka, he felt that it was better to be cautious.
He found a place near the caravan that was not too dirty and sat down. He put the two swords on his back aside and let out a sigh of relief.
Although Padding's cross sword was heavier than it looked, it was still an acceptable weight for him. However, it was a completely different story with Tuis' broken sword.
Although it was a broken sword with the front half missing, Tuis' two-handed sword was still much heavier than the cross sword to Julius.
This two-handed sword from more than a hundred years ago had a different style compared to the current two-handed swords.
The sword guard curved in the direction of the sword body, looking like two snakes that were pouncing towards the sword.
Snakes were not a friendly symbol, but in the Double Eagle Empire, two snakes were a symbol. At least, they used to be.
The eagle and the snake, one in the sky and one on the ground.
The hunters that soared in the sky were indeed superior to the lurkers that crouched on the ground.
In the Double Eagle Empire, the snake was a symbol of loyalty to the empire.
However, the snake was not always under the eagle's claws. Sometimes, the snake's venom could even make the two-headed eagle fall to the ground.
However, this was not something that a village boy like Julius could understand. He only knew that the broken sword given to him by Lulunaka was very heavy. Compared to the cross sword, not only did it not look good, but it was also completely unusable.
This broken sword was not even worth slashing with, not to mention that he couldn't even swing it.
If this two-handed sword was in good condition, it would be as long as he was tall. Now, it was only half of his height.
Julius picked up the broken sword and placed it on his knee. He then used a whetstone to polish it.
The broken sword was given to him by Lulunaka, and the whetstone was also given to him by Lulunaka.
The whetstone given to him by Lulunaka was a slender square. It had a greenish-grey surface and was very small and exquisite. Julius could hold it with one hand.
Moreover, this whetstone was translucent. He could vaguely see the inside of it. It looked like a square piece of jelly. However, this jelly was inedible. It could even break one's teeth.
It was a very beautiful piece of ingot. If it was placed in a blacksmith's shop, it could probably be sold for a good price. Even if it was not sold, it could become the signboard of a weapon shop.
This seemingly valuable whetstone was given to Julius by Lulunaka.
However, Lulunaka was not the type to give away things unconditionally. She had some work to give to Julius.
"Although it is a piece of scrap iron, it can still be used after a bit of hammering."
When Lulunaka handed the whetstone to him, she said those words. She then patted him on the shoulder and said, "Sharpen it properly. While you are at it, you can also train your strength.
Don't let me see you slacking off. Otherwise, I will confiscate everything I give you … … including the things you have already eaten. "
There was nothing wrong with the first part. Everything that Julius had now, whether it was the cross sword, the broken sword, the beautiful whetstone, or even the new clothes and shoes he was wearing, they were all given to him by Lulunaka. Strictly speaking, the clothes and shoes belonged to the convoy. However, the owners had already died. If Lulunaka wanted to take them back, Julius understood that she could do so.
However, to take back the food that he had eaten these days, which was no longer in his body and had become fertilizer for the forest, was a bit creepy.
Julius had never let go of the suspicion that "Lulunaka was a witch, a witch, or a devil". When he heard Lulunaka's words, he thought of a bad place.
Although the things that he had eaten were no longer in his stomach, the flesh that was slowly growing on his body should also be treated as food, right?
Thinking that if he slacked off, he might be cooked and eaten by this witch, Julius did not dare to have the slightest thought of slacking off.
When Lulunaka said this, her face still had her signature bright smile, but it did not sound like she was joking at all.
Therefore, when Julius was doing this, he was very diligent and did not dare to slack off at all.
However, using the whetstone to maintain the sword was a bit novel at first, but after doing it a lot, it inevitably made people feel irritated. Even if the whetstone in his hand was a delicate little thing, for Julius, it could not alleviate the boredom too much.
Julius put the whetstone on the broken sword's body, and sharpened it bit by bit. The friction between the sword and the whetstone produced a thin and long hissing sound, as if he was using his fingernails to scratch iron.
Julius pushed the whetstone and observed the broken sword that he had been carrying for several days.
The moss and slender vines on the two-handed sword had already been cleaned, revealing its original appearance.
However, its original appearance did not look any better than before the moss was scraped off. It was full of rust, and there were gaps everywhere. Even the two snake heads on the sword guard had already become blurred.
This kind of scrap metal, other than being melted down, what was the point of continuing to maintain it?
Julius was very puzzled by the work that Lulunaka gave him.
However, Lulunaka was not a person who would explain everything to others. When she was happy, she would speak clearly and logically, even if others were not willing to listen, she would continue. However, when she was not in the mood, she would only be perfunctory and would not say more than a few words.
When Julius was sharpening the blade, Olga happened to be nearby.
When Olga saw Julius sharpening the blade, he sighed and walked towards Julius.
"You must concentrate on sharpening the blade, otherwise you will be destroying the sword." Olga said to Julius.