Leon was taken aback at Gizmo’s declaration. The dwarf noticed this and chuckled deeply while stroking his beard.
“Hehehe, surprised, aren’t ya, laddie? Well, you should be. It took me forty years to reach that level!” Gizmo patted his belly.
“Wow…” Leon was speechless. He had not expected someone like this to come to his land. Gizmo should be able to garner respect from people wherever he went.
“Wow indeed. I hope you treat me well during my stay here.” Gizmo grinned.
Leon smiled and nodded. He then proceeded to talk about Gizmo’s stay here and what he would do for Leon during his stay.
“Of course, as a blacksmith, it is obvious that I will handle the maintenance of old equipment and creation of new equipment. But this trade will be rather small scale until the scope of your economy increases.” Gizmo explained.
“I understand. That is why I am relying on Sir Balder and the others to spread the news. I expect that things will change a lot in the coming months.” Leon nodded.
.
.
Starting with the group led by Gizmo Baldfreak, a lot more people began to arrive in the Desolate Lands in batches, with most of them being more battle oriented. All these groups passing by made Rodius feel on edge.
“Another group passed by?” Darius asked his father when Rodius returned to their home.
“Yes. This is the seventh so far, and they keep getting larger.” Rodius sighed and sat beside his son. “Where are the girls?” He looked around the living room.
“They are with mum. She is still getting used to walking around and asked for their help.” Darius said and placed the book he was reading face-down on the table. He then held his chin and hummed in thought.
“Do you think they are heading to the territory of that Undead, Leon?” Darius asked. They had recently come to know that Leon’s real name was not actually Lex. It had pissed Rodius off a bit, but he had gotten over it now.
“It is obvious. But for what? From the way they carry themselves, it is not like they want to launch an attack, but rather, like they are going on a long journey! Wagons with so many supplies have been part of the caravans. It is almost as if they are relocating to somewhere else…” Rodius shook his head. He was really feeling unsettled about this.
“…You know, you can go and check it out. I can hold down the fort.” Darius suddenly said.
“What? Are you sure you can do it?” Rodius raised a brow.
“Of course. You still treat me like a little boy even though I can go toe to toe with you in battle, father. Have some faith in me for once.” Darius rolled his eyes and stood up then left the room with his book in hand.
“Hmm.” Rodius just hummed and rubbed his chin. A few minutes later, he got up from his seat and left the house.
.
.
A couple of days later, Rodius had finally made up his mind. He called Darius, Maria, and Elena together.
“Father?” Darius was surprised, as the call had been quite sudden. He had been out training with some of the younger warriors in their town when Maria had come to call him, telling him that it was urgent. He quickly followed her home to see Elena and Rodius already sitting down in discussion.
“Come, take a seat.” Rodius waved them over.
When they took their seats, he continued his discussion, but included them in it this time.
“I will be travelling deeper into the Desolate Lands for a time. I believe you all should already know why.” He scanned their faces, and as he expected, none of them were surprised. They had all expected this at some point.
“But I will not be going alone.” Rodius suddenly said. “Elena will be coming with me.” He turned to look at his youngest child.
“Me?” Elena looked confused.
“Yes, you. I want you to come with me because I will be going to see Leon. Since he is on good terms with you, I want you to be there to act as a bridge between us.” Rodius was clear with his intentions.
“Oh, then I guess I don’t mind.” Elena scratched her cheek, earning her a strange look from Maria. But Maria did not call her out on it and instead turned back to their father.
Rodius assigned duties to both Darius and Maria that they would take up when he left with Elena before standing up and making his way to his room. When he opened the door to his room, an involuntary smile found its way onto his face as he beheld one of the joys of his life. The most important figure in his life.
“Tired of being a grumpy old man?” Marina asked with a smile on her face.
“Oi, don’t forget that you are married to this old man.” Rodius laughed and made his way over to the bed.
The petite white haired woman only laughed. She pointed at Rodius, and a gust of wind blasted his red hair in all directions. She was as petty as could be and was ready to look for trouble even though she couldn’t run away.
Marina crawled to the edge of the bed where she rested against Rodius’ shoulder. “My motor skills are returning to normal little by little.” She whispered.
“Take your time, love. Whether you can walk now or next week, you are still the one I tied my soul to.” Rodius rested his cheek against her head.
Marina was not a Werewolf like him and Darius. She was not a pure Beastkin either. She had human heritage, so even though her healing factor was higher than that of average humans, it was still limited. So that limited her ability to recover her motor skills faster.
Even then, Rodius did not mind. Just seeing her bright eyes and lovely smile was enough for him to be happy.