Chapter 27: The Cave

Compared to the other intelligent races of this world, humans are neither the strongest in power nor in fertility; their intelligence and longevity are not exceptional either. The reason humanity was able to build its own kingdoms lies in their ability to construct fortifications. Towering, sturdy walls, castles, and fortresses shielded humans from the harm of stronger races, allowing them to thrive and multiply behind these defenses, ultimately creating a dazzling civilization.

If knights are the heart of human expansion, then castles are the core of human territorial control. Thus, over the centuries, building a castle on one's land gradually became the prerequisite for lords to assert control and sovereignty over their domains.

The Kingdom of Gambis follows this tradition. According to the Royal Edict of Expansion, a pioneering lord is only granted legal ownership of newly claimed land after building a castle there. Moreover, the kingdom has strict requirements for the castle’s specifications based on the lord’s rank.

Castles are extremely costly. Sophia spent seventy thousand gold sols to build Victor's stronghold in his new lands, only for Victor to be captured by the Blood Fox bandits before he could even set foot inside. The York family signed a land exchange agreement with Victor for this territory, but only on the condition that they, too, construct a castle here—otherwise, the agreement would be void, for without a castle, there is no sovereignty.

The castle before Victor's eyes was constructed entirely in accordance with the requirements of the Gambis Kingdom: fortress, walls, arrow towers, moat, drawbridge, and portcullis, all built from solid grey limestone, sturdy enough to withstand even a Silver Knight’s assault.

But why was it only six meters high?

Six meters—barely two stories—meant this castle was equivalent to a two-story farmhouse back on Earth, though styled after a European medieval fortress.

Staring at this miniature castle and the stunned faces of his subjects, Victor’s heart was breaking.

The Yorks’ Black Castle could house 5,000 people, Eskley’s could hold 500, and the one before Victor’s eyes could accommodate a mere 20...

This was a sham project! A fraudulent scheme colluded upon by the great lords of the provinces and the capital, a travesty aimed at the Senate and the victims alike! Victor cursed furiously in his heart, but there was nothing to be done against those with powerful patrons.

Casting a resentful glance at the York delegation feigning ignorance, Victor turned to the watching townsfolk and said, “You’ve all seen the castle. Clearly, it’s not fit to live in. So today, we’ll need to find a suitable campsite. In the coming days, we’ll have to build a sturdy encampment as a temporary base.”

No sooner had he finished than he overheard someone muttering in the crowd.

“How is this any different from being freemen?”

Indeed, without the protection of castle walls, these ordinary folk could not even sleep in peace at night.

Victor pretended not to hear, instead preparing to organize a search for a campsite.

“Victor, I know a good place to camp.” Nicole, hesitant and nervous, stepped forward and spoke softly.

Seeing Victor’s stony silence, Nicole continued, “If we head southwest from here, after half a day’s journey there’s a perfect spot to set up camp.” As she spoke, she produced a sheepskin map.

Realization dawned on Victor: the Yorks had surveyed this area and drawn up a map, which Sylvia must have given to Nicole along with instructions. Seeing Nicole on the verge of tears, Victor’s heart softened. He took the map, patted her small hand, and comforted her: “It’s all right. None of this is your fault.”

Yet, whenever he thought of Sylvia, Victor ground his teeth in frustration, silently vowing that if he ever got the chance, he’d make her pay dearly.

Victor wasted no time and led the group toward the campsite marked on the map.

Perhaps out of guilt over his family’s conduct, Bruce, uncharacteristically, led his men as the vanguard. The journey passed without incident.

Upon arrival, Victor examined the terrain and was greatly pleased with the campsite the Yorks had marked out.

It was a hill over four hundred meters high—not tall, but broad in area. Unlike other hills, this one was gentle on one side and steep on the other three. The gentle slope was peculiar: narrow, barely wide enough for two wagons to pass, with steep inclines on either side that would be impossible for ordinary folk to climb without tools.

Halfway up, the group was delighted to find a flat plateau.

Victor estimated the area at about 1.5 square kilometers. Glancing back at the narrow, winding slope, he immediately understood the meaning of “one man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot break through.” This truly was a naturally defensible, hard-to-assault campsite.

Scholar Edwin, however, remarked, “This doesn’t look like a natural formation. It must have been modified by hand.”

“We thought so too. A year ago, the family’s guards found many small huts here on this plateau. It must have been a halfling settlement, but everything had been cleared out. Later, our men dismantled the huts,” Bruce confirmed the old scholar’s guess.

“A halfling village?! Good heavens, what have you done?” Edwin, upon hearing that the Yorks had razed a halfling village, rolled his eyes in fury and tugged out several strands of his beard.

Halflings are a rare intelligent race: short in stature, adults barely reaching 120 centimeters—slightly shorter than dwarves—but, unlike dwarves, halflings are slender and proportioned like miniature humans.

Halflings lack great strength and are not skilled fighters. To survive, they often attach themselves to powerful races, such as the forest centaurs.

Halflings are extremely dexterous, adept at crafting tools and equipment—a talent especially valuable to the less nimble centaurs, who greatly welcome halflings and protect them zealously. In return, halflings forge and maintain centaur gear and tend to injured centaurs. This close cooperation has forged a stable symbiosis between the two races.

It is also rumored that halflings are master cooks, their unique and delicious cuisine sought after by many human nobles who would give anything for a halfling recipe.

Victor suspected that this was the real reason for Edwin’s outburst.

“Milord, there’s something odd ahead. We haven’t found any signs of goblins, kobolds, or gnolls—only some human footprints, left perhaps two days ago,” reported Nelson as Edwin was still lamenting.

“Probably freemen. These wretched vagrants may be trying to settle here,” Bruce said coldly upon hearing Nelson’s report.

“Vagrants? How did they survive here?” Victor was surprised. Without powerful protection, freemen rarely survived in the wild.

“A year ago, the family’s guards swept this land clear of monsters. They did find some freemen moving about, but didn’t bother them. After we built that castle, we abandoned this temporary camp. The vagrants must have noticed no one had claimed the place and thought to settle here,” Bruce explained, looking a bit embarrassed at the mention of the castle.

So the Yorks had built the miniature castle here a year ago—apparently, Sylvia’s real motive was simply to stake a claim, not to set a trap for him. Victor felt oddly relieved at the thought.

“The vagrant issue can wait a few days. There’s also a smaller plateau above, and something quite interesting there. I can take you to see it now,” Bruce said mysteriously.

Following Bruce up the hill, they soon reached another plateau, about 0.7 square kilometers, at the base of which was a man-sized cave entrance in the cliff face.

Bruce, carrying a torch and accompanied by his squire, entered the cave first, followed by Victor and Edwin, guarded by Nelson and Nicole.

The cave entrance was small, but the interior was spacious. Strangely, the air inside was fresh and well-ventilated, the temperature pleasant, far warmer than outside.

There were clear signs of excavation: the floor was level, and torch brackets were set into the stone walls.

A squire lit the torches one by one, gradually illuminating the cavern.

“This is a natural cave, but it’s obviously been modified by halflings. Look at the steps—short and narrow for us, but sized for them. These brackets in the wall are at chest height for me, perfect for halflings. This must have been a storeroom, though it’s empty now,” Edwin said, demonstrating the height of the fixtures.

“These halflings were clever. They carved vents in the cliff to keep the air circulating. If they sealed the entrance, the whole cave would be a fortress against outside threats. For us, though, it’s a bit small—forty people at most,” Edwin continued.

“There’s a smaller cave inside,” Bruce told Edwin, leading the group through a three-meter passage.

Beyond lay another spacious chamber, with a smooth floor, vent holes, and torch brackets like the previous one. But here, a spring bubbled up from the ground.

Clear water filled a three-meter-square pool, overflowing into a channel cut in the rock, through a hole in the wall, and out of the cave.

“This is fantastic!” Nelson, who had been worrying about the camp’s water supply, could not help but exclaim.

“This spring flows year-round—enough for the whole camp. But what’s this platform for?” Bruce tapped a stone slab the size of a table beside the pool.

“There are carvings on it. It must be a halfling altar,” Edwin said, examining it by torchlight.

While everyone marveled at this discovery, Nicole noticed Victor swaying on his feet and rushed to steady him.

“Victor, what’s wrong?” she asked anxiously, seeing his pale face.

“It’s nothing, just fatigue. I’d like to rest here a bit,” Victor managed a weak smile before collapsing backward.

As Victor lost consciousness, his mind flashed with several unfamiliar characters:

“New hardware activating!”