Building The Strongest Territory With My Sacrifice System
Chapter 28: Scout Returns (2)

Chapter 28: Scout Returns (2)

"Our courageous scouts have returned!"

Ragnar was about to share his plan with Noah when a shout spread across the settlement, it was loud, and the voice behind it was female.

Commotion followed the first shout, but its source was unknown to the two youths standing in the meeting spot.

While Ragnar was oblivious to who the scouts were, Noah knew immediately, and a frown appeared on his face.

Noticing his frown, Ragnar could not help but ask who the scouts were.

"The scouts are trained pathfinders, they mainly take long trips away from the hamlet to check out its surroundings. We know of other hamlets because of them, and they once prevented a goblin attack by warning us beforehand," Noah explained.

"Oh," Ragnar’s eyes shone with understanding.

"However, this set is quite odd, I feel something might have gone wrong."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because they have been away from the hamlet for over two months now. Their journeys usually last between a few days and two weeks, never more than that. We had even concluded they were dead."

Hearing Noah’s explanation, Ragnar finally understood the reason for his earlier frown.

"We should go and meet them," he suggested. "I’ll discuss the plan with you later."

"No problem," Noah shrugged.

Ragnar gathered the remaining items and stored them in a big basket one of the farmers had used earlier to bring his farm produce.

"Roger, Milan, Kendrick, you guys are finally back!"

"What took you so long? We thought you had died."

"It seems the ancestors are answering our prayers very quickly. I actually prayed for your return."

At that moment, so many people gathered around the three young men in their midst. Loud chattering could be heard.

The three young men in their midst seemed to be in their early twenties; they were all over six feet tall with lean, muscular builds. They wore weathered animal hides sewn together with strips of natural material.

One of the three—the one with blonde hair among the other two with black hair—forced a smile and replied to the worried villagers. His name was Kendrick.

"Our journey this time was filled with so many life-threatening circumstances and discoveries. We escaped death a dozen times and lost our direction many times, but it is all thanks to the grace of the ancestors that we were able to make it back here alive," Kendrick narrated.

He even spoke in vivid detail of how they stumbled into the lair of a savage wolf pack that nearly devoured them, and how they endured weeks without food.

The people were moved to tears hearing of their suffering.

At that moment, Ragnar and Noah arrived.

Kendrick noticed and recognized the two of them immediately.

"Young Ragnar and Noah, you two are looking great," he smiled at them.

"Big brother Kendrick, welcome. How was your voyage this time?" Noah responded with a faint smile.

"Haha, I have a lot of adventurous stories prepared for you two. Where is your sister?"

Kendrick and Noah discussed for about a minute. Based on their conversation, Ragnar could tell they were pretty close, Noah also seemed to respect Kendrick.

The other scouts were also quite friendly with Noah and Ragnar, and they had short conversations with both of them.

The people asked the scouts many questions, as they were very happy to see them.

The three of them shared plenty of information with the people, but it only included the good side of their adventures.

Ragnar knew there was more to their tale—dark details the scouts were hiding from the people.

"You two must be very hungry," he said with a smile as he lifted the basket containing the canned food. "Thankfully, the ancestors have provided us with these today, they will satisfy your hunger wonderfully."

The three scouts saw the canned food and the swords and were greatly surprised.

"How did you get your hands on those?" they asked.

Ragnar calmly responded to their surprise and invited them to rest and eat with him so they could exchange stories.

The scouts bade the others farewell and strolled with Ragnar and Noah.

They were already aware of Ragnar’s leadership tendencies, so they weren’t surprised by his quiet confidence.

Although they noted his newfound maturity, they figured it was just time playing its part as a patient teacher in his life.

Noah, Ragnar, and the three scouts strolled together.

The scouts took their time to observe the new state of the settlement, as it had been a long time since their departure.

Noah and Ragnar happily replied to most of the questions asked, mostly about the well-being of the people.

Ragnar and Noah even shared the sighting of the monsterborn with them.

The three scouts grew worried. They became even more concerned when they heard about the death of the innocent farmer.

Nevertheless, the story only made them more serious about their mission.

"This is serious," Kendrick murmured loudly. "We saw lots of strange creatures that fit your description. In fact, they are one of the major reasons we’re back to the Hamlet."

"For real? Can you share your discoveries with us?" Noah asked politely.

Kendrick turned to look at the serious expression on Noah’s face and shook his head, "What we have is too dark, we fear it might leave a scar on you two. By the way, where is Old Man James? His help is needed. Something very bad is approaching, and we need all the help we can get."