RISE OF EROS

The journey through the kingdom of Dunnas did not take long. While Andrew wanted to sightsee this country, time was of the essence so they marched the quickest route to the Yellow Desert.

After two weeks they had reached the edge of the Sandy River. Although the kingdom of Dunnas is a desert country, full of oases similar to the Yellow Desert. This is clearly delimited.

The Sandy River establishes the border between the kingdom of Dunnas and the Yellow Desert. This river is quite wide and long and divides the desert in two, on one side is the kingdom of Dunnas, and on the other, the Yellow Desert ruled by the barbarians.

Some say that due to this proximity and the fact that many barbarians enter the kingdom of Dunnas, the women of this place are the way they are, that is, they like strong men, because they admire the barbarians.

However, this is not true. Although some women see barbarians as strong warriors and ideal men, most women in this country do not think so, because for them, barbarians were born strong and they value the acquired strength of a man.

Certainly, there are many men blessed with good genetics and that is why they are strong like barbarians, but for the women of Dunnas, or at least for the majority, barbarians were born strong, they did not need effort and that did not allow them to long for barbarians.

Furthermore, barbarians also have different tastes in women. As a warrior race, they are attracted to strong women, because they want their offspring to be strong, so they are not attracted to human women.

Obviously, having a few nights of passion with a human is allowed, but a partner must be strong and this refers to physical. For barbarians, politics and wealth are always secondary, the most important thing is power.

For these reasons, these two breeds, despite living so close and having similar environments, do not come together regularly. In fact, a barbarian who joins with a weak human is despised and even expelled from the tribe, so unions between these two races are rare.

While Oliver was telling Andrew and Castor about all this, they reached the banks of the Sandy River. On its banks, you could see a large city that was not inferior to the capital of the Dunnas kingdom.

It was not strange that a large city would rise in this place because, after all, they were close to the largest and most important river in the area. Andrew and the others decided to rest in this city and march the next day.

In the city, they could see barbarian men and women like normal citizens. They were a bit wild, as their clothes were like those of the indigenous people on Earth if Andrew had to compare.

The smallest were women and were about 2 meters long. The men did not wear anything to cover their torsos, so their well-toned muscles could be seen and each of them exuded an aura of ferocity.

Although the women were equally strong, they were still beauties. Although they looked like they were dirty and didn't take care of their hair, their beauty couldn't be ignored.

Obviously, they were wearing a cloth that covered their tits, but their shoulders and abdomen were exposed. Her facial features are a little harsh but still beautiful, Andrew was captivated by their beauty.

After admiring some barbarians along the way, they arrived at a small, simple inn, where they rented a triple room and after eating they went to rest.

The night passed uneventfully and at the first light of morning, Andrew, Oliver, and Castor took their horses and marched towards the Yellow Desert. This river is too wide and mighty to cross on horses, so the only way to cross it is through the nearby bridge.

The bridge is made of wood and although it seems firm and stable, it is quite narrow. The barbarians and the kingdom of Dunnas have had many skirmishes, so this bridge has been torn down and rebuilt many times.

The reason why it is narrow is to prevent the barbarian cavalry from passing through it when they are in battle. Since the river is difficult to cross on horseback or foot, this bridge is the only crossing point, so the kingdom of Dunnas maintains strict control over it.

Since it was still very early, the bridge was not very busy, so Andrew and the others were able to cross it in a short time. Normally navigating the Yellow Desert requires the guidance of a barbarian, but Oliver refused to use it.

Andrew and Castor were confused by this. Although they had bought a map, the reality was that this map was difficult to read, since the reference points were very vague and difficult to recognize.

Oliver seeing the expressions of the other two said, "A barbarian guide is just a scam. It is known that anyone who hires a barbarian guide is 100% stuck in the desert."

"Do you mean that the barbarian guides do not help you maneuver through the desert, but rather they take you to their companions to rob you?" Castor asked, surprised.

"That's right. The barbarian guides are nothing more than a scam. Besides, it's not my first time coming to Star City, so I know the way more or less," said Oliver, while leading the group.

As they rode Andrew couldn't help but ask, "Oliver, what's up with barbarians being thieves, but not thugs? Is that true or is it another popular lie?"

"That's true. If you don't object, they will only take away your belongings, but young master, think about it. If they take your belongings from you in the middle of the desert, isn't that the same as killing you?" Oliver responded and added.

"They will take everything, food, water, money, weapons, and even your horses, so in short they leave you to die in the desert." Andrew and Castor swallowed hard, and then Andrew said again, "Simply put, we can't give up if we find them."

"That's right. If they are going to let us die in the desert, it is better to fight and let them kill us if they have the capacity," Oliver said firmly. "It looks like you've fought them before," Castor suddenly said.

Oliver smiled at the comment and said, "Well, I've certainly fought barbarians before. Finding some small groups will not be problematic, but if we find a large group, well, we will have problems there."

"As a last resort, we can use Fluffy," Andrew said, inserting himself into the conversation. Oliver and Castor knew what Andrew meant by "Using Fluffy", but they would prefer not to have to do it, because although possession of the divine beast has its advantages, it also has its disadvantages and they wanted to avoid them at all costs.

With this conversation, the three of them advanced at high speed on their windhorses. These horses galloped across the sand as if it were solid ground and their speed was surprising.

In the distance, a group of 10 barbarians followed them. These barbarians were in the city with them and were now returning to their tribe, but upon seeing Andrew and the others, they had the evil intentions of attacking them.

Although many say that barbarians are stupid, that is not the case, it is just that they are simple-minded and always focus on battle, which is why some think that their brains are undeveloped.

This group of barbarians who followed Andrew and the others were young and their leader was a genius from his tribe. His strength had skyrocketed from a young age and his combat skills were superior, which is why he is highly valued in his tribe.

However, like all geniuses, he is arrogant and he believes that no one in this world can defeat him. Oliver was the first to notice the barbarians chasing them, then Castor, and finally Andrew.

"What do we do?" Castor asked and after a few seconds of silence, Oliver responded, "These are coming from the city, so they shouldn't have reinforcements. Dealing with them shouldn't be difficult."

"So, shall we stop?" Andrew asked this time and Oliver just nodded. The three stopped their horses, surprising the barbarians that they were continuing, since they were still very far away and should not have discovered them yet.

The young leader of this small group of barbarians immediately became alert. He is arrogant and likes to fight like a good warrior, but is not stupid, he immediately shouts, "Go back. Go back," and then he turns around and rode in the opposite direction.

His companions were surprised, but they still followed his orders and left with him. Castor and Andrew were surprised to see the actions of the group of barbarians, but Oliver was not.

Oliver knew that the barbarians were intelligent, especially in the art of war, so he commented, "It seems like they have a capable leader." Although he wasn't speaking to anyone, Andrew and Castor heard him and couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean?"

"Well, many believe that barbarians are stupid and only think about fighting, but that is not the case. Certainly, they like battle, but they are not stupid, in fact, in terms of war they are expert strategists," Oliver replied.

After a short pause, he continued, "The leader of that group that followed us realized that we were able to discover him at a great distance, so he immediately deduced that we were stronger so he fled."

While Oliver was explaining to Andrew and Castor what had happened, the barbarians had walked away. Once they were far enough away, they stopped and all questioned the young leader, "Bulgur, what happened? Why do we run away?" Bulgur looked at them and said, "Those guys were bad news. Didn't you see that they had stopped?

That means that they had noticed us from so far away, that means, they are experts."