However, the itinerary in reality is far more troublesome than on the map. The main western railway line from Krasbourg to Olaviburg is 1,800 miles long, but in fact, only more than 1,000 li is under the control of the Kolas Kingdom, and continuing to the west is the Turbidity River Bridge, the de facto dividing line between the Kolas Kingdom and the Yashan Empire.

After the founding of the Far East, in addition to a small number of troops stationed in the capital and southern Xinjiang, the main force of the Kolas Army was transferred to the west, along the largest tributary of the lower reaches of the Veres River, the "Turbidity River", the most important fortress was involved in the east end of the cross-river railway bridge, and the 1,000-foot-long bridge was opposite the bridgehead of the imperial army. In the situation of confrontation between the two armies, the railway bridge has been effectively blocked, and the railway line opposite the bridge can of course no longer be used by the Far Easterners. In other words, the train that Roland and his party took was as far as the east side of the Turbidity River Bridge, and it would depend on the faces of the imperial border guards to continue westward.

The Wizard Train set off early in the morning and arrived at the bridgehead where the Kolas Legion was stationed at 5:20 p.m. Roland got out of the car, exchanged a few words with General Pavel, who had come to greet him, and then returned to the point, asking him to release the border controls so that Philip and Werther could escort the idol home.

General Pavel was very meticulous in his work, and specially found a carriage for Philip to place the heavy idol of the god. Originally wanting to hire a coachman for them, Witt offered to catch the car and declined the general's offer.

Although the Far East and the Empire were in hostile camps, after all, they were not at war, and the border guards on both sides were on guard against each other and maintained a certain degree of friendly relations. General Pavel personally contacted the other general's general about Archbishop Philip's return to China, and the opposite side happened to have just received an order from the Holy City, and readily said that he could let him go.

When the two sides negotiated, Roland walked to the river alone, looking at the wide river, the rushing river, and the steel bridge across the river.

A loud military horn sounded from across the bridge, dispelling Roland's reverie. Across the river to the Ulino Pass, more than 1 million square kilometers of vast fields are still under the control of the Yashan Empire, and the Olevi Fortress is stationed with 50,000 troops, overlooking the Far East on the other side of the river, which makes Roland feel the invisible pressure, and at the same time realize a serious geopolitical problem: the imperial garrison of the Olevi Fortress is like a sword hanging over his head and may fall at any time, so that the Far Easterners have to be frightened and have no peace! If you want to solve this strategic dilemma, there is only one way to go - cross the Turbidity River, conquer Fort Olevy, and firmly hold in your own hands the Ulino Mountains, the natural barrier separating the empire from the Far East.

The neighing of horses was heard behind him, and Roland let go of his clenched hands and turned to meet the carriage.

"Your Highness, we have already negotiated with the other side, Philip and Witte can go over at any time, but they don't allow our people to cross the bridge, and I don't know what to worry about." General Pavel snorted dissatisfiedly.

Roland looked back at the fortress group on the other side of the bridge, but it was not difficult to understand the cautious attitude of the imperial border guards, perhaps the officers stationed at the bridgehead on the Zhuolang River had heard rumors about the Eastern Crusade?

Philip helped Witt to hold up the blanket-wrapped statue of Perro, placed it in the carriage, and then boarded the carriage himself, peeked out of the window and said to Roland, "Just send it here, go back quickly, lest Rudolph worry." ”

"But there's still a long way to go, and I'm a little worried." Roland frowned.

Philip smiled indifferently: "Across the bridge is the area controlled by the Imperial Army, in case I make any mistakes, it is also the responsibility of the Imperial Garrison, and you can't blame it." ”

Speaking of which, Roland is no longer good at insisting on escorts. After a moment's thought, he turned to Pastor Witt and whispered a few words in his ear.

Witt hesitated, perhaps thinking that it would not be harmful to him, so he nodded hesitantly. Roland pressed his right shoulder, and a soft white light appeared in his palm, blessing him with divine magic. After casting the spell, he said to take care, and then waved goodbye, and watched Werther drive the carriage to the other side of the bridge.

The carriage marched to the bridgehead, and there were already imperial officers and soldiers waiting on the opposite side, who quickly moved the barricades and let the carriage pass.

"What did Roland say to you just now?" While waiting to remove the barricades, Philip asked Witt casually.

"He said that he could not rest assured, and for the sake of safety, he blessed me with a 4-ring 'advanced care technique' so that he could pay attention to our safety." Witt replied without concealment.

"Advanced Care" is an upgraded version of the 1-ring Care, allowing the caster to sense the recipient's location and health for a period of time. If the recipient encounters danger or is harmed, the caster will be the first to be aware of it, no matter how far apart they are.

"I really didn't see it, this young man is quite careful." Philip muttered to himself.

"Teacher, His Royal Highness Roland should pay more attention to you, not to me, a little person." Werther was a little flattered.

Philip shook his head and smiled, and enlightened the young students earnestly: "Roland's doing this is just a manifestation of his cleverness, I am an elder, and I am a high-level priest, if Roland proposes to bless me with the 'Advanced Care Technique', it will be offensive, and even if I am unfortunately assassinated, it is not difficult to cast a spell to resurrect afterwards, what really needs to be carefully protected is the idol of my lord, the idol is destroyed and cannot be repaired, the main purpose of Roland's blessing of the Advanced Care Technique for you is not to protect you, but to indirectly protect the idol that is inseparable from you." ”

"I see...... "Pastor Witt realized.

The carriage passed through the bridgehead and drove westward along the wide military road. The railroad on the west side of the Turbid River belonged to the Imperial Army, and it was impossible to transfer a special train for Philip and Vitte, so the master and apprentice could only drive the carriage to Fort Olevi.

The carriage had been traveling for two hours, and the sun had set, and it was getting dark. Witt noticed that the two horses were tired and sweaty, so he suggested to the teacher that he find a place to stay.

"I remember that there was a hotel near the woods in front of us, and we were going to rest there tonight, and we would continue our journey tomorrow morning, and if it went well, we would reach Fort Olevi around dusk to-morrow." Philip still has some vague impressions of the situation in the neighborhood, "It's just that after many years, I don't know if the hotel is still there." ”

The master and apprentice were lucky, and after walking a short distance, they saw lights shining through the shade of the trees ahead. Witt drove the carriage closer and saw that it was indeed a rather imposing hotel, with a small black bear painted on the front door sign, and the bear was holding a large brass key in its mouth.