Indeed, very powerful, but that's about it. Compared to those deities in DND who can destroy a city with a flick of the wrist, the White Wolf War God's strength is extremely weak, weaker than Laine could imagine. Even so, the White Wolf War God is considered one of the notable warlike deities among the human gods.
The White Wolf War God despises lies and deceit, so his followers likely wouldn't fabricate tales in the Holy Scripture. This data should be mostly accurate, forcing Laine to conclude one thing.
The deities of this world are far weaker than imagined.
During the first Chaos Invasion, Emperor Charlemagne assembled almost all the Order Alliance Army on the Continent except for the elves, including several descended deities and their Holy Spirit armies. Yet, the Order Alliance Army was still nearly driven to despair.
Moreover, the one who finally killed the Chaos Chosen One, Moka, was not a deity, but Emperor Charlemagne, the human leader. From this, three inferences can be made.
First, Moka was very strong, and the power of the descended deities was not enough to directly kill Moka.
Second, Emperor Charlemagne possessed power comparable to or even surpassing the descended deities.
Third, the Chaos Four Gods did not appear.
So Laine could only conclude that in this world, the power of evil surpasses the power of order by more than a little.
"Mr. Laine?"
Indeed... It seems I've been caught in a giant cage. My fate is either to defend myself by defeating evil and ultimately escape or perish along with this cage.
"Mr. Laine?"
The first step in this world is that relying on adventure to fight Chaos is simply unrealistic. He must find a way to secure his territory and then strive to climb up within the extremely conservative and insular medieval noble system.
"Mr. Laine!" A voice from the outside interrupted, bringing Laine back to his senses, his scattered blue pupils refocusing: "What is it?"
It was Rost, the Barbarian, curiously watching Laine: "Mr. Laine, were you thinking about something?"
"Yes, some things are troubling me." Laine sighed deliberately: "I was wondering, with only one female mercenary in the entire caravan, how do these big guys usually handle it?"
"Hahahahahahahahahaha! Mr. Laine, you don't need to worry about that. The mercenaries, even us, all have our sweethearts~" Rost laughed heartily, his braids and beard swaying: "Not to mention, in Frost City, I also have a sweetheart. She's got a great figure, and she's lovely, and we've been friends for years. It's only twenty silver dinars a night, and I always visit her whenever I'm in Frost City!"
"Hahahahaha~ That's nothing, Rost. I've seen a minstrel who stays with his sweethearts who feed and house him and even pay him!" Laine's face was full of mischievousness as he gestured with his hands: "So, Rost, when you can have your sweetheart pay you, that's when you'll really have skill!"
"Ah, that's impossible. Last time I went to Frost City, I found my sweetheart gone with no word left for me. I asked the landlord, and they said she'd made enough money and planned to marry a merchant to retire!" Rost scratched the back of his head: "It takes years to cultivate a sweetheart, and I probably can't do it~"
"Don't rush to find one among humans." Laine winked: "Why don't you try a Female Night Demon?"
Just as he finished speaking, the curtain of the carriage next to them lifted, and an Ice Spear thicker than a tree branch shot from inside, aiming straight at Laine's head: "Shut your mouth! Laine!!!"
"Oh! My god!" Rost instinctively leaped from his horse, rolling a few times on the soft meadow. Looking up, he saw Laine casually extending a finger, flicking the Ice Spear away, and it lodged into the meadow beside them: "Eavesdropping on others' conversations is not a good habit; what you need most now is rest."
"I don't mind men discussing these things, but please do it away from my carriage!" The female sorceress' beautiful face appeared from inside the curtain: "Or Laine, are you so interested in a Female Night Demon that you want everyone to know? Should I tell Lord Norman about this?"
A Female Night Demon isn't a demon; it's a fairy-like creature from the forest with goat-like legs and hooves, but otherwise, it looks like a beautiful human female, living off absorbing male essence.
"Alright, let's not talk about this, Teresa. I think our journey is quite interesting." Laine rode beside the carriage, noting that the female mercenary was no longer inside, he said: "I remembered a knight novel I read, where the protagonist's mentor was called Annon."
" unknown? An Anonymous?" The female sorceress said curiously: "Is there anyone named that?"
"Anyway, in that story, the protagonist's mentor, Anonymous, was known as the Continent's greatest knight, but his exploits in the story were always unimpressive, as he was never in full condition."
"Not in full condition? Explain clearly."
"He appeared in several important battles but never won a victory. Either he was poisoned by opponents or lacked the fighting spirit against former colleagues, or old injuries flared up. Known as the Continent's greatest knight, he never displayed his peak power and always lost to minor characters." Laine appeared disdainful: "Yet in the book, the author kept emphasizing he was the greatest knight on the Continent. Quite ironic, if you think about it."
"Are you insinuating I always have incidents?!" The female sorceress quickly associated.
"No, what I'm saying is that in many instances, you're unable to fight in optimal condition, so you must learn to save and conserve your Mana whenever possible, rather than waste it bickering with me." Laine looked at Teresa: "Lady Aurora should have told you what happens when you use spells carelessly in towns."
"I understand." The female sorceress, uncomfortable, knew she was at fault and avoided arguing.
After slight reprimanding, Laine's expression softened considerably: "Feeling better yet?"
"It's okay. I need to meditate."
"Alright, I won't disturb you." Laine didn't want to pester the female sorcerer; her mood was unstable, so silence was wise. Besides, experience showed rest could significantly ease her pain within a day... hopefully.
As the sun slowly set in the west, the caravan crossed the crest of Hodalen Mountain. Laine rode to the caravan's center: "Mr. Oliver, where's our planned campsite tonight?"
"There's a relatively flat area in the valley where we'll camp tonight," Oliver replied. "By the way, Mr. Laine, did you see Aik while coming from the end of the caravan?"
"No, I didn't." Laine shook his head.
"Strange, then where did Aik go?"
Just as the two puzzledly exchanged glances, roars erupted from a distance. The earth seemed to tremble, and Laine felt the ground shaking.
"Roar!!!!!!!"
The sound came from the east.
"Draw swords! Draw swords! Prepare for battle!" Laine shouted loudly. The entire caravan stopped, the sound of swords unsheathing echoed through the valley.
Rapid footsteps came from afar, revealing Aik's battered figure, his armor showing multiple dents and deformations. He staggered towards the caravan in panic: "It's a bear spirit! My god, there's a bear spirit here!"