The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 396: Volume Eight: Gathering Storm - Two: A Trio on a Journey

Chapter 396: Volume Eight: Gathering Storm Chapter Two: A Trio on a Journey

And as news of the successful exploration of Damarlinsk Castle by adventurers spread, and the rumors of the discovery of the Dwarven Ancient Civilization Ruins in the Volt Mountain Range echoed across the Continent, more and more adventurers began to swarm to the area. The various fine wines, books, and a large number of oil paintings and antiques obtained from Damarlinsk Castle became Puber’s best means of proclaiming the wealth of the Caucasus, while the rumours of the discovery of the Dwarven Ancient Civilization Ruins in the Volt Mountain Range were completely baseless, fabricated by Puber on the fly after hearing a drunken Dwarf’s wild boasts about ancient ruins in the Volt Mountains. The more outsiders who came, the more they could promote the economic development of the Caucasus. At the very least, these adventurers would bring something to the Caucasus, whether it was news from the outside world or spending within the region, the Caucasus Prefecture would always profit from it.

Under this line of thinking, Puber was essentially spreading rumors with a purpose. When the talk of the Dwarven Ancient Civilization Ruins in the Volt Mountains was in full swing, news of the discovery of the Wicked Dragon’s Nest near the Nether Sea once again shocked the entire kingdom and even the Continent, with nearly everyone’s gaze turning to this remote place that, just a year ago, had been unknown to many.

The Wicked Dragon’s Nest?! This was simply a tremendous treasure. Everyone knew dragons’ penchant for collecting jewelry and precious stones, and the Wicked Dragon, even more so as the tyrant of the seas, demanded a large tribute of pearls from the Shark people for safety. Despite this, the Wicked Dragon would often attack those prosperous Shark people, plundering their harvests, with merchant fleets also being targets of the Wicked Dragon. Sometimes, the Wicked Dragon would even venture deep inland to attack caravans, snatching valuable items. Discovering the Wicked Dragon’s Nest would undoubtedly mean finding the entrance to a treasure hoard. Although the Wicked Dragon was extremely fierce, a dragon, after all, was not a god. It possessed some intelligence, but compared to humans who were adept at calculations over time, it was far from being a match for people. They could find ways to avoid direct conflicts with the dragon, setting up various traps and snares, luring the dragon into a trap and ultimately plundering everything it had, including the dragon itself.

Of course, all these rumors without exception originated from discussions between Puber and Komer and their subsequent fabrications. Puber felt no guilt; to him, the Volt Mountain Range definitely contained ancient ruins, but it depended on whether you had the resolve to traverse the hundreds of miles of forests. Likewise, the existence of the Wicked Dragon in the Nether Sea was well known to all, and so its nest must also be a reality. As for who discovered it and where it was, the number of adventurers who died at the hands of the dragon each year was not small. He believed many had met this fate because of the secret of the Wicked Dragon’s treasure. With determination, one could surely deduce the location of its nest from the dragon’s habitual actions.

From the moment Damarlinsk Castle was conquered to the emergence of ancient ruins in the Volt Mountain Range, and the discovery of the Wicked Dragon’s treasure in the Nether Sea, the series of astonishing news stirred up a growing storm among the magic community and adventurers throughout the Kingdom of Nicosia and the Continent. Almost everyone involved in this activity spread this thrilling news, which could excite any adventurer. It had been a long time since the Continent had seen such a heart-stirring treasure discovery, and no one wanted to be left behind if it meant a share of the spoils.

Countless adventurers from all across the Continent joined this treasure hunt. Although the land route to the Caucasus had been closed, the sea route from Cyprus and Odessa to Mattdam was fully operational, with almost daily ships heading to Mattdam. The influx in recent times was packed with adventurers filled with longing. While the Wicked Dragon’s treasure might be too much to hope for, searching for the Dwarven Ruins could still yield many rare treasures, and weapons crafted by the Dwarves were considered classic masterpieces. Anything that could hide within an ancient civilization was likely to be a Divine Artifact. If one could manage to obtain one or two pieces, the journey would not be in vain.

Every day, hundreds of people of various sorts poured into Mattdam, and the proportion of adventurers and explorers had far surpassed that of merchants and immigrants, who were initially the main occupants. Mattdam had become an important hub where one could take a horse-drawn carriage northwest to Santiago at the foot of the Volt Foothills. Initially just a nameless small town, Santiago had grown with the extensive mining of coal mines in the Volt Mountain region and the settlement of a large number of escaped slaves, later joined by a flood of new immigrants. A new name was needed for this fair that now boasted a permanent population of over five thousand people, an honor that naturally went to the great Lord of the Caucasus. Komer, somewhat reluctantly, named it Santiago, which in ancient myths meant "The Land of the Lost Angel," a name filled with blessings for this rapidly developing town at the foothills of Volt Mountain.

The discovery of the Dwarven Ancient Civilization Ruins had made this place even livelier, with the addition of adventure-seekers numbering over a hundred infusing Santiago with a sense of mystery. The maps drawn and sold by Half-beast Hunters and those slaves who had once lived as fugitives in the Volt Mountains became the hottest items in town. Since the Volt Mountain Range stretched for hundreds of miles to the sea, and the routes and memories of these hunters and fugitives varied greatly, the maps were often inconsistent, compelling adventurers to buy several maps at once in order to better grasp their bearings during their explorations.