The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 696: Volume 20: Wolves Lurking in the Mediterranean, - 4: The Great Deception

Chapter 696: Volume 20: Wolves Lurking in the Mediterranean, Chapter 4: The Great Deception

Everything in Caucasus looked to be relatively stable, with boats coming down from the middle and upper reaches of the Catania River continuously transporting food. Even though the prices were somewhat higher, it was still an acceptable and good outcome for Caucasus and Leon, where food self-sufficiency was not enough.

Although Bahomon was just a river port, its importance emerged due to its unique geographical location. The continuous flow of food from the middle and upper reaches of the Catania River into the inland of Caucasus, and the large amount of coarse iron produced here flowed upstream to Rosenborg and even to the more upstream Nebuchadnezzar region. This relatively simple barter trade had become the most important commercial interaction between Caucasus and the middle and upper reaches of the Catania River.

With the lifting of restrictions at the Mouth of Nissai River, grain ships coming down from the middle and upper reaches of the Catania River could even go out to sea directly via Mattdam, head north, and then sail up the Nissai River to reach Bruce, significantly reducing the land transport pressure of moving food from Bahomon through Ugru to the Leon Region.

The full opening of the Nissai River also swiftly revitalized the nearby areas of Bruce, as well as Murray and Banassia, with a continuous flow of smokeless coal being shipped from the docks of Bruce or Banassia down the Nissai River to the sea, or directly south to the Mediterranean, or up the Catania River, propelling the Leon Region’s economy into a period of rapid development. Aside from the coarse iron of Izmir that was still limited to animal transport and restricted from expanding production, Neptune could hardly find words to describe the development of this land.

As the treasure hunting craze of Goddess Minto’s treasure swiftly spread throughout the whole Northern Continent, coupled with rumors of ancient civilization remains in Caucasus’s Volt Mountain Range, the number of adventurers and exploration teams arriving in Caucasus and Leon was ever-increasing. Using Bruce and Ugru as bases, they commenced their journeys of exploration. The scale of Hesse’s Adventurers’ Guild had expanded several times over, and they had started a tavern that doubled as an office in Bruce to maximally serve these adventurers and exploration teams from across the Continent, and even wandering mercenaries.

With some encouragement, the rumors of the treasure in Little Greenland Forest seemed to have even more appeal, and the Lord’s Mansion of Caucasus took the opportunity to announce that the Little Greenland Forest was open to adventurers from all over the Continent to come to treasure hunt and explore. Any treasures found would be all theirs without the Lord’s Mansion taking any fees, and the Caucasus Lord’s Mansion would also provide, as much as possible, conveniences such as maps, props, weapons, materials, and other supplies needed for exploration to these adventurers who had come from afar.

Of course, while providing many conveniences, the Caucasus Lord’s Mansion also made a not too excessive request, which was for the adventurers to map out and record their adventures and routes, whether they were successful or failed. The Caucasus Lord’s Mansion had the right to obtain their adventure records and diaries, and certainly, the Lord’s Mansion would also pay a certain compensation as a thank you for their contributions to exploring Caucasus.

Such generous conditions naturally attracted countless adventurers to join the exploratory enterprise of Little Greenland Forest, especially up the Nissai River, which quickly became the hottest route for exploration. Soon, the sixty-mile stretch of river upstream from Bruce Fortress was mapped out by the adventurers, and although they had not found a trace of Goddess Minto’s treasure, the Lord’s Mansion still awarded a heavy prize of One thousand gold shields to the adventurers who first mapped and marked out this stretch of river.

This fulfilled reward immediately created a huge stir among the adventurers. While they hadn’t even caught a glimpse of Goddess Minto’s treasure, the rewards from the Lord’s Mansion were tangible. If one could just map out and write down their experienced routes and observations during their downtime, it wasn’t a difficult thing, and to receive such additional income was considered better than nothing; it could at least cover some basic expenses.

However, as the adventurers ventured deeper, potential threats began to emerge. The appearance of ogres confirmed initial speculations, when a small team consisting of a mage, a magician, two warriors, and an assassin was attacked by an ogre. Apart from the assassin, who was lucky enough to escape with his life, both warriors and both magic practitioners fell to the claws of the ferocious ogre.

The appearance of ogres immediately caused many solo adventurers and some small exploration teams to give up on exploring the Little Greenland Forest. Ogres, which mostly appear in pairs or small groups, are high-level magical beasts with group behaviors that cannot be handled by ordinary mages or knights alone. These highly intelligent and powerful high-level demon beasts also have considerable strength. To take on such cunning and vicious high-level beasts, individual strength was almost insufficient. Even for adventurer teams, it took great power and well-coordinated cooperation to have a chance of success.

The appearance of ogres also stimulated some adventurer teams who believed their strength was sufficient. Ogres are an unusual variety of the intelligent Warcraft Dread Apes, and are extremely rare high-level demon beasts. If one could succeed in slaying such a beast, the mana cores harvested would be enough to make anyone envy. Given their intelligence, ogres’ Mana Cores greatly assist in the cultivation of psychic magic, and even mages who were not psychic mages should understand the significance of such mana cores for magic practitioners.

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The emergence of Ogres scared off some of the weaker adventurers and exploration teams, but it also attracted more attention, especially from some adventurer teams who considered themselves powerful. Even solitary adventurers who had previously disdained the idea of teaming up were now compelled to set aside their pride and begin contacting each other to form alliances, in order to increase the likelihood of a successful exploration.

The appearance of Ogres also lent more credibility to the possibility that the immense treasure of the Goddess of Nature, Minto, truly existed. After all, an adventure without any risk wouldn’t yield much reward. Looking at the cases of successful adventures, isn’t each achieved only after overcoming numerous hardships? The emergence of high-level Demon Beasts like Ogres, at the very least, gave these empty-handed adventurers a glimmer of hope. Even if they only managed to slay one or two Ogres, the beasts’ hides and mana cores would ensure they didn’t leave empty-handed.

The arrival of several famous adventurer teams and adventurers from across the Continent instantly elevated Bruce’s fame to an unprecedented peak. This proved that the treasure of the Goddess of Nature, Minto, was now genuinely garnering the attention of capable adventurers. The information had made Puber somewhat uneasy; he knew the true ins and outs of this supposed treasure. While the scattered adventurers alone were not enough to worry him, the arrival of these powerful large-scale adventurer teams was another matter entirely.

These large-scale adventurer teams would first seek to verify the existence of the treasure of the Goddess of Nature, Minto. If they ascertained its existence, they would investigate whether Little Greenland Forest was intrinsically linked to the treasure before deciding whether or not to embark on the exploration.

A large-scale adventurer team might boast of having over three mages, with some teams even hiding an Archmage among their ranks. They would also have a plethora of skilled individuals like warriors, archers, assassins, knights, and priests. Additionally, a large-scale adventurer team could include specialized magic tool craftsmen and weapon smiths as support staff. Although they wouldn’t participate in the explorations directly, they could outfit and modify their team’s magical tools and weapons according to the nature of the adventure. Including the support staff, a large-scale adventurer team might consist of over thirty members.

The combined strength of such a team was naturally formidable. Puber worried that if the purported treasure of the Goddess of Nature, Minto - this hoax - was exposed by them, he had no idea whether he would be torn to pieces by these irate adventurers. If not for the continual encouragement from the Half-beastman Hybrid, who now seemed more agreeable in Puber’s eyes, Puber really wouldn’t know what to do. However, having come this far, there was no turning back; he had to face the situation head-on. Even if exposed, he would have no choice but to deny it to the death.

While Puber, left in charge of Caucasus, trembled with fear as he watched adventurers flood into Bruce in droves, Komer, disguised as a prominent merchant from Susoer, was leisurely boarding a ship bound for Athens.

The Akmon River originates from the second-highest peak of Sparta, Gramos Peak. It stretches over three hundred kilometers, and thanks to several short tributaries flowing into it along the way, this river, the longest within the Kingdom of Sparta’s territory, has an abundant water flow. As it continuously runs through gentle valleys, it also serves as Sparta’s vital link from the Central Region to the Aegean Bay.

As representatives of what were soon to be important business partners, the Odysseus Family formally invited Mr. Karadin, a merchant from Susoer, to be their guest in the capital city of Athens in the Kingdom of Sparta, and also to participate in the various celebrations of the quadrennial Olympian Championship. Komer gladly accepted the invitation and, together with Kamado, boarded the ship from Patre to Athens.

"Mr. Karadin, we’ll soon be reaching Lake Kastoriae, known worldwide for its Kastoria Arctic char. This afternoon, we’ll dock there for lunch, where you’ll have the opportunity to savor the exquisite taste of this famous fish. After our meal, our journey will continue; this afternoon, we’ll pass by the splendid and magnificent Pindus Gorge, and I am sure the scenery there will stay in your memory for a lifetime," Kamado said.

It must be said that Kamado had a real gift for words. Not only was he a qualified merchant, but he was also an orator. No wonder Komer had heard that those in the high society of the south were eloquent debaters, each able to engage a stranger in hours of varied conversation without repeating content. Komer thought this to himself.

(To be continued. If you wish to find out what happens next, please visit WWW.CMFU.COM for more Chapters. Support the author, support authorized reading!)

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