Chapter 464

Chapter 464: The City of Mines

  Riding atop a griffin, Jena traversed the sky, flying over one desolate mountain range after another.

  The strong currents at high altitudes quickly carried away the heat from her body surface. She wrapped herself tightly in her thick fur coat, and occasionally some snowflakes would blow out from the hood. Her hands, gripping the reins, had turned red from the cold, even with gloves on, unable to stop the bone-chilling wind. Only the faint warmth emitted by the magic power flowing within her Extraordinary Core prevented her fingers and body from freezing completely.

  Unfortunately, this warmth was still inadequate. Currently, Jena was merely a War Sequence 2 – Wild Wind Swordsman (a fine black iron rank). Having just switched sequences, she was extremely weak, not like last year’s end when she was in better condition.

  Being a War Sequence 2 – Wild Wind Swordsman was not a powerful class, and the additional abilities were few. Of course, the promotion difficulty was also lower, generally chosen by mercenaries or Extraordinary Beings in remote regions. Jena chose this path because of the influence of what she learned in her childhood home.

  She originally planned to take a transitional period, study for some time at school, and then choose an extraordinary class that suited her and her strengths for advancement. Unfortunately, she encountered an unexpected situation that forced her to interrupt her plans.

  After flying for a day and night, covering thousands of kilometers with the help of the griffin, she crossed through the重重obstacles of the Sighing Mountains and finally saw the landscape of her hometown, the nation surrounded by mountains and lakes.

  The griffin’s wings flapped, stirring up fallen leaves among the trees, and it slowly descended.

  Jena flipped down from above, took out the food she had prepared beforehand, fed the large creature, and then stroked its neck.

  ”You’ve worked hard.”

  This gray-maned white-feathered griffin looked at the girl before it, pecked at the offered food, finished eating, gave a cry, then spread its wings and flew off into the sky, returning to Emanas on its own.

  Massaging her somewhat stiff face, Jena endured her physical exhaustion and walked toward the mountain pathway, heading home.

  —

  ”What?”

  Upon returning near her house, she only saw a locked empty fortress; her father and several brothers were nowhere to be found, causing her to exclaim in surprise.

  ”Oh, Miss Jena, aren’t you supposed to be at school?” asked a guard holding a halberd nearby.

“I heard there was unrest in Blackrock, so I hurried back,” he said.

“It makes sense. But the leader has already taken many brothers to the烽烟城in the west. Our Halberd Sect’s allied forces are currently attacking that place.”

“But Father said he wouldn’t join any sects,” Jena was somewhat puzzled. She had only been away for less than two months; how could everything have changed so much?

“The situation doesn’t allow it. The Frost Rose has gotten involved, and our Halberd Sect’s strength is growing. If we don’t join now, we’ll become their enemies. So we have no choice but to take sides. Once we took sides, we were immediately dispatched by the internal commander to join the army assaulting the city.”

“Is there danger?” Jena asked.

“I don’t know.” The guard shook his head.

Jena couldn’t help it and asked around some more.

Their family had lived in this small mountain city for generations, making them a minor local clan with their own small castle, though not very large, it was decent enough. They had a reputation locally, which led some of the captains who went out as mercenaries to elect him as their leader.

Unfortunately, this place was remote, and information wasn’t very accessible. No one knew how the frontline battle was going. Jena had no choice but to rest for a day, then set out again the next day towards the western side of the duchy.

—

In Clancia, Nide County.

Lolan Hill’s caravan continued its journey. They arrived at the city where the incident at the mine occurred. It was now a gathering place for many people. Some were extraordinary beings drawn from various regions by Clancia, while others were adventurers lured by the bounty.

In truth, those giant worms weren’t particularly strong fighters, but they were difficult to find and capture underground. Ordinary people couldn’t defeat them, and when extraordinary beings arrived, the worms would flee, causing frustration.

After the caravan stopped, the accompanying personnel skillfully dispersed to record and assess the local situation, documenting everything on sheets of paper. Lolan Hill also put on a rather plain coat and walked into the streets, observing her surroundings.

“This disturbance caused by the demonic beasts has been ongoing for nearly two months now. If it continues like this, our production this year will drop significantly, and we’ll lose even more money,” several mining team leaders discussed nearby.

“Yes,好不容易今年把结构搭好，矿难少了许多，没想到冒出来这么几只奇怪的魔兽，以前都没人见过。”

“Looking at the local authorities’ bounty, it’s increasing.”

—

The discussion was cut short as Lolan Hill turned her attention to the bustling city streets.

Tall, but no one could solve it.

“Heard that the ‘Red Claw’ to the east is very powerful. What if we invite him?”

“It’s said that the officials of Clancia also sent people to inquire, but he himself said he needed to protect the local village and couldn’t move around freely. Moreover, he doesn’t seem interested in money.”

“Really rare. Is he that powerful?”

“Very powerful. It’s said he’s at Sequence 5, but sometimes he can match up with some Sequence 6 Demonic Beasts, so the eastern mountainous area has been much more stable now.”

“What a pity such a person stays in such a remote place.”

“But since he’s willing, others can’t force him.”

As the few people dispersed, Lolan Hill continued forward. This was her second time hearing about that particular Extraordinary Being; his nickname was ‘Red Claw.’ It felt somewhat like a demonic sequence role.

She shook her head again and headed towards the street, looking at the scattered shops beside her.

Compared to inland cities, there were many ore fragments scattered along the streets here, probably from the wagons transporting them. The architectural style of the entire city had a deep gray tone, with few vibrant colors.

Most of the residents within the city were miners, with fewer people in other professions. To endure the dirt while mining, their clothes were mostly black, gray, or dark blue, with few bright colors.

The shops here sold mostly practical tools and durable clothing, with hardly any luxury items visible.

People’s lives were quite simple: mine, eat, drink, rest, mine—basically this cycle. In the past, under the western winds, they lived this way. Now, after Clancia took over the country, although time was slightly more abundant and they didn’t have to work as hard, the essential job of mining still couldn’t be abandoned.

Although it was tiring and dangerous, in this remote city, what other choices did they have?

After observing for a while, Lolan Hill returned to her place of residence. She decided to fly alone to the eastern region tomorrow, while the trade caravan would stay in the city for now, not having to traverse the mountainous paths through narrow trails.

The mountain roads there were too steep for wagons to advance.

She hoped to find the person nicknamed ‘Red Claw.’ If she wasn’t mistaken, he should be the youth in the girl’s memories.

(End of Chapter)