Chapter 61
Seven players were all adventurer class, and their guild was located at the City of Arockar, where Lady Riad-dûm Laenaria was ruling. The news about the clearing of the evolved drake was news that changed the mindset of all players; this was something they never expected to happen. Clearing the quest in the virtual game was never this hard and life-threatening.
They never expected they would clear it, like in the kingdom of Solnara Cererindu many watch the transmitted magic broadcast all over the region , as no noble or resident of the first floor would miss the opportunity, and because the transmit insects that the kingdom of Solnara Cererindu representative used were freely transmitting the magical signals to all magical receivers, many saw what happened and witnessed the guild's courage and luck as a new character emerged from the quest.
And because the quest was no longer available, the tower administrator had to rely on the system's main storyline and hope a new branch scenario would present itself. And the system answered based on the situation that unfolded. Multiple new quests started to come out, and the easiest one was to gather samples of the creatures living under the Demon Mouth Gorge fog, as many magic towers and all kinds of guilds and academies would pay handsomely to obtain these rare samples for research and experimentation.
The first to send this task was the City of Arockar Magic Tower, which was the closest city near the gorge at the very edge of the Forest of Rithakwood, as the tip of the expanding crescent-shaped gorge was seen slowly changing the landscape as the mountain that stood at the tip of the gorge was reportedly getting eroded by something, but it wasn't that noticeable in the past.
But many high elves guarding the four watchtowers saw the cracks on the mountain slopes connecting to the edge of the gorge. The towering Granite Mountain seems to risk collapsing into the gorge below and creating a devastating landslide that could potentially make the mountain erode and expand the gorge size even further.
The high eleven race that is living in this vast, rich, and bountiful forest built four self-sufficient garrison towers with enough soldiers and weapons to stop any creatures inside the gorge that would leave the fog and attack their land seeking food and a new home to nest in.
The commanding noble officer of the high elves managing the four watchtowers has been working tirelessly to reinforce the mountain and prevent any catastrophic event from occurring. , they assumed, have its foundation being washed away by a new underground water source. This discovery raised concerns among the high elves about the stability of the mountain and the safety of their towers perched on its slopes. But the council of elders ignored this , and the report fell on deaf ears.
Commander Galdir Riad-dûm is a distant relative of Lady Riad-dûm Laenaria. The four watchtowers slowly grew, and the town of Mist, the first watchtower that was created, was on the mountain overlooking the gorge. This was the largest and tallest watchtower, with a transportation pad on top to receive flying cargo ships from credited merchants. Commander Galdir Riad-dûm was more open-minded when it came to socializing with other races for gaining information and forming alliances, unlike the elders that ruled the citadel, who preferred isolation.
Despite the warnings from the locals about potential dangers lurking in the gorge below, the council of elders remained steadfast in their decision to prioritize their own safety and secrecy over potential alliances with other races. This caused tension within the citadel as Commander Galdir Riad-dûm continued to push for more open communication and cooperation with outsiders.
The small town that was established to gain more information and form alliances with other races was thriving under Commander Galdir Riad-dûm's leadership, as he believed in the power of unity and cooperation. However, the elders' resistance to change continued to hinder progress and create division within the citadel. Thus cutting off Commander Galdir Riad-dûm's connection from the main divine kingdom capital of Tyriarn Issëa,
Commander Galdir Riad-dûm's was abandoned and ignored by the elders of Tyriarn Issëa to do whatever he wished as payment for his long service and as well respecting his noble bloodline to do as long as he remained at the edge of the forest, safeguarding the treats that might come from the gorge or the outside world. Even the city of Arockar, which is situated just about five days' travel toward the 30 thousand-acre untouched forest, home of undiscovered vegetation and wildlife and vast amounts of raw minerals,
But even with this issue, Lady Riad-dûm Laenaria, his distant cousin who was also affiliated with the magic tower in her city of Arockar, Commander Galdir Riad-dûm's watchtower, gained an unexpected ally in the form of a secret merchant trade route that a small flying cargo ship used to send them supplies. Knowing that the air trade was temporarily stopped because of the treat of the Evolve Drake was still lingering in the area. The watchtower that was left to their own devices slowly grew. Lady Riad-dûm Laenaria used this opportunity to gain from this secret trade as manpower from her own city freely entered the 4 watchtowers and established a small town near the gorge.
Lady Riad-dûm Laenaria knew the conflict with the Holy Empire of Álfheim, which serves the God of Light Aether, with the divine kingdom of Tyriarn Isssëa serving the goddess of Nature Rillifaen, has been in existence for centuries, and she saw this as a chance to further her own agenda in the region. As tensions between the two kingdoms continued to rise, Lady Riad-dûm Laenaria saw an opportunity to manipulate the situation to her advantage. And gain a small foothold by helping her distant relative .
Flying creatures were now seen hovering over the area , but these were not huge enough to warrant any threat or concern to humans. A few incidents were reported that these flying creatures have attacked and killed a player or any citizen of the region, especially the area Dane was located in. The metallic dark liguide serpent was still scanning the bottom of the fog, while the five adult horned metallic liguide owls were also going in and out of the thick fog that was a few meters under the veranda where Dane was waiting.
Dane was casually seated on the old, abandoned Anchorage Castle's open veranda. A few new historical books were scattered all over the place a few had information about the entire region and its historical significance. Dane was engrossed in reading about the ancient civilizations that once thrived in the area, unaware of the danger lurking beneath the fog.
Notification started to mentally inform him; it was distracting from his reading, so he visualized an item that would manage these things, as he knew the formless armor could create equipment like what it created for Ward and Mikos's physical manifestation. So an armband suddenly formed on his arm, and it has a screen that shows the notification in a more discreet manner.
This acting was normal and came naturally for him, but it was something that would eventually change the way he interacted with the world around him. The armband was a small but significant step towards harnessing the power of his formless armor in everyday life. As he ignored the notification from the expedition in the fog, in favor of the fascinating history of the region before him. Suddenly, a loud screech from one of the owls caught his attention, causing him to look down and realize the imminent danger was slowly rising up from the fog. But the formless armor had already created countermeasures as another serpent came out from his back and ferociously attacked the worm-like creature that was smaller than the one that previously killed the young wyvern.
The horned owl also attacked with its long, sharp claws and blade-like feathers the serpent, which repeatedly bit the worm that was 2 meters away from the veranda, as Dane continued to read the book he had found in the abandoned room connected to the veranda.
The battle between the creatures outside only seemed to intensify, but Dane remained focused on the mysterious text in front of him, hoping to find a way to end the chaos unfolding before his eyes. The history that was written on the books was different from what his team drafted before. We thought if this was artificially generated to fit the current narrative of the main story.
As he continues to read, he comes across very interesting information. Concerning the classification of each ecosystem inside the tower , there are just three classifications, or types of ecosystems, that are untouched, cursed, and dark forests in the south.
The cursed forest that Dane ventured into was filled with natural and artificial toxins. The place was the underground cave was much larger, but due to an unknown amount of chemicals under the ground , many dark elves that ventured under it became different—a slight change in their personality and mindset; some became lost in thought and started to lose interest in a proactive life, while others became more aggressive and territorial. The east cursed forest and underground cave were both dangerous environments that had lasting effects on those who dared to explore them. That is why only the dark elves were able to establish business transactions with mage towers and potion guilds .
The untouchable forest is different; it's a place where mana is abundant and filled with enough natural resources to make any merchant wealthy beyond their dreams , but because of this, the Rithakwood is highly guarded, and deadly countermeasures were placed on all the perimeter trees surrounding the entire forest. The high eleven race made sure those who are not part of their clan will never enter their land; a single garrison outpost stood at its opening to conduct any necessary trade negotiations or interactions with outsiders. The Rithakwood is shrouded in mystery and legend, with tales of those who attempted to trespass never being seen again.
Lastly, the dark ecosystem, filled with dangerous and strong malevolent creatures and enchanted carnivorous and highly poisonous flora, adds to the allure and danger of the forest, making it a place of both fascination and fear for outsiders. Despite the risks, rumors persist of hidden treasures deep within the Rithakwood, tempting adventurers to test their luck and skill in navigating its treacherous depths. The reason why these creatures remain inside the dark ecosystem is still unknown, as the south region is still isolated and enclosed by a manmade wall..
The central region, where all land converges, held control over the largest region known to all inside the tower. The gatekeepers were created to safeguard the two realms' inhabitants to follow the laws implemented by the old gods, while the barricade guards were created to protect the safeguard the miasma looking wall from whatever was on the other side of the south region.
The Holy Empire of Álfheim from the northern region and the merchant Empire of Solnara Cererindur from the eastern region have signed a treaty and a simple transaction deal to trade goods with each other, and because the western Karion Empire is still closed and was still under the influence of the fallen seraphine curse, the two empires conducted this deal to safeguard their own interests and ensure a steady flow of resources. Despite the risks associated with venturing into the Rithakwood forest by air, both empires are willing to take the chance in order to benefit from the unique resources rumored to be found within their own land.
But unlike the two kingdoms, the divine kingdom of Tyriarn Issëa, located inside the Rithakwood forest in the northwestern part of the region, the elders of Tyriarn IIssëa directly communicate with certain merchant groups to deal with trade on a weekly basis.and because of security concerns and the unlawful movement of huge numbers of people to other areas, they might use the flying cargo to illegally migrate to a different area .
only authorized personnel from authorized merchant guilds were transported through these means, preventing any unauthorized activities or smuggling. The strict regulations helped maintain order and security within the region, allowing the guilds to thrive and prosper without interference from outside forces.
but because of the recent encounter with the evolved drake, many merchants using flying cargo ships were put on hold as the drake's focused plasma flame was able to reach the flying cargo even at the height of 600 meters. Before it was wounded and nested in the mountain range near the city of Lúthien, it was able to wage war and ruled the sky as it managed to dominate a group of wyverns under its command and wreak havoc on the aerial trade route..
Most of the wyverns were still unknown, but rumors began to circulate after the Netherborn appeared and killed it. The creature that injured Drake had been destroying the flying monster that followed it, and those that managed to escape were strewn all over the area in terror.
The news of these was clearly a great deal for those powerful merchant traders, as they could once again use their flying cargo ships to conduct their business and trade deals.
The guild players that went toward the demon mouth after the quest for the empire of graves activated , as the quest mission for the west soon notified all the players , so those who became complacent and felt a routine and monotonous way of life being stuck in the two regions was finally over. The west region was now fully active.
Going inside to the west region without any active quest was a foolish endeavor, as the players gained nothing, and risked their lives for nothing; even the normal inhabitants of the first floor saw no significant value in risking their lives for a place that was cursed by the powerful being called the Seraphine. used an illegal method that forced Commander Galdir Riad-dûm to leave them to their own devices and face the consequences of their actions.
The moment they set foot into the mountain at the edge was a foolish mission because the mountain separating the west is known to be infested with dangerous creatures and treacherous terrain, making it nearly impossible to navigate without a specific quest or purpose. Additionally, the Seraphine's curse on the region was rumored to bring misfortune and death to those who dared to enter without proper preparation or guidance.
The players that were planning to enter the Karion Empire were risking everything, hoping they could use the four watchtowers and a floating spell to cross the gorge and not touch the fog and just climb the mountain face toward the other side. It was actually the right approach if you were living in the human world, but this was a realm filled with illogical and dangerous magic, where the rules of physics did not always apply. The adventurers would need to rely on their wits and magical abilities to navigate the treacherous terrain and survive the curse of the Seraphine
The guild players that broke into the watchtower town of Commander Galdir Riad-dûm paid an underground merchant to fly them covertly into the Rithakwood forest, which faces the mountains. The men of Commander Galdir Riad-dûm were able to drive them out of the watchtower's land by force, leaving them in the hands of numerous tribes, like war orc and goblin clans, who were not known for their hospitality towards outsiders.
The adventurers quickly realized that escaping the curse of the Seraphine would be no easy task in this unforgiving and unpredictable land. residing in the forest that is connected to the gorge geographical formation. As the sun rises, they are now fleeing for their lives. The guild players, outnumbered and desperate, need to figure out how to outwit their assailants , and they were hoping that the ruined Anchorage Castle can temporarily provide them with shelter and a strategic advantage in their fight for survival. However, little did they know that the castle held dark secrets of its own underground prison, adding another layer of danger to their already perilous situation.