Chapter 4: The Great Deception
Everything in the Caucasus seemed relatively stable. Ships coming from the upper reaches of the Catania River continuously delivered grain, and although the price was a bit high, it was still an acceptable outcome for the Caucasus and Leon, which suffered from insufficient food supplies.
Although Bahomun was just a river port, its importance stemmed from its unique geographical location. Grain from the upper reaches of the Catania River flowed continuously through here into the interior of the Caucasus, while the large quantities of crude iron produced here were transported upstream to Rosenberg and even further upstream to the Nibcha region. This relatively simple barter trade had become the most important form of commerce between the Caucasus and the upper reaches of the Catania River.
With the lifting of restrictions on the Nise River estuary, grain ships from the upper reaches of the Catania River could now sail directly out to sea via Matdam, then travel upstream along the Nise River to reach Bruce. This greatly reduced the pressure on land transportation, which previously involved transporting grain landed at Bahomun to the Leon region via Ugru.
The complete lifting of restrictions on the Nise River also quickly revitalized Bruce and its surrounding areas of Mere and Banasha. Continuous shipments of anthracite coal were loaded onto ships at the docks in Bruce or Banasha and sent downstream along the Nise River to the sea, or directly south to the Mediterranean Sea, or upstream along the Catania River. The economy of Leon entered a period of rapid development. Aside from the fact that the crude iron from Izmel could only be transported using animal power for now, limiting further expansion of production, Neptune didn’t know what else to use to describe the development of this land.
As the craze for searching for the treasures of the nature goddess Minto spread rapidly across the northern part of the continent, coupled with rumors of the Volt Mountains in the Caucasus and ancient civilization ruins, more and more adventurers and exploration teams flocked to the Caucasus and Leon. Using Bruce and Ugru as bases, they embarked on their adventures. The Adventurers’ Guild of Hes had expanded several times over and opened an inn that also served as an office in Bruce, aiming to serve these adventurers, exploration teams, and even wandering mercenaries from all over the continent to the best of its ability.
Driven by determined individuals, the rumors of treasures hidden in the Little Greenland Forest became even more appealing. The lords of the Caucasus seized the opportunity to announce that the forest welcomed adventurers from all over the continent to search for treasures. The lords would not charge a single penny for any treasures found; they would all belong to the adventurers. Moreover, they would provide whatever assistance possible, such as maps, gear, weapons, and materials needed for exploration.
Of course, along with these conveniences, the lords of the Caucasus posed a reasonable request: adventurers were required to document their adventures and routes. Whether successful or not, the lords had the right to access their records and diaries, in exchange for which they would receive compensation as a token of gratitude for their contributions to exploring the Caucasus.
Such generous terms naturally attracted countless adventurers. Routes were mapped out by them. Although no trace of the Goddess Minto’s treasure was found, the lords still rewarded the first adventurers to map and mark these routes with a generous sum of one thousand shields.
This immediate reward caused a huge stir among the adventurers. Even though no sign of the treasure had been found, the reward was real. It wasn’t difficult to draw up records of one’s journey and observations in their spare time, and such extra income, though modest, could at least cover some basic expenses.
However, as adventurers delved deeper, potential threats began to emerge. The appearance of orcs confirmed earlier suspicions. A small team consisting of a magician, a sorcerer, two warriors, and an assassin was attacked by orcs. Aside from the assassin, who managed to escape, the two warriors and the magician and sorcerer all perished at the hands of those savage creatures.
The presence of orcs immediately made many individual adventurers and small exploration teams give up on exploring the Little Greenland Forest. Orcs usually appeared in groups of a few or more. Such powerful, intelligent monsters were beyond the capabilities of ordinary magicians or knights. To deal with these cunning and ferocious creatures, individual efforts were almost insufficient; even an adventurer team needed strong strength and seamless coordination to stand a chance.
The appearance of ogres also stimulated some adventurer teams that considered themselves strong enough to some extent. Ogres are a variant of the intelligent magical beast, the ape monster, and are extremely rare high-level magical beasts. Killing such beasts would yield magical core crystals that are highly coveted. Due to their considerable intelligence, ogre magical core crystals are excellent for enhancing spiritual magic cultivation. Even those who are not spiritual mages should understand how significant these core crystals are for a magic practitioner.
The emergence of ogres scared away some weaker adventurers and exploration teams while drawing more attention, especially from those self-proclaimed strong adventurer groups. Some individual adventurers with great abilities had previously dismissed the idea of forming teams, but now reality forced them to set aside their pride and work together to increase their chances of success in exploration.
The appearance of ogres also increased the likelihood of the existence of the vast treasure of the Nature Goddess Minto. After all, no adventure without risk yields great rewards. Looking at those successful adventures, none were achieved without great hardship. The appearance of high-level magical beasts like ogres at least gave these adventurers who came empty-handed a glimmer of hope—killing even one or two ogres meant they wouldn’t return empty-handed, with their pelts and magical core crystals as spoils.
The arrival of several well-known adventurer teams and individuals in the continent’s exploration world instantly raised Bruce’s fame to new heights, proving that the treasure of the Nature Goddess Minto was indeed attracting capable adventurers. This news also left Pupber uneasy. He knew the true details about this treasure. If those scattered adventurers weren’t enough to worry him, the arrival of these powerful large-scale adventurer teams was far more serious.
These large-scale adventurer teams would first verify whether the treasure of the Nature Goddess Minto truly existed. If its existence was confirmed, they would also examine whether there was a connection between the Little Greenland Forest and the treasure, before deciding whether to embark on this expedition.
A large group of adventurers can have more than three magicians, with some even hiding experts at the level of archmages. There are also numerous skilled fighters such as warriors, archers, assassins, knights, and priests. A large adventurer group may even include specialized craftsmen for magical items and weapons. Although they don’t participate directly in the adventures, they can equip and modify magical items and weapons for the team members according to the nature of the expedition. Including these support members, a large adventurer group can have over thirty members.
The strength of such a combination is naturally immense. Puber was worried that if the scam involving the treasure of the Nature Goddess Minto were exposed, he didn’t know if he would be torn to pieces by these angry adventurers. If it weren’t for this half-orc hybrid, who now seemed much more agreeable, Puber really didn’t know what to do. But since he had gone this far with no way back, he had no choice but to hold on bravely. Even if exposed, he would refuse to admit it.
While Puber, who remained in the Caucasus, watched in terror as waves of adventurers poured into Bruce, Komer, disguised as the merchant Sosor, leisurely boarded a ship bound for Athens.
The Akmon River originates from Mount Gramos, the second highest peak in Sparta, and is over 300 kilometers long. However, due to numerous short tributaries flowing into it, this longest river in the Sparta kingdom has abundant water. Additionally, as it flows through gentle valleys, it serves as the most important link between the inland areas of central Sparta and the Aegean Sea.
As potential future business partners, Karmado, on behalf of the Odysseus family, officially invited the merchant Kaladin from Sosor to visit Athens, the capital of the Sparta kingdom, and attend the celebrations of the quadrennial Olympic Games. Komer happily accepted the invitation and boarded a ship from Patras to Athens with Karmado.
“Mr. Kaladin, we’ll soon reach Lake Kastoriae. The Kastorian sturgeon produced there is world-famous. We will stop there at noon, and you’ll have the chance to taste its delicious flavor. After lunch, we’ll continue our journey. In the afternoon, we’ll pass through the magnificent Pindus Gorge—its scenery, I believe, will remain in your memory forever.”
It must be said that Karmado is quite eloquent; he is not only a competent merchant but also a great orator. No wonder he had heard in the north that people in the southern elite society are skilled in debate, with almost everyone able to talk at length with a stranger for two or three hours without repeating themselves, thought Komer.