It had just stopped snowing. The mountains were cold as ever. The temperature in this area was very cold even for 1st-order and 2nd-order cultivators. Throughout the year, this area is always covered in a thick layer of frost. Cold wind blows everywhere.
Around 4 or 5 months ago, before the ruins were discovered, no one came to this area. Who would want to come to such a cold and tall mountain region that has no trees, and only has wild powerful, and furious magic animals? After the ruins were discovered by a group of mercenaries who were passing by, many humans and other races began to come here.
The ruin was a great place of attraction for the cultivators and the adventurers. Many rogue cultivators and adventurer parties came here to search the ruins with the hope of finding something valuable here. While the ordinary people and the merchants saw this as an opportunity. The people started building inns, hotels, restaurants, and taverns, where the adventurers and the rogue cultivators would be able to enjoy themselves and take proper rest before heading to explore the ruin.
The business in this area developed very quickly. Naturally, this also attracted the attention of many thugs and gangsters. The different gangs fought among themselves to determine who was going to control this area. One gang managed to win this brutal bloody fight and get control of this entire area. Now every month all the merchants and ordinary people have to pay a big amount as protection fees. Otherwise, the gang wouldn't let them run their business. In some cases, members of the gangs would kill the merchants.
"Why don't you just send a few thousand soldiers to take this area under your control?" Adam couldn't help but ask. On their way here, Aditya told Adam the things that Watson told him about this area.
Aditya had learned of his ruin around a month ago when a powerful group of adventurers decided to explore the ruin. But they never returned. Since these days Aditya is free, he decided to personally come here and explore the ruins. Who knows maybe he will find something very interesting.
"Before deciding to take any actions I want to see the situation in this area with my own eyes." This is one of the reasons he came here today. Even if Aditya takes this area, no one would stop him. The Northern Frost Dragon Empire might have stopped him if only the white Dragon Emperor still lived but with the Empire being caught in an internal conflict, the Empire didn't have time to focus on Aditya or the Istarin Empire.
Both father and son were walking toward the area that was named after the ruin, Shattered Icy Ruin. Looking at the area around the Shattered Icy Ruin, Aditya and Adam felt like they were heading into a village. There were hundreds of houses. Some of the buildings were made from wood while some were made from the earth using magic.
All the buildings and houses were built around 10 meters giant glowing dark blue portal. All the structures were built 50 radii away from the portal. Near the portal, many adventurers and Rogue cultivators were talking to each other while some of them looked like they were waiting. While a few of the adventurer parties travel through the portal. Whenever someone or a certain party would stand very close to the portal, the portal would suck them inside. As for where the portal took them, the portal teleported them to the Shattered Icy Ruin.
Aditya and Adam of them were wearing black cloaks that covered their entire bodies. Both of them didn't bother to put on a disguise. Aditya didn't think that anyone here would find out his identity or Adam's identity. Even if their identities were exposed, it's not like anyone can do anything to them.
Aditya and Adam were talking among a large crowd that was made up of rogue cultivators and adventurer parties. All of them had come here to explore the Shattered Icy Ruin.
Every time a ruin was discovered, the people who gathered their courage to explore the ruin always ended up finding something very valuable. There have been times when cultivators have discovered powerful artifacts, magical swords, spears, bows, gauntlets, magic books, magical armor, and many other rare and valuable things
Entering the Shattered Icy Ruin town, Aditya and Adam both of them spotted the presence of some powerful cultivators in the town. With the crowd, both of them walked toward the portal. Walking near the portal, Aditya discovered that there was a very thin dome-shaped barrier around the portal. The dome-shaped barrier covered 50 meters radii of the portal.
"Hold, if you guys want to enter, then you guys must pay 10,000 royal gold coins as entry fees. 10,000 royal gold coins per head." Obviously, the gang had placed this rule. So that they can keep earning whenever any adventurer or rogue cultivator wanted to explore the ruins.
What the gangs did not tell anyone is that, if any adventurer or cultivator found any rare valuable object, the gangs would snatch that object for themselves. So far no one has found anything in the ruin. This is also one of the reasons why so many people are willing to spend 10,000 royal gold coins to try their luck inside the ruin. Who knows they might become the lucky person?
"10,000 royal gold coins....? Are you crazy? Do you know how hard it is to earn 10,000 royal gold coins?" One of the Rogue cultivators couldn't hold his anger. 10,000 royal gold coins were one million gold coins which was a huge sum. Every rogue cultivator or adventurer party couldn't have 10,000 royal gold coins. It would take more than a year even for a [A] rank adventurer party member to earn 10,000 individually if the party didn't take any breaks and constantly took A rank tasks.
"If you don't have it then leave, no one is stopping you. But if you make any problem here, you will be killed. This place is not for beggars like you." The thug replied in a cold tone while releasing a little bit of his killing intent that turned the rogue cultivator's face pale.
10,000 royal gold coins was a very small amount for Aditya who was the Emperor of the Istarin Empire that controlled more than 50% of the total land of two major regions of the continent. Even if it was paying a million or ten million royal gold coins, Aditya would have paid the amount both for himself and his father.
The same also goes for Adam. 10,000 royal gold was a very insignificant amount for him. The duke was a very rich man. But as Adam was about to take the sum, Aditya put his right arm before Adam to make him stop.
Adam was Aditya's guest and also his father. Why should he let Adam pay when he had more than enough money collecting dust in his storage ring?
"Here. This storage ring has 20,000 royal gold coins for both of us." The thug who stopped them took the money. He then let Aditya and Adam pass while others also prepared to pay the sum.
When Aditya and Adam walked in, both of them attracted the attention of a few people. Mainly because the fact that Adam was a 4th-order cultivator and his muscular built body and with his stern expression made him look very strong.
Both father and son didn't waste any time. Both of them approached the portal. After the party of adventurers before them was sucked inside, both of them stood right in front of the portal.
The next second, Aditya felt a strong pull around his body. The pull on his body was so strong that he knew even if he tried to resist this suction force with all of his powers and might, he won't be able to resist even for a second. So instead of resisting, he let his body be pulled inside the portal.
Aditya and Adam both made a mistake that they are soon going to find out. The party of adventurers before them held their hands together. But Adam and Aditya didn't.
When Aditya opened his eyes he found himself lying on the ground. The place where he was teleported to was certainly a very special and also very unique place.
Standing up, the Dragon Monarch took some time to appreciate the wonderful and also unforgettable view of this place.
He had found himself in a forest with many kinds of trees. He can only recognize a few kinds of trees, the rest of the trees around him were very foreign to him. For a moment he even wondered if he had come to a different world. Aditya has never seen these kinds of trees before.
It was the time of the night. During the nighttime, the forest is consumed in darkness. Dangerous magic animals come out of their caves to hunt at the time of night. Yet the forest around him appeared to be glowing. Almost all the threes had a certain bluish glow in them.
There were even certain types of trees that glowed in a greenish-golden color. What made these trees so unique was not only their greenish-golden glow but also their unique shape and size. The trees were only around 2 to 4 meters in height. Compared to the species of trees, these trees had very few leaves. But all the leaves of this tree were 2 times larger compared to other trees of its size and also all the leaves were glowing in greenish-golden color. Even the leaves of this tree had a small greenish-golden in them.
Aditya can see that this forest has many of these trees. Even an ordinary human would be able to see everything in this forest. Of course, not all the trees glowed. But the ones that did glow helped Aditya find his path through the forest.
"I don't know where I have found myself. I should try to get out of this forest." Aditya decided to head straight as he could see a small dot-like red light in the distance.
As he was about to run at his full speed, suddenly a Crimson firefly flew before him and then sat on a tree.
"What kind of firefly is that?" Seeing Fireflies had become a very rare thing back in his previous world. Not everyone had the privilege of seeing one in their entire life. But Aditya was able to see them very often when he was very young and visited his village during summer break. It was very unfortunate that fireflies were going extinct due to rising pollution. Even in this world, he had seen a few of these fireflies.
Aditya wanted to bring this firefly back home to show it to Julia, Riya, and Alicia. But he knew doing this would kill the firefly. As the firefly would leave it a habit and won't be able to survive outside.
While the outside world was experiencing cold and harsh winter, strangely this place was moist and wet. Almost as if it had rained here a while ago.
There is no doubt that this forest was the most beautiful forest that he had ever seen or have ever been to. Everything was so peaceful. As far as his senses reach, he couldn't find detect any dangerous magic animals or any dangerous monsters around him.
"I wish could bring Julia, Alicia, and Riya here." Aditya decided to take one of the leaves of the glowing trees to show it to others. Just as he crouched down to pick up the glowing leaf on the ground when his finger touched the surface of the leaf, something appeared behind him so fast that he couldn't react in time to dodge the attack. As a result, the Dragon Monarch was sent flying.
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Really Thank you very much to all those who sends support with valuable golden tickets. I hope we can keep it up!!!
I apologize for not uploading yesterday. I had to attend a party and it was raining the whole day. I only got time to write 900+ words chapter. Tomorrow, I will try to upload three 2000+ words chapters. But no promises.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢