Early the next morning, someone specially delivered breakfast for Violet’s group.
After getting ready, everyone gathered in the hall of the Adventurer’s Guild.
The large hole had been patched up overnight. Although the havoc caused by the “calamity” yesterday resulted in many injuries, fortunately, with Edwina’s assistance, no one died in the end.
The troublemakers, including Edwin, received punishments such as demotion and responsibility for compensating all the victims. It was said that they encountered a disaster beast attack during their mission, caught off guard, leading to the situation. It was considered unfortunate.
Mr. Epunia did not wear the ring that changed his appearance, and the “Battle Maniac” had been absent for over thirty years, with few people around who recognized him.
He had changed into a battle outfit, looking energetic. Although there were no visible weapons or luggage, for the former “Battle Maniac” who had fought throughout the inaccessible regions and rarely encountered worthy opponents, obtaining a purple-quality spatial storage item should not be too difficult.
Without causing much commotion, only his adopted younger sister, Mira, who knew his true identity, tearfully came to see him off. Mr. Epunia only told this closest family member about the upcoming expedition against the “Illusionary Cloud.”
After that, a group of six people walked out from the side door and left the city of Anilo directly.
Because there was now a half-beastman person who was tall and strong, it became a bit troublesome to rely on flying for transportation. In addition, Violet was reluctant to let the dragon girl transform into her true form to carry passengers. Originally, they planned to rent a carriage for travel.
However, unexpectedly, Mr. Epunia insisted there was no need for that. He led the girls to a dense forest on the outskirts of the city. A few sharp whistles summoned a massive earth dragon, nearly ten meters long and over three meters tall!
The earth dragon is a subspecies of the mythical creature giant dragon, possessing some dragon bloodline. Creatures like the mythical beast with antlers that Violet often saw pulling carriages could also be considered earth dragons, but their bloodline concentration was too low, failing to meet the standards.
A true earth dragon, at least in adulthood, is a fourth-order magical beast, equivalent to the human Earth-level, with dragon bloodline concentration at least 20%, but usually not exceeding 50%. Otherwise, it would be classified as a flying dragon or pseudo-dragon.
Nevertheless, earth dragons also have formidable individuals. According to records from the Human United Kingdom, there was once an earth dragon king that comparable to a transcendent-level powerhouse.
Although earth dragons are more numerous than pure-blooded dragons, they are not commonly seen walking down the street. Except for a few that can be tamed, they generally live in various magical creature habitats or large forests.
Not to mention Mr. Epunia’s earth dragon, which has already reached the peak of the fourth order, equivalent to the Sky-level.
According to the president, this dragon was a companion he accidentally tamed while wandering in a forbidden zone as a “Battle Maniac.” It had accompanied him through various adventures, and their bond was deep. The reason he could escape from the clutches of the illusion cloud back then was also thanks to this earth dragon.
After settling in the Anilo City, Mr. Epunia naturally couldn’t bring this colossal creature into the city. Therefore, he only allowed those who had acquired human-like intelligence to live in the nearby forest and visit it regularly.
In the Human United Kingdom, Violet had seen a few earth dragons kept by humans, but none were as powerful as this one. It felt like it was on the verge of breaking through to the fifth order, becoming an earth dragon lord.
Indeed, mounts of legendary-level experts are not ordinary beings.
Epunia initially thought he would need to communicate with this unruly old friend before it would agree to carry these strangers. However, things unexpectedly went smoothly.
As soon as he conveyed his intention, the earth dragon immediately bowed down, obediently allowing the girls to climb onto its broad back. It even seemed a bit flattering.
Although the situation was quite unbelievable, leaving Epunia shocked for a while, Mr. half-beastman ultimately didn’t say much. After all, if they couldn’t handle even a legendary-level earth dragon, how could they hope to confront the 【Southern Calamity】 ?
So, with everyone on the dragon’s back, they began moving towards their destination, the Bolt Kingdom.
The Bolt Kingdom is located further south from the Criv Kingdom, bordering another smaller country. While its total land area is similar, it is not a vassal state of the Human United Kingdom. Its position is close to the central region of the forbidden zone, which is the most chaotic and disorderly area.
It’s a region constantly plagued by turmoil and disorder.
This country is said to be one of the most frequently haunted areas by the 【Southern Calamity】, suffering greatly from its presence.
The earth dragon’s movement speed is quite fast, and its endurance is excellent. With full-speed running, the group arrived at the northern frontier of the Bolt Kingdom around nightfall.
The Bolt Kingdom is very poor, even poorer than the Criv Kingdom. Its population, military strength, and powerful individuals are all inferior to the surrounding nations and forces. Yet, paradoxically, this weak country situated near the central region of the forbidden zone has survived for over two hundred years.
The reason is somewhat amusing.
It’s not that they have any trump cards. Each time the 【Southern Calamity】 appears, regardless of where it moves afterward, it always starts from the Bolt Kingdom.
Whoever takes control of this area must replace the Bolt Kingdom and endure the inevitable ravaging of the 【Southern Calamity】 every year. So, those wolf-like forces avoid this impoverished but fertile country, having no intention of intervening whatsoever.
It could be considered a stroke of luck amidst adversity.
Choosing not to enter the local city, the group directly selected a relatively flat terrain in the wilderness to set up camp. Epunia, acting as the guide and the only male, naturally went around hunting some wild rabbits and mountain chickens, setting up a campfire to slowly roast them.
While waiting, Violet and the others sat nearby and discussed their subsequent plans.
“Epunia, do you have any clues on how to directly find the 【Southern Calamity】 ?” asked Violet, rotating a thin skewer with meat.
The tall half-beastman nodded silently.
“Firstly, the situation is somewhat unusual this year. According to the usual pattern, the 【Southern Calamity】 should only appear in the southern border of the Bolt Kingdom, randomly moving to the surrounding areas, after the arrival of spring and the revival of all things. But now, it’s just the end of winter.”
As he spoke, he looked around at the still somewhat barren trees. Although Violet and the others, including Epunia, were at least legendary-level experts, the usual environmental temperature had limited impact on them. However, in this world, the differences between the four seasons are not just about climate.
More importantly, it involves the magical energy currents that circulate in a certain rhythm.
Many powerful magical creatures exhibit hibernation-like behaviors, not due to cold but to reduce the massive consumption of their magical energy due to environmental factors. There are complex principles behind this.
This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.
It is likely that the 【Southern Calamity】 follows a similar pattern.
“Normally, the 【Southern Calamity】 only ravages for three months in the spring each year. Afterward, it gradually disappears, and no one knows where it goes. Then, it reappears again in the following spring,” Epunia continued to explain.
“This year’s anomaly is the only one I’ve known in decades. Perhaps something about itself or something related to it has changed, but the reasons aren’t important. What matters is...”
“We might be able to use this opportunity to explore the true reason behind the perpetual existence of the 【Southern Calamity】, in other words, its origin.”
As he spoke, Mr. Adventurer’s Guild Leader secured the metal skewer, took out a map from his personal storage item, and laid it out on a nearby stone.
It was a map covering the entire forbidden zone, with many arrow-shaped lines drawn in red. Everyone looked at it curiously as Epunia pointed to the northern part of the map, a narrow country that stretched from north to south like a cucumber, covering one-third of the entire map.
He moved his finger to the tip of the “cucumber.”
“Here, at the border between the Criv Kingdom and the Bolt Kingdom, is where we are right now.”