In the Snow Eagle Manor, inside the Snowstone Castle, in the study.
Dongbo Xueying sat behind his desk, while Zong Ling and Tong San also sat down casually.
"Xueying, you called us here?" Tong San was a bit puzzled.
"Today I went to see the Great Mage, who agreed to take Qing Shi as a personal disciple, but he made two requests: either fifty thousand gold coins or the heart of the Silver Moon Wolf King. If we meet one of his conditions, Qing Shi can become a disciple without any problem," Dongbo Xueying said.
"Fifty thousand gold coins?" Tong San's eyes widened. "That's really too much. Your Uncle Zong and I, along with your father and the others, faced countless dangers back then, but we didn't accumulate much treasure. It was only after your mother became pregnant that we had a big windfall! Otherwise, how could your father and the others have bought a noble title and the Snow Eagle Manor? He asks for fifty thousand gold coins right away?"
This amount was exorbitant; even a typical Meteor Knight would find it hard to come up with such a sum.
Back then, your parents were among the few lucky adventurers. Adventurers themselves go to very dangerous places, with a high mortality rate. Your parents were fortunate to survive and buy a noble title and a manor! Moreover, because those who dare to be adventurers are fearless and extremely fierce, this is why the nobles of Yishui City, despite knowing that the Snow Eagle Manor is wealthy, dare not have any thoughts about it.
"The heart of the Silver Moon Wolf King is even harder to obtain," Zong Ling frowned. "If it were just a simple fourth-rank magical beast, the Silver Moon Wolf King, with Xueying's current strength and our cooperation, we would have a good chance! But the Silver Moon Wolf King has a large pack of wolves... under the attack of the wolf pack, it's even more terrifying than a single wolf king."
The wolf king itself is not scary; what's scary is the wolf pack!
So, even though the Silver Moon Wolf King is a fourth-rank magical beast, its corpse is as valuable as a fifth-rank magical beast!
"I plan to enter the Ruin Mountains," Dongbo Xueying said.
"No—"
"That's too risky!"
Tong San and Zong Ling were both shocked.
What is the Ruin Mountains?
It is the largest mountain range in the world, connecting four provinces! It is home to countless magical beasts, even extraordinary beings. Generation after generation, the entire human empire has failed to completely eliminate this massive threat. The imperial army's main defense is around the Ruin Mountains! The army frequently conducts large-scale massacres on the outskirts of the mountains, which is why low-rank magical beast meat can be bought outside.
So, first, second, and third-rank magical beast meat is relatively cheap. From the fourth-rank onwards, the price skyrockets. Fourth-rank magical beasts are not something ordinary armies can hunt; only the elite of the elite can do so.
"Even the army goes in large numbers, and they only sweep the outermost three thousand miles," Zong Ling added. "Even Silver Moon Knights and titled knights are unwilling to enter the Ruin Mountains... there's not much to gain in the outer three thousand miles, and entering deeper, you might encounter some terrifying magical beasts at any time!"
"That's right, Xueying," Tong San also said. "We didn't even think about venturing into the Ruin Mountains when we were adventuring back then! Just like you, if you want to hunt a fourth-rank magical beast, it's not that easy. You might encounter a fifth or even a sixth-rank magical beast! That would be a death sentence!"
They were all very anxious.
The Ruin Mountains?
That is the ultimate lair of the 'magical beasts,' the great enemy of all humanity! Going in there is truly betting your life.
"You didn't let me finish," Dongbo Xueying smiled. "I plan to enter the Ruin Mountains, but I will only stay in the outermost three thousand miles. Moreover, hunting magical beasts is secondary; the most important thing is that I plan to hunt the Crescent Blade Alliance!"
"The Crescent Blade Alliance?" Zong Ling and Tong San's eyes lit up.
In the outer three thousand miles, because the army frequently sweeps through, the stronger magical beasts have long since retreated. Generally, only low-rank magical beasts remain in large numbers. Each sweep is actually a large-scale battle between the army and low-rank magical beasts... low-rank magical beasts are endless, and each time a group is swept away, more low-rank magical beasts continue to emerge from the depths of the Ruin Mountains.
In those three thousand miles, countless human soldiers have fallen, but the army has also honed many strong warriors.
"The Crescent Blade Alliance? These bandits hide in the Ruin Mountains, but they don't dare to go too deep, either. They are also in the outermost three thousand miles," Zong Ling nodded gently. "And the leader of the Crescent Blade Alliance, Gai Bin, is a Meteor Knight. He often greedily plunders, so he must have a lot of treasures. The entire bandit lair probably has even more treasures, but attacking it won't be easy."
"Enemy in the open, us in the dark. Uncle Zong, how do you think my strength compares to Gai Bin's?" Dongbo Xueying asked.
"You are much stronger than him. I can hold my own against him for a while, but against you... if you really use your full strength, I can't hold on," Zong Ling smiled bitterly.
Normally, Dongbo Xueying has reached the peak of the Meteor Knight level.
When he bursts, his strength can reach the Silver Moon Knight level!
His spear technique is nearly that of a Spear Master, and his aura manipulation technique is taught by the 'Mystic Ice Knight' Gu Yuanhan!
"Your only weakness is that you have seen too little blood," Zong Ling said. "Although you execute some major criminals in our manor, your life-and-death battles are still too few. When you spar with us, it's just sparring."
"I understand, so this trip to the Ruin Mountains... in the process of finding the Crescent Blade Alliance's lair, I will definitely encounter many magical beasts, which will also help me hone my skills," Dongbo Xueying said.
"Finding the Crescent Blade Alliance's lair is not easy."
Zong Ling was a bit worried. "During this process, you will encounter magical beasts repeatedly... and there is a very small chance of encountering some powerful magical beasts."
Although in the outer three thousand miles, extremely strong beings like the extraordinary level or sixth-rank are unlikely to appear, fifth-rank and fourth-rank magical beasts... occasionally do. Once the army sweeps through, they will retreat early. But for someone like Dongbo Xueying going on a personal adventure, these powerful magical beasts might ambush and attack.
"Luck shouldn't be that bad," Dongbo Xueying said. "Moreover, my spear technique is quite good at defense, so I have a good chance of surviving."
"Moreover, not going to the Ruin Mountains... how can we earn fifty thousand gold coins?" Dongbo Xueying shook his head.
Wanting to avoid risks?
A Meteor Knight working as a guest knight for a major family is very safe, but the annual salary is only three to five thousand gold coins. To earn tens of thousands of gold coins? That requires taking great risks.
"Alright," Zong Ling said. "I'll go with you; I've been to the outer three thousand miles several times."
"Uncle Zong, you've been there?" Dongbo Xueying's eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes, after your parents bought the Snow Eagle Manor, I practiced alone and also went to the outskirts of the Ruin Mountains to hone myself." Zong Ling, as a member of the royal family of the Snake People, has his own pride. He has always wanted to break through to the Meteor level and has been very strict with himself.
"Going to the Ruin Mountains, listen to Uncle Zong more, don't be careless," Tong San also advised.
...
After preparations, on the morning of the fifth day, Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling set out with a hundred-man soldier detachment.
The castle drawbridge had already been lowered.
"Brother, come back soon," Qing Shi shouted from the edge of the hilltop, with Tong San standing beside him.
"Qing Shi, don't worry, listen to Uncle Tong at home," Dongbo Xueying responded from a distance.
"Got it."
Qing Shi nodded heavily, but he was very reluctant.
He had never been separated from his brother for so long before. This time, his brother was going out on business for ten to fifteen days.
He didn't know that Dongbo Xueying was going out this time to earn 'tuition' for him.
******
Dongbo Xueying's cavalry detachment traveled easily, and by evening, they had already reached the edge of the Ruin Mountains, about nine hundred miles away.
The cavalry detachment began to set up camp.
They started to set up pots to cook dinner.
"Old Yang."
Zong Ling and Dongbo Xueying were with a bearded man. This man was named Yang Cheng, a Ground Knight loyal to the Dongbo family and the captain of the hundred-man detachment.
"Tomorrow morning, I and the Lord will enter the mountains, so I'll leave this to you," Zong Ling said.
"Lord Zong Ling, Lord, please rest assured. I will handle this matter properly. Please be careful, Lord," Yang Cheng said worriedly. "When I was in the army, I also swept the outskirts of the Ruin Mountains. But that was with a large army, and I never went out alone. The magical beasts charged fearlessly... out of the brothers who joined the army with me, only three or four out of ten managed to retire safely, the rest almost all died in the Ruin Mountains."
Dongbo Xueying nodded.
The Ruin Mountains... are indeed a forbidden zone. Those who dare to enter the outskirts are the army and some desperate bandits. As for deeper in, even fewer dare to go.
...
The next morning, it was still dim.
Dongbo Xueying, carrying a weapon box, quietly entered the Ruin Mountains on foot with Zong Ling. In the Ruin Mountains, you can't ride a horse, and a horse making a big noise might attract a terrifying magical beast.
"Lord, please be careful," Captain Yang Cheng and some other soldiers watched the black-clothed youth and the silver-haired Snake Man disappear into the depths of the Ruin Mountains, out of sight.
*
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