Chapter 204: Entering the Mountains

In Oberstein, at the border camp, a special guest arrived today, personally greeted by Commander Tyron.

“Mr. Cole, I didn’t expect you to come. How is Archmage Severus doing lately?” Tyron inquired.

Tyron was genuinely surprised to see Cole. He anticipated the kingdom would send a spellcaster but didn’t expect it to be Cole, Severus’ prized disciple.

Being from Sea Stone City himself, Tyron knew Severus well and was familiar with Cole.

Seeing Cole here to investigate the Lim Mountains, Tyron felt relieved. As the border commander, his primary duty was ensuring safety and stability.

The unknown situation in the Lim Mountains weighed heavily on him, and lacking suitable personnel to investigate, he sought help from Sea Stone City.

With Cole’s arrival, Tyron could finally breathe easy. Who backed Cole? None other than Archmage Severus.

Cole’s presence meant Severus believed he could resolve the issue, easing Tyron’s burden.

“Master is well, though aging, he’s still full of vigor,” Cole replied with a smile.

Tyron nodded, “Archmage Severus is a respected elder, guarding the royal city for years. He even taught me swordsmanship as a child.”

Tyron reminisced about meeting Severus with a wooden sword at age seven or eight.

“Mr. Tyron, what’s the current situation in the Lim Mountains?” Cole asked.

Tyron replied seriously, “I’ve declared it a restricted area. Apart from some adventurers, no one dares approach. Even adventurers now only observe from the outskirts.”

Recently, ordinary people certainly avoided the area. Some adventurers observed from the perimeter, hoping to identify anomalies before deciding to enter.

Cole nodded, “I’ll head out tomorrow to investigate.”

Tyron said, “Thank you, and be careful.”

In Tyron’s view, with Cole involved, resolution was near. His only concern was that Cole wouldn’t encounter too much trouble.

Tyron never considered that Cole might disappear like others.

“Do you need any assistance?” Tyron offered.

Cole shook his head, “No need. Sending ordinary people is pointless. i alone, I can handle any danger more easily.”

Tyron agreed, understanding Cole’s reasoning. If Cole faced danger, escaping alone was manageable. With others, he’d have more concerns, complicating matters.

***

Cole rode out of the border alone, heading towards the Lim Mountains. Observing along the way, he found no unusual traces.

Reaching the Lim Mountains, Cole didn’t rush in. He dismounted at the entrance, gazing at the serene mountains, lush with greenery.

Cole took out a transparent crystal ball, holding it as he walked around.

The world contained many free energy particles, unevenly distributed and in constant motion.

If a relic existed within the Lim Mountains, it would attract more energy particles. By observing their flow and concentration, one could locate the relic.

Cole’s crystal ball served this purpose, indicating areas with higher energy particle concentrations.

After observing the crystal ball, Cole looked towards the mountain’s depths. The crystal ball showed higher energy concentrations in that direction.

With this knowledge, Cole entered the Lim Mountains, heading deeper.

As he moved through the forest, he remained vigilant.

Cole expected to find a relic entrance, which shouldn’t be hard to locate, given the number of people who had entered.

Yet, he found no entrance, prompting a frown, “Could the entrance be closed?”

If so, it would be problematic. Many relic entrances were unpredictable, opening and closing at uncertain times.

Due to aging and unstable wizard arrays, such situations were common.

This posed a challenge; a closed entrance might not reopen for days or even decades.

Cole pondered briefly before continuing his search. He aimed to find relic traces, believing there would be a way to reopen it once located.

As Cole delved deeper into the Lim Mountains, the crystal ball indicated increasing energy particle concentrations.

Meanwhile, Helag noticed Cole’s entry into the Lim Mountains, saying, “Reese, report back immediately. A liquid wizard-level spellcaster has entered. I’ll try to hold him, but I can’t guarantee stopping him.”

Helag, David, and Reese were on patrol, tasked with detecting anomalies and preventing spellcasters from nearing Base 27.

Cole’s path led towards Base 27. If Helag returned to report, Cole might reach and discover the base.

Helag had no choice but to send the nimble Reese to report back while he and David stayed to intercept Cole.

Helag wasn’t worried about confronting Cole, only about stopping him.

Cole, at the liquid wizard stage, could likely escape if determined.

Parker’s directive was clear: anyone entering the Lim Mountains must be detained.

“Understood, I’m on my way,” Reese, though unable to sense Cole, trusted Helag’s seriousness and promptly headed back to Base 27.