Pillar of Yita

Almost half a century ago, barely anyone would venture so deeply into the Lizardmen territory, Lake Tear of Obey, or the Great Rainforest area.

Although the War Lizard People had long submitted to Colin Ishurian, only a handful of explorers would travel to this kingdom to seek out secret treasures in the rainforest or to bring back the mysterious and chilling curse of the ancient Xinsas Kingdom.

Historically, many famous explorers have perished in this rainforest, such as Madam I. F. Adelaide, recipient of the Royal Geographical Society’s honorary medal, and Lord Pierre de Grosl; indeed, the latter is from the same family name familiar to Fang Hong. This Grosl was a person from roughly two hundred years ago, and past records say he withered away due to an ancient curse, which, as it turns out, also afflicted his descendants, leading to the decline of the Grosl name two centuries later, with the last lineage falling into the hands of an outsider.

Of course, this is merely an exaggerated expression, the ancient Xinsas curse is a topic of fear, but most of it stems from tales passed around by people, with its narrative only emphasizing the mystery of this ancient rainforest.

To this day, the War Lizard People remain another Giant Spirit group on the Giant Island relative to the kingdom. The believers of the Dark Giant Dragon among them are numerous, as evidenced by the Toragotos incident. However, unlike the Southern Region, the Colin people do not easily initiate warfare against the Far South, primarily because the army cannot enter easily; even if the fleet overcomes the miasma, diseases, and various challenges of acclimatization, it cannot garrison the land for long periods. Compared to other areas of Colin Ishurian, and even against culturally different places like Istania and Avenquin, Nogness feels more like an exotic wilderness.

However, now differs from the past, since the Invoker arrived in this world, this wild area has become relatively lively. Now, not only have explorers reached Lake Tear of Obey, passed through the Great Rainforest, but even crossed over into the Kailan’o Mountain Pass, penetrating deeply into the Asuka Rainforest Swamp west of the Old World’s Ladder, and for the first time, reaching the Blood Lizard Clan and the heart of the Tada Kingdom.

If one must specify the reason, perhaps it is because the Papalar people once suffered the Xinsas curse and could still survive — the Invoker seems to be inherently brave and enduring; though sometimes this is just an illusion, being foolishly brave is indeed one of the most famous tags of this group.

Fang Hong stood at a street corner, gazing at the beast-skin tents lined up, stretching endlessly forward. The whole Patchiwa appears to lack any planning, growing freely, spreading around Lake Tear of Obey. After the heavy rain, the roads were muddy, and in the puddles, one could even see a few floating water lilies, with a rainforest frog perched upon them.

The Lizardmen’s tents were positioned wherever footing was still possible; this was a trade zone where almost every Lizardman was engaged in business with outsiders, the customers precisely being the adventurers who ventured into this region.

At the stalls were various plant roots, stems, seeds, and barks that even Fang Hong couldn’t name, as well as minerals and crystals, amongst many others; but people who have visited here more than once can easily tell which ones are truly valuable. They communicate with gestures with the Lizardmen, who have tattoos on their arms, and quickly come to an agreement with the vendors, trading for what they need with gold and silver.

Not far away, Reed lifted the tent flap and walked out.

He came over and said, ”Ade, I found out that the Lizardmen indeed acquired a batch of Earth Origin Crystals through unknown means; according to the timeline, it might share the same source as the batch from the Art of Conflict Guild — that’s the batch we have now. However, compared to your information, I discovered something even more interesting.”

The Big Cat People said while taking out a pipe, striking a match, and shaking off the sparks into it.

He spoke without turning his head as if casually chatting with Fang Hong.

However, after hearing this, Fang Hong couldn’t help but turn his head to look at the other.

”You should be aware, in the past century, Nogness produced nearly sixty percent of the Earth Origin Crystals of the Colin Continent. Initially, when the Colin people moved south to occupy this land, they valued the immense wealth contained in its earth layers.”

Fang Hong gently nodded, as it is well-known that Nogness is an Earth Element Crystal production area of Colin Ishurian, with several gigantic mines underground. However, most of these mines are controlled by the Colin Kingdom, and the Invokers have owned only a few meager mines in the last thirty years.

”Let’s talk as we walk,” Reed held the pipe, glanced around, ”In a place like this, you might find some rare treasures.”

”Mr. Reed, you’re here again.” Fang Hong sighed, thinking people like this often end up being deceived.

The marketplace had been established for a considerable time, even though some people indeed bought valuable items from the Lizardmen early on, both buyers and sellers have grown wiser over time.

Reed smiled slightly and said, ”Ade, you must learn to anticipate that something might happen, only then can you have surprises. Most people fall here, but there are always exceptions; look at this rainforest, the Xinsas Serpentfolk have left countless treasures.”