Chapter 1176: The Adventurers’ Camp

A biting wind howled across the land. In this ancient kingdom, ravaged by war, only endless ruins and wandering monsters remained. Apart from a few safe zones and quarantine areas under reconstruction, the horizon was filled with nothing but shattered walls and bizarre landscapes twisted by the “miraculous power of the gods.”

Farther beyond the plains, rolling hills and mountains were gradually being swallowed by hard ice. With the great protective shield gone, the once-thriving draconic ecosystem had completely collapsed. The polar climate was rapidly reclaiming this land, returning it to its primordial state. Permafrost, glaciers, frost—these forces of nature spread relentlessly from the coastline inward, determined to restore the land to its natural order.

This was a realm unimaginable to those living in the warm, stable human world—both in its devastation and its incredible polar environment.

Yet for the ambitious adventurers who had crossed the endless sea, determined to strike it rich in this mysterious land, the harsh natural conditions were hardly a concern. Their attention was almost entirely captured by the elemental creatures roaming between safe points and the rare treasures scattered everywhere.

On the southern edge of New Agondol, the temporary capital of Talrond, a newly built district basked in the long daylight of the polar summer. Like other wasteland outposts, it was surrounded by high walls made of massive stones fused with dragonfire-melted alloys. Though rough in appearance, these walls provided the most precious security in this dangerous land. Inside, wide, straight roads cut through orderly rows of hundreds of houses built from stone, metal, and other easily gathered materials. The buildings were utilitarian—lacking decoration but sturdy and durable.

This was the newly established adventurers’ camp. Dragons, adventurers, alliance aid forces, and volunteers sent by the Holy Dragon Principality had all worked together to build this district in a remarkably short time. Compared to the opulent palaces of old Talrond, this place was less elegant, but standing firm against the cold wind, the straight, solid lines of the houses and walls still conveyed a rugged strength that inspired awe.

As the first bell of dawn rang out, young huntress Lora left her assigned barracks with several fellow adventurers. They headed toward the Adventurers’ Management Hall at the town’s center. Groups of adventurers were moving in the same direction. A cold gust blew from across the street, instantly clearing the drowsiness from Lora’s mind. She shivered slightly and muttered, “This place is damn cold…”

A companion glanced up at the sky above the town, where a translucent energy shield rose from the distant walls, covering every street and building inside. She shook her head. “It’s not so bad. At least the construction team finally finished the town’s shield two days ago. With it, the temperature inside the residential area will gradually rise. Outside the walls, it’s truly freezing. Without frost resistance potions and proper gear, even someone like us—supernaturals—wouldn’t last long.”

“Good thing the frost resistance potions are free, and the protective devices can be recharged at the magic network stations,” Lora rubbed her nose, stifling a sneeze. “I don’t really understand how those things work, but I have to admit, magic tech is amazing… Back in the day, who would’ve dared to treat these as everyday consumables?”

Her companions nodded in agreement. Just then, the most important building for adventurers in the camp came into view.

The Adventurers’ Management Hall—one of the tallest and most peculiar buildings here—was actually a salvaged section of a once-grand Talrond palace. The mighty dragons had cut out a relatively intact portion from a collapsed palace and placed it in the camp’s center. After some repairs, it became the gathering point for adventurers. Its style starkly contrasted with the other camp buildings, but that made it all the more eye-catching.

Considering the dragons’ massive size, even a bathroom from their palaces would be a mansion in the human world. So naturally, this hall was impressively grand to the adventurers.

Lora stood at the entrance of the “hall,” watching the cylindrical building shimmer with a faint golden glow under the sun. Faded reliefs and painted patterns still clung to the once-glorious outer walls. The arches and decorative eaves above had suffered damage in the disaster but were patched up with temporary materials, giving the structure a weathered, timeworn feel.

After staring up for a moment, a strange thought popped into Lora’s mind. She muttered quietly, “…Could it really be that they just cut out a bathroom from some dragon palace and turned it into this?”

Her companion shot her a horrified look. “Damn it, Lora, how do you come up with such weird ideas?!”

“Uh, well, maybe it’s because of that chat I had with old Mr. Modir,” Lora coughed awkwardly, rubbing her forehead and whispering, “He said he’s a scholar and made some wild guesses about things in the camp…”

“Modir…” The companion clearly recognized the name. Among the mostly young adventurers, the sudden appearance of an elderly man who looked old enough to be everyone’s grandfather was already notable. What’s more, this old man claimed to be a powerful mage who had traveled the world and possessed vast mysterious knowledge. Frankly, someone like him didn’t belong among a ragtag group of adventurers. In the old days, he would have been a royal court mage, preserved in frost stasis and consulted only in times of crisis.

Obviously, the rough mercenaries and adventurers had wildly exaggerated and misunderstood the concept of a “royal court mage advisor.” But their exaggerated image at least showed how they viewed old Mr. Modir—almost everyone thought he was in the wrong place, except for the man himself.

“That mage does like to say strange things, but I suggest you don’t take his descriptions too literally,” the companion said cautiously, glancing around before lowering her voice. “You know, that old guy…”

She tapped her head with a finger. “He’s not exactly all there.”

Lora didn’t know how to respond, so she just smiled awkwardly, waved it off, and turned toward the management hall.

To adapt the building originally meant for dragons to human size, the salvaged structure had undergone thorough renovations. Lora and her companions first passed through a newly installed gate, then a porch, before entering the vast circular hall. Massive columns—huge by human standards—still stood inside. Around these pillars were windows for posting quests, registering rewards, collecting supplies, and conducting auctions. Each was marked clearly so even the most undisciplined adventurers and mercenaries could find their way.

Sunlight streamed through the crystal dome overhead. Though cracked and weathered, the complex refraction of the polymer shell scattered light precisely throughout the hall, leaving almost no shadows even without artificial lighting.

Before heading to the quest board, Lora instinctively glanced up at the crystalline dome, wondering how much it would be worth if brought back to the human world. Almost at the same moment, a familiar voice spoke beside her, clearly addressing her.

“Have you noticed the intricate optical design within this dome? It’s incredible, Lora… Just this detail alone reminds us how advanced dragon civilization once was. Sadly, almost no one passing through here realizes the knowledge hidden within… Luckily, there are sharp, thoughtful young people like you to help me uncover the treasures buried in these ruins…”

Lora shrank back slightly and looked toward the voice. There stood the familiar figure: an old man in a black mage’s robe and soft black hat, white beard and hair, frail and bent, like a lost grandfather wandering the bustling adventurers’ hall. He muttered about things no one else understood while controlling floating paper and pen, scribbling calculations in midair.

Recalling how she and her friends had just been talking about him before entering, Lora felt a bit embarrassed. She forced a smile, hiding her true thoughts about the crystals, and replied, “You’re right… these things are… impressive. Very impressive.”

Modir seemed to sense her awkwardness and nervousness. He smiled kindly, ending the topic, then looked up at the column where the quest board was located. “Shall we go together?”

Lora blinked in surprise. “You… finally decided to take on an outdoor mission?”

“I can’t just keep tinkering with shields and crystal towers with the construction team forever—though that’s interesting work, it’s not why I came to this wasteland to freeze,” Modir chuckled happily. “I’ve gathered a lot of intelligence about the outside world lately—from the dragons and from adventurers and mercenaries returning from early exploration missions. I think I’m ready to join external operations.”

“…Caution and thorough intel are essential for survival and combat in unfamiliar environments. You truly are an experienced adventurer,” Lora smiled and nodded. “Then let’s go together.”

From early morning until just before noon, the area around the cylindrical task board was always the liveliest spot in the entire hall. Envoys from Talrond would post updates on the recent “advances” around Agondor, along with the council’s latest plans for exploring and clearing the wastelands. A flood of missions would be pinned up at the counter, and adventurers gathered there would use this information to plan their activities for the day or the coming days.

There were rarely any urgent or mandatory summons. The adventurers from Loren were more like auxiliary support here. Given the true strength of this ragtag force, the tasks assigned to them were usually limited to clearing scattered monsters around the city outskirts or gathering resources from the ruins. The truly dangerous zones were handled by Talrond’s own warriors, and the adventurers were well aware of this.

Their role was to free up the dragonborn soldiers, who were stretched thin, from mundane security duties so they could focus on the real threats. This was something everyone understood well before setting out from the Northern Harbor.

“The initial exploration and boundary surveys of the entire southern region have been completed… The dragons’ main focus remains on expanding the safe zones under Agondor’s control and searching for possible survivor camps in the south…”

Under the towering cylinder, Lora tilted her head back to read the sunlit bulletin board, quietly summarizing the posted information. Around her, many other adventurers—Modir included—were also reading the freshly posted notices. From the still-wet ink, the sharp-minded could roughly deduce the dragons’ upcoming directions for exploration and expansion, allowing them to prepare in advance.

“The second push is westward,” Modir read faster than Lora, already scanning the latter half of the announcement. The content made him more serious. “Clearing wandering spirits and elemental creatures from the western hills, stabilizing the security perimeter, and assisting the vanguard soldiers in opening a path to the Crystal Rock Hills… This is interesting. It’s the farthest mission area so far, and you only need a level one license to participate. Is it because the regular troops of the vanguard will be the main force, so it’s not too dangerous?”

Hearing Modir’s muttering, Lora glanced at the second half of the notice as well, frowning slightly. “But it’s still the riskiest area… The road to the Crystal Rock Hills hasn’t been fully cleared yet. I’ve heard there are even active elemental rifts along the way…”

“I’m interested in that,” Modir’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Active elemental rifts mean fresh elemental creatures. I need to catch a few and see what I can learn about the elemental world… Want to come with me?”

(End of chapter)