Chapter 299 - 120: Mom, It’s Time to Drop Gold Coins

Chapter 299: Chapter 120: Mom, It’s Time to Drop Gold Coins

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While Lynch was underground in the garrison, conducting a "mother recognition ceremony" that would make the very soul of an ancient Legend tremble...

「Meanwhile.」

On the outskirts of the Angelo Mountains, more than a hundred miles from Lakefront Town as the crow flies.

A party was steadily forging a path forward.

At the head of the column, Catherine Adela rode a brown warhorse. She held a kite shield in one hand and a heavy sword in the other, her vigilant gaze sweeping across the gloomy forest ahead and to her sides as she advanced.

She had changed into a slightly lighter suit of Scale Armor, over which she wore a deep blue battle surcoat embroidered with the words "Ninth Battle Battalion." Her short, golden hair fluttered gently in the forest wind.

Behind her were over a hundred elite Soldiers from the Ninth Battle Battalion’s First Company.

These Soldiers were well-equipped and marched in a tight, orderly formation, moving with the unspoken coordination born of long-term training.

Farther back was the Skeleton Archers squad, led by the Skeleton Bow and Arrow Guard, Gu Youji.

Gu Youji walked at the very front of his squad, his quiver full. The longbow in his pale, bony hands was ready to be raised at a moment’s notice.

Even further behind were three Purple Zombies and more than twenty Black Corpses, all faintly emanating an Evil Qi.

This was one of the most elite mixed-unit forces currently under Lynch’s command, serving as the vanguard for this expedition into the Angelo Mountains.

The journey here had been arduous, forcing them to carve a path through the wilds. The process was anything but easy, but thanks to Catherine’s competent command, the discipline of the First Company’s Soldiers, and the Undead Corps’ inherent immunity to fatigue and poison, they had managed to avoid any true disasters.

Now, they had successfully passed through the center of the Mist Forest and were climbing up a mountain ridge.

The path underfoot grew steeper and more rugged. The surrounding vegetation began to change as well; the tall, broad-leafed forests thinned out, replaced by an increasing number of cold-resistant, low-lying shrubs.

Finally, after trekking for the better part of a day, the party reached the highest point of the ridge.

Standing at the summit and looking down, a vast and completely different landscape suddenly unfolded before Catherine’s eyes.

It was a vast combination of colorful, layered terrain.

Stretches of tropical-style hills were interspersed with lakes and swamps of various sizes. A hazy mist, tinged with different colors, hung in the air—most likely the dreaded miasma that made people pale at its very mention.

Viewed from high above, the area resembled a gigantic, almost entirely enclosed basin, encircled by colossal mountain ranges.

This special geography had created a unique microclimate. It was warm, humid, and blessed with abundant rainfall, resulting in vegetation so lush it was almost wild. This environment had also nurtured countless species of flora and fauna rarely seen in the outside world.

This was the Angelo Mountains.

Because it was too remote from major human population centers and the environment was overly complex and dangerous, no large-scale human settlements had ever been established here.

Only primitive tribes, who lived by hunting and gathering and were adapted to life in the jungles and swamps, had propagated here for generations, surviving according to the ancient and brutal law of the jungle.

"Rest here for a quarter of an hour. Check your gear and rehydrate," Catherine ordered calmly, pulling her gaze back from the vista.

She needed to let the Soldiers catch their breath while she carefully observed the situation below.

The Soldiers followed her orders and stopped, each finding a spot to sit and rest. They kept their weapons in hand, however, their watchful eyes continuing to scan their surroundings.

Gu Youji, meanwhile, walked to a protruding rock and kept watch from his high vantage point, his eerie green Soul Fire flickering faintly in his eye sockets.

The three Purple Zombies and the Black Corpses stood on the perimeter of the group. The Undead aura they emitted was enough to make any venomous insects and small predators hiding in the nearby bushes instinctively retreat.

Catherine took a few sips from her waterskin while quickly recalling the intelligence she had gathered on the Angelo Region beforehand.

’The main threats here are the unpredictable miasma, elusive venomous creatures and beasts, the complex hydrology, and... the few primitive races living here.’

’The most common, of course, are the goblins, detested by everyone on the Pan-Continent.’

’These little green-skins have an astonishing reproductive rate and are highly adaptable, capable of forming colonies in almost any environment.’

’In a region like the Angelo Mountains, with its abundant food and numerous competitors, the goblin population is likely not to be underestimated. It’s also highly probable that the environmental pressures have caused more ferocious variants to evolve.’

’Besides them, there are scattered Jackal Wolfman Tribes, and... Giants.’

At the thought of Giants, Catherine’s expression grew a little more solemn.

’Giants... they are said to be one of the oldest intelligent races in the world.’

’There are even ancient legends suggesting that the High Elf Race, which is now nearly extinct, might have originated from a branch of Giants that bathed in the Magic Energy of a Sunwell.’

’In the distant ancient era, the Giant race also built a glorious civilization and was one of the hegemons of the continent.’

’But times have changed. The world is a different place now, and the Giants today are a far cry from their former glory.’

’With the exception of a few large clans that have secluded themselves in remote corners and still retain embers of their civilization, the vast majority of Giants are scattered across the continent in small tribes.’

’Most of them live in desolate wildernesses, jungles, and swamps untouched by humans, leading a near-primitive existence by hunting, gathering, and raiding.’

’They are typically tall and possess astonishing strength. What’s more, they have a jaw-dropping regenerative ability, making them extremely difficult opponents.’