Chapter 116: 116. Taking Risks

There were several routes leading out of Winged city to the various other parts of the region and two of them lead northeast towards one of the bordering regions of the Sentro region, the Mounta region. Naturally, tHis was a region ruled by one of the other Great five families, the Mereotti Family.

One of these routes headed south, and then west along the outskirts of the Sentro region and the Darknar region. The other went westwards, then south.

Both routes had their own aspect to them and when given a choice of which route to chose from. Hunters would normally choose the first route as it provided more chances to encounter monsters from both the Sentro region and the Darknar region and monsters from the latter were usually more valuable because they were now considered exotic as entry to the region was forbidden.

However, several factors went into that decision and they would normally not chose such routes when escorting a merchant as it was the wrong choice, from a bodyguard's perspective.

There were also not that many Hunters that could confidently choose such a route as it was incredibly dangerous and they would have to be quite confident in themselves to do that.

That said, the group had still wanted to go by that route even though they had to pull along several large barrels on a carriage and could not let them be destroyed.

This bold choice was because they were not transporting their barrels utilizing an ordinary carriage, rather, this was a magic carriage that was made to travel the wild and was being pulled by an exotic beast that rivaled a Tier 2 demonic horse.

Although the carriage could contain them all as it would expand magically which had shortened their travel time, there were a few places where they had to get out and navigate the beast through the dangerous terrain.

They also couldn't let the carriage suffer any damage and would rush forward to intercept any monsters headed their way leaving Tyler and Nadine behind to look after the carriage.

While that may seem like they were taking a great risk leaving their merchant alone in the wild, the presence of the mysterious Lix that could easily toss a Platinum ranked Hunter with a single arm and Nadine, who was clearly a high-level magic-user meant that they had nothing to worry about and could focus on their battle with peace of mind. 

In addition, they would not be entering the region, just traveling along the borders. Thus, any monsters that appeared would not be too overpowered and could be taken down by everyone working together. It was also a good chance for them to observe the full strength of the hooded man named Lix if they were to ever encounter a large hoard of monsters and could not stop them all.

After leaving Winged City for a while now, the sun was at its zenith although it was barely visible through the thick layers of ashen clouds. However, the travelers could now see a vast stretch of dense and primeval dark green forest in the far distance deep into the Darknar region as they traverse through the borders between both regions.

The thick tree trunks stood taller than anything they had ever seen before, while their leafy branches spread wide. It was due to the abnormally large size of the trees in the forest that made them able to see it even from such a massive distance. 

The vegetation in there looked richer than anything they had ever seen before and even light could not penetrate the depths of the forest, which gave them the feeling that they would be swallowed by the blackness. 

While the eerily-looking Forest still looked menacing from this distance. They could only gulp at the tempting resources that would be found in such a treasured location, but right now, they could fight against any urges as they were after their mountain of treasures.

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The group traveled in a precise arrangement. They would ride on the carriage for a few hours through the safest parts of the journey with Larut as the driver as he would use his ranger skills to scout ahead and prevent running into unexpected trouble and would later alight and be arrayed around the carriage as they moved forward in the dangerous zones slowly.

This arrangement would allow them to rest in the carriage during parts of the journey which would greatly reduce their original travel time as it eliminated the need for any breaks during the day as the six-eyed bull could travel for days without rest.

Tyler and Nadine sat on the driver seat at the front of the carriage and Nadine generally drove the carriage as Larut the ranger walked ahead of the carriage, Dohel their leader and also a warrior walked on the left, and the twins, Anne and Aine walked on the right while Kylyra the Succubi was left on her own to walk at the rear of the carriage, although Dohel had felt bad about it, she seemed to have been released to receive this assignment.

Tyler didn't know why, but he had a feeling he may have done something to freak the girl out however, he decided not to think too much about it. He had also taken the time to take note of the equipment this group of experienced Hunters had decided on for such a dangerous trip.

Dohel the leader of the party, carried a black greatsword that was almost the same size as he was, and was strapped on his back. 

He wore similar banded armor like the last time only this one looked better and was probably made of higher quality material than last time. The large blade glimmered like a magic weapon but Tyler couldn't tell how strong it was. 

Larut had a long metallic composite bow strapped on his back and a thin longsword on his waist. He wore brownish-black leather armor and his glimmering black boots were most likely his magic item.

The twin girls by the side known as Aine and Anne wore white and black mages robe respectively and wielded Long wooden staffs that were adorned by small gems at the end.

They all seemed to be well equipped with each of them having at least one magic item. This meant they were a very professional team and hadn't squandered their earnings like most other hunters, opting to focus on improving their gears instead.

There had been no snow for the past few days now so although the clouds were still thick and ashen, visibility was good and they had only met low-tiered monsters their entire trip which was why everyone was not too tense. However, Larut's usually calm voice suddenly contained its first hint of severity as he spoke:

"Mr. Lix, this stretch is a more dangerous area than the last. Although we should still be able to handle any monsters that appear here, please be careful all the same."

"Understood."

As Tyler nodded, he suddenly thought of something. Since his arrival or awakening in this continent, he had basically been trapped in the Darknar region and had only been focused on the monsters that dwell in the forest and areas around the castle.

Which was why he had no idea on what to expect from the Sentro region and had only gotten information from Z about the cities and their inner working and not the surrounding beasts and monsters which may have been a rookie mistake.

Although he had heard a rumor once that there had been a summoned hero on the human continent that had something that could tell him what sorts of monsters dwelled in a given location. He had nothing on him that could do that and would be unable to prepare an adequate plan for this journey which was a major concern for him.

Although after the various battles he had been through, and even the one against that masked man last night. Tyler was quite confident in his strength against most opponents, however, Tyler still felt that baseless arrogance would someday lead to a humiliating defeat.

He didn't plan on doing anything during this trip as he had only been hired as a merchant and for his ability to transport their goods. Although with his plans for the group he may have to help them once in a while, he was still a little hesitant as he wasn't confident in his ability to serve as a guard for anyone.

This was also one of the reasons he had brought Nadine along as she was more experienced in using magic and could make quick split-second decisions without any incidents.

However, Tyler sighed inwardly in exasperation. This job was more of a pain than he thought and if he wasn't also in desperate need of cash he would have rejected this mission on the spot.

Thinking back to his conversation with Dohel back in the city, his annoyance seems to only grow.

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"Now that we're here, would you please enlighten us on the complete details of this so-called high-paying job of yours?"

Even after getting right to the point immediately after meeting the party of five. Dohel didn't seem to be fazed by it and had a wry smile on his face the entire time. He nodded softly at Tyler before moving closer to him and speaking in a very soft tone probably as a way to prevent others from hearing his next words.

"We recently discovered an unexplored Grade 3 Gold mine in the western end of Fabelt's Pass."

There was a series of emotions that would normally assault anyone that gears those words and Tyler was no exception. However, his expression and demeanor were well hidden with both his hood and coat, and Dohel could not get the satisfaction of seeing the look on his face.

Tyler wasn't well informed on the entirety of the demon continent and therefore had no idea why the on earth was this guy so excited for. Hell, he didn't even know where on Neron this Fabelt pass was neither would he know what a Grade 3 mine fully entails but he naturally knew what the hell a Gold mine was.

While gold was not that much of a valuable commodity as it had been back on earth. It was still plenty valuable and there was no way something like that of a gold mine would not be incredible. 

A gold mine would naturally have more than enough gold and even a mix of other metals in it to completely clear Tyler's dept and earn him even more money than he had earned from his trip to the merchant guild.

Although Tyler was sure these five could not manage or defend a mine themselves. He knew that the rules of the demon continent did not allow individuals that did not possess a noble's backing would not be permitted to own any such natural resources in a region that belonged to one of the great five.

Technically, it was a crime to lay claim to anything that could be considered a source of resources and was located within the boundaries of a region that was being governed by any noble family.

However, there was still something called pioneers rights that allowed whosoever discovers an unexplored location in a region, to take the risk and explore the place first before reporting it back to the ruling family. They would also be granted a reward as a form of incentive. Although, such large rewards would only be paid in installments and after several taxes and restrictions, there would be very little money left.

Tyler however, did not think this was a pioneer mission. As far as he knew, a pioneer mission was meant to only take place at the same time as when the place was discovered which was meant to discourage most from actually exploring the dangerous location themselves.

Tyler had seen this group prepare for this mission and now knew why this was such a shady job. After discovering the Grade 3 Gold mine, for reasons that escaped Tyler, these five had decided not to report the mine to the city for a reward. Rather they would take the risk and explore the mine themselves.

A mine was usually a place where monsters regular build their nest and without knowing how many monsters nest was inside a mine. It was very dangerous to explore that mine.

Tyler could now clearly understand why the group had struggled to get any merchant to help them and why they would not tell him the details until now. Death would be mercy if the Zorak family were to find out about this.

Sensing the hesitation in the air, Dohel hurriedly spoke again.

"It's a little too crowded here, why don't we talk about the rest on the way."