The Final Piece (Bonus Chapter for 'SSGO')

Not only Rein and his companion, but all the Kolman Warrior in the tribe rushed out of their houses upon hearing the horn.

Looking out over the other side of the valley, outside the tall, pointed wooden gate of the village, appeared a group of about thirty large, monstrous beasts. They roared and charged towards the village.

Thump, thump, thump—the ground trembled violently.

Clearly, the tribe's warriors were very experienced in dealing with such monster invasions.

The moment the war horns sounded, some people picked up bows and arrows and spears and rushed out.

"Those damned Earth Dragon Beast are here again!"

"Hunting team, follow me!"

"Don't let them storm the tribe, quick!"

"As for artillery, we'll use the artillery that Mr. Tuster taught us to use!"

"."

After recognizing the attacking monster as an "earth dragon," most people went back to their usual routines, clearly not the first time they'd encountered such a situation. The tribespeople knew perfectly well that the hunting party warriors would naturally drive away or kill any intruding monsters.

Wudo's brow relaxed, and she said to Rein, "Let's go, let's continue eating. Those are earth dragons that came from the 'Karatva Basin' in the south. They occasionally get lost and come to this part of the forest to hunt."

"Ah, earth dragon?"

When Rein saw the magical beasts, he was quite unsettled because they looked almost exactly like the "dinosaurs" he remembered.

Those roaring, ferocious two-legged earth dragons leading the pack, aren't they Tyrannosaurus Rex?

Behind it are also "Triceratops", "Tyrannosaurus", and "Brutal Dragon".

He felt as if he had traveled through "Jurassic Park".

"Roar~~~"

Just then, the leading black Tyrannosaurus Rex roared again, and a visible sonic wave instantly swept across the entire valley, sending chills down everyone's spines. Looking around, the magical beast mounts beneath the pursuing Kolman Warrior also seemed somewhat out of sorts, hesitating to advance, seemingly gripped by a blood-related fear of the dinosaurs.

Seeing that Rein was staring intently at the dinosaurs, Wudo assumed he was curious because it was his first time seeing these magical beasts, so she explained, "The Earth Dragon Beast are hybrid offspring of the black dragon and the Ground Lizard from the 'Akron Mountains.' They carry some dragon blood, so they have a bloodline pressure on other magical beasts."

At this point, she decided to explain in detail, "These earth dragons are very ferocious. Their combat strength is at least half a level higher than that of ordinary magical beasts of the same rank. Don't be fooled by the fact that the leading earth dragon is only Fourth Tier; even ordinary Fifth-tier Magical Beast can't do anything to it. Moreover, there are not only those that run on the ground, but also those that fly in the sky and swim in the water. There are at least a hundred kinds of these strange and unusual sub-dragons in the 'Karatva Basin' in the south."

What is that?

Are dinosaurs hybrids of black dragons and Ground Lizard?

Upon hearing this, Rein suddenly felt he had learned something new.

He asked curiously, "Wudo, is there a lot of different kinds of dragons in that 'Karatva Basin' you mentioned?"

Yes! Lots!

Wudo said, "Our tribe's hunting teams once explored it, but the 'Karatva Basin' is very large and has many powerful wyverns, so we didn't explore it in depth. Nobody knows exactly how many there are. But they rarely leave the basin, and occasionally some that get lost will come to this part of the forest."

Upon hearing this, Rein exclaimed, "Wow, that black dragon has single-handedly created a massive dinosaur colony!"

Just how many alien creatures did that black dragon possess to create such a massive amphibious sub-dragon race that spans water, land, and air?

Normally, he would just watch the show, but now many more things were popping into Rein's mind.

Because his teacher, Ilubeck, had a very thorough understanding of bloodline inheritance.

The absence of reproductive isolation means a richer Gene Chain!

If these vast and diverse dinosaur populations were indeed created by that black dragon over the past thousands of years, then it would mean that it had no reproductive isolation from many magical beasts!

That means that the black dragon's bloodline is very pure, and it may even be a direct descendant of those dragons in myths and legends that are as powerful as gods, which would make it possible to have such a complex Gene Chain!

It is said that dragon eggs can take countless years to hatch under specific conditions. Since no other dragon has been known in this world, it is highly likely that this is a dragon egg left over from some ancient era, which suddenly hatched in this era.

Thinking of this, Rein couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is that black dragon still alive?"

He felt that if his teacher, Ilubeck, were here, he definitely wouldn't be able to stop him from slaying the dragon and studying its Gene Chain.

Even for Rein himself, the thought of becoming a "dragon slayer" was beginning to stir.

Wudo: "It should still be alive. But nobody knows where it is. Our ancestors of the Kolman Tribe saw it flying over the forest five hundred years ago."

"Oh"

Rein gazed at the vast mountain range at the edge of his vision, his eyes gradually becoming deep.

How many secrets does this "Alkolon Mountain Range" still hold?

Huh? South?

Sudden!

As Rein gazed at the Alkolon Mountain Range shrouded in mist in the distance, another thought flashed through his mind, making his blood boil!

His eyes darted around, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt he might have made a "groundbreaking discovery"!

He quickly asked, "Wudo, how far south is the 'Karatva Basin' you mentioned? Could you point it out to me in which direction?"

Wudo didn't know why Rein had suddenly become so excited. Pointing to a large snow-capped mountain at the edge of the horizon, she said, "Do you see that snow-capped mountain over there? We call it 'Gabralala Mountain.' Further south from there is the Karatva Basin."

Rein pressed further, "How far exactly?"

Wudo thought for a moment and said, "My Snow Mastiff would normally take about seven or eight days to run."

The Kolman Tribe doesn't use kilometers as their unit of measurement for distance; instead, they measure the distance in "half a day" or "a day" while riding a magical beast.

"That place is about 10,000 kilometers west of south?"

Rein roughly estimated the speed at which the Snow Mastiff would move through the jungle and determined its approximate location.

Then, the glint in his eyes grew brighter and brighter, and he exclaimed inwardly, "It really matches!"

He was so excited because that coordinate almost overlapped with a coordinate in his mind!

This Misty World is vast and sparsely populated, making it easy for people to lose their way.

A sense of direction is unfamiliar to most people. Apart from those with Transcendent sensory abilities, few can pinpoint their exact location on this land.

But for Rein, who has a "Mind Core," it's not a problem at all.

He doesn't need to distinguish; all the routes he takes will be automatically recorded and located.

Moreover, the "Mind Core" can automatically identify all the maps that Rein has seen and form a precise location.

Just like a satellite map, as long as there are enough reference points, the system can automatically adjust the map scale and accurately locate its current position.

He had previously seen a detailed strategic map of the two great empires in the study of that Her Highness the Eldest Princess, and had already gained a relatively clear understanding of the empires' territories and the misty Alkolon Mountain Range.

Now, upon comparison, he discovered a problem!

According to Wudo, the "Karatva Basin" further southwest of this forest is indeed an "unexplored misty region" that is not marked on the maps of either of the two great empires.

But that coordinate point is very close to a certain place.

That was the place where the Scavenger Gang Airship Wreckage was found, as recorded in Baron Morin's diary!

Based on the location map provided by System One and the route described by Baron Morin, Rein was almost certain that the "Airship Wreckage" was in that dinosaur basin!

Moreover, this discovery is not simply a matter of overlap.

Rein also discovered a very crucial point.

That was Baron Morin's hunting party, which set off from the northeast of the Xid Empire, got lost, and entered an "unknown fog zone" whose coordinates they didn't know.

If this "unknown area" is the Karatva Basin, then it means they have found a route that crosses the "Alkolon Mountain Range"!

Because this basin is located on the west side of the mountain range!

As is well known, the Alkolon Mountain Range run vertically from north to south, forming a natural barrier that separates the two great empires of Sid and Omar on the eastern side of the mountains.

So far, humanity has only discovered one place where it can successfully cross the Alkolon Mountain Range, and that is the "Howling Wind Pass" controlled by the City of Radiance!

It is precisely because of this strategic pass that City of Radiance possesses a geographical advantage that no other city can match.

Hunters who want to hunt in the west of the mountains and caravans who want to do business must pass through the Howling Wind Pass, where taxes are collected and entry fees are paid!

The reason why the Her Highness the Eldest Princess such difficulty in building the city was that this vital passage was controlled by the five powerful families of City of Radiance. All the resources she needed had to come from that "only" route. From now on, whether it was trade or the migration of people, everything would require the consent of the Five Great Families!

Clearly, the City of Radiance had no intention of letting the Princess build a city here.

Without the protection of the large Mechanical City for its people, all of Ymir's New Deal and plans would be nothing but empty talk, and even survival would be a problem on this dangerous land!

But now,

It's not the only one!

If Rein's conjecture is correct, then there is a very likely choke point in the Karatva Basin, which runs south from here, just like the "Howling Wind Pass," allowing people to travel directly from the Xid Empire to the west of the Alkolon Mountain Range!

This breaks the strategic monopoly of the City of Radiance!

If the Princess wants to build a city, this is definitely the best entry point to break the deadlock.

Moreover, the Airship Wreckage is very likely located in the Karatva Basin, and a second City of Radiance could be built right there on the spot!

Once this thought arose, my mind began to wander uncontrollably.

He could even vaguely see a "city of hope" about to rise!

But suddenly, as Rein pondered this, his brow furrowed again. "Hmm, according to what Wudo said, that place is a dinosaur park, teeming with High-tier Demonic Beasts. It doesn't seem like a good place to build a city. Moreover, that airship is clearly a product of a more advanced Mechanical Civilization. If it didn't crash due to mechanical failure, what could have shot it down?"

Thinking of this, the ferocious image of a black dragon unconsciously surfaced in my mind.

"Could it be that black dragon?"

Rein suddenly felt a bit of a headache.

If those sub-dragons are generally half a level stronger than other magical beasts of the same level, then how much stronger must a pure-blooded black dragon be?

Without even assuming anything, if such a dominant magical beast could actually cause an airship to crash, even if Ten Great Legends went together, they might not be able to defeat it.

Seeing the changing expressions on Rein's face, Wudo asked curiously, "Doctor Rein, what's wrong?"

Returning to reality, Rein turned to look at the bewildered Wudo, then at the Kolman Warrior in the tribe who were driving away the dinosaurs, and suddenly another idea popped into his head!

"Huh?"

But the idea was clearly not mature enough. He needed to confirm some things first, so he said, "Wudo, does your tribe have a detailed map of this area?"

"Map? Yes, I have one."

Wudo said, "All the major tribes have drawn hunting maps. However, the most complete one is still in the shaman's Bamboo House."

Upon hearing Rein, in order to confirm his previous guess, he quickly asked, "Can outsiders see that map?"

The map stored in the "Mind Core" is like a jigsaw puzzle, and it's almost complete. Now it just needs a piece near the "Ashen Forest" to connect this entire area.

Wudo blinked in confusion and said, "If it were you... it should be possible, right?"

Before she could finish speaking, Rein grabbed her wrist. "Come on! Take me to see a map. I want to confirm something."

Wudo: "Huh? Aren't you going to eat?"

Rein: "We'll eat later."

Before long, Rein saw the map of the Ashen Forest in the Bamboo House.

Not only is the overall view of the forest shown, but also the surrounding landmarks such as the Plague Marsh, Red Stone Canyon, and Poisonous Miasma Wetland are marked in great detail.

Although the map's scale wasn't very precise, the "Mind Core" corrected it using reference points, which was enough for Rein to confirm that the "Karatva Basin" was the place where the Airship Wreckage was found!

Finally, upon seeing the map, he confirmed that everything he had previously speculated was correct.

Before long, Wudo left the Bamboo House, leaving only the two of them.

Looking at the serious-looking Rein, Mafat smiled and asked, "Doctor Rein, is there something you want to tell me?"

Rein looked solemnly at the wise old man and asked, "Priest, no offense intended, but I would like to ask, do you truly intend to have the entire tribe perish in this war?"

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