Amon Mountains, Cindy's Stronghold.
Last night, Ryman and Marco discussed it and basically decided to establish a stronghold here in the future. So early this morning, Marco arranged for the hunters to tidy up the area, clearing away the fallen leaves and brush. Of course, it was not something that had to be finished immediately; they would simply clean up whenever they had spare time.
After all, their main task now was trading with Distant Mountain Stronghold. Establishing a stronghold could be done gradually later. Seeing that the time was about right, Ryman led everyone out. The road ahead would be even more arduous. As they ventured deeper into the mountains, the Amon Mountains gradually rose higher, making the terrain harder to traverse. South Boundary Mountain, the highest peak in this area, was especially difficult to climb. However, some of them, such as Ryman, had already been here once, so they knew what to expect and could share their experience with the others. Thus, the journey was not quite so exhausting.
Reaching the mountaintop truly felt different. Though everyone was panting from exhaustion, their faces still glowed with smiles. Perhaps climbing such a high mountain had filled them with pride. Taking the opportunity, Ryman had everyone stop to rest awhile and admire the view from the summit.
Pointing at a faintly visible mountain in the distance to the north, Ryman said to Marco, who stood beside him:
"There. That mountain is where we're going. We still have nearly half a day's journey ahead of us."
Marco narrowed his eyes and looked, but the mountain range was not very clear, let alone any trace of Distant Mountain Stronghold. Still, since Ryman said it was there, he was probably right. Just as Marco was about to respond, he noticed that Ryman had