Black Mountain and the Dragon Beast

As an Awakened, Finn was not the strongest person in the Distant Borderlands.

But as a scholar, his collection of books was undoubtedly the most extensive in all the Distant Borderlands.

Over the past three years, whenever Linsey wanted to read documents or look up legends, Finn's study was always the right place to go.

So the possibility of breaking through Black Mountain also rested here.

After the elderly botanist fell asleep, Linsey softened his footsteps as he approached the bookshelves and skillfully took down three volumes: Kewell's Notes, Border Annals (VI), and Expedition Map Draft.

Linsey first opened Kewell's Notes and continued the reading he had left off a few days ago.

"Following the great waterfall upstream, we broke through the Courtyard in the Forest and arrived in a new world. Before us stood a snow mountain. The great waterfall connecting the two worlds was formed by the river created from its melting snow. Now, we must cross it to see the full extent of this world and continue this Great Expedition..."

This was an excerpt from Kewell's Notes.

It was also a record left behind by one of the Expedition Team members 120 years ago.

It contained information on how to enter and leave Black Mountain World, along with a small amount of knowledge and anecdotes gathered during their exploration.

"So entering Black Mountain World from the other side of the world meant traveling upstream along a waterfall... Then how was one supposed to pass from the Hidden Borderlands into Black Mountain World..."

Linsey searched for what he needed.

But this notebook focused on the far side of Black Mountain World and contained very few records about the side where the Hidden Borderlands lay.

After carefully reading it through and confirming that it contained nothing he needed, Linsey picked up Border Annals (VI).

"When the Expedition Team entered Black Mountain, this world was overrun with magical beasts and filled with dangers, yet it remained passable. Who could have imagined that only twelve years later, a dragon beast with a body as massive as a mountain would appear from nowhere, settling atop the pitch-black snow mountain and blocking the road to other worlds..."

The annals explained that the dragon beast was a colossal creature over twenty meters long, perhaps even reaching thirty. Fierce and dangerous by nature, it occupied the great snow mountain at Black Mountain's entrance. Monitoring anyone entering or leaving the area was no trouble for it.

Thus, anyone heading to Black Mountain World was gambling on whether they could evade its gaze. Of course, if they could circle around the dragon beast at the foot of the mountain, or find some other clever way through the mountain itself,

then escaping Black Mountain was not entirely impossible.

After reading this passage, Linsey set the annals down.

The Border Annals came in one volume every ten years, compiled by generations of scholars who had lived here.

The botanist Finn was one of them, having compiled the contents of Border Annals (VIII) through Border Annals (XII).

However, this series of books included some of the recorders' subjective opinions.

Although the sixth volume recorded information about the dragon beast, Linsey felt it would be safer to verify it with Lord Anrui.

In a few days, he would be going to the Lord's Manor to train in martial arts under Anrui anyway.

With this long-lived Awakened who had witnessed 120 years of Border Town's history, he could ask whether the scholar who had compiled Border Annals (VI) was trustworthy.

"I hope Uncle Anrui still remembers..."

Thinking of the Borderlands Lord's personality, Linsey shook his head again.

Having confirmed the information in the books, he carefully returned the two volumes to the shelf and instead picked up a biographical tale called Merchant and Dragon Maid.

The book followed a Fifth Stage merchant who met a dragon beast capable of taking human form. They then traveled as merchants together, encountering the Formless Ones and coming into conflict with them in a lengthy tale.

Linsey liked this one very much.

At the very least, he liked it twenty times more than stiff legends like The Annals of the Young King Xingzheng.

The afternoon quickly passed in reading, and the heavy rain outside quietly bid farewell to the town.

Sensing that it was about time, Linsey tidied up the study.

When he turned around, he noticed quite a few muddy footprints in the front hall.

More than half a day had passed, and the mud had already dried. Not wanting to disturb Finn, Linsey found a broom and gently swept the floor clean before starting to prepare Finn's dinner.

After looking after Finn as he woke and ate,

Linsey asked a few more questions to make sure Finn had nothing else he needed help with before saying goodbye and leaving.

"..."

"Linsey, catch!"

Not long after leaving the botanist's wooden house,

a town resident by the roadside threw a Chrysanthemum Yam at Linsey.

Without even turning his head, Linsey caught it out of the air. With a forceful rub of his thumb, he took a bite from the tuber.

It tasted pretty good—

It looked like a sweet potato, but was actually crisp, tender, and mildly sweet, making it quite a decent fruit. With Linsey's botanical knowledge, he could also tell that it warded off cold, strengthened virility, stopped bleeding, and regulated menstruation.

"Thanks, Uncle Kate!"

Linsey smiled at the townsman, thanked him, and continued onward.

As he walked through town, people around him often greeted Linsey, and many liked to give him little things.

Over the three years in Border Town,

children had been born, and elders had passed away.

As the Red Moon Lady's only godson, Linsey naturally attended every funeral in order to learn the School of Death's knowledge.

And in this world, when people died, there really was a chance that they would undergo Living Corpse Resurrection and attack those around them!

For the sake of letting their family members rest in peace, it was easy to imagine ordinary people's attitude toward the School of Death.

As Red Moon's godson,

Linsey naturally enjoyed everyone's respect.

At the same time, because he was young, that respect was mixed with affection. People did not keep their distance from him as they did from the Red Moon Lady.

After living together for three years, Linsey had developed quite a good relationship with the townspeople.

As long as someone had lost a family member, Linsey could basically call them by name.

"Hey! Brother Lin!"

Just as Linsey was about to leave town and step onto the gravel road back to the church,

a hearty call rang out behind him, and a figure rushed toward Linsey.

Hearing the voice, Linsey did not dodge and let the other person grab him in a hug.

He broke the Chrysanthemum Yam in his hand in half and passed one piece behind him before asking, "Ju, what's up?"

Fifteen-year-old Ju took the Chrysanthemum Yam Linsey handed him, bit into it, and began chewing with a crisp crunch.

"Mm—nothing major."

"The Hunting Team is heading out tomorrow. Mom asked me to let you know in advance so you can get ready."

Linsey nodded to show that he understood.

He continued walking toward the church, turning to look at Ju.

The handsome youth ate his Chrysanthemum Yam, but there was still a trace of excitement hidden in his expression.

Linsey immediately jabbed the other boy in the chest with his elbow.

"If there's something else, just say it. You're still hiding things from me?"

"Hehehe!" Ju scratched his head sheepishly, then leaned close to Linsey and whispered, "Actually, just this morning, my skill successfully evolved its first ability."

As he spoke, Ju raised the index and middle fingers of his right hand before Linsey.

Faint source essence swirled around his hand.

Then, the rainwater that had fallen to the ground that morning suddenly rose into the air, turning into two thin streams that flowed freely between Ju's fingers.

This was the ability Ju's inherited skill, Star, could display at the First Stage—weak control over water currents.

It also enhanced physical constitution.

Over three years, he had gone from a beginner to cultivating his first ability.

For an ordinary Awakened, this was already quite an impressive pace!

Linsey immediately congratulated him. "Not bad, Ju. Congratulations!"

Ju and Linsey were as close as brothers. He scratched his head bashfully, but immediately lowered his voice again. "But Linsey, you have to keep this a secret for me!"

"With this, when we go hunting tomorrow, I'm going to make a splash. Then Mom and the others will have to see me in a whole new light!"