There are six roads leading to the depths of the Dark Mist Mountains, which cross the six major gorges of the mountains. Each gorge is guarded by the Woodland's frontline station.
"Iron Wall High Cliff" and "Dark Sand River Valley" that Sylutia visited before are all one of them, and the one closest to Lantern Town is "Firestone Fortress".
After more than half a day's journey, Sylutia arrived at Firestone Fortress before dark.
Compared with Lantern Town, this place is much more lively. Now there are more than 4,000 residents here, which is double the number in the past.
The fortress is made of rock bricks. It looks like it has just been taken out of magma, exuding a dark red color. As you approach the fortress, you can feel that the ambient temperature has risen a lot.
Passing through the tall city gate, Sylutia's eyes passed over the guards at the city gate. These guards wearing pitch-black face-covered armor were all third-order "Castle" Aspect Power heavy-armored warriors. They and Compared with Knight, they lost their flexible mobility and did not have the aura of blessing that Knight bestowed on their surrounding comrades, but they also gained more powerful resistance and strength, which allowed them to withstand the collision of giant beasts head-on, just like bridge piers in a rushing river.
The streets in the fortress are dark red and black, and most of the surrounding shops are in the style of a military fortress. They can be put away at any time and turned into an archery fortress.
There are many third-level the Woodland members here. They purchase local specialty gems, steel, and monster materials here, and they also sell some products they discovered in Dark Abyss.
"I cut this tail off from "Heart-Piercing Demon". That guy was so strong that I almost died in its hands. Its tail must be very valuable." A third-level warrior grabbed the blood-red tail that still had some vitality and showed it in front of his companions.
The tail has delicate red scales, and the end of the tail seems to have a bony structure, showing the outline of a heart. In actual use, this tail is very close to a flail hammer.
"Okay, okay, stop shaking, the blood is almost dripping on me." A companion waved his hand in refusal.
"Next time we go to "Wailing Cave" to have a look. It is said that ancient tombs were discovered there. I think there must be a lot of valuable things there. If we can discover the ancient lost secrets and give them to the Woodland, we can get huge points and rewards."
"I have been coveting the high-level Meditation Technique for a long time, and the current Meditation Technique can no longer improve my mental strength."
"Aha, I also want to get a stronger weapon, which will be convenient for whatever I do in the future." The companion on the other side agreed.
With that said, the three-person team walked past Sylutia.
Are these the third-level students in the Woodland? Sylutia Looking back, in the previous station, it seemed that students above the third level were rarely seen. Even if there were, they were mostly middle-aged and elderly members who were strong Stability and focused on their duties. Young third-level students were particularly rare.
It turns out that they all gather in border stations where they can get more experience and resources. No wonder "Golden Radiance Plain" in the inner-city stations is rarely seen.
Arriving at the hotel inside the fortress, Sylutia took a rest for the time being.
She did not go back to her room to sleep immediately at night. Instead, she sat in the living room on the first floor and listened to everyone talking about all kinds of interesting things. Although there were many bragging parts, these adventure stories in Dark Abyss also broadened Sylutia's horizons.
"Hey, this lovely lady, are you alone? How about joining a team with us?" When Sylutia was sitting in the corner holding the hot milk he ordered and listening to everyone chatting and bragging, a thin young man with brown skin came over, followed by two other people.
Sylutia Seeing this, he sat up straight and raised his head.
"I'm alone, but I don't want to form a team at the moment." The girl's soft and delicate voice came from under the hat. In this noisy environment, it was as moving as delicious ice cream and refreshing.
"Wow, this sound is really nice." The thin black young man exclaimed. The female companion next to him rolled her eyes at him, then pulled him to leave.
"Sula, don't drag me, I haven't introduced myself yet. Hey, my name is Vinnie, a bohemian knight. I'll meet you later, my lovely lady~"
He struggled and his voice became smaller and smaller, and after finishing his last lines, he disappeared from the stairs on the second floor. It seemed that he was dragged back to his room to rest by his companions.
After passing through this small episode, Sylutia discovered from everyone's discussion in the hall that the abyss deep in the Dark Mist Mountains is now much more dangerous than before.
"Probably due to the influence of Gale Season, there are obviously many more monsters and anomalies inside now than in the past."
"This time we came back early, just to be more prepared. Whether it's a special shelter tent for overnight use, a candle to uncover the lightless area, or holy water for Purification, we need more and better preparations."
"The difficulty is much higher than in the past, and some third-level teams have begun to overturn."
"Woodland Guild recommends that you form a team of at least five people to continue the adventure."
"However, I have found more resources. Last time I found an egg of "Lightning Lizard", which can hatch "Level 4·Lightning Lizard" larvae. Just one egg was sold for more than 300 gold coins."
"It's only 300 gold coins, then why don't you cultivate it yourself?"
"That is not something that ordinary people can afford to raise. Although the adult individual is level four, it requires too many nutrients and resources to grow. I don't have the time or money to cultivate it myself."
"Okay." The companion complained, and then they continued to discuss.
Listening to everyone chatting, the time went late into the night without realizing it. It was past 12 o'clock and the place was still busy. Sylutia decided not to continue listening. She wanted to go back to her room to sleep.
After a brief wash, the girl fell asleep on the soft and warm cotton and linen bed.
The night passed smoothly.
The next day, Sylutia found an old acquaintance of "Firestone Fortress", that is, the quartermaster Dickens. When she first established Lantern Town, she signed a long-term trade contract with him. Lantern Town provided additional food, and "Firestone Fortress" provided the required fuel for Lantern Town.
The cooperation has been going on for two years. Although we don't see each other much, we communicate very frequently through letters, and occasionally we get extra specialties in the trade.
"Tia wants to go to the Abyss zone, it's not safe there." Dickens was a little surprised after learning about Sylutia's intention and prepared to dissuade him.
In the past two years, due to the establishment of Lantern Town, Firestone Fortress's food supply has become extremely abundant, which also makes his work much easier. If something happens to this person, Lantern Town will definitely be affected in the future, which is not a good thing.
"I know, but I have made full preparations and will not go to too dangerous areas." Sylutia replied.
"That's it..." Dickens thought for a while, then asked someone to bring the transcript of the records in Firestone Fortress and handed it to the girl.
"Here are detailed records of Firestone Fortress and Abyss zones. You should be able to use them when you go there. There is also a special Radiant Orb here. If you are in danger, you can activate it. If someone sees it, they will come to the rescue."
"Thank you." Sylutia took the two things, then took the purchased expedition supplies, said goodbye to this acquaintance of Firestone Fortress, and walked towards the long gorge outside Firestone Fortress.
Passing through here, outside is the other side of the Dark Mist Mountains, which is also an area deep in the Twilight Sea. It is an area where the sun cannot shine, and it is also a corner that is completely unknown to current civilized society.
Not knowing what he would find, Sylutia, with some expectation, slowly disappeared into the dark mountain road.