"So that's how it is. This parchment is actually a key to a demiplane. No wonder there are spatial Rune Array and energy guiding circuits on it."
Gustavo muttered to himself.
The terrified ratman had just revealed a great deal of information to him, spilling out everything like beans, including the parchment treasure map, information about the Brooks Mercenary Corps, and the specific details of this operation.
The latter two questions were answered by the rat-man very readily, even before Gustavo himself asked, demonstrating an extremely strong will to survive.
To understand the details of parchment, we must begin with Dragon Hunting in the Northern Wasteland a century ago.
Planet Pandora's geography differs from that of Planet Oklo, it does not have five continental plates. Instead, it has only one Central Continent, which is extremely vast and surrounded by an endless ocean called the "Demonic Sea."
Although there are many islands scattered throughout the Demonic Sea, none of them are large enough to be called a continent.
The Central Continent is divided into several regions, with the Land of Falling Stars located in the south-central part.
The Northern Wasteland, as its name suggests, is located in the north of the Central Continent. It is extremely vast, relatively barren of resources, and teeming with monsters, ferocious beasts, and Transcendent wild animals.
In the southwestern corner of the wasteland, for hundreds of years, an adult Red Dragon named Gou Site Nigu had ruled.
As the leader of the Chromatic Dragon, the Red Dragon was irritable and greedy, and loved to cause trouble; this one was no exception.
Rob caravans, kidnap princesses, raid cities, plunder wealth...
He offended countless powerful forces and was nicknamed "the Crimson Terror" by the outside world.
Many factions are offering high prices to powerful individuals to kill Crimson Terror, Red Dragon Gou Site.
One after another, Transcendent individuals from the Sanctuary went to the front lines, but to no avail.
Firstly, Crimson Terror Gou Site is indeed exceptionally talented, powerful, and grows at a very rapid pace; each time he appears, his strength has significantly improved compared to before.
Secondly, Crimson Terror vanishes without a trace the moment it encounters an invincible enemy, making its exact location elusive.
Multiple attempts failed, and the attack provoked a counterattack from the vengeful Red Dragon, resulting in heavy losses.
The major powers had no choice but to keep increasing the bounty and launch joint bounties, with the prices becoming more and more outrageous, attracting the attention of more and more Transcendent individuals on Planet Pandora.
Later, some Transcendent individuals finally figured out why the Crimson Terror was so elusive.
This lucky guy actually occupied a demiplane and built a spatial portal, which allowed him to come and go without a trace, keeping his enemies completely bewildered.
Once this was understood, the Northern Wasteland was in an uproar.
The various factions were burning with desire.
Their goal is no longer limited to the Red Dragon itself; the value of that demiplane is equally immense.
What is a demiplane?
The nascent form of a plane, a derivative dimensional space attached to the Elven Plane, is of immeasurable value, and for major powers, it is a strategic treasure.
Some powerful forces have spent enormous resources and effort to transform demiplanes into war fortresses, capable of rivaling Demigod and even surpassing them in firepower, making them incredibly powerful.
Even without the ability to modify demiplanes, the resources contained within them, as well as the additional territory they provide, are extremely valuable.
For this reason, after learning of the existence of the demiplane, Crimson Terror Gou Site's bounty increased again.
With the generous reward, spatial ability Transcendent began racking their brains to calculate the coordinates of the demiplane occupied by the Crimson Terror.
However, determining the coordinates of a half-plane without a reference point is no easy task.
No one with Transcendent abilities succeeded.
As the Crimson Terror grew stronger and eventually became Epic Red Dragon, most of the observers quietly retreated.
An Epic Red Dragon is still very Intimidation and barely qualifies one to possess a demiplane.
But there are always some persistent forces that refuse to give up, especially those teams that are famous for Dragon Hunting.
As one of the most renowned Transcendent races in the Astral Realm, the True Dragon have always been synonymous with power.
The Astral Realm has never lacked courageous beings, and many races consider Dragon Hunting their highest honor; the Gendaya Tribe are among them.
Furthermore, the Dragon Clan itself is a vast treasure trove; its bones, flesh, scales, horns Blood Marrow —aren't they all priceless?
Moreover, Dragon Clan are also notorious for their greed. Successfully Dragon Hunting not only yields the True Dragon's True Dragon and treasure, but also immense glory.
This can be described as achieving both fame and fortune, killing three birds with one stone.
Not to mention, Crimson Terror Gou Site is also Five-Colored Evil Dragons Clan.
Except for the Blue Dragon, which values kinship, the Five-Colored Evil Dragons gather together in clans.
Red Dragon, black dragons, green dragons, and White Dragon are all extremely selfish and prefer to live alone. Killing an evil dragon will generally not result in retaliation.
These factors have led to the fact that, despite Crimson Terror entering the Epic realm, some people remain persistent.
Believe it or not, perhaps it was just good luck, but a Dragon Hunting composed entirely of Sanctuary Transcendent, including the space-type Mage Walpole, actually managed to calculate the Space-Time and tidal dynamics of the demiplane where Crimson Terror resides.
Although not as convenient as using specific coordinates, it allows for direct teleportation via spatial spells.
However, given the laws governing the flow of Space-Time tides, it is also possible to enter this demiplane at a certain time by using specific spatial magic or pathways.
The difference between the two is roughly that using coordinate positioning to enter the half-plane is like having the main key to open the door and go straight in.
By observing the tidal patterns of Space-Time, it's like a stowaway sneaking in while the owner is asleep.
The metaphor may be somewhat inappropriate, but the meaning is roughly the same.
To monopolize the wealth of Crimson Terror, this Dragon Hunting kept a complete secret from the outside world.
They waited for several years, making various preparations for the Dragon Hunting while creating special spatial artifacts.
These spatial artifacts are the parchment that Gustavo is holding.
The spatial artifacts were not for the Dragon Hunting's own use; they were there as a precaution.
If the Dragon Hunting enters the demiplane and doesn't return for a long time, it means they are likely in grave danger.
And what caused their deaths was undoubtedly the Crimson Terror.
In retaliation, the Dragon Hunting deliberately arranged for people to spread the word about the spatial artifacts and the events after they were basically certain that the latter were doomed.
After finishing these tasks, the Dragon Hunting left behind spatial artifacts and, guided by the spatial Mage Walpole, entered the demiplane where Crimson Terror resided when the dimensional tides began to fluctuate.
The ending is self-evident.
After all, the spatial artifacts have already been released.
"However, this Crimson Terror never reappeared. It's speculated that he either perished alongside the Dragon Hunting or was severely injured and recuperating in a demiplane..."
Gustavo pondered to himself.
"According to the information provided by the ratmen, the next Space-Time tidal fluctuation is about three years away. At that time, thanks to the guidance of spatial pathways, even those who don't know spatial magic can directly enter a demiplane..."
Three years...