Chapter 213: They are near

On the other side of the distant mountains, Away from the ancient temple where Amon rested, signs of human activity filled the land.

At the base of the mountains, a large camp was being built.

Hundreds of humans moved about with purpose.

They wore the armor of the Kingdom of Valmoria, steel plates etched with the kingdom’s crest, cloaks bearing muted colors meant for long expeditions rather than parade grounds.

Their number was easily over two hundred, perhaps even closer to three hundred.

The once-quiet land echoed with sound.

Thud—thud—crack.

Several soldiers chopped down trees with axes, their movements practiced and efficient. Thick logs were dragged away to be used for campfires, barricades, and makeshift structures.

Others hammered stakes into the ground, setting up defensive perimeters. Some prepared food, while a few scouts stood watch, eyes fixed on the forest and the looming mountains ahead.

Smoke rose from multiple small fires, curling into the grey sky.

This was no temporary stop.

This was a forward camp.

At the center of it all stood the largest tent.

It was taller and wider than the others, reinforced with thick fabric and wooden supports. Guards stood at its entrance, their expressions serious, hands never straying far from their weapons.

Inside the tent—

Galahad Valliant stood before a large table.

Maps were spread across it, weighed down at the corners with stones and daggers. His armor was darker than most, marked with signs of wear from countless battles.

His black hair was comb back neatly, and his sharp eyes were focused on the terrain drawn before him.

He was the one leading this expedition.

Beside him stood Caspian Evangeline, calm and composed as ever. His robes were cleaner than most soldiers’ armor, though dust still clung to the edges. His gaze moved thoughtfully across the map, fingers resting lightly on the table.

Three other individuals stood with them.

The first was Roderick Hale, a broad-shouldered man with a scar running across his cheek. His armor was heavier than the others, clearly designed for frontline combat. He leaned forward with both hands on the table, his expression grim.

The second was Lyra Moonveil, a woman with sharp eyes and silver-lined leather armor. A bow rested against her side, and a quiver hung at her back. She was a scout and tracker, her posture relaxed but alert.

The third was Eldrin Vael, an older man wearing a long coat over light armor. His beard was neatly trimmed, and faint magical symbols were etched into the rings on his fingers. He was a mage, and a cautious one at that.

The atmosphere inside the tent was tense.

Galahad broke the silence.

“This side of the mountains,” he said, tapping the map with his finger, “is quieter than expected.”

Roderick frowned. “Too quiet. With terrain like this, we should’ve run into stronger resistance already.”

Lyra nodded slightly. “My scouts reported the same. The number of monsters in this side is too low. Compare to how many we killed on other side. If that was not enough we haven’t encountered any monster rank above three. Most monsters were one and two dank while some being three.”

Caspian’s eyes narrowed. “Which usually means something else has claimed the territory…”

Eldrin exhaled slowly. “Or something that even monsters avoid….maybe…those dark being actually here?”

On his comments everyone gone silent.

There were few expeditions before as well. From Valmoria Kingdom. So they do have some information. But they didn’t saw any of them on that side of mountains.

If that was not enough….the last expedition was done hundreds of years ago.

Well according to records they only existed on this side of mountains. In huge area…but not whole island. Which was good news.

And they don’t have all information about it.

That made the tent fall silent again.

Galahad straightened. “So as much as this side is safer…its also more mysterious. Tonight we will come to know if those beings actually existe here or not. That asied we didn’t have any signs of Demons here as well.”

Everyone remained silent.

“The Grave of the Celestial Tree…hah” Caspian said quietly to himself.

“And…,” Galahad replied. “We already got to know few things about this place…mainly from other side of mountains.We wasted lot of time there. The number of monsters was too much there.It took lot of time to clean up.”

“But at the same time, It was also a good thing that we found some very rare magic stones on those mountains. They only existe in this island afterall.”

Roderick clenched his fist. “Yes…we did spend lot of time extracting them.But they will be helpful for machinery and engineers.”

“Yes,” Galahad said firmly. “Now we should focus on here. As you know we do have this map from past expeditions done by our kingdom. But its not even half.”

Lyra glanced toward the tent entrance. “Hm…I have send my scout partners to explore more.Is there any place near…that is shown in map?”

Galahad looked back down at the map.

“No…there is none. Since this place said to be filled with those dark beings…they didnt explore this side. They change the route…going straight by base if mountains…until those beings not shows anymore,” he said.

“So…this time we will search this whole area…and found out what lies here.”

Eldrin nodded. “Yes we will do it since they are afraid of light.”

Caspian folded his arms. “Still… something bothers me.”

Galahad looked at him. “What is it?”

Caspian exhaled and continued. “I don’t know. It’s just that…the people who came before us…they knew about this…yet they decided not to survey this area…so there must be something more to it.”

Lyra responded to it. “If there is something….then we will know it soon”

Caspian nodded. “Yeah…when time comes it will tell us.”

Galahad looked at everyone and said. “If Amon is near this area. Then his chances of survival is fifty-fifty.”

At this point everyone know about Amon.

Even now if they found any clue about that boy while exploring…then they need to search for him.

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