Mount and Blade System: Start from Pioneer Lords.

Chapter 503 The Prism Tower of Light

The short, stocky man was speechless at the shameless orc's reply.

Beyond the material world, there are countless planes and various intelligent races. Apart from dragons, which can perceive beauty in every race, other intelligent races generally have the same standard for beautiful things.

Elves are almost all handsome men and beautiful women, while dwarves are a bunch of rude, short, stout people.

This orc was indeed burly and imposing, but he had absolutely nothing to do with being handsome or any kind of goblin.

“My good lad, although you are not handsome, even the beauty of an elf cannot compare to an ugly but thriving and vibrant Welwitschia mirabilis in my eyes. So don’t worry too much about appearance; the heart is far more important than the exterior.” The short, stout man smiled, then pointed to the snow bananas roasting on the stone slab and asked, “Your food is very peculiar. It is not only delicious but also has a special magic. I consider myself a sage of the forest, a master of vast knowledge, but I have never seen such food before. That’s why I came out to meet you. Just as dragons like to collect gold coins, we druids also like to collect the seeds of various special plants.”

Zart looked miserable, even though Lady Tina had said it was handsome.

But it couldn't afford to turn on them, because it actually felt it couldn't beat the short, stocky guy in front of it, so it casually replied, "This is a Snow Roman banana that our boss got from the Frost Giant. It only grows in extremely cold places, so of course we don't have any here."

“No wonder.” The short, stout man seemed to have figured it out, then sighed, “I thought the Frost Giants had long since disappeared from history. I didn’t expect there would still be descendants who could grow such special plants. It seems they are living quite well.”

This wasn't just a wild guess; this plant called Snow Roman Banana clearly can only be grown in places with high elemental concentrations.

This means that the frost giants have found a suitable home to live in.

Zart thought to himself, if those barbarians hadn't been somewhat sensible, they probably would have been wiped out by the boss long ago. How could he say that things were "not bad"?

"Do you have any of these snow banana seeds?" the short, stout man asked the orc barbarian. "I can trade some of my collection for them."

Zart longed to get something for nothing like Levi, but realizing he hadn't learned the lord's skill, he feared being embarrassed and beaten if he were discovered. So he honestly shook his head: "I have no seeds, only fruit, but my boss definitely has seeds, it's a pity he's not here."

The snow banana is amazing because its seeds are not inside the fruit, so it is obviously impossible to get the seeds out of the fruit.

"It's such a shame." The short, stout boy couldn't hide his disappointment, but he quickly cheered up: "I really long for this kind of snow banana. If you bring the seeds to Falling Spring Forest next time, I'm still willing to trade with you."

"Then I highly recommend that you switch with my boss." Zha Manzi scratched his head and grinned foolishly: "Our boss is an honest man, he will definitely not let you suffer any losses."

"That's great." The short, stocky man chuckled. "What's your boss's name? I'll definitely meet him then."

“Li Wei.” Zart grinned.

"I understand." The short, stocky man smiled kindly. "Young man, your cooking is quite good. Thank you for your hospitality tonight."

As he spoke, he conjured a seemingly ordinary brown seed, its surface shimmering with a faint glow, and handed it to Zart: "This is the seed of the Ironback Oak, containing the blessing of our Flower Camel Giants. When you feel that life is about to slip away, hold it, and it will make you as silent as a mountain."

Zart was overjoyed and carefully took the seed, finding it surprisingly heavy in his hand.

"Thank you, respected elder!" Zart said sincerely.

The short, stocky man waved his hand, stood up, and patted the grass clippings off his grass skirt: "Alright, we've enjoyed the food and finished our chat, it's time for me to continue my forest patrol."

After saying that, he gave Zart a smile as firm as a rock yet gentle, and then his broad and sturdy figure slowly walked into the dark forest. In just a few steps, he seemed to merge with the ancient trees and disappear.

……

The next morning, as soon as the smoke from the campfire began to rise, Zart eagerly found Worebel, who was checking weapons, and Layton, Mil, Helena, and others, who were preparing breakfast around the campfire.

"Guess what happened to me last night?" Zart leaned closer, lowered his voice, and looked mysterious.

Without looking up, Vorebel wiped his axe blade: "Found a treasure? Surely it wasn't the God of War himself who blessed you?"

Now, everyone in Gaoyabao worships only the God of War. The leader always says that he himself is the God of War incarnate. At first, the people didn't really believe it, but as the leader became stronger and stronger than usual, they gradually accepted Li Wei's boast.

Zart slapped his thigh and couldn't help but raise his voice eight octaves: "I've encountered a giant!"

Upon hearing this, everyone around who had been listening stopped what they were doing, and even Swain, the legendary figure who surrendered to the Persian Gulf Empire, slowly turned his head.

Since being sent here by the lord, the other party has been completely invisible, spending all his time eating and sleeping.

In Swain's view, since he had already become someone else's follower and could not resist, he might as well do his job properly while slacking off.

"Giants?" The bear-man leader finally raised his head, his face full of doubt. "I believe there are mountain dwarves and tree people in Falling Spring Forest, but giants? Commander, did you practice that damn holy light last night and get your brain all muddled? Or are you still half asleep?"

"Believe it or not!" Faced with everyone's doubts, Zart picked his nose instead: "I just don't understand. The other party is clearly a dwarf, like a stone block, with a long beard and wearing a flower wreath, yet he insists on calling himself... a flower giant!"

"The Flower Camel Giant?" Layton's hoarse voice broke in, and the goblin advisor frowned. "You mean the legendary Flower Camel Giant, an ancient branch of giants that lives as long as the mountains and guards the forests?"

“Yes, yes, yes! That’s the name!” Zart perked up immediately when he saw that Layton seemed to know it: “Old Layton, that’s what the elder said. He said he participated in some sea monster war and knew the nobles of the orc kingdom. He said that back then, everyone could go berserk, unlike now where only those minotaurs can go berserk in a half-hearted way.”

Layton's expression turned extremely serious. He walked up to Zart and said, "Zart, are you sure you're not dreaming? Or are you under some kind of illusion? The Flower Camel Giants... that's a race mentioned only in the oldest epic tales. They are said to have lifespans that even elves and dragons cannot match, and they were the first druids in the material world."

Leiden had stumbled upon a few words about this race in the library of the Holy Light Church in Gundar.

If it really is a giant camel, then its age is probably unimaginable.

Zha Te nodded: "He also treated me to something called Wei Tuo Guo."

Then he carefully took out the brown seed from his pocket. "He also gave me this, saying it was a seed of the Ironback Oak, containing the blessing of their Flower Camel Giant. If you hold it when you are about to die, you will be as silent as a mountain."

Helena took the seemingly ordinary seed and carefully sensed it. After a moment, the little swan took a deep breath, her eyes filled with awe: "Such a pure and ancient natural aura, this is definitely not an ordinary thing! Brother Zart, what you have encountered may very well be a true ancient sage!" At this, even Vorebel put away his joking expression, and the orc warriors who had gathered around looked at each other in surprise.

They might not understand what a giant camel is, but they know that anything associated with antiquity or sages is anything but simple.

“A giant sage who has lived since ancient times…” Layton murmured, “What does he want from you? It can’t just be to chat with you and give you something, can it?”

Layton immediately became alert.

It wasn't that he was being overly pessimistic, but rather that as a staff member, he had to prepare for the worst.

Zart quickly recounted the events of the previous night, including how the other party had initially come because of the scent of the Snow Banana, their hunting of magical beasts, and their desire to exchange collectibles for Snow Banana seeds.

“He said we weren’t deliberately trying to disrupt the balance, so we weren’t here to cause trouble,” Zart concluded.

Layton pondered for a moment, adjusted his glasses, and slowly said, "If what this elder said is true, then he probably doesn't mean us any harm. In any case, to avoid unnecessary trouble, we should try to prevent everyone from hunting magical beasts."

The goblin sighed inwardly. In any case, having another powerful figure of unknown strength observing from the shadows was definitely not a good thing.

"By the way, did you ask him about the Medusa tribe?" Layton then asked.

In its view, if the other party was the guardian of Falling Spring Forest, it would be impossible for them not to know about the Medusa tribe.

"I forgot," Zart said, scratching his head.

“Alright,” Layton nodded.

Anyway, we're not far from where the Medusas live, so we'll find out when we get there.

……

After another day of walking through the mountains and forests, the Gaoyabao team finally caught a glimpse of a canyon in the distance from above a waterfall.

That is the Napenya Valley where the Medusas lived, but the Persians preferred to call it the Snake Valley.

Kemish carefully checked the map and, after confirming that it was correct, told everyone the destination.

After a brief rest, the group continued their journey.

The saying "Looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death" is not just a saying.

Despite the canyon being so close, we walked for two days and could still only vaguely see some shadows.

But after the group walked for another two days, the outline of the canyon, which seemed so close at hand, remained stubbornly hanging on the distant horizon, as if they had been standing still.

The stillness in the air grew heavier, and even the chirping of birds and insects became much rarer.

“Something’s not right.” The bear-man Vorebel was the first to stop his heavy steps, his axe blade striking the ground with a dull thud.

It looked around, its thick eyebrows furrowing into a knot: "I know my own legs. The distance I've walked in the last two days is enough for me to run from Gaoyabao to Banyuegang and back! Why is that canyon still so far away?"

Kemish had already pulled out a map and a rudimentary compass, comparing them repeatedly, his eyes filled with confusion and a barely perceptible hint of wariness: "The orientation is correct, and the straight-line distance marked on the map shouldn't have taken us this long, unless..."

“Unless we’re not even getting close to it,” Helena replied softly. The swan boy keenly sensed his surroundings. “I feel like there’s an invisible wall in front of us, separating us from our destination.”

Zart scratched his coarse hair and said in a muffled voice, "Could it be that short, stocky... uh, the sage giant camel? He says he won't cause trouble, but he's secretly sabotaging us?"

The legendary powerhouse Swain, who had been relatively inconspicuous, finally broke from his lazy demeanor. He walked to the front of the group, squinted at the seemingly unchanging shadow of the canyon, and slowly shook his head: "It doesn't seem like it. That giant with the flower camel should be in control of natural elements. This sense of distortion is more like some kind of ancient magical barrier."

He did notice the approaching giant camel that night, but he wasn't confident he could defeat him, so he could only observe him secretly. Once he realized the giant didn't seem to have any ill intentions, he didn't bother with him anymore.

It's just a bit heartbreaking that when I was in the Persian Gulf Empire, I couldn't find many legends or rivals, but ever since I met Li Wei, everyone I've encountered has been stronger than the last.

“We’ve been going in circles,” Layton’s voice rang out.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Layton pointing to a huge ancient tree beside him. On the trunk, a fresh, triangular mark was clearly visible.

That was carved by Layton half a day ago, after he had already sensed something was wrong.

A chill instantly swept down everyone's spine.

"Is it a maze spell? Or a more advanced spatial magic!" Peiya said, trying to concentrate her mental energy to perceive the spatial structure, but she felt that her mental energy was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, dispersed and swallowed by the viscous invisible force field around her.

"What do we do? Force our way in?" Zart swung his battle axe.
"Don't be impulsive, Brother Zart!" Mir quickly stopped it: "Brutally breaking through spatial magic is extremely dangerous, and probably won't be of much use."

Swain, who had been observing silently, suddenly had a glint of light in his eyes.

He walked to the tree with the mark, stretched out his finger, and gently touched the marks on the bark. Then he looked up at the distant canyon mirage.

“It’s not some kind of maze technique, nor is it some kind of spatial magic,” Swain said slowly. “The canyon we see is real, but it’s been ‘refracted,’ like looking through uneven crystal. Every step we take is real, but the direction is distorted, which refracts and stretches our probing mental energy, creating a sense of space.”

"This is the legendary magical weapon of the sacrificial temple—the Prism Tower of Light!" Swain said with absolute certainty. "The fire mages of the Persian Gulf Empire's sacrificial temple must be here!"

(End of this chapter)