T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World

Without signaling for silence, he silenced the entire room simply through his voice and imposing presence.

"I am Josel, the steward of this manor. I will be in charge of coordinating all matters related to our entry into the Great Snow Mountain."

Knowing that the people visiting the manor were of varying quality and a mixed bag, Joseph quickly finished his self-introduction and waved to the maid not far away.

The tray in the maid's hands was covered by a black silk cloth. As Josel lifted the cloth, the adventurers who had been listening with one ear propped up fell silent.

Without exception, everyone turned their attention to the items on the tray.

Inside the glass bottle, a fingernail-sized, irregularly shaped semi-crystalline mineral emitted a faint iridescent light, flashing on and off, as if it were a sentient being breathing.

Stardust.

The game has yet to produce any rare currency.

The adventurers stared wide-eyed, their attention initially focused on the food and drink, but they licked their lips and looked at Joseph.

Josel took out a projection scroll and projected a topographical map of the Screamer Snow Mountain onto the wall.

Before they arrived, everyone only vaguely knew that the smuggled goods of the old nobles such as Narum had been lost, and that this was a difficult matter to report and could not be resolved by the imperial authorities.

The local nobles of Saion, on the other hand, watched with amusement, offering only perfunctory assistance, which amounted to nothing more than a lack of help.

This led to Narum desperately seeking out powerful adventurers from the vicinity of the Empire's ruling center.

As Joseph added more details, the expressions of everyone present became serious.

The Screamer Great Snow Mountain Trade Route, though located in the harsh climate of the snow-capped mountains, is still inhabited.

According to eyewitness reports from these individuals, the Narum caravan traveled day and night without resting at any of the settlements built along the way.

The trade route through the Screamer Snow Mountain is not the smooth, horse-riding road within Anna; it is icy cold year-round, and the road conditions are worrisome.

Even with magical lighting at night, if a sudden snowstorm occurs, even an experienced guide can easily stray onto a mountain path and wander into the depths of the vast snow-covered mountains.

Which of these businessmen who have been smuggling along this route for years isn't a seasoned veteran with extensive experience? How could they suddenly be so reckless?

After the caravan disappeared, Narum's messengers searched back and forth along the trade routes where sightings had been reported, but found not a trace.

This is too strange. Such a large caravan, more than 200 people, people eat and horses chew, and the traces of their movements would be covered by the wind and snow. But what about the animal excrement?

Where did all those goods go?

The entire caravan was as if it had been erased from a drawing paper with an eraser, leaving no trace.

"Can we know what goods the caravan is carrying this time?" Jiang Heyi asked loudly after thinking for a moment.

Joseph shook his head: "It's confidential, and I can't tell you all, but if someone eventually finds the cargo and receives the reward, we will pay an extra confidentiality fee."

Someone else asked, "Aren't there any useful clues right now? Even just guesses?"

“If it’s just speculation, then yes, it exists.” Joseph sighed. “Have you heard of ‘Northwellcom’?”

It was a very strange name, and most adventurers shook their heads.

"This name sounds like the Snow Mountain Demon that the Saion people talk about?"

Joseph nodded.

Northwellkon means "snow mountain nightmare" in the local dialect.

The indigenous people who have lived here for generations have witnessed more than once the dark figures that braved the wind and snow to move forward on the snow-capped mountains. Under the light, their bodies are majestic and tall, like mountains.

Humanoid, walking upright, and whenever it appears, "strange snow" blows wherever it goes.

Curious, the girl in bed asked, "Ghost Snow, what's that?"

"The sudden drop in temperature and snowfall often occur after nightfall," the speaker explained. "The name of the Screamer Snow Mountain comes from the sound of the wind in the mountains."

"The biting wind sweeps through the mountains, creating a terrifying shriek, like the cries of ghosts and demons. Combined with the mysterious snow that appears out of nowhere, countless adventurers in the past mistook it for the arrival of demons, panicked and lost their lives in the snowy mountains."

"As the magic tide swept through, the strength of magicians increased, and more and more brave people dared to challenge the ice fields and snow mountains. The idea that screams were linked to the descent of evil spirits was gradually becoming irrelevant to magicians."

"Even the appearance of the Ghost Snow has become much less frequent, leading people to jokingly say that even evil spirits fear the development of magic."

"If you come through the main gate of Saion, you should be able to see the stone tablet erected by the third lord of Saion. It is said that he had it engraved after he was rescued from unconsciousness while venturing alone into the snowy mountains."

"He once said that when he was on the verge of death, he saw eerie snow spreading. He should have frozen to death on the snowfield, but he inexplicably appeared in a cave with a campfire burning in front of him."

The Sai'ang natives deeply believed in their lord's words, thinking that the spirits dwelling in the continuous snow-capped mountains were neither good nor evil, but like the ponds left by melting snow, reflecting the true inner world of people.

Those with kind hearts, like the lord, encounter the Holy Spirit.

With ulterior motives, evil spirits will appear in the eerie snow.

However, people outside of Saion have always had different interpretations of this matter.

Although Cyon is the territory of the Empire, the local natives do not have a strong sense of identity. In order to strengthen the Empire's influence in the area, the third lord took matters into his own hands and staged a trick of the Holy Spirit appearing, in order to integrate into the local community by recognizing Cyon's local culture and to better govern the region.

In fact, judging solely by his political achievements, he certainly did.

For many years, Cyon has remained loyal to the Ana Empire, and as the creator of the foundation, he has made invaluable contributions.

Whether the eerie snow and demons exist is unknown, but the magician community has always believed that they are just ghost stories.

If the demons here are powerful enough to easily wipe out 200 people and affect the weather at any time, then they are guaranteed to be at least at the eighth rank.

What is the concept of an eighth order?

Even the highest rank in the empire is nothing more than this.

Joseph did not believe the claims of the Snow Demon and the evil spirits. After the incident, the legends that resurfaced made him even more convinced that it was a premeditated attack.

The rumors circulating nowadays are just attempts by the masterminds behind the scenes to shift the blame onto absurd local myths.

If such a powerful demon truly exists, then it should fear the righteous god who hangs high like the sun, protecting the Anna Empire.

Do demons and monsters even deserve to rival the brilliance of the sun?

Having said everything that needed to be explained, Joseph emphasized one last time: "Anyone who doesn't want to participate in the search now can withdraw."

The scene was silent. Everyone had paid a considerable price to reach the far north of the empire, and now that things had come to this, how could they possibly back down?

Seeing that no one answered, Joseph nodded.

"Very well, the contract is now established. I await your good news."

After eating until they were burping, Jiang Heyi and the others left the mansion.

On the way, he looked at Mint.

Do you believe in the teachings of evil spirits?

Mint actually hesitated.

"I thought you would readily ridicule such absurd folk myths, after all, you don't even believe in the gods of your own country."

"Wake up! There is no true god in Anna. He is just a clay figure supported by a group of fanatical religious people. You are a hundred years too early to make me believe."

"And what about demons? Do you believe in them?"

Mint hesitated, then looked back at the snow-capped mountain that had disappeared into the darkness.

"I don't know whether I should believe it or not."

The chapter says, "Give me some updates, maybe there will be a double update tomorrow."

Chapter 136 You are being spied on

Unlike other adventurers who feared the snow-capped mountains at night, the boundary between the virtual and real worlds rushed to the scene of the incident under the cover of darkness.

They really wanted to send Mint back to the guild, but as she said, it involved geography and culture, and the entire guild was completely clueless. This was exactly the kind of assistance they might need in finding the caravan.

"Activate the guild gem to disengage immediately upon encountering an enemy, understand?"

After repeated reminders, Bohe nodded repeatedly, and only then did everyone agree to take her into the snow mountain.

Since the reported sightings occurred outside the border, it can be reasonably inferred that the area where the Narum caravan disappeared was located precisely at the edge of the Anar Empire's border.

The information was provided by seasoned adventurers who have long been trekking in the snow-capped mountains. They have excellent night vision and can easily distinguish details in the distance. They also have no drinking problem, so their information is highly credible.

After climbing over a small hill, the group looked down at the trade route. Under the cold moonlight, the snow-capped mountains shone with a mesmerizing silvery white, and a thin layer of frost covered the road surface as the temperature dropped at night.

After nightfall, the temperature near the Screamer Snow Mountain Trade Route had already dropped below zero. Without the Fire Ring spell, obvious symptoms of hypothermia would appear within minutes.

"Hiss, it's still cold. Primals, our Fire Ring needs to raise the temperature a bit more." Zhong Zemo rubbed his arms, shivering.

"Joseph's guess is not without merit," Plain Fries murmured, comparing the map to the guide.

Jiang Heyi glanced at the map: "You also think someone is deliberately targeting us?"

“Take a close look at both ends of the trade route. There are no elevation changes; it’s a relatively flat and easy-to-travel section. If the caravan is attacked here and all 200 people are wiped out, Mint, how many mages do you think we’ll need to use?”

Mint poked her chin with her hand and raised her head slightly: "Yosel seems to have said that there are two seventh-level escorts and several sixth-level escorts in the caravan. This lineup should have at least two to three times the number of escorts to ensure that no one escapes during a surprise attack."

"How many people would be needed to avoid leaving any trace of the magic war?"

Mint's lips twitched: "Eighth-tier units banding together, about 30 of them? Slaughtering everyone in a short time and cleaning up the scene overnight should be possible... Don't be ridiculous, that's impossible. Who has the ability to command that many eighth-tier units?"

Tier 8 is already the pinnacle of combat power in Anna. According to the formula used by community players, a max-level player is roughly equivalent to Tier 5 to 6, and there is still a gap in hard power between them.

Two hundred people were killed in an instant without leaving a trace, and a huge amount of goods disappeared overnight. No wonder the locals immediately associated the incident with the mysterious snow and evil spirits.

"Someone!"

The sound of a blanket came from not far away. Looking in the direction of the sound, a person emerged from the flat snow and ran away.

What incredible patience! You were buried in the snow without moving. Aren't you cold?

Thinking he could escape from his bed was a pipe dream. He was kicked and fell to the ground in the snow. He immediately raised his hands above his head and gave a French military salute.

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I'm just a hunter, I don't know anything!"

He was a man wearing an animal skin coat, and the various hunting tools he carried confirmed his identity.

"What's that smell? It stinks!"

His body reeked of a pungent, fishy odor, causing the person in bed to cover their nose and back away.

"Yes, yes... it's a mixture of the smells of wild animal droppings and urine. Only in this way can we deceive those clever prey," the man quickly explained.

The jailer waved his hand, signaling him to stand up.

"It's so late, and you're still hunting in the snow-covered mountains?"

Uh... the jailer guy has a bit of a "Master, what do you do for a living?" vibe to him.

The man stood there dumbfounded for a long while before finally nodding.

"Hunting so late?" The jailer realized he'd asked an awkward question and quickly followed up.

"Most of the prey that fetches a good price in the snowfields are nocturnal, so skilled hunters are nocturnal."

Jiang Heyi cut to the chase: "Do you know about that major event that happened in the business world?"

"The caravan disappeared, right?" The man had obviously heard this before and nodded immediately. He glanced at everyone present. "You were sent by those people to look for clues, weren't you?"

"You know quite a lot."

"I was actually one of the witnesses at the time..."

Everyone was taken aback; what a coincidence!

Where was it witnessed?

“It was a long distance outside the border. I was on the mountain at the time, and I saw a caravan passing by at the foot of the mountain. They were in a hurry.”

Hunters frequently visited the settlements along the trade routes. In such large caravans, there were always people who loved wild game, and they could earn a considerable amount of extra money. Men were among them.

"Did you see any familiar faces in the caravan?" Fries asked.

The man shook his head: "The temperature suddenly dropped that night, and everyone in the caravan wrapped their heads up tightly."

Jiang Heyi glanced at the fries: "What are you suspecting?"

French fries didn't answer, and continued to ask the man, "Someone in the team uses something like..."

At her signal, the four Primals cast a fire ring spell on the man, the warm feeling making him feel comfortable all over.

He couldn't help but look down and admire the bright ring of fire surrounding him.

Does anyone use this kind of magic?

The man closed his eyes and pondered for a long time: "Come to think of it... I have seen them before, but that night, there were none in the entire caravan."

Jiang Heyi frowned; he sensed something was amiss.