Chapter Seventeen: Pursuit

The debt collector displayed a hint of surprise upon hearing this revelation.

He was well aware of the Foolish Fatuus' situation. Those stationed outside had all undergone some form of transformation, granting them the ability to wield elemental powers. While these elemental powers might not put them on par with the regular Chosen Ones, they were more than capable of handling ordinary people and monsters.

Surprisingly, this time they discovered a problem that even a small team couldn't handle.

"Oh? You can't take care of it, so you sought assistance from others?"

"Yes, sir, we did, but you see, this Dragonspine mountain is vast, and the people are scattered. We only found one other team, and it still didn't work. Two of our comrades even lost their lives."

"Huh!? There were casualties? Well, that's interesting."

"I'm starting to get curious. I want to accelerate our pace. I'm eager to see what kind of monster has rendered you so helpless."

Xian Yu carefully listened to their conversation, piquing his own curiosity, and quickened his pace.

In this manner, the two groups of people gradually vanished into the cold mist that enveloped the sky.

The environment on Dragonspine Mountain was extremely harsh. Ordinary individuals would struggle to survive for long unless they were well-prepared.

The ground was covered in snow, making it challenging to identify the path. In this environment, footprints could easily disappear, so Xian Yu kept his distance from the group ahead.

However, this adjustment had a minimal impact, as the snow and wind served as excellent cover.

On their journey, they encountered various creatures that inhabited the area, as well as many Hilichurls. Neither side paid much attention to ordinary creatures, but the Hilichurl, they would avoid them if possible. Those they couldn't avoid met their end.

Well, it wasn't Xian Yu who took action but the People ahead of him.

Certainly, Xian Yu relished the idea of letting others handle the danger while he remained a spectator. Getting his hands dirty was not his preferred course of action.

"Sir, our camp is a bit further ahead. Should we regroup there, or proceed directly to the location we found?" one of the Foolish People inquired.

The debt handler didn't provide an immediate answer. Instead, he pondered for a moment before responding, "Let's head to the camp first. While the wind and snow won't pose much of a threat to us, we're not the chosen ones, and my resistance may be a bit lacking. I need some rest before we set off again."

The camp of the Foolish Fatuus's team was reasonably well-equipped, certainly better than the flimsy, ventilated tents one might find in a video game.

Xian Yu halted his progress when he was a safe distance from their camp, allowing him to observe their activities without being detected.

About ten minutes later, the five-person team resumed their journey. Seeing this, Xian Yu leaped down from a tree and discreetly followed them.

As they ventured deeper, the cold intensified. If ordinary individuals could withstand the previous environment, this place was nearly inhospitable. Moreover, there were even fewer Hilichurl and other creatures around, but no one paid attention to these minor details.

The passage of time became uncertain.

"Sir, these are the suspicious findings we came across. Please exercise caution further ahead," one of the Foolish Fatuus advised.

"I'm aware, but don't worry. Just because you can't handle it doesn't mean I can't either. Keep moving," the debt handler responded, though his slightly wary gaze betrayed some lingering concern.

Xian Yu continued to follow, and as he heard them mention they had arrived at their destination, he breathed a sigh of relief. After trailing them for so long, he had started to wonder if they had taken a wrong turn. Fortunately, their efforts had not been in vain.

"Is this the place I expected, free from snow? I'm really looking forward to it!"

The sense of anticipation in his words seemed to be felt even by the crystal butterfly on his head, whose wings kept flapping.

The cryo crystal butterfly emerged after Xian Yu entered the snowy mountain. However, considering the strong winds and snow in the area, he was afraid of it being blown away, so Xian Yu let it stay on his head.

Upon reaching the destination, Xian Yu realized that this place wasn't what he had anticipated. While there were rocky formations and a large area without snow, it wasn't what he had in mind.

"I thought this was where the dragon's remains were, but it seems to be something else..."

Xian Yu couldn't quite place what kind of place this was, but the creatures the Foolish Fatuus were dealing with were easy to identify.

"However, the location of The Great Snowboar King in the game shouldn't be like this. Did something happen?"

Yes, this was the location of The Great Snowboar King from the game.

Although he didn't understand why there was no snow in this area and why The Great Snowboar King had a single horn on its head.

"No! Since this pig has horns, there must be something here that has affected it, or it might have ingested something by mistake, causing this change!"

It was easy to deduce what had caused The Great Snowboar King's transformation.

"It seems like there's no gain here. At least it allowed me to narrow down the search area, which isn't too bad."

Having made this discovery, Xian Yu didn't linger but continued in another direction. This place clearly wasn't where Durin had died, so there was no point in staying.

As for staying to reap any benefits?

Xian Yu didn't entertain that idea. The Great Snowboar King appeared difficult to handle at first glance, and it was impossible to defeat the Foolish Fatuus; they might even pose a threat to him.

Xian Yu, after seeing the Great Snowboar King and assessing the situation, realized that the Foolish Fatuus's attacks were ineffective against the formidable creature. It was clear that they had no chance of defeating it. There was no use in getting frustrated over not reaping any benefits from this encounter.

Furthermore, even if he could defeat the Great Snowboar King, he pondered what he would gain. It was just a pile of meat, albeit valuable. However, considering the risks he would have to face, it wasn't worth the effort.

"I can't rely on the Foolish Fatuus for this. I'll have to depend on myself."

After considering his options, Xian Yu decided to head in the left direction. He figured that in this place, the choices were simple: left or right, and if those paths didn't lead anywhere, he could ascend. There would always be a place to discover.

As he continued their journey, the intensity of the wind and snow increased, prompting Xian Yu to comment, "Why is this wind and snow getting worse with no sign of stopping?"

"The sky is darkening so rapidly. It seems like we need to find a sheltered spot to rest for a while," he added.

Finding a suitable resting place wasn't too challenging. Xian Yu located a small cave and began unpacking the supplies he had prepared earlier. He cleaned up the cave, set up a makeshift camp, and made arrangements for a brief rest.

As night fell, the world transformed into a serene, silvery-white landscape. The constant sound of wind and snow filled the air, creating a mesmerizing but harsh environment.

After observing the first snowy mountain night, Xian Yu closed the curtain on his temporary shelter.

"Wyrmrest Valley... I hope I can find it tomorrow."

"And if I can't find it, then..." he thought, his unspoken words reflecting a sense of uncertainty and contemplation about what would happen if his quest to find Wyrmrest Valley proved to be fruitless.