Chapter 633 Bloodcast Keep

Regarding the origins of Bloodcast Keep, there were many tales among the people.

Some believed it was built during the active years of the legendary Shield of the Silver Lake, serving as a fortress to guard the kingdom's north against the fierce barbarians beyond the border.

Others thought the stronghold had existed long before the Shield of the Silver Lake rose to power, left behind by the northern dwarves who once roamed this region, and that the ancestor of the Wilmot family had merely usurped their home.

In recent years, however, with the gradual decline of the Wilmot family, an absurd rumor had even begun circulating in the Imperial Capital that Bloodcast Keep had nothing to do with the Shield of the Silver Lake at all, and had only been reactivated because of the previous war with the northern neighboring country of Untergard.

Regardless, at present, this fortress stood as a vital pass on the northeastern border of the Servia Kingdom and the critical chokepoint connecting it to the northern kingdom of Untergard.

Before setting out, Xia Nan had gathered information about this border fortress in Salt Rock Port.

Driven by personal interest, after learning the necessary details about recent changes, the current situation, and the surrounding dangers, he had also asked the adventurers and local residents in the taverns of Salt Rock Port about the origin of the name "Bloodcast Keep."

Without any systematic historical education, the people relied mostly on word of mouth, resulting in considerable variations in the answers each person gave.

After summarizing them and combining them with the fortress's legendary origins, the explanations could be roughly divided into two.

First, the building materials for the fortress came from underground mineral veins controlled by the northern dwarves. It was a sturdy stone with a distinct, blood-like color, making the entire keep look from afar as if it were cast from blood, hence the name.

Second, Bloodcast Keep was constructed with ordinary materials, but due to the long wars with the northern barbarians throughout history, and under the influence of magical particles or some unknown power, the blood of their enemies gradually seeped into the crevices of the fortress stones and remained there permanently, earning it the name Bloodcast Keep.

Having asked purely out of interest in the cultural history of this different world rather than being a scholar or professor in the field, Xia Nan naturally didn't delve deeper to uncover the historical truth. He merely committed the gathered information to memory without paying it too much mind.

But now, as he crested the final small mound and gazed into the distance at the magnificent fortress towering among the mountains, bathed in the brilliant orange-red twilight and looking truly as if it were cast from fresh blood, he finally felt the reality behind the name Bloodcast Keep.

The fortress itself was built on a rocky mountain that wasn't the tallest among the surrounding hills, but was exceptionally steep. The northern face and parts of the lower eastern side were nearly perfect ninety-degree cliffs. The towering, blood-tinged spires sat right on the edge of the precipice, overlooking the frost-white crystals of the Rime Forest below.

The southwestern slope and the rest of the eastern face were somewhat gentler. Dense clusters of human architecture could be seen spreading downward layer by layer, starting from the fortress at the very top as their core. Down in the valley, where the trees obscured the view, wisps of cooking smoke could faintly be seen curling up from the canopy.

Although it was called Bloodcast Keep, as the key fortress on the northeastern border of the Servia Kingdom, it was naturally impossible for it to just be a single, solitary castle standing there.

During peacetime, the garrison stationed at the border had massive demands for supplies and daily necessities. Aside from the official deliveries of grain, salted meat, and forage, they required everyday clothing, medicines, general goods, weapons, armor, and horse gear, not to mention entertainment venues like taverns and bathhouses.

Furthermore, situated on a major border route, merchant caravans frequently passed through, giving rise to businesses like inns, markets, currency exchanges, and wagon repairs.

Coupled with the fact that border regions were prone to turmoil, nearby residents naturally gravitated toward the fortress for its ample defensive strength. Consequently, they settled in the vicinity, forming a sizable human settlement centered around Bloodcast Keep.

The overall structure wasn't complicated; to Xia Nan, it even looked somewhat familiar.

It was similar to Barracuda Bay in the Southern Archipelagos.

Bloodcast Keep was even more straightforward. It didn't use elegant names like the White Cliff District or the Cormorant District to mark boundaries, instead bluntly dividing the surrounding settlement into five zones: the Inner Keep, the Upper District, the Middle District, the Lower District, and the Outer Camp.

The Inner Keep went without saying; it was the magnificent main fortress body that looked as though it were cast from blood, which Xia Nan had spotted from far away.

The Upper District was mostly inhabited by military officers, their families, and some wealthy veteran merchants and high-ranking artisans.

The Middle District was noticeably larger than the previous two and most closely resembled ordinary town streets, peppered with a large number of shops and storefronts.

The Lower District covered the largest area of them all, stretching from the lower half of the mountainside all the way down to the foothills. The houses here were mostly crude shacks or mud brick dwellings, serving as the permanent home for migrant laborers, wagon drivers, and scavengers.

As for the final Outer Camp—

"If you really want to get down to it, the name 'Outer Camp' only caught on in the last few months," the bald ranger Tal explained in great detail, intentionally hanging back half a step behind Xia Nan as they traversed the hills. "But all the various facilities are pretty comprehensive. If you need anything, you can find it in there."

Previously, Bloodcast Keep almost never recruited adventurer mercenaries. Moreover, there were no resource spots nearby worth stopping for. Thus, even if Adventurers showed up, they were mostly just passing through on missions, stopping temporarily to rest and restock.

It wasn't a major adventurer hub like Barracuda Bay or Rivervale Town.

That was until a few months ago. Monsters in the nearby hills had begun appearing more frequently and displaying extreme aggression. With their forces stretched thin and no reinforcements in sight, Bloodcast Keep made an exception and began conscripting adventurer mercenaries on a large scale. Only then did Adventurers, who always rushed to wherever there was coin to be made, begin flocking here from all directions.

However, due to its history, Bloodcast Keep lacked almost any supporting facilities for the adventuring industry.

And if they had launched a massive renovation of the already established districts just for this, it would have been not only troublesome but overly complicated, easily inciting the dissatisfaction of the original residents and a significant portion of the soldiers.

Therefore, after a comprehensive discussion, the Bloodcast Keep officials cleared out a large expanse of open land at the bottom of the valley, right where it connected to the edge of the Lower District, to serve as a temporary camp for housing adventurers and setting up the related supporting facilities.

If nothing else, Adventurers were powerful individuals wielding supernatural abilities, possessing absurdly abundant wealth, and demonstrating extremely high willingness and capacity to spend.

This transformed the empty plot—which not long ago had held only a few vegetable patches and sloppy shacks—into what could even be called a bustling large-scale camp in just a few months' time.

When the three people and one wolf emerged from the dense forest at the bottom of the valley, they were greeted by a cluster of buildings, each boasting a different style yet displaying its own unique flair.

A patched-up tent had an animal skin banner hoisted high in front of its door, beneath which a shrewd-looking middle-aged human adventurer was shouting loudly, his ground stall displaying several unfamiliar pelts of unknown origin.

A lively, boisterous crowd formed a semi-circle around an empty spot by the road. Through the bobbing heads, one could vaguely see a green-skinned half-orc and a robust dwarf resting their elbows on an overturned barrel, their faces flushed red as they arm-wrestled.

There was a shoddy bard strumming a dreadful tune, a drunken mercenary sprawled out flat in the mud snoring like thunder, and a pointy-eared half-elf ranger pointing at the coin pouch in his hand, gesturing as he struggled to haggle with a heavily accented local merchant—

Just moments ago, the only things in sight had been the pristine environment of hills and dense woods, so suddenly laying eyes on such a bustling scene made Xia Nan momentarily dazed.

"After all, this camp was only built a few months ago; it can't compare to a proper adventurer town in most aspects," the ranger Tal introduced at the right moment from behind.

"But all the various facilities are pretty comprehensive. If you need anything, you can find it in there."

After all, this world was never short on opportunists.

In an Outer Camp this large, it naturally couldn't be entirely populated by Adventurers. There were also many ordinary people who had come seeking business opportunities.

Dealing with Adventurers came with both risks and rewards.

If you ran into someone short on brains and quick to anger, a trivial squabble might be all it took for them to chop off your head with an axe.

By the same token, given the spending habits of Adventurers, even running a small business could net you a day's income that might rival months of previous hard work.

If your luck was a bit better and you snagged a few rare deals, you might just save up enough startup capital to move directly from the Lower District to the Middle District.

"Um—please don't blame me for speaking out of turn, my lord, but there are a few things that are a bit different here compared to the outside."

No matter what, Bloodcast Keep was still a border fortress practically controlled by the Servia Kingdom's officials, and the kingdom's garrison forces were the masters here.

Drafting adventurer mercenaries was already an extraordinary measure for Bloodcast Keep. Naturally, they wouldn't allow Adventurers to run amok like they could in other ordinary towns.

In the Outer Camp and the Lower District, they might turn a blind eye, but any further up, and you had to abide by the town's rules and regulations.

Otherwise—

Suffice to say, many of the soldiers and officers stationed at Bloodcast Keep had already acquired Class Levels.

Backed by numbers, discipline, and tactical formations, they could easily take down even a complete Adventurer Squad.

These days, the number of prisoners locked up in the keep's dungeons had nearly quintupled compared to the past.

Of course, to Xia Nan, these differences didn't matter at all.

After all, to some extent, setting aside his attire and strength, his lifestyle in town was practically identical to that of an ordinary resident.

He didn't feel superior just because of his Adventurer status, nor did he think he could trample on normal citizens. Sometimes, when haggling for goods, if he noticed the other party showing reluctance due to his status, he would proactively back off and buy at the original price.

Regarding the rules of Bloodcast Keep, he even wished the regulations were a bit stricter so that he would encounter less trouble during his daily activities.

Speaking of which, as his Class Level gradually increased and his equipment upgraded, compared to his early days in Rivervale Town, it had been a long time since Xia Nan had encountered anyone bold enough to actively come over and pester him.

Even the most blind-drunk louts were often pulled back by their companions at the first sign of offense, ending the conflict before it even began.

And right now, Xia Nan himself was only one part of the equation.

Add to that the Winter Wolf Fanny at his heels, who had reverted to her aloof and proud demeanor upon entering a crowded area.

As well as the taciturn Barbarian, Forgan, beside him, whose every movement carried an inexplicably intense presence.

Suffice to say, walking down the street, you didn't even need to be a veteran; any Adventurer with even the slightest bit of experience didn't dare to meet their eyes directly, terrified of inexplicably inviting trouble.

At most, they would wait until the group had passed before stealing a few glances at their backs and then huddling up with their teammates to discuss them in low voices.

Given how well-informed Adventurers were, intel that two ruthless characters with a white wolf had suddenly arrived in the camp would likely spread to every tavern in the keep by tonight.

—The ranger Tal, having acted too much like a lackey and genuinely looking quite ordinary, was actively omitted by the Adventurers, warranting at most a passing mention of, "The ruthless characters also have a bald servant following them."

Walking along the streets of the Outer Camp, Xia Nan's expression remained unchanged, calm and completely unruffled.

Yet his gaze constantly swept across both sides of the street, observing the surrounding environment.

After all, if nothing unexpected happened, he would likely be staying here for a while. Getting the chance to observe things in advance could only be a good thing.

Following the Barbarian Forgan, the group didn't linger in the Outer Camp.

Enduring the hidden and fearful gazes trailing them, the trio headed straight up, passing directly through the Outer Camp, the Lower District, and the Middle District.

The combination of three people and a wolf was simply too conspicuous. Eventually, right as they were about to enter the Upper District, they were stopped.

The ones who stopped them were a three-man patrol squad.

They wore standard armor engraved with a military crest featuring crossed blood axes against the backdrop of a fortress. The leader was a mature-looking Class Holder, though his level wasn't high—estimated to be only around Level 1 or Level 2—while the two teammates behind him had yet to obtain Class Levels.

It was clearly a reluctant move driven by duty.

He didn't want to offend these veteran Adventurers of unfathomable depth, but because he was on duty, he couldn't just pretend not to see them.

After hesitating repeatedly, the squad leader bit the bullet, walked over, and stopped Xia Nan's group to ask where they were heading.

Seemingly prepared for this, the Barbarian Forgan, who had remained silent ever since entering the camp, took two steps forward and pulled a letter from his pack.

There was no need to even open it. Just seeing the seal on the envelope, the inspecting squad leader snapped to attention and delivered a military salute in a posture that was both surprised and visibly relieved.

"Take me to see your commanding officer."

"Yes, sir!" the squad leader replied without a shred of hesitation.

Seeing this, Forgan gave a slight nod.

He then turned around and instructed Xia Nan, "I'm making a trip to the Inner Keep. You take Fanny and stroll around the town first; I'll come find you when I'm done."