Chapter 293: Sagrada Dragona

In the midst of a vast mountain range, where jagged peaks stretched endlessly into the horizon, a caravan of around twenty figures moved steadily across the rugged terrain.

The air was cool and thin, each breath sharp in their lungs.

Gravel crunched beneath their boots as a steady wind swept along the slopes, tugging at their robes and sending chills through their bodies.

Above them, the sun broke through drifting clouds, its gentle warmth offering brief relief from the cold.

They were all clad in fine robes marked with the emblem of the Midas Merchant Organization, the fabric faintly glowing with enchantments that helped them endure the harsh environment.

From their path, the view was breathtaking.

Mountains rose and fell like waves of stone, forming a natural border that stretched as far as the eye could see, their distant peaks fading into mist.

Despite the beauty, the climb remained unforgiving.

Loose stones shifted underfoot, and narrow paths ran along steep drops—but the caravan pressed on with steady determination.

"It’s beautiful..."

One of the figures in the middle of the caravan spoke as he lifted off his hood, revealing his blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Ugh, this is the fourth time you’ve said that, Killian. You’ve been saying that since we started climbing this mountain!"

Beside him, a young woman scoffed, her pitch-black hair tied in a bun inside her hood while her golden eyes rolled.

It was none other than Aurelia.

Beside her, two figures giggled as they too lifted their hoods to breathe in the fresh air.

They were a girl and a boy, both having a resemblance to Aurelia.

"I’m glad that you have found some good friends, Lia." The girl was the first one to speak.

The boy nodded along, "That’s right. Though we still haven’t sparred yet, right, Killian, Regis?"

"We can arrange something quickly as we go, Patti," Regis replied with a friendly smile.

Meanwhile, Killian took secret glances towards the young girl, Auryn.

That was right.

The boy and the girl were Aurelia’s older sister and older brother, Auryn and Patti.

At this moment, a beastkin approached them from the front part of the caravan.

It was a young woman with white fox ears and two tails on her back, the orange marks on her face accentuating her beauty as her orange eyes gleamed with an unknown resplendence.

The beastkin was none other than Aeola.

Currently, she had a weird expression on her face as she took a step toward Regis, "Um, Leader... Palma reported that she had seen a group of wyverns flying towards the summit of this mountain..."

"Alright, make sure to tell everyone to stay calm first."

Regis spoke as he fell into deep thought, ’Wyverns are inherently territorial... It’s one of the risks we have indicated when we selected this route before our departure.’

"We won’t be going near the peak anyway. Just tell everyone to be careful and keep the noise to a minimum as we travel through this mountain."

"Understood, Leader..." Aeola bowed before going back to her position.

After a few moments, a wave of mana covered the whole caravan for a few moments with Regis’s order being directly transmitted into everyone’s mind.

Normally, this would cause such a fluctuation that would attract the wyverns despite being hundreds of kilometers away due to their mana sensitivity.

However, Regis glanced at Pandora with a smile and asked, "How was it?"

"She’s improved again." The latter answered with a neutral expression.

Both of them knew that the reason for this was Aeola’s Nine Eyes, which enabled her to control mana flawlessly, making her able to cast magic without the slightest bit of fluctuation.

’Good. Everyone became stronger...’

Regis thought in satisfaction as he looked at everyone.

The Gotun and Equilla squads at the forefront of the caravan, his squad, and Aurelia’s siblings in the center near him, as well as the Exemplar and Vanta squads at the rear.

It had already been three days since they left Harmonia.

The region they were in right now was called the Sagrada Dragona Mountain Range.

It was the longest mountain range in the world, spanning hundreds of thousands of kilometers, housing the lineage of the dragons.

Although there was now no news regarding pure-blooded dragons, the monsters and other creatures that held dragon blood within their bodies roamed this mountain range.

And wyverns were one of those species.

Time quickly passed by as the caravan moved according to the route they had already set.

Due to the trickiness of the region, which had lakes, seas, swamps, and even deserts in some parts of the mountain range, they had to climb this mountain a little more than halfway before going around it.

As they trekked the steep cliffs, Regis and the others kept themselves on high alert.\

Unfortunately, the quiet times that they were enjoying did not last...

GRRRR—- WOOOV!!!

A loud grumbling noise echoed throughout the mountain before they felt a searing heat above their heads.

In an instant, Regis, Pandora, and Aeola all raised their hands, casting a large mana barrier that came from the synchronized circulation of their mana.

The mana barrier had hexagonal patterns through it, which spread the impact of the flames, reducing their damage to the point of contact.

This made it possible for the mana barrier to last under such extreme conditions.

Regis immediately ordered, "Run! Run as fast as you can!"

As soon as they heard his words, the squads of Gotun and Equilla immediately sprinted with everything they had.

Aurelia, Patti, Auryn, the Exemplar, and Vanta squads also ran with all their might, doing their best to avoid touching Regis, Pandora, and Aeola, afraid that the slightest contact might interrupt their focus.

The path was so narrow to the point that two people could not pass through it at the same time.

This was why Regis, Pandora, and Aeola all leaned on the wall, giving way to the others.

Soon enough, only the three were left in the middle of the cliff.

Pandora and Aeola slowly inched towards Regis, their expressions stiff as they focused everything they had on the mana barrier.

Fortunately, with everyone gone, they were able to shrink it to only accommodate the three of them, which gave them more room, especially for their mana reserves.

The torrent of flames stopped only after another minute.

"What do we do now, Leader?" Aeola was the first one to speak.

GRRR—-

Above them, they saw a group of wyverns sticking on the mountain wall with their claws, gazing at them with obvious malice.