Mercenary Wars

Chapter 224 Annaye Homeland

The portal emitted a faint blue light, like a deep pool of water.

Gao Jiano was a little nervous after what the registrar said. He swallowed hard before holding the spatial positioning badge and walking toward the portal.

Then a flash of blue light appeared.

During the brief teleportation, Gaucano felt as if he had slipped and fallen into the water.

Fortunately, he did not forget the instructions, kept his grip on the spatial positioning badge, and did not attempt to make any moves.

Then he arrived at the other side of the portal—the city of Anaye.

"Come and register," the registrar in Annaye beckoned.

Gao Jiano snapped out of his daze, stepped forward to register his information, and handed over the spatial positioning badge.

After completing the registration, he turned and left the teleportation hall.

No, this place shouldn't be called the "Teleportation Hall".

After all, Anaye only has this one portal, so there's no need for a large building like Ax City would have to accommodate numerous portals.

In fact, this wasn't even a standalone building. When Gaucano stepped outside, he quickly discovered that it was merely part of the Mages' Guild of Annaye City.

Gaucano paused briefly at the entrance of the Anaye Mage Guild, gazing at the scene before him that was so different from that of Ax City, and let out a soft breath.

In the blink of an eye, he had traveled thousands of miles from Ax to Annaye.

Recalling the novel experience of being teleported, he couldn't help but marvel at the wonder of magic.

At the same time, his resolve strengthened: "I must get into Ax Magic Academy!"

Without lingering in the city, Gaucano immediately headed straight for the tidal flats east of Anaye, known as the "Homeland of Anaye".

It's not far, about ten kilometers away.

It's really bad luck for the Duchy of Anaye.

"Annaye" is its former capital. The city, which once boasted magnificent palaces, bustling markets, and towering walls, has now been completely transformed by the forces of nature.

One can imagine the chaos that ensued when it was formed—the political center of the entire country suddenly disappeared, and the original social order collapsed almost instantly.

What was particularly unfortunate was that Duke Anaye II at the time was a diligent and ambitious monarch, young and hardworking, with no interest in aristocratic activities such as eating, drinking, having affairs, or hunting. He was single-mindedly focused on building the country and spent most of his time in the palace reviewing documents.

He also disciplined his children strictly, often personally supervising their studies, hoping to cultivate wise successors. He can be considered a responsible father.

As a result, this responsible monarch and father was suddenly struck by a calamity, and his wife and children were swept away by the tides.

His younger brother then inherited the country.

Compared to his diligent elder brother, this younger brother was almost the opposite extreme: extravagant, indulgent, cold, and mean. He squandered the nation's wealth on endless pleasures, turning a blind eye to all the country's problems.

During his century-long reign over the Duchy of Anaye, the only good thing that people remember him for was that he sent people to retrieve the remains of the Second Duke's entire family from the land of the tides.

Furthermore, almost all of his actions were considered treason in various senses, and had a detrimental and far-reaching impact on the Duchy of Annaye. From the Second Duke to the Third Duke, the history of Annaye took a complete turn.

To this day, the people of Anaye still feel deep regret about this.

To some extent, this has given the "homeland of Annaye" a unique specialty—artifacts from the era of the Second Duke. These objects, carrying memories of the past, have now become precious antiques, each telling a story of that pivotal historical period.

Each time the event opens, adventurers not only search for the Eternal Moss, but also collect various artifacts from the era of Duke Anaye II, including solemn statues, magnificent jewelry, and soldiers' armor. As long as they can find an authentic item, they can sell it for a considerable price from collectors.

In addition, Anaye's homeland is close to the city, so its opening is always particularly lively compared to most tidal lands.

When Gaucano arrived, the place looked like a tourist attraction in peak season, teeming with people, and filled with vendors' stalls and the sounds of their hawking. The air was thick with the aroma of food and the smell of sweat from the crowds, and colorful tents and banners fluttered in the wind, creating a bustling atmosphere.

"Artifact divination, one silver coin per session, to help you find the most precious artifacts!"

"Buying all kinds of wild herbs at high prices!"

"Bust of the Second Duke, made of Patrick marble, for only five silver coins!"

"A complete map of Annaye's homeland—you absolutely must buy one if you plan to visit!"

Gaucano, who was walking through the crowd, suddenly changed his expression and walked up to the vendor: "How much is this map?"

"One silver coin each," the vendor said, seemingly glancing at his clothes first.

Gaucano's intuition told him that this was probably a high price.

However, he was too lazy to haggle over a silver coin and bought one on the spot.

He regretted it half a minute later.

"Detailed maps of the homeland of Annaye, the newest and cheapest in the entire duchy, only fifty copper coins each!" shouted another vendor not far away.

Although it was only a small amount of money, the fact that the two vendors were so close together made Gao Jiano seem a bit wronged.

Gaucano couldn't help but question the vendor's claim: "Is this the cheapest map in the entire Principality of Anaye?"

“Not only is it the cheapest, it’s also the newest!” the vendor said with a smile. “If you’re planning to try your luck in your native Annaye, this is absolutely the best choice!”

“Latest?” Gaucano noticed this statement.

The vendor explained, “Yes, the latest. Most maps on the market are hundreds of years out of date, while the maps I sell are only thirty-eight years out of date—that is, since the last opening of the Annaye homeland.”

Gaucano: "Was it sold to you by an adventurer from thirty-eight years ago?"

“It’s my father,” the vendor said. “My father entered the homeland of Anaye thirty-eight years ago. He wisely did not try to find the Forgotten Moss, but instead focused on collecting artifacts and drawing a map, hoping that I could continue his adventure and find something of greater value.”

Then he chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Unfortunately, I only have two holy names and no blessings. Adventure is not for me."

Gao Jiano thought for a moment, then took out fifty copper coins: "I'll buy one."

After accepting the copper coins and handing over the map, the vendor added a blessing: "I'm sure you'll find the most valuable treasures in the homeland of Anaye!"

Gaucano spread out the two maps and took a look.

There are indeed differences.

The map that was bought for one silver coin was not strictly speaking a map of Anaye's native land, but a map of Anaye's old capital, a perfect replica of Anaye's capital from hundreds of years ago, with its buildings and roads neatly arranged.

In contrast, the fifty-copper-coin map looks more like a map of the Tidelands, with roads long gone, most buildings vanished, and some terrain features altered.

For example, a lake.

There is a small lake on the map of the fifty copper coins.

On the map of the silver coin, this lake is only part of a river.

After looking at both maps, Gaucano roughly planned the route in his mind. Then, early the next morning, as the sun rose, the tide rose as expected in his homeland of Anaye.

"The tide is rising!"

"Those with CET-4 to CET-6 scores can go in!"

"I heard from a fortune teller that the homeland of Annaye will experience four consecutive high tides this time!"

"Yes, I also heard that a chair professor from Deep Blue Academy is planning to go there."

"A chair professor at Deep Blue Academy? That's at least a level ten archmage! If he gets in, the homeland of Annaye will probably be ransacked until not a single coin is left!"

"So this may be the last chance to find the Second Duke's relics!"

The people's opinions are not without merit.

The third-tier tidal land experienced four consecutive high tides, eventually allowing level twelve named beings to pass through.

With the strength of a level 12 named individual, they could easily loot the entire area, making it difficult for later generations to find the artifacts.

The homeland of Annaye has been plundered by adventurers for hundreds of years. After this, it will probably become a purely natural tidal land with few ruins.

So after the tide came in, a large number of adventurers flocked in, clearly hoping to gain something from this last chance.

Gaucano did not enter with the crowd.

Only after the main force had entered did he choose a deserted direction and leisurely cross the snake-cutting line.

However, once he entered the snake-slaying line, he immediately sped up the pace.

A swift breeze!

Blood-boosting sprint!

A gentle breeze swirled around him, his blood boiled, and Gaugano reached his maximum speed, racing wildly towards the deepest part of his homeland of Annaye. The surrounding scenery rushed past, ruined buildings and twisted vegetation flashing by in his vision.

Along the way, the plant perception occasionally detected plants of level five or higher.

But he showed no intention of stopping.

After all, too many people entered the native land of Anaye, and there was no way that any surviving Forget-Me-Not plants could survive in the outer areas.

It's unlikely there will be any cultural relics. Those easily found antiques and artifacts were probably looted the first time the place was opened.

To gain anything, one must venture into the deepest regions of Anaye's homeland.

Following the previously planned route, Gaucano sprinted at full speed. As a Level 6 named individual, he was already among the highest-level adventurers, quickly leaving the earlier arriving group far behind.

After an hour without encountering any other adventurers, he began to slow down and turned his attention more to the nearby plants.

Two level-seven plants appeared in his perception. In the feedback from his plant perception, they were like two bright gems, radiating an alluring light.

Without hesitation, he immediately changed direction and charged straight towards his target.

He soon saw two patches of moss.

The moss is patchy, yellow and blue, clearly the Forget-Me-Not moss.

There is a pack of wolves near Eternal Forgetfulness Moss, but they are obviously not high level. The alpha wolf is only around level five. They are just a bit more numerous, with four or five of them, so it will take some effort.

After dealing with the wolves, Gao Jiano first picked two pieces of Forget-Me-Not Moss, then processed the wolf carcasses, taking away valuable parts such as the crystal core and wolf fangs, before continuing his search.

With his superhuman speed, Gaucano explored the core area of ​​Annaye's homeland in just two days. He reached almost every corner marked on the map and even explored some hidden places not shown on the map.

The harvest was quite good.

There are a total of six pieces of Forget-Me-Not moss.

But that’s about it.

With all areas explored, it is impossible to find any more Eternal Moss in the native land of Anaye.

There are at least a dozen hours left.

Gaucano decided to use this time to try to find some artifacts.

Maybe he'll find something like a second duke's scepter?
However, it is clear that cultural relics are not easy to find, even more so than the moss of the Forgotten Moss—at least for Gaugano.

After hundreds of years of looting by their predecessors, very few artifacts remain of the original land of Anaye. Not to mention the high-value artifacts used by the duke, even the relics of ordinary Anaye people are hard to find.

Gao Jiano searched around but only found some broken copper and iron, which were obviously garbage to be thrown away. It was only because he didn't know how to appraise cultural relics that he was unsure and had to keep them for the time being.

Until he came to the vicinity of a lake.

This lake is a significant difference between the two maps, which is why Gaucano paid more attention to it.

Considering that this place is located in the core area of ​​Anaye's homeland and may not have been fully explored, he decided to dive down and take a look.

He immediately drank a bottle of underwater breathing agent and dived into the water to search.

The lake wasn't large, but it was somewhat murky. Gaucano swam around it and only found a few aquatic plants and creatures.

"Hiss—" Several highly venomous water snakes were tearing at his body, forcing him to quickly activate Earth Skin to eliminate the effects of the toxins and break the snakes' fangs in the process.

Then, wielding the Blood-Summoning Sword, he swiftly slew several water snakes, gouged out the head of one of them, and retrieved a level-three crystal core from it.

The weight imparted by the Earth's Skin allows Gaucano to stand steadily on the bottom of the water.

He then searched the bottom of the lake, digging his hands into the silt and focusing his attention on carefully examining the rapidly flashing messages.

There are some remains at the bottom of the lake, but most of them are not worth noting.

About half an hour later, a few lines of information flashed by.

[Race: Faralo Human]

[Level: Level 9]

[Status: Dead]

A level nine corpse!
This surprised Gao Jiano. He quickly concluded that the level nine corpse was likely a figure from the era of Duke Annaye II, since very few level nine adventurers came here, and this place did not seem like an environment that would cause a level nine adventurer to die.

He immediately began digging, his hands plunging deep into the mud.

The corpse had long since turned into a skeleton, with nothing on its body, which forced Gao Jiano to carefully search through the mud while digging out the body.

After a dozen minutes, he dug the skeleton out of the silt at the bottom of the lake, along with two items he had found: a storage ring and a badge.

(End of this chapter)