T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 135, Section 134: The Demon in the Snow Mountain
Holding Narum's letter of authorization, the virtual and real boundaries smoothly entered the Narum family's manor in Saion as a guest.

Thanks to the magical barrier in operation, isolating the inside from the outside, the manor is always kept at a warm and comfortable temperature.

The architecture of this manor is 9% similar to Narum's residence in the capital. Various plants that are not adapted to the local climate of Saion grow lushly, and the huge courtyard has been transformed into a sea of ​​flowers.

All of this was done so that Narum, who occasionally visited this place, would feel as if he were in the royal capital.

Setting up a large-scale magic array covering the entire manor requires resources that would make newly promoted nobles gasp, but for an old noble family like Narum, whose ancestors followed the twin emperors into the Central Plains when the nation was founded, it is just a drop in the ocean.

Since the pre-mission phase didn't seem like it would involve any unexpected situations, the boundary between the virtual and real worlds didn't refuse Mint's request to follow her to Cyon City.

She had foreseen the extravagance of this place, and as she passed by the crowd, she muttered to herself, "If we bury some good magic potions here, we'll definitely be able to create some really beautiful fireworks."

As night fell, a buffet was being held in the mansion's dining room.

Narum showed a certain degree of generosity to adventurers willing to travel thousands of miles to Cyon, offering them unlimited delicacies, wild game, seafood, and local products.

The boundary between reality and illusion arrived just in time; it was mealtime, so there was no need to wait, and we could start eating right away.

With the mindset of "eating the rich into poverty," Mint devoured all sorts of expensive ingredients with a wicked and unscrupulous manner.

"It's delicious, but I feel it would taste even better if it were made with squid."

He was putting food on his plate when he heard this, and Zhong Zemo's lips curled up so wide he could barely contain himself.

Jiang Heyi observed the scene and saw that there were about 80 to 100 people. The typical adventurer team consists of 6 to 7 people. The allure of the Star Sands is too great, and they have quite a few competitors.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Cyon and to Narum Manor."

His voice was powerful and resonant, vigorous and resolute.

Following the sound, a middle-aged man dressed in a black and white suit, with a beard and a lion-like appearance, slowly walked to the front of the restaurant.

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 Cyon 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."
　　
　
(End of this chapter)