n

n

nIn front of Shang was…

nNothing.

nIt was like the sky was in front of Shang, and he felt like he was standing on top of a mountain.

nThen, he looked down, and he could finally see the Adamantite Behemoth Zone.

nHe could see the entire thing, which felt surreal to him.

nShang had been on a couple of skyscrapers before on Earth, and he knew how far he could see.

nBut in this world, the horizon seemed so much farther away.

nShang could see from one end of the Adamantite Behemoth Zone to the other, which was around 80 kilometers!

nAnd what did it look like?

nIt was one gigantic, circular, grey, and black crater.

nThere was no vegetation.

nNot even grass.

nThe group looked at the Adamantite Behemoth Zone in silence for a couple of moments.

nDuring these moments, Shang could see a couple of moving rocks and stones, which looked like tiny ants from his current position.

nHowever, Shang knew that these moving rocks were huge beasts with Metal Affinities.

nShang could also see many huge black holes that littered the surface of the crater. Many of them were hundreds of meters wide, and they looked like abysses from where Shang stood right now.

n“This Zone is Duke Mithril’s baby,” Duke Whirlwind said to Shang.

n“What’s that metal spire in the center of the crater?” Shang asked.

nIn the middle of the crater, at its deepest location, except for the holes, was a gigantic, silver spire. It was nearly a kilometer tall, and it was slightly bent. Several metal spikes poked out of the spire, which pointed to the sky, just like the spire.

n“That’s the Adamantite Behemoth’s horn,” Duke Whirlwind said with a smirk.

nShang took a deep breath when he heard that.

n“An old one?” Shang asked.

n“No, it’s current horn,” Duke Whirlwind said with a slight chuckle. “The ground in the middle of the Zone has been created by the Adamantite Behemoth, and it is nearly impenetrable for us humans. We assume that the Adamantite Behemoth is sleeping and that it created the wall of metal above it so that no one bothers it.”

nDuke Whirlwind only smiled. “Of course, trying to tamper with the layer of metal is forbidden. We can experiment a little bit, but we can’t do anything drastic. If the Adamantite Behemoth moves, an uncountable number of lives might be lost.”

n“One more interesting fact is the sheer amount of Mana the Adamantite Behemoth gives off.”

n“According to the readings, the Adamantite Behemoth might actually be even more powerful than the Storm Eagle, which is an astonishing accomplishment,” Duke Whirlwind explained.

nShang looked with widely opened eyes at the spire.

nThe Storm Eagle already counted as one of the most powerful Zone Beasts, but the Adamantite Behemoth might be even more powerful?

n“How long has it remained there?”

n“We don’t know,” Duke Whirlwind said. “It has been there for at least 2,000 years.”

n“2,000 years?” Shang asked in shock.

nThat thing hadn’t moved in over 2,000 years?!

n“What about… you know… the things?” Shang asked, trying not to speak of information that was too sensitive.

n“The things?” Duke Whirlwind asked with a confused expression.

n“What if one of the things appears in this Zone?” Shang asked.

nDuke Whirlwind looked at Shang in confusion for about two seconds until he realized what he meant.

n“Oh, those things,” Duke Whirlwind said.

nShang nodded.

nThey were talking about the Abominations.

n“The Empress Cobra deals with them,” Duke Whirlwind said.

nShang looked at the crater with intrigue.

nThere was nearly no hiding place for a beast with the Empress Cobra’s size, but it still managed to never be spotted.

nThe humans that had the luck of seeing the Abomination when it appeared probably only saw it vanish into thin air just a moment later.

n“By the way, can you see that castle two kilometers to the west of the horn?” Duke Whirlwind asked with a smirk.

nShang looked over, and he saw a silver castle adorned with an uncountable number of metal spears.

n“That’s where Duke Mithril lives,” Duke Whirlwind said with a smirk. “Quite reckless, isn’t he? If the Adamantite Behemoth decides to turn in its sleep, his entire castle would be flattened.”

nShang looked at the castle with a raised eyebrow.

nIt definitely was risky to live on the literal back of a Zone Beast, but Duke Mithril could probably also train his Metal Mana with incredible efficiency on that spot.

n“Alright, everyone,” Duke Whirlwind shouted. “Enough looking. Let’s continue!”

nThe others quickly went into their former positions, and everyone ran down the gigantic slope.

nIn the Storm Eagle Zone and Empress Cobra Zone, everyone had walked along the roads, which made their journey not as short as it could have been.

nBut in the Adamantite Behemoth Zone, there were no roads.

nIt was very similar to the Wasteland in the Storm Eagle Zone, which made roads basically unnecessary. The ground was very flat, and everyone could see basically everything around them.

nTraveling through this location was like playing with an open hand. Everyone could see everyone else’s cards in their hands at all times.

n‘Now, I can understand why that merchant wanted so much money for the Fire Ore back then,’ Shang thought.

n‘Not only did that guy have to travel through the dark Empress Cobra Zone, but he also had to travel through this dangerous Zone. There might not be any hidden dangers here, but there were plenty of open dangers. If a General Stage beast got interested in the merchant, he would die without expensive protection.’

nAfter having been to so many different Zones, Shang could finally appreciate how good the Storm Eagle Zone was.

nAs long as one kept to the road in the Storm Eagle Zone, nothing dangerous would happen.

nThe Ice Wyvern Zone was a little more dangerous in comparison. There were roads, but the nights were still dangerous.

nBut the Empress Cobra Zone and the Adamantite Behemoth Zone?

nThere was no safety without powerful bodyguards.

nA normal person would probably be seeking their death if they decided to travel in these Zones.

nAfter around ten minutes, the group arrived near the center of the Adamantite Behemoth Zone.

nAs Shang saw the horn pass him, he felt wonder.

nRight now, Shang was walking across the back of a Zone Beast.

nIt was an indescribable experience.

nIt was like he was nothing but an ant that was climbing over a rhinoceros.

nIt was a level of power that couldn’t be comprehended.

nDuke Mithril didn’t make an appearance. He probably wasn’t interested in talking to Duke Whirlwind.

nOne had to remember that, on the surface, the two of them were equals working for the same King, but deep beneath, the two of them were trying to kill each other.

nDue to the appearance of peace, Duke Whirlwind’s group hadn’t even been inspected when they crossed into Duke Mithril’s border.

nWhy would they?

nIf Duke Whirlwind tried to do something shady, Duke Mithril would be more than happy.

nAfter all, he could then directly accuse Duke Whirlwind in front of the King.

nIf Duke Mithril wanted, he could also simply waltz right into Warrior’s Paradise without anyone stopping him.

nHe would probably even get a respectful and warm welcome.

nOf course, many eyes were on the Dukes, and if they did something without any apparent reason, many questions would be asked.

nBecause of that, the Dukes had to always be careful about what they did at any given moment.

nThis time, Duke Whirlwind had a great reason for passing through Duke Mithril’s territory, but if he came without a good reason, Duke Mithril could probably frame Duke Whirlwind for something.

nThis was the world of politics, and outward appearances were imperative in such a world.

nIt didn’t matter what one did.

nIt only mattered how everyone perceived them.

nAfter another ten minutes, everyone reached the other side of the huge crater.

nBut before Shang could see the Thunder Horse Zone, he noticed that Duke Whirlwind started to frown.

n“Shang, listen to me,” Duke Whirlwind said.

n“Yes?” Shang asked.

n“While inside Duke Mithril’s territory, I can’t act suspicious. The shortest and safest route through the Thunder Horse Zone leads through the Spark Oasis, which is the biggest city in the Thunder Horse Zone.”

n“When we get there, don’t leave my side, and if I tell you to do something, you do it,” Duke Whirlwind said with severity.

nShang’s heart pumped.

nHe could think of a reason why the Duke was suddenly so serious.

n“The Thunder Horse is currently walking through the Spark Oasis,” Duke Whirlwind said.

n“And as far as I have heard, beasts are not the greatest fan of you.”

n