While Elizabeth waited for his report, she retrieved a scroll from one of the bags. Unfurling it revealed a comprehensive map of the region. She quickly found where the Mordrigan Peaks was and furrowed her brow. It was essentially blank, which was somewhat surprising. The map she held was not the typical streetside ware that anyone could buy. It was the best map she could obtain with her authority! Even then, there was little information about these mountains. This emphasized the difficulty and danger in exploring here. She sighed. She wanted to find Nassandra regardless. That much was certain. Except this matter needed to be handled carefully. Without any information, they would have to search blindly. She did not want to endanger anyone else.
"Shirley, you've been here before. Which mountain did you stay at?" she asked.
"Hmm…" The girl leaned over and pointed at the map. "I believe it was this mountain, the Fourth Peak."
Elizabeth frowned. "We're at the foot of the Third Peak. The Fourth Peak is on the opposite side. Did you visit any of the other mountains?"
"My teacher said I shouldn't move around much. I mainly stayed at the foot of the Fourth Peak."
"You never went up the mountain?" Benedict was curious. "Is it dangerous?"
Shirley smiled wryly. "I travelled up the waist one time, and you wouldn't believe it. I saw the biggest wolf pack ever! There were hundreds of young and healthy wolves moving together. It was like an army of wolves! The ground shook under their stampede, and their howls were so loud that it hurt my ears. I was lucky that I noticed them early, so I could run away in time. After that, I promised never to go back up the mountain."
"Hundreds of wolves?" Yuna whispered fearfully.
The Arcane Knights and Grand Knights had dark expressions. They were probably some of the strongest and most talented people in the world. In any battlefield, they could easily become the trump cards of any army. They held their heads high. Out of tens of millions of people, they stood out with their extraordinary abilities! It was not easy. Who knew how many people they stepped on to arrive at their places today? But despite that, despite all their strength, they did not have the confidence to defeat a wolf pack with hundreds of wolves. Wolves were different from humans after all. They ran on four legs, had sharp claws and teeth, and possessed superior stamina, speed, and mobility. Although humans had weapons and armor, all it took was one swipe and they would be gravely wounded. In a situation where they had to fight hundreds of enemies, mistakes were inevitable. They could easily die! Many had the urge to retreat already.
Freon felt his chest tighten. "My sister doesn't have any survival experience. We need to find her quickly. Where is that cursed fucking bird?"
As if on cue, Elder Unvo landed with a blast of snow and wind. The snow splashed onto Elizabeth and the others. They cleaned themselves unhappily. Elder Unvo turned to Freon, his bird eyes sharp as daggers. Freon's heart leapt, and he staggered back two steps. The bird must have heard him. This was bad. If his cursing angered the bird and Elder Unvo decided not to help because of it, then he would be full of regret! The air was tense, but fortunately, the bird seemed to move on.
Elder Unvo spoke, "I found traces of that human girl."
Freon's eyes brightened, while Elizabeth perked up. She shouted, "That's great! Can you bring her back?"
"Her traces lead into a cave that goes underground. I can't follow her," he said bluntly.
"That's fine. You've done more than enough. Tell us where this cave is, and we'll find her ourselves!" Elizabeth exhaled. The group's mood shifted for the better. They saw hope!
"I didn't finish yet… I recommend you leave."
"What?" Freon croaked, his smile stiffening.
"We're not giving up on Nassandra!" Shirley replied in a strong tone.
"That's right," Benedict supported, while Yuna nodded furiously.
Elizabeth frowned. She had a bad feeling about this. "What's the reason, Elder Unvo?"
"This is a natural formation, and not an ordinary one. It's a One Summit Three Kings natural formation!" he answered seriously. He expected to see their surprise, fear, or even despair. Their faces would have been amusing, except… he was left disappointed. Elizabeth and the others were confused.
"What is this… natural formation?" Elizabeth asked slowly.
The bird was stumped but on second thought, it was not that surprising. Back then, humans were ignorant about something as simple as Martial Energy. Not knowing about natural formations was somewhat predictable. He collected his thoughts and explained, "Natural formations are special arrangements of heaven and earth. They can be mountains, rivers, or even clouds and stars. The key here is that their arrangement can produce incredibly unique and rare environments, not found anywhere else. Hmm… For example, there is the capital city of the Zino Kingdom, Firecast. A grand Asaparagon Tree lives at the center, so there is a higher density of World Energy around it. It can be considered a partial natural formation."
Elizabeth immediately thought of her home, New Havens. It was a floating island in the sky, which seemed to match Elder Unvo's description. The fact that it could fly and hide itself was still a mystery. Did that mean her home was a natural formation too?
Elder Unvo continued, "A One Summit Three Kings natural formation refers to the four mountains, and its effect is to nurture wild beasts. They will grow, fight, and reproduce at an extremely high rate! It becomes a sanctuary for beasts to thrive."
Everyone remembered what Shirley said, that she encountered a terrifying wolf pack with hundreds of wolves. That matched with what Elder Unvo said.
"Is that it?" Elizabeth was confused. Yes, a wolf pack on that scale certainly sounded scary, but that was only because her side was unprepared. Once she went back and gathered more soldiers, they could sweep through the mountains unhindered! Humans were blessed with intelligence and wisdom. They could plan and scheme! Wild animals simply could not compete against them in this regard. The threat of the mountains was not that great in her mind.
Elder Unvo snorted. "If it were only that, it would not be called a natural formation! The greatest ability of One Summit Three Kings is the ability to nurture Rank 3 Beast Kings!"
Elizabeth's eyes almost popped out. A Rank 3 Beast King? That was unthinkable! There were only two Rank 3 Kings in the human world right now. They were the Sword King Sin Quelldown and Protector Avin Arcellius. They were publicly recognized as the strongest people in the world! But to think that this random inconspicuous mountain in the middle of the Zino Kingdom actually had an existence on par with them! How could she not be shocked? However, she quickly calmed down. She realized the likelihood must be low, if not zero. After all, there were many villages and towns nearby, like the one they came from. If there was some powerful monster here, then the Zino Kingdom would have learned about it already.
As if hearing her thoughts, Elder Unvo agreed. "The chance of a Rank 3 Beast King is low, but the same could not be said about Half-Rank 3 Beast Kings! This is the beauty of the One Summit Three Kings natural formation. When two animals fight, it is a contest of strength and cunning. The weak are culled, and the strong can only grow stronger, or risk dying. Through this intense competition, Beast Lords are born. Rank 2 Beast Lords can command an army of beasts like natural nobility. Here, this aspect is elevated to an extreme level! There is plenty of Beast Lords and, with limited resources, they fight constantly. If a Beast Lord can successfully set itself apart, and dominate one of the three shorter mountains, they would have the strength of a Grand Rank 2 Beast Lord, or a Half-Rank 3 Beast King!"
"That means there could be up to three Beast Lords at once," Elizabeth replied with an ugly face.
"That's why I recommended you to leave. Even I don't have the confidence in fighting a Rank 2 Beast Lord now. You and your companions are barely Rank 2 Lords. You would be slaughtered without the chance to resist!"