Child of Destiny

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After ending the call with Leonard, Shin quickly turned his head back to the others before saying. "We are climbing down the mountain, get ready to descend, and don't forget to maintain our formation."

Hearing those words, the other members of the group quickly moved to their respective positions before descending from the mountain.

They didn't encounter any kind of monster so far, but Shin made sure to keep their discipline. After all, they didn't know when they were going to bump into an unexpected situation, so it was better to keep vigilant at all times.

The discipline that Shin got during his training sessions since he was young was really paying off this time. Though, the other members of the group were practically suffering from how strict he was. Especially Chaotic Luck who was also keeping a separate formation for his undead monsters.

The Solaris Lich was slowly exhausting his concentration for keeping his summoned undeads organized. If not for the occasional rest that they were having, then the game most likely forced him to log out of the game for being mentally exhausted.

Fortunately, Shin was observant enough to notice his suffering, so he purposely picked a good time and place when taking a rest. It was for Chaotic Luck to properly regain some of his mental prowess.

After traveling for quite some time, Shin and the others finally noticed something strange. The fog in the area was starting to thin down while the temperature was also dropping at the same time.

"Did we finally arrive at the end of this wall?" muttered Shin softly, voicing out the thoughts that were running inside everyone's head.

He was partially right since they arrived on top of a deep cliff. And below it was the raging waves that were slamming on the cliff walls.

In front of them was a view of a vast ocean that was drawing the line of the horizon.

"So, this is the part of the 'Sea of Death' near the Saint Heaven Kingdom," muttered Shin after checking their location on the virtual map.

He then his gaze fell on the edge of the cliff before following it. He didn't even bother to look at the towering wall of ice since he already knew that it was only extending towards the opposite direction, closing the borders of the mysterious land beyond it.

"If you can't find any clue from the wall itself, then it is better if we take a different approach," muttered Shin before walking along the edge of the cliff.

The others were quite confused with Shin's actions but they still followed after him without asking anything. After all, no one would dare to question his decisions after personally experiencing the feats that he did.

Naturally, Cloe was an exemption. She quickly hopped her way beside Shin before asking. "Hey! Where are you going? Are you not going to investigate that wall anymore?"

Shin gave her a quick sidelong glance before continuing to move ahead. "As I said earlier, there is no purpose in investigating that wall anymore. We have already reached the end of its side, so we are most likely going to waste our time on the other sides of the wall if we continue investigating them."

"From what I can see, it is better if we wait for the others to find that historian before proceeding to the next part of the quest," he added after a quick moment of pause.

"So, where are we heading now?" asked Cloe out of curiosity.

"I am looking for a settlement around this area," answered Shin instantly, which shocked the others.

Well, that was a natural reaction. After all, they couldn't even find a single monster in the area due to the terrible environment, so it was even more impossible to find any people who would dare to live in this place.

Naturally, Shin was able to read what was running inside the heads of his teammates. So, he quickly explained. "Of course, it is impossible for anyone to live in the area near that ice wall. But the places a few kilometers from it are still habitable."

"Even in the real world, people are able to find a way to live even with the harshest environment. So, if this game was trying to replicate the real world, then it is possible for us to find a settlement around this area."

"Moreover, there are no monsters roaming around here, so it can be the perfect place to build a small town or village. Especially those areas beside the ocean. Who knows? We may even find a huge port around," he added with a tone that was slowly becoming excited.

Since she was very close with Shin, Cloe was able to notice the minimal changes in his mood. Given that, she couldn't help but squinted her eyes before asking with full suspicion. "Why do I feel that you are planning something again?"

"Come on! Spit it out and share it with us!" she added as her eyes turned sharp.

Seeing that she was able to see through him, Shin could only smile bitterly before replying. "Since you know me well, I am pretty sure that you already know what I am planning."

He paused for a moment to clear his throat before continuing. "You already know that I am looking for a perfect place to relocate the Calderock Town before promoting it into a city. And from the looks of it, this place suited my taste perfectly."

"Not only does it have a large high-level map beside it, but it is also near the 'Sea of Death' which has a high-level hunting ground of its own."

"One of them is for land while the other is for the sea. With these two regions, the resources that the places can get will definitely be abundant."

"With that reason alone, I am pretty confident that that city will become one of the best cities within the game," he added smirkingly.

Hearing that, Cloe immediately understood what Shin was currently planning. She also agreed with his plan since this place was definitely going to be a hot potato when they unlocked the region beyond the ice wall.

"That sounds like a good plan-…" she was about to praise Shin when she suddenly remembered the view on top of the mountain earlier. She then halted her tracks as she started organizing the ideas that flashed through her head.

Noticing her actions, Shin also paused his steps before turning to her. And when he saw that she was currently concentrating on thinking, he slightly knitted his eyebrows before waiting for her to finish.

Not long after, Cloe suddenly raised her head at Shin and looked at him with a brightened expression. "That's it!"

Shin was slightly taken aback by her actions and quickly asked. "What is it? Is that idea of yours that amazing for you to be that excited?"

Hearing that, Cloe nodded her head without any hesitation before saying with full confidence. "Yeah! It is definitely amazing!"

Shin was a little skeptical at her words since he knew her pretty well. This girl was pretty easy to please. Well, for him at the very least. So, he didn't put much thought into her words. "Alright, please tell me what it is. Share that brilliant idea of yours."

Cloe calmed herself down before voicing her thoughts. "How about building a city on top of a mountain?"

Right after those words left her mouth, the atmosphere surrounding the group suddenly turned odd as the others turned to Cloe with a weird expression on their faces. Even Shin was staring at her stunned.

Seeing that, Cloe couldn't help but pout her lips as she misunderstood that look that they were giving her. "Why? Is it not plausible?"

"I am just thinking that it is a pretty good idea since aside from being situated in between two high-level regions, it can also be a good tourist spot for the players that are not good at fighting and only want to enjoy the stunning view within the game."

"And I also want to share how I felt when we saw the view on top of the mountain earlier," she muttered softly as her voice slowly turned quieter with every word she said.

But to her surprise, Shin suddenly patted her head before saying. "What's with that look? Of course, your idea is brilliant!"

"Really!?" asked Cloe with an excited look on her face while waiting for Shin to praise her more.

"Yeah! I am not joking," reassured Shin before continuing. "What's more, I also heard from Big Sis that the virtual shops are also going to be available in the game after a week or two, so it is going to be perfect!"

(Will be explained in the later chapters)

"On top of that, we can also use the terrain of the mountain to our advantage. It can easily become a defensive fortress on its own," he added while wearing a huge grin.

The idea that they suddenly got started to take shape as a well-rounded plan.

...…...