Chapter 399 - 339: Border Town (3)

Chapter 399: Chapter 339: Border Town (3)

"This is supposedly the local specialty. It smells okay—like milk, fruit juice, and grains mixed with some low-alcohol liquor. Give it a try."

Little Olga handed a drink to Lloyd, then took a small sip himself and nodded.

"It doesn’t taste bad, but the alcohol content is a little high. Be careful not to drink too much."

Then, he started sharing the information he’d gathered with Lloyd.

"Over the past two months, this inn has hosted a ton of tourists coming for the inheritance—way more than we expected. And the numbers are still growing. Like today, the rooms are completely packed. It’s made the whole town rich."

As Little Olga spoke, a disdainful sneer touched the corner of his mouth. He continued,

"So, that bartender just told me that Snowstorm Mountain Villa is real. He said he used to play up there all the time as a kid, and a kind, friendly old man lived inside who would always give him exquisite candies."

Lloyd nodded with a serious expression, indicating he understood the implication.

’Clearly, whether the inheritance is real or not, the people in this town are making a fortune. Of course they want more people to come looking for it.’

’As for whether those people can ever come back after they go, that’s something nobody cares about.’

’These people’s hearts are colder than the weather outside...’

"The bartender also said the mountain road ahead is treacherous. He recommended I hire the best guide and prepare plenty of supplies," Little Olga continued.

"The price must be steep, huh?"

"It is. About twenty times the market rate. But even so, people are still lining up to pay..."

"After all, compared to that inheritance, this expense is just a tip."

"See that table in the north corner? They hired a guide, but he’s using the bad weather as an excuse to jack up the price on the spot. Now they’re at a standstill."

As he spoke, Little Olga glanced back and jutted his chin in that direction.

There were five people at the table he mentioned. Only one was grabbing a local and arguing relentlessly, while the other four had already secretly tightened their grips on their weapons. Their faces were menacing, as if they could erupt into violence at any moment.

The local they were holding finally seemed to be intimidated. He quickly raised his hands in surrender and said they could leave immediately.

And so, the group gathered their gear and left the tavern, cursing under their breath.

At the table next to them, a few ’shady characters’ also quickly gathered their gear and followed the first group out.

’Lloyd had a feeling this second group’s target probably wasn’t the inheritance at all, but the first group...’

"This has actually formed some kind of supply chain? They say no one makes it out of Snowstorm Mountain Villa, but I’m starting to think that’s because very few people even manage to get there," Lloyd asked in exasperation.

"Yes. The situation here is more complicated than we anticipated. It’s gradually turning into a lawless land," Little Olga said, shrugging helplessly.

"It’s already like this, and the Sect still isn’t stepping in?"

"It’s difficult. I did some more digging just now. This town is even more remote than it looks on the map. The climate is harsh, and it’s stuck in a crevice between two cities. The roads leading up or down are both treacherous... So neither the City of Order nor the Eternal City is willing to invest their already limited manpower here. They’re definitely more focused on the Great Expansion."

Little Olga said this, then smiled, forcing out a piece of ’good news’:

"But on the bright side, with a hellhole like this, what kind of people do you think are showing up?"

His words made a lot of sense. The letter’s lure wasn’t that strong to begin with; an ordinary person could easily ignore it. Add to that the tight deadline and the harsh natural and social environment here, and anyone who could still reach Snowstorm Mountain Villa was definitely not going to be some innocent civilian.

Basically, only the truly greedy and vicious desperadoes could pass through all these filters to see ’uncle’s inheritance.’

’If people like that really never came back, it would actually be a good thing...’

"But the more it’s like this, the more we have to go up and see for ourselves," Lloyd added in a low voice.

Little Olga nodded firmly.

"Yes, my friend. We’re on the same page again. If these people don’t die in Snowstorm Mountain Villa but instead gain some kind of power there, the consequences would be even more unimaginable."

"But we can’t be the only ones who’ve noticed the hidden dangers here. See those investigator-types over there? One of them came over earlier and asked if I was here for the bounty."

As Lloyd spoke, he looked toward the investigators’ table. They seemed to sense his gaze and looked back, one even offering a polite smile that held no sincerity.

"They see us as competition," Lloyd said, turning his head back.

"I had a brief encounter with one of them earlier, but he didn’t mention a bounty. He only said they were from the City of Order..." Little Olga said, then asked in confusion, "But how did you know they were from an investigation team? I thought they were from some illegal Association."

"I have a Holy Artifact that gives me a bit of a [Wisdom]-type ability. The table in the corner behind you to the right, *they’re* the ones from an illegal Association."

Lloyd explained casually, then looked toward another table of Extraordinary Beings. All five of them were of the [Suffering] type.

This group had been secretly observing Lloyd and his companion from the very beginning.