Chapter 393: The Other Side of the Mountain

Beyond the mountains lies Delusional Land.

“Are you sure you’re not pointing in the wrong direction?” The group exchanged glances, looking at the Tiger Man’s raised arm. “Delusional Land? Those Tiger People came from Delusional Land?”

“Yes, that’s the place!” The Tiger People all nodded, confirming that their kinsman wasn’t lying or confused. “Haven’t you heard? A Caster recently established a territory there! We all think it must have been that Lord who did this to them!”

“I heard he has a good reputation, but most Mages have good reputations,” one Tiger Man muttered. “Who knows what kind of nasty business they get up to behind the scenes…”

Ron was speechless for a long moment. ‘Since when am I so evil?!’

“Have you been to Delusional Land and met this Lord?” Aive asked, her brow furrowed. Her tone held a hint of reprimand. “We’ve never heard of any Tiger People residents or visitors there.”

“You’re from Rose City, so of course you wouldn’t know,” a Tiger Man said as if it were obvious. “To be honest, we’ve never been there either, but we heard they have all sorts of races.”

“Think about it. Most territories are gathering places for one or a few races. How could they have every race? Unless… they’re just like Carolina, turning all the other races into slaves!”

“Right, right! I also heard they have very close dealings with Carolina!” This statement immediately earned nods of agreement from many of the Tiger People.

“It seems Delusional Land’s reputation is quite well-known,” Anastina said, glancing at Ron with a meaningful look.

She wasn’t worried that Ron would actually enslave other races like Carolina or the Hailan Empire. After all, there was a goblin standing right in front of them.

“Could it be… Jilannis?” Silvia leaned in and asked in a low voice. “We haven’t been around lately. Don’t tell me she’s gone off and done her own thing again?”

Although Jilannis was powerful and had done her best to absolve herself when recounting her past, the Hailan Empire’s “fine reputation” was known to all. It was hard to say that the Moon Elf Grand Mage wouldn’t do something she considered harmless.

“But this isn’t her field of research,” Ron said, shaking his head. “Jilannis isn’t some Wild Mage who just does whatever comes to mind. She’s formally trained—she’s practically become the definition of formal training.”

“Do you really think someone like her would start a whole new line of research on a whim? She’s the only one in her lab.”

“That’s true…” Silvia agreed with Ron. Even setting Jilannis’s profession aside, based on her race alone, Silvia found it hard to imagine a Moon Elf concocting something like the Strong Acid Tiger People, which went completely against Elven aesthetics.

She had seen the Gemstone Jilannis implanted in Ron, and also the Siren’s Song. Those kinds of gorgeous yet practical items were what Elves truly loved.

A group of Beastmen?

“Looks like we should go and confirm this,” Ron said after a moment of thought. He looked at the Tiger People on the ground. “Where is your den? Are there any other Strong Acid Tiger People?”

“There are no more! This was all of them, and they’re all dead right here!” the Tiger People hastily replied. “We live not far from here. Otherwise, they couldn’t have come so quickly to… get themselves killed.”

“Do you need me to escort you back?”

“No, no, no! Please, have mercy!” To the Tiger People, Ron’s polite offer sounded exactly like “I’m going to wipe you all out.” The Beastmen started begging, pleading with the powerful, mysterious Mage to spare them.

“We have elders and children to look after! Sick, toothless old tigers and cubs that haven’t even been weaned! We were forced into this line of work just to get something to eat! Please, spare us!”

“We swear we’ll be honest Hunters from now on and never get involved in this bandit business again!”

“If you could have been law-abiding Hunters, why were you charging a toll?” Victoria frowned. Although these creatures could barely be considered “Lawful,” charging a steep price of three Gold Coins per person was simply too much.

“I know the answer to that!” Delaford grinned. “Victoria, you don’t have experience with this. You have to hunt at the right time! In this frozen wasteland, where are they supposed to find enough prey?”

“Besides, they’re not the only ones affected by the lack of prey. The real beasts and monsters are also short on food. If the two sides run into each other, it’s far more dangerous than being a bandit.”

“Exactly!” The Tiger People looked at the hero who spoke up for them as if he were their savior. This wasn’t a city, so the goblin hadn’t hidden his race. The few things they had in common were enough for the Tiger People to feel a cross-species friendship for the goblin.

However, they were mistaken about one thing: Delaford wasn’t intentionally speaking up for them. He simply said whatever came to mind. If Ron ordered all the Tiger People to be executed, the Goblin Hunter would have gladly switched professions to become a butcher.

But Ron had no intention of wiping out these Tiger People—this wasn’t his territory, after all. Since he had already said he would let them go after they answered his questions, Ron planned to keep his promise.

“Aiksuuri, I’ll need you to go ahead and explain the situation to Jilannis and the others. Have them make preparations in case our territory is impacted.” Ron looked at Aiksuuri, who nodded. After transforming into a large, five-to-six-meter-long lizard, he immediately took to the sky and vanished from sight in moments.

“As for you, those who answered my questions will receive some basic healing, enough for you to carry your companions back. That is all. Victoria.”

The Priest stepped forward, and the light of Divine Magic gathered in her hands, providing the Tiger People with minor healing. Only after confirming they wouldn’t abandon their kinsmen there did Ron and the others get back into the carriage and continue their journey.

Leaving the highway-robbing Tiger People behind, the rest of the journey was so uneventful it was almost sleep-inducing. They encountered no further danger until Ron once again saw the silhouette of New Green Swamp Town.

“Ron! Ron’s back!” As the group disembarked, the wings of the young Black Dragon cast a large shadow over their heads. Aiksuuri, having returned several days earlier, had already relayed what he had seen and heard. As a result, when Ron’s party arrived, a slender figure was hovering in mid-air, gently drifting toward the carriage.

“Jilannis,” Ron said, nodding to the Elf Grand Mage. “Aiksuuri told you everything?”

“Regarding the Strong Acid Tiger People, yes,” the Moon Elf replied. Her lake-blue eyes were as still as an ancient well, but every word she spoke made Ron’s heart skip a beat. “I’m afraid I have some rather bad news for you.”

“I ventured to the Pollution Worm Demon’s village and communicated with her. She said that for some time now, many creatures from the other side of the mountains have begun migrating in our direction.”