When Rose and He’Er emerged from the crowded cabin onto the Land of Golden, months had passed, and this simple gulf once belonging to the Ogre Tribe had now transformed into something entirely different.
Natural harbor was almost filled with ships, with merchant vessels being loaded, and due to a shortage of labor for moving goods, even some privately armed forces with family crests on their leather armor joined in the effort.
Bundles of exquisite beast hides were casually tossed onto the decks of the merchant ships, then carried into the cabins by the shipworkers.
Crates of agate, conch, gemstones—resources once monopolized by the ogres and unable to be used—were gathered and sent onto the ships.
And those rare minerals like gold, silver mine, refined gold, cold iron, mithril, etc., still needed workshops set up on site, to undergo simple smelting and processing before being loaded onto merchant ships and sent to the Imperial.
Rose could even see plumes of thick smoke rising from the dense forest in the distance, unaware that those were the locations of the smelting workshops.
The endless forest, with its tall trees, was an inexhaustible supply of building materials, with log cabins constructed from sturdy logs lining the land of the gulf, even the forest near the gulf was cleared to create a vast open space.
The outermost perimeter was merely guarded with rows of sharpened wooden stakes as simple defensive measures, as this camp needed to expand periodically.
Large logs were simply stacked to form watchtower stations around the camp, with sentinels in leather armor wielding longbows standing guard, these were the elites of the nobility.
But there were no fixed patrol sentinels, as those adventurers roaming back and forth through the woods were the outermost patrol. They formed groups exploring the forest.
Should any unexpected situation arise, they would shoot the whistle arrow as a warning, allowing time for the people in the camp to respond.
At this moment, there weren’t many people left in the camp compared to the total, yet it was still lively. Those returning adventurers who had gleaned profits mingled with merchant-hired guards, chatting and laughing.
Boasting about how much bounty they procured today, this scene evoked a sense of being back in the Gata Empire for the two young ones.
It was already noon by now, and wisps of smoke began rising from the densely packed camp cabins, and Rose noted many women wandering in the homes from which smoke emerged.
Adventurers never took women with them during expeditions unless they were adventurers too, thus these women ought to be transient prostitutes.
Because the dwellings of those nobility and mages lay in the camp’s center, though made of simple logs, these houses appeared distinctively refined and imposing.
One could say, when it comes to the scent of gold coins, these women were as astute as the adventurers.
"Hey, two foolish newcomers, why are you standing here in a daze? Follow me, you’ve got to obey the rules upon coming here. I’ll explain the rules of this place properly to you, only costs Five Coppers."
An old man approached them. Those merchants had specific teams for reception, he couldn’t get in, so he aimed for these two young ones that looked rather naive.
Rose and He’Er exchanged a glance and trailed after the old man. After all, they were unfamiliar with this place, grasping more information was beneficial, and Five Coppers was a barely acceptable price for them.
"That is where the mage lords and nobility lords reside, do not casually bother them just on any day, or you’ll risk being caught by those guards and forced into labor, the camp desperately lacks people now."
After accepting Five Coppers, the old man dutifully led them to register at the camp while explaining the camp’s situation to the bewildered young pair.
"And remember, when registering later, you need to write down your skilled craft and your purpose here, tax and security payments have to be submitted each month at a proper ratio if you intend to keep living here."
Rose scratched his head, "But we just arrived, we don’t have any money for taxes and security fees, can we owe it first?"
"Hehe," the old man laughed, displaying his mouth missing several teeth, "the place is short on people everywhere now, even if you know nothing, having the strength will earn you money, those merchants and nobility are throwing around funds eagerly yet still need people."
"But if you plan on doing things on your own, delayed tax and security payments will increase proportionately. Better quickly make some money, or else be driven out to survive on your own in the forest."
"Also, it’s best not to provoke the nearby Centaur and Kobold, Green Goblins entities, those are..."
"Dragon..., that’s a White Dragon," a white Giant Dragon soared through the camp’s skies, with wings measuring up to eleven meters long casting a shadow over everyone’s heads in sunlight.
A Blue Dragon, larger in size, followed the White Dragon like a loyal guard alongside, its scales glistening bright blue like the color of The Sea.
The streamlined, robust muscles, solid dragon scales, and hefty dragon claw gleaming under sunlight attracted the unworldly youths.
Rose and He’Er widened their eyes, gazing up in awe.
"Tsk tsk," the old man shook his head, having grown accustomed to those startled stares of newly arrived to this place. He waited quietly for the Giant Dragon to pass and sink into the endless tall forest.
Then he addressed the two young ones who had come back to their senses, "That is the Dragon ruling this land, though still a Juvenile Dragon, it commands many clans of creatures as its Beloved. Even the powerful Blue Dragon is willing to obey its orders.
My advice for you is not to easily provoke the Dragon’s Beloved, that is the essential Law for surviving here."
The old man wasn’t sure when the nobility and mages formed an agreement with the Dragon ruling this terra, but everyone at the camp knew that the Dragon’s clan would dispatch members monthly to gather their due share of revenue from this camp.
Including simple forged weapons and iron arrows, and various refined minerals, surprisingly these Dragon ’Beloved’ were uninterested in treasures.
They viewed the crates of gemstones and gold coins with indifference, which shattered many’s stereotyped notions about Dragons.
Yet, there were avaricious adventurers who wished to seek the Dragon Treasure, a mere Juvenile Dragon and Young Dragon couldn’t stop them. Yet, inevitably they were discovered by goblins and kobolds inhabiting the woods surrounding the Dragon Nest.
Soon, Centaur Warriors equipped with refined ironware would rush out, slaughtering these foolish and greedy adventurers and hang them on the forest stakes.
Perhaps some lucky adventurers would reach the vicinity of the Dragon Nest Mountain Range, nonetheless, frozen sculptures and clusters reeking of ozone-marked charcoal revealed their reckless fate.
The two young ones nodded solemnly, considering it fairly worth the Five Coppers spent, though He’Er was suddenly struck by curiosity; he asked, "The White Dragon is so formidable, surely it has an impressive name."
The old man shook his head, murmuring, blowing through his gap-toothed mouth, "Who knows, I wouldn’t dare ask, but as the King ruling this land, everyone at the camp calls it the ’White King’!"