Chapter 357: Chapter 318: Long-Lost Old Friends, Guanzhong and Nate【5K】_1

Translator: 549690339

“City Lord, are you really here to take us back?”

Upon hearing Leo Ray’s affirmative answer, the white-haired elder leading the group trembled as he asked, and a tidal wave of emotions surged in his heart.

Throughout these years, he had only seen the familiar scenes of his hometown in his dreams.

Unexpectedly, it was precisely due to the appearance of this young man… No, this young City Lord, that his old bones could finally experience their dreams coming true!

For those who had left their homes for many years, this was an unparalleled grace.

“Absolutely.”

With a faint nod, Leo Ray looked at the aged and excited face and smiled, “Old sir, just leave it to us from now on. You don’t need to make a fuss. Just wait patiently.”

As he said this, Leo Ray bent down and said to the excited-looking Estelle, “Don’t worry, it won’t be long before I take you all home.”

After finishing speaking, Leo Ray beckoned and gathered Linda, Mason Banks, and Rhizoma Drynariae, who had been conducting investigations within the city.

At this point, the group of nine-strong experts who had come to this mission was reunited.

Upon arriving at Magnet Town, Leo Ray brought Rhizoma Drynariae, the commander of the Cyan Town Defense Army, because the commander of Magnet Town’s Defense Army was an old comrade of Rhizoma Drynariae.

Although the two had not been in touch in recent years, they might be able to provide some help.

So, after coming to this city, under Leo Ray’s command, the group was divided into two.

One group conducted investigations from Cyan Town residents’ perspective, while the other investigated from Rhizoma Drynariae’s old comrades and the other city residents’ angle.

Now, they reached a quiet spot in a desolate courtyard at the back, facing the cold wind that occasionally blew down from the white snowy peaks above.

First, Leo Ray repeated the information he had just obtained to the other three members of the team.

Then, he furrowed his brow and asked, “How about it? What did you find on your side?”

“My Lord, this Magnet Town is indeed extremely strange.”

Linda removed the hood of her Illusion Cloak, and her freckle-filled village girl face immediately became her refined, cool demeanor. She began, “Firstly, we noticed that in this city, besides the essential dining areas,

all the blacksmith shops, tailor shops, and inns have closed down. Dust covers their surroundings, so they obviously haven’t been in operation for a long time.

After inquiring, we learned that a few years ago, under the orders of the Magnet City Lord, almost all of the city’s inhabitants joined the mining effort, leading the entire city into a state of semi-paralysis.”

“Oh? It’s come to this point?”

Upon hearing this, Leo Ray’s face revealed a look of surprise as he paced by the dilapidated wooden fence and started to ponder.

Originally, he had thought that abandoning large amounts of farmland and turning farmers into miners was already a case of putting the cart before the horse.

Little did he know that the Lord of Magnet City had also mobilized nearly all the city’s blacksmiths, tailors, and a few other skilled workers to mine.

“Such action can no longer be described as a desperate attempt, but simply as madness.”

At this thought, Leo Ray’s expression grew more curious, and he quietly pondered, “What on earth does this Magnet City Lord want to do?”

“Could it be that the attraction of this ore vein has reached such a high level that even the city’s basics no longer need to be maintained?”

“If that’s the case, why did the former Cyan Town Lord give up mining in the first place? It’s simply baffling.”

With a slight sideways glancing, Leo Ray contemplated for a moment before asking, “Linda, what is produced in the mine?”

“My Lord, the mine produces a rather rare mineral called Blazing Crystal.”

On the other side, Linda respectfully saluted.

“Blazing Crystal?”

Upon hearing this, Scarlett blinked her big eyes and chimed in, “This is a fire-attribute crystal. Although it is quite rare, its limited applications seem to prevent it from fetching an extremely high price, right?”

“That’s right, and this is also the strange part of Magnet Town.”

Linda smoothed out her slightly messy hair and nodded, continuing, “This mineral’s price in the Coldflame Kingdom is only slightly higher than that of Light Crystal Stones, far from being considered expensive,

As such, it’s still acceptable as a side business, but it’s really hard to understand why they’re mining so recklessly without any regard for consequences.”

Undoubtedly, as the person in charge of managing Sanders’ Trading Conference, she was naturally well-informed about the prices in the Coldflame Kingdom.

“There must be some hidden secrets.”

After pondering for a moment, Leo Ray gazed up at the towering, snowy peak above his head and thoughtfully said, “I have to say, this Magnet City Lord is even more enigmatic than we thought.”

After saying that, Leo Ray turned to the Cyan Town Defense Army Commander and asked, “Rhizoma Drynariae, how is your old comrade?”

“My Lord, when I met him, he was on duty at the city gate. Due to the presence of soldiers from the so-called Mine Defense Team, we didn’t chat much but made an appointment to meet at the edge of the slum’s entrance at noon.”

With a step forward, Rhizoma Drynariae respectfully raised his fist and saluted, “Furthermore, my old friend has an honest and straightforward character who rarely beats around the bush, so we should be able to obtain some new clues from him.”