Saint Peru Valley runs east to west and is broadly divided into two parts.

The eastern canyon is the front half of the valley, with forests scattered throughout, and sporadic remnants from the era of the Xinsas Serpentfolk. The Mountain Palace of the old dragon Toragotos is located at the top of the mountain overlooking this part of the valley.

As for the latter half of the valley, it is the entrance to the Trial Grounds—the central district of the former Black Holy City of Xinsas, now dotted with broken walls and ruins. Due to the presence of these ruins, the forest has also become sparse.

Legend has it that when Fenris broke away from the Tarun Continent, the Black Holy City of Xinsas experienced a terrible earthquake, causing most of the city to sink underground, as a result of which the Green Dragon Mountain Range was formed. To this day, this ancient city still lies quietly asleep deep beneath the mountains, although the protective spells cast upon the city by the Serpent People Priesthood are still partially operating after two thousand years.

This just goes to show how powerful the Serpent People Priesthood, who led the Guda Suoke Lizardmen, were during the golden age of the Xinsas Empire.

Although they did not leave behind Alchemy Technology like the Numelin Elves, which still profoundly alters the power dynamics of this world today, the knowledge and traditions they left among the Lizardmen are no less influential than the impact of the Elves on Mortal Empires.

Between the eastern and western canyons lies the market established by adventurers in this locale.

Built on a square in the center of the ruins, people cleared the rubble to set up tents and engage in barter. Under the indulgence or shelter of Toragotos, it gradually gained in scale, outwardly resembling a small town.

Even due to the biannual trials, some semi-permanent buildings have emerged in the town, with some small guilds simply relocating their bases here as the location is safe and rich in adventurous resources within the Green Dragon Mountain Range.

However, now, this place is no longer as serene as it used to be.

Recently, people had noticed that the Puzzle Lock Barrier that Toragotos had set in place seemed to suddenly disappear. Members of the Blood Oath Alliance started attacking other players and even intended to clear everyone out of the town.

Under normal circumstances, perhaps these Free Summoners would have swallowed their grievances. However, this time was different.

Toragotos had just announced the tantalizing rewards within the Trial, with the Tirio Dragon Crossbows being the basic prize. Such generous rewards could make anyone envious. Moreover, everyone knew that once inside the Trial Grounds, Milaila's Semi-Divine Artifact would take effect; this adventure could be described as risk-free with immense returns.

Who could not be tempted?

More importantly, the Free Summoners were naturally at a disadvantage against the Grand Guild, but this time someone took the lead early on—Grant with half of the Rain Listener Guild. They were joined by various other big and small guilds and adventure groups that moved with them.

With these people leading, the Free Summoners naturally had more confidence and engaged in a tug-of-war with the people of the Blood Oath Alliance in the market. Neither side held back, and a fierce battle turned the newly risen town almost flat.

However, the two sides quickly reached a stalemate.

Inside the base of a small guild in the town—

This place was essentially just a small fortress with a perimeter wall. At the nod from the upper echelons of that small guild, the Rain Listeners had already taken over the fortress and re-equipped it inside out, using it as a temporary command center.

But the Rain Listeners thoroughly securing this place wasn't overdoing it; it was merely to prevent a sudden attack from the Blood Oath Alliance like before.

Inside the guild hall, Grant was all fogged up as he listened to others reporting the situation to him.

Honestly, he had considered the possibility that the Blood Oath Alliance might obstruct their entry to the Trial Grounds. Although he claimed to have that map in his hands, the hard-line approach of the Blood Oath Alliance might not work as he wished.

He and Fang Hong spoke optimistically, which was partly to stabilize the other party and partly to comfort himself.

But once such a situation arose, Grant naturally wouldn't just sit idly by; he had already arranged an alternative plan. To be candid, the current situation was a bit better than he had expected.

He hadn't expected the legendary Giant Dragon Toragotos to suddenly drop such a huge bomb at this time, causing utter chaos in the valley. The Blood Oath Alliance had no choice but to stop everyone preparing to enter the Trial Grounds.

This way, the potential opposing force they faced was much more substantial than just dealing with them alone.

He had clearly allied with other guilds and even gained the support of a considerable number of Free Summoners. They had launched two attacks on the Blood Oath Alliance's blockade but did not achieve the expected results.

Instead, a counter-charge by the opponents took away the central square they had barely occupied, almost forcing this allied force out of the market.

Although the Rain Listeners managed to hold their position in the end, this attack severely shook their morale. They were originally an alliance, each guild having its thoughts, and the Free Summoners were inherently ambivalent, constantly assessing their strength.

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