Chapter 825: Western Exploration

Elsie led a team of people out, while Robb stayed in the chapel. Since his clothes were already soaked, it was pointless to seek shelter from the rain. Instead, he took advantage of the time to dig a large hole in the yard and set up a canopy above it. He filled the hole with water and used a fire spell to heat it up, turning it into a “hot spring.” With a cheerful smile, he jumped into the water.

Lilian looked around cautiously and, seeing that there was no one around due to the heavy rain, she quietly slipped into the water as well. However, she remained cautious and didn’t take off her wet clothes.

Robb exclaimed, “Hey, you brought your clothes in!”

Only Lilian’s head was above the water, and after looking around for a while to make sure it was safe, she pulled out a dress from the water.

Although Robb was flirtatious, seeing her actually do that surprised him, “Oh my Lilian, you’re becoming bolder. Wait a moment, I need to build a wall around this hot spring pool. Even though you can’t see anyone around, those Maya Eagle Warriors can hide in the jungle without being easily noticed by me. I don’t want you to expose yourself.”

Several hours later, Elsie and the team returned. Not only did the warriors come back, but they also brought back a large group of seemingly pitiful Maya people. Interestingly, most of them recognized the fugitive knight, indicating that they were also from the colony to the south.

Elsie approached Robb and reported, “Godfather, it’s people from the southern colony again. They are the same group as the Iron Horse Knights who harassed us last time. Their spies have discovered that we have a Saronite mine, and they also know that the Saronite shield and gauntlets worn by Kante are very powerful. That’s why they wanted to steal our ore during the rainy season.”

Robb nodded in understanding.

The fugitive knight approached, “This time, they came to steal the ore with a large number of Maya slaves. They want to force them to mine and use them as expendable resources, even if they die from the influence of the evil aura. It’s truly despicable.”

Robb sighed and shook his head, “Every penny earned by the colonizers is tainted with the blood of the indigenous people. Elsie, take care of these refugees. Give them some light physical work for now. Once their health improves, they can find other jobs.”

Elsie nodded and led the people away.

However, the fugitive knight approached again, “Godfather, we saw Miss Xuelu and the other two near the Saronite mine. We just fought together, but they haven’t planned to come back yet.”

Robb laughed, “Xuelu is just like that, always running around outside. When she gets tired, she will come back to tease me for a few days, and then she will go out again.”

Upon hearing the phrase “tease me for a few days,” the fugitive knight felt like he had consumed a billion tons of dog food and almost jumped up to complain. However, he forcefully held it back and whispered, “Miss Xuelu said they overheard the conversation of the people of Norma. They are venturing deeper into the inland of the Maya continent, westward.”

Currently, whether it’s the Gran or the Norma people, their exploration of the New Continent is still in its early stages. They have only explored a portion of the eastern coastal areas of the Maya continent and lack knowledge about the central and western parts.

Robb curiously asked, “Considering the current level of development of Norma in the New Continent, do they have enough resources to explore the west?”

It should be noted that Norma has only been operating in the Maya continent for about five years, and at this time, the construction of the colonies is still a mess. Where would they find the resources to explore the west?

Speaking of this, the fugitive knight had more authority to speak. He shook his head and said, “Indeed, Norma is still inexperienced in managing the New Continent. The coastal colonies are in ruins and far inferior in construction compared to the mining town of Westwind City. However, the higher-ups never intended to develop this side well; they only wanted to come here and plunder the resources.”

He paused and continued, “I received a letter from a friend in the colony a few days ago. They said that a command had just arrived from the homeland, instructing them not to limit their vision to the existing colonies but to search for rare minerals, gold, and gemstones. Once they find ore, they are to capture a large number of natives and force them to dig relentlessly, and then transport everything back to the homeland.”

Robb scoffed, “Ha! It’s a crazy form of plunderism, isn’t it?”

While he scoffed, Robb knew that such actions would indeed bring prosperity to the colonizers for centuries, but this prosperity would be built upon the suffering of others, which was very uninteresting.

The fugitive knight said, “This is probably one of the reasons why they want to steal Saronite.”

Robb nodded, “If they are going to explore the west, it’s actually a good thing for me. If they find any valuable minerals, can you find a way to let me know first?”

The fugitive knight replied, “I can!” Then, with a slightly embarrassed chuckle, he added, “If there’s enough money to buy intelligence, that is.”

Robb came to the New Continent primarily to find rare minerals and prepare for the Black Dragon battle. It’s now the summer of the year 1351, and there’s only half a year left until 1352, which is the next year the Black Dragon will appear. If he can’t gather enough good equipment before the New Year’s bell rings, there’s a good chance he won’t be able to kill the Black Dragon this year.

Therefore, his need for new minerals is quite urgent!

However, due to the limited involvement of Westwind City and the Kingdom of Gran, as well as the almost nonexistent map-making abilities of the Maya people, Robb’s progress in finding minerals on the New Continent has been far from ideal. Over the past few months, he hasn’t made any discoveries. Now, hearing that Norma is starting to explore the west, it’s definitely not something bad.

Robb doesn’t intend to steal Norma’s mines, but in the real world, minerals tend to coexist. If they find any minerals, there’s a good chance Robb can find similar ones nearby. So, it’s not a bad idea to follow along and seize any opportunities.

He patted the fugitive knight on the shoulder with a smile, “You’ve been with us for quite some time, and you should have heard from the merchants. Anyone who brings me strange and rare stones will be generously rewarded. When have I ever been reluctant to spend money? Just focus on spending the money and take care of your friends in Norma’s colony. If I get my hands on something good, there will be a great reward for you.”

The fugitive knight nodded in agreement, took some money, and secretly sent their trusted confidant back to the colony to contact their old friend.

Norma has been developing the New Continent for many years, with a large territory and numerous colonies. They have also created more maps. With such a wide dispersion, it will undoubtedly be easier for them to find minerals.