Starting Unlimited Evolution from Grinding

Chapter 355: Submitting the Mission, a Gift from the Association Headquarters?

After leaving the snowy mountain, they embarked on the journey to the Royal Capital of the Lonia Kingdom.

Although Lin Mo very much wanted to hurry back to the Doria Kingdom early to start forging the new mithril gloves, the mission on the Lonia Kingdom side still had to be submitted at the Adventurers' Association branch in the Lonia Kingdom.

Speaking of which, the plan previously devised by that kid Edgar's father, the forging master Andre of the Preston Trading Guild in the Doria Kingdom, required an ordinary Mountain Giant's Heart.

Although the Mountain Giant race indeed possesses a trace of bloodline from the ancient Titan race flowing within their bodies, it is extremely thin, so thin it's practically negligible.

A Mountain Giant's Heart like that is just a somewhat special Exceptional-Grade material.

But the one currently in Lin Mo's hand is clearly not in the same league at all.

Could Andre truly handle such a material that approaches the Legendary Level?

The answer was most likely negative.

However, regardless, the Spirit Vein Mithril was still with him for now, and as a professional, even if Andre couldn't use this Mountain Giant's Heart to forge a weapon, he should have some ideas, perhaps even use his connections as a blacksmith to introduce Lin Mo to more formidable master smiths.

...During the journey from Frostbreath Snow Mountain to the Royal Capital of the Lonia Kingdom, Lin Mo didn't waste time either. Meditation and the development of the Portable Space continued. Simultaneously, he also spent time studying the Ice Dragon statue currently placed within the Portable Space.

This statue was constructed using the material of the Dragon King's Throne, and what was used to build the Dragon King's Throne was obviously no ordinary thing.

This material was overall ice-blue, possessing a semi-transparent quality, with faint, flowing radiance shimmering upon it. Within, the Ice power originating from that Ice Dragon King still coursed.

Lin Mo had tested the hardness of this material, starting from a relatively conservative, cautious approach, gradually becoming more unrestrained, to finally giving it his all...

The result was just like back with the Mountain Giant. Even with Lin Mo's current strength, using every trick up his sleeve and unleashing his strongest dual-attribute Magic Sword skill, he still couldn't leave even the slightest mark on this material!

The hardness of this thing was ridiculously exaggerated.

Extremely high hardness, coupled with quite good magic conductivity...

"The question is, what about this material's ductility and malleability?"

Flora said thoughtfully, looking at the ice dragon before her. "Currently, we can't find any way to confirm this. If this material also possesses decent toughness and ductility, then perhaps it could be used as the material to forge the Magic Sword you desire!"

She hadn't forgotten the discussion about the Magic Sword she had with Lin Mo back then.

That was undoubtedly the most suitable weapon for Lin Mo.

But at that time, even with her knowledge, no material in this world existed that could meet the conditions.

Now, however, this ice dragon before them seemed to hold that possibility...

Humanity's understanding of the Dragon Race was very limited.

After all, they were the strongest race on the continent. Although their numbers were few, the combat power of each dragon was terrifyingly formidable.

An ordinary adult dragon was also at the pinnacle among Epic Level magical creatures, equivalent to a human hero-level peak expert.

Moreover, for a hero-level peak human to want to defeat a dragon was undoubtedly a pipe dream.

Even with eight humans against one dragon, they could at best barely suppress it. If the dragon didn't want to fight, it could leave at any time; there was simply no way to keep it there.

The title of 'strongest creature' wasn't undeserved.

Flora's words made Lin Mo's eyes light up.

Indeed, this material had an extraordinary origin. Perhaps it really could be used to forge his ideal "Magic Sword."

However...

So far, he couldn't even leave a mark on this statue... Based on this inference, even a hero-level expert probably couldn't do much to this thing. Wanting to use this material to forge a weapon would likely have to wait a while longer.

With the existence of the Portable Space, time during the journey now passed very easily and pleasantly. Before they knew it, they had arrived at the Royal Capital of the Lonia Kingdom.

Lin Mo's goal was very clear. After entering the Royal Capital, he headed straight for the Adventurers' Association.

Pushing open the door of the Adventurers' Association, it was already evening. The number of people in the association was quite substantial, so they had to queue for a while before finally reaching the counter to prepare for mission submission.

The few C-rank missions from before were straightforward; just submit the materials directly. The B-rank missions were similar, all relatively simple procedures.

As for the final two A-rank missions...

Upon learning he still had two A-rank missions to submit, the counter staff directly notified their superiors. Adventurers' Association personnel quickly arrived and invited Lin Mo's group to a reception room on the association's upper floors.

The person responsible for receiving him was an association steward.

Perhaps because of the traitor steward they encountered back in the Millennium Cold Cavern, Lin Mo's impression of the profession of Adventurers' Association steward wasn't very good.

But the steward before him seemed like a decent person, proper in demeanor, neither arrogant nor humble, appearing quite reliable.

After a few simple pleasantries, Lin Mo didn't drag it out. He directly retrieved the Mountain Giant's Heart from his Portable Space.

"This item should be sufficient proof of mission completion."

After saying this, Lin Mo immediately put it away again. After all, this Mountain Giant's Heart was quite special; it was better to let as few people see it as possible.

The steward before him certainly noticed that the Mountain Giant's Heart Lin Mo just took out was extraordinary, but he didn't ask further. Since the other party wanted to treat this as an ordinary mission submission, he would naturally handle it by the book to avoid unnecessary complications.

Adventurers often encountered special situations during adventures that exceeded mission descriptions or original plans, potentially facing dangers or obtaining even more precious treasures. At such times, if the adventurer didn't bring it up proactively, the Adventurers' Association generally wouldn't inquire too much.

This was a kind of unspoken rule between adventurers and the Adventurers' Association, a tacit understanding both sides had reached over many years.

The Adventurers' Association was undoubtedly a top-tier force on the continent, but this organization differed from forces like the Holy Light Church. Its strength didn't come entirely from itself but from the extremely vast number of adventurers in this world.

Therefore, what the Adventurers' Association valued most was its reputation.

Once the association's reputation suffered, triggering widespread dissatisfaction among adventurers, the association's status and authority would consequently decline.

"Then, there's still the final mission... Regarding that mysterious deep valley deep within the Millennium Cold Cavern, did you discover any related information during this visit?"

Lin Mo nodded. "I did see that deep valley, and I even entered it, reaching a relatively deep location."

The steward before him immediately showed an expression of surprise, even disbelief.

That deep valley was extremely mysterious and dangerous. Ever since that hero-level adventurer entered it before and suffered a Waterloo, very few adventurers dared to investigate that place anymore.

Even other adventurers with hero-level strength didn't dare venture in recklessly, fearing they might end up like that unfortunate fellow, left with a crazy, deranged affliction.

The mission issued by the association only asked adventurers to confirm whether that deep valley was open and to conduct a simple investigation in the shallow areas.

Regarding Lin Mo's words, this steward's first reaction was doubt. After all, the adventurer before him looked far too young, his rank was only Silver Level, not even Gold-level.

But thinking of that Mountain Giant's Heart he just took out, he also understood this was no ordinary Silver Level adventurer. So, he set aside his slight doubts and asked softly, "So, were there any gains?"

"Yes, naturally there were."

Lin Mo nodded. "First, I think the association itself has a certain misjudgment about the existence of this deep valley. It might not open periodically, but rather exists constantly, only sometimes it might not be visible."

"Oh?"

The steward before him frowned. "Could you elaborate?"

"I only realized this after entering deep into the valley... At that moment, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed, as if being transferred to another space. I imagine there are often reports of adventurers disappearing in the deep regions of the Millennium Cold Cavern, right?"

"That is indeed the case."

The other party nodded. "Different from the recent disappearance incidents in the front and middle sections of the Millennium Cold Cavern, the Adventurers' Association had previously investigated the disappearance incidents in the deep parts of the Millennium Cold Cavern but found no trace at all."

The former had clues to follow and the possibility of human involvement, but the latter was incredibly mysterious and bizarre. Even investigation personnel dispatched by the Adventurers' Association had disappeared. After that, the association chose not to continue the investigation.

"Regarding what you mentioned, I also have information."

Lin Mo looked directly at the steward. "The recent series of disappearance incidents in the Millennium Cold Cavern were not accidents or natural phenomena within the Secret Realm, but were orchestrated by people."

The steward before him stood up directly. "Is that true?!"

Recently, the most headache-inducing issue for the nearby Adventurers' Association branches was the adventurer disappearance cases within the Millennium Cold Cavern, especially after discovering the possibility of human involvement.

If this matter couldn't be resolved properly, it would undoubtedly affect the Adventurers' Association's credibility. By then, if the headquarters held them accountable, the association branch in Frostbreath City would definitely be in trouble, and they might also suffer some repercussions here.

"Of course it's true. After all, we directly encountered those people ambushing adventurers."

Lin Mo glanced at Flora beside him. Without excessive explanation, he let Flora take out the previously recorded magic images.

The images began to play. Looking at the somewhat familiar figure in the footage, the steward before him was utterly shocked. "It... it's actually him?!"

He never imagined that this matter causing the association such a headache was actually done by one of their own!

"The Adventurers' Association is a very extensive organization, scattered all over the world. It's inevitable that there will be some loose management issues; that's actually not strange... However, I think since such a thing has happened, the association should take it seriously and conduct self-investigation. After all, this matter isn't just personal behavior driven by selfish desires; it also involves necromancers!"

The steward before him nodded solemnly. "This is a major dereliction of duty by the association. We will report it."

Fortunately, the incident didn't occur in their branch but over in Frostbreath City. Once the specific culpability is determined, the higher-ups likely won't vent their anger on them too much.

"Thank you very much for providing this crucial intelligence for this incident. I will go request instructions from the branch manager shortly, recording this as an A-rank mission to add to your and your team's records. Also, after the matter is reported, the association headquarters should provide you with an additional token of gratitude, though this may require some waiting time."

Lin Mo waved his hand, indicating he understood.

"Let's continue with the mission matter... Regarding that deep valley, I discovered a very important piece of intelligence within it."

As Lin Mo spoke, he took out a memory stone, projecting an extremely brief image.

In that image, in the far distance, appeared a dragon sculpted from ice!

Because the distance was too great, it appeared somewhat blurry, but simultaneously, the surrounding environment could also be clearly seen—it was indeed a deep valley.

That was, of course, an image Lin Mo carefully selected for distance and angle. It was somewhat vague, a bit blurry, but precisely because of that, it appeared more realistic.

After all, upon seeing something like that, normal people wouldn't dare get close.

The steward, having seen information about that deep valley, immediately determined this image was undoubtedly from that mysterious deep valley!

Within that deep valley, there actually existed such an ice dragon?

Even though the ice dragon in the image was very blurry, one could still vaguely make out its tall, majestic form and powerful curves, just like...

a real dragon.

Perhaps, it was a dragon! A dragon encased in ice!

Seeing the shock and excitement in the steward's eyes, Lin Mo smiled slightly.

Clearly, this image was sufficient as proof of mission completion, even more than enough.

As for whether the association would continue to investigate the deep valley later, and whether they would find the ice dragon statue upon entering, that had nothing to do with him. After all, magic images couldn't be faked, his mission was already completed, and the rewards were secured.

Besides, with such a wonder, it's quite normal for changes to occur, right? If you don't find it the first time, search a few more times; maybe you'll discover it then?

With the mission handover complete, the steward took the two images to find this branch's manager.

Perhaps because there were many matters to process and discuss, it indeed took a considerable amount of time.

During this period, the association also arranged for staff to bring snacks and tea, inviting them to dine at the association, but Lin Mo politely declined.

He still preferred eating meals from home.

Lena's culinary skills were now exceptionally superb. Plus, the ingredients used were of high quality. Ordinary restaurants, even the association's meals, couldn't compare.

Moreover, eating in the villa within the Portable Space felt more like home, very warm. Everyone could chat and laugh freely, feeling more relaxed.