Under the Red Dragon.

Chapter 57: Golden Land
No one knew when it began, but a rumor began to spread quietly among the common people of the Carthaginian Empire, that the young dragons who were captured and taken to the imperial arena to serve as gladiators owned the most fertile territories in the world.

The rain forest there is so lush that a tree that has grown for countless years can be used to build a small boat; the land there is so fertile that the crops planted there can be harvested four or five times a year;

There are so many species there that even the most despicable hunter can catch fat prey with simple traps and catch those stupid fat fish with his bare hands.

There are endless mineral veins there, countless precious ores exposed on the ground, gold and silver mines everywhere, and gems and agates are readily available.

Even the rivers flowing through the jungle are full of gold. You can get countless gold by simply catching the water flowing through the golden land downstream.

Although this rumor sounded too good to be true, many people who had seen the young dragon appear in the Imperial Arena inexplicably fueled these rumors.

Each and every one of them spoke in a very serious manner, as if they had personally experienced it in that faraway place.

These rumors were originally said to have come from the mouths of adventurers, who publicized their adventures in the crowded market every day.

And how to explore that golden land and then be lucky enough to pick up a piece of gold nugget as big as a human head by the river.

The real adventurers who originally did not believe in these rumors also began to clamor after seeing the huge gold nugget placed before them, and the increasing number of ships in the cities near the seaport of the Carthaginian Empire further confirmed their thoughts.

The ships were filled with people and various equipment for panning for minerals. The atmosphere on board was joyful and lively. After getting sufficient supplies in the harbor, they sailed around the harbor several times to declare their joy to everyone, and then headed all the way to the legendary dragon territory.

These adventurers were immediately excited. They quickly told each other and formed an adventurer's alliance to head to that rich place.

In this way, not only can we gather everyone's strength to protect ourselves, but we may also be able to occupy a rich place as a base.

As for those merchants and adventurers who had visited that place before, they thought that they had made a mistake in the direction of their exploration or had not gone deep enough.

After all, they had seen the situation in that place with their own eyes, so these people could not sit still and began to organize their own forces and prepare to go to that golden land.

Powerful merchants began to form their own fleets, recruiting mercenaries and explorers in the market as guards, and one ship after another followed the route of those pioneers and began to move towards the distance.

Some scattered gold diggers and adventurers rented relatively cheap small and medium-sized boats and followed the merchants' large ships.

Although it is dangerous for these small and medium-sized ships to sail on the sea, the adventurers don't care. Their desire for gold exceeds their cherishment of life. They are a group of people who exchange their lives for wealth.

Gold diggers’ understanding of life is no worse than that of adventurers. As long as there is a possibility of gold appearing, they will choose to give it a try, no matter whether that place is heaven or hell.

The people of the Carthaginian Empire, which was originally located in the north, were fond of martial arts and had strong martial virtues. Faced with the dangerous monster mountain range, there were always legends circulating about hidden treasures.

Therefore, there is a strong sense of adventure and atmosphere throughout the country, which further stimulates the enthusiasm of the people.

As this trend spread, it gradually spread from coastal cities to inland cities, and even the imperial capital Hobis in the southern center of the empire was affected.

This adventurous gold rush seemed to be driven by a mysterious giant hand, slowly sweeping across the entire Carthaginian Empire. In just a few months, it became popular throughout the country, and countless adventurers and businessmen began to head north.

When the ships with noble family crests and wizard emblems began to sail north, even the common people in the market became eager to join. For a while, the imperial ships were expensive, and there were even crazy adventurers who wanted to go out to sea in their small fishing boats in the river. As a result, they were overturned by the waves just after they went out to sea. Fortunately, they were close enough to the shore and saved their lives.

"Baklava, pumpkin soup! Come and take a look, they are delicious!"

"Fresh wheat bread, only two coppers."

“Arugula, carrots, chives…”

The crowded market was filled with all kinds of hawking voices to attract customers, and people were coming and going. There were not only many farmers and many residents living in the city, but even some nobles' stewards and servants would occasionally appear in this place.

Picky nobles always have some strange taste quirks, and maybe one day they want to taste the food of ordinary people.

In front of this crowded market there are some small mobile stalls, which are the first choice for those who do not have the ability to open a small restaurant but are very confident in their cooking skills.

Ross is one of them, although he is not open today.

Ross scratched his head. He was a little embarrassed to loudly attract customers like others did, so he just stood behind the stall in a daze.

He stares at the passers-by with his eyes, hoping that they can have a good eye and appreciate his excellent cooking skills and the fruits of his hard work.

"Ross, Ross," a young man squeezed out of the crowded crowd. Covered in sweat, he ran to the stall panting. This was his good friend, Hull.

Many of the food ingredients on his stall come from this companion, because this companion is an excellent hunter and has fluent skills in handling prey. The precious furs of many prey require excellent handling techniques to ensure their value.

"What's wrong, Hale?" Ross smiled innocently and handed over a glass of water. "What happened? Don't worry, tell me slowly."

Hey, hey, the young man named Hull took two deep breaths, took the cup and drank it all, then came over with a mysterious look on his face and said, "Rose, do you know the golden land that has been rumored recently?"

"Of course I know. This matter has spread throughout the capital." Ross scratched his head. "You don't want to take the risk to pan for gold, do you, Hale? Give up this idea. We know nothing about this."

"And even if that place is really full of gold, we can't find a ship to take now. The ships that can travel far have already been rented by others."

"Hehe, of course I'm not going there to pan for gold. That place may not be exactly what those boastful adventurers say it is."

"But with so many people going to that place, they must need to eat. Why don't we just open a small restaurant there? That way they can pan for gold and we can pan from them. What do you think?" Hull put his arm around his partner's shoulder and came up with an idea.

"That sounds good," Ross said with a hint of interest on his honest face, "but how do we get there?"

"Hey, well, I have a solution for this!"

(End of this chapter)