Chapter 39 — The Dark Mountains
Blade of Dawn · Page 3 of 3
Though magic had now calmed once more and the dark tide was confined to the Gondor Waste, humanity seemed content with its present borders of civilization. Add to that the decline of the Cecil family in the south, and to this day the Kingdom of Ansu had no intention of reopening this land.
The wagons and horses moved silently along the rugged, pitted road. Although Gao Yang's encouragement had worked on Hedy, the rest of the company could hardly keep from feeling uneasy. No one knew what would come of this march into the wildlands—not even with the great pioneer of seven hundred years ago leading them. Especially for the artisans drawn from the commoners and serfs, it was less a sense of glory that drove them than habitual obedience to their lord and a numbness toward life.
And so they pressed on along the riverbank, and three days later halted the column beside an open stretch of ground.
This open ground already pressed close against the Dark Mountains; in fact, it lay wedged between the river and the mountain mass, a narrow, elongated strip of small plain. Here the tributary of the Whitewater River widened slightly, its current slowing, and it flowed gently past the northern side of the Dark Mountains before emptying eastward into the territory of the Typhon Empire.
Facing south and looking up, one saw the magnificent and awe-inspiring Dark Mountains.
Gao Yang climbed onto a large rock by the riverbank and gazed over the surrounding terrain, comparing it with the satellite overhead view in his mind. He saw forest growing on the western side of the plain, mostly hard-timbered black fir and giantwood, which could serve as a valuable source of lumber in the territory's early days. To the east, the mountain mass jutted out somewhat, and if the memory of Gao Yang Cecil served him right, there should be iron ore there.
Besides iron ore, there were several other mineral deposits nearby—the Dark Mountains were truly a treasure land.
Back then, the pioneer company led by Gao Yang Cecil and Charles I had not lingered in the Dark Mountains, but they had still conducted basic surveys and prospecting along the way. Gao Yang knew every vein of mineral resources discovered along the pioneer route but left unexploited.
Since the Ansu royal house had abandoned all this, he would gladly accept it.
After surveying the terrain, Gao Yang jumped down from the rock and looked at Hedy. "You'll make camp here. Set up all the tents we brought, and have the soldiers escort the woodcutters into the forest to gather timber—but don't go too deep, in case of wild beast attacks. Don't worry about monsters. The Dark Mountains aren't as frightening as you imagine; the influence of the dark tide faded long ago. You'd only run into a monster if you wandered near a magic focal point. Apart from the timber crew, keep the rest of the labor force here to help build the camp for now. Rebecca, Byron, Amber—you three come with me."
Hedy blinked. "Ancestor, what are you..."
"To go and reclaim my inheritance."