Before Gong Qiying and the city lords devised the grand strategy to reclaim the warrior spirit for the nation, it was necessary to understand the specific circumstances of the Warrior Country.

Among the numerous Dungeons within the Warrior Nation, excluding the absent Red Teeth, the most seasoned was surprisingly the Dungeon Lord of Giant Stone Dungeon, Panson.

Thus, the task of explaining the customs and traditions of the Warrior Country naturally fell on his shoulders.

Panson gazed affectionately at the delicious rock Gong Qiying had given him, grumbling reluctantly after devouring two pieces:

"Gedwin, you really made some pure stuff, it’s never enough."

"If you like it, I have plenty more," Gong Qiying smiled like a sinister alchemist.

The Gladiator sitting beside them impatiently remarked, "You’re here to work, not to mooch off food and drink."

Panson immediately showed a simple smile. His demeanor reminiscent of rough, large rocks, he finally got to the point.

"As for the Warrior Country, this nation has two special characteristics."

"First, the greatest belief in this country is the War God, and under the blessing of the War God, the citizens are born with outstanding combat talent, and physical abilities that surpass ordinary people. Moreover, there’s something you might not know, Gedwin."

As Panson spoke, he took another bite of the delicious rock, and with a contented expression, he said:

"In recorded history, half of the heroes who successfully killed the Demon King came from the Warrior Country!"

"Half?" This indeed was something Gong Qiying hadn’t uncovered.

On the continent where humanity resides, there are more than a dozen small and large nations. When a Demon King is born or revived, almost no country fails to produce individuals possessing hero strength, but only those who finally slay the Demon King are labeled as true heroes, the so-called real heroes.

If the Warrior Country truly produced half of the real heroes in history, merely calling these people "rich in martial excellence" might not suffice to describe them.

Gong Qiying’s thoughts suddenly diverged a bit; if the Warrior Country produces real heroes in abundance, thinking oppositely...

Wouldn’t this nation become a thorn in the side for the Demon Clan?

"Other heroes awaken by unlocking their potential, but those in the Warrior Country are unique as they can both unlock potential and receive the War God’s blessing, a dual enhancement, naturally making them stronger."

"But because of the current wretched atmosphere in this country, not a single hero has appeared so far, and the spotlight was stolen by a hero from the Yanor Kingdom recently," the Gladiator interjected with frustration.

The current bad atmosphere in the Warrior Country has stopped the War God from bestowing his blessing, preventing the emergence of heroes.

Gong Qiying made a summary in his mind.

"The other unique aspect of the Warrior Country is their dragon culture."

Panson reached for the remaining delicious rock, only for the Gladiator to whisk it away along with the tray, forcing him to continue somewhat aggrievedly:

"Many countries possess cultures that coexist with powerful creatures; however, the Warrior Country is especially fierce, living alongside dragons."

"Legend states that dragons include Four-legged Ancient Dragons and Two-legged Flying Dragons, and their relations are unfriendly, often engaging in battles. Yet the dragons within the Warrior Country are quite unique. They are descendants from the union of Four-legged Ancient Dragons and Two-legged Flying Dragons."

"So how many claws do they have, three or five?" Gong Qiying asked curiously.

"No, some have four legs, some two, and they even form factions leading to internal squabbles over claw count."

"...Unbelievable."

"Currently, the total number of dragons within the Warrior Country is fewer than two hundred, including those with lower intelligence. It’s likely due to their mixed blood that their offspring exhibit varying intelligence levels. The highly intelligent ones can communicate like normal humans, while the less intelligent ones resemble more spiritual beasts. The former can even assume official positions within the court, while the latter can only serve in the military."

"Dragon power aids the Warrior Country’s military in producing elite Dragon Blood Warriors or Dragon Knights and offers many other advantages, embedding dragon culture deeply into all aspects of the Warrior Nation over time."

After finishing, Panson took a sip of water, saying, "That’s about it, the rest are things you probably already know."

"You forgot to mention something," the Gladiator added, "there hasn’t been a new Dragon Knight in a long while; all rely on the old ones."

"Is there any reason for that?" Gong Qiying asked.

"The birth of a Dragon Knight requires mutual affection between a human and a dragon, but now people are so cowardly that dragons don’t even bother looking at them!" The Gladiator spoke with strong personal emotion.

After listening, Gong Qiying thought for a moment and shook his head.

Just hearing this still didn’t help devise a strategy in his head; fundamentally, understanding of this country remained superficial.

To learn about the external intelligence, a crucial way for the city lords is eavesdropping on adventurers’ conversations during dungeon ventures.

Gong Qiying’s idea was to observe firsthand once more adventurers from the Warrior Country entered the Sain Dungeon, after which he could propose specific operation methods.

"Let’s call it a day," he said, "I’ll write to you once I’ve come up with ideas."

"Yes, we await your good news."

The Gladiator rose to leave, then suddenly asked, "By the way, do you still want the Glory Stele permissions? If so, have Youlesa share them with you sometime."

"No rush, sorting out matters here first is the priority."

"It’s up to you, brother!" Before leaving, Panson enthusiastically patted him on the shoulder.

Watching the two city lords leave, Gong Qiying pondered in the now-empty room briefly before resuming modifications and construction in the dungeon.

Time flew by, two days later.

Black Stone City, inside Count Gehard’s castle, within the count’s study.

"Are you saying that Tepi found a mine abundant with Forging Stones and various other minerals? Those are quite valuable treasures."

Count Gehard sat at the desk, listening to the reports of a person dressed in black, whose face was concealed. Beside him was a secretary responsible for noting down the conversation.

This person in black was a spy he had planted by Tepi’s side, judging from the person’s hefty build, one of Tepi’s personal bodyguards.

"Yes, Count Lord. I personally saw Tepi bring back many minerals from Sain Dungeon, including kinds highly sought after in the market. He said such items abound in the mine, impossible for one person to transport all by themselves," the spy reported.

"Damn it, I knew this old man had a hidden trick. If he brings out that mine, wouldn’t he definitely win against me!" Gerhard slammed the table fiercely.

Due to the Giant Stone Dungeon, Black Stone City is rich in minerals. The related prices are quite affordable, but affordable only applies to the common minerals.

The items produced by the Sain Dungeon are ones that no other dungeon possesses. Once their effects are recognized, given their rare production — only found occasionally by adventurers in their exploration, unlike the fixed mining points in the Giant Stone Dungeon — their prices naturally soar.

If Teppi reveals a fixed point for Sain-type mineral production, he would practically be guaranteed a win!

"So where’s the location? Have you found out where the mine is?" Gerhard asked eagerly.

The spy sighed deeply, a sigh that sank Gerhard’s heart to the bottom. "Didn’t find out?"

"It’s my incompetence. Teppi is tight-lipped about this. I only eavesdropped a bit when he discussed it with General Uffie, and I almost got caught."

"Even a little information is fine, tell me quickly!"

"Then I’ll say it."

The spy said, "I only heard the words lake, ruins, and teleportation trap, and nothing more after that."

Gerhard did not continue to blame the spy; it was already not easy for him to hear that much.

He propped up his chubby face, lost in thought. Lake, ruins, teleportation trap... how should these words be pieced together? It’s best to conduct an on-site investigation to be sure.

Don’t be fooled by the scantiness of these words; they already provide a very clear direction. If he finds a similar target, he’s bound to discover it.

"You’ve done well."

Gerhard praised the spy and tossed a small bag of coins to him. "Continue to infiltrate and bring me more information."

"I vow not to disgrace the mission, thank you, Count Lord!" Grateful beyond words, the spy departed.

"Did you write down everything he said?" Gerhard looked at his secretary.

"Yes, my lord." The secretary nodded and handed over the notes.

Gerhard took the notes and examined them, then said, "I’m hungry. Go to the kitchen and prepare me a late-night snack, something sweet."

The secretary left the room in accordance with the order, but rather than heading directly to the kitchen, he pulled out a specially-made magic tool — one that could transmit sound.

"Mr. Basque," the secretary whispered, "the plan is going smoothly."

On the other end of the magic tool, only a laugh from Teppi could be heard.

"Hehehe..."

The secretary shuddered all over, thinking with a strange eye: Mr. Basque’s laughter feels quite creepy; what’s with him?

The day of the agreed contest arrived quickly.

Teppi and Gerhard each brought their powerful allies to the teleportation gate. The two said nothing in the way of pre-game trash-talk, only exchanged a glance full of animosity.

Prince Lanle sat on a rock golem modified into a sedan chair, watching the two with interest; he was the judge.

Teppi and Gerhard’s teams each consisted of ten members. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

These past days, various factions have organized forces to explore the Sain Dungeon, showing that the dungeon supports teams of up to ten people for exploration. They’ve also gained some initial mapping insights.

But none have been able to breach even the front of the checkpoint.

Currently, only those with approval can enter the Sain Dungeon, but the regulations are increasingly loose.

After today’s match ends and the surrounding administrators are established, it will probably open to everyone.

"Hmph!"

Gerhard snorted disdainfully, his eyes filled with confidence. Confident with the intelligence he held, he was certain to catch Teppi off guard, then, with this confidence, he and his team entered the dungeon.

Teppi’s team also entered the dungeon following suit. He looked at Gerhard as if watching a plaything.

Releasing the information about the Celia Crystal Tunnel to the opponent would certainly reduce his winning chances, but so what?

He simply wanted Gerhard to experience in the mine those "wonderful memories" he had!

Teppi’s mindset was simple: purely wanting to trap others!

However, he also did not intend to give up victory. In fact, he already had information on other valuable locations.

Oh Gerhard, you’ll drown yourself in that mine.

Teppi walked into the teleportation gate with a smirk.

I have already escaped from that hellish place, and now I’m looking for more chips to win!

I’ve already picked up the initial napkin!

The view went dark, the feeling of teleportation overcame him, and a moment later Teppi felt he was within the dungeon.

"Bang! Bang!"

A familiar sound came to him, feeling like the striking of a pickaxe against rock walls?

Upon seeing the scene before him, Teppi’s smile froze on his face.

He...

Why is he still inside the Celia Crystal Tunnel!?