At the top of a mountain in the city of Dark Valleys,
there was a large building with many people coming in and out. It looked like a government office.
This place was the government center of Dark Valleys City.
Dark Valleys was the capital of the Stone Heart family's kingdom.
Their system followed absolute centralization. Every city had to send its decisions and actions to the capital for approval before doing anything.
This large building was one of the problems of that system.
Many papers, useless steps, and delays—just because the Stone Heart family didn't want nobles to have full power in their regions.
This administrative system existed in all ten kingdoms controlled by the ten great families.
It was perfect for people who loved control and power.
In one of the building's many rooms, Gu An was finishing the paperwork for an exploration trip.
This mission would be done by a special team from the government.
Of course, Gu An would be the team leader. He was one of the strongest people under the ten families.
"Right this way, Mr. Gu An. Your team is waiting for you."
The receptionist led Gu An to a different room where his team was.
He opened the door. It was a large, empty training hall. Five people were sitting on the benches.
"Oh? Isn't that Gu An?"
A tall girl whispered to the girl next to her.
The second girl looked back, saw Gu An, blushed, and turned angrily to her friend.
"Be quiet!"
The tall girl laughed at her reaction.
Gu An placed his documents on the table and sat down.
"Before we begin the meeting, let me introduce myself. I am Gu An, the leader of this exploration team."
"Does anyone want to introduce themselves?"
There was silence. No one moved.
"A–I'm Luna. Nice to meet you all,"
said a shy girl with a soft face. She looked like the youngest.
"I'm Naila. I'm happy to work with you,"
said the tall girl with attractive legs and short hair.
"I'm Liu,"
said a man with a big scar on his face and gray hair.
"I'm Luke. Nice to work with you,"
said a serious man. He looked like a hardworking person.
"Seth,"
said a man with a long face and hunched back. He gave off a sneaky vibe.
"Now that everyone introduced themselves, let's talk about the mission."
The meeting began officially.
"As you know, the ten families rule the western region. There's a city called Wall City that was built during the last colonization 40 years ago.
Now, the families plan to expand further west and build a new colony.
This needs exploration missions. We must find places for colonies, monster zones, their strength, and other important details."
"Excuse me,"
Luna raised her hand.
"Yes?"
"Why do the families want to expand west? Aren't we in a war?"
"Yes, that's why we must prepare a place to move people from the northwest to the new colony."
Everyone was shocked.
Naila said what they were all thinking:
"Did we lose the war?"
"Yes and no."
Everyone stared in confusion. Nothing made sense.
Gu An explained calmly:
"The war attracted monsters from the deep ocean. The mutant race in the north was affected.
We believe they will retreat after some resistance."
"But defeating the monster tide is not possible. It keeps growing.
Experts say the damage will reach us in the northwest, and we are not ready for a long war.
So we will leave the area before we suffer great losses."
"Any other questions?"
"No," Luna answered.
"Good. Now, back to the mission—oh! I almost forgot."
Gu An took out a paper from an envelope.
"This is a special order from a member of the Stone Heart family.
If we find any person in the danger zone, our top priority is to capture them, no matter what."
"The Stone Heart family? Why?"
"Didn't they lose a child to wolves?"
"What? I thought he was killed by assassins?"
"No, that's just a rumor spread by the family."
"Do you believe in conspiracy theories now?"
"What? Are you mocking me? I have real sources!"
"Sure, sure… What's next? You'll say the ten family leaders are lizards?"
"Hmph! Don't cry when you learn the truth—that the world isn't destroyed, and the ten families are lying to stop us from exploring other civilizations."
Whenever politics was discussed, Luke the conspiracy lover couldn't stay quiet, and Liu, a logical man, didn't like his nonsense.
Gu An interrupted the argument:
"Whatever the reason, it's a secret file. We just follow the order."
"But who could survive in the danger zone?" Liu asked.
Gu An replied,
"It's hard, but not impossible—if someone hides well."
"I think that's enough for today. Let's share our numbers.
I'll send you the time and place once I get the documents."
Naila looked at Luna, who was smiling after getting Gu An's number.
She already thought about how to tease her later.
Everyone left, not knowing what this journey would bring...
---
add this book to your library and vote with a power stone. It will help me continue writing.