Chapter 9: Kael's past
It didn't take that long for Kael to finally find the vein he was searching for.
Right in front of the trio was a waist-high rock with dozens of golden color stones protruding around.
"Is that what I think it is?" Lawrence's eyes lit up brightly.
"Gold?" Jayem looks at Kael.
"That's right!" Kael nodded with a smile on his face. He then put his luggage on the ground, opened it, and took out a hammer with a claw.
Pickaxes were used as weapons for local gangs, so it's hard to find them in junk shops. That's why he decided to use a hammer instead, since they have these so-called claws that can be used as a substitute.
"Wait!" Jayem quickly stopped. He rummaged through his pocket and took something. "Use this. It'll make things easier,"
Jayem handed Kael a screwdriver. He always carries one because, other than it can be used as a weapon, it can also be used as a tool for escape.
"Thanks," Kael felt grateful.
Kael crouched down in front of the vein and pointed the screwdriver underneath one of the gold pieces before finally hitting its end with the hammer.
*Clang!
Only a small portion of the stone was chipped off.
"As expected, it's tougher compared to Noverra." Kael hit the screwdriver once again.
*Clang!
Meanwhile, Lawrence and Jayem decided to look for other things to do to help Kael.
Their goal was to find materials that they could sell, and based on what they've observed so far, a lot of the flora in this place seems to be useful.
Kael also seems not to mind that, so they assume it's because he knows they're doing the right thing.
…..
It took about an hour before Kael was finished taking out a total of thirteen huge gold nuggets from the vein.
He carefully inserted them inside his luggage before deciding to call out for Lawrence and Jayem, who were both busy searching around for useful flora nearby.
The duo probably uprooted most of the useful plants in this place in this short period.
"Hey Kael, I think you need to see this…" Lawrence called out.
Kael hurriedly approached Lawrence to see what it was all about.
A few meters of distance from them, he could see Jayem pointing at something while on top of a tree.
Following the direction Jayem was pointing, he finally saw what he was referring to.
"That's a merchant caravan," Kael said in surprise.
Although the forest was dense, it wasn't difficult to see what Jayem was pointing to since they were at a higher altitude than the merchant caravan. As to how he knew quickly that it was a merchant caravan, that's because he was familiar with the banner hanging on top of the carriages. It wasn't really the banner, but the symbol on the banner.
In Avalon, banners are popular. Because of that, the kingdoms of Regalorn have enforced strict regulations regarding banner symbols. While everyone is free to design their banners in any shape or style they wish, each must feature a clearly defined emblem that represents their function or affiliation. For example, merchant caravans are required to include a symbol denoting wealth, such as a coin, a treasure chest, or even scales of trade, to show their purpose at a glance.
The banner in front of them has a treasure chest in its banner.
"A merchant caravan?"
Of course, they knew what a merchant caravan was. In Rustfall, a merchant caravan was the norm as it acted as a substitute for a shop or store, and most of them came from the other four continents.
"What's it doing here?"
"I don't know…" Kael was also confused.
At this moment, they are in the farthest part of the forest of Sylvaris Kingdom, which has no rough roads or nearby villages.
This was honestly done purposely by Nexus to teleport the players to the farthest part of the territories of any kingdom of Avalon so that they won't know about their existence this early on. And this was also the safest option because the farthest part doesn't necessarily and always mean it's dangerous. Instead, it was the safest because it was far from the center of the Regalorn continent.
Every region of the Regalorn continent is divided into three sub-regions. The closer and deeper one was to the center, the more dangerous it was. And in contrast, the farther from the center, the safer.
Although every place in Avalon could still be considered dangerous for players from Noverra, by Avalon's standards, this was the safest.
However, the most important factor Nexus considered was that the farthest territories are the most undeveloped areas.
That's why Kael was confused about why a merchant caravan was here.
"Let's observe closely," Kael knew a lot about merchants in Avalon than anyone. That's because in the past, he chose the profession of a merchant. Of course, that doesn't mean all he does is buy and sell products. He also goes on adventures. In fact, the majority of the products he sold were from his adventures.
It was simply a lucrative profession, especially for someone who grew up in Rustfall, which made him hungry for power and riches.
Moreover, becoming a merchant was what made it possible for him to become one of the greatest figures in Avalon. So powerful that his actions could sway the direction of every player in Avalon. And it was exactly because of this that he was killed by Nexus. Because they feared his influence and ever-growing power.
Although Nexus did approach him on multiple occasions to recruit him to their organization. But he doesn't like to follow orders from someone who is a hypocrite and covered by lies, or to be under someone who's in the business of destroying worlds. So, he always declined them. They probably had had enough of it, so they killed him.
Anyways, there's only one reason for a merchant caravan to be this deep in the territory of the Sylvaris Kingdom—something in this place can bring profit to their organization.
"Wait, look!" Lawrence pointed.
Following where Lawrence was pointing, Kael soon saw a group of soldiers pushing a man.
"Those clothes look familiar,"
"They're the same as ours," Jayem landed close by.
In the next moment, the man was shoved inside a cage where a few more people were trapped.
"Slavery!" Kael immediately realized.
"But how did they know?"
Lawrence and Jayem weren't worried about the existence of slave traders near their location. Instead, they were worried about the fact that they knew about their location.
The information about players entering Avalon should only be known by people of Noverra. Not unless Avalon also sent people to Noverra, which shouldn't be possible, right?
The duo looked at Kael for answers as the latter seemed to know everything.
"It's Nexus!" Kael said with certainty. He had encountered many merchant organizations in the past that were secretly affiliated with Nexus. In fact, he knew the truth that they were among the groups notorious for exploiting spawn camping. However, he didn't expect such tactics to begin as early as the very first day Avalon was opened to the public.
Now he doesn't wonder anymore how exactly those organizations were able to develop so quickly. They must have utilized the players they've turned into slaves.
"It's probably because the majority of the players are not prepared, so they can easily make them slaves!"
Everyone in Noverra already knew that Nexus was the first to enter Avalon. So, during the period before it was opened to the public, they likely took that opportunity to prepare for this.
"I can't believe this! Shouldn't they be the hero of Noverra?" Lawrence was in disbelief.
Of course, they'd think that way. Nexus openly antagonized and condemned organizations in Noverra that exploited the planet's resources. While they used to be one of those groups themselves, something everyone remembers from what they did in Rustfall, they eventually rebranded and cleaned up their public image. But the truth is, Nexus never actually stopped. Those very same organizations were secretly under Nexus's control.
No one knows this because Nexus also controls the majority of the media. So, any information about the dark side of Nexus could hardly surface for the public to see.
"Don't forget about what they've done to Rustfall!" Jayem snickered.
"I know! But still…" Lawrence thought that Nexus had changed.
"Once a wolf, it will always be a wolf, even if it starts wearing sheep's clothing," Kael muttered.
Hearing Kael's line, Lawrence and Jayem could finally confirm that the former is related to Nexus. And they believe that the reason why he is doing all of this is to stop Nexus.
Unbeknownst to the duo, Kael had no ties to Nexus, and even if he did, it wouldn't be in the way they imagined. He considers Nexus as his enemy. And the only reason he aimed to stop them wasn't out of some noble desire to save Noverra or Avalon. It was far simpler than that—they were standing in the way of his goal.