The human pioneers' camp continued to expand, already far exceeding the original Ogre camp's boundaries.
Simple log cabins stood in rows throughout the camp, and without proper planning, the buildings began to appear chaotic.
After all, most of the controllers in the camp were focused on maximizing profits. Apart from sending subordinates and soldiers to collect fees on time each month, they allowed the camp to grow wild.
During this period, more and more people came to this land. The nobles, having lost their shackles and restraints, could allocate more energy and manpower here.
Their profits from early cooperation with the Dragon clan's Territory were sufficient for them to increase their investment, as an undeveloped territory rich in resources offered numerous ways to earn gold coins.
These people did not need to care about the construction or sustainable development of this land; they only needed to exploit it. From this perspective, the investment cost was almost negligible compared to the profits gained.
There were also some impoverished minor nobles and knights who, during this pioneering boom, sold all their possessions, brought one or two loyal guards, and came to this land, gradually praised as a 'land of miracles' for the desperate, to seek an opportunity to rise again.
Some commoner mages also joined this trend, but unlike these down-and-out nobles and knights, even the poorest mage could often rely on their abilities to gather a team.
Moreover, commoner mages often possessed one or two unique spells and skills due to their frequent adventures, which made them very popular among adventurer teams.
Therefore, the arrival of a mage often meant the arrival of an entire adventurer team. Lazi was one such mage.
His team consisted of two strong warriors, a healing-focused priest, an unsociable shadow assassin, and a mage, himself—a standard configuration for most small adventurer teams.
When Lazi and his adventurer companions struggled out of the crowded ship cabin and stepped onto this land, he realized that perhaps the rumors were true: their trip wasn't an adventure, but a money-making opportunity!
The entire camp, under continuous expansion, was already out of sight. According to Lazi's estimation, this camp was almost comparable to a prosperous town within a noble's territory.
In fact, it was already a small town, except for the absence of city walls and town guards.
Everyone who set foot in this place called the increasingly expanding town Golden Seaport Town.
It implied that ships full of gold flowed out of this town's port, and everyone who gained something here strongly agreed with this name.
The hastily expanded town, without proper planning, appeared exceptionally crowded. Even though many adventurers and prospectors had already gone to various parts of the forest and grassland, the people remaining in the town still made it seem particularly lively and prosperous.
The crowded streets were bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder. Numerous stalls lined both sides of the road, displaying many strange-looking items: dark ore, gem-like eyeballs, and tree-branch-like herbs.
There were also many rather terrifying body parts, furs, and bones from various creatures. The owners of these stalls were all sharp-looking adventurers, clearly, these items were their gains from this place.
Although Lazi was just a commoner mage who was fortunate enough to receive a legacy, every mage possessed a considerable amount of knowledge.
As he navigated through the crowd with his team, he used his knowledge to appraise the goods at the makeshift stalls. The results astonished him; most of the items were materials rich in magic.
This was a place mages loved, a blessed land for mage experiments, especially for those proficient in magical alchemy. Lazi made his judgment, deciding to make a big splash here.
Lazi and his team finally managed to squeeze out of the crowd and found a tavern to rest.
Looking up, a large sign hung above the tavern's doorway, displaying crookedly written large words in the common tongue: 'Ross and Hell's Tavern'.
In fact, this tavern was not small at all. Even though it was still midday, the number of people inside remained large.
Lazi followed his team into the boisterous tavern and found a table to sit down.
Although human adventurers made up the vast majority in the tavern, Lazi also saw some half-elves and orcs, as well as two or three Centaur and Kobold.
The human adventurers were clearly accustomed to this situation, so they continued their conversations among themselves. Only Lazi and his companions were somewhat surprised by this situation.
After all, in the eyes of most people, races like Kobold and Centaur were not friendly to humans, especially Kobold.
Although these monsters were not strong in combat themselves, they were particularly cold-blooded and cruel towards other races.
But these monsters were also sitting peacefully at their respective tables, drinking and mumbling in a language the mage couldn't understand.
Clearly, this place had a complex mix of people and was highly inclusive.
Looking at the short list of drinks and the menu written on the wooden wall, a specially marked drink caught Lazi's attention.
The mage waved to a tavern attendant and asked, "Hey, bartender, what kind of wine is this 'Dragon Lord's Favorite' wine? Give me a glass to try."
Hell scurried over. Ever since he and his friend Ross discovered that selling alcoholic beverages was far more profitable than simply selling food, the clever Hell suggested that Ross and he partner to open this tavern.
It proved that Hell's vision combined with Ross's craftsmanship could achieve excellent results. Not only did it expand from a small restaurant to the current tavern, but the profits obtained also far exceeded those of running a restaurant.
Due to their existing good relations with the Dragon clan's dependents, they not only received care from those monsters when searching for various brewing materials in the forest, but many of the Dragon clan's dependents also frequented this tavern.
Especially since, while the Dragon clan's dependents understood the principle of exchange, they did not yet comprehend the specific monetary value of currency. Often, a cup of sweet wine would lead them to drop a grain of gold dust or a small, finely cut gem for Hell.
However, neither Ross nor Hell allowed greed to blind them. For the tavern, a consistent customer base was the foundation of their long-term standing.
Therefore, each time, the tavern would convert the exchange currency, which far exceeded the value of the drinks, into gold, silver, or copper coins and return the change to the Dragon clan's dependents.
Seeing the tavern owners' honesty, the Dragon clan's dependents came more frequently and in greater numbers. With these monsters as an example, the adventurers in the town also began to enjoy spending money at this tavern.
Because the tavern's business was so good all day long, even with a few helpers hired, Hell still had to personally run errands.
Hell stood before the mage and explained with a smile, "Guests, this drink is brewed by the tavern using a hundred kinds of flowers and fruits from the forest, combined with some precious sweets. It's a drink that even the Dragon Lord who rules this land enjoys tasting."
"However, since most of it is supplied to the Dragon Lord, the tavern can only provide about ten cups a day. But now all the drink slots have been sold, so would you like to choose another drink, guest?"
The mage Lazi glanced at his companions. One of the warriors nodded and said, "Alright, then give me and my companions a cup each. Hmm, 'Dragon Lord's Favorite', then!"
Hell nodded happily. This wine was one of the relatively expensive varieties in the tavern. It seemed the guests in front of him had some strength, and he needed to discreetly pay attention. If anything came up, he had to inform the Giant Dragon's dependents in time.
So he smiled and said, "Then please wait a moment, guests. Your drinks will be served immediately."