[Talcavano, zing ins]


    Traveling westward, through the Deep Forest, John and hispanions found themselves in an endless desert, stretching beyond the horizon.


    The scorching heat created waves of mirage in the air, engulfing John and his party.


    Even as seasoned yers, they suffered from dehydration and heatstroke debuffs. ria, in particr, was weakened to an extreme.


    "I can''t take it anymore, John. I''m really going to die of heat. Isn''t there anything we can do to cool down? Look at Qing, he''s stripped down to just shorts and is still baking like a dog!"


    "It''s pointless. Our gear won''t change our body temperature. No matter how much we strip, we''ll still be hot. To cool down, we need to reach Talcavano City."


    If there was one map John despised the most, apart from Spartonia, it was definitely Talcavano.


    The former was merely ufortable due to its aggressive customs and rough ways, but thetter was an all-epassing nightmare for John.


    The endless sandstorms, the zing sun, the boundless desert, and the extreme temperature swings between day and night made it the most torturous environment John had ever encountered, bar none.


    Yet, within Talcavanoy a rare legendary item, making John''s journey there unavoidable. He had no choice but to press on.


    "Hang in there a little longer. We''re almost there."


    John exhaled deeply and took a water pouch from his backpack, handing it to ria.


    Without hesitation, ria grabbed the pouch and drank deeply, her cracked lips and overheated body finally finding some relief.


    "Just two more hours, and we''ll be there."


    In the distance, shrouded by the swirling sandstorms, the faint outline of a city emerged.


    Nestled in the heart of the desert, Talcavano awaited.


    As the only major settlement in the desert, almost all yers and NPCs congregate here.


    Due to the extreme temperatures and the abundance of mineral resources, this ce has be a haven for the dwarves and a paradise for all forging enthusiasts.


    Here, you can find any material you desire and forge any weapon or armor you can imagine.


    In his past life, John came here andmissioned a legendary dwarven master to craft a scale armor that helped him conceal his presence, making him almost invisible.


    "The outside world... it''s nothing like I imagined!" ria bit her lip lightly. As the queen of the elves, she had never experienced such a harsh environment.


    "This is just the beginning. There are snowy mountains, oceans, and even the underground world. There''s so much you haven''t seen yet. Isn''t that the point of traveling? To explore every corner of the world, leaving your own footprints, and finally, to climb Mount Olympus."


    Finally!


    Before their stamina ran out, John and hispanions reached Talcavano.


    Upon entering the city, John immediately headed to the cksmith''s shop and spent a hefty sum to buy six heat-absorbing bracelets, which he distributed to the group.


    These bracelets, made of Fei''del metal, could absorb and store body heat.


    During the day, they maintained a constant body temperature of 37 degrees, and at night, they released the stored heat tobat the cold.


    The price: twenty thousand silver coins.


    This wasn''t cheap, but it was a necessity for every yer who came to Talcavano.


    In his past life, John made a living for a while by stealing these heat-absorbing bracelets.


    They were expensive and easy to steal, fetching fifteen thousand each on the ck market.


    After putting on the heat-absorbing bracelets, the group''s condition finally improved.


    Qing put his clothes back on, shouldered his halberd, and said in a deep voice, "John, what do we do next?"


    "Since we''re new here, we should find a ce to rest. Given your current state, you probably don''t have much stamina left. Let''s take a break first."


    "However, this ce seems awfully busy. Why does it feel like there are more people here than in Calia City?"


    After walking a short distance, Exiled Immortal noticed at least five different races living together here: elves, humans, dwarves, cyclops, and even half-beasts.


    These races, which typically had strained or even hostile rtionships, were surprisingly getting along,ughing and chatting shoulder to shoulder.


    "That''s simple," John exined. "Talcavano strictly forbids any fighting within the city. If you''re caught, you''ll be invited to the city lord''s mansion for a ''cup of tea.'' If I remember correctly, the city lord of Talcavano is an actual dragon knight with a fire dragon as his mount."


    Hearing this, everyone instinctively looked at John, scarcely believing their ears.


    "John, are dragons really real?"


    "Of course! Otherwise, the Dragon Hunter ss would be pointless. However, the dragons here might differ from what you imagine. They''re more like giant lizards, and they don''t breathe fire; they can only perform physical attacks."


    After all, it''s impossible for wings of flesh to support such a massive creature, and organs that could convert their own energy into fire simply don''t exist.


    To support a creature over ten meters long in flight, the wingspan would need to be at least three times its body length.


    As for breathing fire, it''s the least efficient way to use energy, wasting enormous amounts of heat in the process.


    When John first learned this, his expression was just as disappointed as Exiled Immortal and the others were now.


    They arrived at a tavern, and after some thought, John rented six rooms.


    He had originally considered having the three men share a room while the women each had their own, but it felt inconvenient. So, he rented six rooms to ensure some privacy.


    "By the way, Lily, which city are you in? How much food do you have left after all this time? If you don''t mind, why note and join us? Helena and Exiled Immortal are here too."


    "It''s okay, Johnny. I still have enough food for a while, and... for some reasons, I can''t leave just yet."


    "No worries, just let me know when you''re ready. How about you, Qing? Do you still have food? Why note over and join me so we can look out for each other."


    "I don''t mind, John. Which city are you in? If it''s not too far, I could probably get there in three to five days."


    "I''m in Riverside."


    Hearing this, Qing pondered for a moment, then grinned and said, "That''s not too far. I''ll log off tomorrow and head your way."


    "No need for that. With a Targeted Teleportation Scroll, you can be here in the blink of an eye."


    John rolled his eyes and then looked over at ria.


    "I wonder if you cane to our world. But then again, there''s not much to see. After the disaster, it''s mostly ruins."


    During their journey to Talcavano, John had gradually exined their identities to ria, including the fact that they didn''t belong to this world and the catastrophe that had happened outside.


    This revtion had quite an impact on ria''s worldview.


    "Even if it''s ruins, I still want to see it with my own eyes. The steel jungles, the iron horses, and the giant birds soaring through the sky—what kind of sight must that be?"


    ...


    Calia City had be increasingly unsettledtely.


    Out of nowhere, arge number of counterfeit items had surfaced: second-ss change stones, antidotes, HP potions, and more, even resulting in numerous deaths.


    Yet no one knew who was behind these counterfeits.


    The craftsmanship was so convincing that even appraisals couldn''t detect any ws; only after using them did people realize they had no effect.


    was one of the victims.


    He had spent a hefty sum of forty thousand on a second-ss change stone, only to discover it was just a worthless piece of rock, fueling his rage instantly.


    As a result, trust among yers in Calia City plummeted to an all-time low.