Dragon Heart City had already been in an uproar over the Zero Wing and Blood War affair, and every major power was keeping a constant eye on the Northern Fortress.
After all, the World Tower was the single greatest source of resources in all of Dragon Heart City.
Every major power had been extracting vast quantities of resources and leveling up through the World Tower, and the fortress was the key to the Earth Core Mountain Range.
Now that such a change had occurred at the Northern Fortress, every major power in Dragon Heart City had begun frantically inquiring about and investigating intelligence on it.
"Return Scrolls?"
"We have to find out whether this is real!"
Previously, Blood War's declaration had left the other major powers with little to say. After all, Blood War had also captured a fortress of their own—one that simply opened a day later. That made no real difference to them, and since the Northern Fortress was located in a remote area, it held little appeal. It was nothing more than a place to rest.
But now things were different.
Return Scrolls were something that could reshape the entire balance of power in the Earth Core Mountain Range. The gap between having Return Scrolls in the Earth Core Mountain Range and not having them was enormous, and that impact would only grow with time.
The reason every major power had come to Dragon Heart City in the first place was its rapid development and abundant resources. As long as nothing was at stake, they were perfectly willing to give Blood War face and avoid offending them. But if it affected their faction's development in a meaningful way, that was an entirely different matter.
In an instant, every major power in Dragon Heart City dispatched personnel to the Northern Fortress, turning the first-floor lobby of the World Tower into a packed sea of people.
As the players from each major power stepped inside the Northern Fortress, they were all completely stunned by its environment.
The dense mana and the comfortable atmosphere free of any oppressive pressure were no different from the cities on the outside. The Northern Fortress could easily serve as a temporary base, eliminating the need to make the arduous trek back and forth to the World Tower.
And most importantly—there were the Return Scrolls.
The price of ten Ancient Silver Coins nearly made everyone think they had misread the sign.
Once the players from each major power reported everything they had learned about the Northern Fortress back to their factions, every single major power in Dragon Heart City was shaken to the core.
The resources in the Earth Core Mountain Range were staggeringly abundant, and to date, all the major powers had only explored roughly twenty to thirty percent of it. The ruins of ancient civilizations in particular contained vast quantities of treasures from bygone eras—but due to the environmental hazards of the Earth Core Mountain Range, even those factions with small forts could only explore very limited areas.
The Northern Fortress, even if it was situated in a remote location, completely solved the problem of players being unable to remain in the Earth Core Mountain Range for extended periods.
This meant they could freely explore the ancient ruins of the Earth Core Mountain Range, obtaining far more resources than before—even the Thirteen Royal Courts, who possessed a small fort, couldn't compare.
"Notify everyone immediately! From now on, we're relocating our headquarters to the Northern Fortress!"
"But what about Blood War?"
"They can go to hell! This is an opportunity for our guild—anyone who stands in my way dies!"