Butan is a small country. While the entrance to Mount Olympus is under their jurisdiction, the claim to be the rightful owner of the world's tallest mountain is a heated discussion. There are other starting points to start climbing Mount Olympus, but no one disputes that the safest and shortest starting point is undoubtedly in Butan.
This country has one big city with less than 30 small villages all spread out, with less than 1000 people in each village. More than 95% of the population live in the big city, where the main road, the adventure guild, and various other facilities are located. It's safer, warmer, and more comfortable to live here than in any other part of the country.
The locals here tend to dress rather lightly compared to non-natives. Some even have just a single piece of clothing prepared for winter. Other such races that can endure similar weather are either Fire Dragonewt or Savel, our Ice Dragonewt, which makes me think.
"Why doesn't Savel want to be the one to accompany me when I climb Mount Olympus, isn't he the better option?" [Diana].
"So I'm not good enough?" [Randy]
"You are, but Savel seems more familiar and more resistant to cold" [Diana].
"First of all, Randy actually climbed Mount Olympus. Second, the so-called cold resistance is useless the higher you went" [Savel].
"Climbing is a pretty strong word" [Randy].
"The temperature can plummet to unimaginable cold before halfway up, that's what I've read and heard" [Veronica].
"Correct. As such, many people have actually lost their lives, hence the reputation of this mountain" [Nar].
"Then how come there are official measurements of how high this mountain is?" [Auger]
"Is it true that there was once someone who was able to climb to the top?" [Adnan]
"According to the official story, there is. A local 200 years ago was able to climb to the top and measure the height of the mountain. It's even in one of their tourist brochures" [Sas].
There are disputes about who was the first to reach the top. Some claim it was an ice elf, while others say it was the prince of the land. Officially, it's the first prince of the country at that time, along with other explorers and adventurers.
The ascent was described as a heroic story. Various monsters were slain for the sake of the country. The prince wanted to be the first to conquer the mountain, proving himself more capable than anyone else, set out on the journey, which took two months as they charted through unknown places. Various scenery as well as danger was told during their journey.
Whether it's the official story or the experiences of other climbers, there's no denying that climbing Mount Olympus is nothing if not dangerous. Blizzards of deadly intensity, not being able to tell your direction, not even being able to look at your own foot, and some claim that you can't even see your hand in front of you. Total darkness, even darker than when you close your eyes while you're sleeping. The sound of violent blizzards, nonstop. Your own breath muffled by it. Eyes constantly stabbing from the sheer cold. The ear getting frostbite. Sleep without companion and death waiting. A slippery step never to be found again. Dangers from the environment, monsters and animals that are constantly looking for meat and our blood as their source of water, rare thieves that take advantage of us, and even our own friends that can betray us, be it out of delusion, mistaken identity, or simply because they couldn't stand the climb anymore.
Climbing without any kind of preparation or even local guidance is suicidal at best. That's how difficult this challenge I took on was. The more stories I heard, the more excited I became to climb it. Scared? Definitely, but I hope that the thing Ice Fairy Shiva told me is still there, so that I can take the legendary Ice Mana Core for myself in preparation to defeat the soon-to-be-awakened Devil King.
As we continued to install the mana core, more and more vendors from different shops tried to approach me. Somehow they knew that I am Diana Vars and that I will challenge the mountain soon after this whole project is finished. Of course, they couldn't approach me because we are guarded. You can't have anyone suspicious approaching a group with two princesses without a good reason.
Butan is a small country. While the entrance to Mount Olympus is under their jurisdiction, the claim to be the rightful owner of the world's tallest mountain is a heated discussion. There are other starting points to start climbing Mount Olympus, but no one disputes that the safest and shortest starting point is undoubtedly in Butan.
This country has one big city with less than 30 small villages all spread out, with less than 1000 people in each village. More than 95% of the population live in the big city, where the main road, the adventure guild, and various other facilities are located. It's safer, warmer, and more comfortable to live here than in any other part of the country.
The locals here tend to dress rather lightly compared to non-natives. Some even have just a single piece of clothing prepared for winter. Other such races that can endure similar weather are either Fire Dragonewt or Savel, our Ice Dragonewt, which makes me think.
"Why doesn't Savel want to be the one to accompany me when I climb Mount Olympus, isn't he the better option?" [Diana].
"So I'm not good enough?" [Randy]
"You are, but Savel seems more familiar and more resistant to cold" [Diana].
"First of all, Randy actually climbed Mount Olympus. Second, the so-called cold resistance is useless the higher you went" [Savel].
"Climbing is a pretty strong word" [Randy].
"The temperature can plummet to unimaginable cold before halfway up, that's what I've read and heard" [Veronica].
"Correct. As such, many people have actually lost their lives, hence the reputation of this mountain" [Nar].
"Then how come there are official measurements of how high this mountain is?" [Auger]
"Is it true that there was once someone who was able to climb to the top?" [Adnan]
"According to the official story, there is. A local 200 years ago was able to climb to the top and measure the height of the mountain. It's even in one of their tourist brochures" [Sas].
There are disputes about who was the first to reach the top. Some claim it was an ice elf, while others say it was the prince of the land. Officially, it's the first prince of the country at that time, along with other explorers and adventurers.
The ascent was described as a heroic story. Various monsters were slain for the sake of the country. The prince wanted to be the first to conquer the mountain, proving himself more capable than anyone else, set out on the journey, which took two months as they charted through unknown places. Various scenery as well as danger was told during their journey.
Whether it's the official story or the experiences of other climbers, there's no denying that climbing Mount Olympus is nothing if not dangerous. Blizzards of deadly intensity, not being able to tell your direction, not even being able to look at your own foot, and some claim that you can't even see your hand in front of you. Total darkness, even darker than when you close your eyes while you're sleeping. The sound of violent blizzards, nonstop. Your own breath muffled by it. Eyes constantly stabbing from the sheer cold. The ear getting frostbite. Sleep without companion and death waiting. A slippery step never to be found again. Dangers from the environment, monsters and animals that are constantly looking for meat and our blood as their source of water, rare thieves that take advantage of us, and even our own friends that can betray us, be it out of delusion, mistaken identity, or simply because they couldn't stand the climb anymore.
Climbing without any kind of preparation or even local guidance is suicidal at best. That's how difficult this challenge I took on was. The more stories I heard, the more excited I became to climb it. Scared? Definitely, but I hope that the thing Ice Fairy Shiva told me is still there, so that I can take the legendary Ice Mana Core for myself in preparation to defeat the soon-to-be-awakened Devil King.
As we continued to install the mana core, more and more vendors from different shops tried to approach me. Somehow they knew that I am Diana Vars and that I will challenge the mountain soon after this whole project is finished. Of course, they couldn't approach me because we are guarded. You can't have anyone suspicious approaching a group with two princesses without a good reason.
