Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 192 Implicated
Rean was in a hurry, but was then told to stop.

"How about we split the spoils equally?"

"Uh, okay."

Rean only has four people on his side, two of whom have questionable combat abilities (Victoria and Ophelia didn't intend to fight at all), and he also has a little burden with him. This distribution is already about right.

Even if Rean is confident he can take down the squad by himself, his contribution to underground exploration might not be as great as theirs; many things still require expertise.

The small gargoyle was quickly dissected, and some fossil fragments and the gargoyle core were packed into a bag, much to the team's delight.

Small gargoyles aren't too difficult to deal with, but the materials they produce are quite valuable. They can be sold to petrification-type bloodline evolvers or to mages. Mages can use this material when crafting gargoyles and golems.

These active stones and alien stone fragments can also be sold to earth elementals and spellcasters.

"Huh, it's actually quite valuable?"

“Demonic creations and spirits are generally more valuable. The least valuable are humanoid creatures like goblins; there are too many of them, and there are no recipes that can use them.”

That's the truth. Even if it's an evolutionary path, who wants to evolve into a goblin?

"What about ogres? What about trolls?" Rean mentioned two other common creatures, which, together with goblins, made up the three major bandits in the wild.

"Troll blood can be used to make alchemical potions, but it's not very valuable. Ogres, on the other hand, are worth something. Their arms are quite valuable; they're said to be able to be made into Mighty Gloves, but they're not easy to deal with."

Novice warriors who get hit by ogres often have their shields shattered and their armor broken instantly.

If they are unarmored, they can even become aerial acrobats on the spot, making them top-tier rookie killers.

When this behemoth goes berserk, it can easily break through the front row and cause casualties in the back row. In fact, it is not as strong as the other two brothers.

Trolls are largely dependent on the environment, with significant differences between various subspecies. In certain extreme environments, even powerful warriors would find them difficult to deal with. However, the constant is that trolls are not very valuable, yet they are incredibly resilient, making them the least desirable opponents for any group.

"Keep going! A great start!"

After dividing the spoils, the small group became excited.

Not to mention them, even Rean was quite happy to hear that he could get more than two gold coins.

"Are adventurers really that profitable?"

"Gargoyles are relatively valuable depending on luck, but normal gargoyles are very difficult to deal with."

The temporary team continued forward, and this time, Parna took the initiative to go ahead and scout the way.

She felt quite guilty for wasting an opportunity due to her serious injury. Rean viewed the rampage of the relic monsters as a disaster.

However, if they manage to get through it, it could be a chance to make a fortune for many experienced adventurers. Our team has heard a lot of good news about people getting rich in the past few days.

Many high-value prey that were once hard to find have fled to the shallows, and these gargoyles are among them.

Gargoyles are generally divided into two types: wild "petrified golems" and "artificial gargoyles," with the latter being the most common. Wizards like to place a few in their mage towers to act as ever-watchful guardians, which is the main reason for their high value.

"Speaking of not closing your eyes, I'm reminded of someone I know." And at that moment, the snake slipped out.

The snake coiled around Rean's head, flicking its tongue happily.

Rean asked him what he was laughing about, but received no response.
"Are you sure you want me to tell you this? You already owe enough karma. This information is quite valuable; you could even exchange it for a count's title with certain people."

Rean fell silent. He didn't know what the snake was hiding, but he had a feeling that there was big trouble ahead.

"Actually, the one that doesn't close its eyes isn't much trouble on its own; it's only capable of destroying one or two countries. But what's behind it is truly troublesome." Even a snake is considered a troublesome opponent? Rean instantly focused his attention.

The snake was still trying to pique Rean's interest, but the snake reacted first.
To learn more about the truth behind the events of that year, please continue exploring.

This abrupt and unrelated hint startled Rean.

"The truth? What truth? Oh, the truth about Hero Lex. How is that related?!"

Rean did try to investigate the matter, but whether it was the official library of Radiant City or the collections of various churches, when the topic of that year came up, they all insisted on "the calamity of the Great Dragon".

The records are quite detailed, down to the extent of the terrible harm caused.

The process and the result were explained very clearly, but the reason was simply stated in one sentence: "The hero and the kingdom suffered the revenge of the demon dragon," without any specific details.

Rean really didn't believe that a "Dragon God" of this level would suddenly appear out of nowhere and destroy the capital of a country.

Rean was too lazy to investigate this obvious information blockade. Unless he found some key figures, all he could access were these official press releases.

Rean also tentatively asked Dania about it in Valhalla, but was met with resentment and anger.

When asked about the specifics, what she said was similar to the official statement, suggesting that even the royal family might not be aware of the situation.

"The truth that even the princess doesn't know, snake, do you know?"

"Of course I know, tsk tsk tsk, I can even reveal something about your reincarnation this time... uh, I guess I can't say."

The snake paused for a moment, then wagged its tail, looking even more pleased.

Rean wanted to ask more, but his mind went blank; the snake had vanished without a trace.

He sighed. Sure enough, the most annoying people were riddle tellers, especially those who would leave you hanging and then disappear halfway through.

For the next hour or so, the squad didn't encounter any more enemies. This was quite normal, given how close they were to the entrance; the monsters had been repeatedly cleared out.

If Rean hadn't had such good eyesight, he wouldn't have been able to find these little gargoyles.

In a slightly more spacious area, the team began to rest and prepare some dry rations to eat. The adults could still walk for a while, but the little guy who had been gritting his teeth and persevering was starting to run out of energy.

Rean felt a little guilty. He had originally thought he would encounter a goblin or a wolf cub and was going to let her practice. The little gargoyle was clearly no match for her; flying monsters were a natural counter to agile swordsmen.

With her current strength, she would have difficulty even breaking through a stone's defenses.

Looking at the little guy who was covered in sweat and whose face was covered in mud from who-knows-where, yet still trying his best to pretend that nothing was wrong, Rean hesitated a little.

Or, we could go back first and take her home.

"Don't rush, friend." But the little guy keenly noticed Rean's hesitation and even gave him a hug.

Then, she continued to bustle about, distributing dry rations to others.

Seeing the energetic girl made the others feel a bit better.

In such an underground labyrinth, adjusting one's mood and state of mind is also a very important task.

"By the way, Lord Rean, I don't have any opinion on what race little Lana is. I'm just curious, and I wonder what little Lana likes to eat."

Parna felt a little uncomfortable after being glanced at by Rean.

"She's a cat-person, but the kind who likes to eat meat. A big, spotted lynx."

Rean sighed. The Lion Clan of the Kingdom was relatively few in number and often easy to identify, with some characteristics even allowing for tracing their lineage.

"Cat! I'm a cat!" Lana exclaimed happily, first showing a surprised expression, then proudly putting her hands on her hips.

Rean then realized that he hadn't mentioned patting the little guy's head, and felt inexplicably helpless.

Based on what the snake revealed, his reincarnation, Lana's affairs, and the kingdom's past are all connected, and in the end, it all comes down to that one person.
"The former hero, Lex."

The Heroic Spirit Card on his chest was still slightly warm, seemingly activated by those "information," but Rean was still refused when he tried to use it.

"Or, when the Queen arrives, everything will be open to the public; after all, she is the person involved."

"Pfft!" At that moment, the snake slithered out again, sneering directly at Rean, seemingly mocking his naivety.

Just as Rean was about to ask him more questions, he disappeared again, as if he were busy with something in the underground ruins.

The minor incident passed quickly. After resting and walking for a while longer, they passed through another empty area and finally entered the battle zone of the underground ruins.

In their words, this is just the beginning of the journey. Looking at the dozens of diverging paths before him, Rean sighed.

"Going down, the right 3rd, right 1st, and left 2nd routes are all suitable." Fortunately, there was an experienced guide to lead the way.

This time, they hadn't gone far when they really started encountering a large number of enemies. The first ones they encountered were various demonic beasts, which were relatively easy prey to deal with.

During the afternoon's journey, Rean vented his frustration with the snakes by killing them indiscriminately.

He also had Lana try hunting a demonized wolf (with a broken leg), and the little one won easily, marking her first time drawing blood.

When it was time to set up camp for the night, another problem had to be dealt with.

"The promise to confess to a snake is a joke."

In a sense, Rean was also destined to come to the underground, since there are fewer people here, and even if he lost face, few people would know.

Find someone who will definitely refuse you, or someone with whom you've dated for a while without any problems. Breaking up after a period of time is a bit scummy, but it's better than continuing to deceive someone in this muddled way.

"In the beginning, there weren't many options. Excluding men (snakes would cause big trouble), mushroom people, and dark elf goddesses (who would become political problems), it seems like there were only Sallyman and Victoria."

Rean was hesitant to choose Suliman, just as he felt a little uneasy in her presence. He truly felt that if he made that choice, his life might be over.

Victoria was actually Rean's first choice because dark elves weren't associated with innocence, and their perception of gender was the opposite of that of earthlings. They were often more open and enjoyed having romantic encounters during their journeys.

Dark Elf women share a similar worldview regarding this aspect of life with "male playboys," viewing it primarily as a form of enjoyment rather than taking it too seriously.

But as he talked with Victoria along the way, Rean felt increasingly uneasy and uncomfortable.

It wasn't that the female elf had a problem with Rean; on the contrary, she was clearly friendly and attentive to him, almost in a fawning manner. It was just that her actions revealed an overly refined selfishness, and she brought up interests in just a few sentences, which made Rean a little uncomfortable.

When Rean talks about the potential impact of a policy on an entire region, city, or ethnic group, she immediately thinks about how to profit from it or what she can gain from the new policy.

She might say she hates Dark Elf society the most, but in Rean's eyes, it's just a very typical Dark Elf mindset.

If she were to actually date me, she would immediately use her reputation and connections to make money and gain status.

"Uh, let's see if little Lana can calm down." Rean looked at the little girl with white hair and red eyes. She immediately gave Rean a sweet smile, then made a face and ran away.

At this moment, Rean even missed the clumsy Suliman a little.

Alternatively, you could approach her yourself and find some excuse to fool her; after all, she's a naive girl, easy to fool.

"Tsk, it seems too late."

But Rean might not be able to return to the surface for the next few days, so naturally he has no choice.

He tried to think positively, believing that associating with someone he disliked might also make it easier to break off the relationship.

"Achoo!" Sallyman, who had been missing for several days, sneezed, looked at the darkness in front of her, and sighed.

Not far from her was the princess, protected by knights. What could the leader do if he wanted to go down and take an adventure? He could only obediently follow along.

As she roasted her dried lizard, she rubbed her face viciously; the damn dampness and cold of the underground made her want to sleep.

"Soon, we will reach the middle level of the underground ruins." The conquering knights over there seemed quite satisfied with their gains.

(End of this chapter)