Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 68 The Beginning of Change

"It seems that nothing has changed."

With his sword slung over his shoulder once more, Rean walked along the streets of the dock district.

The crowds were still noisy, the pedestrians still had numb and dangerous stares, and the streets were still barren without any shops. Oh, there were a few more shops under repair, which looked quite nice.

With a smile, Rean resumed his routine street patrol.

He clenched his fist, also sensing the difference in the departure of heroic spirits.

This time, his eyes did not instinctively search for the criminals, nor did he instinctively "smell" evil, ready to draw his sword at any moment.

Even seeing a pickpocket can be treated as if it's none of one's business, and nothing happens.
"Snapped!"

Rean kicked him directly, and with a swift stroke of his scabbard, knocked his companion's knife away.

Seconds later, the two pickpockets were pinned to the ground.

Upon realizing it was Rean, they wisely gave up resisting.

Rean, who had easily completed his daily task of eliminating evil, simply sighed, feeling both regret and joy.

"It seems that some things remained, while others changed."

It wasn't that Rean felt he was wrong, but rather that at the moment of taking action, he hesitated for a moment and thought more than before.

Now, I would consider whether I should show mercy and whether the other person has their own difficulties.

The biggest change is that I've actually started to consider whether my forceful enforcement of the law is appropriate and legal.
"In the past, when facing evil, I would just swing my sword and charge in. What was there to think about?" A true old paladin never thought that much. He would cut down the enemy and then clean up the mess. In most cases, there would be no problems.

Thinking too much on the battlefield? Wanting to die too slowly? Or perhaps feeling there aren't enough tricks and deceptions from those cunning villains?

Those seemingly innocent people who become famous overnight can pull out a poisoned dagger and stab you in the next moment.

"Tsk, I think I'm overthinking it."

Paladins are obligated to eradicate evil, but in reality, they have no law enforcement authority.

But both they themselves and the people in various places feel that they have it.

The justice and legitimacy of most paladins are determined by the church of the true God they serve.

The benevolent gods will grant knights an oath of "virtue," which is the root cause of why most paladins cannot lie or do evil; losing "virtue" also means losing power.

But why should a true god have the authority to enforce laws in a kingdom? This is probably a difficult question to explain.

The reality is that everyone feels there's no problem, except for Rean, who came from another world, who might give it more thought.

"Phew!" Rean felt there was no need to think so much. He should just go with the flow. Investigating evil and the realm of punishment could solve most of the judgment problems. All he had to do was not to over-enforce the law.

Rean put down his sword, and all around him were unlucky people.

To eradicate evil completely, he also took the opportunity to dismantle the hideout of this newly emerged pickpocket gang.

If any industry is to be developed, the security in the dock area needs to be significantly improved. For Rean, it seems he only considered it briefly before taking action.
"No, I need to adjust to the changes. There's really no need to overthink it."

Rean, the "chameleon," felt that Sull's approach was more reliable. Why think so much on the battlefield? Are you just waiting to die too slowly?

"Rude! Reckless! Unreasonable paladin!"

Satisfaction rate -23%

Rean is already numb, so please deduct the money if you want.

But it seems that Rean has a pretty good idea that Kuku has a reason for hating paladins.

As natural servants of dragons and threats to towns, 99% of kobolds are highly aggressive and evil creatures, so it's perfectly normal for them to be attacked and subdued by paladins.

It might get smashed up by a reckless knight who storms into the mage tower.

Even if he walks into the city and does nothing, he might be suspected of having some kind of conspiracy and be watched by the knights.

"Well, Lord Kuku, what are your opinions on this place? How should we improve it?" Rean wanted to borrow the wisdom of this senior.

“No! It’s rotten, this place is a garbage dump.” But Kuku seemed completely uninterested.

Rean came here specifically to patrol the area today, partly to show that he was still supporting Dimon and his new forces on the battlefield.

Another purpose is to let the sage Kuku see if there's anything that can be saved in this place.

In Rean's mind, if there were any shortcuts to advancement, "knowledge" would be the most likely one.

But now, it seems that's not the case.
No, Rean noticed that Kuku was often observing carefully; he must still be thinking.

"A good new era. Not bad." Suddenly, on the magical pet's mind link, Kuku said something out of the blue.

"Huh? This is not bad?!" Rean was momentarily at a loss for words. His Demon-Slaying Slash had been going on non-stop all the way.

The turmoil in the slave market has made things even more chaotic here, and it seems that drastic measures will be needed during this transition period.

"Excellent! Herbivorous beastmen and carnivorous beastmen together! They can go together!"

This is completely incomprehensible.

"Go! Ask around for me! Do they have any 'Blood Frenzy Healing Potion'?" As they passed a pharmacy, Kuku became anxious and immediately told Rean to go in and ask about the situation.

The shop assistant had never heard of the name of this medicine before and immediately suspected that Lynn might have misremembered it.

Ask him, "Do you have Tranquility Grass?"

Suddenly, Kuku asked the name of a herb.

"Tranquility Grass? No." Instantly, Rean felt frustration and even despair from the other end of the soul link.

[Satisfaction Rate -24%] Seriously?! He said there wasn't any, so why are you deducting my satisfaction rate?! You think you're so great, you can take your anger out on me like that?!
"Tranquility grass is worthless; it grows everywhere in the suburbs. If you want some, just grab a handful yourself."

Satisfaction rate -10%

Satisfaction levels skyrocketed instantly! This increase was quite dramatic, and Kuku was overjoyed.

But Rean became increasingly puzzled, and no matter how he asked him, he received no response.

As they walked, it was Kuku who started urging Rean to run around everywhere.

Look at this, strike at evil, touch that, strike at evil again, go for a stroll over to Dimon, and strike at evil along the way. There's no other way, the dock area is just too chaotic right now.

Rean still had a bounty on him (not a large amount, and the slave market had already removed the bounty for him), and he encountered several attacks along the way.

"How is that possible? Haven't you already lost your power?"

"They all said you were acting. How can you be so strong when you're already a cripple!"

News of Rean losing his knightly powers had also spread, and he had to come to prove that he could still fight.

Otherwise, without his backing, Dimon would face many unavoidable troubles.

Even with Larry and Suliman secretly protecting them amidst the chaos, the ones who can truly threaten those third-rate trash are still the more ruthless killers, judges, and avengers.

Rean has always been able to intimidate many local gangs and thugs because of his rather "classical paladin" style.

"Slap!" Rean showed no mercy to the attackers and assassins who tried to kill him; finishing them off was basic courtesy.

He became increasingly certain that the person he was before being possessed by the spirit of the hero would not have been able to kill so casually.

Even if he had become a complete villain who had already discovered the proof of evil, the Rean of the past would not have been so calm after killing so many people.

"Tsk, I have become weaker, but what does that have to do with you?"

Rean has indeed become noticeably weaker. He has lost the infinite holy power that came with being possessed by the Heroic Spirit, but his biggest loss is the loss of Sul's combat instincts.

Rean is now a true novice paladin, except that he has mastered a great deal of combat experience and the ultimate sword techniques of the Heroic Spirit.

The significant decrease in the power of the mind and soul is not yet visible.

Since the opponent can still be killed with a single strike, there is no difference between armor penetration and sword penetration.

But this doesn't mean Rean has become weak, even though he can't use a single mage spell.

"Don't worry, Kuku will protect you! When necessary."

This is no nonsense. Rean has already tried it, and his "magical pet" is much more powerful than him.

Even though Kuku can only use first-level spells and zero-level tricks now, and even though he can't cast many spells with Rean's magic power, he is still ridiculously strong.

This "historic" level gap is something that no panel's capabilities can match.

A seasoned veteran can kill you, even with full plate armor, with just a pencil.

However, this situation of heroic spirits "coming back to life" also brings a lot of instability.

"Go to that cave! Take a look!"

Rean can't stop this big shot from doing whatever he wants; the only limitation is that he seems to be unable to stray too far from Rean.

But if Kuku really wanted to do something, he could simply knock Rean unconscious or hypnotize him and take him away, so this restriction was practically nonexistent.

The external activity of the spirits also makes the fluctuations in their satisfaction too obvious. Kuku's personality is a bit like a child's, with obvious fluctuations in joy and anger.

Rean frowned. The area was still sealed off. Going there wasn't impossible, but it would probably require more trouble from Suliman.

He really doesn't have the face to go see Suliman now.

“But I’m hungry. I’m going to a restaurant in the dock area to eat grilled fish. It’s really good there.” Rean tried hard to recall the taste of the grilled fish and transmitted his appetite through the soul link.

"Go! Go!" Kuku exclaimed, his mouth agape in alarm.

The spirits of heroes are like children, which is a good thing in a way; at least they are easy to treat and fool.

But surprisingly, Rean discovered another change in himself, which made him very curious.

He felt quite happy running around with the "kids," and would even kick open the gang's warehouse to check if there were any contraband items inside. This led to news spreading in the docks that "Mad Knight Rean" had not only not lost his power, but had become even crazier and stronger, and was now seeking revenge.

Consequently, the pressure on Dimon's side has been greatly reduced.

On this day, while taking his "child" shopping, Rean also completed a side task—preparing to awaken his dragon language magic.

He also collected a lot of medicinal herbs along the way, spending a considerable amount of money.

"Dragon Vein Awakening Potion! Mine! The best one!"

Rean bought a set of crucibles and alchemy tools and asked them to help him prepare the potions he needed.

[Satisfaction -5%] A child's personality also has its advantages; it's relatively easy to boost satisfaction, and it's quite practical.

After returning, Kuku began stirring the crucible and started concocting a potion. The main ingredient was Rean's own blood; whatever the alchemist master said, he would do it.

After all, Kuku said that if you're not willing to have your blood extracted to refine dragon blood, then the materials will cost at least five thousand gold coins.

Only this legendary alchemist could, in the absence of most materials, forcefully use inferior materials to create a potion with a similar effect.

That evening, Rean, who had planned to take medication to sleep, unexpectedly received an invitation.

"Her Highness the Princess is going to award us medals? Uh, and another distinguished person specifically requests to see me?"

(End of this chapter)