I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 206 Dragon's Nest Treasure
The morning sun was still relatively gentle, but the boundless golden sea of ​​sand had already begun to gather heat.

When they reached the depths of a sandstone canyon weathered over thousands of years, the heat began to distort DuPont's vision. Inhaling the hot air felt like his entire lungs were on fire.

"This guy's territory is pretty easy to find."

DuPont looked at the towering boulders on both sides of the canyon, cleaved by lightning, with traces of brown blood still remaining on the stone walls. The half-buried pile of bones at the entrance must be the remains of past adventurers. The armor that was buried shallowly was almost weathered, with charred marks on it, and the weapons were rusted into scrap metal, giving it an appearance that said "keep away, strangers."

The baron looked at the boulder with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes: "Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows. This may not be Carlosak's only lair, but many people have met their demise here. We also fought him to the death here before, so it should be considered one of his main burrows."

"However, this guy is also very cunning. He will basically not fight if there is a large-scale attack. When he comes here, he can only see countless traps. I don't know who his inside man is in Nas City."

"A trap, huh?" DuPont thought to himself, then took out a communication rune stone, which lit up a few seconds later: "Mentor, do you have time recently?"

"I'm alright." Veronica's voice sounded a little sleepy, her tone somewhat unsteady: "What is it?"

“We’ve killed an old blue dragon and are now near its lair.” DuPont cut to the chase, as wasting the archmage’s time was not a wise move. “However, we don’t know if there are any other blue dragons inside, or if there is any treasure. We’d like to invite you to come and take a look. If you’re rich, we can split the loot; if not, consider this an invitation to a desert tour.”

"Oh, you killed an old blue dragon?" Veronica seemed more alert. "You've already taken it down, so why are you still worried about the trap? I haven't done anything and I'm already going to take my share of the loot. Your companions might not be happy about that."

"That's right, it has been disguising itself as a human for some time now." DuPont briefly described, "The problem now is that we don't know who its inside man is, and it also has this murder case on its hands. We want to contact Nas City, but we might encounter other troubles. So we contacted you, mentor, to come along, so that you can be a witness."

"So there were these hidden details... Well, it's really nothing for me to get a share of this money. Alright, DuPont, take out the teleportation staff I gave you and input your mental energy."

DuPont took out the teleportation staff inlaid with magnificent gems. After concentrating his mind, the staff emitted a pale blue glow: "Mentor, do you think it's suitable?"

"Very good, remember not to relax, keep holding the position, it may take several tens of seconds."

Veronica finished speaking and ended the call, but DuPont remained focused and dared not slacken his efforts in the slightest.

The supervisor is probably searching for his exact coordinates. If there is an error, a single mistake could mean a distance of hundreds of miles, or even lead to danger.

Fortunately, the worst did not happen. About 20 seconds later, DuPont felt a violent magical fluctuation above his head. When he looked up, he saw his mentor in mid-air, with his arms outstretched, slowly descending.

Teleporting to a higher position in unfamiliar terrain is generally safer. As for whether you will fall, Featherfall is just a first-level spell and is not difficult to learn.

Having not seen his mentor for a long time, he was still as radiant as ever upon their reunion. However, the sudden bright light made him somewhat unhappy. He took out a parasol and shielded his head from it. After landing, he ignored everyone else and looked directly at DuPont: "So the dragon has already been killed, right?"

“Yes.” DuPont took out a dragon tooth: “The blood isn’t cold yet.”

"Looks like you've gotten better at it again. Hmm, your teammates are really impressive too. They weren't lying to me; they're honest and good kids." Veronica said, pinching DuPont's cheek. "But you're injured again. Didn't I tell you to take care of your health and avoid taking risks? Why can't you sit still?"

DuPont blushed slightly at the intimate gesture and coughed lightly, "Well, this is my father, and that's Miss Moonflower."

After a brief introduction, Veronica withdrew her hand, pretending nothing had happened, but she avoided eye contact with the others.

It would be really inappropriate for the other person's father to see this groping.
However, no one probably noticed in the sweltering heat. Veronica held the dragon tooth and cast a spell with one hand. Soon, detailed information about the tooth's owner appeared before her eyes: "...This guy's lair is really nearby. Judging from the skill of this claw, it has indeed been resting in this human valley recently. This should be one of its main sleeping lairs."

"However, the information you mentioned earlier about collusion cannot be predicted with just this dragon tooth. Do you still have that dragon head? It would be best if it had a brain, so that we could easily detect detailed information."

"It feels like I blew his brain apart with that shot." DuPont took out the enormous dragon head from his storage bag: "Take a look, or how about these eyes?"

"Eyes are fine too, but your dissection technique is terrible." Veronica looked at the head of the dragon, which had its teeth knocked out and one eye blind, making it look extremely ugly: "If the head of an old blue dragon were well preserved, it could probably fetch a little over 20,000 gold coins if sold to some collectors who have too much money to spend. You are really wasting a precious resource."

"..." Moonflower said casually. The others exchanged glances, clearly regretting their actions. DuPont was a little embarrassed: "Well, we were in a bit of a mess during the fight. When we killed it, we shot out its eye, so we had to dismantle it and use it as magic material."

"That's all there is to it. Using this dragon skull to make a bone shield with lightning resistance would be a good choice. It's not entirely without value."

Veronica cast a spell again, this time creating a ribbon-like mark in her hand, which was positioned in front of her: "Follow me, and you'll reach the blue dragon's lair."

The baron comforted the animals, letting the two horses rest peacefully, and then he had seen the world.

Magical trap?

Remove the trap and break it.

A mummy guard made from adventurers?
A wall of fire made them dance right in the flames.

Blue dragon servants trapped here?
Upon seeing the dragon's tooth, they were all terrified and fled in panic. Soon after, cheers of our freedom could be heard.

The group entered the blue dragon's lair without incident, at which point Veronica cast a spell again.

Group levitation, life-sustaining bubbles.

"Alright, now we don't need to worry about quicksand and poison gas." The female mage clapped her hands and summoned a giant wind elemental: "Please, check ahead to see if there are any more hidden blue dragons."

"I will obey your decree." The wind elemental's voice was somewhat muffled, but it flew extremely fast and returned shortly after: "Mistress, there is no sign of any dragons inside, but there are a few fools plundering the blue dragon's treasure. It seems that the master of this place is dead."

“These clueless guys have no reason to live.” Veronica glanced at the elves, seemingly casually, and went straight in: “If they don’t want to leave, then let them die here.”

"As ordered."

The wind elementalist and the female mage led the way away, and DuPont and the others quickly followed, but Moonflower shuddered.

Ever since Veronica arrived, Moonflower had vaguely sensed some hostility from her, which puzzled her and made her feel a little resentful.

Why does this tutor seem to dislike me?

Could it be that DuPont is having an affair with this incredibly charming and alluring woman, and is treating her as a fake rival?
But that doesn't seem quite right, and I've never heard DuPont mention this before.

Does the other party see me as someone trying to poach their partner?

This is possible.

Mages are an absolute elite class, but they are also naturally divided into factions. The eight major schools are inherently opposed to a number of other factions in their use of arcane magic, which makes it impossible for mages to sit at the same table and discuss things politely. Mutual discrimination is perfectly normal.

"Even in a brothel, the Transmutation Department would mock the Necromancer Department. How can you expect these mages to manage their relationships?" Besides the inherent factional antagonism, mages also place great importance on inheritance. To gamble on a good prospect, they would waste their quotas to recruit people from the academy. From the uncertainty of their teens, they would be trained until their twenties before they could graduate. Even if they weren't trained with great care, just copying spells and using experimental equipment would cost at least a thousand gold coins a year.

The time cost is even more significant. If the child is raised incorrectly, you can only accept it with a heavy heart. If a rebellious or madman appears, you might even have heart problems from anger.

But even if the two did get married, why would the Moon Fairy let DuPont shed his Harua citizenship?
Even if Dupont really agreed, she wouldn't do it. If Dupont really is the Grand Mage of Harua, then he has many powerful backers. At that time, those old fogies in the council would have to be wary of the background of the Mage Kingdom if they wanted to cause trouble, and wouldn't dare to act too much.

If they really become residents of Yongju Island, without the identity of foreign friends, those old guys will be like fish in water. Even if there is no conflict, they will probably be so angry that they will leave.

After much deliberation, Moonflower decided to secretly use her communication skills to ask DuPont, and the information she received shocked her.

This female mage turned out to be the mother of that silly paladin, who was also DuPont's rumored girlfriend.

Upon hearing this news, Moonflower became restless. Even though the dragon's nest was very cool, she couldn't stop sweating from beading on her forehead.

If it were a love rival, that would be fine. Since we're not actually married, and we're just friends, who can say anything? And who can stop someone from liking another person?
How can this be possible in the world!
But it can be quite frightening for a mother to protect her children.

A mother's love is selfless, and in this situation, one cannot use common sense to predict a person's behavior; she might do anything.

Thinking about this, Yuehua felt a little nervous.

Although she believed that the archmage wouldn't lose his mind and actually do something malicious to her, all she needed to do was whisper sweet nothings in DuPont's ear.

For example, if you find an excuse to keep DuPont in the mage tower for a year or two without letting her out, would she still have to wait?

If you were to be a bit more despicable and let DuPont and her daughter have sex and get married first, wouldn't you only be able to be the mistress?

At that point, not only would the Elf Council not agree, but even her mother wouldn't.

Although the elves are no longer an empire, the tree may be gone but its roots remain; it's not something to be done in such a shameful way.

If she really did it, she would probably be etched on the pillar of shame in the history of the elves. At that time, let alone reviving the elves, she would probably be infamous for eternity.

Thinking of this, Yuehua quickly sent a message: "By the way, DuPont, aren't you in a hurry to get married?"

"Huh?" DuPont was taken aback by the news. What did this have to do with anything? "This is something for when you're in your twenties or later, so of course there's no rush."

"That's good." Yuehua breathed a sigh of relief: "Don't marry anyone who asks you to. Try to stay single for a few more years and help me fend them off. I'll pay you money every year."

She's an elf; she can wait 10 years, or even 100, not to mention 10, but humans don't have such a long flowering period.
DuPont didn't know what the other person was thinking, but he vaguely sensed that it seemed to be related to his mentor.

Could it be that the Grand Master has arrived, and my net worth has increased again?
There were rumors before that Lavoisier was his mentor, so the other party should have had some suspicions. Why is he doing this now?
Women are really hard to understand.

However, DuPont didn't think much of it; his attention was soon drawn to something else.

The dragon's lair was exceptionally spacious, but upon reaching the innermost part, it was discovered that the lair resembled a hollowed-out mountain range. The dome appeared to have been cleaved open by lightning, and a blinding beam of sunlight pierced the darkness like a sword of judgment, illuminating the Thunder Throne at the very center: a colossal heap of treasure made of gold, precious metal artifacts, magical equipment, and magnetized iron ore.

It can also be called the Dragon Bed.

Behind the golden bed stood a thirty-foot-tall bronze pillar, its surface engraved with storm runes, and a deep blue core suspended at its top, surrounded by rolling lightning of unknown origin.

DuPont was so captivated by the mountain of gold coins that he couldn't take his eyes off them.

Even the most cowardly black dragon, who loves swampy terrain, cannot sleep without the company of gold and treasure. It is said that using these precious metals to build a nest can effectively improve the dragon's sleep quality, and looking at it will make the dragon feel happy. Moreover, the larger the pile of treasure, the more it demonstrates the dragon's strength. When pursuing a mate, showing the treasure to a dragon of the opposite sex will definitely have an outstanding effect.

After all, the weak can't even hold onto much money, let alone steal it.

Of course, even for a metal dragon that is principled and kind, it is absolutely important to keep one's mate's property separate from one's own. If someone dares to covet another's treasure, even if it's just a single copper coin, the dragon might turn its back on them and drive them away, turning them into an enemy the next time they meet.

"Be careful, there are magical traps on it." The female mage said, taking out her staff and casting a spell on the deep blue sphere. After two casts, the sphere fell from mid-air and was caught steadily by the wind giant.

"Mistress, this is the Thunder Core, the magical core that guards the Dragon's Nest treasure, worth no less than ten thousand gold." The Wind Giant's voice was loud enough for everyone else to hear: "It's enough to make legendary equipment."

“Looks like this guy hasn’t lived these past few centuries in vain.” Veronica tossed the arcane core in her hand and pointed to the huge pile of treasure: “I’ve dispelled the curse mark on it. Let’s take these first and then think about dividing the money. If we delay any longer, things might change. Maybe this blue dragon’s old flame or another blue dragon will come knocking on our door.”

Upon hearing this, no one dared to hesitate for a moment. They took their spatial bags and began filling them with the contents. However, just seconds after they started, the massive bronze pillar behind the throne suddenly began to tremble.

Seeing the situation was bad, Veronica knew there might be a lingering physical trap. She immediately summoned a giant hand to support the bronze pillar and shouted, "Hurry! This cave seems to have collapsed. Gather together so I can cast a group flight spell on you if anything happens!"

Upon hearing this, everyone cursed the blue dragon's cunning. How could he have triggered such a vicious trap before stealing even a small amount? This guy would rather bury his treasure in the sand than leave it for others.

Seeing that the surroundings had begun to tremble, this work, which should have been enjoyable in the past, was now extremely heavy. Countless runes appeared before Veronica's eyes as she used creation magic and turning mud into stone to maintain the structure of the cave as much as possible.

This blue dragon had already considered what would happen after its death. This kinetic energy trap, constructed purely with physical means, would likely kill even a high-level thief on the spot.

"Forget about those silver coins underneath, take the more valuable ones if possible. I can only maintain this for 30 seconds at most!"

Everyone hurriedly began selecting magical equipment. DuPont summoned the Mage's Hand to help him acquire the items. Before they had even taken half, a deafening roar came from the cave. Then, they felt light on their bodies and floated in the air. The huge dragon bed had fallen into the abyss along its base.

DuPont breathed a sigh of relief, but then heard the Sun Elf shout from the side, "Come help me, I'm going to fall!"

Turning my head, I saw that the Sun Elf was still stubbornly clinging to the edge of the throne, holding onto a giant sapphire the size of a palm.

But perhaps because it was embedded too firmly, she was pulled down into the deep pit by the throne. Fortunately, Veronica's arcane energy flashed, and a huge ice bridge bloomed in mid-air, connecting the collapsed area and leaving the dragon's bed directly on the ice.

The ice wall bore the weight, but countless treasures were shattered and plunged into the abyss. Everyone looked at the bottomless darkness, wiping away sweat, but thankfully no one was injured.

"Cuixing, how could you be so willful?" The moon elf was a little anxious when she saw this scene. She wasn't short of money and could even share the spoils, so how could she have acted like this? "If it weren't for the master, you would probably be dead by now."

“No, look at this gem.” Standing calmly on the ice, the Sun Elf took out her rapier and dug out the gem, only to find it engraved with countless ancient elven runes.

"This is a coded message left by an elven archmage. The destination is either an elven treasure trove or a landmark in one of those lost cities. If we can find it, we might really strike it rich!"

(End of this chapter)