The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 137 The Mastermind

Chapter 137 The Mastermind (Please Subscribe!!!)
If no trace can be found, then the only option is to use the [Sleep] spell to intercept it in advance.

But as the spell dissipated, Tang Qi did not hear the sound of anything falling to the ground.

"He escaped?"

Suspicious, he hurried to Ambition's side and asked:
"Are you hurt?"

Anbi suppressed the stomach pain, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and shook her head:

"Ambition is alright!"

She understood the urgency of the situation and quickly tried to catch the stranger's scent with her nose, but then said blankly:

"Brother, that person has disappeared."

"So the sleep spell failed to stop him?"

Is it magic? Or some kind of strange object...?

Tang Qi didn't know how the other party had left the cellar.

But guessing the other party's purpose, he quickly lifted the little girl's hood.

Then they saw the startled little dragon let out a weary cry:

"Ouch~"

He breathed a sigh of relief:
"Fortunately, it's okay."

"Is he here for Iwu?" Ambi asked hesitantly.

Tang Qi shook his head and first helped the little girl up:

"I don't know. But at least one thing is clear—"

We're being watched.

Along with the facts come a host of questions.

When did this drow elf begin to lurk in this cellar?
And what are their motives?
Were they assassins from the Red Turban Gang?
Or is it the council that's eyeing the little dragon?
Or perhaps, it has some connection to the mansion's former owners?

He couldn't reach a conclusion, but he needed to come up with some countermeasures:
"Just in case, we can't let Iu show his face again for at least a short period of time, and the plan to train dragon breath must also be put on hold."

Perhaps I should find a place to lay low for a while, at least to prevent them from having another chance to ambush me and threaten those around me...

Thinking of this, Tang Qi took a deep breath.

"Going to the dungeon as soon as possible might be a good choice."

……

【Tang Qi's Guide to Longjin City】

Similar to the Lower City, which consists of 'Spine', 'Below the Cliff', 'Commerce', 'Port', and 'Deep Well', the Upper City is also just a general concept.

It is divided into 'Cliffside', 'Castle', 'Temple', and finally 'Dragon Government Hall'.

As if they had to distinguish themselves from the wealthy people in the 'Cliffside District,' the nobles who made the 'Cliffside District' their main residential area were born with a sense of superiority.

Unlike our beloved Starpine tycoons, the lifelong goal of these true aristocrats is to try to conceal their superiority—

They were generous in showing compassion to the poor in the deep wells and port areas, and those who actually came into contact with them realized how kind and polite they were, like a loving relative or a respected elder in the family.

Don't worry that they will dislike you.

What I mean is, they do do that—after shaking your hand, they'll mutter something under their breath and keep wiping their hands with a handkerchief in a corner where you can't see them.

But rest assured, if you don't pay close attention and only focus on their superficial appearance, you won't discover this.

The 'Castle District' is the heart of the entire Dragon Gold City, where the military, courts, government, and all those whose decisions are directly related to the city are gathered.

That's all I can say, otherwise they'll sentence me for 'leaking secrets'.

Of course, I can tell you a little-known fact—

The 'Dragon Cavalry' were exceptionally united, like brothers-in-law. This was largely because many of them were regulars at the 'Brotherhood Club,' where they would opt for wax and whips when not wielding swords.

As for the so-called 'Temple District', perhaps a thousand years before the beginning of the 'Forgotten Calendar', when faiths were abundant, countless well-known gods were enshrined here.

Today, only the 'Starlight Mage Academy' remains standing.

In those temples that are occasionally repaired, you can only see some solemn sculptures, exquisite murals, and the faith passed down orally by the church priests.

Whether they truly exist depends solely on the depth of your faith.

I almost forgot about the 'Dragon Government Building', a great masterpiece of the city's original founders.

When you step into the back of the dragon's head, you think you're standing inside the dragon's skull, but in reality, you're stepping into another dimension.

You can still use the dragon's mouth to overlook the entire Dragongold City, while the outside world cannot observe you.

This is something our public lords often do.

So I remain skeptical that this guy probably has some kind of voyeuristic tendency...

"Very few people can hurt you."

[Lion Lionheart], a grey-black lion twists its broad body.

Behind him, the sky seemed to have been touched by a deity's fingertips, dispersing the thick, heavy clouds and allowing the bright moonlight to shine through, illuminating his black plate armor, spreading into the dimly lit government hall, and reflecting on Night Wind's ashen face.

He stepped forward and touched the drow elf's wound.

The three scratches on his chest began to writhe silently, the granulation tissue around the wounds pulling and closing together until finally, only filthy blood remained.

"I can only help you heal your external wounds. As for the curse that remains on your wrist, you'll have to overcome it yourself—your animalistic nature will make you violent and savage, giving rise to a persistent rage."

Find a quiet place to rest and get through these days. As long as you resist your animalistic instincts before the two moons, you won't succumb to the wild.

"I see."

The night wind was always hoarse, and the curse was eroding his sanity, making his breathing sound exceptionally clear.

But all of this was drowned out by Leon's heavy, guttural voice:

"So, what have you discovered during this month of observation?"

The night wind answered truthfully:

"At first, I only thought of him as a somewhat skilled bard, an adventurer who could cast spells."

The dragon beside him was a [pseudo-dragon] that appeared in the form of a summoned creature...

But until the night before, I heard the roar of the little dragon, and after diving deep into the cellar, I discovered the shattered stone wall and realized that it might be a power only a real dragon could possess. I wanted to continue lying low and investigating, but shortly afterward, several Red Turban Gang corpses appeared in the cellar.

Leon sat down on a nearby stone chair, his sharp gaze sweeping over the night wind:

“You wouldn’t have reported that to me if there hadn’t been something unusual about those corpses.”

The night breeze nodded in agreement:

"Judging from the magical traces on the corpses, they were influenced by the [Suggestion] spell before they died."

"That's why they went to the Golden Oak and provoked that human."

"But I don't know who did it or why."

"You really don't know?"

"I--"

The night wind paused for a moment, then responded.

"【Stella Starlight】, 【Duchess】."

She used a suggestive spell, perhaps to test the bard?

But regardless, she deceived you.

The lion sneered, unconcerned:

"Of course. The two eyeballs she created were enough to help her see everything that happened in the Dawn Forest—she certainly saw the egg and realized that the dragon had hatched."

However, she didn't want me to know any of this.

"I thought you were on the same side."

Leon raised his hands, clenched them into fists, and a jet-black light burst forth from his fingertips:

"She was afraid that I would break my vow again."

The night wind responded with silence.

He believed that this was a topic that should never be discussed in person by a 'sworn oath' regicide.

As his mind grew increasingly foggy, he forced himself to stay awake and said:
"I wish to make amends for my mistakes. Please allow me to bring the dragon back before the poet leaves."

"It's too late—you should have reported to me immediately so I could handle the negotiations. Instead of acting on your own and taking rash action."

“I’m sorry, but the beastman next to him has an extremely sensitive nose. I can conceal my form, but it’s very difficult to hide my scent.”

“He’s a poet, he’s more skilled with words than with swords. I don’t believe he didn’t give you a chance to negotiate.”

“I’m sorry, sir. I thought I could easily bring that dragon back.”

"Apologies and explanations are meaningless."

The lion let out a long sigh, its gaze once again fixed on the darkness beyond the skull.

"Because of Stella's deception, I have lost the initiative."

Now, because of your unilateral decision, I have also lost the opportunity to negotiate with him.

Finding him now will only provoke his resentment.

“I don’t understand why you can’t just threaten him and take the dragon away.”

Leon snorted coldly:
"This is Dragon Gold City, not the Underdark."

Force is always the last resort for solving problems in this city.

Otherwise, I would not have needed to promote the "public ownership of land" system and attempt to legally confiscate the property of Xingmei Town.

It would be much easier to set foot on that land and search for that ruin in person.

But I hope this matter can be handled more peacefully and in accordance with the law; that's the only loyalty I can show.

"IMHO--"

The night breeze took a deep breath and poured out all the questions that had been nagging at it.
"Indecisiveness will only push the outcome in an unpredictable direction. If you worry too much, you will end up achieving nothing."

"Is this the golden rule of you bunch of geniuses?"
"Since you regard their words as gospel, why did you leave your tribe and come to the surface to serve me?"

Leon responded with a cold laugh,
"I know what I'm doing, and you only have the right to choose whether to listen or not."

"I'm sorry, sir. I—"

"Go and rest."

The night wind bowed low, until it was completely enveloped in shadow.

Leon leaned back on the stone chair, its high and broad backrest covering his entire body.

He stroked his fur with his paws and exhaled as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

He closed his weary eyes and drifted off to sleep in the dim light.

Only coherent syllables lingered between his teeth, indistinct and unclear, more like stubborn mutterings:

"To be loyal to the crown, to be a sentinel for the law."

Stand up for courage, uphold responsibility.

Eve Edelman.

The last heir to the Golden Kingdom.