The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 178 Burden and Entanglement (10,000 words, more to come later)

"So you were in cahoots, weren't you?"

Tang Qi did not like to talk in the Dragon Government Hall.

This is a closed demiplane space, seemingly allowing a glimpse of the entire city through the dragon's gaping hole—

But that was actually just a projection; to truly leave the government building, one must ultimately exit through the main entrance.

However, the gates of the government building were firmly guarded by an entire squadron of dragon cavalry.

The morning light around me gave me a sense of security.

But she had lost an arm, and before her stood a cunning and experienced Oathbreaker, capable of killing a high-level spellcaster with a single sword strike…

Tang Qi thought it was better for him to be honest.

"If she wants to, I can't stop her from doing anything. So I didn't choose to do that in the first place—"

Since I'm already a step behind her and know she'll definitely find you, I might as well wait until you two have finished talking before showing myself.

Leon extended his palm in a gesture of invitation, the ring on his hand radiating a dazzling light that enveloped the entire large round table.

He gestured for Tang Qi to sit opposite him.
"This will make you appear more polite and try to win your favor."

I had originally planned to open up the "Honest Domain," since I hoped that we could be completely open and honest in this conversation.

But considering that Stella would likely provide you with the appropriate means, I'll skip this unnecessary step.

Tang Qi subconsciously touched his invisible [Mind Shield Ring]—

Under the ring's effect, magic will be unable to penetrate his mind or detect his lies.

Or perhaps the person who understands you best is actually your opponent?
This made Tang Qi, after taking his seat, unable to resist taking a closer look at the lion before him—

This was the first time he had seen the face of this public lord in person.

He looked older than in the portrait.

On its jet-black mane, grayish-white hairs were already showing through.

However, he couldn't tell the lion's age from its appearance; he could only marvel at its impressive physique.

Many Goliaths might not have had his towering, robust physique.

In comparison, Chenxi, also clad in armor, looked like a doll.

She whispered to Tang Qi in her heart:

"I don't like the feeling he gives off."

"Why?" Tang Qi couldn't answer his own question, but he felt that this 'friendly' public lord didn't seem to care about their private conversation.

“Nobody likes an Oathbreaker,” Dawn said.

Tang Qi couldn't help but ask:

"But do you, a paladin, really have the right to say you hate someone?"

"Humph."

The dawn had no way to refute it and could only let the leaking black mist dissipate from the armor.

Tang Qi then looked at Leon:
"First they brought the orcs into the Great Wall, then they sent assassins to kill me, and then they took advantage of my trip to the underground city to kidnap the little girl who was with me. And now they want to win my favor with these little details?"

"Don't say that. The decision to bring the orcs to Dragongold City was our collective decision. It was in everyone's best interest, including Stella's—"

Now that their leader is kept in Dragon Gold City, it won't be long before that sorcerer turns them into a disorganized mess.

These are never problems we worry about.

Leon maintained an upright posture and said,

"As for [Night Wind], you should understand that he is just someone I sent to monitor you."

Assassination is Stella's modus operandi. She's doing this to lure you to the [Dragon Vault] and reveal the secrets to accelerating the growth of your dragon hatchlings.

The instruction 'consume the magical item' in the [Suggestion Technique] is actually a reminder to Tang Qi that the little dragon possesses the ability to accelerate its growth.

This is different from the dragon in Tang Qi's memory.

However, considering that Xiaolong's soul is that of a princess who has not yet regained her memories, it is enough for him to ignore these traits that are inconsistent with his knowledge base.

"What about the beastmen?"

"I always need some leverage to make a deal with you, don't I?"

Leon's voice remained steady throughout.
“Beastmen are indeed a threat to Long Jincheng, and you happen to have one by your side. I’m just using him.”

"On the contrary, I think the lord who provoked the beast-like attack in Dragon Gold City is more of a threat."

Tang Qi was not swayed by the other party's words; he simply chuckled.
"Is it really 'legal' to intensify the curse on beastmen? Does DragonGold City not have charges of 'accomplice' or 'instigation of crime'?"

"The director of that orphanage was a threat who was supposed to be dealt with."

Leon snorted and retorted.
"I tolerated her living in the Deep Well District under an assumed identity as a beast-like being."

She was even allowed to inherit the orphanage and provide shelter for homeless children.

But what did she do?
She beautifies the curse of 'beasthood' with tragic stories, feeds her own blood to unsuspecting children, thereby expanding her population and alleviating her morbid loneliness...

Instead of executing her immediately, she was given the opportunity to spend the night of the two moons; this was already a sign of mercy.

Tang Qi didn't readily believe Leon's explanation, but that didn't stop him from continuing his sarcastic remarks, following the other's line of reasoning:

"Since you already knew, yet you tacitly allowed her to do it, and even gave her a chance at the end—you didn't care about the so-called 'threat' as much as you thought."

"There is no such thing as absolute light in this world. A qualified ruler should allow the existence of shadows."

"But the premise is that you yourself are not part of the 'shadow'."

Tang Qi tapped the round table in front of him.

"You can't say you have nothing to do with the Red Scarf Gang and that shapeshifter, can you?"

Tang Qi believes that the fact that a gang has grown to such a scale and even dominated the entire underground city's ecosystem is inextricably linked to the instructions of the rulers.

"They are the shadow of this city, but that doesn't mean they have no value."

Leon didn't mind telling Don Qi about his grand ambitions.

This is a crucial step in persuading the other party to hand over 'Eve':
"Many years ago, before His Highness passed away, the Deep Well was a passage connecting Dragongold City and the Darklands."

When Her Highness was alive, she was able to sweep away all the filth in the passageway with her own great power.

But after her death, the ever-increasing threats eventually became an obstacle to Longjincheng's development.

I cannot devote all my resources to defending against the threat of the dungeons.

Tang Qi didn't mind hearing more stories.

These will all become elements in his calculations in the log:
"So you chose to use the dungeon?"

"Why not? The deep wells of the past, after the Dragon Treasury was emptied, served no purpose other than threatening the safety of Dragon Gold City and wasting military resources."

By using the lie of the "treasure vault," a large number of gold prospectors are encouraged to flock to the city, which can both boost economic development and exchange, and also eliminate the constant threats from the mines.

The existence of the Red Scarf Gang also absorbed a large number of poor criminals in the city, giving them an outlet for their energy and maintaining the city's stability on another level.

Today, Dragon Gold City is like a sophisticated machine; maintaining its current prosperity requires only meticulous attention to detail—this is the aspiration of every lord and citizen.

"It's also tough on you, because of my appearance, you have to shut down this 'prosperity machine'."

"You mean the current dungeon. It wasn't shut down because of you."

"Is not it?"

Tang Qi blinked.

"I thought you were planning to have the Red Scarf Gang trap me in the underground city, which is why you closed the entrances and exits."

“That’s one way, but I prefer to sit here and communicate with you peacefully.”

Leon shook his head and pondered for a moment.

"All treasures found in the ruins belong to the adventurers. If even the rulers cannot abide by the established laws, then they are nothing but empty words."

Tang Qi frowned slightly:
"So the dungeon was really locked down because of those spores?"

"Although I don't know how you left the deep well, you clearly don't know enough about the situation inside."

Leon sighed, seemingly also troubled by this unexpected event.
"Those spores are excellent alchemical materials, which means they can accommodate spells of all natures, even [Darkness]."

Now, the darkness of magic shrouds every corner of the dungeon, and countless corpses, empowered by dragon blood, are brought to life by spores.

If these spores are allowed to escape into Dragon Gold City through its entire underground water system or the entrances to its deep wells, turning all the dead in the [Land of Burial Bones] into living corpses, it would be a devastating disaster for the entire city of Dragon Gold.

Tang Qi vaguely remembered that these mushrooms reproduced through corpses.

In other words, as the living corpses are activated and slaughter more living beings, they will form a breeding cycle, continuously expanding their numbers.

The root cause of all this is nothing more than one point:
"The rampant plundering of mushrooms has angered their entire population."

"It seems you know more about these mushrooms than we do."

"They are living beings, and they also possess wisdom."

Tang Qi recalled the singing mushrooms in the cellar.

"They also experience sadness, joy, and anger."

"You're the only one who noticed this."

The lion furrowed its brow, then finally shook its head.
"But it was all too late."

"late?"

Tang Qi asked in surprise,
"Aren't you going to give those adventurers a way out?"

"At least not in the short term."

Tang Qi thought of the rubble and Kuru still trapped in the dungeon. In the darkness of magic, their [darksight] was also difficult to use, which already hampered their combat capabilities.

Not to mention that the Silver Medal entered the dungeon even earlier than me.

A month is enough time for them to exhaust all their supplies.

Even if they were lucky enough to find a safe haven in the dungeon, the lack of food would eventually kill them there!
He tried his best to keep his expression calm:
"Most people will die inside."

Leon agrees: "Then more people will survive."

"I remember that young lady from the Silver Shield family is also in the dungeon."

“But Orion had to agree with my decision—his daughter and the city, he understood which was more important.”

"If it were that princess, what would she have done?"

This is both mockery and a test.

"Her?"

Leon shook his head.

"She won't take any of that to heart."

"Then what was her reason for building this city? Wasn't it to ensure the continuation of the Golden Kingdom?"

"Nobody knows what she was planning to do; we can only see what she actually did."

"for example?"

"Absolute autocracy means that she often makes decisions that do not benefit others."

Just as no one understood the significance of her expending enormous resources to research a shell-like ship.

Tang Qi recalled the magic ship he had glimpsed in the Deep Well.

"Her actions have hurt many people who once supported her, which is why I am able to sit in front of you."

"And that became your reason for murdering the emperor?"

"I don't have the habit of revealing my past to others."

Leon did not intend to delve into this topic.

"Let's talk about the deal instead. I don't think a fledgling dragon is of any value to you."

“That’s a dragon,” Tang Qi muttered stubbornly.

"A dragon I haven't known for very long."

Leon corrected him.
Is it worth giving up everything you've built for it?

Tang Qi blinked and smiled:
"Don't talk like I'm some kind of close friend to that girl."

"So, can I expect a bard to guarantee his monogamy?"

"Have you investigated my background?"

“A bard who knows magic is rare and hard not to attract attention—but in the [Bard's Song], you seem to be the only exception.”

Leon let out a slow sigh.

"Your special nature makes me even less willing to have any conflict with you."

It sounds like neither he nor Stella know anything about the [Forgotten Stone Tablet]?

Tang Qi was a little confused as to why his own diary entries hadn't been displayed on the stone tablet.

Or perhaps it was deliberately concealed by someone.

But that's not the most important thing right now:
So, name your price?
Stella promised me many magical items and that I could return home in glory.

"Besides an insignificant little girl, what else can you promise me to stop me from having Xiaolong for myself?"

"It depends on what you need."

Tang Qi's stance was more like extortion than a transaction.

But he is currently the only person who has 'tamed' the little dragon—

This was enough to surprise Stella and Leon.

In their minds, even if the baby dragon hatches, it shouldn't stay with anyone.

The lion still spreads its arms, signifying acceptance:
"Wealth, fame, status? Within the bounds of Long Jincheng and even the law, I can give you everything I am capable of giving."

"What about outside Dragon Gold City?"

"That's not as safe as Longjincheng."

"Who mentioned safety to you?"

Tang Qi shrugged.

He wouldn't stay in one place for long, even for money or power, until he had seen the world for himself.

"Outside of Longjin City, I will help you to the best of my ability."

That's all Leon could say.

But to Tang Qi, this was practically saying, "Long Jincheng's influence doesn't extend outside."

“That doesn’t sound very convincing,” Tang Qi shook his head.

"I'm giving you time to think, before the Double Moon Feast."

Leon slowly stood up. His towering figure forced Tang Qi, even from a table's distance, to look up at him slightly.
"There are seven days until the lunar phase observation—if you can't make a decision before then, the wolf cub will face its just deserts."

At the same time, I must give you a word of advice.

"The law is my moral bottom line, not my absolute bottom line."

The moment Tang Qi met his gaze, he noticed that the lion's eyes seemed to grow even fiercer—

His entire body tensed up instantly, and the itching and stinging sensations assaulted him simultaneously, making his breathing involuntarily heavy.
All of this was accomplished with just a fleeting glance.

"call……"

He took a deep breath.

Polite speech, gray hair, and an aging body cannot conceal the fact that the other party is a lion.

He used the law as a cage to bind himself.

But Tang Qi knew very well that whether or not he could break free of the cage was just a matter of a breath.

He can even break the prison of his oath.

The law then seems more like a paper window.

Chenxi gently placed her hand on the hilt of the broken sword:

"I will do my best to buy you time to escape."

She understood that even if she were to recover to her peak condition with the recovery gel, she would still be held back by this body and ultimately lose to Leon.

The Oathbreaker can unleash the Holy Slash without worrying about breaking their own body.

"So 'threat' is the attitude you've been trying to convey all along, right?"

Knowing it was just a warning, Tang Qi felt relatively relaxed.

"This is only a last resort."

Leon withdrew his imposing aura and turned slightly to the side.

"But I know you're a smart person. Why don't you think carefully about what decision would be more beneficial for you?"

Think carefully about how much that wolf cub means to you.

Don't you think she's a burden?

Tang Qi brushed past him and walked towards the gates of the Dragon Government Hall.
"Besides causing trouble, she serves no purpose whatsoever, and is not even as important as the kobolds locked in the dungeon."

Why don't you open the dungeon for me and only let my companions out?

"I can not do it."

Leon shook his head and answered solemnly.

"I need to be responsible for the lives of every citizen, and I will never gamble with the safety of the entire city."

If you see her as a burden, then you can think about what you can get out of me.

We all want to resolve this conflict peacefully, don't we?

……

Seemingly realizing that the story was somewhat heavy, Marian in the prison shook her head.

She gently patted the thoughtful little girl's shoulder, steer the conversation back on track:
"So what I mean is, feelings are mutual—"

While you need your sister's care, have you ever thought that your sister also needs your presence to maintain her motivation and sense of purpose in life?

You drew 'need' from her, and she experienced 'being needed' from you.

It is because of your mutual giving and reliance on each other that you have forged an inseparable bond between you.

Ambition nodded as if he understood, then shook his head.

"Therefore, you are never anyone's burden - only those who don't care about you will think you are a 'burden'."

For those who care about you, your existence is also the motivation that keeps them going...

This isn't called trouble, it's called an obstacle.

(End of this chapter)