Life is tough, so Honglong resorts to performing?

Chapter 24 The Calm Before the Storm
If one day in the future someone were to compile a complete account of the entire incident that occurred in Greenleaf City, they would discover that it was a tragedy caused by information asymmetry.

Every participant deeply involved in the matter acted according to the information and logic they possessed, ultimately leading the situation to an uncontrollable point.

Hmm, maybe we could give it a name like "Hardcore Fierce Dragon" and make a video for the audience in the world of Falron to have some fun.

But at this moment, perhaps in the calm before the storm, one of the instigators of the incident, the red dragon Loren, is currently in his rented room, squinting as he opens a storage box.

Although the emergence of the evil product of the times, such as the Goblin Bank and terminal payment, has turned the traditional industry of the Five-Colored Dragon Clan, robbery and plunder, into a sunset industry with high risks and low returns.

But it must be said that after the robbery and murder, the task of counting the assets was still exhilarating for Long.

It's like putting on new underwear for the New Year.

"This has 1,000 loose coins, this has 500, this has 800, and this has a lot, 1,500!"

Loren counted the loose change in his hand, grinning from ear to ear.

As expected, none of the thieves' wealth contained magic crystal cards representing magic crystal coin savings.

This is normal, because of the special properties of magic crystals, only patrol stations like to use them.

Because the use of each magic crystal coin can be traced.

The patrol station can use this money to track down other people.

After all, besides its ability to save money, its main function is to be exchanged for high-quality magic crystals, which happens to be the cornerstone of the Federation society.

It took Loren a short while to count the coins of the eight bandit leaders, totaling about ten thousand copper coins.

In addition, there are a bunch of magic crystal weapons, various unused thief tools, and so on.

The value of these items can only be determined on the black market. Selling them in large quantities would not only lower the price but also attract unwanted attention and reports.

Therefore, Loren does not intend to convert them into cash for the time being.

In comparison, the money they made from the stolen goods they smuggled with their men was more substantial.

The copper coins and paper money there together amount to about 50,000.

In addition, there are various small stolen items that are easy to sell, with a total value of over 80,000 yuan.

"A thief organization can earn 80,000 in a day with no capital required. No wonder the dragon ancestors liked to rob and plunder."

Loren sighed, lamenting that the good old days were truly gone forever.

If he had been born before the establishment of the Federation, he probably would have trained a group of pickpockets and robbers to become mountain kings and plunder and pillage.
But thinking about it carefully, something doesn't seem right. Where in the Federation are there so many people with spare money? Everyone's pockets are practically empty.

"Fortune and misfortune are intertwined."

Loren sighed. Then he focused his gaze on the last bag, the one belonging to the goblin leader, which was a size larger than the others.

He remembered that the first bandit leader had said that their organization controlled a small magic crystal mine.

"Protective barrier, activate."

Loren cast another spell, putting the room under protection, and then he opened the bag.

As expected, the inside contained low-quality magic crystals that had not been cut or processed.

Although the quality is not high, the quantity is not bad.

This bag is enough for Red Dragon to eat for a month. Yes, eat.

Dragons, as creatures naturally endowed with magical power, seem to be particularly well-suited to magic crystals, a special form of energy.

Regularly consuming magic crystals can accelerate the growth of dragons to some extent, and at the same time, increase the dragon's magical reserves.

Consuming a sufficient amount of magic crystals over a long period of time can create an additional magic heart for oneself when advancing to the Ancient Dragon level. With the two combined, the maximum magic output can reach more than four times that of the previous Ancient Dragon.

If you include external products like magic crystal weapons, one ancient dragon in the Federation army could easily outnumber ten ancient dragons from the past.

Of course, it is also because of the compatibility between magic crystals and dragons that, with the help of high-quality magic crystals, some people have developed technologies such as the intelligence-enhancing technology for dragon beasts and the dragon blood purification technology for half-dragon races, which has led to the proliferation of dragon identities.

After touching all the money, Loren reluctantly put most of it into his storage bag, then swallowed it and hid it away.

Only a portion is kept for daily use.

Then, he picked up several uncut magic crystal ores, calculated their weight, revealed his dragon form, and swallowed them whole, truly entering his stomach to digest food.

Unlike the standard magic crystal blocks that the Federation had previously cut, these uncut magic crystal ores were angular and irregular, which was quite irritating to Loren's stomach.

Fortunately, his stomach soon began to work, secreting the dragon's gastric acid, which could almost digest everything.

Loren himself also began chanting the incantation with focused concentration.

As a professional mage, even with the help of a dragon's stomach, a naturally advanced digestive organ, Loren would still use magic to aid digestion and make absorption more efficient.

As for the reason, it's because they're used to being poor.

He was a poor dragon who would even sell his excrement on the black market as concentrated dragon dung extract, so naturally he wanted to digest something as valuable as magic crystals as thoroughly as possible.

About an hour later, Loren had completed the initial digestion of the magic crystals, and a large amount of fresh magic power filled his blood and body.

If he were to revert to his original form, his body would probably have grown a little bit more.

It will probably take Loren three days to fully digest this new magic, but with the magic-suppressing handcuffs he got from the patrol station, that process should be shortened.

"Judging by the time, Miss Denise should have informed her family, or she should already be home."

Loren began to calculate the time he had spent apart from Denise, his interactions with the police chief at the station, and all the time he had spent back in this old O'Neill rented room.

He estimated that the treehouse should be empty by now, and he could move in.

"That half-elf inspector should be busy dealing with the director for a while now, he won't have time to come looking for me."

Loren squinted, certain that with that person's shrewdness, they would never let that idiotic inspector come looking for them again.

As for which path the other party ultimately chose and how they decided to handle it, that was no longer Loren's business. He had given them a warning, but everyone has to walk their own path in life.

Loren reopened the magic crystal terminal, and as expected, he did not receive any message from the half-elf inspector.

The news report about the half-elf councilor from the upper district who was shot in the back and committed suicide sparked many associations in Loren's mind.

"So that's how it is. So this is the struggle for power. It's really a bit scary."

"Fortunately, it has nothing to do with me anymore."

Loren thought about it, packed his things, and prepared to move!
A new home that belongs to him, maximizing privacy and independence!

(End of this chapter)