I'm really not a dragon.

The two devils gave them a considerable sum of hush money.

At least that was the case for Su En and his two companions, who were used to being poor.

A rare-grade staff, a set of Infernal Leather Armor, a Soul Coin with a wailing face printed on both sides, a bunch of gems, and gold coins from other kingdoms.

Suen couldn't discern the value of these items; his metallic dragon nature led him to instinctively choose the most expensive one.

"The Sword Coast people want staffs, the Northerners want leather armor, and the rest are mine!"

The dwarf held a palm-sized dimensional bag in his hand. The dimensional bag was also a magical artifact, one that could be used freely without synchronization.

As for its function, it is to provide a large-capacity storage backpack.

Suen fiddled with the staff like a child who had just received a new toy. As a "mage," all he was missing was a spellbook.

The group left the Mansion of Hope with a bountiful harvest.

The devil's tip on the second floor,

Passing through the burning portal, the three returned to the human world. The journey was shorter and much calmer than Suen had imagined.

"How are you all? Are you satisfied with this trip?" Aurelia asked, her hands behind her back, looking at the group with curiosity.

"It's alright, the devil is quite enthusiastic. I wish he would accept my soul," the dwarf said dejectedly.

The Heart of the Mountain is a treasure to the dwarves that is no less valuable than the Imperial Seal of the Kingdom. Every king has one of these Hearts of the Mountain embedded in his crown.

The dwarf felt as if he had missed out on a world when he recalled how the devil had rejected him.

Suen and the barbarian recalled the arrogant great demon Raphael, and the concubine who looked exactly like Raphael.

The two of them tacitly leaned against the window and poured out the undigested food from their stomachs.

"This looks like it's going to be an interesting journey."

Seeing their reactions, Aurelia's gentle tone gradually turned irritable. "But now that you're back, can you explain to me where these rats came from? This isn't a sewer!"

Only then did they realize that the devil's tip was full of rats.

All sorts of rats: moon rats, red-skinned rats, rotting rats, and even ferocious rats—rats that are as big as dogs and are often a nightmare for novice adventurers.

However, the highest-ranking members of the rat horde are a group of evil rats with glowing skulls.

Big Tooth was directing from the roof beam.

The mice formed a square formation and moved forward in an orderly fashion, each mouse trying to straighten its body and raising its left hand high towards Suen.

They chanted in unison something like a slogan, "Hey!"

If the rats were an army, they would surely be able to crush the enemy without hesitation in a blitzkrieg.

The second stage of the Path to Dragon Lord has been completed.

[Reward to be claimed: Second Breath Organ Promoter]

The Storm Giants enclave will forever remember the day it was defeated by the Skaven army.

[But beware of the counterattacks from the Annamese princes!]

Does the system mean that soon there will be a large number of adventurers specifically tasked with exterminating rats?

Thinking about it carefully, with the huge commotion he caused, the sewers must have been filled with adventurers by now.

[Currently unlocked lower-level servant classes: Diamond Dragon, Dragon Lord's Hand]

The system refreshes the interface to show a completely new screen, based on the existing nest interface.

Currently, only Big Tooth is qualified to take the job.

Its attributes are the highest among all mice combined.

Strength 2, Agility 14, Constitution 10, Intelligence 12 (+5), Perception 11, Charisma 8

Especially in the Intelligence stat, thanks to the swarm effect of the Skull Rat, Big Tooth received a terrifying 5-point boost to Intelligence, bringing his total Intelligence to a whopping 17 points.

He was even more intelligent than his master.

Suen focused his will on the Big Tooth icon and dragged it directly to the Diamond Dragon section.

Although rat swarms are very good at ambushes and are adept at stealth warfare.

But this is a magical world, and mages are the most powerful!

Inexplicably, Da Ya felt that he had undergone some special changes. It seemed that as long as he used his brain and concentrated, a force would appear to help him grab things and push away enemies.

If it puts in a little more effort, this power can even be transformed into magic.

"Squeak!" Big Tooth rubbed against Su En's trouser leg like a cat, showing its loyalty.

The entire swarm of rats echoed with voices praising the Dragon Lord.

"Squeak! (Hail the Dragon Lord!) Squeak squeak! (Hail Sidler! Hail Hitler!)"

Aurelia covered her forehead; she had a premonition that her days were not going to be easy for a while.

The third stage of the Path of the Dragon Lord quest has been updated.

[A lone young dragon! War is not merely a bloodbath; it also requires robust logistics. It is time to cultivate new lands, seek hunting grounds, and unlock the army's full war potential!]

[Farmland Conversion 0/30]

[Finding a Hunting Ground 0/10]

[Rewards: Random first-level spell, Dragon Nest building, Dragon War Temple.]

Ugh,

Suen sighed sincerely. These two tasks were actually quite normal; farmland could provide rice, and hunting grounds could provide meat.

If he truly had an army, he would naturally need food supplies.

The problem is, he only has a bunch of mice.

Moreover, in Baldur's Gate, where every inch of land is precious, where would one find farmland and hunting grounds?

The reward was indeed so captivating that he couldn't take his eyes off it; even a first-level spell was one thing.

As a mage, the more spells you master, the better.

The Dragon Nest building—that's what Su En finds somewhat interesting.

[Dragon Nest Building: Dragon War Temple]

[Building Location: Sun's Lair]

[Effect: Ten people can participate in the War Temple training each day, limited to once per creature. Participants will gain general combat style feats such as swordsmanship, blind combat, unarmed weapon proficiency, etc. There is a very small chance to gain the Metal Dragonbless feat.]

The thought of the mice returning from their training at the Temple of War, all transformed into kung fu mice, is rather enchanting.

However, the most important thing right now is to build an altar to Bahamut and pray to this god known for his kindness and generosity, asking the dragon god to protect his soul.

This is the only way to legitimately default on a debt.

Then, they would slowly deal with Torrin Silver Shield.

"Sun! Sweetheart, that's your name, right?" Aurelia leaned against the corner of the wall, holding a mask without facial features in her hand.

"What's wrong?" Su En turned around.

"My master instructed me to tell you something interesting? Orin, daughter of Sharofak, is currently in the murder trial..."

"The stronghold of the Baal believers?"

"Yes, do you have a way to sneak in?"

Suen looked at the other person helplessly. When Torlin took him there, he had blindfolded him, and he didn't even know where the murder trial was.

"Then, you can listen to my advice!"

"Speak!"

"I suggest you kill a Baal assassin, impersonate him, use his network of connections to infiltrate the murder trial, and then make that girl a slave to love."

The more she listened, the worse it seemed. Su En's expression began to crumble. "Isn't there any other way?"

Aurelia licked her lips and held up the mask in her hand. "Of course not. After this artifact is synchronized, you can temporarily gain the abilities of a shapeshifter."

Suen had heard of shapeshifters, who could change the appearance of others at will with just physical contact, and at the same time, their personality, habits, and even memories would be exactly the same as the victim's.

With this artifact, he could perfectly mimic the Baal assassin and infiltrate the murder trial.

Suen held out her hand, sighed, and said, "Alright!"

Aurelia raised an eyebrow.

"Well, the only question is, can you kill a Baal assassin?"

Suen gave her a deep look, and in an instant, a ghostly face appeared on his face, completely different from his own.

His body vanished from the spot in an instant.

"..." Aurelia's pupils dilated as she felt a cold, stick-like object pressed against the back of her neck.

The stick-shaped object loosened.

Aurelia turned her head and saw Suen holding a staff.

She couldn't help but touch her neck. If it had been a dagger that had been thrust at her, she might be dead!

How did this man master such advanced assassin skills?

"You used to be an assassin? Interesting. With skills like that, how come I've never heard of you before?"

Suen shook her head without explaining anything.

Within him resides a genuine disciple of the Three. As an assassin who simultaneously worships three evil gods, he is endowed with the ability to sense bleeding targets and swiftly teleport to them.

That's why Suen was able to catch Aurelia off guard.

Aurelia tossed the mask aside, somewhat frustrated. "Fine, now all you need is a target!"

Suen took the mask and stroked its texture; it felt just like real human skin.

Aurelia had a strip of parchment wrapped around her finger. "I have some lists. They might be Baal assassins, or they might not. Do you need to find them one by one?"

Suen took the list, which contained more than a dozen names. After glancing at it, Suen handed the list to Shushu and then rubbed Da Ya's head.

Aurelia's expression froze.

If Suen's guess is correct, all the people on the list have bounties on the black market.

This woman was probably planning to have Su En visit each person on the list, kill them all, and then collect the bounty without a second thought.

Suen didn't have that much time to waste searching for people.

So, let's just send the mouse to investigate.

Baal assassins are all highly intuitive killing masters who can easily detect spies in the shadows. If a rat dies, that person is most likely a Baal assassin.

Aurelia stared blankly at Suen, her footsteps creaking on the floor as if he were a heartless man.

Suen glanced at Aurelia, ignoring her emotions.

He turned to ask his friends about their next plans.

He's now wanted and has a bounty on his head; he's practically doomed if he's exposed to the light of day.

The dwarf and the barbarian helped him, but they will also be wanted; he'd better leave Sword Bay as soon as possible.

Hearing Suen's question.

The northern barbarian gave a simple, honest smile, and said with great anticipation,

"I don't actually want to leave Sword Bay. I want to be a bard! Sword Bay has a good academy for poets."

Hmm, that's strange. Logically speaking, if one wants to be a bard, the Sword Coast isn't the best choice.

Suen recalled what was in her mind,

In the North, the Silvermoon Federation is known as the poetic capital of moon and snow, home to the moon elves and home to at least two renowned academies of poets.

As for Baldur's Gate, that godforsaken place, it has absolutely nothing to do with art.

Waterdeep is better than Baldur's Gate; it also has a decent Academy of Poets.

"Have you come to the wrong place?!" Suen couldn't help but say.

The northern barbarian, his face flushed, said dejectedly, "I went to every college, from Luskan to the Silvermoon Alliance to Waterdeep, and they all said I'm not cut out to be a poet!"

Suen and the dwarf exchanged a strange look. With that accent of the northern barbarian, he certainly didn't seem like someone who could be a bard.

"It's okay, you can still play the piano!"

"Well……"

"Okay, you can write poems and have other people sing them; a poet by name is still a poet."

The northern barbarian awkwardly pulled a piece of rough paper from his pocket and said expectantly, "This is a poem I wrote. What do you think?"

"The temple is built on a precipice, the dragon is buried in the deep marsh. The beauty weeps before the mirror, the warrior loses his wine. Heaven and earth hide a snail shell, the vast sky writes a single page. Riding the wind and chasing the waves, only a light boat can carry us—'Song of Departure'"

It's terrible. Even someone like Su En, who doesn't understand poetry, can tell that it's terribly written.

"Conan..." The dwarf looked at the northern barbarian with a complicated expression, unusually refraining from uttering any harsh words.

"Being a poet is a waste of your talent!" Suen couldn't help but chime in. "You should choose another righteous path!"

The northern barbarian kept rubbing the straw paper between his index finger and thumb. This burly and tall man looked like a child who had done something wrong. "I want to be a poet, even the worst one."

"Listen to me, Conan, this is a road of no return," the dwarf couldn't help but advise.

"Why does it have to be a bard?" Suen asked, puzzled.

Conan's eyes gleamed, and he chuckled, "This story begins in the past."

"I used to be impulsive, irritable, and even angrier. Like my people, I woke up to the sound of the cold wind and slept with my giant axe as my pillow. Killing and plundering—that's what we lived for."

"Until I met someone. She told me that six thousand years ago, the Imaska ​​people conquered the world with their magical artifacts. Five thousand years ago, the Netheril people conquered the world with their floating cities."

"Before humans, elves, dragons, and giants all conquered the world."

She said, “What eternal thing can the God I believe in, or the way of life I’m used to, build? Kingdoms built with blood and war are like sand in the wind, and empires built with order and laws are like the moon in the water.”

"Life may pass away, kingdoms may fall, but ideas are eternal! Poetry, enduring for millennia, is far more powerful and vibrant than swords and longbows!"

"I have never seen such a person, so small, yet so great! So, I gave up many things and came to Sword Bay. I want to create with my own hands what she called eternal and everlasting."

After listening, Suen scratched his head. "Actually, I think that poem was pretty good! Brian, what do you think?"

"Uh, it has the potential to become a classic, uh, a classic!" the dwarf said with a bitter face, not wanting to admit it.

Conan, who dreams of becoming a poet, looks at the terrible poem in his hand and says confidently, "I know you don't believe me, but I'll write a better poem than this someday!"

Conan, this good-for-nothing rejected by several poet academies, could only be admitted to a poet academy by Su En's money.

He has reasons to stay here.

Suen turned her gaze. "So what about you, Brian? Aren't you leaving?"

The dwarf glanced at Suen sideways. "I don't think I've ever told you about my past."

"If you have something to say," Suen shrugged, "I'm all ears."

The dwarf chuckled, his gaze momentarily haughty, as if looking down upon his insignificant and humble life.

"There's not much to say. A half-breed bastard lived a muddled life underground for eighteen years, only waking up at the moment his mother died—ha, do you know what conditions are required to be chosen by the Book of Hatred?"

"A mage's talent?"

"Wrong, it's hatred!"

The dwarf's triangular eyes narrowed into slits, as if wildfire were burning within them. "My mother was an ordinary golden dwarf. She lived in a highland country called Char, until a group of slave hunters captured her and sold her to a dark region far from her home."

"My ordinary and pitiful mother endured the cruelty and harshness of those idiotic gray dwarves. She could have abandoned everything and fled far away, but her last son didn't look like a gray dwarf!"

"He had the beautiful beard of a golden dwarf, fair skin, and a sturdy, strong body."

The dwarf's voice grew hoarse, "But he's not a gray dwarf! Eighteen years, I've hated her for eighteen whole years. I hate myself for not being a gray dwarf, for suffering torment and humiliation for no reason. I hate the kindness that suddenly surfaced in my heart. I hate myself, and I hate her too."

"Actually, she protected me for eighteen years. She was like a wounded bird that tore off its own feathers with its bloodied beak to make its chicks stronger. You may not know that golden dwarves can live to be four hundred years old."

"She called my name at the moment of her death, begging me to see her."

"I looked at her and realized for the first time how small she was. I cried. It was the first time I ever cried for her. I cried because she was so stupid, why she didn't escape this bloodless, tearless hellhole! Why did she have to die protecting a bastard!"

The dwarf really cried, a heart-wrenching wail of utter despair, for he had long known the cruel answer.

"Because I am her son, this curse has haunted her for the rest of her life."

"I swear I will take revenge! Those who abused her, those slave traders, every single one of them, I swear, none of them will escape!"

Suen patted Brian on the shoulder, and for a moment, he and the northern barbarian were speechless.

All he could say was, "Count me in for your revenge!"

Brian wiped his face, his eyes red and his neck stiff. "Heh! I'm not so weak that I need anyone's help. But if you want to interfere, go ahead! In the end, I'll kill them all with my own hands anyway."

In the distance, the sun sinks below the horizon, and dreams and curses slowly collide in the hut at Baldur's Gate.

P.S.: The poem "Song of Leaving" comes from the Tahirian Tales.