Goddess Kaleidoscope

Given the special circumstances, after consultations, Pine Village finally agreed to take in the refugees from Acorn Village.

The other party offered that although the monster had burned down their village, the food stored in the cellar should still be safe. Moreover, their village had a hidden warehouse outside the village. As long as Pine Tree Village was willing to take in these homeless people, they were willing to lead the people of Pine Tree Village to retrieve food after the monster left, and even joining Pine Tree Village was not a problem at all.

In any case, their village had already lost half its population in this disaster, and it would be difficult to maintain a foothold in this dangerous border region. Rather than scattering, they might as well go and join another village.

End of this chapter

For the people at the bottom of society living in this cruel world, death is a common occurrence. Moreover, this is the border region, and they are all pioneers. The probability of encountering unexpected disasters is much higher than in the interior. As long as people are alive, they must strive to survive.

To accommodate the more than one hundred refugees from neighboring villages, the temple of Lud once again became a temporary shelter, which caused much resentment among the local villagers, as the temple was their best place to pass the time during the winter, but now it was occupied by a group of outsiders who were also eating their stored food.

If it weren't for Ludwig and Rom keeping things in check, things might have already escalated into a riot.

However, just as this group of people were settled, before nightfall, several more groups of refugees came running from the south of the village. In total, there were more than two hundred people from all over the world.

From the refugees, Rudd learned that the monster currently attacking human villages throughout the northern part of Earl Ramley's territory was indeed a berserk black dragon. Several villages had already been ravaged, and even Riverwood had not been spared; some had seen flames engulfing the town, but the exact number of casualties was still unknown.

All signs indicate that this black dragon is intentionally attacking human villages in the border region. Pine Village has not yet been attacked, but it cannot be ruled out that after that thing has burned down all the villages and towns in the south, it will circle around and come back.

A series of bad news caused panic in the village, but it also led to a significant increase in the frequency of prayers. The village's religious output multiplied several times in a short period of time. Even many refugees who had been taken in joined in praying to the goddess statue in the temple, begging for divine protection so that the terrible monster would not appear in front of them again.

And so, a day passed. For the first time since the village was founded, the population of Songshu Village exceeded one thousand. However, at the same time, the number of outsiders also exceeded that of the villagers. The conflict between the two sides quickly intensified in a short period of time, and some unpleasant clashes occurred.

A group of restless individuals secretly conspired, believing they could overpower the local bullies and seize control of the village. However, they were quickly suppressed by Rom, who was well-prepared.

From the very beginning, the old village chief was wary of these outsiders. He sent militiamen to guard the granary day and night, and with the help of Hume and Fallen Leaf, the restless group was quickly subdued, but this only further escalated the conflict.

Seeing that the situation was trending further downside, Ludwig feared that something terrible was bound to happen sooner or later, so he called a meeting with Rom and representatives of various foreign groups to discuss how to save themselves.

The most pressing issue is the severe shortage of grain reserves.

Songshu Village's food reserves were originally enough to help them survive, but now there are simply too many refugees from outside, with the total number exceeding 1,100 and showing a further upward trend. Moreover, it is currently winter, so even if they wanted to engage in production to help themselves, they wouldn't have the necessary conditions.

Therefore, Lude hoped to establish a joint village committee to centralize all resources and implement a rationing system, while also sending people eastward to borrow grain from the nearest village.

However, just as everyone was busy figuring out how to get through the crisis together, several familiar faces suddenly appeared from the north of the village. They were Hamilton and his group, who had just left half a month ago.

But unlike their triumphant departure, when they were seen again, not only were there half their original number, but they were all covered in dirt and wounds. Hamilton had half his face wrapped in bandages, and Captain Jegan had to be carried back, looking utterly miserable.

"Master, what's going on here?"

"Something unexpected happened..."

Seeing that the group was seriously injured, and Captain Jegan was on the verge of death, looking like he might die at any moment, Lude quickly used a group heal, and then used a high-level Holy Light on Jegan, who was the most seriously injured, successfully pulling him back from the brink of death.

However, when Rudd used the Holy Healing spell, he only healed their injuries to a limited extent, without restoring their strength. Therefore, although the seriously injured Jegan was out of danger, he was still very weak and did not even have the strength to get up on the stretcher to thank Rudd.

The reason for only providing limited treatment was that Lud was wary. He suspected that the Black Dragon attack was related to these people, and he also noticed that the knights were carefully protecting a large box, which seemed to contain something very important.

So Ludd summoned Hamilton and asked him the blunt question.

“Master Hamilton, if you still consider me a friend, then tell me the truth: is that black dragon that attacks humans everywhere related to you?”

"Old friend, this matter... was actually an accident."

"Don't try to fool me. What's in that box? Is it what the Black Dragon is looking for? You're the ones who provoked it!"

Ludd's barrage of questions left Hamilton speechless, and Ludd, seeing Hamilton's expression, knew that he had indeed guessed everything correctly.

"What the hell are you guys doing?!"

"Old friend! This is not something you should be asking about, it's none of your business, do you understand what I mean?"

"It's none of our business? Go to the hall and see for yourself those villagers who have suffered this injustice, then come and say that to me! I need to know the truth now, so don't force me, old friend!"

Lude's smile had completely vanished. He emphasized the words "old friend" and stared intently at Hamilton, making the old wizard extremely embarrassed.

Thanks to his previous feigned mystery and occasional displays of skill, Hamilton had long regarded Lud as a master of equal caliber. Not to mention that mages of the same level usually lose more often than they win against priests, Hamilton was currently severely weakened, his strength less than half of his peak, and coupled with his guilt, he lacked confidence.

Left with no other choice, the old magician could only wave his hand and say...

"Fine, I give up. Can you calm down first?"

"What's in that box? Open it!"

Upon hearing that Luther wanted to see what was in the box, the knights became very nervous, instinctively placing their hands on their sword hilts. Seeing that these simpletons were still trying to resist, Hamilton quickly shouted at them.

"Just open it! You can't protect it anyway, so don't make things difficult for yourself."

"..."xN

The knights exchanged bewildered glances. Considering that it was the great mage Hamilton who had spoken, they had no choice but to open the box and show Rudd what was inside, carefully wrapped in thick wool. It was an enormous egg, and they could faintly hear a heartbeat coming from inside the shell.

End of this chapter

The moment Rude saw the dragon egg, he understood everything, even comprehending the black dragon's rage. It was just like parents on Earth who had lost their children, wanting nothing more than to tear the human traffickers to shreds with their own hands.

Hamilton, gazing at the dragon egg that they had paid a considerable price to obtain, recounted the whole story.

The story actually begins three months ago when Earl Ramley accidentally obtained information that deep in the mountains of the Northern Void Forest, there was a cave halfway up the mountain where a giant dragon lived, and it had even made its nest and laid three dragon eggs.

This information came from a seasoned adventure team, but these guys only conducted a simple reconnaissance before quickly retreating, and then sold the location of the dragon's nest directly to the count as intelligence.

Upon receiving this news, the Earl first sent men to confirm the dragon's nest's existence, and then informed the King, who, through his connections, invited the great mage Hamilton of the Three Towers. The plan was to wait until winter to go to the dragon's nest and steal the dragon eggs.

In their original plan, the elite Silverwing Knights under the Earl's command were to cover Archmage Hamilton's infiltration of the dragon's lair. Taking advantage of the dragon's winter slumber, they would find an opportunity to kill it and take the dragon eggs. The three eggs would be divided among the Duran royal family, the Ramley family, and Hamilton himself, each receiving one.

The main reason for killing the dragon was to prevent future trouble. If it were simply a matter of stealing the eggs, once the dragon woke up and discovered that its eggs were gone, it would inevitably go berserk searching everywhere, threatening the neighboring earldoms.

The operation started smoothly. Not long after Hamilton and his party entered the Virtual Forest, they found the location of the dragon's nest according to the map. Just as the adventurers had provided, there was a female black dragon and three eggs inside.

With the knight's assistance, they first used a magical item called "Siren's Throat" outside the cave while the dragon was sleeping inside. This was one of the very few magical items that could affect dragons, deepening their drowsiness and lowering their alertness, thus buying Hamilton time to chant a high-level killing spell.

Hamilton, as expected of one of the human race's top combatants, dealt a severe blow to the drowsy, sleeping female dragon with a single powerful attack. Although it was a sneak attack, Hamilton's ability to break through the thick-skinned dragon's defenses with magic and leave it with only a sliver of health is undeniable.

Seeing the female dragon severely injured and lying in a pool of blood, barely alive, the knights immediately rushed forward. They first put the three dragon eggs into a pre-prepared storage box to take away, and then, as Hamilton requested, collected the dragon blood in another specially made container.

However, just as Hamilton had prepared his second ultimate attack, ready to send the female black dragon to her doom, a roar filled with boundless rage suddenly came from the sky behind them. Everyone turned around in astonishment to see another, even more massive male black dragon charging towards them.

The appearance of the second dragon caught Hamilton and his party completely off guard, because according to the "common sense" of this world, dragons are solitary creatures with very reclusive personalities, and they have never seen a male and female living together.

The main difference lies in their estrus cycles. Female dragons typically have an estrus cycle once every ten or twenty years, while male dragons, like humans, are in estrus year-round. Therefore, just like dolphins, they often prey on other species, which is how dragon subspecies are usually formed.

Therefore, female dragons typically only approach male dragons during their estrus cycle. Male dragons, knowing that females only seek them out for breeding, usually turn away after confirming pregnancy, leaving the responsibility of raising the offspring entirely to the female and acting as irresponsible fathers.

However, things rarely go as planned, and unfortunately, Hamilton and his companions stumbled upon one. The female dragon in the cave not only had a mate, but this mate was also quite dutiful, as everyone present clearly saw that the male dragon returned with a considerable amount of prey.

Unable to withstand the sudden appearance of the second dragon, the group could only flee in panic with the three dragon eggs they had obtained, under Hamilton's cover. To increase their chances of survival, Jegan's Silverwing Knights split into three groups, each carrying one dragon egg and fleeing in different directions, hoping that at least one group could escape back with the eggs.

Lud was getting impatient. He wasn't a staunch animal rights activist or a saint, but the actions of Hamilton and his group disgusted him. After all, they weren't slaying dragons for survival or to protect their people; they were simply after dragon eggs.

It's like the difference between slaughtering poultry and poaching!

Moreover, if we put ourselves in the dragon's shoes, if he were that male dragon, having worked hard to hunt and nourish his wife and children, only to return home to find a group of ruthless bandits had stormed into his house, not only trying to steal his children but also severely injuring his wife and even attempting to kill her, his anger would be completely understandable.

"You... I really don't know how to describe you..."

“Old friend, we are doing this for the sake of this country. The Galio Empire in the south has been expanding continuously for the past few decades, eyeing the surrounding countries with covetous intent. If the Kingdom of Duran wants to protect itself, it must have the fighting power to rival the Imperial Dragon Knights. Therefore, we need dragons.”

"What about the villagers outside? What did they do to deserve this suffering? Didn't you carefully consider the possible consequences before you did this?"

"Of course I considered it! But who would have thought there would be two dragons!"

Hamilton was also furious at Lud's accusations. He wasn't the kind of cold-blooded person who didn't care about the lives of others, but this situation was indeed far beyond his control. Hamilton now only hoped to contact the Three-Man Tower as soon as possible and summon the other two chiefs, so that he might have a chance to confront a raging black dragon head-on.

Seeing that this group of people had made a mess and there was no way to clean it up, Lu De was at his wit's end! The angry black dragon could discover Pine Village at any moment, and they had no strength to fight against it, and there was nowhere to even escape.

And as if confirming Lud's conjecture, panicked screams suddenly came from outside the temple, followed by a high-pitched, muffled roar from afar. The terrifying sound was enough to make the timid tremble just by hearing it from a distance.

Lud realized that they had been targeted by the dragon!

End of this chapter

"A dragon! It's a dragon!"

Amid the terrified screams of the villagers, a huge dark shadow appeared on the hilltop to the west of the village. It had already spotted Pine Tree Village and was flapping its enormous wings, flying at high speed toward the village.

Upon hearing that the dragon was approaching, Ludd glared fiercely at Hamilton, then grabbed his priest's scepter and strode towards the door.

Lude now possesses the ability to use divine magic; even if he can't defeat the dragon, he can at least hold out for a while. And since this power comes from the people, he, who wields it, should use it to protect them.

Lu De never forgot that he was a people's police officer!

Watching Ludwig's resolute retreating figure, Hamilton and the other Silver Knights all felt a pang of shame. The old mage sighed, took out the last mana potion from his pouch, and downed it in one gulp.

"Screw it, let's fight!"

As soon as Rudd stepped out of the temple's main gate, he saw a giant dragon in the sky and villagers swarming toward the temple on the ground.

Hume and Fallen Leaves arrived, their expressions grave. They grabbed Ludd's arms and, without a word, tried to take him away.

"Quick! Come with us, this place is no place to stay!"

“It’s too late, and I can’t just stand by and watch my believers die.”

"Are you crazy?! No one here is a match for that dragon, not you, me, or even Hamilton! Don't be silly! You said it yourself, as long as we're alive, we can always fight another day. If we don't run now, it'll be too late!"

Hume was frantic when she saw Ludd trying to play the hero. Ludd was her hope for a change of fortune, and she didn't care about the lives of other ordinary people.

In the blink of an eye, the dragon had already flown over the village. Instead of immediately attacking the ground, it kept circling, seemingly searching for something.

Lude knew that the dragon was looking for its kidnapped child, so he did not rashly attack the people on the ground, for fear that his breath might accidentally injure his own flesh and blood.

Seeing this, Lud suddenly had an idea.

"Hume, I'll hold that big guy off here for a bit. You go inside the temple and snatch the chest those knights are guarding. It contains that guy's egg. If dragons really do possess higher intelligence, there might still be room for negotiation today! Go quickly!"

Urged on by Ludd, Hume had no choice but to do as he was told. Ludd, disregarding the need to change into his flamboyant white robe, brandished his scepter and unleashed his signature Great Holy Light spell, using a towering pillar of light to attract the black dragon's attention.

Hey! Look this way!

Like a taunt spell, the holy light attracted the dragon's attention, but this flying lizard, as clever as it was, had no intention of landing to talk. Instead, it turned its head and spat three mouthfuls of "thick phlegm" at Lud.

A massive fireball, radiating intense heat, hurtled towards them, but before it could strike Lud and the temple behind him, it was blocked by a magical barrier. Hamilton, chanting a spell aloud, arrived beside Lud, surrounded by numerous fiery runes and surging with powerful magic.

With his undisputed fastest incantation in the magical world, Hamilton cast over a dozen magical barriers, blocking all three of the black dragon's dragon breath missiles. However, his appearance thoroughly enraged the black dragon in the sky, who recognized the egg thief almost instantly.