Goddess Kaleidoscope

Soon, all the actors were in position. Lu De tidied himself up a bit, then used an amplification spell on himself and shouted loudly at the dragons above his head.

"Guests who have come from afar, please feel free to come down and chat. I have prepared tea and snacks here, and I will not neglect you."

As soon as Lude spoke, his words overshadowed the dragons filling the sky, allowing him to subtly demonstrate his power. A short while later, several representatives descended from the dragon horde, transforming into human form just before landing. Clearly, each possessed a ring bestowed by the Holy Church of Light.

As soon as the representatives landed, they noticed Sanders standing meekly behind Ludger like a submissive wife. Then, sensing a peculiar vibration, they all pulled out a compass from their pockets. These were the little gadgets given to them by the Holy Church of Light to help them seek revenge. All the compass needles were pointing firmly at the blue-haired man in front of them.

"Sanders? I've finally found you!"

"Get out of the way! I'm not a dragon, let me kill him!"

"Don't push, one at a time, one knife at a time!"

With their enemy right in front of them, the representatives panicked and all wanted to rush forward for revenge. This clearly demonstrates the depth of their hatred for Sanders.

He quickly stepped forward to stop the agitated crowd of dragons, silently offering a word of reassurance to calm them down temporarily.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Please listen to me. I have heard some stories about the dragon race and know that this Sanders has done many despicable things, but I regret to inform you that you cannot touch him now."

"What do you mean? You're going to protect this guy? Human, who do you think you are? Trying to scare me... Waaah..."

Without making any move, Lud simply glared at the tall, burly man who had spoken rudely, and the man's loud voice stopped abruptly, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, and he squatted down as if out of control.

Seeing this, the other dragons were all shocked, and their eyes, when they looked at Lud, had unconsciously developed a sense of awe.

The tall, muscular man imprisoned by divine magic was not a dragon, but a Fiery Vulture of the level of a magical beast lord, only slightly weaker than an adult dragon. Yet he was subdued with a single glance, demonstrating that his strength was clearly not that of an ordinary priest.

Seeing that the deterrent had worked, Lude did not apply further pressure. With a seemingly casual wave of his hand, he released the restraints on the Fire Eagle. However, the eagle did not get up but instead bowed deeply to Lude.

"Master, I was wrong."

"..."

Lude gave this overly pragmatic fellow a meaningful look, then surveyed his surroundings, showing no regard for the dragons as a threat whatsoever.

The Pantheon currently boasts three fourth-tier gods and four third-tier gods, with four more in reserve soon to emerge. If they were to go all out in a battle, these dragons might not fare well here. However, the price might be the razing of Pine Town to the ground, which is Lud's concern.

At this moment, a slightly older-looking red-haired man stepped forward. Judging from his hair color, Lud could tell that he was a red dragon like Amy. This lineage was relatively prosperous among the dragons, and their numbers were greater than those of other dragons.

“Master, we do not disrespect a strong person like you, but why do you protect this shameless scoundrel?”

"No, no, you've misunderstood. I didn't mean to protect him."

"Then why..."

"This guy caused trouble here and I caught him red-handed. I spared his life because he's a dragon, but he has to compensate for the damage he caused. So I made him sign a contract to serve my sect for a hundred years. He's already a low-level employee under me. If you beat him half to death, wouldn't I be the one who suffers the loss?"

"Uh, this..."

"What? Do you think I'm wronging Haolong, and that this guy is actually innocent?"

"..."xN

Although they vaguely felt that something was amiss, the dragons were at least certain that Sanders, who never did anything related to dragons, was definitely not innocent.

“Master, we also have a grudge against him.”

"What does that have to do with me? Revenge isn't about who came first, it's about strength. You've been hunting him for centuries and still couldn't catch him, and now he's fallen into my hands. Do you really have the nerve to ask me for the dragon?"

"Uh……"

Speechless at Lud's question, the dragons were speechless for a moment, but with their enemy so close, they were unwilling to give up so easily. The thought of letting this bastard escape their grasp only fueled their rage!

Lud, who had deliberately set a trap to provoke them, wanted these dragons to have such thoughts. So, seeing that the time was right, Lud suddenly changed the subject and "suggested" something.

"How about... you all come and work for me?"

"What?"

"Actually, it's like this. I own a logistics company, the kind that delivers packages. I hired Amy, one of your kind, who works for me as a senior employee. Sanders, on the other hand, is a low-level employee who's been put through labor reform. He's mainly responsible for providing logistical support to the senior employees, basically doing odd jobs. Imagine, you're all working for me, enjoying all sorts of great benefits like Amy, while Sanders, who used to bully you, can only meekly serve you seniors tea and water, massage your legs and shoulders, without daring to utter a single word of dissent. Isn't that much more satisfying than simply beating him up? What do you think?"

For the residents of Pine Tree Town, tonight is destined to be a sleepless night!

Dozens of giant beasts descended from the sky, resembling a melon patch, leaving the onlookers momentarily unsure which one to chop down first.

The dragons were mostly bewildered. Just twenty minutes ago, they were indignant and wanted to seek revenge on Sanders, but now they were all sitting in front of this human, listening to him talk endlessly about employee benefits, and somehow they had a "job posting" in their hands.

This is so strange... Let me take another look!

The idea of ​​hiring was a spur-of-the-moment decision by Lude. When Sanders said he was being chased by dozens of dragons, his first reaction was to keep these deserving creatures away from him to avoid getting splattered with blood. But when he saw the sky-covering horde of dragons, a bold idea came to him.

While Lud was entertaining the dragons, the guards' knights from Athos went over to inquire about the situation.

Dozens of dragons and super monsters suddenly appeared at his door. Ados was initially panicked, knowing that his few hundred human soldiers couldn't handle them. Fortunately, although these guys came uninvited, they didn't cause trouble right away. It sounded like they were looking for a guy named "Sanders".

So Lud explained the situation briefly to reassure him that he would handle things on his end and wouldn't let these guys destroy his town. However, while he was entertaining his guest, he would trouble the guards to set up a cordon outside and dissuade ordinary townspeople from coming over to watch the commotion.

Meanwhile, seeing the situation taking a strange turn, the other dragons that had been circling in the air couldn't sit still any longer and came down to inquire what was going on. Rud was welcoming to all of them, and simply opened the temple hall, letting those capable of transforming into human form come in and sit down.

As for Sanders, Ludd naturally didn't let him sit idle. To prove that what he said earlier was true, Ludd naturally had Sanders serve tea and water, running around like a waiter.

Some dragons who knew Sanders were amazed by what they saw. Although he was notorious for his evil deeds and acted eccentrically and unreliably, he was also truly skilled and was considered a once-in-a-millennium genius among dragons, the number one illusionist of the nine clans. If he hadn't misused his intelligence, he wouldn't have ended up as a pariah.

Now that everyone sees this guy has finally fallen, they can't help but feel a mix of regret and感慨 (gǎnkǎi - mixed feelings of sorrow and reflection).

"You son of a bitch, you deserve it!"

To be honest, the dragons and Sanders didn't have a blood feud that could never be resolved. They simply wanted to beat Sanders up to vent their anger over being tricked years ago.

So when they saw Sanders suffer a terrible setback, while they secretly gloated, their anger had already subsided by more than half.

Meanwhile, Lude was still lecturing the dragons present. Some were clearly tempted, but others were naturally easygoing and instinctively felt resistant at the mere mention of working.

As the most powerful being in this world, the Dragon Heart is like a biological nuclear reactor, providing dragons with a continuous supply of magic. This allows them to thrive even without food or water, living comfortably on air alone. Therefore, dragons with little survival pressure often prefer to lie down. Asking them to work is out of the question—absolutely not in this lifetime!

However, most of these dragons are over 800 years old, already middle-aged, and they are more interested in the younger generation of dragons.

With his excellent eloquence, Lud quickly recruited more than a dozen new employees, most of whom were dragons with rings. He also recruited three monster lords, including the very pragmatic Fire Vulture, who introduced himself as "Ludan" and was known in the martial arts world as "Mountain Fire".

However, a dragon who recognized him quickly jumped out to expose him, saying that the "wildfire" was actually a nickname he gave himself, and his real nickname was "Wall-Changing Bird." He was indeed quite capable, but his character was really not good.

These monster lords are also divided into factions. Some, like the Hydra in the past, are hostile to the civilized world and are classified as the "Chaos faction." However, others choose to coexist peacefully with other intelligent races and are therefore classified as the "Order faction."

As for Lu Dan, he was a master of leaping left and right!

Upon hearing someone expose his past, Lu Dan immediately retorted defiantly.

"I am a wise bird! What's wrong with choosing a good tree to perch on?"

"..."xN

In the end, Ludr successfully recruited seventeen new employees. The other dragons, seeing that Sanders had been captured by the Pantheon first, were wary of the strength Ludr had previously displayed and hesitated for a long time before daring not to intercept him. They could only make a few harsh words, telling Sanders to be careful in the future, before leaving in a huff.

New employees who choose to stay are given a shapeshifting ring, which allows them to transform into human form and travel around. As a result, they are more willing to live in human society than their peers who do not have the ring.

Lude immediately arranged dormitories for them, meeting all the standards set by Emily. By the time he finished all this, it was already dawn, but thinking about what he had accomplished, Lude felt so excited that he wanted to go for a run.

For Lud, the arrival of these new employees was perfectly timed. Not only did it greatly enhance the delivery capacity of his own courier company, but it also solved the urgent problem for the Northern Military Alliance, who now finally had the ability to rapidly transport troops to the south.

It's worth noting that Lud didn't intend for these dragons to directly serve as his henchmen and fight for the kingdom against the empire. He clearly stated in the employment contracts that the dragons would only provide transport services, and as the employer, Lud had no right to force them to participate in combat.

Firstly, the relaxed requirements would be more conducive to recruiting more workers, and secondly, Ludger did not want the Duran Kingdom to win this battle solely through foreign aid.

As soon as it was light, Lud wrote to the allied lords to inform them of the situation on his side. His transport capacity had suddenly become very abundant, and Lud planned to arrange the first order for these new employees to transport the allied troops.

When using a gondola, an adult dragon can carry three hundred infantrymen or fifty cavalrymen into the sky at once. It does not need to travel long distances to send the army directly to the southern front. It only needs to be sent across the central mountain range. The south side of the mountain is not as cold as the north side, and every winter there are heavy snows that block the roads.

Lude roughly estimated that with these eighteen employees, it would theoretically only take about ten days to send the Alliance's 15,000 soldiers and supplies to Shannan. After that, they could complete the integration training of the troops there before heading to the southern front to participate in the war.

Not long after the letter was sent, Earl Ramley was the first to reply, expressing his agreement with the troop transport plan and also conveying a message from the "Three-Man Tower" to Lud: the three chiefs wanted to meet with him.

The day after Count Ramley's letter arrived, a griffin with a man on its back flew into Pine Town amidst the heavy snow.

The griffin landed directly on the hillside in front of the temple. A handsome and refined man walked to the gate and introduced himself as Vladimir, one of the chiefs of the Three Towers, who had important business to discuss with Saint Rudd.

Upon hearing this, Lu De, who was stir-frying vegetables in the kitchen, quickly put down his tools and ran to the front door to personally greet them.

Lude had heard of Vladimir, the chief of the Three Towers, long ago, but of the three chiefs, he was the only one he had never met in person.

In fact, if we're talking about fame, this person became famous earlier and was more famous than Hamilton and Debra. In terms of seniority, he was the great-great ...

Vladimir, who has lived for hundreds of years but still looks like he's in his early thirties, is naturally not human; he is a pure-blooded high elf. Unable to tolerate the lazy and indolent atmosphere within the high elf community, coupled with their arrogance and disdain for other races, he angrily left the Silent Forest and came to the human race to become a teacher.

Given this important figure's status and position, coupled with his humble demeanor and the fact that he had come specifically to request an audience, Rudd deliberately left the griffin at the foot of the slope while he himself walked to the door. Rudd reciprocated with the utmost courtesy. Everyone showed respect to each other, exchanging pleasantries in return!

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Vladimir got straight to the point, stating his purpose: to purchase a batch of "Evelina's Tears" from the Pantheon, and if possible, to hire a few priests from Lud's faction, for which the Three Towers were willing to offer a large reward.

Upon hearing this, Ludwig vaguely guessed that it was related to the war in the south.

The Three-Man Tower is the largest magician organization in the Kingdom of Duran. Two of its three chiefs have close ties to the royal family. The current King of Duran calls Hamilton his uncle and Debra his aunt. With such kinship, he naturally cannot stand idly by and watch the kingdom be bullied by the neighboring empire.

So, as soon as the war began to show signs of breaking out, the Three-Man Tower was ready to participate in the war. Hamilton took a group of magicians to the southern border to help Duke Kruder keep watch, and then Debra also went there. Only the last chief remained at the headquarters of the Three-Man Tower.

Now that the two countries have officially gone to war and the imperial army is pressing in, mages, as high-end combatants, are naturally a welcome addition. The Three-Person Tower is going all out, preparing to bring along all the mages except for the underage apprentices, to fight the imperialists to the death.

It is no exaggeration to say that the three-man tower was prepared to sacrifice everything to save the country. Although Vladimir did not object, he still felt sorry for his disciples and grand-disciples whom he had personally taught and hoped that they could return from the battlefield safely. So he went to the Pantheon.

Before the Pantheon, healing methods in this world were divided into two categories: magicians used potions, and priests used divine magic. While the former's efficacy was generally limited, it was easy to carry and store, allowing for mass production. The latter, on the other hand, had immediate effects, but could only be used by priests, and there were strict limitations on the number of times it could be used.

The reason why the Pantheon's divine medicine is so sought after is that it combines the strengths of various schools. It has the healing effects of divine magic, can be carried around, and judging from the Pantheon's monthly output, its production volume is indeed not low.

The Three-Person Tower had always been a regular client of the Pantheon, with a dedicated fund for regular purchases. After all, mages often conducted various high-risk experiments, and even the three chief mages couldn't guarantee absolute safety during experiments, so it was necessary to have a good stock of life-saving elixirs.

However, after the outbreak of war, the original stock of the three-person tower's divine medicine had all gone south with Hamilton's group. When Vladimir saw that he had to send people to the front line again, he wanted to temporarily purchase a batch from the Pantheon, hoping to give each of his students a bottle as a life-saving measure in critical moments.

After listening to Vladimir's account, Ludwig thought to himself that this man was truly a model teacher, deeply concerned about the safety of his students.

Lude guessed that if it weren't for the ancient covenant between the elves, which required them to remain neutral and not participate in wars between other races, this unfathomably powerful figure would probably have rolled up his sleeves and personally cast a couple of forbidden spells.

Ludov readily agreed to Vladimir's request, saying that he had already stockpiled a batch of miraculous medicine, which he originally intended to donate to the country free of charge. He said he could give a batch to the Three-Person Tower and would not take a penny from them.

Vladimir was deeply moved after hearing this. He had assumed that Rudd, who sold the holy medicine, was also greedy for money like the priests of other sects. He never expected him to be so righteous. He was moved and ashamed of his previous presumptuous assumptions.

At this moment, Lud suddenly said that he had joined forces with several of the most powerful lords in the Northern Territory to form a military alliance, and was preparing to combine their forces and send them south of the mountains by "air transport". Since the mages of the Three-Person Tower were also preparing to support the front line, why didn't they team up?

"air transport?"

"Yes, to be honest, I own a courier company that employs a group of dragons and flying magical beast lords. Although they are unwilling to participate in wars between human nations, they can help transport troops and supplies without any problem... but it will cost extra."

"Master, you have quite the extensive network of connections!"

"It's nothing, all thanks to the help of my friends. Oh, and please rest assured about the priest. When the allied forces set off, I will also go south with them and will not leave our allies to die."

"I'm relieved to hear that."