Infinite Hunter

By this time, the six-legged black panther had silently vanished into the distant darkness, while the three-legged marble lion could only bar its teeth and claws in a threatening gesture. But after a sword pierced its forehead and its entire head shattered into rubble, the battle with the marble lion near the fountain came to an end.

Still nothing.

Normally, defeating a boss would yield some loot, but now there was nothing, just a beautiful fountain ruined. Looking at the bare stone platform and the messy water flowing down from it, Cheng Yijiu sighed. He still needed to find a vampire; so far, he had only been a vampire's servant.

As long as you look carefully, you will eventually find the vampire's location - Castlevania, a super-large spell, also has a rule, that is, as the master of magic and the core of everything, the vampire must accept the enemy's challenge within the range of magic. Of course, it can hide, but once the enemy finds the core room, the vampire must appear to fight.

Cheng Yijiu crossed the courtyard. The six-legged black panther did not appear before him again. Only the half-dead cavalry charged at him fearlessly, but each time they collided with his sword in the same manner and turned into ashes. The corridor on the other side was a series of halls, and the enemies were almost all wearing ordinary armor.

Cheng Yijiu arrived at the entrance hall and began to ascend to the second floor. However, when he reached the platform, he felt as if a wall of air was blocking his way upwards. The giant portrait had completely revealed its hideous smile, its eyes fixed on Cheng Yijiu's movements and shifting. Perhaps this thing was preventing Cheng Yijiu from moving forward?

Of course, he couldn't be spoiled. Cheng Yijiu dug out another handful of ointment from the small jar at his waist and smeared it on his body and face, and finally smeared it on the sword. The next sword strike was like sunlight, directly tearing through the air wall in front of him. Not only that, but even the huge portrait was marked with a cross of sword marks, marking the entire portrait.

Black smoke erupted from the painting, and the color of the oil painting faded rapidly. The man in the picture turned blue, and then changed like a dead person, from a newly dead person to a giant, and finally into a standing skeleton. The color gradually faded, and the whole painting turned into a dark hue that was scribbled on.

By this time, Cheng Yijiu had already climbed the stairs to the second floor, searching for the central room. There weren't any terrifying monsters on the second floor, just a few skeletons filling the space. Cheng Yijiu spotted a woman wearing old but gorgeous clothing, reminiscent of burial raiment, drifting through the corridor like a shadow.

This must be the female vampire, so Cheng Yijiu quickened his pace and rushed over, but she was moving really fast, and the key was that she was also an illusion, which made it really hard to deal with. This guy disappeared behind the door. "This place must have a secret passage or magic teleportation or something." Cheng Yijiu cursed but still searched the second floor carefully, and actually found a mechanism for him.

It was a bottomless cave, and the faint sound of flowing water could be heard. "Underground sewer?" He could see stairs winding down the cave wall. Cheng Yijiu, a skilled and daring man, descended directly along the cave stairs. He didn't need the dim candlelight; his lion skin and he himself radiated warm sunlight. At least within the ten-meter sphere around him, the brightness was as bright as morning. "According to tradition, the underground sewer should also connect to the catacombs and dungeons. Perhaps a qualified vampire actually placed its core there."

Chapter 20

The underground waterways were home to merfolk and aquatic animals. The ugly, half-merfolk, reeking of stench, were surprisingly adept leapers, capable of leaping directly from underwater to the corridors on either side, about a meter above the surface. "Should we say they're toads or fish?" Cheng Yijiu wondered, but that didn't stop him from brilliantly chopping the merfolk to death with a single blow of his sword. The merfolk, after being struck, rotted away at lightning speed, transforming into dry bones before disintegrating into ash and vanishing.

As for aquatic animals? That pitch-black water—actually, thanks to the light, it wasn't rancid, it was actually quite clear. The rippling patterns in the water were terrifying enough. The creatures swimming down there had to be at least five or six meters deep, right? Going in the water to engage those unknown creatures? Cheng Yijiu wasn't a fool.

Following the underground sewers, he came to a large reservoir. A machine was pumping water, and swimming in it was a creature that looked familiar to Cheng Yijiu. "Ah, it's a plesiosaur, but is it a lamelliosaur? I'm not sure." Could a vampire have created something like that? It seemed quite scientific, after all—this place was at least a hundred years old before dinosaur fossils were discovered, right?

In short, the worlds in missions, especially fantasy ones, should never be approached with a normal mindset. Only those worlds where rifles can be used normally and Apollo's divine powers are almost useless are worthy of normal human understanding. The plesiosaur lifted its head from the water and attacked Cheng Yijiu without hesitation. Cheng Yijiu was now quite helpless, as his foothold was limited; the two-meter-wide corridor was his only area of ​​activity.

It could move left or right, but its foothold was only two meters. The plesiosaur before him was a large-headed type. With its jaws open, it could easily bite off Cheng Yijiu's arm. And judging by its size, it must have been at least fifteen meters long, making it a large plesiosaur. Cheng Yijiu wasn't going to indulge it. Since it dared to bite him, he might as well give it a sword strike.

Under the sunlight, the monster's movements seemed sluggish. Cheng Yijiu slashed through most of its neck with a single blow. He watched as a fiery ring of fire spread across the wound, its flesh reduced to ash, while its bones remained intact. In a moment, the entire plesiosaur was reduced to bone, solidifying into a massive slab of stone that sank to the bottom of the water. "Extremely weak." Cheng Yijiu finally found the door. Pushing it open, he saw a dungeon-like structure.

Skeletons were everywhere, and rectangular depressions in the underground walls contained skeletons. "Catacombs," Cheng Yijiu muttered, continuing down the passage. In his light, no skeletons stood up.

Before him stood a carved gate, carved from polished marble. Cheng Yijiu placed both hands on it and pushed. The hinges resisted, but ultimately no match for Cheng Yijiu's strength. With a teeth-grinding scraping sound, the gate swung open completely. Inside lay a magnificent tomb, its flaming pillars and large mirrors reflecting light, illuminating the entire chamber. The walls were covered with murals and draped red curtains, and numerous marble statues lined the walls.

Cheng Yijiu looked up and could even make out the hemispherical dome. There was also a painting, but it was unclear in the shadows. The tomb was quite large, Cheng Yijiu estimated it to be at least 2,500 square meters. In the center was his target—a massive sarcophagus, richly carved with reliefs. It was believed the vampire's body lay within. The floor was marble, but near the coffin was a red carpet.

Cheng Yijiu straightened his clothes slightly, loosened and then tightened his grip on the sword, and walked towards the coffin. As he approached, the coffin began to move. The coffin lid began to slide, and smoke spewed out from it, condensing into a man wearing a shirt with many lace edges, a suit with large lapels, and a large cape. "Well, I finally found you." Cheng Yijiu looked at the man he had seen in the portrait, and was also very happy.

This mission was finally coming to an end. As long as he killed the vampire in front of him, he could go back. At this moment, three women jumped - or should I say floated - from the corridor above the tomb, under the dome. "They are obviously vampire brides," Cheng Yijiu thought. He was not afraid at all, but raised his sword and prepared to fight.

The three vampire brides cast a spell—it was an alluring illusion. An ordinary hunter would probably be fooled for a moment, but for Cheng Yijiu in his current state? It was completely useless.

The three female vampires transformed immediately. They became dark-faced banshees with fangs. Their arms transformed into giant bat wings with claws, and their legs became eagle feet. Their clothes disappeared without a trace—and of course, their female features were gone too. Only their faces, if you looked closely, were still female. Their hair was made up of tiny snakes.

Three banshees soared into the air—the dome of this tomb was thirty or forty meters high, allowing them to soar without a problem. They split into three directions and pounced on Cheng Yijiu, while the vampire stood aside, waving his hand and firing three fireballs. Cheng Yijiu half-sideways faced one of the banshees, holding his sword vertically to his right ear. He glanced at the banshee approaching from the left, while the movements of the banshee behind him were left to the lion skin draped over his body.

Cheng Yijiu took the initiative to attack. He didn't care about the vampire brides' fighting ability at all. Although these vampires seemed quite powerful and had magical abilities, they were also very fragile. If they were hit by his sword, they would suffer serious injuries and had no ability to heal quickly. In the case of limb damage, they were even forced to replace limbs by taking limbs from other women instead of regenerating them.

This meant that Cheng Yijiu was their nemesis. The master of this place was supposedly much stronger than the brides. Cheng Yijiu decided to take advantage of this guy still considering remotely casting magic and kill the three vampire brides first. As for the flames, he would leave it to Lion Skin to resist—his adventures in those worlds had given him a high level of trust in Lion Skin.

Stepping forward and slashing down, Cheng Yijiu did not avoid the banshee's claws when she pounced on him. He waved the lion skin to lift the fur of the lion's left paw, blocking it in front of his body, facing the banshee's claws. He aimed at the banshee's neck, ready to chop the banshee from the neck to the abdomen with one sword.

Chapter 21

The Vampire Bride recognized Cheng Yijiu, the man she was facing. She had tried to attack him before, and he had chopped off an arm, nearly killing her. But now, she mustered the courage to attack Cheng Yijiu again. When her claws touched the lion's hide, smoke billowed out, and her armor-tearing claws were rapidly carbonizing. At this moment, fear and despair appeared on the face of the Vampire Bride, as Cheng Yijiu's greatsword had already arrived.

Cheng Yijiu ignored the two vampire brides flanking him. Their attacks could only strike the lion hide, unable to injure his body. However, the vampire's three fireballs exploded on the lion hide, the impact causing Cheng Yijiu to stumble a few steps—but his sword didn't budge. Before he slid, he had already struck the female vampire in front of him with one strike. Due to the thrust, the sword wound formed an arc, slicing the female vampire in two from the neck, head, shoulder, and arm all the way to the waist.

The female vampire's body "burned" as it slid down, quickly turning into black, dry bones that shattered on the ground. Cheng Yijiu felt the burning heat on his side. The vampire's fireball had penetrated the lion's hide, reducing its power before impacting his body. This was the first time Cheng Yijiu had noticed a lion's hide being penetrated, and he was mentally prepared. This thing wasn't supposed to be invincible, and he was lucky to be broken by an enemy just now.

After the fireball passed through the lion's hide, though scorching, it was still bearable—after all, the ointment Cheng Yijiu was wearing and his own body weren't free, effectively reducing the fireball's power. If it were anyone else, a single fireball would have been enough to reduce them to ash. Cheng Yijiu took advantage of the momentum, spinning around and slashing at the first vampire bride while simultaneously confronting the second.

This female vampire wasn't much of a warrior. She relied on her vampiric minions, immense strength, and instantaneous illusions to fight. What other skills could she possibly possess? Facing Cheng Yijiu, who, blessed by Apollo, was immune to illusions and enchantments, this female vampire was like a mere ordinary person, a mere gift. The situation was similar to when she faced ordinary farmers and city dwellers: the situation was one-sided.

The greatsword slashed upwards, easily ripping the second female vampire ripped open. She, too, was reduced to a black skeleton in the expanding flames, falling to the ground and turning into ash. The third female vampire had been repelled by the golden lion skin. Cheng Yijiu didn't focus his attention on the final female vampire, but on the male vampire who rushed over in anger because he had killed two female vampires in a row.

The fellow trembled his hand, and blood spurted from his wrist. In the wind, it grew into a swift sword, a blood-red swift sword. With a flick of his cloak, it became a barrier hanging from his left arm. With the swift sword in his right hand, he charged at Cheng Yijiu. "A little tough to deal with," Cheng Yijiu muttered. It's just a swift sword, it's not like he hasn't dealt with it before. This thing is indeed powerful in a one-on-one fight. A puncture wound is far more deadly than a slashing wound.

The movements were even faster, and the cloak in his left hand could be used as a secondary weapon, obscuring the opponent's vision or entangling the opponent's body, allowing the swift sword in his right hand to strike and win the victory. The vampire moved like a ghost, and this guy seemed to be able to move on any surface, but Cheng Yijiu didn't care - as long as he kept attacking Cheng Yijiu, the sword would definitely fall on Cheng Yijiu, and then they could just chop each other.

Using the swift sword made of blood was even less effective than using a fireball, as it could barely penetrate the lion's hide—a physical defense that was trustworthy. The vampire's left-hand cloak couldn't stop Cheng Yijiu's greatsword; if it were hit, he'd definitely lose his arm.

If the vampire hadn't moved strangely, Cheng Yijiu would have struck him. Even so, the sword had already sliced ​​through the vampire's arms and body, and he only managed to avoid it thanks to his agility. The battle between the two sides was extremely dangerous, and Cheng Yijiu didn't put the lion skin to too much of a test—he was prepared and couldn't rely solely on the lion skin, otherwise his sword fighting practice would be meaningless. Even with the lion skin, Cheng Yijiu didn't allow the vampire's sword to pierce more than a few effective strikes.

The lion's skin was stabbed three times, but once in the shoulder and twice in the arms protected by the lion's skin. Without the lion's skin, blood would have flowed all over the floor. The vampire's cloak had already been shredded, and his clothes had been torn into several large holes, all in the chest, abdomen, shoulders, and waist.

"Hmph, if it hadn't been able to vaporize some of its limbs and shrink them, it would have been chopped off long ago." If someone were hit by the vapor, they would still be injured after the vaporization ended. Cheng Yijiu's sword wasn't so easy to avoid. While vampires wouldn't be reduced to ash under the sunlight, they would still be damaged. The surviving female vampire couldn't bear it anymore, and her skin was cracking and gradually falling off, turning to ash.

She had to retreat, otherwise she would be reduced to ash and burned to death by the sunlight. In comparison, the vampire was much stronger. The sunlight only made him uncomfortable, and the damage was negligible. Of course, if this guy was seriously injured and vaporized, Cheng Yijiu's sunlight would probably give him a good beating.

Vampires can transform into bats, wolves, and mist, but now, apart from partially transforming into mist, they dare not transform into bats or wolves - unless they are werewolves, otherwise they will probably be immediately chopped down by the greatsword. After many exchanges, Cheng Yijiu has also figured out the vampire's moves. The next swift sword thrust was caught by Cheng Yijiu's strong sword body, and it slipped away, while the weak sword body used the leverage to press down hard.

The opponent's gauntlet was no match for the blow, and this time, the sword struck the vampire's chest and abdomen with a powerful blow. If he hadn't transformed into mist and abruptly retreated—at this point, the Blood Sword's advantage came into play, allowing it to revert and reclaim blood at any time—then the strong blade and hilt would have caught the blade, and the vampire would have been disemboweled. Even so, the vampire still bore a long wound.

The muscles and skin were wriggling, but they wouldn't heal. Black blood, thick as pitch, flowed out in such profusion that it looked as if the vampire were a leather bag filled with dirty black blood. "That's how it is. Otherwise, why would he need to absorb fresh, warm blood? Otherwise, a vampire's blood wouldn't flow at all." Cheng Yijiu confirmed the other party's injuries and knew he was on the road to victory.

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Light killed darkness, and filthy blood made up the vampire's entire being. And now, the damage this sword inflicted on the vampire was even greater than it appeared. It wasn't just that the wound wouldn't heal, the true blood kept flowing out and being destroyed by the light. If this continued, even without Cheng Yijiu's continued attacks, the vampire would be doomed.

Therefore, she had to transform, using the darkness that emerged during the transformation to expel the power of light, or at least not continue to weaken like this. Mist rose, but there was still a wound that flowed with filthy blood and could not be transformed. The remaining vampire bride was completely unable to control herself and was forced to scream and kill Cheng Yijiu. Cheng Yijiu returned the sword and inflicted a horizontal wound on the vampire's chest.

Then, with a swift vertical slash, he completed a beautiful cross. This vertical slash split the female vampire's head into two halves, like a watermelon. The female vampire quickly carbonized, and her bones fell to the ground. In this brief moment, the vampire completed his transformation. "Hmm, why do you look a little familiar?" Cheng Yijiu took a step forward and looked at the monster before him.

This monster was quite large, standing at least three meters tall. Its legs were anti-jointed even-toed ungulate feet, but its body was like a bear. Its outstretched arms were thick and powerful, and its claws were like human hands with dagger-like nails. There was also a membrane connecting its wrists to its waist, as if it could fly. "A flying squirrel, haha." Cheng Yijiu almost laughed, but the head looked a little fierce - because it was a sheep's head with curly horns, a very large ram's head, and of course its mouth was filled with fangs and sharp teeth.

Typical demon.

There is still a long scar on the chest and abdomen, with no hair covering it - this was caused by Cheng Yijiu's cut. I'm afraid this scar will never heal until the vampire falls into eternal sleep.

After the demon appeared, it swung its arms, unleashing fireballs and hurling heavy claws down. "This makes it easier to fight," Cheng Yijiu said cheerfully. If it were Castlevania, it would be like the Count transforming, his body covered in G, and he'd really take advantage of the opportunity to lash out. Besides, this guy has a wide range of movements and a sturdy body, making it very easy to chop him. Despite its membrane, this thing can't actually fly.

Cheng Yijiu slid his powerful sword through the opponent's large claws, lowered his head and used his lion head to block the opponent's fireball, ignoring the burning sensation on his head, and stabbed directly in. There was a sound of ripping silk, and the sword pierced the membrane. Cheng Yijiu stepped forward, exhaled, and shouted, then exerted force with both arms, and with one sword, he cut the demon's upper arm in half. Then, he suddenly exerted force from his waist and abdomen, and the sword flashed with cold light and chopped down straight.

This sword was incredibly powerful, like lightning, slicing from the monster's shoulder blade all the way to its pelvis, splitting the ribs in between. This was Cheng Yijiu's power, a power blessed by Apollo. It was a decisive blow, and even among swordsmen, it was considered an extremely sharp one.

Now dirty blood gushed out, and the demon roared and fell to the ground - if it was any other weapon, it would be fine, but this was a great sword with Apollo's light power on it, and this man was not Count Dracula, so of course he would fall to the ground with one sword.

"It's actually easier to fight him after the transformation. This guy is really... not as tough as a werewolf. The French werewolf I met last time was much more powerful than him, right?" Cheng Yijiu also sighed. This guy is completely different from the second-level vampires like the Vampire Bride. He doesn't burn so violently and turn into black bones.

The guy collapsed to the ground, his demonic appearance vanishing, transforming into a gaunt, middle-aged man, his eyes fixed on the dome. This was the true face of a vampire. The horrific wounds nearly split him in two, the foul blood in his body rapidly vaporizing, his strength and his false life vanishing.

Cheng Yijiu examined it for a moment, then removed the lion's hide to inspect it. He found it intact—the fireball had merely passed through the hide, not pierced it. However, the hide looked a bit matted and dull. Cheng Yijiu put it back on, and a door appeared before him. He pushed it open and walked in. He wasn't going to retrieve the carriage and crossbow bolts he had left at the inn.

Once the door is closed, say goodbye to this world.

Cheng Yijiu placed the sword in detergent to remove any stains and grease, wiped it dry, and then applied protective sword oil before rehanging it on the weapon rack. He also sprayed the lion hide with dry-cleaning foam, wiped it dry, and then sprayed it with fur care oil before stretching it out on the hanger. He treated the rest of the armor like the sword, and then he went into the bathroom for a nice soak.

The hunter, wearing a bathrobe, walked barefoot on the floor, holding a sandwich and milk in his hands, eating and drinking as he walked towards the trophy display room on the second floor. He walked to the hall of supernatural creatures with ease and was not surprised to see a demonic vampire specimen in it.

"Oh, I really don't know if this thing is a taxidermy specimen or a one-to-one model made of silicone or other materials." Cheng Yijiu was too lazy to touch it. He just observed the specimen carefully. "No wonder its combat effectiveness is poor. Its body is full of tissues that are not conducive to combat, and it has no weapons."

After watching for a while, he completely lost interest in the creature. "What a shame there's no giant," he muttered, heading towards the weapon rack. "Huh? I remember there was a spare Soul Crusher Greatsword here, fully forged and enchanted. How come it's gone? While it's not my usual one and doesn't hold as much killing intent and predatory power, it's still a brand new demon-slaying greatsword, isn't it?"

Who would come in here and steal things? It could only be said that this was most likely something that happened spontaneously in the hut. Cheng Yijiu was helpless about this and could only shrug his shoulders and forget it. And the revolver he had crafted, which also had a demon-killing pattern, was missing, as well as about a dozen demon-killing bullets.

Cheng Yijiu returned to his bedroom and fell into a deep sleep...

The vanished greatsword reappeared somewhere. It was the Longneck Swamp of Westeros, also known as the Black Dragon's Lair. The black dragon saddled by the knight who left behind the legend of the Lion Swordsman roamed there. And within the swamp, a young woman, receiving support from the King of Westeros and the King of the North, built a castle called Altosa Castle...

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Near the Northland, the Lion King's Castle was built in the swamp. It belonged to the Nordion family, and the surrounding fiefdom was not very large. However, this was the recognized bloodline of the legendary Demigod Swordmaster in Westeros—although Cheng Yijiu initially claimed that this was the last descendant of the Frey family, no one believed it. Lady Altosa Nordion received the title of Baron from the King of the Stag and the King of the North.

This family with a golden lion and a black dragon on its emblem is completely different from those new noble families. It is a noble bloodline recognized by the old nobles. Many people still remember the Demigod Sword Saint, how powerful the man in the golden lion skin was. He tamed a black dragon like the Dragon King in the past, and at the same time killed those powerful ghosts and white dragons in the ice field.

Altosa is eighteen years old. She has never met her "father," but she has been raised listening to legends of the Lion Knights and practicing the sword techniques passed down by the Sword Master. Although she grew up in Wolf Castle, her greatest idol remains Sword Master Daniel (Cheng Yijiu). As her swordsmanship improves, she earns the title of "Lion King."

This was the title Cheng Yijiu had earned from the knights and nobles of Westeros when she first came here to search for and hunt dragons. This girl was now a formidable figure in Wolfburg. Perhaps the demigod lion skin she was born in had its miraculous effect; her swordsmanship and strength surpassed those of ordinary men. In Robert's eyes, her swordsmanship was so impressive that Eltosa possessed at least 60% to 70% the strength of the Lion Knights of her day.

Rob had always treated Eltosa like his own daughter. Now the young lion king had left Wolf Castle and came to her newly built castle. It was more like a manor than a castle. There was no particularly dangerous terrain, not even towering walls or towers. There were only a few large buildings with low walls built on a rammed earth platform.

The fiefdom also contained several villages, which together could provide approximately 200 soldiers, effectively qualifying as a barony—just on the lower end of the scale. The Lion King's fiefdom wasn't Robert, King of the North. After a fierce dispute, the current King of Westeros, House Stag, assumed the title, though he only had the power to dispatch troops, not command.

This meant that Baron Altosa had a subtle freedom of movement in Westeros. Currently, Westeros was ruled by three kings: the Dragon Queen in the South, the Stag King in the Center, and the Wolf King in the North, all of whom maintained a fragile peace.

Eltosa searched deep into the swamp. What she wanted to find was the black dragon that had disappeared along with her "father". She heard from the local swamp people that there might be a dragon in the depths of the swamp.

Sure enough, on the twelfth day of their immersion in the swamp, Eltosa saw a huge black shadow passing overhead. The girl shouted in excitement. The black dragon had never had a name. Cheng Yijiu hadn't given it one, so he was usually called "Little Black." On the mainland, this black dragon was also known as "Black Flame."

The black dragon's lair was simple, just a hillock of branches and dirt, with a large hole in the front. The black dragon rested inside. The guards accompanying Eltosa didn't dare approach, but Eltosa bravely approached the dragon—a massive one, much larger than the Dragon Queen's three dragons.

The closer they got to the black dragon, the more they smelled of sulfur. Finally, Eltosa reached the front of the dragon's lair. The nostrils, which were larger than half a person's, approached Eltosa. The breath it exhaled was so strong at first that it almost blew the girl away, but it soon became cautious. The next moment, the black dragon even put its chin on the ground, indicating that the girl could climb onto it.

Eltosa's eyes lit up as she spotted a two-handed greatsword stabbed into the ground right before the dragon's lair, next to the black dragon. The sight of it immediately brought back memories of stories she'd heard since childhood. The holy sword in those stories was none other than the greatsword "Soulbreaker." She happily ran over, grasped the hilt, and with a slight effort, she unsheathed the sword—even after all these years, it hadn't rusted at all, its blade still smooth and razor-sharp.

Cheng Yijiu was in the cabin at the time, wondering, "Where's my spare sword?" After waking up, he began sorting out his weapons, especially the broadsword after a preliminary cleaning. He carefully inspected the blade, polishing it where necessary and adjusting it where necessary. He observed the blade through a magnifying glass, wanting to see if there were any obvious jagged edges, and held an oilstone ready for sharpening at any time.

If there were any new missions, they certainly wouldn't be set in ancient times, but most likely in modern times. In modern times, guns could solve problems, and Cheng Yijiu preferred them. After carefully inspecting the blade, Cheng Yijiu untied the leather straps wrapped around the hilt, cleaned them, and re-tightened them. Now it felt much more comfortable in his hand.

After returning the greatsword to its scabbard and placing it on the weapon rack, Cheng Yijiu began to carefully clean the lion's skin, using a comb, a small brush, dry powder, and various maintenance oils...

While he worked, Eltosa, before the black dragon, demonstrated the sword-fighting techniques she had learned from her instructors. The black dragon watched for a long moment, then raised its head and let out a long, drawn-out roar. Eltosa rode on the black dragon's shoulders. The saddle no longer fit, but it could still be used if it got stuck.

The black dragon landed outside the Nodion castle. Even though it looked like just a large manor, it was now dubbed the impregnable city of lions and dragons.

And the young Eltosa also found the holy sword - this was not a greatsword forged from Valyrian steel. According to the words of the Lion Knight before, this sword was forged from "cold iron". This was the first time that the people of Westeros heard of cold iron. Of course, it has now become a legendary sacred material. The only weapon on the continent that is confirmed to be made of cold iron is this holy sword. However, Cheng Yijiu also left behind a piece of chain mail. This was not the set blessed by Apollo, but a set of half-length long-sleeved chain mail he made later.

This set of chain mail is now Robert's heirloom and his only cold iron armor. Even the Valyrian steel sword is difficult to break it, and ordinary sharp weapons are helpless against it.

The city of Nodia was established in this way, and many people from the swamp and the north moved here - because of the protection of the dragon, and the fields where the dragon was were naturally fertile. This place was also a key point on the King's Road, so naturally it achieved rapid development in a very short time.

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Cheng Yijiu was on the second floor, sighing at the extra specimens, "After waking up from a sleep, you can't treat me as a specimen in this little house?! Did I fight it back by myself?" In front of him was a huge Bengal tiger with beautiful cheeks and gorgeous beard. The nameplate read Bihar man-eating tiger. Isn't this Cheng Yijiu himself?

He now knew how big he had been back then. He undoubtedly held the record for the largest Bengal tiger ever. The adult male weighed 370 kilograms, measured 3.5 meters from head to tail, and stood 1.3 meters tall at the shoulder. This made him not only the largest Bengal tiger ever, but perhaps one of the largest tigers ever. "I've lived that long," Cheng Yijiu finally realized. The sign indicated a lifespan of 19 years, a natural death, making him one of the longest-lived tigers in the wild.

Looking at his clone, Cheng Yijiu shook his head. The sign didn't detail his horrific killing record, but there was no doubt that during his years of punishment, this magnificent male tiger was the king of killing. His only prey were the poor Indian-Nepalese Saner, and of course, the colonists. From Cheng Yijiu's own memory, it seemed that he had hunted and eaten about a dozen white colonists.

Anyway, the book said this guy probably ate over a thousand people. If you count carefully, is that right? It feels like the statistics are incomplete. Cheng Yijiu remembered that the book also said this man-eating tiger wreaked havoc for a full fifteen or fourteen years. If that were the case, the number would be obviously too low. Cheng Yijiu now estimates that, including the tiger's spontaneous hunting after he left, it's possible that it ate over two thousand.

"A natural death of old age... Legendary Tiger King." He was still a stray tiger, not a local male tiger. He didn't seem to recall fighting with other male tigers. He didn't know why they would avoid him.

So far, there is only this one specimen. Cheng Yijiu thinks there will probably be a lot more in the future. At least if the megalodon appears, the space it occupies will be quite large - the cottage should have been renamed the mansion long ago. Just looking at the length and width of the exhibition hall on the second floor, it is already dozens of meters long and wide.

Pushing open the door, Cheng Yijiu returned to his home world. Now a civil servant, his parents' only hope for him was to find a wife and start a family. But there was a problem. His job was somewhat difficult, requiring him to be away from home for long periods of time. Even if his company agreed to weekly rotations, wouldn't that still mean he'd be away for half a month? What girl could accept that? Would he be labeled a cuckold? Cheng Yijiu wasn't very confident.

As for asking his wife to go on field missions with him? He'd probably have to find someone similar. The problem was, women were extremely rare in that category, making this a poorly suited job for women. If we were to encounter a monster, this base wouldn't be safe—"No, I have Arudimurra here. This should be the safest base of its kind."

"Forget it, let it be." Cheng Yijiu still thought so. He was not eager for women - it was not like he had never slept with women during missions, and he could always look for them secretly in real life. Sitting in the studio of the base's observation tower and living quarters, Cheng Yijiu was bored and stared at the jungle outside through a telescope - just below, the mantis lion was also lying in a large animal pen, snoring soundly, the typical lazy guy.

"I always feel uncomfortable all over." Cheng Yijiu complained secretly. Ever since he found that his spare weapon disappeared, he had this feeling - not strong, just like something was not placed in the right place.

Baroness Altosa Nodion sat in a spacious, bright hall. Before her stood twenty fully armed soldiers—the entire armed force of her domain. The Lion King had no desire to recruit more soldiers; she only needed these to maintain law and order. As for fighting? Aren't the Nodion family mercenaries? At least her "father" had been one in the past, a mere mercenary.

Westeros was far from peaceful, especially now that it was divided into three parts. Fortunately, the White Walker threat was no longer present—the Lion Swordmaster had completely crushed them. But human desires were boundless. Robb, the King of the North, was fine; his forces were modest, and he had no desire to march south to seize territory. He simply sought to hold onto his own little territory, and at most, to eliminate a few wildlings northward.

Although many of these wildlings were killed by the White Walkers and even more by the people of the North, their reproduction speed is simply exaggerated. In less than 20 years, they have emerged in droves again.

The Wolf King and his family, along with the nobles of the North, focused most of their attention on these savages - it was because they had extremely strong destructive power, but their combat effectiveness was not that good.

Meanwhile, the central House of the Stag is experiencing internal unrest. Clashes between the central and western nobles are significant, and while they nominally obey the orders of King's Landing, they harbor considerable hostility towards the South. The Dragon Queen's southerners also aspire to reclaim all of Westeros, leading to near-daily border battles. Furthermore, the Ironborn, based overseas, are also eager to reach the continent and wreak havoc.

Therefore, Altosa constantly receives requests for employment—in theory, she's a vassal of the Bucks, but in reality, she can't be mobilized, as she's more closely aligned with the North. This small barony enjoys considerable independence, and now even a formidable force safeguards it—Altosa the Lion King and the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon currently nests outside the castle, and primarily hunts on its own.

Otherwise, Eltosa really wouldn't be able to feed this creature. Fortunately, by Cheng Yijiu's time, the black dragon had already become accustomed to hunting for its own food. Furthermore, the black dragon's intelligence was sufficient for it to understand the "accept hire and receive reward" process. Of course, its combat reward was cattle or other large animals. Eltosa accepted the offer and would ride the black dragon to the southern front, joining the conflict with the Southern Dragon Queen as a high-priced mercenary.

This was also Eltosa's first time on a real battlefield—his previous battles with the King of the North to clear out the wildlings didn't count; those wildlings weren't very good at fighting; they simply rushed forward in a swarm, though they were more accustomed to navigating the forests, which was a bit of a hassle. In this chaotic battle, the so-called combat consisted of relatively isolated one-on-one or one-on-many duels.

Chapter 25

War broke out, with the Kingdom's army and the Dragon's army clashing over centuries-old issues. From the outset, the Dragon Queen's dragons intervened—the two thousand or so local nobles united against the thousand or so Southern Kingdom troops, the balance of power tilting sharply in favor of the smaller force. With a dragon soaring through the sky, the Northern nobles dared not even show their faces, fearing the dragon's flames would strike their soldiers in formation.

This blow to morale was nearly fatal—whether they'd been hit by a dragon's fire or had been hiding and dispersing like they were now. So, they frantically searched Westeros for strong mercenaries to fill the gap. Coincidentally, at this very moment, Baroness Altosa Nordion, the owner of Nordion Castle, had recovered the black dragon of her father, the Lion Swordmaster, and the dragon-slaying sword, Soulbreaker. However, she hadn't found the legendary demigod lion hide.

This baroness followed her family's "tradition" and entered politics as a mercenary. The Nodion family's territory was barely enough to sustain them, and any further development depended on selling their military might. The Lion Sword Saint was the strongest mercenary in Westeros, having been hired on several occasions, a tradition of the Nodion family.

"I feel like I've been to Hesse..." Cheng Yijiu muttered involuntarily, a strange feeling that he had no reason to, but he quickly shook it off. Cheng Yijiu had just gone to the station for a delicious meal and was about to drive back to the outpost. Of course, Arudimuara, the scorpion lion, had also gone with him - he had gone there for a regular physical examination.

Cheng Yijiu also brought back a lot of food—the enclosed armored compartment at the back of the vehicle, which served both passengers and cargo, was filled with all sorts of food and supplies. The insulated boxes were stuffed with bags of dry ice, containing fresh meat, seafood, and frozen food. They would have to be sorted and stored in the cold storage after returning. He also received 120 rounds of ammunition—in this era, gun control was still very strict.