Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"Get down here!"

Chapter 466 Giant Owl

Facing the oncoming arc of lightning, Goliath and his mount simultaneously let out terrifying roars. The dragon suddenly flapped its wings and soared into the air, barely dodging the sorcery arrow. At Grok's command, it swooped down again, the venomous stinger at the end of its tail aimed at Angrita.

Having witnessed the ferocity of these surface reptiles, the flying dragon dared not be overconfident anymore. It had clearly given up on grabbing and biting, and only wanted to use its tail stinger to quickly kill its opponent!

The venom of the dragon is extraordinary; once blood is drawn from its tail, few prey survive. Alchemical products made from this blood-circulating toxin are highly sought after by assassins, bandits, and hunters. Even the drow in the underground would not give up the chance to get a bottle—even though they themselves are experts in poison making.

"Watch out!" Mary sheathed her sword again and reached out to push the barely breathing bandit in front of her, trying to use his body to shield Angelita. However, the dragons and Goliaths in the sky were not inanimate objects, and the space for maneuvering in the air was far greater than on the ground. Mary's rescue was completely ineffective, and the poisonous stinger still landed on Angelita's shoulder.

However, the moment Goliath's lips curled into a cruel smile, the dragon's tail spike struck empty air. The silvery mist was blown away by the dragon's flapping wings, and Angrita was nowhere to be seen.

"That bitch!" Goliath exclaimed in shock. "Where has she gone?!"

"Behind you!" the girl shouted, her sword already slashing towards Grok's nape!

The Long Poem of Guardian Spirit was no ordinary sword; if this strike landed, Goliath, even with three heads, would be severed. Unfortunately, Grok's bloodline prevented him from dying so easily. With a deafening explosion, he freed one hand, his flame-covered palm gripping the blade in Angelita's hand tightly.

"You want to kill me? You think you can!" With her other hand, the iron bow came crashing down towards Angelita's head. "Call Raslaufer!"

At the critical moment, Angrita once again used the Disappearing Step technique to vanish from her spot, thwarting Grok's plan. However, even she had to admit that she had underestimated this enemy. Now that they had lost four spells, their situation would inevitably become more difficult facing this aerial foe.

Grok had clearly noticed this as well. Seeing that most of the bandits on the ground were dead, he and the dragon immediately lowered their altitude and fired burning arrows at the ground, suppressing the two men and the dragon so much that they had no chance to fight back.

This time, if the dragon gets another chance, neither Angelita nor Mary will be able to escape being poisoned.

Perhaps I should leave them behind, torture them until they're half-dead, and then take them to my master's lair. That way, I'm sure I'll lure Raslaufer into my trap...

With another arrow fired, Grok's face broke into a cruel smile as he watched his prey tumbling and scrambling below.

But he wouldn't do that; dead people are more convenient, and the effect probably wouldn't be any different.

“Kill them,” Goliath whispered, leaning close to the dragon’s eardrum. The dragon immediately took to the air, and after a half-turn, it swooped down with even greater speed and ferocity, its tail spike erect, aiming for Angrita once more.

But at that moment, the dragon noticed a shadow in its eyes on either side of its head. The shadow was rapidly growing larger from the horizon and was obviously flying towards them!

"What—" Goliath noticed this too. Seeing that thing getting closer and closer for some reason, he could no longer hold his breath. He quickly turned his arrow around and fired an arrow in that direction, trying to scare it away.

However, judging from the speed at which the enemy was approaching, the arrow had clearly backfired. At this moment, they also saw clearly that what was flying towards them was a huge owl.

owl?

Giant owls aren't rare in Eastern Inathas, but these beasts have excellent eyesight, so why are they charging at the wyverns here? And why are they flying so low?

Grok was momentarily puzzled. Out of caution, he maneuvered the dragon below to veer away from the reckless creature's flight path. However, as the creature drew closer, and the details of the giant owl became clearly visible, Grok couldn't help but cry out in alarm!

There was a person riding on the back of that owl!

In the blink of an eye, a giant sword rose into the air from the flying creature opposite, unleashing a deafening roar in the still slightly chilly air, and crashed straight down towards Goliath and the dragon he was riding!

Grok's blood ran cold—how could he be even stronger than the last time they met?!

Even if you gouged out his two eyeballs, he still wouldn't be able to not recognize who was on that giant owl!

"Reslaufer!" Grok roared mournfully, leaping from the dragon's back. His giant blood surged, enlarging his body to three or four meters in length, and his iron bow seemed to grow longer with the wind, crashing down on the giant sword. The dragon below, as if sensing impending death, immediately abandoned Angrita and the others, swooping towards the giant owl.

Humans can't fly, so all we need to do is kill that mount—

Even faster than the slow-witted beastly mind of the dragon, the giant owl in front of it suddenly shrank, transforming into the size of an ordinary human—no, it was a human!

A woman with long red hair!

The dragon hurriedly tried to adjust its posture so that its claws could still hit its opponent, but they were flying towards each other at such a speed that it could not react in time.

But the woman on the other side could!

"You even grow flowers and plants? Perfect!" Her words seemed to have nothing to do with the dragon, but on the ground, the plants in the yard seemed to come alive, growing wildly into the air and instantly entangled the dragon's claws and tail spikes. Thorns and bristles that did not belong to these plant species sprouted from between the stems and leaves, immediately piercing the large dragon and drawing blood.

The dragon instinctively flapped its wings, trying to maintain its position in the air and avoid being pulled to the ground by the plants rooted in the soil. But below it, the vines suddenly sank, and the Deinonychus transformed into a black shadow, climbing up and stepping on the dragon's back, biting its wing!

"Black Claw, you clever little monster!" The red-haired woman had already landed steadily on the dragon's head, which was bound by vines and couldn't open its mouth. Upon seeing Black Claw, she immediately laughed happily, "You've gotten quite fat!"

Black Claw clearly wouldn't listen to this. It tried to jump up to make itself appear less heavy, but the combined weight of the man and the dragon had long exceeded the dragon's capacity. The plants below were also pulling on it. With Black Claw's jump and stomp, the dragon's wings, which had just been torn open, could no longer support it. Its nearly one-ton weight immediately plummeted downwards under the pull of gravity.

Along with it, a dark red hellfire sword also arrived above Grok's head!

Chapter 467 Red-Haired Druid

“Uncle Leslaufer!” Angelita below almost jumped up. “That guy just said he was looking for you!”

Groke swung his bow to parry, managing to push Reslaufer back several meters, but the impact still caused his hand to ache.

It wasn't an illusion; he really had become stronger! How could this be?!

For mercenaries, before a certain point in time arrives, all their injuries can be ignored, their physical strength will gradually increase, and the experience and skills gained in battle will make them increasingly dangerous and powerful; but after that point, as their bodies weaken, everything from before will gradually be made up for, and around the age of thirty can almost be considered a typical turning point.

It's normal for Groke, as Goliath, to have this milestone delayed, but what gives Raslaufer the right?!

Raslaufer was unaware of Grok's inner turmoil, and even if he had, he probably wouldn't have cared. A battle sword resonated in his hand, and with a swift movement, he picked up the two-handed greatsword stuck in the ground once more. Even though Grok's gigantic body was engulfed in flames, he could only barely parry and maintain his undefeated status.

This time was different from before. Leslaufer, who had just visited his friend in the border region, came in a rage. How could Grok possibly defend himself? Before twenty moves had even passed, he was already full of openings!

"Go down and join your brothers."

Dopler's icy gaze made Grok's heart skip a beat: "Wait! I'll let go—"

Before the word "abandon" could even be uttered, Raslaufer's sword was faster than his tongue. Goliath, feeling death approaching, was engulfed in surging flames, but all he could see was a red-hot, even softening blade that still cleaved through the flames and plunged deep into his shoulder.

As the flames parted slightly, Grok saw Raslaufer's face again. However, the intense heat that could have burned even ordinary iron only scorched a few hairs on Dopler. His icy blue eyes seemed to have turned gray, like a dead man looking at another dead man.

Grok was quite certain that he hadn't suffered any fatal injuries yet. Although his shoulder blade was almost severed and molten iron had sealed his flesh, it still wasn't enough to kill a Goliath. Something far more deadly... was taking his life.

The burly mercenary couldn't understand any of this, and Raslaufer wasn't going to give him time to think. The flame-proof sword swept across with his left arm, clashing with the greatsword. In an instant, Grok's giant-like body shrank back to human size, cleaved in two.

The reason there were only two pieces was that the greatsword that had recently accompanied him in battle could no longer withstand the high temperature. Most of it was stuck in Goliath's flesh and did not cut through Grok's flesh with Raslaufer's movements.

Raslaufer watched the corpse on the ground slowly burn itself into charcoal and ash, and casually tossed aside the half-finished blade of his two-handed greatsword.

Go and reunite with your brother.

Unbeknownst to Raslaufer, as his words fell, a powerful spirit that had not yet fully solidified suddenly flickered beside him, ceasing its further solidification and rapidly transforming into specks of light that dissipated into the air.

“You’re still the same as before, Raslaufer,” the red-haired woman straightened her green robes and walked gracefully toward Black Claw, touching the back of his head and neck. “But if you weren’t, you wouldn’t be you.”

She was Bella, of course. After Raslaufer went to visit her, the druid, missing his old adventure companions, could no longer linger in the Rebellion Zone. He immediately transformed into the giant owl and carried Raslaufer to visit Angrita and the others.

Behind her, the dragon was bound tightly by countless plant stems, unable to break free no matter how hard it struggled.

“Bella’s way of speaking is so strange,” Angelita said, running over and laughing. “You look more like a druid.”

"Ha, that's hilarious," Bella rushed forward and grabbed Angrita in her arms. "Let me see, you seem to have grown a little taller—and gained weight!"

"Nonsense!"

Leslaufer stepped aside, not joining in. He examined each corpse on the ground, trying to discern who had taken their lives and how. Angelita and Marie seemed to have made considerable progress recently, especially Marie. The wounds left by her swift sword were few and small, yet extremely deadly. A stab or a slit would hit the vitals, killing the enemy either instantly or with ruptured blood vessels.

Was the Corazonde swordsmanship really as good as he'd heard? Leslaufer didn't know; he'd never seen a true master of Corazonde swordsmanship, but Mary might actually be one of them.

A light weight pressed down on his shoulder. Dobuler turned his head and saw the squirrel Jump. The little guy had followed him all the way from Xinmu City and hadn't fallen behind.

Moreover, instead of falling behind, when Leslaufer looked at her, the little creature actually leaned over affectionately and rubbed against Leslaufer's still somewhat hot cheeks and neck.

"This little guy misses me too?" Leslaufer reached out a finger, trying to stroke Jumpy's shiny red fur, but the squirrel jumped away as if startled, making a series of rapid chirps.

Bella looked over and immediately knew what had happened: "Don't flatter yourself, she's just too afraid of the cold. You just came through that fire, you're all warm now—by the way, speaking of which..."

Bella removed the wooden stick from her back, and with a brief wave and a little chant, several translucent natural spirits appeared before everyone. These spirits were significantly different from those around Raslaufer, and were lively without any stiffness. As they circulated around everyone in a certain order, a healing glow slowly descended on each person, soothing their injuries.

This is clearly not a beginner's skill. It is obvious that after these months in the Rebellion, Bella is no longer the druid apprentice who only knew some tricks.

She turned her head and saw a small, unfamiliar woman peeking out from behind the door. The druid's lips curled into a slight smile, and she pointed a finger. The spirits immediately began to move, simultaneously healing most of Siti's wounds. As the healing power of the spirits ran out and dissipated, Bella looked at Raslaufer again.

"So, can you tell me what's going on here? What grudge do you have with Goliath that has involved Anne?"

Chapter 468 Dad?

“This has nothing to do with Uncle Leslaufer,” Angelita quickly waved her hand. “Although that big guy is indeed an enemy, it was an accident that he found his way here…”

As she spoke, Angelita called Siti over and asked her to explain the whole story again.

“No wonder,” Bella said, crossing her left arm across her chest and resting her chin on her right hand. “Leslaufer and I were flying this way when we saw the dragon in the distance, but we thought it was wild and was about to prey on the villagers, so we increased our speed. It wasn’t until we got closer that we realized something was wrong.”

"So, you fought that guy named Grok once before—he also had a wyvern last time?"

“No,” Leslaufer shook his head. “Don’t let his reputation as Goliath or having giant blood fool you. He’s just a mercenary like me. Where would he normally find a dragon to tame?”

Although wyverns are not true dragons, their temperament is just as bad as most dragons. There is almost no good way to make this species a mount except to raise it from an egg. Grok obviously did not take this approach.

“Then it seems we’ll have to ask the dragon itself.” The druid nodded. Unlike most spellcasters who usually use conversations with the dead to obtain information, she went straight to the exhausted two-legged dragon bound by vines, intending to use it as a breakthrough point.

Since this creature was no more intelligent than ordinary wild beasts, Bella could only communicate with it in the same way she talked to animals and relay the results to everyone. Fortunately, after discovering that Bella could communicate, the dragon's attitude became much more submissive, and the druid quickly released it and obtained the information he wanted.

“A red dragon hatchling, just as she said,” Bella nodded to Siti, clearly not entirely trusting the adventurer. “Its origins are unusual. It’s said to have come from a transdimensional portal, along with a nest of obsidian eggs, which quickly hatched into fire serpents that guarded it—they were the ones who tamed, or rather enslaved, the dragon and the other creatures around its lair. Grok was probably targeted by it for some accidental reason and became one of the guardians of the hatchling’s lair and itself.”

Bella pondered for a moment, recalling the records about the fire serpent: "The fire serpent is an elemental creature that transforms into a larger fire lizard after a year, capable of serving as a warrior and blacksmith. However, the dragons did not see any fire lizards, so perhaps they have not been here for even a year—thankfully, not even a year."

A red dragon, a brood of fire elementals, and a recently deceased Goliath with the blood of a fire giant—any green thing remaining near them would be a disservice to this combination.

Especially those fire serpents, who come from the fire elemental plane, love nothing more than burning flames.

“For adventurers like you, this is indeed a bit too ‘challenging’,” the druid said, looking at Siti with some sympathy. Even goblins are extremely deadly creatures to ordinary adventurers, and a well-trained bandit gang could easily give them a run for their money.

And the bandits were followed by a flying dragon? And a red dragon too? Even seasoned adventurers or mercenary teams would have to risk their lives!

“Let me check on your two companions first. You’re lucky. If it were our other friend, she definitely wouldn’t have prepared so many healing spells for me,” Bella said, taking a step into the house before suddenly stopping. “By the way, speaking of which, where did Daisy go?”

“She said she would be back before dinner,” Mary shrugged. “Many people in the nearby towns like to listen to her play. Last time I went to buy this sword, the shopkeeper heard that I was friends with her and gave me a friendly price.”

As an Inathan—specifically, a Western Inathan—Mary felt quite resentful that she received preferential treatment on Inathan soil simply because of the face of an Imperial. If it weren't for the fact that she saved a considerable amount of gold coins, she would have felt rather unfair.

“It sounds like she’s doing pretty well,” the druid chuckled. “That doesn’t surprise me at all.”

Daisy, how would she put it again? "A socially anxious person," yeah, that's it.

Social terrorists.

The druid, who lived in the guild, prepared various healing spells most often each day. As she said, the orc Ironjaw and the human Ed were quite lucky. Under the effect of her spell, the two adventurers were quickly pulled back from the brink of death, and they thanked the druid profusely.

"I never dreamed I'd be alive!" Iron Jaw stared incredulously at her hands, trembling with excitement. She looked up at Reslaufer, her pupils shrinking in shock. "And it was...it was you who saved me?!"

She jumped up, startling her two companions, who quickly held her down, fearing she might do something irrational.

"You know me?" Leslaufer was certain that there was no such orc warrior from Haidong on his friend list. "But in fact, it wasn't me who saved you. Ask your friend for details. The people you should thank the most are these ladies here."

“Yes, yes, thank you all, of course,” Ironjaw’s ​​thanks to the others were genuine, but when she looked at Raslaw, her eyes were filled with fervor. “Do you remember Ironforge a few months ago? Those terrible demons! I was there with Lord Duncan!”

Leslaufer couldn't possibly remember who she was, but he nodded politely nonetheless, which only fueled the orc's burning gaze: "You tore that demon apart alive, ripping it out by the spine!"

She gestured excitedly, seemingly mimicking Raslaufer's actions: "I've dreamed of that moment, you're my... I don't know, maybe, Dad?"

Perhaps it was the orc blood in her life that made her think too much, because this sudden shout startled everyone present. Siti and Joseph hurriedly covered her mouth, refusing to let her continue—what was all this nonsense!

“Uh, I have to say, congratulations?” Angelita’s eyes darted around, and she looked mischievously at Leslaufer, who was already full of question marks. “I had no idea you had a daughter.”

This "daughter" is probably only five or six years younger than Raslaufer at the most conservative estimate! And considering her lineage, there's a lot more to this than meets the eye!

But clearly, Angelita wasn't the only one looking for amusement. Bella and Mary exchanged a glance, and finally, the druid affectionately put his arm around Angelita's shoulder: "No, we should congratulate you, Annie. You call him Uncle Leslaufer, so what is she to you? And considering you—"

"Stop, stop! Please!" This put pressure on Princess Angelita, who quickly interrupted the chain reaction of trying to establish a family connection.

She doesn't want a daughter who's older than her!

But perhaps she wasn't the only one who would be hurt by this; perhaps the emperor who had his bust engraved on a gold coin was the biggest victim.

Chapter 469 Porcelain Cat

“Then you’d better not change the subject,” Leslaufer gently pressed down on Annie’s head, his eyes still scanning the three mercenaries in front of him and the cat statue on the table. “So, you’re here for this thing—what’s so special about it?”

He turned to look at Bella and Angelita, but they both shook their heads—even in their eyes, it was just an ordinary statue.

But for it, a red dragon was willing to send its minions to track the thief for days, even all the way to the village. Although the young dragon probably wouldn't have given such a specific order, it at least shows that if Grok and the dragon failed to bring the statue back, the consequences would definitely not be good.

But the statue was neither shiny nor expensive, so even a young dragon would hardly consider it a treasure. Moreover, it probably wouldn't be very good at protecting itself; it would need a band of bandits and a dragon to ensure its safety, even if it was surrounded by fire serpents.

The reverse conclusion is obvious: this statue is definitely not ordinary; it is either very valuable or extremely dangerous.

“Say it again, who are you going to give it to?” Perhaps because he had a junior colleague who admired him, Leslaufer’s tone was not aggressive, but it was unquestionable. “Forget your promises and tell me that person’s name. Only then can I help you better.”

“That’s an antique collector named Matoy!” Ironjaw quickly interjected. “He’s an old man, a bit hunchbacked, who lives on the third floor of Ironforge.”