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

This was a building partially buried underground. To prevent the people above from escaping, Raslaufer had discovered it earlier but hadn't gone inside. However, the two guards at the door still met their doom. Raslaufer stood at the door for a while, then reached out the hand wearing the crown and tore the corpse, which had recently been "welded" to the cell door by burning coals, off.

The prison gates collapsed with a heavy kick, and blood-red sunlight shone into the almost completely dark dungeon. As Raslaufer lifted his eyelids, the first thing he saw was a figure crouching on the ground, holding a piece of iron shackle in a strange posture.

Reslaufer felt almost transported back to that ship from many years ago, to the woman before him, the one who had been taken prisoner back then… so similar, yet so different.

Perhaps it's because she is now the lord of two places?

“Master,” Skadi’s eyes lit up with excitement when she saw Leslaufer, “I knew you would come!”

She struggled to her feet, and with a thud, Raslaufer saw clearly that someone had just been lying in her arms. He looked to be a prisoner here, but the way his head was twisted indicated that his cervical spine had been completely broken.

No wonder Skoti held onto the shackles that way.

As Skadi stood up, Raslaufer saw the two people she was protecting behind her: Dieter and Duncan. Duncan was obvious, but Dieter, although able-bodied, was covered in wounds and didn't look much better than Duncan, who was missing both limbs.

"Was this made by the people here?"

Raslaufer let Skadi rush over and hug him, but his gaze swept over the people still alive in the dungeon.

Among them, there may be those who were not involved, those who are completely innocent, and of course, those who have not yet succeeded. However, these classifications are meaningless to Raslaufer.

“No need, let’s go…” Skadi released Raslaufer, and as her gaze fell on Henning, who was being carried by Dobler, the deep-seated hatred in her heart dissipated, and she said softly.

"Take them and wait outside."

Leslaufer had no intention of consulting her; since she still called him master, he would exercise that right.

"I command you."

Skadi took a deep breath, nodded slowly, and took Henning from Raslaufer's hands. Dieter, who was still sitting, also stood up, picked up Duncan, and limped outside.

The door had just been kicked down by Raslaufer, so they couldn't close it again, but Raslaufer remained patient, waiting for their bodies and shadows to disappear from sight before turning back to give the same bloodthirsty smile to the different people in the dungeon.

“I’ve heard about the rules in the Ampiri prisons. It’s alright, I won’t be harsh on you.”

"Now, I'll play with you."

About fifteen minutes later, Raslaufer emerged from inside, his body and face stained with fresh blood and other grime. Behind him, the cell was now completely devoid of any living creatures that required attention.

Skadi came forward, looking as if she had regained some of her strength, but was still quite weak.

“Dieter and I just saw that there are a few small boats available in the harbor outside,” she said immediately after seeing that Leslaufer had finished taking care of everything. “However, I couldn’t find the ship you came in on, nor did I see your soldiers…”

“No ships, no soldiers,” Raslaw’s spurs bumped against each other, and the gray Nightmare warhorse immediately appeared beside him. “It brought me here.”

Skadi had already seen this nightmare when she congratulated Raslaufer on his return from Purgatory, but seeing it appear out of thin air regardless of spatial distance still made her gasp.

"Then... may I assume that you did not bring water, food, or... medicine with you when you came?"

Raslaw's expression froze for a moment, and then he saw the festering wounds on Skadi and Dieter's bodies, as well as the rotting at the cut surfaces of Duncan's limbs.

“Hey, my lord, you underestimate him too much,” Duncan, who was even weaker than two healthy men, slowly opened his eyelids and spoke in a low voice, “The Kingmaker has planned everything. This is their stronghold. How could there not be water, food and medicine readily available? Don’t you think so, Old Ray?”

“…Yes, that’s right, that’s what I was thinking,” Leslaufer paused for a moment before quickly replying, “Um… wait a moment, I’ll go look for it, it shouldn’t take long.”

Compared to Skadi and Duncan, who had close relationships with Raslaw, it took Dieter a while to realize what was going on.

“So…” he murmured, watching Raslaw’s retreating figure, “he came to save people, but he didn’t even consider these things?”

He came riding on horseback!

“Saving people was just a side effect; killing was the real goal,” Skadi shrugged, and after a moment of silence, she added, “It was the same both times.”

"He even forgot that he should have unlocked our shackles first."

Chapter 728 The Giant Beast Beneath the Sea

A small longship was finally pushed into the water. Reslaufer scavenged enough food, fresh water, and medicine from the abandoned warehouse to last them until they returned to the land of Inasas.

But just as he was about to call everyone to embark on their return journey, Dubul suddenly turned his head and looked warily at the waters surrounding Cold Stone Island.

Something... seems off.

The ocean's moods remain unpredictable. The surface layer of seawater is sometimes as calm as a pool, and sometimes it suddenly ripples, shimmering with silver light under the dim sunset and rising stars.

But there was one place where the seawater seemed a little... unusually shallow.

"Lord Raslaufer...?" Seeing that Raslaufer had not moved or invited them to board the ship, Dieter couldn't help but step forward to ask, but was stopped by the mercenary raising his hand.

“Come out,” Raslaufer said, but not to any of them. Instead, he faced the sea. This strange action surprised the three of them, but Raslaufer’s intuition was always accurate in this regard, leaving them no room for doubt.

However, there was absolutely nothing unusual about the sea surface. No matter how the three of them observed, they could not find any trace of anything amiss.

Who exactly was Leslaufer talking to?

“I’m letting you out,” Raslaufer said again after a moment, “You’re not hiding well enough; I can already see your scales.”

"boom!"

Before Leslaufer could finish speaking, towering waves suddenly surged up on the sea!

"Impossible! I hid everything with magic!" A thunderous roar, like a thousand horses galloping across the sea, echoed as a figure emerged from beneath the sea, which could almost be called another small island. A huge head, resembling both a tortoise and a dragon, was raised high, looking down at the four small figures on the edge of Coldstone Island.

However, the creature reacted as soon as it appeared.

"No! You're lying to me!"

The seawater was churned into terrifying whirlpools, almost swallowing the entire island whole. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Raslaufer and the others finally saw its full form: the creature carried a huge, dark green tortoise shell on its back, the silver speckles on the shell resembling waves reflecting sunlight and moonlight. As its head slowly lowered to look at Raslaufer, a wave of scorching steam rushed towards them, and on its face, Raslaufer also saw a scar that had long since healed.

and many more……

"It's you?!"

The man and the turtle (or rather, the dragon) shouted at the same time, and subconsciously, they breathed steam at Leslaufer. Leslaufer transformed in an instant and reached out his claws to pounce on the creature!

"You little thief! I never expected to run into you here!" Facing the ferocity of Leslaufer, the dragon turtle remained fearless. With a slight sway of its body, a massive amount of high temperature instantly vaporized the surrounding seawater into a cloud of mist. Then, deadly arcs of electricity formed armor around it, enveloping its body and preventing Leslaufer from getting any closer.

"I couldn't do anything to you last time because of the teleportation portal, but this time we're at sea. Let's see what you can do against me now!"

Raslaufer scoffed, his wings flapping violently behind him. With a nimbleness beyond the dragon turtle's expectations, he twisted in the air, dodging streaks of electricity while letting the scorching but harmless steam spray onto his body. Then, grayish-white flames condensed in his palm, instantly transforming into a lance more than three meters long, which he hurled towards the dragon turtle's face!

"It seems the lesson I taught you last time wasn't enough. Try this trick again this time!"

Skadi and the others stared in disbelief as Raslaufer battled the enormous creature that suddenly emerged from the water, holding his own and even gaining a slight advantage!

"Has he... become stronger?" Dieter swallowed hard. "If I'm not mistaken, this is probably a young dragon turtle! Lord Raslaufer is really going to solidify his reputation as a dragon slayer this time!"

As a close relative of the dragons on land and in the sky, the dragon turtle may look like a turtle, but this powerful marine creature is still undoubtedly a dragon! And the one in front of us, judging from its abilities alone, has clearly entered its youth, and is not on the same level as the red dragon hatchling we fought against in the Kingdom of Latour!

And Leslaufer was even able to suppress this kind of creature.

No one answered him. Skadi and Duncan remained silent, focused solely on watching Raslaufer's techniques—techniques they had never heard of or seen before, undoubtedly gifts from the Nine Hells. Under Dople's relentless onslaught, the dragon turtle was clearly losing ground, relying solely on its powerful shell for protection. Finally, with a painful howl, the dragon turtle seized the moment when Raslaufer's strength hadn't dissipated, flipped over, and fled underwater.

But how could Leslaufer let it escape so easily?

"Trying to leave? Stay here!" Dubul roared, instantly rushing behind the dragon turtle. He stretched out both hands at the same time, locking the strong tail that hadn't yet entered the water like an iron gate.

"Don't pull my tail! Don't pull my tail!" The dragon turtle cried out in pain, turning its head to bite at Leslaufer, but unfortunately, it still couldn't hit its target. "I can't beat you, so you won't let me run away? You robber! You thief! You...you unreasonable person!"

It's clear that although this dragon turtle can speak Inasas, its vocabulary is still somewhat limited.

"I'm a robber?" Leslaufer sneered. "You're loitering around this pirate den, so aren't you one of them? Tell me! How did you get them to work for you, or the other way around? What did you do when they kidnapped my men!"

This barrage of questions left the dragon turtle completely bewildered: "Drive? Serve? Pirate?! What nonsense are you spouting! Even if you're stronger than me, you can't slander me like this!"

"My home has always been underwater! You even secretly stole my things years ago! What are you pretending to be ignorant for?!"

Raslaufer was taken aback. Although this dragon turtle wasn't very strong in combat, it was quite eloquent when it came to arguing. Could it be... that he had guessed wrong?

"Then why did you show up here at this particular time?"

"I can smell the blood on this island even from the seabed!" The dragon turtle bared its teeth at Leslaufer. "This area is my territory, after all. Am I not allowed to come and see what happened?!"

"As for when...who knows when! It's taken me this long to swim here from home!"

As it cried out, a surge of grievances welled up in the dragon turtle's heart again, causing its voice to tremble with a hint of sobs.

It didn't even get to see the excitement, and then got beaten up by this human for no reason—what did it do to deserve this?!

Please take one day off.

Chapter 729 This is my island!

“You…” Raslaufer slightly withdrew his hand, letting the dragon turtle retract its tail. However, the creature did not take the opportunity to escape. Instead, it turned around again, looking as if it was determined to fight Raslaufer to the death.

If the other party really has connections with the people on this island, even if they have a brain, they wouldn't dare to face him like this.

"You really have no connection with the people here? You're just letting them roam freely in your territory?"

“They’re not going to steal my treasure,” the dragon turtle said dejectedly, shaking the surrounding seawater. “What else is there to say? Let them do whatever they want.”

Compared to most dragons, especially those that worship Tiamat, the dragon turtle is mostly indifferent to its surroundings and will not easily clash with other creatures unless the situation is very special.

For example, someone might have spent a lot of money to bribe him, or someone might have stolen a lot of treasure from his home.

“It’s just money, it’s no big deal,” Dieter said, sensing the awkward situation and quickly stepping in to give Reslaufer a way out. “I have it! I’ll have it when I get home! Whatever misunderstanding you had with Mr. Reslaufer, I can compensate you!”

"Really?" The dragon turtle's eyes lit up immediately. "You'd better keep your word!"

“I swear in the name of the God of Trade!” Dieter quickly made a few hand gestures, and the dragon turtle immediately sensed a faint spiritual light emanating from him—a special light that only appears when a believer swears an oath to their god. “Whatever you have lost, I am willing to compensate you for it on behalf of Lord Raslaufer!”

"At the price? No, so much time has passed, you must pay double—" As a dragon, the dragon turtle instinctively wanted to ask for more, but just as it was about to blurt it out, Leslaufer snorted in front of it, causing the dragon turtle to immediately shrink its neck. "No, no, no, just pay the price, pay the price is fine."

This human was so terrified of it that if it weren't a dragon, it wouldn't dare ask for any compensation now.

"One of my very useful corals was stolen, the pink one! Look, without it, it's so hard to get rid of these little things on me!" The dragon turtle started by demanding compensation for the item that was least valuable to it. The Sea Song Blade wasn't a particularly useful magical tool for it; its only purpose was to pry off the barnacles on its body.

However, Dieter clearly understood what the dragon turtle was referring to, but since the other party didn't take it to heart, Dieter naturally wouldn't cause himself any trouble.

“In that case, I will give you a larger coral and choose one with a similar color as much as possible, how about that?” The merchant observed the dragon turtle’s reaction and then added, “In addition, I can also give you gold coins of equal value to the coral—all of them will be brand new.”

It also features a bust of Raslaw.

The dragon turtle agreed without hesitation, and soon, Dieter offered a low price that satisfied both parties for the crown that Annie had retrieved. While elven craftsmanship was excellent, in an era where elves had long since faded from the limelight, the dragon turtle found it difficult to properly appreciate and utilize it. Dieter promised to forge another magical item for it, and it would be a real earring.

Instead, a surprising disagreement erupted between the two sides over the antique figurehead.

Dieter was well aware of how valuable such a figurehead from a great voyage was, and he was prepared to compensate according to the highest price for antiques. But for some reason, the dragon turtle insisted on having another ornament of the same value to redecorate its nest.

"After it was taken away, my whole house felt so empty!"

Dieter was nearly driven mad. The Strongman family certainly dealt in antiques, but almost no one would collect parts from those barbarian shipwrecks in Ampiri and buy them home! Wouldn't the craftsmanship of Inathas, Imperial craftsmanship, and Dwarven craftsmanship be far more sophisticated?

But at that moment, Raslaufer suddenly had an idea. He suddenly raised his arm and threw Henning, which he was holding, away.

"If you insist on having an Enpiri-style decoration, then I'll give you an Enpiri-style decoration in return—how about this?"

Upon hearing this, both Dieter and Skorty Duncan were stunned. They looked at Raslaufer in disbelief, wanting to know if he was joking.

But to everyone's surprise, the dragon turtle actually lowered its head seriously and looked the still-alive "blood eagle" up and down.

“That’s definitely Ampiri’s style…” the dragon turtle muttered under its breath, “but it’s too new, and how long can it stay like this?”

“The Demon Grand Duke of the Nine Hells cast a ‘blessing’, or rather a ‘curse’ on it, so it will live on forever,” Leslaufer shrugged indifferently. “As for not being new enough, do you dragons really worry about such a thing?”

The dragon turtle pondered for a moment, then suddenly opened its maw and flung Henning, who hadn't even had time to groan, into a gap in its shell, trapping him there: "You're right—that's it!"

"However, you must not forgo the other things you promised! Otherwise, I will approach your shore, capsize your ships, and let all those who dare to go out to sea fall into the water and drown!"

"You definitely won't be able to catch me then!"

Dieter readily agreed to the threat, promising to keep his promise. After receiving a satisfactory answer, the dragon turtle turned over and prepared to dive away from the island, which was now completely deserted.

"Wait a minute." However, Leslaufer suddenly realized something and decided not to just let it go.

"What are you trying to do now!" The dragon turtle suddenly turned around, adopting a fierce and impatient stance. "I know you're some kind of Kingmaker, but there are no kings in the sea!"

“Not these,” Dobul pointed to the boats in the harbor, then to the three men on his side, “Look at them, it won’t be easy for them to row back in a small boat, and we don’t have enough manpower for the big boats, so, could you give us a ride?”

"You plan to command a dragon?!" The dragon turtle was shocked by Leslaufer's audacity. "Don't even think about it. Even if I die on the shore and you throw me into the volcano, I won't help you—"

“This island is useless to me. How about you take it and everything on it? Its former owners were a gang of pirates, and they must have had a lot of treasure.”

The scorching steam shot into the sky, enveloping the dragon turtle completely.

With a loud crash, several anchors were pulled up by it. This colossal sea monster propelled the remaining ships in the harbor, roaring towards the shore, "Alright! What are you waiting for? Get on board and get away from my island!"

Chapter 730 is about the Kingmaker.

With a dragon turtle as their power source, even though Raslaw and the others stayed in the cabin, it did not hinder them from sailing against the wind and waves. In less than a few days, they saw the edge of that even more expansive land.