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

"This thing doesn't like light!"

Leslaufer noticed this immediately. He stretched out his hand and pulled out the gleaming steel dagger from its sheath and threw it towards the other part that had not curled up. The special metal material reflected the brilliance of the Holy Slash in the air, forcing the originally disgusting flowing flesh and blood to temporarily shrink into a large mass. Taking this opportunity, the mercenary jumped up and stabbed the sword in his hand fiercely into the big mouth that had opened wide and intended to swallow Bella, and then slashed it down heavily.

Flesh, blood, something rancid, and something else half-digested flowed out of the monster's body. The mercenary's attack split the monster in half, and the stench instantly filled the cave.

"Nice strike!" Although the battle ended before the Paladin's second Holy Slash could be launched, Patrick's face showed no trace of disappointment. Instead, he rushed forward regardless of the blood and gave the mercenary a firm hug. "Thank you for your contribution to the cause of justice, my friend!"

"Even if I were crazy, I wouldn't fight with this thing!" Leslough pushed the guy away and cursed with a smile, "(Eastern Inassus slang), you can't call this having no choice a good thing!"

"If there really is no choice, how can this thing exist? Now look at this monster, it's clearly some kind of chimeric undead creature, isn't it?" The paladin said cheerfully, "Of course you have a choice, but you chose to fight for justice!"

"Oh my god..." Leslaufer fluttered his eyelids, trying to pull himself out of the pile of corpses that had become a mess because they were no longer moving. "Stop talking about this, find my dagger quickly. It's made of shimmering steel, it would be a shame to lose it!"

"The sword was swallowed while it was still 'alive'. These things beneath our feet felt like strong acid just a moment ago." Vondar frowned, reaching out to stir the flesh and blood, finally throwing out a small, gray, bare metal fragment. "Don't worry about it. Sparksteel isn't a special metal, but a forging process. Its uniqueness comes from the complex structure beneath its smooth surface. The more complex something is, the easier it is to damage, and the more difficult it is to repair."

"In short, this is the 'ashes' of your sword."

"Tsk," before Leslaufer could say anything, Daisy, who was treating Bella's wounds on the other side, had already let out a loud gasp. "You said that in most stories, after the protagonists fight a tough battle, monsters drop equipment, but why is it that here we only lose money? You're missing your sword, your leg armor is damaged, and Bella's robe and pants are torn to rags..."

"And I just realized that experience and levels don't seem to exist. I just evolved in battle like some X-Pokemon!"

The others were already accustomed to the poet's ramblings, and could even come up with some translations on their own. "Isn't that a reward, Daisy?" the dwarf craftsman laughed gruffly. "And even if you demand a physical reward, it's not without merit. Look, what is this?"

The pair of strong arms continuously stirred in the flesh and blood, and finally lifted out a large piece of irregular mineral that looked extremely heavy. "Ordinary metals will be corroded by this monster, but conversely, anything that can continue to remain in its body must be a precious material!"

"What is this?" Bella asked hurriedly. The wound on her leg was healing under the influence of magic, and the unbearable pain and itching forced her to divert her attention as much as possible.

"It looks like moon blue copper. Oh, you might be more accustomed to calling it 'Mai Adan Steel,' but I must point out that your classification of this metal is incorrect." The dwarf held the ore up to the light and carefully examined the irregular mass of metal ore. "Oh, how interesting. Although it looks relatively pure now, it's actually not a concentrate. Before being accidentally swallowed by the monster, it may have contained more impurities."

"It must be the harsh environment within its body that screened and refined the components, causing the original Yuelan copper in the ore to be enriched and eventually take on its current form."

"But if that's the case, then it must have swallowed a large piece of ore in the first place," Angreta said, puzzled. "Then it's hard to explain it as 'accidental swallowing', right?"

"Mai Adan steel is mined in the desert outside the southern borders of the empire. The largest vein there is occupied by a whole group of blue dragons. The empire can only carefully collect it from the very end of the vein, or trade it with those dragons at completely unequal prices. Where did this monster get such a large piece?"

Chapter 157 Dragon!

"You know quite a lot," Feng Daer was once again astonished by Angrita's knowledge. "As you said, although Yuelan copper is actually distributed in the northeast of Haidong, it is still a very scarce resource. So I have another guess. Do you want to hear it?"

"Just say it, hiss—" This time it was Reslaufer. As one of the two people with relatively serious injuries, it was his turn to receive treatment.

"This ore was actually a forged product when it was swallowed," the dwarf said, carefully cleaning the ore and placing it in his bag. "The monster swallowed it along with its previous owners when it killed them."

"Edward the Confessor." Angelita immediately thought of the emperor of the previous dynasty, him and his army...

"I didn't infer that," the dwarf said immediately, "but it doesn't rule out the possibility that there are several members of his team wearing Moon Orchid Bronze equipment."

"No, it's 80%, or even 90% likely to be him. It's normal that you don't know the history of the previous dynasty. The Matt family tampered with or concealed some details, making them unknown to the public." Angelita shook her head. "The expansion of the empire's southern border and the discovery of Maiadan steel are considered among the most important achievements of the early Matt Dynasty. But in fact, this credit does not belong to my... Matt family ancestor, but to Edward the Confessor, who accomplished this feat early in his reign."

"He established the initial trust and agreement with the blue dragons in the desert, and the Matt family was the later strengthener."

"If they tampered with history, then you are... Oh - I'm so stupid." Daisy drawled out her tone and chose to remain silent in the face of Vondar's puzzled gaze.

Although such historical mysteries are fascinating, they are actually just topics of conversation during a brief break. When Reslaufer felt that his flesh and blood were no longer inseparable from the metal, everyone quickly packed up their luggage and continued to advance into the cave.

This time, there were no creatures in the passage that would obstruct them—it was conceivable that the giant undead creature would not tolerate other prey poaching in its hunting grounds. Even after going through so much, Reslaufer still found that the distance between them and the two cowards was rapidly shortening.

"This isn't right. I hate to admit it, but we've been delayed quite a bit by their arrangements." After emerging from another narrow tunnel and arriving at a wide cavern, the mercenary observed his surroundings warily. "And if this is just for escape, don't you think this tunnel is a bit too far-fetched?"

The fork in the road that confused the pursuers, the overly wide cave, and the extremely dangerous monster just now, this project did not look like it was designed for evacuation at all. Instead, it seemed as if the returnees planned to hollow out the mountain under the Temple of Eldath and make it a fortress or palace.

"Then why did they go to all that trouble to invade Eldath's temple from the outside? They could have just dug a hole right underneath the temple..." Even the paladin couldn't understand this behavior. "Why would they go to all this trouble?"

"Patrick, do you still have that feeling?" Raslaufer suddenly asked, "That feeling..."

"No," the paladin immediately understood what he meant. "I think that's probably because of the monster. It was indeed terrifying, but it was ultimately defeated by you."

"We have it in our hands," Reslaufer said casually. "Let's just consider this as their druids having too much energy to vent. Let's move on."

"Don't talk any more than you can after the next corner. We're getting pretty close."

The extent to which the vegetation was trampled underfoot indicated that the other party might have rested here for a long time, which might explain the distance between them. The mercenaries thought that the more optimistic speculation was that they believed that the flesh and blood monster was enough to stop them, but the facts always seemed to have some deviations. When everyone carefully passed another corner in front, a thick and disgusting light green ray exploded on the sword raised by Reslaufer.

"Damn it!" Eton's voice came from above, "Why are you here? Where's the tree man?!"

He tailored a whole set of traps for the tree man, but these lingering mercenaries were much smaller than the big tree!

"Never mind all that—Khalid, do it!"

At the mage's command, the druid, transformed into a sturdy brown bear, leaped down from a height and crashed directly into the crowd. The Returner was now covered in a protective force field, and when everyone tried to besiege him, they were unable to capture him for a moment!

No wonder these two people were so slow. They didn't intend to escape in such a mess, but tried to kill Sander!

"I don't need that big tree to kill you!" Reslaufer slammed the giant sword into the bear's protective force field. Three consecutive scorching magic rays hit him, but the warrior pretended nothing happened and continued to attack Khalid.

"Don't worry old man, you're next!"

The mercenaries' threats made Eaton's face paler still. He'd sensed the dissolution of flesh and blood, and thus had prepared a counterattack plan he hadn't intended to use. However, he hadn't expected that the monster that killed it wasn't another monster, but... perhaps these bastards could be considered monsters in another sense?!

But now he had no time to think more. Everything in front of him became distorted with the ridiculous music. He understood that it was the poet who was causing trouble. With a hard heart and gritted teeth, the wizard reached into his sleeves, unfastened two buckles and took out a precious spell scroll.

"Khalid, execute the backup plan!"

The bear, trapped in a tight circle, its shield nearly shattered. Unable to speak, it roared, then bit Angarita beside it. The girl instinctively dodged backward, and the druid took advantage of the opportunity to transform into a crow and fly into the air.

"Come down!" The black flame giant sword flew out of his hand and smashed straight towards the damn crow. However, with a flash of light, the crow turned into a ball of yellow-green fog at the moment of being hit. With the impact, it exploded and swept in all directions, almost covering the entire space!

The thick smoke obscured vision, smell, and even hearing. Any exposed skin that came into contact with it would feel a desperate sense of powerlessness and pain. Even if one held their breath, they would be completely unable to resist this power!

"Ahem, poisonous!" The paladin's voice echoed through the fog, followed closely by a faint light appearing over there. "Follow me! Follow the light!"

Even Leslaufer didn't have time to think more in this situation. One figure after another immediately followed Patrick. After several twists and turns, they finally entered a space without thick poisonous fog.

"Where is this...!" Reslaufer opened his mouth subconsciously, but immediately lost the strength to continue speaking - he finally saw the scene in this large space clearly.

They stood on a large, raised platform, and beneath it lay a massive pit, over a hundred meters deep. Growing in the darkness beneath the ground was an immense, ancient tree, taller than a bell tower and occupying an area the size of a church. Its crown even rose slightly above the platform. The vegetation was lush and verdant, like a vast forest unto itself.

But if it were just that, it wouldn't be a big deal. What really terrified even a mercenary like Leslaufer, who was used to seeing blood and death, was that in the shadow of the treetops, a huge creature as slender as a snake or a python, with its head and tail difficult to see and distinguish, coiled itself between the branches of the ancient tree.

Although its wings, covered with olive green scales, seemed small compared to its body size, and its limbs were somewhat weak, the sharp claws on them indicated its position at the top of the food chain. The gusts of magic power flowed and transformed in the forest breeze produced by its breathing. Even Reslaufer could clearly see the colorful illusions in the air.

Even without being able to catch a glimpse of the entirety of this enormous creature, one thought inevitably surfaced in everyone's minds. Without a doubt, this was...

dragon!

Chapter 158 Battle on the Platform

"A green dragon," Vondar whispered. "My God, it must be an adult at this size. Could it be Kolin Otto's..."

"Even if it's not Esmir himself, at least he's a relative or a clan member of his." The Holy Knight subconsciously gripped the sword in his hand tighter, but he soon realized that this would not be of much help to him.

Reslaufer's eyes were filled with suppressed anger as he looked at his companion. "Look at the path you've taken! It's hard to say which is worse, being choked to death in the poisonous fog or facing a giant dragon!"

"Maybe... it's the latter," Daisy said, her words uncharacteristically easy to understand. "Look over there—"

The poet's hand reached beneath the ancient tree's canopy, through the layers of leaves and branches. One after another, objects shaped like cocoons, translucent red, and about the size of a person, were connected by an equal number of tough silk threads, hanging upside down from the branches. They were so densely packed that they dyed the leaves at the bottom layer blood red.

The use of "more than a human size" here is not unintentional: inside the vast majority of the cocoons, there is actually a humanoid creature sealed.

It's unknown how long these creatures, trapped like tiny insects in amber, have been there. Could it be a day? A month? A year? A century? Time seems to have stood still on them, leaving no trace. Many of them still maintain the postures they were in at the moment of their capture: fear, pleading, anger...

"I'm afraid it's even earlier than a century..." Angelita gestured to her companions to look at one of the cocoons. Inside, there was a figure wearing heavy armor. The distance between them made it difficult for everyone to see his face clearly, but one thing was certain.

The object worn on that person's head was not so much a helmet as it was... a crown.

"A green dragon's favorite treasures are sentient beings who bend to its will. These include specific individuals like a beloved hero, a renowned wise man, or a famous... bard." Daisy spoke as if she were reciting something, but at the end she couldn't help but wince. "Oh my god, then wouldn't I be—"

"Don't worry, you're clearly not that 'famous' yet."

A sinister voice echoed from behind the group. Leslaufer turned and saw the robed wretch and a giant bear slowly emerging from the passage. Behind them, a poisonous mist obscured most of the passage, but it also stopped them in their tracks.

"Yes, it seems someone has come to our door." The mercenary, carrying his greatsword, looked at the mage coldly. "How much magic power do you have left? If you can cast a spell like that just now, I don't mind turning around and leaving."

Eaton looked at the man and said, "What about you? How much energy do you have left? By the way, there's a dragon behind you."

"But it's sleeping soundly, otherwise it would have woken up long ago," Leslaufer curled his lips, "I will try to kill you before waking it up."

"Sleep... well, with your intelligence, I'm afraid you can't understand anything more profound." The mage choked, but the slight embarrassment quickly turned to contempt. "It seems you don't know who it is. But you should at least have heard of Kolin Otto's Bite, the Protector of the Nation, and the Green Dragon Esmir."

Angelita started to speak, but quickly gave up the argument: she wanted to see if this guy knew something that she didn't.

"Esmir was an extremely powerful dragon. After it defeated the army that intended to encroach on its territory and earned the above title, it quickly projected its will into the vast and distant astral plane, focusing on more profound and abstruse knowledge rather than a single mountain or a few countries. And even to this day—it is not 'asleep'."

Eden Smil emphasized the word "sleep" to show his dissatisfaction: "But you are right about two things, barbarian. First, it will not wake up until the lives of humble ants like you and me threaten it; second,

The words in Eaton's mouth turned into a series of magic spells, and the mercenary moved faster than his lips and tongue, rushing towards the wizard.

The skull-shaped counterweight ball at the end of the Black Flame Giant Sword let out a death-threatening scream as it was swung, but before it could strike the Mage's head, a huge beast's front claws knocked it aside.

"Nephew, go on!"

A small and exquisite alchemical potion bottle was thrown out by the wizard. The paladin who followed Leslauf tried to intercept it, but the beast's strength and reaction speed were obviously better than his. After being hit by Leslauf's sword handle on its hind legs, the potion bottle was bitten by the bear and swallowed into its stomach along with the broken pieces of the bottle.

“Hoooooooooooooooooooo——”

The giant bear transformed by the druid was immediately affected by the potion, and its size expanded to at least twice its original size in an instant. If the platform under their feet had not been used as a resting place for the green dragon, everyone almost thought they were going to fall down.

Everyone continued to charge towards the beast, but even Reslaufer could no longer wrestle with the druid. Khalid nearly knocked the mercenary off the platform with a simple push of his head!

Those steel-needle-like bear bristles pierced into the gaps of the Broken Halberd in the instant just now. If it weren't for the chain mail lining the inside of the heavy armor, Reslaufer would have been injured by now!

"You tried to force yourself to rush over and interrupt me while I was casting a spell?" The mage hiding behind Khalid had already lifted himself off the ground, layers of arcane barriers enveloping him from all sides. Watching Reslaufer retreating further and further away, and the others struggling to even get close, Eaton felt an indescribable sense of relief. "You did well, but that's all you did—did you really think you could defeat a well-prepared mage?"

"Where do you think I spent all the embezzled public funds during my years teaching at the academy?!"

Holding the Poem of Guardianism, Angelita tried to attack Eaton across the blind spot of the bear beast's vision. However, as a scroll was torn open by the wizard, three scorching rays immediately blocked her way!

"You speak so confidently!" Angelita glared at the shameless spellcaster. "If you have this reserve, why did you come all the way here?!"

Eaton laughed heartily. The half-elf, who had mocked him for being unfit to be a lecturer not long ago, now had no way to stop him. "You know, I've been asking myself the same question. I've always felt that I could solve everything with my own magic, treating elixirs and scrolls as trump cards, and trump cards within trump cards."

"But now, I don't plan to keep it any longer!"

Chapter 159: All That Rises Will Fall

A spellcaster who once taught at one of the best academies in the world undoubtedly has deep reserves, and when this person pockets most of the resources he has obtained, the quality and quantity of his reserves become even more terrifying - even if he eventually can't even be a lecturer at the academy.

The potion was thrown into Khalid's mouth as if it were free, making the druid remain powerful. Neither Leslough nor Patrick could break through the wall of flesh at all.

The light of the long sword in the hand of the holy warrior has been extinguished. His magic power can no longer support him to release the powerful Holy Slash. If he only swings the sword, he cannot compare with Leslaufer.

His slightly tired eyes turned to the mercenaries who were charging again. In the paladin's spiritual vision, a series of spirits were silently accompanying Reslaufer. Although the latter had no intention of taking anything from these spirits, whenever his physical strength was about to fall below its peak, the spirits would provide him with some strength.

Given the size of the spirits around Raslaufer, the loss to each of them was negligible, but the paladin couldn't help but think about other questions:

Why would these souls killed by this man help him, since Reslaufer didn't actively use their talents? Were they doing it voluntarily? Or was it some greater force forcing them to do so?

Patrick received no answer, but as a burst of passionate piano music began to play, it seemed as if endless strength surged into his body again. He knew he had to continue fighting until he broke through the giant druid's defenses, or until Eton's reserves were exhausted...

Then break through their defenses.

"Why can't you just die quietly?!" Eaton uttered a series of unpleasant curses in mid-air, pouring down even more ferocious arcane firepower. "You simply can't stop me! I'm invincible now! Unbeatable! Eldath's artifact should belong to me! To the strong!"

"This is the law of the jungle, this is nature! The power of the gods of nature should belong to me!"

"If the goddess hears what you say, she will probably be very angry." Bella suddenly said from below. Her voice was not loud, but on the battlefield now, besides Eaton, she was the only one who had time to speak.

The young druid hadn't gone to help, but had instead knelt beside the bard with her eyes closed, not knowing what she was doing. Only then did she open her emerald green eyes again.

"Ah, I forgot about you, didn't I?" Eton looked at her. "But you are nothing. You have no way to help them fight Khalid, and you have no power to penetrate my barrier. You are nothing. Little girl, don't you feel that you are out of tune with your companions? How pathetic."

"...Maybe, that's the case for you," Bella said, not angered by the mage's provocation. "So you will be expelled from the academy for this reason as well."

"you--"

"But the way of nature isn't simply 'the survival of the fittest,'" the druid raised her hand, a cloud of vapor forming within it. "Don't you think you're too high and mighty?"

"I'm right above your head now!" Eaton raised his hand and threw out a flaming arrow, aiming it directly at Bella's eyebrows. Although the latter dodged it by turning over, the wizard's arrogance did not stop there. He scolded the young girl loudly, just like he scolded his students in the academy.

"Really...?" The druid blew a breath towards the ball of water vapor in his hand. As the latter dissipated in his palm, a cloud of hazy mist enveloped the mage in mid-air, blocking his vision.

"You just want to use this thing to disturb me? What... are you doing?!"

Eaton was about to leave when he saw a small black shadow suddenly leap in from the clouds and pounce directly on his face. The small claws were not very sharp and could not trigger the mechanism of those protective spells, but they left shallow blood marks on Eaton's face, and even hit his eyelids twice.

"Get out of here!" After a flurry of activity, Eaton finally caught the little animal before it could get into his robe. It was only then that he saw clearly that the so-called attacker was just a red squirrel.

A squirrel?

"You plan to defeat me with this?" Feeling deeply insulted, he grabbed Tiaotiao's neck with one hand and broke through the clouds, roaring at Bella on the platform below, "You think this little thing can defeat me? Fine! Let me break it right in front of you-"

"boom!"