Chapter 167: After the Return

"I can understand that," Quest nodded. "Things have to be done one step at a time. Perhaps we can change the minds of your subordinates?"

The Spy stood up, bid farewell to Ron, and vanished once more into the night. He had to inform his people of the good news. Meanwhile, Ron and his group continued their journey back to the trading post after sunrise. The others needed to know the news about the Hailan Empire and Baron Green Swamp.

But there were always some "people" who found out faster than others.

"You succeeded."

When Ron and his party returned to the trading post, a gold Dragon Descendant was standing outside, clearly having waited for them for a long time.

"The groans of the Soul Furnace have vanished into thin air. The pitiful creatures, mere empty shells, now lie dead by the waterfall. Most importantly, the manipulator behind the scenes can no longer play his little puppet games."

The Gold Dragon, appearing in the form of a Dragon Descendant, smiled and spread his arms, giving Ron a firm hug.

"But this is just the first step, isn’t it?" Ron didn’t reciprocate his enthusiasm, questioning instead, "Saran Lane has only been operating here for two or three hundred years at most. Delusional Land was already dangerous enough long before he arrived."

"Precisely. Do you remember that mine you went to?" The Gold Dragon walked into the trading post’s main hall. "That was left behind before the Elves arrived."

"Then can I also venture a guess that their queen is also plotting something in the shadows?"

The Gold Dragon’s steps faltered for a moment. "I appreciate your foresight, but personally, I find that highly unlikely."

"After all, do you remember the story I told you? That queen was killed by her own subjects. If her people weren’t mistaken, she should be well and truly dead."

"Besides, the stories and anecdotes from that era no longer circulate in this land. Aside from those mines, almost all traces of that kingdom have been worn away. Even if she tried to do something, I’m afraid she’d be willing but unable."

"Of course, your concerns are valid. We should indeed be wary of such low-probability events."

"So you came just to celebrate our victory?" Ron walked into the hall and found a chair to sit down. "And here I thought you were going to give me more information and make me run around like a sucker again."

The Gold Dragon gave a wry smile. "You think too... I did indeed come to celebrate your triumphant return. I even brought a gift—look."

In the eyes of the Gold Dragon’s Dragon Descendant form, a look flashed—three parts reluctance, three parts fondness, and four parts heartache. He finally squeezed his prismatic eyes shut, then tremblingly extended his right hand. A single pink gemstone lay quietly in his palm.

"Come on, are you serious?" Sera couldn’t watch anymore. "You’re actually giving us such a tiny gemstone, and you’re acting this reluctant? At least give us something else that’s valuable."

"This is no ordinary gemstone. It’s one of the ones from that slate," the Gold Dragon said with a pained expression. "Even without the Amethyst Tablet, this gemstone alone is incredibly valuable."

"I’m only an adult dragon; where would I get so many magic treasures? One of this quality is exceedingly rare!"

"It’s only because I have my pride as a Gold Dragon. If it were one of those Red Copper Dragons, they probably would have just pocketed it for themselves!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Aren’t you Metal Dragons? How can you pull a stunt like that? Bahamut is watching you!" Aive protested. This thing might not have been theirs to begin with, but it was their spoil of war!

’How can this dragon contribute so little yet still demand a share of the loot!’

"I didn’t do that, though," the Gold Dragon said, a little guiltily, tossing the gemstone to Ron. "It’s actually quite difficult for the Dragon Race to legally acquire treasure. You shouldn’t be so quick to judge."

"Some young or newly adult dragons, wanting to be close to treasure, will often make deals with banks or Lords to guard their vaults. The Red Copper Dragons are probably the worst of the lot—to stop depositors from taking their own money, they’ll often come up with all sorts of tricky questions to vex them. Over time, there’s hardly a bank on the continent that dares to hire a Red Copper Dragon as a guard anymore."

"Actually, there is one," Yelena, who was still tied to a pole, interjected. "I believe there’s one in a desert. The connection to the Shadowfall Netherworld is very weak there. I’ve been there."

The Gold Dragon shot the Shadow Spirit a glare. "The operators of that bank are a pair of Sphinxes! How many people do you think are willing to deposit their money there?"

"What’s wrong with Sphinxes? What are they?" Sera and Delaford were completely baffled; they had never even heard the name before.

"It’s just another name for a Sphinx," Silvia explained. "They guard secrets and treasure, and they treat every visitor equally—all who come must pass their tests. Including depositors coming to make a withdrawal."

"There was this one unlucky Mage who thought he was brilliant. He liked the confidentiality offered by the Sphinxes and stored a lot of his treasures there," the Gold Dragon pursed his lips. "Then one time, he was being hunted and went to retrieve his trump card, but he answered a riddle wrong."

"Er, so he died?" Ron frowned. ’Isn’t that a bit of a steep price to pay?’

"Oh no, he didn’t die, he just got trapped," the Gold Dragon said, tilting his head back in thought. "If I remember correctly, he answered the riddles from the male and female Sphinxes correctly, but got stumped by the Red Copper Dragon’s question. So he was blocked at the entrance to the vault."

"His enemies had it even worse. They couldn’t even answer the first riddle and were stopped outside the ancient tomb that served as the bank. A few of the hotheads among them tried to attack the Sphinxes to force their way through and ended up getting torn in half by hand."

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Originally, I wanted to write 10,000 words a day and finish the whole book, but the current situation is a bit different from what I expected... Simply put, I found a job, and that’s why I’ve been busy these past couple of days.

At my speed, writing 10,000 words a day takes about 5-6 hours, but right now I can’t keep up, both in terms of actual time and mental energy. I can’t maintain this update volume anymore...

I’d like to extend my sincerest apologies to all my friends here.

If this book’s performance were better, I might have had the confidence to turn down the job, but it looks like that’s not an option... My family doesn’t approve of this career, even if the pay is similar and the work is easier.

I will still try to maintain at least two updates a day, and I’ll try to post more whenever I have free time. But as for when I’ll actually have that free time, that’s probably not up to me anymore. (Sigh)