Chapter 217: Red Copper Dragon Phantom

At Ron's command, Sera immediately hurled the Arcane Magic-wrapped stone at the Ratmen's entrance. A massive explosion rang out, but it seemed to have only left a few scorch marks on the heavy stone door.

The faint sound of the Ratmen's laughter could be heard from behind the door, mocking their futile attempt.

But none of this came as a surprise. What truly shocked the group was that Ron was opening another Potion!

"How do you still have any Spell Slots left?" Silvia stared at Ron, stunned. No one understood the limits of a fellow Caster better than another—'Ron should be completely out of power for Magic on this scale!'

'The activation and triggering method might be convoluted, but its power is clearly on par with Fireball Magic. Do I even need to guess what level of spell that is?'

"Why wouldn't I have any?" Ron chuckled, and another "Stone Bomb" was sent flying. This time, cracks appeared on the stone door. "I can cast six of these a day. We're just getting started."

'Fewer functions only require fewer resources...' The Vampire Descendant's mouth hung open, at a loss for words.

If the target was an inanimate object, the Casting difficulty was the same as a Scorching Beam, which meant the number of times it could be cast per day was effectively doubled!

"Last one!"

As the third boulder was hurled at the stone door, it collided with a Flaming Arrow that followed close behind. Amid the violent explosion, everyone ducked behind Aive and Victoria's shields. Stone fragments, more powerful than arrows, CLATTERED against the shields. The Kite Shield even let out a series of whimpers as a liquid seeped from its surface, attempting to repair its battered and pitted face.

"We should show this to Rurik! He's always bragging about how powerful the Dwarves' gunpowder technology is. Time to give him a little taste of what we can do on the surface!" Sera laughed, charging in before the dust had even begun to settle.

"Here I come, you rats! Your granny's here!"

"That woman! She never learns!" Delaford yelled in frustration. "Aive! Victoria! We need to cover her, or we'll be collecting her corpse!"

"You should rest for a moment..." Silvia began, turning to communicate with the Night Howling Hounds. She was about to summon them to protect the "combat-ineffective" Ron, but then she saw him pull out several Gemstones.

The inheritance from the Hailan Empire was truly generous, giving Ron a level of endurance that ordinary Mages could only dream of. Even if he ran out of his own spells, he still had Magic Items, didn't he?

"How could I have forgotten?" Silvia smiled and shook her head. "Still, please stick close to us. The Magic stored in Gemstones is rigid; it can't respond to every situation."

The Ratmen had been cheering just a moment before, not even having caught their breath, when their final barrier was broken in an instant. A pack of devils then stormed in with devastating force. After the desperate last stand of the two remaining Ratman Alchemists was shattered by the Grip of the Vast Wave, the rest of the Ratmen couldn't even organize a proper defense.

"Hey! Look at this, they even set up a pot for us!" After the short battle, while surveying the scene, Sera spotted a large cauldron in a corner. The water inside was already boiling. Beside it, along with the flesh of some unknown creature, was a small amount of salt and some moss.

"Looks like they were getting ready to cook us!" Delaford said, pulling an arrow from a Ratman's skull and tossing it aside in disgust. "Sigh. Ever since I used that Strong Acid Gemstone for an Enchantment on my bow, my arrows have become less and less durable."

"How do you expect normal arrows to resist Strong Acid corrosion? Get real," Aive commented offhandedly as she walked toward a giant platform that had obviously been artificially smoothed. "You guys, come take a look at this. What is it?"

"It looks like it's for prayers. What Deity do the Ratmen worship?" Ron asked, walking over and turning to Victoria. "What kind of ritual would require a platform this big?"

Ratmen were about the same size as humans, not some race of giants. What kind of religious ceremony would require a stone platform six meters long and six meters wide?

"Judging by these old bloodstains, it was probably for live sacrifices, though the size still doesn't make sense," Victoria said, eyeing the filthy platform with disgust. "There aren't many Deities that Beastmen worship in the first place, and even fewer that Ratmen follow. You've stumped me."

"But don't be too disappointed..." The Priest lifted the hem of her robes, stepped onto the platform, and walked a few paces before leaning down. "This mechanism has traces of Magic. If they don't worship a Deity, but instead follow some powerful being, it's highly likely this is how they communicate."

"But how do we activate it?" Ron asked, walking over. "We're not going to perform a live sacrifice, are we?"

"Didn't we already take care of that step?" Sera grabbed the corpse of a Ratman whose attire suggested it held a high rank, swung her arm, and hurled it onto the platform. The Ratman's blood immediately triggered a reaction from the stone. Victoria hastily pulled Ron down, and they waited to see what would happen next.

A Phantom quickly materialized before them. It was immense, its Red Copper scales gleaming brightly. Its wings were so... 'Red Copper scales?!'

"You..." The Phantom seemed to have a mind of its own. Her massive, draconic head lowered, studying Ron and the others with a puzzled expression. "You don't look like Elves, you know."

"You don't look like a Ratman god, either," Ron said after a moment's hesitation. "I never knew Ratmen were fond of the Dragon Race, just like Kobolds."

"The Dragon Race is loved by all races, of course!" the Red Copper Dragon Phantom screeched in a high-pitched female voice. "Fine, they're not really my worshipers. My master just shoved them on me."

"So even if you kill them all, I won't be angry. But I must ask: those Kobolds are still doing okay, right?"

"Kobolds?" Ron paused, slightly taken aback. "We didn't see any Kobolds on our way here..."

'Wait a minute... Kobolds, a cave full of mysterious holes, a Red Copper Dragon?'

"Let me ask you something... Your neighbor wasn't a Green Dragon, by any chance?"

"Oh? You mean Aoni? Auson Munielp?" Ron's question immediately piqued the Red Copper Dragon Phantom's interest. "You know him? He was a wonderful gardener! Tell me, how is he doing now?"

"After those horrid Elves came by, my true self got scared and left. I only left this Phantom and the Ratmen here to hide and continue my master's mission. I remember I left a letter for him... He should have gotten it and left by now..."

The Red Copper Dragon's Phantom was astonishingly lifelike, just like a real dragon. She watched the expressions on the faces of Ron and the others shift, and her tone grew worried.

"Alright... I'm guessing Mr. Gardener didn't choose to leave... and things haven't been going well for him, is that right?"