Chapter 306: Siren's Song

Within Ron's domain, the Shapeshifters, Quest's people, were by far the most versatile. To better integrate into the societies of other races, these creatures had all picked up a skill or two, honing their talents in various arts and crafts over many years. It was only natural, then, that the task of creating the Young Black Dragon's statue fell to them.

"Dogman Canyon isn't exactly close to their village, so they'll have to live with the Kobolds until the sculpture is finished," Quest said, emerging from an unexpected shadow as he always did. "But the pay from both you and the Kobolds is generous, so they don't have many complaints."

"Their main concern is that if the employer isn't satisfied with the finished product, he might eat them alive."

"Unless the artisans make him look like a Mire Throat Monster, I can't imagine that happening."

But for today, at least, the Shapeshifter artisans didn't have to worry about ending up as the Black Dragon's lunch. When Ron led the group to the Black Dragon's lair outside of town, they found Aiksuuri sprawled by the entrance like a black panther, lazily soaking up the sun.

"Hey, Ron," Hearing their unconcealed footsteps, the Young Black Dragon pried one eyelid open a crack. After confirming Ron's presence, he opened his mouth wide, yawned, and closed his eyes again. "How come Aive didn't come along?"

"There's no combat mission, so she went off to study spices," Ron told a little white lie, omitting the part where the Half-Elf Warrior was worried the Black Dragon would kidnap her to be his personal chef. "It's still morning. Are you just going to sunbathe all day?"

"Ever since Master Golden Dragon left, Master has grown increasingly lazy," You's translucent figure flickered at the cave's entrance. With the 'misunderstanding' between the Delusional Land and Carolina resolved, the unlucky slave trader had been released, forcing You to return to her intangible state. "Lord, you have to take responsibility for this..."

"Shut up, You," the Black Dragon grumbled, rolling over to let the sun warm his other side. "I'm still growing. A little sun is good for me."

"You get moldy if you stay cooped up reading books all day."

"You sound more like a quilt than a Giant Dragon," Silvia teased. "Annie says your tower is almost finished. Once you move in, you'll be able to sunbathe and study at the same time."

"Wha—" The Black Dragon shot bolt upright as if jolted from his deathbed. "So soon?! I can't move in that fast! My treasures need to be moved too..."

"I can help you move." Jilannis's sudden offer immediately silenced Aiksuuri. Ever since he learned that the cataclysm he'd witnessed from the trade post the other day was this Elf's handiwork, his awe for her had reached its zenith. He hadn't even dared to refuse when the Moon Elf asked for a small clipping from his horn.

After all, not even his teacher could likely control a Meteor Burst of that magnitude.

"I think we can hold our lessons there in the future," Jilannis mused, glancing back at the unfinished tower in the distance. "It's a good location, far from town. If there's an accident during an experiment, it's less likely to affect the common folk."

Ron and Silvia, her two students, were naturally all for it. As for Aiksuuri, whose nest was being usurped? The Young Dragon curled up into a sullen ball, not even daring to protest in anger.

Inside Aiksuuri's lair, the amethyst slate grew restless at Jilannis's arrival, just as the Weaving Introduction had. Jilannis merely tossed the Erosion Gemstone into the air, and the slate shot up to catch it in the correct slot. A flash of light later, a Hand Crossbow materialized effortlessly before them.

'Even a house dog isn't this well-trained!'

"Is it because you're a Pure-blood Elf?" Constance asked in surprise, looking at the now-motionless amethyst slate. "When Aive and I used it, we had to..."

"I know. It has nothing to do with being an Elf. Even that kid from the Laine family would have to press it in himself," Jilannis said, picking up the Hand Crossbow and inspecting the Magic Weapon for damage. "I'm its creator. Of course I left myself a backdoor."

"There's almost no wear and tear. It seems the preservation method works quite well. It's a shame the researcher who invented it never got a patent from the Hailan Imperial Academy."

"Don't Elves have long lifespans? How old was he when he passed away?" Ron asked casually, curiously eyeing the crossbow in Jilannis's hands.

"Passed away? He's still alive, teaching in the new Elf Kingdom," Jilannis said with a raised eyebrow. "I was talking about the Royal Academy. The old fossils there were either relatives of the Laine Clan or their loyal servants. When the empire fell, they were buried along with it. Naturally, they weren't around to grant him any patents."

"Any of you good with a crossbow? You can try this," the Moon Elf said, tossing the Hand Crossbow to Ron. "It's the work of one of my researchers. It won second place in that year's innovation competition—the Two-Handed Sword that won first place was presented to the emperor, and I later heard it was shattered during the battle at the palace, though I never saw it myself."

"What's this Hand Crossbow called?" Ron asked as he caught it. The light weapon had a smooth, natural design. Its base color was a dark blue-black, with wave patterns painted on its sides. When Ron tried to draw the string, he felt his Magic Power flow into the Hand Crossbow, coalescing into a Crossbow Arrow made entirely of magic.

"Siren's Song," Jilannis explained. "Its innovative feature is that a Caster can use it without needing to attune their magic to it. It also doesn't require physical bolts, making it an excellent self-defense option for a Caster who's out of spells."

"Of course, you can also load it with physical ammunition, but either way, it still takes time to reload."

"So why is it called Siren's Song?" Ron wondered, fiddling with his new toy. The Hand Crossbow felt so comfortable in his grip that he was reluctant to put it down. He aimed it at an empty wall to the side. "It's okay if I fire a test shot, right? As I recall, hand crossbows don't have much stopping power, and their range is limited."

"You can, but I'd advise you to—" Before Jilannis could finish, Ron pulled the trigger. A piercing Magic Scream instantly swept through the cave. Two Personification Monsters hiding in a corner had no time to react. Blasted into a daze, the two creatures were forced back into their true forms and began ramming mindlessly into the walls, searching for a way to escape the lair.

You and the others were caught in the blast as well. The shriek, on par with a Brain-Piercing Demon Sound, not only warped You's Spirit Body but also nearly ruptured the eardrums of everyone present—except for Ron.

Even Ron himself felt like he was back home for the New Year holidays. After firing the shot, his head was ringing, and it took him a long moment to recover.

"Understand now?" Jilannis, ever the Grand Mage, seemed completely unaffected. "As you said, the Hand Crossbow's damage and range are limited. To compensate for that, its creator made it so that when fired, it can also cast one of three spells: the 'Song of Temptation' to Charm an audience, 'Dissonant Chaos' to instill fear, or 'Dirge of the Dead' to control Undead Creatures, up to three times a day. See this part underneath the crossbow? You'd better press that Cat's Eye Stone, otherwise it will keep doing what it just did."

"It's a panic button. When the user is in danger and has no time to actively select a song, it defaults to casting Dissonant Chaos with every shot to drive away enemies. We all told him to get rid of that feature, but he clearly let my words go in one ear and out the other."

"I bet he went deaf listening to the Sirens!" Silvia shouted, staggering as she covered her ears. "What kind of 'innovation' competition was that? This thing is a public menace!"

"And this thing won *second place*?!"

"Well, it *is* innovative. It's not every day one of my researchers has the same quirky logic as a Dwarf," the Elf Grand Mage said with a shrug. "Besides, he did design a switch for it. I'd say it still has some practical value."