Chapter 272: Meeting a Mortal Enemy

On the streets of Willis City, the White Dragon Lord stood before the doors of the Azure Hand, gazing up at its signboard. Every passerby turned to stare. After all, here in Mount Celestia—the stronghold of the good alignment—Chromatic Dragons were exceedingly rare creatures.

But since the guards of Willis City had permitted the White Dragon to enter, he at least did not belong to the evil alignment.

The crowd's attention had no effect on the White Dragon Lord; he was long accustomed to such curious gazes.

He stepped toward the entrance of the Azure Hand.

Two pale blue stone pillars flanked the doors in perfect symmetry. Unknown beasts were carved into the stone, and faint blue arcs of electricity occasionally crackled across their surfaces.

These pillars were clearly inscribed with some sort of powerful magical Array. Anyone who broke the rules would quickly learn just how formidable it was.

The White Dragon Lord ignored the sparking pillars. He mounted the steps, crossed the pale blue stone threshold, and entered the shop.

The interior of the Azure Hand was incredibly vast, obviously utilizing spatial folding magic. Across the floor, transparent display cabinets were arranged in neat, orderly grids.

A line of customers stood waiting near what appeared to be the checkout counter. Each customer—or rather, each creature—was accompanied by an attendant in a blue uniform.

Once a customer finished paying, their attendant would escort them to the door before returning to join the back of a separate queue on the other side of the counter.

In that waiting line, attendants in identical blue uniforms stood ready. They came from a myriad of races.

There were petite and charming Cat-Women, ethereal and hazy archons... there were even two members of the angel race with pure white wings sprouting from their backs.

At this moment, the one at the very front of the line happened to be an angel.

Seeing a White Dragon walk through the doors, the beautiful female angel paused in surprise for a fraction of a second. She immediately put on a professional smile and walked over to greet him.

"Welcome to the Azure Hand, valued customer. Is there anything you need?"

The White Dragon Lord sensed the energy fluctuations within the approaching angel and nodded to himself. This attendant possessed Master Tier strength. She truly lived up to the reputation of the angel race, the native inhabitants of Mount Celestia.

Upon reaching adulthood, members of the angel race boasted a Creature Level of Level 13, and their mastery over light magic was sublime. They were the indigenous creatures of Mount Celestia, having settled here long before The Gods ever arrived.

The Gods who arrived later also favored these lawful good angels and took them under their wing. The God of Justice and Light showed them particular favoritism. Now, angels had become the very symbol of the Justice Pantheon.

Seeing an angel in Mount Celestia was entirely normal, but seeing one working as a shop attendant was rather strange.

This shop must belong to a prominent figure, the White Dragon Lord mused.

The Azure Hand?!

The Azure Beast, Jemalu!

The White Dragon Lord figured it out. Unless he was mistaken, the Azure Hand was the property of the Azure Beast, Jemalu.

The Azure Beast Jemalu was an ancient deity of the Lawful Neutral alignment. Possessing Intermediate Divine Power, he had never joined any pantheon. His true form was a bizarre blue beast from the ancient era, and his Divine Kingdom was located on the third layer of Mount Celestia: Pearl Heaven, Venya.

This deity was highly mysterious. The White Dragon Lord only knew that Jemalu was mortal enemies with the God of Hunting, Malar.

But the grudge between those two gods had absolutely nothing to do with the White Dragon Lord. He was just here to buy some things.

"Do you have Heart Blood of the Celestial Crocodile Dragon here?"

"Of course we do. How much do you need, sir? Our branch currently has eight portions in stock. If you require more, we can transfer some from our other branches."

The White Dragon Lord let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that for shopping, it was always best to go straight to the material's place of origin.

"There is no need. I need five portions of Celestial Crocodile Dragon Heart Blood."

"Understood. Magical materials of this caliber are kept on the second floor. Please follow me."

The angel attendant led the way, and the White Dragon Lord followed.

"In our shop, high-value items are generally placed on the second floor. The first floor is reserved for common magical materials..."

"..."

"Sir, would you like to sign up for a membership card? A membership card doesn't just earn you points, it also grants you discounts on promotional days!"

"Sir, the store just received a new batch of goods! We have starlight pearls from the Sea of Starlight. Would you like to take a look?"

"Sir..."

Faced with the young angel trying so hard to upsell her goods, the White Dragon Lord felt utterly helpless. No matter the world, shop attendants were all exactly the same.

"No need, I came specifically for the Celestial Crocodile Dragon Heart Blood. Speaking of which, where do you get it from? Aren't celestial croc-dragons the pets of the Lady of the River?"

The angel smiled faintly.

"That is correct. Her Majesty does indeed keep many celestial croc-dragons as pets, but there are also wild ones. As long as there is no large-scale slaughter, no one interferes. Furthermore, the Azure Hand's main branch breeds a batch of celestial croc-dragons themselves."

"I see."

The White Dragon Lord suddenly understood. He had fallen into a logical trap. Although the Lady of the River was fond of celestial croc-dragons, that didn't mean every single one was her private property.

It seemed he had been a little overly intimidated by the reputation of a deity. He reflected on his lapse in judgment.

"Sir, listening to your accent, it seems you are visiting Mount Celestia for the first time. How about I show you around? Our shop carries quite a few local specialties. Even if you don't buy anything, you can always take a look. Looking costs nothing."

Having settled his main objective, and finding the angel's words reasonable, the White Dragon Lord nodded.

"All right."

Except, with such a familiar sales routine... he had a premonition that his wallet was about to shrink significantly.

"Introduce me to the specialties of the heavenly realms."

"Right away."

The angel attendant gleefully led him to a display cabinet.

"This is a Holy Light Crystal produced in Holy Light Heaven. It is a rare magical material used in many magic experiments related to holy light. Moreover, simply throwing it can cause massive damage to undead creatures..."

The White Dragon Lord looked at the pile of golden crystals in the transparent case, sensing the dense aura of holy energy radiating from them.

"Mm, wrap them up for me."

The angel's smile grew even warmer.

The White Dragon Lord noted the radiant smile on her face—it was the look one gave a major client, or rather, a very fat sheep to be fleeced. But he didn't mind.

Holy Light Crystals didn't exist in Nordhill. Even if he didn't use them himself, reselling them or gifting them to clergy members would absolutely ensure he never took a loss.

You might make a killing, but I'll never lose out—that was the underlying principle.

The angel led him to the next display cabinet.

"Sir, this is..."

...

The angel attendant guided the White Dragon Lord around for a dozen minutes. During that time, he purchased a vast quantity of goods, the vast majority of which were Mount Celestia specialties.

"Sir, this is Calming Grass from Golden Heaven. It is a primary-grade Magical Plant that can calm the mind and soothe the spirit."

While browsing, the angel had noticed that the White Dragon Lord was exceptionally interested in local specialties. Even if he couldn't use them himself, he would still buy a little. Because of this, she deliberately brought him to see Mount Celestia's unique wares.

The White Dragon Lord swept his gaze over the cabinet, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

The Calming Grass in the case looked extraordinarily familiar. It had bright green, elongated leaves with serrated edges and clear cyan veins.

Wasn't this tobacco?!

He could hardly believe it. He would never mistake it for anything else; these were undried tobacco leaves.

"Give me a detailed introduction to this plant."

"Oh, of course."

Although she didn't know why the White Dragon Lord would care so much about a primary-grade magical material, the angel attendant still fulfilled her duty.

"This magical material is named Calming Grass, a specialty of Golden Heaven. It has the effect of stabilizing emotions. In ancient times, it was actually a very popular magical material and the core ingredient for many potions. However, the Peacebloom that emerged later had much better calming effects, so Calming Grass was rendered obsolete."

The angel frankly hinted to him that this material held very low value.

The White Dragon Lord pondered this in his mind. It seemed the multiverse had yet to discover the other method of using tobacco leaves.

Still, he had his doubts. Even though this Calming Grass looked exactly like the tobacco leaves from his past life, this was a different world. He couldn't be entirely certain the effects were the same.

"Get me a portion."

The angel took out a bundle of Calming Grass, and the White Dragon Lord received it. He intended to test it out first.

"Do you have Calming Grass seeds here?"

"We only sell the materials, not the seeds. If you are interested in Calming Grass, sir, you can go search the Golden Wilderness in Golden Heaven. This Magical Plant is not uncommon."

The White Dragon Lord recalled the information he had on Golden Heaven.

Golden Heaven—Mercuria—was the second layer of the Seven-Layered Celestial Mountain. In stark contrast to the eternal night of Silver Heaven, Golden Heaven was forever day. A golden sun hung perpetually in its sky.

But the weather in Golden Heaven was not sweltering, for its sun was that of an autumn harvest. The land was overgrown with all varieties of fruit trees; the creatures inhabiting Golden Heaven would never lack for food.

To the White Dragon Lord, Golden Heaven was the most welcoming layer in all of the Seven-Layered Celestial Mountain.

Because the Divine Kingdom of the God of Good Dragons, His Majesty Bahamut, was located in Golden Heaven. And Bahamut's holy city, the North Wind Temple, sat right in the center of the Golden Wilderness.

Although good dragons and evil dragons found each other abhorrent, they were still of the same species. It was far better than dealing with outsiders from other races.

The White Dragon Lord made up his mind to take a trip to Golden Heaven.

In his past life, tobacco had been the spiritual sustenance for billions of people. How could he possibly miss out on such a lucrative opportunity to make a fortune?

The angel attendant led him around for another half hour. Finally, the White Dragon Lord got his wish and pocketed the Celestial Crocodile Dragon Heart Blood.

Smiling as bright as a flower, the angel escorted him to the main hall to settle the bill.

While the White Dragon Lord was waiting in line, a blue-skinned Titan suddenly walked through the door. It was an ocean titan.

The moment they spotted each other, the expressions on the Titan, the White Dragon, and the shop attendants all changed drastically.

Titans and Dragons were irreconcilable mortal enemies; they would fight almost the second they laid eyes on one another.

The White Dragon Lord's muscles tensed, ready for combat at any moment. The Titan opposite him did the same.

However, they were currently inside Willis City. Starting a fight within its walls would be a blatant sign of disrespect toward the Night Watcher, Thomas. The deterrence of a deity was still incredibly strong.

Both the dragon and the Titan had their misgivings. During their brief standoff, four of the shop's guards hurriedly stepped in to separate them.

The White Dragon Lord swept his mental energy over them. He discovered that the four guards were merely at the Master Tier, while the adult ocean titan opposite him was at the Legendary Rank Tier. He felt a wave of relief.

The ocean titan also paid no mind to the guards. He stared fixedly at the White Dragon Lord. Since they hadn't exchanged blows yet, and the dragon had concealed his aura, coupled with his highly deceptive, newly matured dragon horns, the titan completely misjudged the White Dragon Lord's strength.

Though slightly larger than a normal White Dragon, how strong could a newly Adult White Dragon really be? The ocean titan formed an idea.

"Hmph! What a buzzkill! Walking out only to run into a damn white-skinned lizard!"

The White Dragon Lord flared with irritation, a flash of killing intent crossing his eyes. But he was in Willis City; he absolutely could not strike first, or the Night Watcher would ensure he paid a steep price.

"Bad luck! Nothing but bad luck! Just trying to buy something and I run into a seaweed-man with a head full of green!"

"Bastard! What did you just say?! You looking for a fight?!"

The Sea Giant feigned fury, but his body didn't move an inch. He wanted to provoke the White Dragon into attacking first. That way, he could slay the dragon under the guise of self-defense.

Even the Night Watcher couldn't fault him for legitimate self-defense. Although his scheme was perfectly calculated, the White Dragon Lord refused to take the bait.

The ocean titan grew wary. Given the typical intelligence of a White Dragon, being insulted as a lizard should have provoked an immediate attack. Combined with a body size several magnitudes larger than the average White Dragon, it seemed the dragon before him was no ordinary beast.

At that moment, the legendary powerhouse stationed at the shop emerged. It was a legendary powerhouse with a tiger's head and a human's body.

The White Dragon Lord sensed that this was a Transcendent Beast at the Peak Legendary Rank.

This Transcendent Beast, having assumed a humanoid form through magic, stepped between the two.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen. Give the Azure Hand some face. If you insist on fighting, take it outside."

A flicker of apprehension crossed the ocean titan's eyes. It was obvious he also knew who owned this shop.

"White-skinned lizard, do you dare leave the city and face me in a duel?!"

The White Dragon Lord didn't hesitate.

"Why wouldn't I! When the time comes, don't you dare beg for mercy! Because even if you do, I won't let you off!"

The ocean titan stared coldly at the White Dragon Lord.

"Hmph! Let's see if you have the skill for it! Let's go!"

"Wait!"

The White Dragon Lord turned and strode up to the counter. Forgetting about the queue entirely, he cut straight to the front of the line and paid his bill in a flash.

While the dragon was paying, the ocean titan's eyes lit up.

Oho! So he was a fat sheep too!

A covert wave of mental energy rippled outward.

Playing such petty tricks in front of the White Dragon Lord, a master of Soul Magic, was naturally futile. Without even needing to think, he knew this cunning Titan was calling for reinforcements. But he didn't care.

High-Tier Legends were not cheap cabbages you could just stumble upon anywhere. Even among top-tier factions, High-Tier Legends served as foundational pillars of strength.

Even if his luck was terrible and a High-Tier Legend Titan did show up, the White Dragon Lord's survival skills were unparalleled as a lord mage. If he couldn't win, fleeing would still be no problem.

Such a massive commotion naturally drew a crowd of onlookers from the streets. They followed closely behind the dragon and the Titan.

Within the crowd, a handsome young man asked a passerby for the details of what had happened. Watching the White Dragon Lord walking out of the city alongside the ocean titan, anger flared in his heart.

"Damn it, this White Dragon is too impulsive!"