《What? You Want to Use My Music to Hatch Dragon Eggs?》 Chapter 1 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Locke washed up and prepared to go back to sleep. Suddenly, he heard some strange sounds. Mysterious images kept popping up in his brain. He immediately picked up his phone to check the time. It was only 10 o¡¯clock. He had not stayed up late recently. How could he be hallucinating? Locke quickly laid down on the bed and prepared to fall asleep. As soon as he laid down, something happened. His consciousness seemed to strip away, and he felt himself being pulled into a black abyss. When he opened his eyes again, he realized that he was standing on a high platform. Turning around, he observed his surroundings and realized that everyone was wearing the same outfit. ¡®Academy uniform? Am I dreaming? No way¡­ This is too realistic!¡¯ Very soon, a wave of memories from his body surged into his soul. He immediately understood where he was right now. This was a world of swords and magic, and many people in this world owned dragons. Those who owned dragons were well-known experts of this continent. Today was the day Reynolds Locke hatched a dragon. Every student in the school had a chance to hatch the dragon. However, not everyone could do it! Beside him, a teacher with curly hair and a pair of near-sighted eyes urged, ¡°Locke, why are you in a daze? Quickly release your magic! Release your awakening melody!¡± Under the urging of his mentor, Locke used his host¡¯s memories to wave his magic staff. Magical instruments appeared and floated mid-air. Under Locke¡¯s command, these instruments began to play in an orderly manner. ¡°Victory¡± was Locke¡¯s favorite piece of music, and the meaning behind it was victory! Under Locke¡¯s control, the instruments produced a beautiful melody. The melody was playful and intriguing, enrapturing everyone present. Everyone was so engrossed in the melody that no one realized that a huge magic array had appeared above the dragon egg. The magic array grew larger and larger, covering the entire sky above the capital city of the Kingdom of Dunmei. Everyone in the city saw the huge and complicated magic array. Even the king couldn¡¯t help but walk out of his room to look at the sky. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± The king immediately instructed his chief mage to investigate the strange occurrence. Soon, Locke¡¯s music reached its climax. Everyone in the city was enchanted by Locke¡¯s beautiful melody. When the music ended, the magic array shrank rapidly and fused into the dragon egg. The dragon egg in front of Locke hatched in an instant, and a little dragon from within immediately broke out of its shell. A young white dragon with light attributes appeared in front of everyone. Everyone who were immersed in the beautiful melody were suddenly jolted back to their senses when they realized the dragon egg had hatched. When the mentor saw this, he immediately shouted to the person beside him, ¡°Quick! Go and inform the dean!¡± The guard who stood outside the door glanced at the hatchling and immediately sped toward the dean¡¯s office. When the little white-scaled creature saw Locke, it immediately flapped its wings and flew into his arms. Because it had just been born, it viewed Locke as its own family. The little thing lovingly cooed in Locke¡¯s embrace. Locke looked at the young dragon in his arms and sensed that it was hungry! He immediately left the incubation room under the watchful gaze of those surrounding him. His mentor reached out his hand, as if to say something. However, as he was still under the influence of Locke¡¯s music, he was stunned in place. After a long while, he remembered what he intended to tell Locke, ¡®You haven¡¯t given it a name yet!¡¯ Meanwhile, Locke brought the young dragon to the dining hall, and it immediately attracted a lot of attention. Based on past circumstances, once a dragon was hatched, there would definitely be a notification to inform everyone on the updates. However, there wasn¡¯t one this time around, what in the world was happening? Moreover, the head chef in the dining hall had been working here for more than 10 years, but he had never seen a dragon like the one in Locke¡¯s hands. He could not identify the young dragon¡¯s breed. White? It was not just plain white. It was a brilliant white, representing the Holy Light attribute! With this suspicion in mind, he hurried to the kitchen to work. No matter what kind of attribute a dragon was, he was just a chef who cooked dragon food. He had no right to care about such things. While he waited for the dragon food, Locke suddenly remembered that he had not named this little dragon. Locke cocked his head upwards as he recalled¡ªbestowing a name was something that required a lot of knowledge. However, Locke was only a music genius before coming here, so he could not come up with any decent names. Thus, he chose a name from among the many outstanding female musicians! ¡°From today onward, I¡¯ll call you Eliza!¡± Just as Locke gave the little dragon its name, a ray of white light flashed across the chest of the young white dragon. At the same time, a light symbol was engraved on his wrist. His mentor had just run into the dining hall from the teacher¡¯s room when he saw Locke signing a contract with the dragon. ¡®Phew! Fortunately, Locke has given his dragon a name. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened if the passersby here discovered that there was a baby dragon here that had not signed a contract with its master!¡¯ Seeing that Locke and the dragon were safe and sound, he quietly left the dining hall. He had too many things to do now! Firstly, he had to report to the dean at the dean¡¯s conference room, and secondly, he had to settle the arrangements for the new school dormitory. Lastly, he would have to bring Locke into the king¡¯s palace for the award ceremony. Realizing that he had many things to do, he scratched his head with both hands and quickly walked toward the dean¡¯s office. However, things were not that simple. The king¡¯s chief mage quickly arrived at the academy. After some investigation, he realized that no one here knew what had happened. Everyone was so immersed in the beautiful piece of music that they weren¡¯t aware of anything else that had gone down. They had only regained consciousness after the beautiful music had stopped. This made it very difficult for the king¡¯s chief mage because he would not be able to explain the situation to the king when he returned. Thus, he made his way to the dean¡¯s office. When he arrived there, he overheard the conversation between Locke¡¯s mentor and the dean. ¡°Dean! Reynolds Locke successfully hatched a white baby dragon! It¡¯s a young dragon that has never appeared before in history!¡± However, that was not what the dean was concerned about. He had just come back to his senses from Locke¡¯s music. Surprised, he asked, ¡°Was that beautiful music the awakening melody that hatched the dragon egg?¡± The teacher nodded and praised, ¡°The melody of this music is amazing! I¡¯ve never heard such music in my life!¡± The academy dean immediately stood up and said to the mentor, ¡°Where is Locke now?¡± Seeing how anxious the dean was, the mentor immediately prepared to bring the dean to the dining hall. Just as he stepped through the door, he ran into Aldrich Clifford, the king¡¯s chief mage.. Chapter 2 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Faulkner Weir and the king¡¯s chief mage were old rivals. Therefore, the first thing he did when they met was to tease him, ¡°Aldrich Clifford! What brings the king¡¯s chief mage here today?¡± Clifford was not as hostile as the dean. He immediately revealed his purpose. ¡°The king asked me to investigate the giant magic array, and also to find out who created this music that spread throughout the capital!¡± Weir stroked his beard and said to him, ¡°That¡¯s great. Come with me to see the culprit!¡± The two of them followed Locke¡¯s mentor to the dining hall. Locke was feeding the baby dragon in his arms when he suddenly heard the footsteps of a few people. Raising his head, he saw the dean and another unknown man dressed in gorgeous clothes approaching him. Locke immediately placed the young dragon on the table, stood up, and bowed to the dean. Dean Weir immediately waved his hand at Locke. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite. You are now a Dragon Knight Mage! Once you accept the award from the King, you will become an elite of the Kingdom of Dunmei! People like us who will never be able to hatch dragons will never be able to enjoy your glory!¡± It seemed as if he were referring to himself, but in actuality, those words were also directed at the king¡¯s chief mage beside him. Once a dragon was hatched in the Kingdom of Dunmei, its owner would be respected by tens of thousands of people! Locke¡¯s family status had declined because no one in his family had ever awakened a dragon. Now, Locke had finally succeeded! However, he was still a little confused. This was because he had accepted the memories of the Count¡¯s eldest son, but at the same time, he retained his own memories. These two memories collided, causing Loke to become confused because the memories of their lives were completely different. The only thing that remained the same was the name Locke! After a moment of silence, Loke replied, ¡°I will always respect your as my dean! Even if I become a Dragon Knight mage, I will never forget your teachings!¡± Even though it was just a compliment, the Dean took it in and was extremely pleased. ¡°Alright, alright! Have you given this little dragon a name yet?¡± Locke nodded. ¡°It¡¯s called Eliza!¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a good name, but I¡¯ve never seen this breed of baby dragon before!¡± As he spoke, he turned to look at the king¡¯s chief mage, Clifford beside him. Under the dean¡¯s expectant gaze, he helplessly spread out his hands. ¡°No matter how long you look at me, I won¡¯t be able to tell you its breed! I just know a lot about magic, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve seen a lot of dragons!¡± By then, a crowd had gathered around but no one disturbed Eliza¡¯s meal time. The little dragon was grabbing the food in the bowl and eating it in big mouthfuls. When it saw that there were people staring at it, it immediately took a few pieces of pancakes and threw them at the crowd. It said, ¡°Do you guys want to eat it too? Since I don¡¯t like it much, I¡¯ll give it to you!¡± When they heard that, everyone was shocked! This was the first time they had seen a newborn talking baby dragon! Under normal circumstances, only when the baby dragons reached adulthood would they start learning languages from humans. However, this white little thing was fluent in human language! Clifford immediately rubbed his bare chin and left the dining hall. As he walked, he mumbled to himself, ¡°Let¡¯s just treat today as a dream!¡± He left the academy quickly without looking back. The dean was shell-shocked and extremely puzzled as well! After Locke¡¯s mentor and the dean ate the pancakes in shock, they turned to leave the dining hall. Before leaving, the dean reminded Locke to attend the award ceremony the next day. What happened today did not end there. All over the world, people were speculating about what had happened at the Kingdom of Dunmei. The Hanos Science and Technology Tower was the most famous magic technology research center in the Faust Dragon Continent. Not only did it have the most cutting-edge equipment and weapons manufacturing technology, it was also headed by the most powerful High Priest in the world. The appearance of the enormous magic array attracted the attention of Hanos. As the most powerful mage in the continent, he was proficient in all types of magic in the world. Only today did he realize that there was a magic array that he had never seen before. Therefore, he stood at the top of the tower and began to cast his divination spell. All the magical laws of the world appeared around him, and he soon saw them! ¡°Victory and Hope! ¡°You¡¯ve finally appeared! As expected of you!¡± As he spoke, blood splurt out of Hanos¡¯ mouth, because the laws of the prophecy were too great. It was so great that the magic essence in his body was depleted completely, causing him to collapse! As he was on the verge of death, Hanos wrote a few words on the ground with his blood: I saw Victory! The other people in the tower sensed Hanos¡¯s life force slipping away, and they hurried up to the top of the tower. A young woman was the first to reach Hanos¡¯s side. She had wanted to meet her grandfather before he took his last breath. However, it was too late! A loud and tearful cry echoed at the top of the tower. Soon, more people arrived at the scene. They all took off their magician hats and began to mourn for the strongest human mage in the history of the human race. This day was the happiest and saddest day for the Kingdom of Dunmei. The people rejoiced that a new dragon species had appeared for the first time in a thousand years in the Kingdom of Dunmei. Furthermore, it was a young dragon that could speak. On the other hand, they were extremely saddened that the high priest of the Kingdom of Dunmei had died on the top of the Hanos Science and Technology Tower because of a prophecy. The outcome of the prophecy was obvious. Now that the pillar who had been keeping the Kingdom of Dunmei safe and stable for a hundred years had collapsed and passed on, the king was overcome with frustration. He lost his appetite and focused on how to stabilize and protect the Kingdom of Dunmei after Hanos¡¯s death! Because of Hanos¡¯s existence since a hundred years ago, the surrounding kingdoms did not dare to invade the Kingdom of Dunmei. However, all these were about to change now. As he thought about it, he roared in frustration in his room, ¡°What should I do now?!¡± After letting out his frustration, he picked up the documents on the table and studied the report on Reynolds Locke and the hatching of his young dragon. He could not help but link Hanos¡¯s final prophecy with Locke¡¯s previous dragon hatching success. ¡°Could the Victory he saw refer to Locke?¡± After much consideration, the king could only think of this! The timing was just too uncanny, as the two events happened on the same day. This was definitely not a coincidence! He immediately called his chief mage over. ¡°Protect Locke first. Protect him in secret! After the high priest¡¯s funeral, I want to meet him in private!¡± After receiving the order, Clifford immediately set off for the academy dormitory.. Chapter 3 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The death of the high priest shook the entire Faust Dragon Continent. The other countries who allied themselves with the Kingdom of Dunmei previously immediately ceased all cooperation with them. When the king and his council returned to the main conference room in the Kingdom of Dunmei, it was empty. ¡°These bastards! I knew it! It¡¯s only been a day, and they¡¯ve already abandoned us!¡± Initially, the king of the Dunmei Kingdom had wanted to inform the other kings about the new-born dragon, but after witnessing the betrayal of the other kings, he immediately hid news of Locke¡¯s surprising success. He didn¡¯t want these people to harbor ill intentions after finding out. After all, Locke was the last trump card of the Dunmei Kingdom. The High Priest¡¯s funeral was very grand. Everyone in the entire Kingdom of Dunmei attended the funeral. They were well aware of the high priest¡¯s achievements in the past hundred years and what the high priest would bring them after he left! Therefore, every citizen in the country was mourning and praying for him! In a certain dormitory room in the academy, Locke had just woken up from a nap. Rather than waking up, it would be more accurate to say that he had been woken up by this naughty little dragon. It bounced around on Locke¡¯s body and kept saying to him, ¡°Take me out to play!¡± Helpless, Locke was forced to wake up as he said to Eliza, ¡°Not today! Today is High Priest Hanos¡¯ funeral! There are people mourning everywhere. If you go out and play, you¡¯ll be scolded and condemned by others!¡± As he said that, he opened the window. Downstairs, there were many students dressed in black and white clothes who were mourning. Seeing the scene outside the window, Eliza immediately became unhappy. It said pitifully to Locke, ¡°Eliza is hungry and wants to eat!¡± Locke could not satisfy it with other things, but in the very least, he could make sure his little dragon had its fill today. Because no matter what happened, the dining hall would not be closed, and it would not be closed for an entire day. Due to the fact that dragons were the ultimate combat force in all countries, the king had always prioritized providing an abundance of dragon food! Locke changed his clothes so that he would not be criticized by others for not wearing the proper attire. The young chap and dragon soon arrived at the dining hall. The chef in the dining hall was also in a bad mood today. However, when he saw someone coming, he immediately put on a smiling face. Locke patted him on the shoulder and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, today is a special day, you don¡¯t have to smile!¡± Hearing Locke¡¯s words, the chef¡¯s attitude toward him became friendlier. He immediately prepared food for both of them. After eating, Locke discovered that Eliza¡¯s body smelled of food. Hence, he immediately brought her to the bathroom for a quick washing. Unexpectedly, Locke was quickly chased out by Eliza. The little dragon¡¯s reason was: ¡°I¡¯m still a young girl. I can¡¯t shower with a man!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You and I are of different species, so it¡¯s impossible between us!¡± However, Loke did not know that dragons grew very quickly in this world! With enough resources, a dragon could enter adulthood in less than five years. If he was lucky, a dragon could transform into a human within ten years! After the two of them showered, Locke and Eliza hugged each other to sleep. In his dream, Locke seemed to have heard some noises. As he was too tired, he did not pay much attention to it and fell asleep. ¡°Supreme Dragon Lord System loading¡ª ¡°10%, 20%¡­ 100%, loading successful! ¡°Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Supreme Dragon Lord System! ¡°Reward: Secret Dragon Growth Medicine x1 and legendary Battle Spear Nine Tribulations (Growing)!¡± ZZZ¡­ The next morning, Locke woke up to find a black staff in his hand. ¡®What is this!?¡¯ After a momentary confusion, he soon remembered the dream from last night. Looking at the time, he realized that he had slept from yesterday afternoon to the next morning. Perhaps it was because he had just woken up and could not focus his mind yet, Locke rubbed his eyes. Suddenly, he realized something. He could now clearly see the attributes of the staff in his hand! ¡°Legendary weapon, Dragon God Battle Spear Nine Tribulations (Growing)?¡± Dragon God Battle Spear Nine Tribulations (Growing) Grade: Beginner Level Battle Damage: 1000 Strength: 150 Spirit: 50 Toughness: 200 Agility: 25 Proficiency: 0 / 100 Looking at the strange weapon in his hand, wasn¡¯t it just a thick and black wooden staff? ¡®Am I still dreaming?¡¯ After being locked onto by Locke¡¯s mind, a strange sight appeared before his eyes. This black wooden staff immediately turned into a spear! Moreover, the spearhead also had a halberd condensed from light. It looked extremely formidable in his hands! The king¡¯s chief mage, who was hiding some distance away, saw this. When the weapon in Locke¡¯s hands suddenly changed, it gave him a fright! Clifford had been in the Kingdom of Dunmei for more than ten years, and he had never seen such a treasure before. This was the first time he had seen a weapon that could change its form! ¡®How many more secrets is this kid hiding? I have to dig out all his secrets!¡¯ However, Locke quickly closed the curtains! In the distance Crawford was speechless. Beep! Beep! Beep! The magic communication device on his waist rang. Crawford, sprawled on the roof, turned on his communication device. Half the image of his king appeared before him. ¡°Bring Reynolds Locke to the banquet hall before noon today. I have something to tell him!¡± With that, the magic communication device in his hand disappeared! ¡°Huh! Looks like we¡¯ll have to leave any further observation for another day. That¡¯s all for today!¡± In a flash, Crawford was at Locke¡¯s door, knocking. ¡°Is Locke around?¡± Hearing the shout, he immediately stood up and turned his weapon back into the shape of a staff. He tied it to his waist and opened the door. ¡°You are¡­?¡± The king¡¯s chief mage immediately introduced himself. ¡°We met last time. I¡¯m Aldrich Clifford, the king¡¯s chief mage. The king has ordered me to bring you to meet him!¡± Locke had thought that he would have to wait for a while longer to meet the king. He did not expect the king to send someone to greet him so quickly. After hearing that, he immediately held the baby dragon in his arms. However, he realized that Eliza had already become more than twice as heavy after only a day. Helpless, Locke tried to awaken the sleeping dragon. ¡°Eliza, wake up! It¡¯s time to go!¡± Under Locke¡¯s persistent ¡°torture¡±, it finally woke up. ¡°I¡¯m up. I¡¯m up. My beauty sleep is very important! If my scales don¡¯t become beautiful, you have to take responsibility!¡± ¡°¡­¡± As they followed Sir Clifford out of the dormitory, a luxurious Earth Dragon carriage appeared before them.. Chapter 4 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After the high priest¡¯s funeral ended, King Dunmei began to busy himself with matters concerning Locke. First, he went to the Senate to discuss with all the elders about Locke¡¯s training. Originally, the king¡¯s suggestion was to quietly cultivate Locke¡¯s strength, but it was quickly rejected by his council. They reasoned that a stable and harmonious environment was not beneficial to Locke¡¯s growth! In the end, everyone agreed that Locke was to be assigned to the Kingdom¡¯s Special Operations Team, allowing him to adapt to various situations before the war. When the various countries began to wage war, Locke would be sent to the battlefield. Even though this was against the rules, the current situation was a special one, and they could not care less about the rules anymore! Soon after, Locke arrived at the castle in the king¡¯s carriage. He followed Clifford to a very spacious room. The original plan was for the king to present the award to Locke in a proper ceremony that was to be held in the banquet hall, but now the king had decided to proceed without the ceremony. Clifford brought Locke straight to the king¡¯s room. The king was over sixty years old this year. Despite his age and a head full of snow-white hair, he looked very dignified. Upon seeing Locke, he revealed a rare friendly smile. ¡°You are Reynolds Locke?¡± Hearing his king calling out to him, Locke immediately knelt down on one knee and replied, ¡°I am Reynolds Benson¡¯s eldest son, Locke!¡± King Dunmei immediately walked to Locke¡¯s side and helped him up. ¡°From today onward, you are a Dragon Knight mage. I hereby award you the Magic Dragon Cross medal!¡± Even Clifford was shocked. The Magic Dragon Cross Medal was the highest honor for a Dragon Knight mage. To think that the king had awarded it to Locke just like that! Soon, Clifford understood why. ¡°From today onward, Clifford will be your personal magic tutor, and he will guide you as you join the Special Forces of the Kingdom of Dunmei. ¡°Protect the territory of the Kingdom of Dunmei and ensure its safety!¡± Hearing this, even Locke was stunned! As it had always been, the kingdom¡¯s Special Operations Team did not allow students who had just reached adulthood to join. This was really a precedent! Clifford immediately knelt on one knee. After the two confused people left, the King Dunmei immediately wrote a letter and sent it to the Reynolds¡¯ Manor. Reynolds Benson, who had originally been demoted to a Count, was promoted by one rank. The reason for the promotion was that his eldest son had obtained the Magic Dragon Cross medal, and raising his noble rank was only one part of the reward. After leaving with Clifford, Locke touched the Magic Dragon Cross medal on his chest, thinking that he was still dreaming. Seeing Locke¡¯s stunned face, Clifford immediately turned around and said seriously, ¡°The King is not joking this time! I need to tell you about the Special Operations Team in the Kingdom of Dunmei! ¡°Normal citizens only know of the existence of such an organization. No one knows the truth behind the Special Operations Team of Dunmei. ¡°Its official name is Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons! ¡°This special task force is formed by twelve teams!¡± When Locke heard this, he asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t this something like an upgraded version of a garrison guard station?¡± Clifford shook his finger and said, ¡°You underestimate this organization. First of all, this organization does not participate in any of the Garrison Guards¡¯ matters. Also, even a captain of the Special Operations Team has a higher rank than the person in charge of the Kingdom¡¯s Police Department. Lastly, the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons will never participate in ordinary events! ¡°For example, some time ago, a village massacre happened in a place near the border city of Dunmei. The matter was handled by the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons! ¡°Team 8 found a 1,000-year-old demon corpse there. The captain of Team 12 personally led the team and captured the thousand-year-old demon corpse and sent it to the Hanos Science and Technology Tower for research! ¡°The Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons may be very idle normally, but once the war starts, the surrounding countries will definitely cook up some shenanigans to cause trouble for us. It¡¯s time for us to get real busy!¡± As they walked, Locke followed Clifford to the street behind the castle, and they entered a very narrow shop. Clifford greeted the shopkeeper before entering the underground through a secret door. After about fifteen minutes, a large space appeared before him. ¡°This is the headquarters?¡± ¡°No! This is just a branch in the capital city. Normally, no one goes to the headquarters. It¡¯s a place to give orders. It¡¯s located in the Hanos Science and Technology Tower. However, during this period of time, you still have to go there to collect your equipment!¡± They entered a room. Many people were in there. They were all dressed differently, and they were not all humans! When they saw that someone had opened the door, they all turned around to look. When they saw that it was Clifford, they lost interest. However, Clifford did not stop walking. He brought Locke to another office. Pushing the door open, a half-naked man leaned against his chair. Hearing the door open, he extinguished the cigarette in his hand and stared at the door. ¡°Clifford, why are you here today?¡± Clifford showed Locke to his desk, picked up a cigarette from it, and said, ¡°I¡¯m here with a new member, of course!¡± He pointed at the Magic Dragon Cross medal on Locke¡¯s chest and explained, ¡°The King made me his mentor, so I came here to look for some missions for him to complete!¡± Hearing that, Adolf Green immediately stood up. ¡°What?! That old man sure likes to give me trouble! I don¡¯t have time to take care of children!¡± Hearing this, Eliza jumped out of Locke¡¯s arms and punched Adolf Green in the face. However, it was only a single punch and did not cause him any harm. ¡°Wow! This little one is pretty active! Such power at such a young age, how awesome! ¡°Welcome to the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons. I¡¯m Adolf Green, the person in charge here! ¡°From today onwards, you are the captain of Team 4! As for the members¡­¡± He lowered his head and thought about it. ¡°As for the team members, you can find them yourself!¡± Hearing this, Locke almost fell to the ground. Could this matter really be so casual? Seeing Locke¡¯s confused expression, Adolf Green spread his hands helplessly and explained, ¡°Some time ago, all the members of Team 4 died, and not a single person was left!¡± His tone was regretful. After saying that, he picked up the cigarette on the table and continued to smoke.. Chapter 5 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Clifford wanted to scold him for spurting such irresponsible words, but he couldn¡¯t find a reason to do so. He knew exactly what kind of organization the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons was, because the death of a fellow team member was as common as the action of one drinking water. Clifford turned around and said to Locke, ¡°Well, that¡¯s what happened. You can find the team members yourself! As for the members¡¯ salary, it¡¯s all written on this list!¡± Locke took the list and finally understood why the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons were so dangerous. The captain received a monthly salary of 1,000 gold coins, and this was even without the reward of completing the mission. Each member¡¯s monthly salary was 200 gold coins. After a mission was completed, the team leader would distribute the reward to the team members. After reading the list, Adolf Green handed him a small box. Inside the box was the team leader badge and team member badges of Team Four. Each medal was very sturdy, and the paint on the outside was worn out. It was obvious that these team badges had been used for many years. ¡°When there¡¯s a mission, I¡¯ll send you a message through the team badge. When you receive the message, immediately return to this place!¡± After giving his instructions, Adolf Green continued to lie on the chair and blow smoke rings at the ceiling. After leaving the underground space, Locke asked Clifford, ¡°Is that all?¡± Clifford gave him a puzzled look. ¡°Of course? What else did you think? Oh! One more thing. Follow me to the Hanos Science and Technology Tower to collect your equipment!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Clifford knew what Locke wanted to ask, but now was not the time to tell him everything. ¡°That¡¯s all for now! You¡¯ll know the rest when the time¡¯s right!¡± Locke had no choice but to spread his hands helplessly while the young dragon Eliza hung behind him. It was an action that it¡¯d somehow picked up on the way. After leaving the special operations team branch, Clifford immediately brought Locke to a nearby secret resource supply area. ¡°When you¡¯re on a mission, you can use the resources they have at any time! Only the captain has this power. The team members can only receive the minimum amount of resources. They¡¯d have to be led by the captain to these places if they want to receive unlimited resources.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll run away with all these stuffs?¡± Clifford did not understand what Locke was thinking at all. He helplessly massaged his gradually aching head. ¡°What¡¯s the point of stealing these things? Don¡¯t you cherish your home anymore?!¡± Although he did not want to argue with Locke, he could not take it anymore! Seeing Clifford¡¯s frustration, Locke immediately patted his shoulder and explained, ¡°You looked so serious, so I thought I¡¯d make a small joke!¡± Clifford was afraid that Locke would say something shocking again, so he quickly took two horses from the horse shed and left the capital with him. The Hanos Science and Technology Tower was located on the edge of the mountains in the east of the Kingdom of Dunmei. It would only take half a day to reach it on a good horse. The sun was about to set when they finally arrived at the Hanos Science and Technology Tower. This was a sixteen-story tower. Each floor was more than ten meters tall, so this sixteen-story tower was close to two hundred meters in height. The area below the tower was filled with the most elite soldiers of Dunmei, and there were more than three adult dragon-riders stationed here. Because of the badge on Locke¡¯s chest, the soldiers around him simply scanned the badge with a device before letting him pass. As the king¡¯s chief mage, Clifford¡¯s identity had to be verified before he could be allowed to pass. In front of the Hanos Science and Technology Tower, there was a huge door with green stripes. As they stood in front of the door, a beam of light scanned the identify the person who sought entry. ¡°Reynolds Locke¡ªconfirmed!¡± ¡°Reynolds Locke¡¯s contract dragon¡ªconfirmed!¡± ¡°Clifford, the king¡¯s chief mage¡ªconfirmed!¡± After the scan was completed, the door opened. Once inside, they could see everything inside the tower. The lobby was filled with researchers working. Seeing someone enter, the receptionist quickly walked over. She was a very beautiful woman. She was not human, but an elf. With long golden hair and a beautiful face, she was dressed in professional attire. ¡°Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons Team 4 Captain, Reynolds Locke, and King¡¯s Chief Mage, welcome to the Hanos Science and Technology Tower! This way, please! ¡°I¡¯m the receptionist for the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons, and my name is Ischel Fergus. The next time you come, please feel free to look for me if you need anything!¡± Perhaps it was because Ischel Fergus was a legitimate elf, she was a little arrogant and did not engage in friendly conversation with Locke. After following them for a few minutes, they arrived at a room filled with weapons. There were all kinds of weapons inside the room, including knives, spears, swords, and axes. ¡°May I know what kind of weapon you prefer, Captain Reynolds?¡± Looking at the various equipment in front of him, Locke cupped his chin and started thinking, ¡®Now that I have a long-range battle spear in my hands, I should get some long-range weapons in case I need to use it for long-range attacks!¡¯ After all, casting spells required a lot of chanting time, but long-range weapons were different. Its destructive power was much weaker than magic, but as long as enough magic was poured into it, its effect was instantaneous. ¡°I¡¯d like some long-range weapons. I¡¯ve got my own melee weapon, so I won¡¯t need any more of those!¡± After hearing Locke¡¯s words, Ischel Fergus immediately brought a few floating boxes to Locke. Everything inside the boxes were long-ranged weapons: bows, arrows, magic short spears, magic long spears¡ª Locke walked over and grabbed a magic spear. Ischel Fergus immediately explained, ¡°With your current magic power, it¡¯s going to be rather difficult for you to use this weapon! I suggest that you choose a bow and arrow. This way, it will be easier for you to use magic with it.¡± As Locke had not borrowed the power of the young dragon Eliza, his own strength was indeed somewhat lacking. However, once he combined magic with Eliza, he could borrow all the energy from her. That was why Locke chose the magic spear. Locke also asked for a magic double dagger from Ischel Fergus. He wanted to be prepared for a fight in narrow areas, and a spear wouldn¡¯t be any good there. Seeing Locke¡¯s choice and that he had ignoring her suggestion, Ischel Fergus immediately frowned. It would seem that she was getting more and more displeased with Locke. She said to him, ¡°I have yet to see your main weapon.. For your own safety, would you mind showing me your weapon?¡± Chapter 6 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Hearing this, Locke was not angry, because he knew this elven lady¡¯s knowledge of weapons was absolutely professional. He pulled out the black magic staff that was tied to his waist. Seeing this, Ischel Fergus frowned, thinking that Locke was toying with her. However, she was soon attracted by the weapon in Locke¡¯s hand. As Locke held the black staff in his hand, he gave a simple command in his mind, and the weapon instantly became a spear. Because he had imbued a lot of magic into the spear, the spearhead even flashed with lightning! Ischel Fergus was stunned when she saw this! As a weapons developer serving the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons, this was the first time she had seen a weapon that could transform! ¡°Can I take a look at your weapon?¡± Locke immediately handed over the spear in his hand, but the moment it left his hand, it returned to the form of a black staff. Ischel Fergus received it with a dumbfounded expression. She had no idea what was happening, but she soon felt the weapon reject her. ¡®This weapon actually has its own consciousness and is connected to the user!¡¯ Sensing this situation, Ischel Fergus immediately brought the black staff to a machine. She placed the weapon on the stand and walked to the side to activate the machine. After a flash of colorful light, the weapon¡¯s data appeared on the display screen. When Ischel Fergus saw this line of data, she could not help but widen her cherry lips in awe. ¡°This weapon not only has complete consciousness, but it can also grow infinitely! Legendary? Could it be a Legendary Weapon? It¡¯s better than a Divine Weapon!¡± Locke could not care less. He immediately retrieved his weapon from the stand. Stunned in front of the monitor, Ischel Fergus took a long time to recover. She walked to Locke¡¯s side and said to him, ¡°This weapon of yours could be classified as a transcendent-tier weapon! Do you know that your weapon has another form other than the spear?¡± Locke shook his head and said to Ischel Fergus, ¡°The only thing I know about this weapon is that it can grow. As for what else is it capable of, I¡¯m pretty much clueless! It would seem that you know it better than I do.¡± When Ischel Fergus heard this, she immediately shook her head and explained, ¡°I¡¯ve just obtained the basic parameters of this weapon. Thank you very much for providing me with precious data! Now, I will tell you the complete usage of this weapon! ¡°First of all, your weapon has its own name. It¡¯s called the Nine Tribulations! Its first form is the spear form, but this is not its only form! The Nine Tribulations has a total of nine forms. Each form is a different weapon, and each weapon is extremely destructive! ¡°As for the appearance of the next few forms, the current data obtained is not sufficient to reveal the answers. If possible, please try your best to make this weapon grow! Only then, can I obtain more accurate data!¡± After she said that, she bowed to Locke very politely. Her arrogance had completely disappeared. Locke agreed. ¡°I will try my best to grow the weapon. When I¡¯ve activated its second form, I will specially make a trip here so you can analyse and scan it to obtain more data.¡± Following this incident, Ischel Fergus no longer stopped Locke from freely choosing weapons he showed interest in. She even recommended better weapons to him. After choosing his weapon, he went to the clothing department on the second floor and received a Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons Captain outfit. After everything was done, Clifford left the tower with Locke. Other than the permanent staff, no one was allowed to stay there for long. Even resting was not an option. Those who came here had to leave immediately. The tower possessed just too many secrets, which was why the security was so tight. After changing into a black outfit with gold stripes, Locke¡¯s aura increased several times. Clifford couldn¡¯t help but praise, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this outfit to fit you so well. Looks like you¡¯re going to attract the attention of many girls in the future!¡± Locke had always thought Clifford to be a very rigid person. He was pretty surprised to hear Clifford talking so casually. ¡°I thought you¡¯re not capable of joking!¡± Clifford immediately spread out his hands helplessly and said, ¡°I¡¯m the king¡¯s chief mage, it¡¯s not appropriate for me to joke around! But now my status is different! I¡¯m now the mentor of the Team 4 Captain of Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons, so of course I have to build a good relationship with my student!¡± At this moment, the badge on Locke¡¯s chest reflected a projection. ¡°Adolf Green?¡± ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°We just left the Hanos Science and Technology Tower.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± ¡°You guys need to head to Rono City, which is located south of the Hanos Tower! When you get there, head straight to the tavern in the city to look for our contact!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the secret code?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need a secret code. As long as you wear this outfit, someone will contact you! Don¡¯t forget, it¡¯s the Tulip Tavern in the civilian district in the city! ¡± After saying that, the figure on the badge on his chest immediately disappeared, and Locke immediately injected some of his magic into the badge. A menu bar immediately appeared before him. Other than the contact person and emergency contact person, there was also one square meter of storage space. ¡®It really is a convenient tool. It integrates the magic communication system and even has its own storage space.¡¯ When the user injected magic into the badge, it would be bound to the user¡¯s soul. The only way to unbind it was for the user to die or to be removed from the team. Hearing Locke¡¯s words, Clifford could not help but complain, ¡°Kid, don¡¯t think that you¡¯re the only one with good stuff! There are many convenient items in the kingdom. You will see them in the future!¡± If someone else had said this, perhaps Locke would not have felt anything. However, from the words of the king¡¯s chief mage, Locke could sense his jealousy. The two of them headed south, and they arrived at Rono City at dawn. When they arrived at the city gate, the city guards saw Locke¡¯s attire and quietly opened the gate for them to enter. They did not see a single soul along the way, and it was as if this had never happened. Soon, they arrived in the city. As it was still early, Locke immediately led Clifford to a breakfast nook. ¡°I¡¯m new today, so this breakfast is on me!¡± Eliza, who was lying behind Locke, immediately woke up when she heard it was meal time and that she was about to eat something delicious. The three of them ate an entire table of food and emptied the plates under the shocked gazes of the surrounding people.. Chapter 7 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Tulip Bar was the most famous bar in the common district. One could drink the cheapest and most affordable wine in Rono City. Tulip Bar also had the most beautiful girls. However, the opening time of this bar was different. The opening time was from 9 am to 6 am the next morning. There were three hours of rest and adjustment in between. With doubt in their minds, Locke and Clifford arrived at the small bar at nine o¡¯clock. The bar was located in the slums. The exterior looked very old and shabby. However, upon entering the bar, one would realize that the space inside was very wide. The decor was also unique. Black stones were used for the flooring, and the walls were all painted in the same style. They did not know when the informant would turn up, so they went to the bar first. The bartender was a male shadow elf. When he saw the two guests, he immediately took out the menu. Clifford seemed to have been here before. Without even looking at the wine list, he asked for two glasses of exquisite tequila. ¡°Please wait a moment. I¡¯ll prepare it for you!¡± There were not many customers this morning. The two sat there and drank about four to five glasses, but no one else turned up. It wasn¡¯t until noon that the surrounding seats were filled with people. Suddenly, a man in a black cloak walked over and handed a black envelope to Locke. After Locke received it, the man turned around and left quickly. Seeing the informant leave, Locke could only helplessly wave his hands and stored the letter in the badge space. Clifford put down a silver coin on the table, and the two immediately left the Tulip Bar. Only when they found an uninhabited area did Locke open the letter in his hand. ¡°There are victims in several villages at the foot of the mountain to the southwest of Rono. Most of the men in these villages have disappeared, and the bodies of the missing men have all turned into dried corpses. It¡¯s very likely the work of a hundred-year-old demoness. There¡¯s no way to know the details because all the witnesses are dead.¡± After reading it, Locke immediately burnt the letter in his hands to ashes. Clifford was dumbfounded. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Eh! Isn¡¯t this a secret mission?¡± Clifford rolled his eyes at Locke. ¡°This isn¡¯t a secret mission about the kingdom, so there are no secrets to keep!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Locke could only spread his hands speechlessly. The two of them had been resting for five hours since they arrived at the tavern in the morning. Therefore, they did not stop and immediately rode toward the mountains in the southwest direction. Eliza, who was hanging behind Locke, had already fallen asleep. Even though she was already asleep, she still maintained hanging a strange position behind Locke. Locke hadn¡¯t slept in a long time, and he asked as he yawned, ¡°Mentor Clifford, aren¡¯t you tired?¡± Clifford immediately raised his hand and displayed his secret anti-sleepiness technique in front of Locke. ¡°Do you see this? This is a special energy drink that can help me resist sleepiness after drinking it!¡± Locke could not help but ridicule, ¡°Well, you can¡¯t deny that you¡¯re old now!¡± Clifford said disdainfully, ¡°Pft! When I was young, I didn¡¯t sleep for days and nights¡­¡± Along the way, Clifford continued telling stories about his youth. That was how Locke managed to make it to the village in the evening, awake. The sun had not set yet, but the two of them could sense that something was wrong with the village. The entire village was filled with the aura of death. A wave of resentment rose into the sky, Locke and Clifford immediately dismounted and observed every movement of the villagers from afar. ¡°We¡¯re too late! Everyone in the village has turned into walking corpses!¡± The two of them were not the only ones who felt the soaring resentment. Even the sleepy Eliza woke up. It said in its baby dragon voice, ¡°There¡¯s a hundred-year-old girl here, hidden in some place underground of this village! I sense a lot of delicious food around her. I¡¯m starving!¡± As it spoke, it flew past Locke! Seeing this, Locke raised his hand to stop it, but it was too late. This towering resentment had already enveloped them. Clifford remained calm as he swiftly casted a perception spell. Seeing his mentor do so, Locke followed behind him and casted his perception spell as well. Very soon, a gust of demonic wind blew past, and there was a creepy rustling sound! Countless skeletons crawled out from the ground and surrounded them from all directions. Locke immediately took out the black staff which was tied around his waist and immediately poured magic into it, turning it into a spear. Facing the oncoming skeleton soldiers, he launched an attack. As Locke continued to attack, the surrounding area was instantly filled with flashes of lightning. In less than ten minutes, all the skeleton soldiers collapsed to the ground. It was not that they did not want to get up, but because Locke¡¯s weapon¡¯s lightning attribute was extremely effective against them, causing them to be unable to reassemble. Seeing that all these corpse attacks had no effect on the two of them, the demoness immediately crawled out from under Locke¡¯s feet, preparing to catch him off guard. Locke reacted immediately and turned his staff toward the ground and stabbed with the strength from both hands. A sharp howl pierced through the ground, and the ground around them cracked open. Locke immediately jumped up and cast a light body spell on his body, allowing his body to hover in the air for a few minutes. The demoness, who had been provoked, immediately crawled out from the ground and roared at Locke. This roaring was not a big deal, but the putrid smell from her mouth almost made Locke vomit his last meal. Clifford saw this and casted a control spell on Locke, allowing him to dodge the demoness¡¯ attack. Then, he used Lightning Duet to attack the demon on the ground. Lightning attribute spells were very effective against the undead. The Lightning Duet attack exploded the moment it hit the demoness. Dust flew everywhere, and the resentment aura around them seemed to have decreased greatly. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to kill this hundred-year-old demoness. At this moment, Locke had regained full control of his senses. After wiping his mouth with the cloth on his chest, he angrily pulled out his magic gun and aimed it at the demoness. ¡°You can¡¯t even manage your basic hygiene, you¡¯re really disgusting!¡± These words triggered Clifford, and he wanted to tell Locke off, but now was not the time. While Locke was stalling, he started to chant the large-scale spell, Thunderstorm! Feeling the condensation of the huge spell, Locke filled 50% of his magic into the spear. The lightning on the spear¡¯s head became even more violent, leaving the demoness with no time to care about the likes of Clifford.. Chapter 8 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation As the Thunderstorm spell continued to condense, dark clouds filled the sky, and the entire space fell into darkness. Seeing that the ¡®Thunderstorm¡¯ was ready, Locke raised the spear in his hand with the intention of attempting it. This shocked Clifford, who was casting the spell. ¡®Is this guy courting death?¡¯ However, he quickly understood what Locke was doing. Locke absorbed all the lightning in the sky into the spear and released it towards the demoness. The lightning bolt struck the demoness in the face. Boom! A loud explosion was heard. A five-meter-wide pit was blasted into the ground, and the demoness disappeared with the explosion. Clifford immediately flew over to check, but he did not find any remains of the demoness. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve been tricked! That was not her real body; she had already escaped!¡± If he wanted to kill the demoness, he would have to destroy her coffin along with her body. He learnt this basic knowledge in the academy. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her to be so cunning. She actually fled with her corpse!¡± At this moment, Locke¡¯s system issued a mission. ¡°Kill the hundred-year-old demoness. Reward: 10,000 EXP and 100 Merchant Shop Points.¡± This surprised Locke. He did not expect to receive a reward for killing the demoness. This was a joyous occasion. However, he was puzzled. Where and how could he use the experience and credit points rewarded to him? With this question in mind, Locke opened the system status bar to check, and found that the EXP allowed him to level up. In other words, not only could Locke level up through all the real battles and fights he engaged in, he could also level up by completing missions. ¡°This is such a hack!¡± However, he did not have the time to think about that now, because he did not know where Eliza had run off to! Locke immediately checked out the village with Clifford. As the demoness had already left the area, all the villagers had turned into walking corpses had dried up. After searching for some time, they found a large well in the middle of the village. They climbed down the rope in the well and realized that there was a naturally formed underground space right at the bottom. Following the underground path, they soon found a grave filled with resentment. ¡°Wha¡ª! Who did this? Who moved all these vengeful souls to the underground of the village?!¡± All the coffins had traces of movement. Looking at the mud that had yet to dry, Clifford predicted that it had been less than ten days since these coffins were moved here. After repeated searches, they did not find the coffin of the hundred-year-old demoness. As they ventured deeper, they discovered Eliza, who was gnawing on the source of darkness. As it continued to devour the source of darkness underground, Eliza¡¯s scales had already turned slightly black. Locke immediately stepped forward to stop it, but it was too late. Eliza¡¯s entire body had turned black, and she even burped. ¡°Huh!¡± Eliza, who had eaten her fill, flew behind Locke. She floated behind him and fell asleep. Clifford immediately cast a detection spell on the little dragon¡¯s black body, only to discover that the little creature was completely fine. It was just that it had eaten too much, so the dark energy had not been fully digested. All the darl energy had seeped into its skin, so it looked like it had been dyed black. Looking at Clifford¡¯s amused expression, Locke asked anxiously, ¡°How is it? Did anything happen to its body?¡± ¡°No, it just ate too much!¡± Locke thought Clifford was joking, but Clifford¡¯s solemn expression told him it was all true. ¡°What should we do now?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a dark ore vein underground in this village. Let¡¯s destroy all the coffins first, and then we¡¯ll go after the hundred-year-old demoness! It won¡¯t be long before everyone nearby becomes her food!¡± After finishing their work in the underground cave, the two crawled back above the ground and realized that it was already dawn. However, their work was not done. They still needed to bury all the bodies in the village. Otherwise, this place would soon produce ghouls. It was noon when all the bodies were buried underground. Due to exhaustion, the two found a room and cooked some food. After they finished eating, they slept in the village. Because they had to wake up before night, they did not sleep for long and woke up in the evening. They then mounted their horses and rode along the foot of the village towards the next village. After arriving at the village, they discovered that there was nothing wrong with the village. The two of them dismounted from their horses and entered the village to inquire about the demoness. The two asked all the victims¡¯ families, but they did not get any useful information. The only thing they found out was that there was a village in the middle of the mountains, and there were many people there. It was clear that it was the perfect place for the demoness to seek out a whole lot of victims. The two of them immediately rode toward the village. However, because the road was extremely steep, the two of them did not ride their horses. At this moment, Eliza, who was sleeping behind Locke, suddenly became huge. The source of darkness that it had devoured early had completely digested in its body, causing its body to grow. Sensing Locke¡¯s anxious thoughts, Eliza carried Locke on her back and flew toward the mountain. Seeing this, Clifford had no choice but to release the two horses. He then pulled out an extendable wand from his waist, raised his hand, and cast a flying spell to chase after Locke. Locke had just arrived at the village in the mountains when he discovered that he was too late. The villagers had all turned into walking corpses. Furious and enraged, Locke immediately charged towards the demoness who was in the midst of absorbing souls. Sensing Locke¡¯s attack, the demoness disappeared from the ground. This time, she felt unprecedented danger. It seemed that the dangerous aura came from the young white dragon that Locke was riding! She kept dodging Locke¡¯s attacks while staring at the young dragon that was overflowing with light attributes! Soon enough, Locke noticed the strange expression on the demoness¡¯ face, and immediately separated from Eliza. The human and dragon then attacked the demoness rapidly from both sides. From afar, Clifford who had just arrived at the scene, saw that the demoness was occupied in the fight with Locke and Eliza. He secretly sneaked into the village from an unseen corner and prepared to destroy demoness¡¯ coffin which was hidden underground. He knew that was the only way to ensure the complete annihilation of this demoness.. Chapter 9 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Clifford secretly used detection magic to find the entrance to the underground space of the village. He knew that Locke was keeping the demoness busy, so he swiftly sneaked in. However, this was just the beginning. There were magic traps everywhere. Seeing this, Clifford couldn¡¯t help but frown. These things were not something that a demoness was capable of creating. It took Clifford half an hour to reach the depths of the underground after continuously unlocking these complicated traps that would trigger alarms. Inside the cave, there was a man wearing a black cloak. He was sitting on the demoness¡¯ coffin. He was still refining the source of darkness into the coffin. Because he was too focused, he did not notice Clifford sneaking in. Clifford took advantage of the situation and immediately started to cast a spell. A fire magic ball shot toward the spell-casting person before him. This fire magic directly interfered with the opponent¡¯s spell, causing the magic spell to stop midway. ¡°Pfft!¡± He spat out a mouthful of blood. A pair of glowing green eyes under the cloak flickered as it stared at Clifford. A very creepy and frightening laugh echoed. ¡°You came at the right time, become my flesh and blood!¡± Clifford never expected that the other party was actually a necromancer. Hearing that, Clifford laughed out loud. ¡°Who do you think I am? There are too many people who want my body. At your level, you are not even worthy!¡± After all, Clifford was the man who had fought with the Necromancer King before. Even though he was still young at the time and could not contribute much in battle, he had survived that battle. Therefore, he knew of many ways to deal with the undead. He immediately took out the light element powder from his pocket and scattered it all over his body. ¡°Let¡¯s see who dies first!¡± As he spoke, he started to cast magic. Countless flames flickered in the cave, and the entire space was filled with miniature magic arrays. Flames shot out from the magic arrays, forming pillars of flames that continuously attacked the necromancer. The necromancer quickly realized that these attacks were not aimed at him. All the fire pillars hit the coffin below him. Before he could react, the coffin was blown to pieces by Clifford. ¡°Are you stupid?¡± ¡°My intention is so obvious. To think that you thought I was aiming the attacks at you!¡± After saying that, Clifford immediately cast a Light Body spell on himself and ran out of the cave. He was well aware of the gap between him and the enemy. Without the support of the dragon, there was no way he could fight the necromancer one-on-one. Furthermore, he could clearly sense that there was a Bone Dragon hiding in the pool. Not long after he escaped, the roar of a giant undead Bone Dragon echoed from behind. ¡°Hahaha, I must teach this to Locke! ¡°One has to be sharp when fighting, or else you¡¯ll fall into someone else¡¯s trap!¡± The roar of the Bone Dragon came at him from behind, and Clifford immediately cursed, ¡°F*ck! How dare you lay your hands on an old man like me? Aren¡¯t you ashamed?!¡± These words were clearly heard by the necromancer behind him. In a fit of anger, he immediately got onto the Bone Dragon and chased after Clifford. Locke, who was above ground, suddenly sensed that the demoness in front of him had weakened, and immediately increased the speed of his attacks. Under the pincer attack of the human and dragon, the demoness was annihilated and completely disappeared from the world. ¡°Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. You have received 10,000 EXP and 100 Merchant Shop Points!¡± Locke had yet to open his system¡¯s merchant shop when he heard a huge commotion underground. ¡®Something is coming out!¡¯ Within minutes, Clifford burst out of the hole. He shouted at Locke, ¡°Run!¡± Due to the loud noise, Locke did not hear anything and immediately leaned over. Then, a giant Bone Dragon appeared before his eyes. Locke immediately turned tail and ran after Clifford! ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me a Bone Dragon was coming after you? I thought something good had happened!¡± Clifford waved his hand as he ran and explained, ¡°I told you to run. How would I know you¡¯d be so stupid to still want to come forward?!¡± Locke was rendered speechless. Eliza, who was flying by the side, saw the gigantic Bone Dragon behind her. She paused in the air for a few seconds before flying in the opposite direction! Locke couldn¡¯t believe his eyes! Eliza was actually flying toward the Bone Dragon! When the two saw this, they looked at each other. They were already at their limit. ¡°Mentor, cast an Advanced Light Body spell on me. I can¡¯t run anymore!¡± Clifford waved his wand, and Locke¡¯s body immediately became as light as a swallow. He took off as swift as the wind. Seeing this, Clifford could not help but curse, ¡°F*ck! How dare you leave me behind. Is this how you treat your mentor?¡± As he spoke, he used Flying Magic and chased after Locke. However, the necromancer behind them did not intend to let them go. He raised his hand and casted a Light Body spell on the Bone Dragon. The giant Bone Dragon was as excited as if it had consumed Viagra. It sped up and followed closely behind the two fleeing guys. Helpless, Locke took out his communication device and contacted the headquarters. The call finally connected after a few rings. Adolf Green¡¯s profile appeared before Locke¡¯s eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, lad?¡± As Locke ran, he pointed at the Bone Dragon behind him and said, ¡°You said that I should call you if I needed any help!¡± Adolf Green took a look and immediately shouted, ¡°F*ck, where are you?! ¡°I remember that the mission I gave you was to get rid of a demoness!¡± Clifford, who had caught up with Locke, immediately explained, ¡°We¡¯re up against the necromancer who was controlling the Demoness. Now that I destroyed his magic formation, he won¡¯t rest until I¡¯m dead!¡± Adolf Green was silent for a few seconds. ¡°You guys have to find a way to survive first! I¡¯ll ask the Hanos Science and Technology Tower for help!¡± After the call ended, Locke immediately turned to Clifford. ¡°Mentor, can¡¯t you delay him a little?¡± ¡°If I had a way, I wouldn¡¯t have escaped with you!¡± No matter how much he thought about it, he could not think of a solution. At this moment, Eliza had also disappeared. Helpless and left with no other choice, Locke opened his system menu bar. After a quick check, he realised that if he added 10,000 experience points into Eliza¡¯s stats in the attribute list, he would be able to obtain the first phase of fusion! Under normal circumstances, only when a dragon reached adulthood would a magician be able to fuse with a dragon. However, Locke¡¯s case was a different one from others. He could fuse directly after reaching that upgraded level! Without hesitation, he added the 10,000 experience points into Elizabeth¡¯s attribute list.. Chapter 10 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After the experience points were added to Eliza¡¯s attribute list, the little dragon, who was not far away from Locke, began to glow brightly. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Locke quickly accepted the Dragon Growth Potion rewarded by her system He poured it into Eliza¡¯s mouth, and it immediately enlarged into the size of a large white balloon. A popping sound ensued, and Eliza¡¯s body became much larger. She immediately flew behind Locke. The white dragon symbol in Locke¡¯s wrist began to glow at the same time as the contract symbol on Eliza¡¯s neck. The symbols flickered for a few seconds before Eliza turned into a white light. The beam of light surged into Locke¡¯s body. Locke, who was escaping, immediately floated into the air, a layer of white armour surrounding him! ¡°Man-Dragon Unity, Sacred Dragon Magic Armor!¡± The armor was covered with dragon scale patterns. After Locke put on the armor, he looked very handsome. Locke could feel the entirety of Eliza¡¯s strength! He raised the white spear in his hand that had entered the first stage of its final form and charged at the giant Bone Dragon. The huge force caused huge damage to the ground. Taking two steps forward, Locke leaped toward the Bone Dragon. He grabbed the spear with both hands and charged toward the Bone Dragon¡¯s chest. A huge crack appeared on the Bone Dragon who had maximum physical defense. Seeing that Locke¡¯s attack was effective, Clifford immediately cast a support spell. He now knew how weak Locke¡¯s foundation was. Even a few high-level support spells could not buff him up. However, this was something that could not be helped, because Locke was still a first-year student of the Magic Academy. The necromancer on the Bone Dragon realized that this young man was extraordinarily powerful. The thought of escaping slipped into his mind. However, there was no time to make a decision, because Clifford had already begun to cast spells on him. A fierce magic battle between Clifford and the necromancer ensued, while Locke fought the Bone Dragon on the ground. Due to Locke¡¯s immense destructive power, countless cracks had already appeared on the Bone Dragon¡¯s body. If not for the magic array in its body stabilizing it, it would have been completely crushed by Locke. However, the Bone Dragon did not have any way to deal with it, because Locke¡¯s dragon had the light attribute, and it was definitely effective against the Bone Dragon. The three of them and the dragon were in a deadlock, but soon, the balance was broken by a Dragon Knight mage who had come to support them. It was a Fire Dragon and its rider. He saw Locke fighting with the Bone Dragon and immediately joined in. With the help of the Fire Dragon, Locke delivered a final strike to the Bone Dragon¡¯s core and it turned into dust. Just as the Bone Dragon¡¯s core was about to dissipate, Eliza separated from Locke and transformed into her dragon form. Without missing a beat, she swallowed the Bone Dragon¡¯s core in front of her. Seeing this scene, the necromancer was distracted for a moment. He was hit by Clifford¡¯s spell and was devoured by the fire spell. After the battle ended, the system notified Locke that he had obtained extra EXP, and it was a considerable amount of EXP. ¡°Congratulations to the host for successfully defeating the Bone Dragon. You have received 100,000 EXP and 500 Merchant Shop Points! ¡°The host¡¯s teammates killed a high-level Necromancer, gaining 100,000 EXP and 500 Merchant Shop Points!¡± Upon seeing this message, Locke almost jumped with joy, but he did not expect that his mental strength had already reached its limit. Suddenly, he lost consciousness and fell to the ground. Because Eliza had expended too much energy, she immediately transformed into a ray of light and fused with Locke, transforming into a dragon tattoo that attached itself to his back. Clifford was shocked again! He had been in the kingdom for so many years, and he had seen at least fifty Dragon Knight mages, if not a hundred. This was the first time he witnessed a dragon rider being able to become one with a young dragon. At this moment, he could not help but recall the High Priest¡¯s prophecy: I saw Victory! It seemed like they really did have a chance of defeating the Dark Dragon, Niederhogg, who had been wreaking havoc in the continent for thousands of years! As soon as the battle ended, the Dragon Knight mage escorted them to Rono City and flew back to Hanos Scient and Technology Tower. In fact, he had been stunned by Locke¡¯s performance in the battle. He had not expected that the leader of Dark Blade Dragon¡¯s fourth team would be so young. Locke looked like he¡¯d just reached adulthood! The young lad couldn¡¯t be more than 16 years old. Surprisingly, he could merge with his dragon despite his young age! The Fire Dragon rider and his Fire Dragon had trained for five years before they succeeded! ¡°As expected of the kingdom¡¯s Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons!¡± Clifford settled Locke in one of the inns in Rono, and the two rested there for the rest of the day. It was the following night when Locke woke up in bed. He looked around and realized that Eliza was gone. Sensing that Locke was looking for her, Eliza who was resting as a tattoo on his back immediately emitted light and appeared beside Locke. ¡°Wha¡ª! What is going on?¡± Recalling the events of the battle, he finally remembered what had happened! Just then, Clifford entered the room. ¡°This is something that happens only after one becomes one with the dragon! ¡°After entering the first phase of the human and dragon integration, the contract dragon can turn into a tattoo and attach itself to its master¡¯s back! ¡°Furthermore, your dragon will be able to change the size of its body so that it can follow its master anywhere. ¡°Well, that¡¯s about it! ¡°Have you not been attending classes recently? Have you forgotten about this?¡± Locke rubbed his head. Due to the recent fusion of his memories and the memories of the original host of his body, his memory was pretty chaotic he could not recall much of his knowledge at once. He could only reply with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just too tired, and my brain is not really functioning at this point!¡± Clifford could not blame him as he understood the situation. After all, the young lad had been hunting down the demoness for the past few days and did not have any time to rest. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go down and eat! ¡°After our meal, I have to go back and report!¡± Locke looked out the window and saw that it was already dark. ¡°Are we going back to the capital of Dunmei now?¡± ¡°Of course! The first thing to do after completing the mission is to head back and provide reports on the mission. Why would we stay here?¡± Locke remembered that the corpses in the village had not been disposed of. ¡°What about the remains of the corpses on the mountain?¡± ¡°Those things are out of our control. We¡¯ve done all we can out of the goodness of our hearts! I¡¯ve already informed the City Lord about this. He will send someone to deal with it!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Then, he followed him downstairs. When Eliza heard that they were going to eat, it tagged along eagerly. As soon as it reached the table, it immediately became the size of a basin and started eating happily. Locke looked at his thin wallet and shook his head bitterly! There was still a month before his salary would be paid. There was no way he could continue living like this! Clifford immediately patted Locke¡¯s shoulder and explained, ¡°Don¡¯t panic! We will get rewarded with a lot of bonuses when we return! ¡°I think it should be enough for you to live on for a while!¡± comforted Clifford, who did not believe what he¡¯d said himself. This was because he knew they¡¯d destroyed the most important thing from the mission.. They weren¡¯t going to get much money from this mission! Chapter 11 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation On the way back, Locke studied the system. Name: Reynolds Level: 10 Strength: 150 Spirit: 200 Toughness: 300 Agility: 50 EXP: 10,756 / 27,709 Strength of the contract: Holy Dragon Contract One, United as one Job: Dragon Knight Mage (Beginner) If Locke did not check Eliza¡¯s attributes, he would still feel that he was very strong! He clicked on Eliza¡¯s attributes to check it out. Name: Eliza Level: 10 (first stage of infancy) Strength: 1,000 Spirit: 1,500 Toughness: 3,000 Agility: 650 EXP: 700 / 27,709 Bond: 500 Origin Attribute: Light / Darkness After seeing that, Locke could not help but cover his own head. This number was ten times higher than his own?! Clifford saw Locke¡¯s conflicted expression and asked with concern, ¡°Did you not sleep well? Or were you injured during the battle?¡± Locke immediately waved his hand and explained, ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that! I just realized that Eliza is way stronger than I am!¡± Hearing that, Clifford said matter-of-factly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it. After all, dragons and humans are two different species. Even the strongest human High Priest Hanos could not defeat a dragon with his body alone.¡± Hearing that, Locke was a little confused. ¡°Since High Priest Hanos was the strongest man in the continent, how did he defeat the dragon?¡± Clifford originally did not want to reveal this secret, but the person beside him was the one of the captains of the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons. This was something that he would find out sooner or later, so Clifford told him everything. ¡°The Hanos Technology Tower has the best technology in the continent. High Priest Hanos spent fifty years researching the technology of the Steel Dragon! ¡°By integrating the dragon soul into the core, High Priest Hanos defeated 95% of the experts we know! ¡°That¡¯s why humans hail him as the strongest in the entire continent!¡± Technological products! Steel Dragons! Even Locke¡¯s 21st century world had not been able to accomplish this feat. Who would have thought that someone in this world had already done it! ¡°High Priest Hanos was impressive! Since he¡¯d manage to develop such impressive technology, why was it not shared with the rest of the empire?¡± Upon hearing this, Clifford spread out his arms helplessly. ¡°I¡¯ve already said that it takes fifty years to create one! Although the high priest has protected the Kingdom of Dunmei for close to a hundred years, it was because of another dragon! ¡°He took 50 years to create the steel dragon after the continent was safe from attacks. However, his second invention had yet to complete when he died recently! ¡°Alright, kid, that¡¯s all I can tell you for now! ¡°If I tell you any more than that, the king will make you his key target!¡± Locke ignored him and turned his head to the side. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you! You told me all this yourself! So, if anyone comes looking to me for trouble for this leak of information, it¡¯s your problem!¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk! You usually look silly, but now you¡¯re so alert. It seems like you really do suit the position of a captain in the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons ranks!¡± Locke turned his head and ignored him. He started studying the System Merchant Shop. He opened the System Merchant Shop and found that there were all kinds of items inside, and they were all rare items. The equipment bar was filled with Legendary equipment. The restorative potions available there were all high-grade recovery potions. However, the price of each bottle of high-grade recovery potions was no less than 10,000 points. There were various selections for materials. Many of the items here were cheaper, but some of the legendary materials were more expensive. There were too many things to look at but Locke was in no mood to choose. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look when I have time or when I need it!¡± The few hundred points on him were not enough for him to squander a few items from the shop. Very soon, the two of them returned to the headquarters in the city. As soon as they reached the office, they saw a bag of gold coins on the table. It looked like a lot. Adolf Green was still the same as before, sitting there and puffing smoke rings toward the ceiling. Locke was very worried about the flame on the cigarette butt. Would it accidentally fall into his eyes? ¡°Yo! Locke, you did well this time! ¡°It¡¯s your first mission, and you dug out such a big fish!¡± Looking at Green¡¯s cunning eyes, Locke had a nagging feeling that Green had known about it but sending them out the mission. Seeing Locke¡¯s vigilant eyes, Grimm¡¯s expression immediately returned to normal. He pushed the gold coins on the table toward Locke. ¡°These are the rewards for your mission. A total of one platinum coin and 500 gold coins! ¡°After all, you killed an enemy necromancer and an adult Bone Dragon!¡± Locke took the coin bag and took out an exquisite platinum coin. He looked at it, then held the bag of gold coins in his hands and shook it. Then he handed the platinum coin to Clifford. However, Clifford didn¡¯t take it. Instead, he said, ¡°Kid, accept the money!¡± Then, he grabbed a handful of gold coins from the bag. ¡°This is enough for me! After all, I was appointed by the king to be your mentor. Even if I help you complete the mission, I won¡¯t receive any reward! ¡°It¡¯s great that you have such a kind heart. I just need to buy some cigarettes and alcohol!¡± Locke had no choice but to obediently keep the money in his storage space. Because of the existence of the system, Locke did not need the badge space to store his money. Just as the two of them were about to grab a drink, Adolf Green raised his hand and frowned. ¡°Wait! There seems to be an emergency!¡± There was a communication device in his ear. After listening for a while, he quickly wrote something on the paper. ¡°Something seems to have happened to Team 3. Please go and support them! ¡°There seems to be a large-scale magical beasts riot in the northwestern part of the kingdom. Except for the leader, the other four have all been killed. Team 1 and Team 2 are currently busy with other missions! ¡°Head there to provide them with support now!¡± Locke was stunned. ¡°Just me?¡± Green looked up at Clifford. ¡°Aren¡¯t there two of you?¡± ¡°I will ask the King for help, so please hold on for a little longer!¡± Locke only needed to take the orders, but Clifford knew what Green was thinking. When he came in just now, he saw that the first and second teams were free and unoccupied. The reason he specially assigned Locke to go was in an attempt to avoid the death of any one of the members of the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons. Green knew that Locke was a person that the king valued very much, so he used Locke to ask for help. The King¡¯s Senate would soon approve the reinforcement. When Locke walked out of the room, Clifford immediately pointed at Grimm with his finger. He looked as if he had something to say, but he did not say it. Green just spread his hands helplessly and smiled bitterly.. Chapter 12 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In a dark cave, a few shady people were discussing some extremely secretive matters. ¡°Things are going well. When Dunmei¡¯s main force arrives, we can launch a surprise attack openly! ¡°I told you long ago not to think so simply! It¡¯s not likely that all the main forces of the kingdom will be summoned here for the sake of one beast riot! ¡°The Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons has a total of twelve teams. Although only one team came this time, the situation will be different next time! ¡°If four out of twelve teams come, then we can just turn tail and run! ¡°Is the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons really that strong? ¡°Team 3 wasn¡¯t that impressive!¡± Hearing this, a certain voice in the darkness did not want to speak, but he needed to explain this matter to him clearly. ¡°The larger the team number from Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons, the stronger the team! ¡°The new team captains are all assigned to join Team 1 to 4. After a year or so when then they¡¯ve achieved some significant results, they will be assigned to missions further away. ¡°The further they go, the more powerful they are. If the leader of the Team 12 comes at us, not to mention the beast riot, even dragon riot won¡¯t faze them! ¡°However, all the teams after the Team 6 are dealing with the pressure from the surrounding countries. They don¡¯t have time to bother with us!¡± ¡°What if the captain of Team 5 comes?¡± The person in the darkness immediately fell into silence. After a long time. ¡°When the time comes, I will personally take action. This way, at the very least, we will be able to hold our own when in the battle! ¡°We¡¯re definitely seizing Colchislo for our own this time!¡± ¡­ Due to the urgency of the situation, the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons equipped them with a simple flying tool. It was similar to a paraglider, but this paraglider flew faster than an ordinary plane. It reached an astonishing speed of more than 260 kilometers per hour. Clifford, who was not using his wind shield, had his mouth blown wide open by the speed in the sky. Seeing this, Locke immediately raised his hand and cast a wind shield spell on him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why didn¡¯t you use a shield to protect yourself?¡± Clifford, who had just regained his ability to speak, immediately scolded Locke, ¡°It¡¯s all because of you, kid. I told you before I put on the Magic Paraglider! ¡°When we first took off, I told you to put up a shield for me, because it consumes a lot of magic when piloting. I need to save up my magic, so I told you to do it for me instead. I didn¡¯t expect you to just lean to the side and forget everything! ¡°To think you even have the nerve to ask me why I didn¡¯t put up a shield!¡± Locke rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. The flight earlier had been too exciting, so Locke had completely forgotten about his mentor¡¯s request! At this moment, Eliza had already woken up on Loke¡¯s body. With a flash of light, it appeared in the sky. Upon seeing this scene, it leaned on the upper end of the glider and spread its wings to facilitate the both of them to fly faster. The two humans and one dragon took less than half a day to fly around Colchislo. Because the glider was under Eliza¡¯s control, they were soon hovering over the city. ¡°Something¡¯s not right! Why are there so many magical beasts around?¡± Looking down from above, there were countless magical beasts on the ground. There were probably over a hundred thousand of them. Clifford immediately pointed at the mountains in the northeast of the town. ¡°There¡¯s very likely to be a magical beast tamer who¡¯s behind this!¡± ¡°It seems that they¡¯ve pulled out all the stops this time around. They were actually willing to pay such a huge price to fight for Colchislo!¡± One should know that a Beast Tamer required Magic Stones and other materials to train their magical beasts. A quick look told them it easily costed 100,000 Magic Stones to make this scene happen. At this moment, Eliza seemed to have seen something delicious and immediately left the glider. Due to the long flight, the lost glider¡¯s engine had been damage. The two looked at each other. ¡°Ah, Eliza, you¡¯d better not come back, or else!¡± Thankfully, the structure of the glider was still in perfect condition, and they did not descend vertically. With the support of flying and a little Light Body spell, they were forced to descend into the mountains. After landing, he realized that there were no beasts or magical beasts in the usually lively mountain range. Locke whispered, ¡°Could the enemy be hiding here?¡± Clifford immediately cast a wide area detection spell and discovered that there seemed to be traces of activity here. There were a lot of food packages piled up at the entrance to a cave! Clifford was very experienced and he suspected that it was a trap. Nevertheless, they proceeded to check out the entrance of the cave. After waiting for a while, a man in a black robe walked out with a huge bag. He tossed the trash that he had collected outside. ¡°They eat so much every day. All these trash are almost blocking the entrance of the cave!¡± Then, he raised his hand and cast a fire spell, burning all the trash at the entrance into ashes. However, the bloke did not think this through. It was a mountainous zone, and there were trees everywhere. Soon, the surrounding trees were burned, and the thick smoke entered the cave. Seeing this, Rock and Clifford almost laughed out loud. But now was a critical moment, so they could only stifle it in. Soon, five people ran out of the cave one after another. The leader pointed at the person who had come out to throw the trash earlier and shoved his hand at the back of the bloke¡¯s head. ¡°Are you an idiot? How could you do something like that?¡± The one who was beaten seemed to be a subordinate, so he helplessly and silently lowered his head and admitted his mistake. The leader sighed and immediately casted a water spell to extinguish the fire. When the smoke was almost gone, the five of them went back into the cave. As soon as the five had disappeared into the cave, Clifford immediately said, ¡°Do you see that? ¡°A total of five people, no more!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke rolled his eyes. ¡°I know there are only five of them, but we only have two! ¡°There¡¯s no way we can fight them! ¡°Also, I don¡¯t know where Eliza is right now!¡± As soon as he said that, the five people inside the cave ran out. They seemed to be in shock. Within seconds, Locke knew what had happened. Eliza brought their food out of the cave and flew toward Locke. Under the watchful eyes of the five, Eliza flew directly toward Locke¡¯s hidden spot. The seven of them looked at each other! Quick on his toes, Clifford immediately cast an auxiliary spell and turned tail as he and Locke ran as fast as they could for their lives! Chapter 13 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The five of them saw Locke and Clifford fleeing frantically and immediately chased after Eliza. Because there were just too many things on Eliza¡¯s claws, it was left behind by the two who had turned tails. Upon seeing this, Locke immediately shouted at Eliza, ¡°Quickly throw the food under your claws at them! I¡¯ll buy you anything you want when we get back!¡± Initially, Eliza was rather unwilling, but after hearing the latter half of the sentence, she immediately threw the thing hanging on her claw at the five people behind her. After being attacked, they immediately stopped, allowing the trio to successfully escape. However, the five people wearing black cloaks behind them did not feel dejected. The leader immediately took out his flute. He faced the sky as he blew the flute. Sound waves resounded through the skies. The beasts that had surrounded the Colchislo all turned around and ran deep into the mountains. One hour later, the entire mountain region was filled with magical beasts and they were looking for Locke and his company. Meanwhile, they had already retreated safely into the cave. They had conveniently blown up the cave entrance and hid inside. Locke immediately took out his badge and reported the situation to Green. Upon receiving the news, Green immediately started to dispatch troops and surrounded the mountain ridge. However, Locke and Clifford had no time to rest because the magical beasts had already found their hiding place. The stones at the entrance of the cave were quickly tossed aside by the giant ape-type magical beasts. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Clifford cast a flame explosion spell inside and it swooshed outward and attacked the giant ape¡¯s face. Then, the trio dashed as fast as they could out of the cave. There were countless magical beasts outside, hiding in the shadows, waiting for them. Realizing that the trio was on the run, the beasts immediately began to chase after them, and at the same time, constantly reporting the trio¡¯s location to their master. After getting the exact location of the trio, the five immediately chased after them. They noticed that Locke¡¯s uniform had the insignia of a team leader, so they could not let him off no matter what. Seeing that he could not shake off the magical beasts behind him, Locke summoned Eliza over and let her unleash a ¡®Dragon¡¯s Roar¡¯ with the power of a dragon! However, because her body was so small, the creatures recovered after a few seconds. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Mentor, let¡¯s hurry up!¡± ¡°I want to too! But I used up most of my magic flying earlier! There is no way to use more magic now, and we have yet to rest!¡± Helpless, Locke could only purchase a bottle of intermediate Mana Recovery Potion worth 100 points from the Merchant System Shop. He threw it at Clifford. Clifford took the potion and drank it in one gulp. After drinking half a bottle, the exhausted magic in his body recovered. ¡°Wow! This is amazing. My mana¡¯s replenished just after drinking half a bottle!¡± With his mana restored, Clifford whipped out his folding magic staff from his waist. He raised his hand and immediately cast an enhanced light body spell and flight on the both of them. The two of them quickly distanced themselves from the magical beasts behind them. With the extra buffer between them and the magical beasts, Clifford said to Locke, ¡°I¡¯m preparing to release a large-scale light encounter spell. I¡¯ll be counting on you for the rest of the time!¡± Locke took out the black staff that was tied to his waist and immediately poured magic into it, turning it into a spear. He raised his spear and began to charge toward the beast horde! Eliza could feel Lokce¡¯s battle intent, and she immediately let out a flaming roar. It continued to burn the magical beasts on the ground. Although Eliza was not under Locke¡¯s control, she still did her best in most battles. As time passed, the number of magical beasts around them increased. The range they could maintain was only about ten meters. ¡°Mentor, hurry up, we can¡¯t hold out anymore!¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready! ¡°Raging Inferno Storm!¡± Two huge fire tornadoes rose from the ground. Under Clifford¡¯s control, all the magical beasts within a one-kilometer radius were soon burnt to ashes. More than 100,000 magical beasts were annihilated in an instant, which made the five beast tamers very pained. Helpless, they had no choice but to drive all the low-level magical beasts away. As coming in front of Locke, the ring leader pointed at them and scolded, ¡°How dare you spoil our plans! ¡°No one is leaving this place today!¡± Hearing this, Locke was unusually happy. After all, these five were the source of the problem. Well, since they came looking for him, he was overjoyed at the opportunity they presented him. However, Locke soon stopped laughing. The five of them took off their cloaks, revealing their ugly orc appearance. Perhaps they had been eating too much recently, the meat hanging from their waists drooped in an unsightly manner. Seeing this, Clifford immediately shouted at Locke, ¡°Move away! Stay away from them.¡± As soon as he said that, the five orcs before him all transformed into their beast forms, and five large, muscular orc monsters appeared before him. Seeing this, Locke did not back down. ¡°Aren¡¯t they just orcs?¡± ¡°Man-Dragon Unity, Sacred Dragon Magic Armor!¡± With a flash of white light, Locke put on his pure white armour. This time, things were different from last time. He swiftly enlarged his body, becoming as large as the five orcs before him. The five orcs immediately started fighting with Locke, who had transformed into a giant. Locke managed to suppressed them after obtaining Eliza¡¯s power. The spear in Locke¡¯s hand was not to be trifled with either. After becoming one with his dragon, it also enlarged along with him. His thick spear turned into a ten-meter long one. The battle only lasted for half an hour. As the five orcs took turns to attacked Locke, Locke¡¯s magic slowly depleted. With such loss of mana, he could not sustain his giant form anymore. Clifford, who was at the side, was helping him by casting support spells, and he was constantly attacking the five mountain-like orcs. Locke quickly channelled some magic to send a voice transmission, ¡°Mentor, I can¡¯t hold on much longer! What do we do?¡± Clifford shook his head helplessly. ¡°Why don¡¯t we find a chance to slip away?¡± At this very moment, Locke¡¯s badge rang. After the call was connected, the image of a woman riding a blue dragon appeared before Locke. ¡°Are you Reynolds Locke? ¡°Where are you now?¡± Locke pushed a huge Orc away and said with great difficulty, ¡°In the mountains to the northeast!¡± After confirming his location, she immediately hung up.. Chapter 14 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The five orc brothers did not expect the great general of the Kingdom of Dunmei to appear here. They wanted to escape, but it was too late. The roar of a giant dragon could be heard from afar. The low-levelled magical beasts on the ground all fled after the roar. Clifford glanced at the sky and immediately recognized the person who had come to help. Turner-Sophie was widely known as the Ice Flame General, and she had an adult Frost Dragon! Furthermore, she was a very young general. She was only 25 years old and already had the strength of a high-level Dragon Knight mage! Clifford could not help but feel envious of the dragon beneath her feet. Seeing the five of them surrounding Locke, Turner-Sophie immediately commanded her frost dragon to fly higher into the sky. Then, like a giant block of ice, it dived downward from above the clouds. Its descent from the high skies grew faster and faster, so fast that it created a sonic boom. The moment she was about to hit the enemy, Turner-Sophie immediately entered the third stage of man-dragon unity. Turner-Sophie immediately became one with her frost dragon. When she was only one meter away from her target, Turner-Sophie raised her dragon claw and dug out one of the giant orc¡¯s heart. The shockwave sent the remaining four giant orcs and Locke flying. Locke took this opportunity to get out of the way. The remaining four giants quickly turned into ice under Turner-Sophie¡¯s sharp claws. Under her attacks, all four were smashed into pieces of ice. Eliza did not care about these things. She immediately separated from Locke and flew out, picking up all the scattered orc cores on the ground and eating them. After the battle, Turner-Sophie immediately came to Locke¡¯s side and gave him a military salute. ¡°Turner-Sophie came alone to reinforce us!¡± Although Turner-Sophie was a general of the Kingdom of Dunmei, she knew of the important tasks that the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons had to deal with, and she had a lot of respect for its members. Seeing this, Locke immediately relaxed and sat down. ¡°Phew! Thank goodness you came in time. Otherwise, we would have been smashed into meat paste!¡± After the battle, Clifford walked over from afar. Upon seeing Clifford, Turner-Sophie bowed very politely to Clifford. ¡°Master! Long time no see. I¡¯m very happy to see you in the pink of health!¡± When he saw Turner-Sophie, he was pleasantly surprised. ¡°Turner-Sophie, you¡¯ve grown into such a beautiful lady!¡± Hearing this, she blushed. This scene stunned Locke. Was this the same person who had fought with the giant orcs earlier? She was fearsome and fierce in the battle from a few moments ago, swiftly annihilating all five giant orcs. However, Turner-Sophie quickly calmed down and helped Locke up. ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll talk more inside the city.¡± Clifford could not help but ask curiously, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in a while. Where have you been?¡± ¡°I was undergoing special training at the eastern borders of Dunmei. I returned recently due to the death of the high priest. I was sent by the king as soon as I arrived! ¡°From now on, I will be stationed at Colchislo! ¡°From today onward, I will not let these disturbances happen again in Colchislo!¡± As she spoke, she secretly clenched her fists. The three of them quickly arrived at Colchislo City. Locke¡¯s mission was not over yet. He needed to help the sole survivor of Team 3 with the funeral of the members of Team 3 who had fallen in the magical beasts¡¯ riot. Many of the members who died in battle had already lost their bones. However, Locke and the others still had to send the items they left behind back to the headquarters. This showed their final respect for the members who had died. Although this battle was extremely dangerous, it was extremely beneficial to Locke. He received a system reward of 100,000 experience points and 1,500 Merchant Shop Points. There were three of them on the way back. As he was the only one left in his team, the sole survivor from Team 3 remained silent throughout the journey. Seeing this, Clifford immediately handed over his wine pot. He patted the bloke on the shoulder and said, ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Reed Gerard. After taking up this position, no one knows how long they can live for!¡± Reed Gerard took the jug and drained most of the wine. The conversation was a pretty solemn one, and Locke felt that it wasn¡¯t his place to join in. So, he sat by the side quietly and closed his eyes to recover his energy. After completing the rest of the task, Gerard tendered in his resignation as the captain of Team 3. However, it didn¡¯t take long for Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons to welcome a new leader for Team 3. On the way home, Clifford couldn¡¯t help but recommend to Locke, ¡°What do you think of Turner-Sophie? Not only is she beautiful, she¡¯s single now! If you¡¯re interested, I can help you guys set up a date. After all, I was her mentor before!¡± Hearing this, Locke could not help but think of her voluptuous and alluring body. However, after their previous encounter, Locke realized that her body was too cold! When she¡¯d help him up after the battle, Locke¡¯s arm was frostbitten from her touch. ¡°Oh, old man! You¡¯re so evil!¡± As he spoke, Locke stretched out his arm. ¡°Did you see that! Just a few seconds of contact, and my hand was frostbitten! ¡°If I sleep with her, won¡¯t my Reynolds family line be destroyed?¡± Clifford burst into laughter upon hearing this. ¡°So, you¡¯ve already thought this through. Seeing how you¡¯re staring at her, one would¡¯ve thought you wanted to befriend her!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough! Since I have nothing to do for the next few days, I will go to the academy for a few days!¡± However, Clifford quickly stopped him. ¡°Why¡¯re you still going to class?! Don¡¯t you realize what¡¯s your status now? You¡¯re still thinking of going to class with other students?! ¡°Come with me! I¡¯ll give you a good lesson when we get to my house!¡± They walked down the street to the west gate and arrived at Clifford¡¯s house. Clifford¡¯s house looked very normal, but it was slightly bigger than an average person¡¯s house. His house was not as luxurious as the average noble¡¯s, and the walls were a little plain. ¡°You¡¯re the king¡¯s chief mage after all. This house is even more dilapidated than my school dormitory!¡± Clifford pointed at the pile of books and said, ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have money! It¡¯s just that knowledge is my best friend!¡± Looking around, one could see that his entire house was filed with piles and piles of books on various kinds of topics and knowledge.. Chapter 15 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation When he got home, Clifford sat at his desk. Looking at the information on the table, he recalled his unrealistic thoughts. Several decades ago, Clifford had his own family, and all of them lived happily together. However, that year, the apocalypse happened. The Black Dragon Niederhogg suddenly went berserk. All the countries on the Faust Dragon Continent suffered varying degrees of damage. No matter where Niederhogg went, everything would be devoured. Any source of life magic became its nourishment. Clifford¡¯s home was in Skikgan, north of the capital of Dunmei. His family was originally an Earl¡¯s family. Having their own small territory, the family lived a happy life, but the disaster suddenly struck. Niederhogg, the Black Dragon of Despair, avoided the capital of Dunmei and went straight for the borders of Skikgan City. It happened to pass by Clifford¡¯s family¡¯s farm. Back then, Clifford was still a young high-level Dragon Knight mage, so he was away from home, serving in the capital. As he watched Niederhogg pass by his family¡¯s territory from the capital, he felt a surging rage, but he was bound to his duties in the capital. There was no way he could leave Dunmei City. He could only look on as the Black Dragon of Despair destroy his family¡¯s territory. In a fit of rage, he rode his green dragon and charged directly at Niederhogg. Within three seconds after entering Niederhogg¡¯s death domain, his green dragon could no longer hold on. In order to save Clifford¡¯s life, the green dragon burned up what little dragon blood it had left and ejected him from the death domain. Even though Clifford had the ability to hatch another dragon, he never did carry out this ritual again. Decades passed quickly, and Clifford finally became the king¡¯s chief mage after much hard work. He had witnessed the birth of the great mechanical iron dragon, Hanos¡¯ creation, but that did not make him happy. This was because even though the high priest¡¯s steel dragon was known as the seventh catastrophe, it could not withstand defeat the other six catastrophes! Seeing Clifford¡¯s lonely figure, Locke knew that many things must have happened in his generation, causing him to be all alone in the present day. On his table, there was a very old and yellowed magic picture. It was protected by a metal frame made of very hard materials. Due to the awkward atmosphere, Locke immediately pointed at the picture and asked, ¡°Are these all your family members?¡± Hearing this, Clifford was jolted back to reality. ¡°Oh! Are you talking about this? ¡°They¡¯re long gone. This was from decades ago!¡± ¡°Is it because of Niederhogg?¡± Hearing this name, he was stunned for a moment before he nodded. ¡°Yes, when I was young, my family lived on the borders of Skikgan. No one would have thought that Niederhogg would actually pass by that place!¡± Locke patted Clifford on the shoulder and said, ¡°My mother passed by that area with my siblings and coincidentally came in Niederhogg¡¯s way. Unfortunately, none of them survived!¡± This was the memory that Locke had hidden deep within his brain. It was only after he was reborn that he dug out this memory. ¡°Someone used magic to seal this specific memory!¡± Clifford felt the same way. He did not expect to meet a victim like himself. ¡°Do you know the six great catastrophes in this world?¡± Because Locke¡¯s father had always avoided talking about these things, Locke had limited knowledge in that aspect He shook his head in response. Clifford then explained the six great catastrophes. No. 1: Niederhogg, Black Dragon of Despair. (Surrounding it is a death domain. Everything will be devoured wherever it goes.) No. 2: Fafnir the dragon (It has its own domain of greed, where everyone will kill each other.) No. 3: Leviathan, the Dragon of Chaos (It commands the domain of gluttony, which devours everything that can be eaten wherever it goes). No.4: Ladon, the Midwinter Dragon (It commands the realm of cold winter. Wherever it goes, everything within its vicinity will be permanently frozen, and everything will lose its vitality.) No.5: Tiamat, the mother of Evil Dragons (With the realm of destruction, all living things that enter it will be annihilated with death rays) No.6: Hydra, the nine-headed dragon (with nine elemental attributes, it is the weakest of the six great catastrophes, but no one has managed to defeat it up to this day!) No. 7: Hanos Steel Dragon (with its own elemental fusion metal, it is immune to the nine elements, but it is still no match for Hydra because the source of magic power of Hanos is too weak to surpass the source of magic power of the dragons themselves.) ¡°The seventh catastrophe is the life¡¯s work of the late High Priest Hanos. He wanted to defeat Hydra through his own technology. ¡°However, he did not succeed in the end. At the very end, his mana was insufficient and he lost! ¡°However, this battle made the Kingdom of Dunmei the most powerful kingdom in the Faust Dragon Continent, because until this day, no one has been able to fight against Hydra, let alone escape from Hydra alive!¡± After saying this, Clifford¡¯s eyes revealed deep regret. ¡°In the end, the high priest did not fulfil his final wish! ¡°However, we shouldn¡¯t be saddened by it, because his daughter is an even more outstanding mage than Hanos!¡± That night, the two of them did not sleep at all. Clifford told Locke everything about the Faust Dragon Continent and let him know what his ultimate goal was. Meanwhile, in the Hanos Science and Technology Tower, Hanos Lamira was researching the weapon data that the researchers had obtained from the elf, Ischel Fergus. This document was too important, and it contained all the secrets of magic. Everything related to it was the most advanced technology of science and magic! She¡¯d been studying this information ever since she got hold of it, she had not slept well for a week. When Ischel Fergus saw this, she immediately walked over. ¡°Miss Lamira! You are not in a good state of mind right now. Please stop your research and rest in your room!¡± Hearing Ischel¡¯s words, Lamira immediately frowned. She¡¯d worked so hard and had finally analysed 1% of the weapon. ¡°Give me some time, and I¡¯ll be able to completely analyse it!¡± ¡°Miss Lamira, please stop! You haven¡¯t gotten as much as a wink of sleep for a week! You¡¯re only a mortal now. You¡¯re not even a mage. Even if you¡¯ve figured it out, you can¡¯t use it. It¡¯s meaningless!¡± Hearing this, Lamira immediately stopped what she was doing and leaned back against the chair to cry. The most painful thing in her life was not being able to learn magic! Chapter 16 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the month of July, year 1202, the weather was hot, and the entire Kingdom of Stonolo was caught up in the conspiracy set up by the surrounding kingdoms. This was because the Kingdom of Stonolo was the only country that remained friendly with the Kingdom of Dunmei after the High Priest died. This sparked reason for neighboring kingdoms to launch a rebellion against the Kindom of Stonolo. Of the three dukes who remained loyal to the pact between the original alliance of the kingdoms in the Faust Dragon Continent, two of them were overturned by the neighbouring kingdoms. The entire kingdom had entered a chaotic civil war. Originally, these people would not have been instigated to revolt, but the main reason for the civil war was that Stonolo was ruled by an Queen! Therefore, the two aristocrats of the affiliated city Renault and Hanz were very dissatisfied. They had grown up in an environment where men were valued more than women. Women were like slaves to them, so they started the coup with the help of their enemies. However, things did not go as smoothly as they had imagined! This was because the Queen of Stonolo controlled the Azure Poison Dragon. Any dragon that got close to it would be corroded by its poison! If they couldn¡¯t do it openly, then they decided they would do it secretly. The two dukes commanded hundreds of thousands of troops to surround the entire Stonolo city. They cut off the supply of food and water into the city and secretly sent assassins into the city to wait for an opportunity. The riot in the city could no longer be stopped. Stonolo¡¯s queen immediately used a magic communication tool provided to her from the Hanos Science and Technology Tower to ask the king of the Kingdom of Dunmei for help. After receiving the plead for help, the Dunmei King immediately called upon his Senate to discuss the rescue. Stonolo meant too much to them. If and when Stonolo fell, the entire kingdom would fall into a siege. King Dunmei had not expected the neighboring kingdom to attack them first. After a night of discussion, the king sent a secret order to the members of the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons. Led by Locke, the captain of Team 4, a total of three teams were to sneak into the capital of Stonolo to provide help and support. When Clifford received the king¡¯s secret order, his face darkened. ¡°Locke! Looks like it¡¯ll be a long time before we get to rest!¡± Clifford immediately wrote down the king¡¯s secret order and showed it to Locke. ¡°This time, I will still travel with you, but my mission is only to guide you. All decisions are up to you! Locke immediately took the secret letter and glanced at it. ¡°Wha¡ª! Isn¡¯t it too hasty for the king to send me instead of anyone else?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought as well, but the senate appointed you as the leader and instructed you to reach the capital city of Stonolo before all the other teams arrive!¡± Once the king¡¯s secret order was given, there was no reason to refuse. Locke could only lower his head and start to strategize. ¡°Do you have a map of the city?¡± Clifford immediately searched the room and found a very old map. When he flipped it open and removed the dust on it, he could still see the word ¡°Stonolo¡± written on it. This was a very old map. Because it was a map from more than thirty years ago, Clifford started to feel a little embarrassed. He explained, ¡°This was obtained more than thirty years ago when we met the Queen of Stonolo, so we don¡¯t know what the city has become!¡± However, there was no other way, because Stonolo had been surrounded. Even if he wanted to buy a map now, it was impossible. Moreover, the layout of the city was not something that could be bought easily. Back then, the Queen of Stonolo had given every minister a map of the city in order to express her determination to join forces with the Kingdom of Dunmei. Locke immediately memorized the contents of the blueprint. ¡°Now is not the time to consider whether it is useful or not. The most important thing is to find a way to enter the city first. ¡°We definitely can¡¯t go in directly because the Queen has already used the Azure Poison Dragon to seal off all the underground water. ¡°Therefore, the only way to enter the city is from the sky! ¡°However, there is no way to enter undetected through the sky now because there¡¯s a huge army surrounding the capital! ¡°Furthermore, the city¡¯s defenses are very tight. If we fly over, we¡¯ll be turned into dice!¡± After much thought, there was no way to enter the city. Locke helplessly stored the map into the storage space. ¡°We¡¯ll go to William Bay first. Once we¡¯re there, we¡¯ll look for Duke William. I think he¡¯ll have some ideas!¡± Clifford had no other choice. ¡°That¡¯s all we can do for now!¡± Due to the important of the mission, they had to go to Hanos Science and Technology Tower to upgrade their equipment first. The two arrived at Hex Technology Tower before the sun rose. Hanos Lamira was informed of Locke¡¯s arrival, and she immediately rushed down from the top of the tower to greet him. Before Locke entered the tower, she had already opened the door and was waiting for him. Seeing the girl before him, Locke had a strange feeling. He had a feeling that he would have many conflicts with her in the future. After confirming that it was Locke, Lamira immediately pulled Locke in and led him to the automatic transport ladder in the tower. He very much wanted to refuse, but when he turned to look, he saw Clifford winking at him. He meant for Locke to do his best to satisfy this woman¡¯s request. Helpless, Locke could only allow her to pull him into the automatic transport ladder. A few seconds later, they arrived at the room on the top of the tower. As they were in a hurry, Locke asked curiously, ¡°You are?¡± Hearing the question, Lamira immediately lowered her head and introduced herself, ¡°I am Hanos Lamira. Please take care of me from now on!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Although Locke wanted to reject her, he could not bear to say it out loud when he saw her thin frame. ¡°May I know why you¡¯re looking for me?¡± Lamira immediately pointed at the black staff on Locke¡¯s waist and said, ¡°Lend me your weapon!¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Locke thought. He was about to execute a very dangerous person, and he could not simply hand over his life-saving weapon. He immediately explained his situation. Hearing Locke¡¯s words, Lamira was stunned for a moment before saying, ¡°I only need half an hour! I won¡¯t take another minute more of your time!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke let down his guard! Lamira took Locke¡¯s weapon and immediately placed it on the machine in the middle of the room for testing.. Chapter 17 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The last time an analysis was run on it, Locke¡¯s weapon was scanned from a low-end server, so a lot of the data obtained was in an unknown state. This time, it was different. The machine in front of Lamira was manufactured using the most top-tier technology available in the Hanos Science and Technology Tower. Therefore, she could completely analyse Locke¡¯s Nine Tribulations this time. After some continuous scanning, Lamira found more and more new data on Locke¡¯s weapon. The technology contained in this weapon was even more advanced than the Steel Dragon created by her grandfather! In other words, Locke¡¯s weapon was not a weapon that could be created by the technology of this continent. Time ticked by, and soon, thirty minutes had passed. Locke was about to retrieve his weapon when he realized that Lamira was in a state of high concentration. So instead, he took the automatic transport ladder to the first floor and prepared to pick out some extra weapons before returning to retrieve his staff. Seeing Locke come down, Ischel Fergus and Clifford came to his side. ¡°I¡¯ve received the king¡¯s order. You may pick any weapon you like from the armory. Take whatever you can!¡± Ischel said. Clifford rubbed his hands happily. Ischel Fergus immediately turned around and said to him, ¡°The king only granted this permission to Locke, not you! Even if you¡¯re the king¡¯s chief mage, I can¡¯t let you do whatever you want!¡± Hearing this, Clifford immediately rolled his eyes, and then came to Locke¡¯s side to whisper a few words to him. Locke listened intently, then nodded at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll get you what you want.¡± Ishie Fergus overheard their conversation. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but then decided to pretend that she had not overheard anything, mainly because Locke¡¯s weapon was still being tested in Lamira¡¯s hands. Locke entered the armory and choose a few weapons. Basically, they were all for Clifford. There were only five pieces in total. Two magic daggers, a magic hand cannon, a magic staff, and two pairs of wings. After seeing Locke¡¯s choice, Ischel Fergus could not help but remind him, ¡°You can choose more. I heard that this mission is very difficult. Please bring as many items as you can.¡± Upon hearing this, Locke spread his hands helplessly and explained, ¡°Even if I bring a bunch of weapons, I need to be able to use them! Otherwise, I¡¯d just end up giving free equipment to the enemy, so these are definitely enough!¡± ¡®True enough!¡¯ Ischel Fergus thought. Without saying anything more, she put away all the other weapons in armory. Meanwhile, Lamira had yet to return Locke his weapon, so he asked Ischel about it. ¡°May I know how soon will Lamira be done with my weapon?¡± Ischel Fergus immediately turned her head and pretended she didn¡¯t have a clue. Left with no other choice, Locke walked toward the automatic transport ladder. Ischel Fergus immediately caught up and held Locke¡¯s hand. ¡°If it¡¯s possible, please let Lamira complete the analysis of the weapon. This analysis is really important and it¡¯ll help propel the steel dragon to the next stage!¡± Hearing this, Locke wanted very much to help her accomplish this, but now was not the time. There were no weapons of the same level as the Nine Tribulations here. Seeing that she could not persuade Locke to stay, Ischel reluctantly let go of his hand. After all, she had no say in this matter. As he arrived at the top of the tower, he saw that Lamira was still analysing the weapon data. Since an hour had passed, Locke immediately removed his weapon from the machine platform. It was only then that Lamira noticed Locke. ¡°Ah! Half an hour has passed, just like that?¡± Locke spread his hands helplessly and said, ¡°More than an hour has passed. I¡¯m rushing off to complete my mission, so I can¡¯t spare you any more time for your research.¡± Lamira immediately said to Locke in a pleading tone, ¡°Please give me another hour! Just another one hour will do!¡± As much as Locke wanted to agree to her request, he couldn¡¯t. He had to rush to William Bay to seek out Duke William¡¯s help. He had to find a way to enter Stonolo¡¯s capital. ¡°I have a very important mission today that concerns the king¡¯s secret order! If I don¡¯t leave now, the neighboring Stonolo Kingdom will be destroyed! I¡¯m left with no other choice. I have to set off now!¡± Hearing this, an idea sparked off in Lamira¡¯s mind. She brought Locke to another automatic transport ladder. This ladder led them directly to the underground factory in the Hanos Science and Technology Tower. At first, Locke did not understand why she had brought him to this place. But he soon realized why! This was the manufacturing factory of the Steel Dragon! Lamira pointed at the rows of Steel Dragon that filled the entire central hall, ¡°I¡¯ll grant you the rights to use the Steel Dragon in exchange for the research time I need on your weapon! As long as you use this Steel Dragon, you¡¯ll be able to enter Stonolo¡¯s capital easily!¡± The offer was a very tempting one. After all, the Steel Dragon one of the seven catastrophes of the world. After much thought, Locke decided that this was a good deal. With the Steel Dragon, it would be very convenient to go to William Bay, greatly reducing the time they needed to travel on the road! However, this Steel Dragon would definitely consume a lot of energy. With this question in mind, Locke turned to Lamira and asked, ¡°What is it powered by? How is its magic consumption?¡± Hearing this, she was stunned for a moment. She did not expect Locke to consider the issue of power consumption instead of the Steel Dragon¡¯s destructive power! Then, she explained, ¡°The steel dragon is driven by the dragon soul core developed by Hanos¡¯ ultimate technology. You¡¯ll only need to fill it with Magic Stones to drive it! ¡°You¡¯ll only need to use one ordinary magic stone to use it for about an hour of flight time! However, when casting large-scale magic, the consumption of magic will be determined by the level of the spell!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke immediately relaxed and agreed with satisfaction, ¡°Alright! The journey to William Bay should have taken us three days. With this, I¡¯ll only need one day to reach there. So please, try to fully analyse my weapon within a day and a half. When the time comes, I¡¯ll definitely have to have my weapon back.¡± As soon as Locke agreement to take her up on her offer, she immediately transferred the Steel Dragon control magic contract to Locke. Then, she turned around, taking Locke¡¯s weapon, and returned to the top of the technology tower to continue her research. Just like that, Locke was left alone in the underground manufacturing factory. ¡°¡­¡± Chapter 18 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After Locke obtained control of the Steel Dragon, the control contract on the back of his arm suddenly fused with the dragon contract on his arm. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on?¡± As both contracts fused, the Steel Dragon in front of Locke immediately disappeared. It turned into a ray of light and fused with Eliza, who was behind Locke. A tattoo on Eliza¡¯s body. Even though they had fused together, Locke could still feel that these two things had not completely fused together and could still be controlled separately. Under the watchful eyes of all the staff in the factory, Locke took the automatic transport ladder and left the underground. Arriving at the lobby on the first floor, Locke found Clifford and led him out of the Hanos Science and Technology Tower. Clifford saw that Locke had no weapon at his waist, so he asked curiously, ¡°Are you preparing to leave now? Where¡¯s your weapon?¡± Upon hearing this, Locke immediately waved his hand and explained, ¡°I didn¡¯t bring you because of that. I just want you to take a look at what I have just obtained.¡± As he spoke, he summoned the Steel Dragon that had transformed into a dragon tattoo. The garrison around the Hanos Science and Technology Tower was stunned by this scene. They all knew that there was no one who could command the Steel Dragon. Why did the dragon suddenly appear before everyone today? Under their shocked gazes, Locke flew into the sky with Clifford¡¯s on the Steel Dragon. When the Steel Dragon took off, it wasn¡¯t huge. It was only about five meters tall. However, when it flew into the sky, its entire body extended out from the core. It became a hundred meters long. Seeing this, Locke finally understood why the Steel Dragon was called the seventh catastrophe! After Locke accepted the Steel Dragon, a new status bar appeared in his system. Locke opened the status bar and checked the data of the Steel Dragon. He realized that the Steel Dragon was still sealed. That was why he could only transform into a hundred-meter long dragon. If he could come into contact with the seal, this Steel Dragon could increase its body by several times and increase its destructive power by a hundred times. Name: Hanos Steel Dragon Power: Unknown Spirit: Unknown Toughness: Unknown Agility: Unknown Seal: Stage One Skills: Water, Fire, Earth, Wood, Wind, Thunder, Light, Dark Ice Immunity Basic Attributes: Water, Fire, Earth, Wood, Wind, Thunder, Light, Dark Ice ¡°Unable to fully control the dragon. All attacks are sealed. Unable to be fully utilise the capabilities of the dragon!¡± Upon seeing this number, Locke was shocked. He did not expect the Steel Dragon to be a hundred meters long while it was still sealed! What would happen after the seal was lifted? Locke was not the only one in shock. Clifford, who was beside him, was speechless. The king had hired many elites to gain control over the Steel Dragon in the past. After they received Lamira¡¯s control contract, there was no reaction at all. Hence, Clifford totally did not expect Locke to even be able to merge it with his dragon contract. This reminded Clifford of the High Priest¡¯s prophecy: I see Victory! Locke was undoubtedly the hope of this continent! After flying one round around the tower, they flew back to the Kingdom of Dunmei. In a breakfast shop. Locke ate breakfast with Eliza and Clifford, who was still silent after all this while. Seeing Clifford in a daze, Locke could not help but ask, ¡°Did something happen? You¡¯ve been silent for a long time!¡± Hearing Locke¡¯s question, Clifford immediately shook his head and replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I saw the Steel Dragon and remembered something.¡± After breakfast, the sky was already bright. Locke flew Clifford back to the top of the Hanos Science and Technology Tower. Because Lamira had given Locke the authorization, the automatic doors opened automatically when they reached the main entrance. After the two of them walked in, they found a place not far from Lamira and laid down to sleep. Around noon, Lamira let out a joyful shout, ¡°We¡¯ve finally succeeded! With this technology, we can finally defeat Hydra with the new and improved version of the Steel Dragon!¡± Locke was shocked awake by Lamira¡¯s sudden shout. He glanced at Lamira before turning over and prepared to continue sleeping. At this moment, Lamira discovered a problem. The Hanos Steel Dragon had completely cut off all contact with her. Lamira had only given Locke control rights. She had not transferred the ownership of the Steel Dragon to him, so it was impossible for this to happen. Helpless, she stood up and stretched. She looked around and saw Locke sleeping on the ground. She immediately walked to his side and shook him awake. ¡°What did you do to the legacy left behind by my grandfather? Why can¡¯t I feel the presence of the Steel Dragon?¡± Sensing the abnormality, Locke immediately sat up and looked at Lamira with a puzzled expression. ¡°Didn¡¯t you personally transfer the contract to me yesterday?¡± He showed Lamira the dragon symbol on his wrist. When she saw the symbol, Lamira fell silent. She was confused as to what was going on. It was impossible for anyone without the bloodline of the Hanos family to inherit the steel dragon completely. However now, the Steel Dragon was completely under Locke¡¯s control! ¡°Are you Grandfather¡¯s illegitimate son?¡± Locke waved his hand and explained, ¡°That¡¯s impossible! I am Reynolds Locke. I have nothing to do with the Hanos family! My family has nothing to do with you at all!¡± Clifford woke up when he heard the commotion. He could hear everything clearly. ¡°I can prove this point. Historically, the Hanos is not related to the Reynolds family!¡± After hearing Clifford¡¯s words, Lamira immediately fell into deep thought. But after a few minutes, she finally understood that this was no longer important. With the new technology, the new Steel Dragon would be able to evolve into its final stage. So this little detail was not important at all! ¡°Forget it, forget it! I¡¯ll let you have this! ¡°The Steel Dragon is grandfather¡¯s legacy, so please treasure it!¡± When he first heard the news, Locke started thinking about ways could return the Steel Dragon to Lamira when he returned. However now, the other party did not want it anymore! ¡°Have you finished researching the weapon?¡± Lamira immediately took the weapon from the analyzer and returned it to Locke. ¡°The first stage has been analyzed! ¡°This weapon of yours is a weapon that can grow and evolve, so after it evolves to the next stage, I hope you can send it to me for further analysis!¡± Of course, Locke could not reject her after she¡¯d given him such a good thing as the Steel Dragon. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem at all! Once I advance and complete the mission, I¡¯ll bring it to you immediately!¡± Chapter 19 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Out of courtesy, Lamira escorted them to the top of the tower and watched as Locke and Clifford flew away. ¡°This man is really¡­¡± Because Locke had shown her too many miracles, even the peerless genius Lamira could not bring herself to judge him. ¡°If it¡¯s possible, I hope that you can return unscathed!¡± After leaving the Hanos Science and Technology Tower, Locke and Clifford flew south. As they passed by Rono, the people in the city cheered, ¡°It¡¯s the Steel Dragon! It¡¯s the High Priest¡¯s Steel Dragon!¡± As the high priest was too famous in the Kingdom of Dunmei, the citizens of every city remembered him. Locke, who was high up in the sky, saw the cheers of the people below. He had no idea what was going on. Meanwhile, Clifford was soaked up in his own thoughts. He knew very well that before they set off, he had reported every single update to the king. However, the king replied with a single message: Continue the mission! Clifford was extremely puzzled. Why was the king so lax with Locke? If both the Steel Dragon and Locke died at the same time, would that really not be a problem? However, what Clifford was not aware of was that the king and the Senate had already received news that the second generation of Steel Dragon was about to be completed, so they did not really care for the original one. The two of them headed north. It did not take them long to reach William City. Seeing the High Priest¡¯s Steel Dragon, the soldiers in the city were stunned. The news of Locke and his companion¡¯s arrival quickly reached Duke William. Due to the urgency of the situation, Locke landed on Duke William¡¯s castle. The old butler immediately walked over to lead the way. ¡°Duke William Rowan has been waiting in the banquet hall for a long time! Please follow me.¡± The old butler bowed politely to the two guests. After entering the hall, a very young man welcomed them. ¡°Welcome! Now that the two countries are fighting, I believe you are here to ask me how to enter Stonolo!¡± Clifford immediately bowed to him and introduced Locke, ¡°This is the Team 4 Captain of the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons. He came here especially for this incident!¡± After some introductions, William Rowan quickly pulled out a map and placed it on the table. He pointed out the Stonolo Passage that allowed them to enter from the outside. ¡°This old underground tunnel has not been used for many years. I¡¯m not sure if it will work or not!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke decisively said, ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try first. If it really doesn¡¯t work, I will fly in directly with the Steel Dragon!¡± Hearing Locke¡¯s words, Duke William Rowan was very happy and immediately handed ten rings to Locke. ¡°This is the food and supplies prepared. Please bring all of these things inside! The entire Stonolo is in a state of depletion, no matter how rich and abundant the national treasury is! These three months should have been enough to deplete their food supplies! ¡°So, you must bring these things to the Queen to resolve her urgent needs! Not only can these rings store items, it also represents my identity at crucial moments! If you successfully enter and meet any soldiers, show this ring to them, and they will help you! ¡°As for my army, they will march after you enter the city and complete all your preparations! The Queen knows how to send the signal! ¡°Please do your best in this period of time!¡± Locke heard the anticipation in his voice. He really hoped that he could rush to the battlefield right now. However, the current situation was too dangerous, so he had been restraining himself and waiting patiently not far from Stonolo Capital. ¡°Leave everything to us! ¡°We¡¯ve risked our lives to come here. If there¡¯s hope, we have to risk it! ¡°We are your closest ally!¡± After saying that, the two of them quickly finished their meal in Duke William¡¯s castle. Taking advantage of the darkness, they sneaked into the hidden passageway. Even though this place was near the army, there was a forest covering this area. Therefore, they easily avoided the patrol team and arrived at this hidden tunnel. The front part of the tunnel was covered very deeply. With the help of the Steel Dragon, it only took them ten minutes to cover it up before they entered the tunnel. Because this corridor had been abandoned for many years, many parts of it had collapsed. But none of this could stop them, because the Steel Dragon and Eliza were digging behind them. It only took them half a day to enter Stonolo City and open the secret door. The hidden passageway led them straight into the castle¡¯s dungeon. Clifford could not help but sigh at how wonderful this dungeon was! Because of the commotion, the soldiers in the dungeon immediately went to look for them. Locke immediately raised the ring that the Duke had given him. The soldiers in the dungeon saw Locke¡¯s ring. ¡°Are you Duke William¡¯s men? Please follow me!¡± Under the lead of the guards in the dungeon, the two of them arrived at the Queen¡¯s palace. The siege had obviously given her a huge shock, because two dark eye circles could be seen on her beautiful face. After Locke and Clifford entered the palace, they immediately knelt down on one knee. ¡°Queen Melissa, I am the fourth team leader of the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons from the Kingdom of Dunmei! Beside me is my mentor, Aldrich Clifford!¡± After hearing what they said, Melissa seemed to look better. ¡°Please rise! If you had arrived a little later, perhaps I would not be the Queen anymore! ¡°Please follow me this way. Because there are spies everywhere in the city, let us come to my room. We shall discuss there!¡± Then she dragged her dress and led the two to the bedroom. After entering the room, Locke immediately handed over all ten rings. ¡°These are the supplies Duke William prepared for you!¡± Seeing the things in Locke¡¯s hands, Melissa¡¯s expression became very complicated. It was as if these things were no longer useful to her. The two of them could not help but guess, ¡°Has things become so complicated?¡± After exchanging glances, Locke continued asking, ¡°Queen Melissa, if you have any missions, please leave them to us! No matter what it is, we are willing to help you share some of the burden!¡± Hearing Locke¡¯s words, Melissa recalled a memory from a long time ago, of the knight who had always protected her.. Chapter 20 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Locke¡¯s words reminded Queen Melissa of her sorrowful memories of her husband. She asked Locke, ¡°Are you willing to be my knight forever?¡± Upon hearing this, Locke was stunned. This was impossible! ¡°I am a noble of the Kingdom of Dunmei. If I become your knight, I will be be beheaded by the king!¡± But soon, Melissa turned around and sighed softly. ¡°Sigh, sorry for making a fool of myself! I suddenly recalled the past. The situation in the city is extremely bad. All communication in the city has been destroyed. The most important thing now is to restore the communication tower!¡± After saying that, Queen Melissa took out a map. She had lost all hope, but because of what Duke William had brought her, it gave her hope again! ¡°One of you will take the necklace, and the other will take this hairpin. When they see these personal items of mine, they will do their best to help! ¡°As long as we repair the communication tower and send all the supplies over, we can start our final resistance!¡± Upon receiving the order, the both of them armed themselves. After getting their equipment ready, the two of them split up and went to the communication tower. Locke quickly discovered the culprit behind the destruction of the communication tower. There was a giant winged poisonous lizard guarding the communication tower. Everyone who approached the communication tower was melted into a pool of blood by the creature¡¯s poison jet. Looking at the pool of blood on the ground, Locke could not help but say in disdain, ¡°How disgusting! ¡°Eliza, come out quickly! Stop sleeping!¡± Perhaps it had sensed the disgusting scene before her, Eliza did not respond. No matter how Locke called out to her, she did not move. ¡°¡­¡± Helpless, Locke could only summon the Steel Dragon. Although the Steel Dragon did not possess any powerful and effective attack methods, its immunity to all elements allowed it to prevent the venom from hitting Locke. The spies hiding nearby saw the huge Steel Dragon, and immediately crept toward Locke. However, Locke¡¯s detection spell quickly discovered them. Locke immediately took out the spear in his hand and attacked the assassins who were hiding in the dark. The fight with the poisonous winged lizard did not last long. When the soldiers in the city saw that the giant poisonous lizard was being held back, they immediately surrounded it. Locke immediately took out the necklace in his hand. ¡°Soldiers, listen to my command! Attack the communication tower!¡± Seeing the necklace in Locke¡¯s hands, the soldiers behind him went crazy as if they had been drugged. They fiercely attacked the Poison Lizard under the communication tower. Using this opportunity, Locke immediately found a safe place to cast his spell. This was the Thunderstorm spell that he had secretly learned from Clifford! Soon, black clouds gathered in the sky. As Locke¡¯s magic level was considerably low, the clouds were not that dense. However, it was enough for Locke to kill this lizard! Somehow, the lizard detected the beginnings of the spell, and it realized that something was wrong and wanted to stop Locke from casting. However, it was useless because the Steel Dragon helf it in place. No matter how hard it tried, it could not break free. After casting the Thunderstorm spell, Locke raised the spear in his hand and absorbed all the lightning power in the sky into the spearhead. He jumped up and used the auxiliary wings to fly toward the poisonous lizard¡¯s head. Seeing Locke enter its attack range, it opened its mouth to shoot out poisonous gas, but it was hit by one of the Steel Dragon¡¯s claws, causing the lizard to swallow all the venom that it was about to spit out. Locke used this opportunity to stab the spear into its head. The power of lightning surged into the lizard¡¯s ugly head, blowing it to pieces. Locke immediately cast a magic barrier to block the disgusting remains of the lizard¡¯s head from flying everywhere. ¡°Congratulations to the host for killing the Poison Lizard. You have gained 50,000 experience and 500 Merchant Shop Points.¡± After the battle ended, the maintenance staff at the communication tower immediately walked over. Locke stood on the tower and saw the huge magical waves in the distance. He knew that Clifford had begun fighting on his end! There were a total of four communication towers, so Locke¡¯s mission did not end there. After giving some instructions, he flew toward the next communication tower. Queen Melissa, who was waiting in the castle, was very anxious, but soon, her magic communication device picked up a signal. ¡°My Queen, this is the Imperial Guards!¡± Upon hearing the voice, Melissa immediately stood up and threw her wide skirt to the ground. Just like that, she stood naked in the room and commanded the army to retaliate against the enemy. With the first army holding up their own, they quickly regained control over a corner of the city. With the recovery of the second communication tower, the city defense was completely restored. All the soldiers were doing everything in an orderly manner under the queen¡¯s command. The two dukes outside the city realized that the connections they had within the city were breaking off one after another and they became anxious! Reina threw the communication device in his hand to the ground and stomped on it! ¡°You good-for-nothings! You can¡¯t let her escape just like that! We had her completely under our control!¡± With that said, he returned to the command center to cook up a retaliation plan again the queen. With his rich experience, Clifford quickly regained control of the third communications tower from the enemy. He stood at the top of the tower and looked into the distance. He realized that the magical waves in Locke¡¯s direction were very chaotic. Sensing that something was wrong, he immediately left instructions for the soldiers to repair the communication tower and rushed in that direction. Meanwhile, Locke was feeling extremely uncomfortable, because a terrifying man had appeared before him. This terrifying man had fused himself with a blood dragon, and Locke was completely helpless against him. If not for the Steel Dragon¡¯s help, Locke would have already died under this unknown man¡¯s fist! Seeing that things were about to go down south really fast, Locke immediately shouted for Eliza, ¡°Hurry up and come out! If you don¡¯t come out now, you might never see me again!¡± Sensing Locke¡¯s intense emotions, Eliza finally appeared behind him. The two dragons and one man continuously attacked the unknown man who had fused with the blood dragon, but it was not very useful. Even if the attack landed on his body, and his blood spurted everywhere, the blood would immediately return to his body! This unknown man did not suffer any damage under the fierce attacks! Clifford, who had just arrived at the scene, noticed this special ability of the unknown man and hid nearby to observe his weakness. Chapter 21 The battle between Locke and the unknown man who had become one with the blood dragon continued to escalate. The surrounding reinforcement soldiers could no longer get close to them. Seeing the soldiers who were constantly charging forward and sacrificing themselves, Locke immediately warned them, ¡°All of you, leave quickly! Leave this battle to me! The more important task here is to repair the communications tower!¡± Hearing Locke¡¯s words, the surrounding soldiers immediately retreated. Seeing that the soldiers had left, Locke immediately raised his hand, and the tattoo on his wrist began to glow. This was Locke¡¯s first attempt. He was prepared to enter the state of becoming one with both the Steel Dragon and Eliza. Because of the Steel Dragon, Locke was not sure if he could do it. However, if he didn¡¯t, he would lose this battle. Before he transformed, Locke quickly filled in all the experience points that he had obtained into their respective lists. After splitting the 350,000 EXP evenly, their levels immediately went from Level 10 to Level 15. Their strength improved tremendously! Clifford, who was standing far away, did not expect the magic in Locke¡¯s body to suddenly expand. This was too surprising! ¡°Just how many secrets is this kid hiding?!¡± After leveling up, Locke immediately merged with the Steel Dragon and Eliza. The white dragon scale armor appeared on his body, and the Steel Dragon split apart, merging seamlessly with the white armor. The originally handsome and ferocious armor was immediately filled with an ancient aura. The combination of white and black metal had an indescribable strangeness to it. ¡°Two dragons in one, Light and Dark Sacred Armor!¡± When the enemy saw that Locke had evolved into a similar state as him, he immediately sensed that something was wrong. He could sense the presence of two dragons from the other party! Locke immediately took out his Nine Tribulations and injected magic into it. The black and white armor on his body immediately extended to his weapon. Twin Light and Darkness¡ªNine Tribulations! After the spear was unfurled, the spearhead immediately released a black thunderstorm that was even more destructive than lightning! After completing everything, Locke swung the spear in his hand. A destructive black lightning energy immediately struck the man with the Blood Dragon. Feeling the irreversible damage from the attack, the unknown man was scared! He did not dare to receive Locke¡¯s attack because he could sense that the energy contained within the attack could severely injure him. After dodging Locke¡¯s attack, he immediately cast auxiliary magic on himself. His body¡¯s movement speed increased by more than two times. Clifford, who was at the side, made use of the time they were fighting to immediately escape to a safe corner. He was prepared to find the weakness of this cursed blood dragon. However, after a careful search around, he did not find any magic formation around him. However, through Locke¡¯s constant attacks, he could see that there was a blood core inside the man¡¯s body. He could tell that this core was the reason why every physical attack from Locke was unable to deal any damage to him. However, this unknown man seemed to avoid most of the magic attacks Locke threw at him. Hence, it did not cause any damage to him as well. During the battle, Clifford immediately used a magic communication device to speak to Locke. ¡°You can¡¯t hurt him like this! He has a blood core inside his body, it¡¯s a little to the left of his heart! I¡¯ll cast a spell to trap him later, then you can use your weapon to stab him there!¡± Clifford started casting his spell, but he was soon discovered by the man with the Blood Dragon. The strange man intended to make a move to stop Clifford from casting the spell, but he could find no way to avoid Locke¡¯s attacks. Meanwhile, Locke was like a god of war. The more he fought, the fiercer he became, and the strength in his arms did not seem to decrease at all. Suddenly, the man with the Blood Dragon noticed that something was wrong. He immediately took out his magic communication device and prepared to contact his main group. However, he realized that his communication failed! ¡°These bastards! How could they give up so easily? I knew I shouldn¡¯t have worked with them!¡± Knowing that there was no way out, the man immediately cancelled his transformation and commanded the blood dragon to fly him into the sky. Meanwhile, the fourth communication tower had been repaired. The troops on the ground immediately received the order to defend the kingdom. They immediately attacked the blood dragon in the sky, but the thumping attacks did not cause him any damage. As he rose into the sky, he glanced at Locke before quickly flying away from the city. Because of his depleting magic powers, Locke no longer had any means to pursue. Although this fusion had increased his attack power by several times, the consumption of magic was also huge. After the strange man and his Blood Dragon left, Locke immediately cancelled his transformation. The two dragons then transformed into a black and white light that returned to Locke¡¯s back. Locke immediately used the Nine Tribulations spear in his hand to support his body when he felt the energy of both dragons escaping his body. Clifford immediately stopped casting his spell and came to Locke¡¯s side to cast an inspection spell. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just a little exhausted!¡± Clifford immediately took out the potion bottle and handed it to Locke. This kind of intermediate magical potion was rare even in the kingdom, that was why even the Dragon Rider mages did not have access to Mana Recovery Potions. There were some elementary Mana Recovery Potions in the warehouse, but even a hundred of these potions would not be able to replenish their mana. After the battle ended, the city returned to normal. All the soldiers began to distribute the rations that Locke and Clifford had brought. After completing the mission, the two of them retreated to Queen Melissa¡¯s palace for a rest. Seeing how disheveled they looked, she immediately arranged for them to rest in a very spacious room. The next morning, they were woken up by a maid¡¯s voice. ¡°Queen Melissa invites you over!¡± After saying that, the maid waited for them at the door. After tidying up their clothes, they followed the maid into the palace. Today, Queen Melissa looked completely different. She had put on makeup again. Furthermore, she had changed into a battle attire! Seeing Rock and Clifford arrive, she immediately said to them, ¡°In another hour, it will be six o¡¯clock! When the time comes, I will light up the flames on the tower in the center! We will then launch an all-out counterattack!¡± After hearing the queen¡¯s words, the two of them stood quietly at the side and waited. At this moment, Locke¡¯s badge rang, and Green¡¯s profile appeared before their eyes. ¡°How¡¯s the situation?¡± ¡°At six in the morning, Empress Melissa will launch a counterattack!¡± ¡°Have the other teams arrived yet?¡± ¡°They have already met up with Duke William Rowan and are now lying in ambush near the enemy¡¯s army. When the war begins, they will sneak up to the enemy from behind! All preparations are completed. Now, it¡¯s time for a full-scale counterattack.. We¡¯re definitely going to win this war!¡± Chapter 22 Time passed, and the ancient bell of the palace began to ring. The empress brought Locke and Clifford to meet up with the army in the city. The four generals in the city had been waiting for a long time. There were four high-level Dragon Knight mages in total. They were the Blue Dragon, Green Dragon, Red Dragon, and Ice Dragon. The Azure Poison Dragon stood behind the empress. There were a total of five dragons. Originally, Stonolo had eight generals, but due to the rebellion, only the most loyal four remained. From outside the city, Duke William Rowan could already see the flames burning in the city. He had commanded all 150,000 of his troops to be stationed in the front line. Meanwhile, Queen Melissa was making her final declaration of victory! ¡°The Stonolo Kingdom has been established for more than 500 years, although it is not as powerful as the surrounding countries, we still managed to survive until today! ¡°The two dukes, Hanz and Renault, have betrayed us and sided with the enemy! As Queen, I officially announce that Hanz and Renault be stripped of their dukeship permanently. No matter the outcome of this battle, I will personally take their heads! ¡°When the war is over, none of their family members shall be spared! Their lives will be taken to commemorate all the victims and loyal soldiers of this kingdom!¡± After saying that, Queen Melissa raised the gem-studded scepter in her hand and summoned the Azure Poison Dragon that was attached to her back. She then rode on her dragon and they flew off the ground, charging toward the battlefield. Motivated by Queen Melissa¡¯s heroic bearing, the moment she flew out of the city, all the soldiers rushed out of the city gates! Meanwhile, Locke could not help but ask Clifford, ¡°What should we do?¡± Clifford was also very helpless. He could only say, ¡°Let¡¯s follow the queen first! If anything happens, we might be able to help!¡± Locke immediately summoned his Steel Dragon, and the two of them chased after Queen Melissa. Soon, they saw a shocking scene. The moment Queen Melissa¡¯s Azure Poison Dragon flew out of the city, its body kept dripping venom onto the ground. The green venom was like rain. The soldiers who came into contact with the venom did not even have time to scream before they were corroded into pools of blood. Queen Melissa¡¯s target was very clear. She flew straight toward the enemy¡¯s command camp. Other than Locke and Clifford, two other generals, Red Dragon and Ice Dragon, followed closely behind. Before Queen Melissa could reach the enemy¡¯s base camp, Hanz and Renault appeared, riding a Black Dragon and a yellow Earth Dragon respectively. Only the Black Dragon and Earth Dragon were immune to the poison of the Azure Poison Dragon. The three of them faced each other in the air. Queen Melissa said domineeringly, ¡± In the past, I could forgive you no matter what you did! But this time, no matter who stands in my way, I will not let you off easily!¡± Hearing Queen Melissa¡¯s words, Duke Renault immediately laughed. ¡°Hahaha! Do we still need your forgiveness? From today onward, we will be the kings of Stonolo! When the time comes, I will tie you up in the castle hall and let the soldiers humiliate you! We¡¯ll use your body to reward these soldiers who won the war with me! It is most unfortunate that you still don¡¯t have any children. Otherwise, I would personally pay a visit to your son and daughter!¡± Locke, who was flying not far away, felt a surge of displeasure when he heard this. The Queen was completely enraged. Meanwhile, her Azure Poison Dragon had already entered its complete form. All the tissues scattered around her body had been fully unfolded. She looked extremely terrifying. In order to avoid being affected, Locke immediately commanded his Steel Dragon to fly higher into the sky to assess the surrounding situation, so as to prevent any surprise attacks. The battle below immediately became intense. The five of them engaged in an intense battle between dragons and magic in the sky. Queen Melissa raised her staff and injected magic into her gem-studded golden staff. Without even needing to chant any spells, multiple instantaneous magic arrays appeared, surrounding the space around them. Green ice laced with venom shot out from the magic array toward Renault and Hanz. When the two saw this, they quickly dodged, but something unexpected happened. The ice was not an attack method. When it approached the two of them, it exploded. The poison contained in the green ice filled the air, and the two immediately casted a magic barrier to shield themselves. However, they were unable to resist the poison, and within a few seconds, their faces turned green. Locke and Clifford who were watching from above could not help but look at each other. ¡°Poison can be infused into ice magic?¡± ¡°Of course, but this method is not something you can achieve at your current stage! Your current mage level is at most that of a Great Mage. Even with the support of a dragon, you can barely match the strength of a Mage Mentor! When you become a Mage Mentor, you will be able to integrate Eliza¡¯s light attribute into your magic staff!¡± As he spoke, Clifford realized something. Although Locke¡¯s current power has already reached the level of a Great Mage, his magical skills were still too poor! If not for the enhancement of his extraordinary weapon, he could not even be considered a mage! Thinking that, he could not help but cover his forehead with his hand! Locke felt a deep sense of malice as he looked at Clifford¡­ Seeing Locke staring at him, Clifford immediately patted him on the shoulder and said, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to impart all the magic knowledge I know to you!¡± After being poisoned, Renault could not help but point at Queen Melissa and say, ¡°You! Didn¡¯t you disdain using such methods?¡± ¡°In the past, I would not have used any tricks to deal with the enemy! But you are not human! So it doesn¡¯t matter what method I use! We honor the code of knights in a fight between knights. You¡¯re not worthy. This is enough to deal with the likes of you!¡± After saying that, Queen Melissa raised the magic staff in her hand without hesitation, increasing the speed of the poison¡¯s proliferation in their bodies. Hanz wanted to kneel and beg, but the queen did not give him the chance. Queen Melissa knew that she would be soft-hearted, so before they begged for mercy, she resolutely turned them into pools of blood. Even their dragons were not spared. They all turned into a pool of vicious liquid in the sky. Then, all the liquid that contained the essence of the dragons was swallowed by the queen¡¯s Azure Poison Dragon. In the distant mountains, a certain General from the Kingdom of Castley, who was on his way to provide support to Hanz and Renault, saw the scene and quickly fled.. Chapter 23 A week passed by very quickly. All the family members of Duke Hanz and Renault were tied up on a high platform. Other than the servants, there were few hundred people tied up in the city square, awaiting the execution. Locke and Clifford were very sympathetic toward them, but it was not worth their pleading. They only took one look before the execution and left the square to return to their residence. Just as Locke returned to his room, Green¡¯s call connected. ¡°Hey! I haven¡¯t seen you for a few days. How have you been?¡± Even though there were dangers along the way, this mission was definitely much more troublesome than the one involving the necromancer and the bone dragon. Seeing Locke¡¯s serious expression, Green stopped joking with him. ¡°The King and the Senate sent a message! You can come back after receiving the rewards from the queen. Please treat this period of time as a long vacation!¡± Upon hearing this, Loke let out a sigh of relief. If they were to give him a few more missions now, he would really die! After the previous battle, it was impossible to recover without half a month of rest! Seeing Locke¡¯s solemn expression, Clifford walked over. ¡°Is there a new mission?¡± Loke hurriedly waved his hand and explained, ¡°The King wants us to accept the queen¡¯s rewards before leaving. We get to treat this period of time as a holiday!¡± Clifford immediately found a place to sit down. ¡°I can finally rest!¡± Due to this battle, much of the city had been blown to ashes. Meanwhile, the fire in the square had burned for more than ten minutes, and all the family members of Renault and Hanz that did not manage to escape were burnt to ashes. No one felt any pity toward these family members of the traitors. Everyone was extremely enraged because the city they loved was reduced to ashes due to the war, and it was all Renault and Hanz¡¯s fault. Many people fuelled the fire with firewood. This unforgettable hatred was deep-rooted in the hearts of the city people, and many stayed on the sidelines to watch until the sinners on the wooden stakes were reduced to dust, only then were they willing to leave and continue with their daily lives. After resting for half a day, Locke brought Clifford to the main street. When he saw the scene, he could not help but feel pity for the dead souls burning in the middle of the fire. ¡°Even though I¡¯m not against this, this is too much!¡± Clifford rubbed his hand over his empty chin and thought for a moment. ¡°Even though I don¡¯t agree with this, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it! Do you see those angry citizens? They saw their home and family die with their own eyes. Even though the people being burnt in the square have already been reduced to ashes, they were still filling the fire with firewood! Their pain is just too immense and hard to forget!¡± Just as he finished speaking, a man in a guard uniform came from behind and stopped them. ¡°My Lords, please wait for me!¡± He ran over from afar. ¡°Queen Melissa has been looking for you for a long time! Please follow me back to prepare for tonight¡¯s glory award ceremony!¡± The two of them immediately got on the Earth Dragon chariot that the guards had prepared earlier and returned to the castle. The evening banquet thrown on their behalf was an important one. Hence, when they returned to the castle, there were several people who were on standby to take their measurements and prepare new outfits for them. Half an hour later, two sets of clothes were ready for them. The clothes were very luxurious, and they were made according to the standards of Stonolo¡¯s noble attire. Before leaving, Locke could not help but ask Clifford, who was beside him, ¡°Is there a mistake with the style of the clothes?¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be wrong!¡± ¡°We¡¯re enjoying the treatment of heroes!¡± ¡°Looks like tonight¡¯s ceremony is way more important than I thought!¡± ¡°No wonder Green told us to attend the award ceremony before going back!¡± This time, not only would they receive Queen Melissa¡¯s glorious award, they would also receive the Dunmei Medal of Heroes when they returned! After the conversation ended, the two generals pushed open the door and invited them into the queen¡¯s palace. Seeing that the two of them were very reserved, Queen Melissa did not pay much attention to their etiquette issues. She immediately read out the rewards for them. ¡°Reynolds Locke and Aldrich Clifford from the Kingdom of Dunmei played a crucial role in this counterattack. They brought a new hope to Stonolo! For this, I will award them the Honorary Knight medal of the Kingdom of Stonolo!¡± ¡°With the award of this honor, we will strengthen the unwavering alliance between Stonolo and the Kingdom of Dunmei!¡± Everyone present was shocked. They had never thought that the queen would award them the Honorary Knight Medal! Not one, but two! This had never happened in the hundred years of history in the Kingdom of Stonolo. The last time a Honorary Knight Medal was awarded was 20 years ago. The person who received the medal of honor was Duke William of Stonolo! Clifford felt that something was strangely wrong after receiving the award. He had not expected things to turn out this way. After the two left, Clifford ushered Loke into a separate room. Seeing how nervous he was, Locke asked, ¡°Did something happen?¡± He pointed at the medal on Locke¡¯s chest and explained, ¡°This Honorary Knight Medal is only bestowed to one who deserves the highest honor in Stonolo! In other words, you now have the power equivalent to a Duke of Stonolo!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke did not think much of it. ¡°I¡¯m the captain of the fourth team of the Demon Dark Blade Dragons. I¡¯m also a recipient of the Magic Dragon Cross Medal. With the authority of a duke here, wouldn¡¯t it be much more convenient for me to come here for missions?¡± Hearing Locke¡¯s twisted logic, Clifford was almost convinced. However, he couldn¡¯t shake of that nagging unease that he felt. Loke immediately patted his shoulder and comforted him, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. The king has already given us permission to return. This is reasonable! Who knows, I might even receive a higher-level medal from the king!¡± At these words, Clifford seemed to recall something. Indeed, something like this could happen. With the current situation in the Kingdom of Dunmei, their alliance with the Kingdom of Stonolo was very important, because the two kingdoms spanned the north and south of the middle west parts of the Dragon Faust Continent! Clifford heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Well, it seems like I was overthinking! This incident is most likely because the king wants to establish a closer alliance with Stonolo through the two of us!¡± In fact, he guessed half of it correctly, because other than wanting to ally with Stonolo, King Dunmei wanted to use Locke to further restrain Queen Melissa. This was because Queen Melissa had included a very special condition in the secret agreement with him! The King would have to agree to a secret marriage agreement between Queen Melissa and Reynolds Locke. Upon hearing the condition Queen Melissa had set, the king of the Dunmei Kingdom was stunned. What kind of condition was this?! However, he quickly guessed Queen Melissa¡¯s intentions and felt that she had definitely seen something in Locke! Chapter 24 After dinner, Locke prepared to return to his room with Clifford, but he was quickly led away from the servants. Locke was taken to Queen Melissa¡¯s room. When they reached the door, Locke was very confused. ¡°Are we in the right place?¡± The servant immediately nodded at him and said, ¡°Yes, sir. Queen Melissa asked you to wait for her in her room!¡± When he pushed open the door and entered, Locke saw a huge Azure Poison Dragon lying on the bed. It merely glanced at Locke before turning its head and continued to sleep. The sound of running water could still be heard from the side room. Queen Melissa seemed to be bathing. Locke was extremely anxious and at a loss. Hearing the commotion in the room, Queen Melissa pushed open the bathroom door and called out to him, her hair still wet. ¡°What are you doing? Come and take a shower!¡± This scene felt like they had been married for many years. Locke could only brace himself and walk over. After taking off his clothes, he stood outside the door and hesitated for a long time before pushing the door open. The first thing he saw was the naked Queen Melissa, who was washing her hair. When she heard him coming in, she said, ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and help me wash my back!¡± Locke was currently naked, but because of his status, he did not dare to have any unthinkable thoughts. He came behind Queen Melissa and picked up the washbasin beside her to help her scrub her back. He slid his hand down to her slender waist and realized that her skin was as smooth as a baby¡¯s. Locke, who had yet to experience anything of this sort immediately raised his head. ¡®Calm down! Stay calm, the Queen is right in front of you!¡¯ Queen Melissa washed away the foam on her head, then turned around to look at Locke, and realized that there was something very impressive at the bottom half of his body. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk! At such a young age, you seem to have quite an impressive one!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke immediately used his hand to cover his vital spot. The young Locke could not resist such temptation! However, he remained calm and asked Melissa, ¡°Your Majesty, why did you call me here today?¡± Upon hearing this, Queen Melissa covered her mouth and chuckled. She planned to tease Locke again. ¡°What do you think can happen when a man and a woman are in the same room?¡± Upon hearing this, Locke immediately struggled to keep his cool. ¡°Your Majesty, you have a noble body. How can small fry like me be worthy of you!¡± Melissa immediately turned around and grabbed Locke¡¯s shaft. ¡°That¡¯s what you say, but underneath, you¡¯re very honest!¡± Locke very much wanted to struggle, but this was Stonolo. After thinking calmly for a while, he gave up. If he did something that went too far, he might immediately turn from a hero into a criminal. One might even accuse him of being a criminal who had molested Queen Melissa! Seeing Locke¡¯s complicated expression, Melissa immediately said to him, ¡°Looks like the king of Dunmei didn¡¯t tell you about this!¡± Clifford, who had just received King Donmel¡¯s secret order, was feeling regretful in his room. He was silently praying for Locke to not have it too difficult. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything!¡± ¡°This is what happened! I have just signed a long-term alliance agreement with the king of Dunmei. There is one condition in the agreement. When I abdicate, I will marry you!¡± After hearing Queen Melissa¡¯s words, Locke immediately froze! What¡¯s going on? Am I going to be sold by my kingdom just like that? ¡°But I¡¯m still young. I¡¯m only in my thirties, and I still have a long way to go before I can abdicate my throne! That¡¯s why I decided to ask you this before I abdicate. Otherwise, with your looks, many young girls will be attracted to you very soon! ¡°Give me your virginity tonight!¡± After hearing this, Locke¡¯s mind was still in a mess. He did not know what to say! Under Queen Melissa¡¯s gentle and slender touch, he finished bathing. After leaving the shower, she immediately put away the Azure Poison Dragon and turned it into a green tattoo. Melissa grabbed Locke¡¯s shaft gently and led him to her bed. Just like that, she pushed Locke onto the bed and straddled him. ¡°Am I beautiful?¡± Locke sized her up thoroughly with his own eyes and realized that Queen Melissa¡¯s tanned skin was extremely beautiful! The two huge melons on her chest did not seem to have undergone any changes. They were as perfect as before. Locke could not help but gulp. Seeing that Locke was in a daze, Melissa bent down and cupped Locke¡¯s face with her hands before kissing him on the lips. At this moment, Locke could not take it anymore. Since things had turned out this way, he would go in the offense! Just as he was about to push Queen Melissa down, he was quickly subdued! ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll be the first to make a move! Even if you¡¯re a man, I won¡¯t let you have it your way!¡± Queen Melissa pressed down on Locke¡¯s shoulders and immediately pressed herself against Locke. As Locke¡¯s waist was constantly bucking, Melissa had no choice but to let go of her hands that were pressing on Locke. She grabbed his erection, and placed it in the place where the tide had already flooded. As soon as he entered, Locke felt a layer of barrier. ¡°This is your first time?¡± Melissa had already entered a state of bliss. She opened her charming eyes and looked at Locke before explaining, ¡°Of course!¡± Then, he gritted his teeth and went to through it. Even the Archmage, Queen Melissa, could not bear the pain. She immediately curled up and hugged Locke tightly. Her nails dug into Locke¡¯s skin, creating several bloody wounds on his back. Feeling the pain, the two curled up. Locke felt the tightness beneath Melissa and immediately straightened her back. The two of them grabbed each other and went at it at the same time, neither giving in to the other. After a long time, Melissa¡¯s energy was restored and they went at it again! Because it was their first time, they were very energetic. They did not stop until it was dawn. ¡°You really are a man. You don¡¯t give way to women at all!¡± Locke placed one arm under Melissa¡¯s head and raised the other hand to pinch her chest lightly. He said, ¡°I can give way to women for anything else, except for this, because this concerns a man¡¯s dignity!¡± Hearing Locke¡¯s declaration of victory, Melissa fell asleep beside him. Through this incident, she discovered that Locke was the knight that she had been looking for. When he was still young, Melissa had been through many assassination attempts. On the night before she ascended the throne, the entire Kingdom was in turmoil. Melissa, who thought that she was going to die, suddenly saw a crack of light in the sky. A man riding a white dragon appeared before her. The dragon contract on his hand was exactly the same as the one on Locke¡¯s wrist. Melissa did not know why a much older Locke, would appear there to save her, but from that day onwards, Melissa fell in love with the man riding the white dragon. She did not expect the knight of her dreams, whom she liked, to appear before him in this form. Everything was too surreal! Chapter 25 She did not wake up that night. Locke took off and flew into the sky with his Steel Dragon. Melissa seemed to have been in love with him for many years. It was impossible for her to feign such deep affection. Locke immediately activated his memories. From his memories, he could not find any memories that he had interacted with Queen Melissa before this. He lowered his head and fell into deep thought. Clifford looked at Locke, who was silent, and wanted to tell him about the news that the king had sent last night. However, seeing this situation, he could roughly guess what had happened to Locke. Thus, he asked, ¡°Was last night not a happy night?¡± Hearing Clifford¡¯s teasing, Locke smiled and said, ¡°Hmm! I just haven¡¯t figured out why Queen Melissa likes me! I¡¯ve only just reached adulthood. Even if my family has a noble background of an Earl, it¡¯s not worth it for the Queen to take a fancy to me!¡± Clifford immediately explained, ¡°Don¡¯t you know! Just your baby dragon is enough to drive any kingdom crazy!¡± ¡°Up till this day, there has only been one light-attribute giant dragon in the entire Dragon Faust Continent! You¡¯re the only one who doesn¡¯t think much about it!¡± Hearing Clifford¡¯s words, Locke could not help but ponder, ¡®Is that so? It doesn¡¯t seem like it!¡¯ By noon, they had already returned to the Kingdom of Dunmei. The entire capital was decorated with lanterns and colored banners. They couldn¡¯t find anywhere suitable to land, so Locke commanded the Steel Dragon to head straight for the king¡¯s castle. As they landed at the king¡¯s castle, a minister welcomed them with open arms. ¡°Greetings to the heroes of the Reynolds Locke expedition! The king has been waiting in the banquet hall for a long time. Please follow me!¡± They entered the king¡¯s banquet hall. There were only a few elders of the Senate and the king inside. The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Minister of Internal Affairs were present. Upon seeing the king, Locke felt extremely guilty and immediately knelt down on one knee. ¡°Greetings, my King!¡± Seeing that Locke, who was already engaged to Melissa, was still so polite, the king immediately walked over and helped him up. ¡°No need for formalities! You are now the expedition hero of the Dunmei Kingdom!¡± As he said that, he got someone to take the badge from him and hung the ¡°Guardian of Dunmei Hero Medal¡± on Locke¡¯s chest. ¡°From today onward, I appoint you as the captain of Team 5 of the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons!¡± After the announcement, he took out a golden medal from another box and hung it on Clifford¡¯s chest. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard on this journey! I hereby award you the Golden Star Medal of Honor! From today onward, you will continue to be Locke¡¯s mentor. I hope you can nurture Locke to become the strongest hero in the entire Kingdom of Dunmei!¡± After the simple ceremony, everyone toasted the two of them before leaving the banquet hall. Locke and Clifford were left behind. It was not that they did not want to continue celebrating with Locke, but this award was given secretly by the kingdom. Only a small number of people knew about Locke and Clifford¡¯s award. Locke looked at the empty hall and asked Clifford, who was eating beside him, ¡°They¡¯re all gone. Do we have to stay here?¡± Clifford swallowed the meat in his mouth and said, ¡°Of course I¡¯ll eat my fill before leaving. Otherwise, it would be such a waste of so many delicacies!¡± Upon hearing about food, Eliza, who had been asleep for a long time, suddenly appeared before Locke. When it saw the food that filled the hall, it immediately became as big as a plate, and it started to eat. This banquet was supposed to end very quickly, but because of Eliza¡¯s appearance, the banquet lasted for more than three hours. Suddenly, a thought dawned upon Locke and he asked Clifford, ¡°I¡¯m now the captain of Squad 5! Does the Dark Blade not have a dorm?¡± Hearing this, Clifford could not help but laugh. ¡°The members of the Special Operations Team are either on a mission or on the way to a mission. How could there be a hostel! The usual bonuses and salary are enough for you to stay anywhere!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke could not help but feel that the Demon Dragon Dark Blade was really stingy, but it had its benefits. It would not be easy to find its hiding place because there was no hiding place to begin with! They arrived at the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons underground branch, inside Green¡¯s office. Seeing them push the door open, Green immediately extinguished the cigarette in his hand. ¡°Yo, kid! You¡¯ve been living quite comfortably these days!¡± Locke glanced at Green and realized that this man seemed to have seen through everything. It would be impossible for him to gain any advantage from Green. Clifford walked over and lit a cigarette. ¡°You old man! You¡¯re always trying to steal my cigarettes. Can¡¯t you just buy a few for yourself?¡± After taking a deep puff, Clifford laughed. ¡°I can¡¯t even buy a few boxes of such rare items with my meagre salary! You¡¯re so stingy. Why do you nag so much every time I smoke a cigarette?¡± Hearing this, Green stopped badgering him and immediately took out all the team badges from the drawer and passed them over to Locke. ¡°Reynolds Locke, congratulation on becoming the Captain of Squad 5! Now, we¡¯re on equal footing. Sigh, life is getting more and more difficult!¡± Then, he handed over the compact box on the other side to him. ¡°This is your reward for completing the recent mission!¡± Opening the box, five platinum coins were neatly placed inside. ¡°So many?¡± ¡°One platinum coin is your annual salary as captain! The other one is your team members¡¯ salary. Even though you don¡¯t have any members yet, after you find your members, you will personally pay their salary. The other three are the rewards for helping the Kingdom of Stonolo! ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by the amount of money. In fact, it¡¯s just a small sum to the captain of Team 5! From now on, every mission will be more difficult than Grade A, and the reward for each mission will be much higher!¡± Locke carefully observed the team emblem of Squad 5 and found that this badge was even more exquisite than before. Other than the original communication system, the storage space inside had also been upgraded to ten square meters. The usage method was still the same¡ªbound by magic and soul, and it could only be removed after the host died. ¡°Alright now! Don¡¯t wander around in front of me. I¡¯ll let you know if there¡¯s a mission.¡± After settling these matters, Green immediately chased them out of his office. After they left, he took out another cigarette and lit it. ¡°Kid, I hope you¡¯ll survive and live well.. After all, you have joined the most dangerous field in the world!¡± Chapter 26 After following Clifford back to his house, Locke went on a study spree. Within three days, Locke had learned all the elementary, intermediate, and advanced support magic spells. Locke, who had not slept well the entire day, buried himself in the sea of books. ¡°Ah! I don¡¯t want to learn anymore. I don¡¯t want to learn anymore. How many spells have I learned already!¡± In the middle of his venting, Locke¡¯s captain badge vibrated. ¡°Green? Is there a mission?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one in Hessler, southwest of the Dunmei Kingdom. Recently, there have been continuous attacks from the hydra. Set off immediately! The situation is extremely urgent!¡± After receiving the order, Locke immediately woke Clifford up. The two of them activated the steel dragon at the gate and flew towards the southwest. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Hessler is beseiged by sea monsters. Green asked me to investigate the situation!¡± ¡°Hessler is besieged by sea monsters? Doesn¡¯t that seem similar to the situation we faced at Colchislo?¡± While he was speaking, Locke took out the bedsheets he¡¯d taken from Clifford¡¯s house, laid them on the dragon¡¯s back and fell fast asleep. Seeing Locke sleeping soundly, Clifford immediately sat to the side and began to meditate. At noon the next day, Locke woke up and found that he could already see Hessler not far away from him on the steel dragon. The beach along the coast was crowded with sea magical beasts that were 5 to 8 meters tall. Magical beasts similar to eel dragons were attacking the soldiers on the beach. Sensing that Locke had woken up, Clifford stood up as well. Looking into the distance, he saw a dense group of sea magical beasts surrounding the beach. ¡°Where did these things come from?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been in the Dunmei Kingdom for so many years, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen something like this!¡± Even though Locke wanted to say something, he did not say it because he was not knowledgeable enough. ¡°Let¡¯s fly around and observe the situation!¡± After circling around Hessler, Locke found that the situation in the city was still alright. The magical beasts in the sea had yet to break through the city walls. However, the magical beasts in the sea seemed to be waiting for something. All of them were using magic to attack the city wall from afar. In order to find out the truth, Locke rode the steel dragon toward the sea. From twenty kilometers away, they could see a giant black shadow on the surface of the sea. To confirm what kind of monster it was, Locke leaned over to have a better look. When he was a few kilometers away, he could clearly feel that the beasts had been held back by magic! ¡°Holy shit! Is that Hydra?¡± Clifford immediately frowned when he saw this! ¡°Impossible, how could Hydra come here? It has always stayed at the bottom of the ocean, so it¡¯s impossible for it to appear here!¡± After careful observation, Clifford understood what kind of creature it was. ¡°That is an adult three-headed water dragon! Although it looks similar to Hydra, the difference in size is too great! Hydra can reach out from thousands of meters deep, and its neck is a thousand meters long! The total length of this one is only 100 to 200 meters. It¡¯s a far cry from Hydra!¡± Locke could not help but wipe his sweat. ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good!¡± ¡°If Hydra comes here, we¡¯ll go back to the city and evacuate the citizens! In the meantime, let us deal with this three-headed water dragon!¡± As he spoke, Locke expanded the huge body of the steel dragon and charged towards the huge creature on the sea. Seeing this situation, Clifford immediately activated his auxiliary wings and jumped away from the steel dragon. ¡°This kid is really not afraid of death!¡± Saying that, he came to Locke¡¯s side and started casting the large-scale spell, the Red Lotus Flame! Seeing the hundred-meter long steel dragon, the three-headed water dragon roared at it. Lightning, ice, and darkness dragon roars came charging at him. However, this did not cause any damage to the Steel Dragon, who was equipped with nine attributes. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Locke immediately summoned Eliza. After becoming one with the dragon, Locke immediately enlarged his body and swung the spear in his hand toward the three-headed water dragon. However, Locke had underestimated his opponent. The three-headed water dragon turned around and created a huge wave. It turned its body, borrowing the power of the water and shot towards Locke. The two heads on the left and right bit the wings of the steel dragon, and the one in the middle aimed at Locke. Locke immediately raised the spear in his hand and stabbed the middle head, accurately piercing the water dragon¡¯s eye. The water dragon immediately let go of its other two heads and fell from the sky. Before it fell into the water, its eye had completely recovered. Its three giant mouths were aimed at Locke, unleashing powerful magic waves. The shockwaves of lightning, ice, and darkness fused into one, turning into a coiled cylinder that shot towards him. Locke raised the spear in his hand to counter the impact. After the two energies collided, there was a violent explosion. Concealing himself within the smoke, Locke escaped into the distance. He then contacted Green via his badge. ¡°You¡¯ve only been here for a day. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Locke pointed at the sea monster in the distance and said to Green, ¡°If I encounter such a monster, can I ask for a volunteer to help out?¡± Seeing the three-headed water dragon in the distance, Green could not help but frown. ¡°How did this thing get here?¡± ¡°You should stall for time! I¡¯ll send someone to investigate right now.¡± Then, Adolf Green decisively cut the connection. ¡°This bastard!¡± Locke gritted his teeth and continued to attack the sea monster. Soon after, Clifford said to him through a magic voice transmission, ¡°My spell is ready! Make way!¡± Just as he finished speaking, Locke felt a burning sensation on his back! With no other choice, Locke rushed behind the three-headed water dragon to dodge this huge ¡®Red Lotus Flame¡¯ attack! The hundred-meter-wide flame exploded on the chest of the three-headed water dragon. The huge explosion created a huge fog on the surface of the sea. The two waited for it to dissipate. Looking at the huge mushroom cloud, Locke could not help but sigh at Clifford¡¯s powerful combat strength! A few minutes later, Locke saw a three-headed sea dragon swim out from the bottom of the sea. It was completely unharmed! After that magical attack, its body was actually bigger than before! Chapter 27 Seeing that the three-headed water dragon was not injured at all, Locke immediately activated the Steel Dragon¡¯s rapid flight mode and escaped with Clifford. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with this three-headed water dragon! It seems to be absorbing the energy from the explosion!¡± After Clifford¡¯s attack, the three-headed water dragon stopped attacking, as if it were digesting the energy it had just absorbed from the explosion. Clifford immediately turned his head and asked, ¡°What should we do now?¡± Locke shrugged helplessly. ¡°I contacted Green a while back. He said he will investigate the matter!¡± ¡°Looking at its movement and speed, this three-headed water dragon will not reach land in at least three days. Let¡¯s clear out all the magical beasts around Hessler first! If things get worse, we¡¯ll have to evacuate the citizens of Hessler ahead of time!¡± That was all they could do for now, because this was not an enemy they could deal with. After returning to Hessler, they spent less than three hours clearing out all the water beasts on the beach. A few beasts who were isolated from the group were taken down by the city guards. After the battle ended, the two returned to the city to find a restaurant to have a nice meal. After all, they had not eaten for more than a day since the battle began! As they were in a private room, Locke received Green¡¯s call. Green¡¯s expression did not look too good. ¡°Locke, they¡¯ll need another five days to provide reinforcements. In these five days, think of a way to hold back this three-headed sea dragon! When the time comes, the captain of Team 10 will personally come to your aid!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke could not help but frown. ¡°Five days?¡± ¡°We just fought it. There¡¯s no way to hurt it at all! It will reach Hessler in three days, so please send reinforcements on the fourth day!¡± After hearing Locke¡¯s words, Green immediately fell into deep thought. A few minutes later, he said, ¡°I will do my best! I¡¯ll think of something else in the next few days. I¡¯ll see if I can lead it in another direction!¡± Locke could only spread his hands helplessly. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll do my best. If it doesn¡¯t work out, get the people in the city ready to move!¡± After disconnecting, Locke instantly lost the mood to eat. Seeing Locke¡¯s depressed expression, Clifford suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk around the city at night to relax. This kind of thing happens often in the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons. You¡¯ve already done very well!¡± Helpless, Locke could only nod and quickly finished his food. *** A few black-robed men were setting up a huge magic array in the underground sewer. At the center of the array was a blue-haired girl. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be in a deep sleep. The four spellcasters remained silent as they continued to channel magic into the array. Meanwhile, up on the streets, a few men in blue fancy clothing were frantically searching for the princess. They were the guards of the Princess of the Kingdom of Correne, and everything was fine when they entered the city! The naughty princess wanted to go out to play. Hence, when night came, she used her bedsheets to escape from her room on the second floor. After that, she completely disappeared! Her guards immediately rushed to the city lord¡¯s residence to report this matter to the city lord. However, due to the attack of the water beasts surrounding the city, the city lord¡¯s attention was completely focused on defending the city, and he had no time to help them find the princess. Elijah Smythe, the princess¡¯s personal guard, did not expect the princess to escape from her room! Using the magic stone in his hand, he tried again and again to sense the princess¡¯s location, but because the streets of the city were too complicated, he could not find her. At this moment, Locke, who was on the street with Clifford, was about to head to the entertainment bar. Suddenly, he was knocked down by a man in blue. ¡°Hey! What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Before Locke could finish, the two men in blue ran away. Clifford wanted to stop the two of them, but before he could make a move, they had disappeared. ¡°Locke, are you alright?¡± Locke stood up and looked into the distance. He patted his clothes and said, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine, but I have a feeling that those two are up to something!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look!¡± Clifford immediately cast the advanced support spell¡ªLight Body and Flight. The two chased after the mysterious duo through the dark alley. After searching for more than ten minutes, Clifford contacted Locke with his team badge. ¡°Come over quickly! I found them!¡± Through the captain¡¯s badge, Locke quickly found Clifford. He was standing on the roof, watching the two men below who were running around mysteriously. ¡°Have you figured out what happened?¡± ¡°I was afraid that you wouldn¡¯t be able to find me, so I stayed on the roof to observe what they were doing! They seem to be looking for someone, but there are too many buildings in the city, so they can¡¯t locate their target. However, it is better for us to stop them as soon as possible. They have already broken five or six stalls, and they will soon attract the attention of the city guards!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke immediately flew in front of the two of them. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry to stop you, but please cooperate with my investigation!¡± As he spoke, he took out the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons¡¯ badge. Seeing the exquisite token in Locke¡¯s hand, he stopped in his tracks. Elijah Smythe stared at Locke warily and said, ¡°Are you a member of the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons from the Kingdom of Dunmei?¡± Upon hearing this, Locke immediately put away the token in his hand. ¡°It¡¯s good that you recognize this! Who are you? Why are you running around the city?¡± Elijah Smythe immediately revealed his identity. ¡°I am the personal guard of the princess of the Correne Kingdom!¡± ¡°We came to Dunmei to discuss some matters, but the princess was being playful and escaped from her room on the second floor in the middle of the night! She has been missing for three days, so we are very anxious!¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you ask the city lord for help?¡± ¡°The city lord is occupied with the city¡¯s defenses due to the beasts¡¯ attacks, so he doesn¡¯t have time to send anyone to help us search!¡± Looking at Elijah Smythe¡¯s expression, he seemed to be hiding many things from them. Hence, Locke deliberately said, ¡°I heard that the Kingdom of Correne is good at controlling sea beasts! Is the sea beast outside related to your princess¡¯ disappearance?¡± Hearing this, Elijah Smythe immediately froze. Then, he pretended to be ignorant and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about this!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I am the captain of the fifth team of the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons! If you don¡¯t explain yourself to me now, I have the right to dispose of you as spies from the enemy!¡± Saying this, Locke took out his weapon! Chapter 28 Seeing the two people in front of him preparing to attack, Elijah Smith had no choice but to raise his hands. He told them about Correne Vicki, the daughter of king of the Correne Kingdom. When she was born, she touched a dragon egg in the room, and the dragon egg immediately hatched. Hence, not long after the princess was born, she had become a candidate for the throne! The main reason for coming to the Kingdom of Dunmei was to seek cooperation and to sign some important agreements with the Correne royal palace. However, unexpectedly, the princess escaped through the second-floor window as soon as they arrived in Hessler. In the past, the princess would return after she was tired from playing. However, this time, she did not return to the hotel as usual and disappeared without a trace! After the princess disappeared, Elijah Smythe used his magic stone to sense her presence, but to no avail. He spent three days inside the city, but he still could not find the princess! Upon hearing this, Locke seemed to have thought of something. ¡°You mean to say that for the past few days, you have been circling the city constantly, and you can still sense the princess¡¯ presence but cannot pinpoint her exact location?¡± Elijah Smythe nodded immediately. Locke immediately found an underground entrance across the street. After leading the few of them in, Locke explained, ¡°To prevent the enemy from invading from underground, every city¡¯s underground waterway is equipped with warning interference devices! If you can¡¯t find her in the city streets, then it must be because she is in the underground sewer!¡± As expected, after entering the underground waterway, the magic stone in Elijah Smythe¡¯s hand shone brightly. Under the guidance of the magic stone, they soon came to a large tunnel. This room was originally used to filter the city¡¯s sewage, but it had been transformed into a large room. In the room, there were four people who were constantly pouring magic into the magic formation. Clifford looked at it and explained to Locke, ¡°This is a spiritual manipulation magic array. Thie formation is used to manipulate the consciousness of the person within the array. It is a mind control formation!¡± Elijah Smythe looked toward the center of the formation and saw the princess floating there. ¡°Princess!¡± Just as he was about to walk over, Locke pulled him back. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to stop them, of course!¡± ¡°They are using mind spells. If you interfere now, your princess will become retarded if the spell fails!¡± Hearing Locke¡¯s words, he stopped what he was doing. ¡°Then what should we do?¡± ¡°Wait for Clifford to observe the situation, he should have a solution!¡± Hearing this name, Elijah Smythe calmed down. ¡°He is the king¡¯s chief mage, Aldrich Clifford!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Because of some special reasons, he is now my mentor!¡± ¡°You are Locke Reynold who hatched the young white dragon!¡± Hearing this, Locke was very surprised. He did not expect that someone from the far away Correne Kingdom would know of his existence. ¡°That¡¯s me!¡± Hearing Locke admit it, Elijah Smythe heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Then all the more, you should save Princess Correne Vicki! The main purpose of our visit this time is to marry you and sign a long-term contract with the Dunmei Kingdom!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke was stunned. ¡°Why?¡± Elijah Smith thought for a while and replied, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this later! The most important thing now is to save the princess from them!¡± Clifford had already analyzed the magic formation in the room and took out the magic staff from his waist. After a very complicated chant, the magic formation in the room suddenly changed. The magic circle that was about to be completed suddenly collapsed. The four of them were stunned by this scene. The magic formation that was supposed to be completed was cancelled just like that! ¡°What happened?¡± Just as the four of them were in a daze, Elijah Smythe, with the help of magic, flew to the princess¡¯s side and carried her away. Locke and the other guard quickly knocked down two of them. Finally, Clifford cast a vine spell and tied up the other two. After seeing Locke and Clifford, the two trapped by the vines laughed. ¡°Hahaha! It¡¯s the both of you? Don¡¯t even think about trapping us. We will meet again in the future! Well then, goodbye!¡± Clifford then realized that there was something wrong with the magic in their bodies! The man casted a spell and the magic in the four of them exploded, causing the room to collapse. Clifford hurriedly cast a defensive spell on the two people closest to them, but it did not have much effect. As the smoke dispersed, Locke and the other guard only suffered a slight impact under the protection of the steel dragon. Elijah Smythe had taken the princess far enough away that she didn¡¯t suffer much damage as they had escaped the perimeter before the explosion. The only one who was injured was Clifford. He was in such a hurry to put up a magic barrier for the two of them that he did not manage to leave in time. He vomited blood from the shock wave, but thankfully, he was not in the middle of the explosion, so he only suffered some internal injuries. Locke saw Clifford vomiting blood and immediately bought an intermediate healing potion from his system¡¯s merchant shop. As he helped Clifford up, Locke poured the entire bottle of red potion into Clifford¡¯s mouth. After resting for a while, Clifford¡¯s condition became much better. ¡°Phew! You really saved my life! This healing potion of yours is too precious!¡± Locke smiled and said to Clifford, ¡°Thanks to your magic shield, I only suffered a light injury! This is nothing!¡± After the explosion, the City Garrison Guard acted quickly. The person in charge of the Garrison Guard immediately rushed over. When he arrived, he quickly led Elijah Smythe and the unconscious girl to safety. Then he entered the corridor. When he saw two people on the ground. He was thinking of saying something, but quickly shut his mouth. He had seen Clifford before at a banquet. He was the king¡¯s chief mage! The other man, who was dressed in black and gold, was from the legendary Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons! After Locke stood up, the badge of the fifth team leader appeared before his eyes. Instantly, the garrison guard had the urge to kneel down. ¡°Why did I even come here? Doesn¡¯t seem like I¡¯d be of much help..¡± Chapter 29 Oakley immediately stood up straight and raised his hand in salute. ¡°Sir, I am very sorry to disturb you! If you have time, can I invite you to the Garrison Guard station to have a cup of tea and talk about what happened here? Of course, I know you two are very busy men. If there¡¯s really no time, I¡¯ll go back and write out a report!¡± Seeing the person in charge of the Garrison Guard, Locke almost laughed out loud. However, due to his position, he held himself back! ¡°Try not to publicize what happened today! I haven¡¯t figured out the specifics yet! You can just let the city lord know that the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons are looking into this matter. I¡¯m going to take all three of them with me. It¡¯s not a problem, is it?¡± Hearing Locke¡¯s words, Oakley immediately bowed to them before leaving with his subordinates. Locke supported Clifford as the five of them avoided the crowd on the other side of the sewer. Back in their hotel, Locke settled Clifford down and then went to Correne¡¯s room. ¡°How¡¯s Princess Vicki doing?¡± ¡°Ah! It¡¯s Lord Locke. The princess¡¯ condition is very stable now. I think it won¡¯t be long before she wakes up!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± ¡°Can you tell me more details about that matter we discussed halfway just now?¡± ¡°Well, the Kingdom of Dunmei is not the only one with a High Priest. The Kingdom of Correne also has a High Priest. A few days ago, the priest made a prophecy for the kingdom! After delivering his prophecy, he died. His last words were to betroth Princess Vicki to Lord Locke! So, the king sent a message to the Kingdom of Dunmei a while ago and sent Princess Vicki here to marry you as soon as possible. We didn¡¯t expect to run into you here!¡± In actuality, Locke did not want to ask about these things. He had wanted to know more about the three-headed water dragon. ¡°What about that dragon?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my lord. When Princess Vicki wakes up, she can immediately call off the three-headed water dragon!¡± ¡°Now that Lady Vicki is no longer in danger, I don¡¯t think the three-headed water dragon will command the magical beasts to attack this place!¡± After receiving this news, Locke quickly left the room and went to a quiet place to call Green. ¡°I told you, I¡¯ll arrange for backup as soon as possible. It¡¯s only been half a day, and you¡¯re already rushing me!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke could not help but feel his heart ache for Green. After all, he was in a very bad state now, and seemed to be extremely busy! ¡°Well, Green, the danger of the three-headed water dragon has been resolved. Therefore, you don¡¯t need to send any reinforcements here.¡± Hearing this, Green almost jumped with joy, but he quickly calmed down. ¡°Kid, are you serious? If you lie, something bad will happen!¡± As the matter was too complicated, even Locke had not managed to sort it out himself, so he could only pat his chest and guarantee, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! How can I joke about such things with you!¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll go and settle all the follow-up matters. Thank you so much, kid!¡± After that, Green hung up. After relaying the message to Green, Locke immediately went to his room and fell asleep on the bed. ¡°I¡¯ve been too tired recently. I¡¯ve been running around everywhere, so it¡¯s time for me to rest! And about those four unknown men, which organization or kingdom are they from?¡± As he thought about it, Locke fell sleep. Within a few seconds, he entered deep sleep. The next morning, there was a knock on the door. Locke immediately sat up and walked to the door to find that it was a stranger outside. ¡°You are?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb you, but I¡¯m the City Lord of Hessler, Joyce Lauren! The impact of what happened last night was too great, and it caused huge damage to the city! So, please tell me what happened last night! This way, I can apply for funding from the Ministry of Finance of the Kingdom of Dunmei!¡± Hearing the commotion outside the door, Clifford, who had recovered from a night of rest, walked over. ¡°Good day to you, Sir Joyce Lauren. I¡¯ll explain everything to you!¡± When he saw Clifford, Joyce Lauren¡¯s face immediately relaxed. ¡°Sir Clifford, I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Clifford immediately winked at Locke before bringing the city lord to another room to explain about the happenings from the previous night. Locke heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the city lord being taken away by Clifford. He was not used to dealing with people and could not explain what had happened last night. Shaking his head, he went to Princess Vicki¡¯s room. Just as he arrived, he heard a quarrel. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be that Locke¡¯s fianc¨¦e! Why do I have to marry a man I don¡¯t know after hearing the high priest¡¯s prophecy? I have to find my own happiness!¡± As she spoke, she chased Elijah Smythe out of the room. When he saw Locke standing outside the door, he shrugged helplessly at Locke. ¡°As you can see, this is how it is! I¡¯ve already brought Princess Vicki here. The rest is up to you!¡± Smythe immediately pushed the responsibility to Locke. Locke widened his eyes in shock! ¡°Hey! You can¡¯t do that! I didn¡¯t receive any news of this from the king! Therefore, I have the right to reject this!¡± However, Locke soon gave up on this idea. After Clifford sent the city lord away, he came to his side. He whispered in his ear, ¡°This morning, the King¡¯s secret order was for you to develop a good relationship with Princess Vicki and form an alliance between Dunmei and Correne! From today onward, you¡¯ll be in charge of escorting Princess Vicki. You don¡¯t have to go on too many dangerous missions!¡± After listening to Clifford, Locke thought that there was something wrong with his ears. ¡°Let me take a break first! Even if that¡¯s the case, how can you stop me from performing my duty! Anyhow, I¡¯ve just completed a very important mission, so I¡¯m going back to rest!¡± Hearing Locke¡¯s incoherent speech, Clifford patted his shoulder and comforted him, ¡°Even if you say that, the king will not care about you! Princess Vicki is now your fianc¨¦e. I¡¯ll leave the rest to you!¡± Then he left with Smythe.. Chapter 30 Not long after they left, Locke heard the sound of a window opening in the room. Locke quickly pushed the door open and realized that it was locked! Helpless, he forced open the door and rushed into the room. Princess Vicki had climbed down from the window with a blanket again. She had just landed and was choosing a direction to escape in. Helpless, Locke could only cast a light body spell on himself. He jumped down from the window and chased after her. As he followed behind her quietly, Locke realized that Princess Vicki was even more irresistible than he had imagined. When he reached the food street, he was attracted by the food there. He found a shop with decent renovations and walked in. Then he ordered a bunch of food on the table and sat down to eat. Locke arrived not far from her, quietly observing this beautiful woman with blue hair. Princess Vicki, who had calmed down to eat, seemed to be quite familiar with the food. Even though she had ordered a table full of food, she did not wolf down the food on the table. Although Locke kept staring at her, she didn¡¯t think much of it. The main reason was that Vicki didn¡¯t know Locke at all. After the previous incident, this was the first time she had seen Locke. When he was talking to Smythe outside, she was preparing to run away, so she did not hear what the people outside were discussing. Locke waited for more than an hour across from her before Vicki finally finished eating everything she had ordered. After she was done eating, she stood up and rubbed her full belly. After paying, she left. Locke followed her down a street and finally stopped in front of an accessory shop. She walked in and started to choose. Soon, she found a small yellow hair accessory that she liked. After the waiter passed her the hair accessory, she looked into the mirror and picked up the hairpin with the picture of a cute chick. ¡°This is perfect! How much is this?¡± ¡°This is an item made from yellow gems, it¡¯s 50 silver coins!¡± Princess Vicki took out the money without hesitation. After paying, she skipped out of the shop. Although Locke wanted to go up and talk to him, there was no opportunity for him to do so. He could not just rush up to her and say, ¡°I¡¯m your future fianc¨¦!¡± Of course not, because she hated this marriage to begin with. It took Princess Vicki an entire morning to walk through all of Hessler¡¯s prosperous streets. Feeling extremely bored, she followed the street to the south gate. Once she left the south gate, she walked toward the coastline. As she waited on south of the shoreline, the three-headed water dragon approached her. After roaring a few times in Locke¡¯s direction, it turned into a ray of light and returned to Vicki¡¯s back. She glanced in Locke¡¯s direction, then shouted in his direction, ¡°Stop hiding! You¡¯ve been following me the whole way. Come out quickly!¡± As expected, he was discovered by her three-headed dragon. Helpless, Locke could only walk out from behind the boulder. ¡°Hello, Princess Vicki! I am Reynolds Locke!¡± After Locke came out, because he was very handsome, she was immediately stunned on the spot. ¡°I thought Reynolds Locke was an ugly fatty! You look completely different from what I imagined!¡± Hearing this, Locke almost fell to the ground¡­ After calming down for a few seconds, he said, ¡°Who did you hear that from? I¡¯ve never been fat! My father has been very strict with me since I was young, so it¡¯s impossible for me to become a fatty!¡± After staring at each other awkwardly for a few seconds, Vicki quietly moved her feet. Locke saw this scene and knew that she wanted to slip away. Helpless, he said, ¡°I only just found out about our marriage! I was also very dissatisfied when I found out about this betrothal! So please calm down first and listen to what I have to say!¡± After hearing Locke¡¯s words, Princess Vicki wavered and stopped. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°I only just found out about this this morning! So please calm down. Let¡¯s discuss how to settle this marriage peacefully!¡± Hearing Locke¡¯s words, Vicki felt that it made sense. Since both of them did not agree to this marriage, it would be much easier to deal with it! Vicki stared into Locke¡¯s eyes for a few seconds before saying, ¡°Alright! You look serious. I¡¯ll go back with you and talk about this!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke finally heaved a sigh of relief. There were so many unknown enemies around. He felt much better if they could discuss it back in the city where it was safe! The two returned to the hotel, and Locke immediately brought Vicki to his room. ¡°How do you think we should handle this?¡± Since he had no way of resolving this matter, Locke decide to pass the ball to this naughty princess. She lowered her head to think, then turned around and started pacing back and forth! ¡°How about this? Since neither of us wants to get married, from today onward, the two of us will not interfere with each other¡¯s lives. I¡¯ll move to the Dunmei Kingdom. You do your thing, I¡¯ll do mine! As for the marriage, the two of us are unable to resolve it. We might as well not resolve it!¡± Hearing this, Locke could not help but admire Vicki¡¯s ability to stir up trouble. However, Locke¡¯s main purpose for looking for her today was not the marriage but to find out more about the background of the four people from before. The four of them did not seem like real people. They seemed to be human puppets. It was possible for one to control humanoid puppets from afar. That must be why they could create such a huge explosion underground! ¡°I have something to ask you. I hope you can help me!¡± ¡°What is it? Tell me!¡± ¡°Did you gather any information from the four men who kidnapped?¡± ¡°Information? For example?¡± ¡°For example, who they belong to and which country they belong to!¡± Because Vicki had fainted so suddenly, she had forgotten many things. After thinking for a few minutes, she yelled, ¡°I remember now! They say that they are the emissaries of God, and they are creating disasters on behalf of God!¡± After hearing this, Locke frowned. ¡°On behalf of God? This must be a cult!¡± Locke had never heard anything about God ever since he came to the Faust Dragon Continent! ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll investigate more about these people.¡± ¡°Since we have settled the matter of our marriage peacefully, please stay safe until we return to the Kingdom of Dunmei! There are too many anomalies recently! I cannot guarantee your safety if they catch you!¡± Princess Vicki immediately waved her hand and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about my personal safety! My three-headed water dragon has returned to my side. Even if a few hundred people appear, they cannot harm me! I believe you¡¯ve witnessed the power of my three-headed water dragon the last time you went up against it!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke left the room silently, allowing the wilful princess to do as she pleased. However, a moment later, Locke thought of something.. ¡®Isn¡¯t that my room?¡¯ Chapter 31 Leaving the room, Locke went to Clifford¡¯s room. ¡°I have something to ask you about those people from last night!¡± Clifford immediately put down his cup of tea. ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t really want to tell you about the four people from last night! But now that we¡¯ve met them, we might meet them again in the future, so I decided to tell you in advance. There are many people from a different world. After they came to this world, they discovered a problem¡ªthe existence of the six great catastrophes. Therefore, they wanted to destroy all six great catastrophes from this world. But up until now, no one has succeeded! Not even at the level of the High Priest! Since they couldn¡¯t destroy the six great catastrophes, they decided to destroy the continent on which humanity lives! Currently, we do not know if they have found a way to destroy the human world, but they will appear and control certain people. Their target this time was Correne Vicki! Since they¡¯ve already appeared once, they will definitely appear a second time!¡± After listening to Clifford, Locke fell into silence¡­ ¡®From another world like me? How did Clifford know that these people came from another world?¡¯ With this question, he asked, ¡°Sir, how did you confirm that these people came from another world?¡± ¡°Well, most people who grow up in this world only have one form when they sign a contract with a dragon. Clifford extended his hand. There was a black burn mark on his wrist. This was the pattern that had formed after the dragon had died. It was like a black scar on his wrist. ¡°Give me your hand!¡± Locke compared the tattoo on his hand to Clifford¡¯s. Other than the color difference, their contract tattoos were basically the same. ¡°If one is a visitor from another world, after signing the contract, a circle will automatically form around the contract! If you encounter something like this next time, be careful! In this world, although there are not many of these people, they have the ability to survive! Even if they are killed, they will be revived in a few years!¡± ¡°Revive? Impossible!¡± How could something that only happened in a game world happen in real life? Even if they came from an alternate world, such a strange thing could not happen. However, after Clifford¡¯s explanation, he remembered something. It was very likely that this was a game world. However, part of him did not believe it because the people and things here were real. If this was the game world, then he should be a player. He could not have been sent to this world for this to happen! Therefore, it was very likely that these people treated this world as a game. In that case, what was the meaning of his existence here?! Clifford looked at Locke¡¯s conflicted expression and sensed that Locke knew something. But he did not ask directly because Clifford himself did not expose the entire truth. Those who did not belong to this world were not true people from this world. A large part of it was because they had the heart to destroy this world. This intent of destruction would cause their Dragon Contract to be marked. This was one secret that not many in this world knew about. When Clifford became the king¡¯s chief mage, he learnt about this secret from the Senate. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about this! Next time we meet these people, just kill them! Although we will meet them again in eight years, there¡¯s no need to fear them. They will no longer be your match! After the conversation ended, Locke¡¯s heart was in turmoil. He seemed to have realized why he had been sent to this world! The next day, they embarked on the road to Dunmei City. In order to save time, after Locke left the city, he used the Steel Dragon to carry the Earth Dragon all the way to Dunmei City. The princess had never experienced this before. She was very curious and immediately walked out of her Earth Dragon carriage. In this world, not all dragons could fly. Princess Vicki¡¯s three-headed water dragon was a dragon seed that could unleash its full power in water. Therefore, she looked forward to flying! Seeing this, Locke gave her the auxiliary wings he had gotten from the Hanos Science and Technology Tower. After accepting Locke¡¯s item, Vicki seemed to be in a dilemma. She then said to him, ¡°Even if you give this to me, I won¡¯t fall in love with you!¡± With that, he turned around and returned to the carriage. Actually, Locke was just being considerate of the situation. He did not think too much about it. He did not expect such a small matter to give her such a good impression. Smythe, the guard at the side, walked over and explained to Locke, ¡°This is what happened. When Princess Vicki was young, the water dragon she hatched was often mocked by others. Because most dragons have the ability to fly, and even after Princess Vicki reached adulthood, her dragons could only swim in the water! This has been a sore issue for years and flying became the biggest pain in her life! The auxiliary flying equipment just gave her just now is a rare magic item that only the Kingdom of Dunmei can create! In the Kingdom of Correne, there is no such advanced magic technology, so one can only complete the solo flying magic if they have enough magic in them!¡± ¡°So this is why Princess Vicki was so excited when she received the auxiliary wings.¡± After listening to Smythe, Locke could finally understand why Vicki¡¯s personality had become like this. She looked more wilful than most people, but when she was alone, she seemed like just an ordinary girl who wanted ordinary things. She was able to finish her meal alone, and she would not leave without paying just because she was a princess. Therefore, other than her wilfulness of wanting freedom, she knew the world better than most princesses. ¡°Thank you for telling me this!¡± Elijah Smythe nodded and stepped aside. His duty, besides protecting the princess, was to help her maintain a good relationship with her fianc¨¦ at the critical moment. This was why Elijah Smythe had specifically told Locke about the princess. Currently, the Kingdom of Correne was under the attack of the Kingdom of Tarafton. No matter what, they had to obtain advanced technological equipment from Dunmei to support their kingdom. With that in mind, King Correne decided to marry his daughter to Locke to secure the future of his kingdom.. Chapter 32 On the way back to the Kingdom of Dunmei, something strange happened in the the Corayo Mountains, which was located in the southern part of Dunmei. A huge and complicated black magic array formed a cloud of darkness above the entire area. As more and more energy was absorbed by the magic array, the entire Corayo Mountains were enveloped in black light. Dark clouds covered the sky, blocking out the sun. The black light from the mountain enveloped the entirety of the Dunmei Kingdom. High up in the sky, Locke was still on his way back. He was still half an hour¡¯s journey away from the Kingdom of Dunmei. Shocked by the black light, he quickly stood up on the steel dragon¡¯s back. Locke sensed an ominous aura when he saw the black light in the mountains. He immediately used his magic communication device to contact Green. Suddenly, a magic wave struck them, and his connection device failed. Clifford was shaken awake by magic wave and immediately leaned towards Locke. ¡°What happened?¡± Locke pointed at the distant mountains and said, ¡°Something big seems to have happened over there!¡± Clifford immediately cast vision magic on his eyes, and he soon knew what had happened! ¡°This is a large-scale magic summoning array, one of the forbidden spells! Through the mountains of dark element ores, someone is summoning monsters from the abyss. I believe they are summoning the army of Death Destroyers in the abyss! They are all dead creatures from the abyss! We need to hurry back immediately. Something big is about to happen in the Kingdom of Dunmei!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke immediately stopped circling around and commanded the dragon to charge toward the Kingdom of Dunmei. Due to the urgency of the situation, Locke could not care so much anymore. He activated extreme speed mode, and they reached the Kingdom of Dunmei in half an hour. Due to the urgency of the situation, Locke had Elijah Smythe immediately arrange for Princess Vicki to check into a hotel. The two of them then hurried to the Dark Blade Dragons branch located in the capital city. When he opened the door to the office, there were already many people inside. Locke¡¯s first reaction was that these people looked extremely dangerous! Through the dim light in the room, Locke could see the team emblem on their chests. ¡°Captain of Team 12, Captain of Team 9!¡± The leader of Team 12 was a very young and beautiful woman. Two large breasts hung on her chest like honey melons. However, despite her beauty, she seemed extremely alert. Locke¡¯s sixth sense told him that approaching this woman could mean death. Seeing Locke arrive, Green immediately said, ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen the situation in the mountains south of the Kingdom of Dunmei? We haven¡¯t found anything yet, because our dragons were not able to enter that area!¡± This question seemed to be directed at him, but Green wasn¡¯t looking at him. Upon hearing this, Clifford immediately stepped forward and explained, ¡°This is a super-grade forbidden spell. This magic spell is triggered by using large amounts of living creatures and dark ores! If the spell is successful, one can summon abyssal creatures! When we passed by the mountains, we saw that most of the undead creatures summoned by the magic array were Death Destroyers from the abyss!¡± Hearing Clifford¡¯s words, Green immediately frowned. He took out the control panel on the table and immediately sent a message to the Elders in the Senate. The legendary leader of Team 12, Owen Adele, sensed the unusual aura on Locke and immediately came to his side with interest. She used her fair hands to caress Locke¡¯s back. ¡°Hi there, you seem to be hiding a lot of secrets. Do you want to get a room with me and have a good discussion?¡± Seeing this scene, Green felt a rising headache. He immediately said to Adele, ¡°This is the person that the king and the Senate have their eyes on. You¡¯d better not touch him! If something goes wrong, no one can protect you!¡± Upon hearing this, Adele immediately retracted her hand. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that he was only the captain of Team 4 some time ago? Not long has passed since then, and he¡¯s suddenly promoted to Team 5! I¡¯ve been away from the Kingdom of Dunmei recently, and so many things have happened!¡± Although Green wanted to explain this to her, he didn¡¯t have that much time. ¡°I¡¯ll explain it to you when we get back. Right now, the most important thing is to deal with the problem on the mountains in the south. The Senate has issued a notice! Team 12, Adele, and Team 9, Warren, follow Team 5 Captain Locke, and Clifford to the mountains in the south immediately to count the number of enemy strongholds!¡± Hearing this, the Team 9¡¯s Captain, Warren helplessly spread out his hands. ¡°The dragons can¡¯t be used in that area, and there¡¯s a magic barrier around it. How can we enter?¡± Green immediately pointed his finger at Locke and said, ¡°He has full control over the Hanos Science and Technology Giant Steel Dragon. As long as you follow him, you can enter directly from the sky!¡± Upon hearing this, the two people at the side were stunned. They did not expect the high priest¡¯s steel dragon to be controlled by Locke. After receiving the quest, the four of them were about to leave when Green handed over a magic item to Locke. ¡°This is a special type of magic communication device. It¡¯s a necessary item for every elite Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons team¡¯s captain.¡± After receiving it, Locke was confused. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you give it to me last time?¡± ¡°Because the previous team leader was destroyed in an explosion. This thing is very difficult to make, so please treasure it!¡± After leaving the underground headquarters, Locke immediately commanded the steel dragon to bring the three of them toward the mountains in the south. On the way there, Locke looked at Clifford and asked, ¡°When we went on the mission last time, didn¡¯t we already kill a high-level necromancer there? How did this happen all of a sudden!?¡± Clifford lowered his head and pondered for a moment before guessing, ¡°It¡¯s very likely that the high-level necromancer and demoness from before were just bait, because in the later stages, the Kingdom of Dunmei had already sent troops to excavate the dark magic ores. These people probably made use of the complicated terrain of the mountain to prevent the soldiers from transporting the dark magic ores! Then, they used these ores that were dug out by the soldiers for their own benefit to make their plans a success!¡± Hearing this, Locke could not help but grit his teeth. ¡°These people are really despicable! We can¡¯t let them off this time!¡± The other two did not participate in their conversation. Instead, they found a comfortable spot to lean against and closed their eyes to take a nap. The steel dragon was extremely fast. Very soon, it arrived at the edge of the mountains. As they approached the mountains, Locke and the others discovered that the entire mountain range was protected by a transparent barrier. Locke commanded the huge steel dragon to charge toward the barrier. As they punctured through the barrier, a slight tremor echoed into the distance.. Chapter 33 The moment they broke through the magic barrier, Locke¡¯s Steel Dragon sent a message through the system. ¡°There¡¯s a large amount of dark magic essence in the space. Would you like to absorb it into the Hanos Steel Dragon¡¯s dragon core?¡± Of course, Locke could not miss out on such a good opportunity. He immediately chose ¡®yes¡¯! The hundred-meter-long steel dragon immediately transformed into a thousand-meter-long dragon. Its huge body blotted out the sky and the sun. It looked even more terrifying than the dark clouds in the sky. Adele and Warren, who were resting on the dragon¡¯s back, woke up immediately after feeling a huge magical wave sweeping through them. When they opened their eyes, they realized that the dragon was growing infinitely, reaching a thousand meters in size. The frightened Warren asked Locke, ¡°Kid! What are you doing?¡± Locke waved his hand to calm him down. Then, he explained, ¡°I¡¯m only absorbing the power of the source of darkness in this space. I think that I can suppress the abyssal passage on the ground by reducing the dark energy!¡± The four of them immediately went to the dragon¡¯s head. Looking down from the side, the ground was already filled with undead creatures. Clifford casted a spell to calculate, and there were about 500,000 Abyss Death Destroyers! As the Steel Dragon continued to absorb the source of the dark element in the space, the huge magic formation that enveloped the mountains quickly collapsed due to the loss of energy. Without the energy provided by the magic array, the gap in the abyss kept shrinking. Just as it was about to close completely, a huge figure and a hellish dragon directly charged forward. The evil dragon used its claws to expand the abyssal rift. After a few more special humanoid creatures walked out, the dragon released its claws. The 12th team leader glanced at the crack in the Abyss and immediately ordered Locke to change the direction of the dragon, turn around and flee. ¡°Run! If we don¡¯t leave now, we won¡¯t be able to leave!¡± The confused Locke immediately commanded the Steel Dragon to stop absorbing the dark energy, and they prepared to fly out through the magic barrier. However, it was already too late. Before the thousand-meter-tall body could turn around, it was struck by a tremendous force. Thankfully, the steel dragon turned around and the attack avoided its vitals. The steel dragon did not fall because of this. It activated the automatic protection device and its body shrunk immediately. With the four people on its back protected, it left the dangerous area quickly. Seeing the dragon leave, the Lord of the Abyss on the land let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank goodness they left! When they first passed through the abyssal rift, the energy consumed was too great! If they attack us directly, it will be hard to say who would win this battle!¡± After escaping from that mysterious man and his dragon, they sighed in relief. The pressure from the black beam of light was just too great! Team 12¡¯s captain, Adele, was the only one still looking at the mountains. ¡®The Lord of the Abyss!¡¯ Seeing the tense in the imposing Adele, Clifford could not help but approach her and ask, ¡°The creature that came out of the abyss at the end¡­¡± ¡°Do you know what it is?¡± Adele remained silent. She composed herself and found a place to sit down. Once they returned to the underground branch of the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons, Adele told Green everything that had happened and her speculations. ¡°The Lord of the Abyss! They actually opened the door to the far future!¡± ¡°Who is behind this, exactly? Tarafaldon? Or¡ª¡± Speculation alone would not change the fact that the Lord of the Abyss had arrived. The only thing he could do now was deliver the information to the Senate and the King. ¡°You guys can stay in the city and wait for news today! This situation is more urgent than we thought, so please do not wander around. Everyone, stay in the city and wait for the news!¡± Just as Locke and Clifford walked out of the underground branch, a magic alarm sounded in the city. ¡°The red Cosmic Disaster is arriving. Everyone, from today onwards, please stay in your rooms and do not wander around! There could be abnormalities happening in the Dunmei Kingdom at any time!¡± The alarm kept echoing throughout the city. The leader of Team 12 and the leader of Team 9 ignored Locke and left. Helpless, Locke could only follow Clifford to Princess Vicki¡¯s inn. After reaching Dunmei City, Princess Vicki seemed much better than before. While Locke was away, she had been staying in the room peacefully. As Dunmei¡¯s situation was very unstable, Locke wrote a letter on the table and handed it to Smythe. ¡°This is the letter I wrote to my father! You should know that something strange happened in the city today! It won¡¯t be long before the enemies in the southern mountains attack! So, during this period of time, please move to Reynolds mansion! That is the furthest place from the battlefield, and it is the safest place at this stage! After hearing Locke¡¯s words, Smythe nodded and went downstairs to prepare the carriage and items. It would take them almost half a month to get to the Reynolds mansion by carriage from Dunmei! After Green reported what had happened in the mountains in the south, the king, the Senate, the ministers, and nobles had already begun to form a crusade army. This news quickly spread to the Kingdom of Stonolo, and the Tarafaldon Kingdom that had yet to engage in war with Dunmei. The Tarafaldon Kingdom responded by saying that this matter had nothing to do with them, hence they did not intend to participate in this war. Thus, King Dunmei and the Senate made an astonishing decision. They moved the entire city to Tarafaldon overnight. There was not a single person left in the entire city, and all of them moved to Tarafaldon. Giving up all the surrounding areas of Hessler, they used this opportunity to send the Death Destroyer army all the way west. They took over Hessler as the main city, they continued to wage war westward! The Tarafaldon Kingdom suffered heavy losses. They had to give up a city to stop the army of the Death Destroyers. The appearance of the abyssal creatures resulted in the fusion of the entire continent. The Kings of Tarafaldon felt that since they were alone and stupid, they would not be able to defeat the army of Death Destroyers, so they quickly stopped their war plans against Dunmei. A new meeting was held with the Dunmei Kingdom, and they requested help from the barbarian tribes in the far west. Since all the abyss creature armies were stopped by the Kingdom of Dunmei and Stonolo, the surrounding kingdoms intensified their war plans against the Kingdom of Dunmei.. However, they did not know that the second generation Steel Dragons of the Hanos Science and Technology Tower had just been completed! Chapter 34 Locke had already rested in the city for a week, but he had yet to receive the orders from above. In the meantime, he kept himself busy by learning all sorts of magic at Clifford¡¯s house. Seeing that Locke was buried under a magic book, Clifford called out to Locke who was fast asleep, ¡°Get up!¡± Locke did not want to move. He had been too tired recently. He had already learned most of the high-level spells. What he wanted to do now was to have a good sleep! Seeing that his gentle actions could not wake him up, Clifford immediately went to the kitchen and took out a spoon and a frying pan. Clang! Clang! Clang! He clashed the spoon against the frying pan right next to Locke¡¯s ear. Locke jumped out from the pile of books. ¡°Ah! Clifford, are you crazy!¡± Seeing Locke jumping around like a maniac, Clifford helplessly spread out his hands and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice either! It¡¯s your fault for not getting up!¡± Then, Clifford immediately passed the secret order from the king to Locke. Locke immediately frowned when he read the secret order. The gist of it was that the second generation of the Steel Dragons had been completed, but no one could control it. Hence, he ordered Locke to see if he could control it. After reading it, Locke immediately destroyed the paper in his hand. ¡°This! I already have the first generation steel dragon, now they want me to try controlling the second generation of Steel Dragons. If I succeed, wouldn¡¯t it be extremely awkward?¡± Hearing Locke¡¯s thoughts, Clifford said, ¡°You were lucky enough to be able to control the first generation Steel Dragon! The second generation was personally designed by the High Priest¡¯s granddaughter, Lamira. It¡¯s going to be much different!¡± If Clifford hadn¡¯t said Lamira¡¯s name, Locke would still think it was okay. However, after hearing her name, Locke¡¯s eyes started to twitch crazily. He had a feeling this was all Lamira¡¯s doing. With this conflicted emotion, Locke followed Clifford to the Thanos Technology Tower. Ischel Fergus was as energetic as ever as she walked toward them in her professional uniform. ¡°It¡¯s been some time since we last met. It¡¯s great that you¡¯re still alive! I only met the previous captain of the Team 5 three times, and he died during a mission!¡± After hearing Ischel Fergus¡¯s words, Locke ignored her. Seeing Locke¡¯s cold reaction, she immediately realized that she had gone overboard. Lowering her head, she said to Locke, ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m so sorry! Ever since I became the receptionist here, very few members from Team 1 to Team 8 have lived past a year! I have no intention of cursing you!¡± After apologizing, she brought Locke and Clifford to the research lab deep in the underground. The evolved version of the original steel dragon was placed on the platform. This one was even more imposing than the one Locke had been controlling. By just standing in front of it, one could feel the immense power of the magic flowing through its body! The first thing Lamira did when she saw Locke was to take the weapon from his waist. Then, she quickly scanned it and found that the weapon had not advanced to the next stage. Disappointed, she returned the weapon to Locke! At the same time, she said, ¡°Have you not been doing your missions properly recently? Your weapon has not grown at all!¡± Locke could only helplessly spread his hands and explain, ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to advance this weapon to the next stage! It would seem that using it in a battle doesn¡¯t seem to advance it. I need to find some other way to advance it!¡± After hearing Locke¡¯s words, Lamira felt even more helpless, but this was not the reason why he came today. She immediately transferred a contract to Locke. New dragon contract lines quickly appeared on the back of Locke¡¯s hand. In a short while, these lines merged with the two contract lines on his wrist. Locke raised his hand, and the second-generation metal dragon in front of him immediately turned into a green light and flew behind him. The three dragon-shaped patterns moulded together, making the dragon-shaped tattoo appear even more ferocious. Seeing this, Lamira did not seem surprised at all, because this steel dragon had been developed based on the research data she obtained from Locke¡¯s weapon. However, this time, Lamira had left a backer in the second generation Steel Dragon, which could prevent Locke from completely merging with the Steel Dragon. After accepting the contract with the steel dragon, Locke¡¯s system immediately displayed a new status. He also received a notification from the system: Congratulations to the host for obtaining a new Steel Giant Dragon! The second generation Hanos¡¯ Steel Dragon has a backer loophole. Do you want to fix this loophole? Warning, Lamira can activate the loophole to remove the host¡¯s complete control over the dragon!¡± Upon hearing the system notification, Locke finally understood why Lamira was so willing to give this steel dragon to him. However, Locke could not take away the control rights just like that. Carrying an old steel dragon with him was still acceptable to the king¡¯s senate. After all, Locke was now an important figure in the Dunmei Kingdom. If he took full control of the second steel dragon as well, no matter how important Locke was, they would become very wary of Locke, because if Locke betrayed them, the losses to the Dunmei Kingdom would be too severe! After some thought, Locke rejected the idea of fixing the loophole! Seeing that Locke had successfully become one with the Steel Dragon, Lamira immediately took out a small square machine and tested it. Seeing that she still had control over the Steel Dragon, she was relieved. Immediately, she grabbed Locke¡¯s hand and brought him to the top of the tower, allowing Locke to directly unleash the Steel Dragon in front of her. High in the sky, Locke asked Lamira in confusion, ¡°Your grandfather is clearly the most powerful mage of time. Why can¡¯t you use magic?¡± Hearing this, Lamira was stunned. After a long while, she said, ¡°This is a huge secret in my family. Do you want to hear it?¡± Upon hearing this, Locke immediately wanted to reject it and resist his desire to know the secret. After hesitating for a while, Lamira saw that Locke remained silent and thought that he had silently agreed to everything. ¡°Well, back then, the development of my grandfather¡¯s first generation Steel Dragon had already entered its final stage. However, when it came to resolving the core issues of the Steel Dragon, my grandfather was already at his wit¡¯s end! Because it lacked the source of magic, even a complete dragon heart could not activate it! ¡°Originally, grandfather could have used a dragon¡¯s heart as the foundation to complete the final phase of the experiment, but after the intense battle that broke out in the Kingdom, the number of dragons in the Kingdom of Dunmei had become very few. ¡°Without any other choice, for the sake of the kingdom, grandfather ruthlessly extracted my magic essence from my body! This is how the first-generation Steel Dragon obtained its heart! ¡°This is also the main reason why other countries are unable to create it!¡± Chapter 35 Upon hearing this, Locke immediately checked the status bar of the Steel Dragon and discovered that the core component was indeed fused from the source of a person¡¯s magic! Locke was initially depressed about this, but after a moment, he became happy. Through his personal system, he could directly extract the Lamira¡¯s magic essence from the dragon¡¯s heart! However, at this stage, it was not suitable to tell Lamira about this. After some pondering and looking at this woman who had been heartbroken over her lost magic essence, Locke made his final decision. ¡°Lamira, do you believe in miracles in this world?¡± Hearing this, Lamira glanced at Locke in confusion, only to see a serious expression on his face. ¡°There are many things in this world that cannot be explained! What I can tell you is that I can restore your magic essence right now. So, you just need to tell me if you want to recover it or not!¡± After hearing Locke¡¯s words, a strange feeling surged in her heart! She had lost her magic since she was young, so she did not fit in with the people around her. Although the people around her didn¡¯t outrightly ridicule her about it, she could feel their ¡®malice¡¯ toward her at all times. Because of this, Lamira vowed to become a magic researcher like her grandfather. Many years later, she succeeded, but she was very lonely. The higher she went, the more alone she became! ¡°Wha¡ª! Are you serious?¡± As soon as she said that, she refuted, ¡°No one can do such a thing! You¡¯re lying! Back then, my grandfather did everything he could, even killing innocent people, but he was not able to make it happen.¡± As she spoke, she leaned on Locke and started to cry. From her words, Locke seemed to learn something from the past. The high priest had done something very bad. However, this was something that could not be helped. After all, the High Priest¡¯s main goal was still for the benefit of the Dunmei Kingdom. ¡°Trust me, stand still and don¡¯t move. Your magic essence will be restored to your body very soon!¡± With that, Locke placed his hand on Lamira¡¯s head and commanded the system to extract the core of the first generation Steel Dragon. Then, he spent all his points in the system¡¯s merchant shop to exchange for a bottle of Advanced Healing Potion. With the use of the two items, Lamira¡¯s magic essence returned to her body. After completing all of this, Locke hurriedly opened the potion in his hand and poured it directly into Lamira¡¯s final potion. It took less than fifteen minutes. Lamira¡¯s gradually sensed the presence of her magic essence within her body. ¡°Wha¡ª! It¡¯s really restored!¡± Lamira cried again. The source of magic that had always been in the core of the dragon, had been injected with magic for a very long time. Hence, once it returned to Lamira¡¯s body, she obtained the strength of a Magister. After losing her magic powers for so many years, she had never given up on learning magic. Even if she could not use it, she had recorded all these spells deep inside her brain. After recovering her magic, she cast a few support spells on herself, jumped off the steel dragon, and began flying freely in the sky. After experiencing all of this, she immediately felt satisfied and flew to Locke¡¯s side. ¡°Thank you very much! I don¡¯t know how you did it, but I will keep this a secret for you. From today onward, this will be our secret! Also, regarding the first generation steel dragon¡¯s core, I will fix it as soon as possible.¡± Looking at the happy Lamira, Locke felt comforted. Now, he felt that he had repaid Lamira for taking over the rights of the first Steel Dragon! After returning to the Hanos Science and Technology Tower, Locke immediately returned the second generation Steel Dragon to Lamira. After this test, Locke¡¯s identity had increased by a stage. He was now not only the ¡°Light of the Future¡± of the Dunmei Kingdom, but also one of its secret weapons. After leaving the Hanos Technology Tower, Clifford immediately received the king¡¯s secret order. However, this time, the king¡¯s secret order did not stipulate anything particularly important. It was mainly an order to request for them have a good rest. Upon hearing this good news, Locke almost jumped up in joy. ¡°This is great! Let¡¯s go back for a while! It¡¯s been half a year since I came to the academy, and I haven¡¯t returned home since!¡± Actually, Locke did not really want to return to Reynolds, but there was still some longing for home deep in his memories. In addition to that, these few months had been too tough on him. Returning to a familiar environment would reduce the pressure he felt! The main reason for returning home was to explain to his father about Princess Vicki. After all, there were too many things that happened to him during this duration. If he did not go back and explain things to his family, they would realize that he had changed drastically. Hearing this, Clifford immediately became happy. ¡°This is good too. I heard that Reynolds is a very beautiful island, and it has many beautiful women! This trip will definitely not be in vain!¡± Hearing Clifford¡¯s anticipation, Locke immediately summoned his Steel Dragon that no longer had a core. As the steel dragon was still in the first stage of its unsealing, Locke did not need the power in its core at all. He could just use flying magic power to enable the Steel Dragon to fly in the sky. Therefore, when Locke left the Hanos Science and Technology Tower, he handed the core of the steel dragon to Lamira without any worries. He would let her do all the thinking and work to repair the steel dragon¡¯s core. After all, at this stage, the core technology of the second generation Steel Dragon had become more complete. She no longer needed to use the dragon soul or a human¡¯s magic essence to create something like before. As they were flying high up in the sky, Clifford asked Locke. ¡°Locke, have you thought about how to tell your father about Vicki when you reach home?¡± Locke immediately stretched out his hand and covered his forehead. ¡°Explaining Princess Vicki¡¯s matter is secondary! Don¡¯t you think I have to think of a way to clear things up with Queen Melissa first?¡± ¡°Oh! That¡¯s true. I¡¯ve been so busy recently that I almost forgot about this! Well then, let¡¯s discuss how to deal with that first!¡± Locke rolled his eyes at him. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be the one to explain this to my father?¡± Clifford immediately turned his head and stared at Locke. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you my mentor? Furthermore, these things were conveyed to me by you. Shouldn¡¯t it be more convincing for you to explain it to him?¡± Clifford never imagined that he would be trapped by Locke in such a roundabout manner.. Chapter 36 The two of them spent three days to return to Locke¡¯s hometown, which was located in the northernmost part of the continent. Seeing the giant steel dragon, the soldiers did not stop them. They knew that this was the High Priest¡¯s seventh catastrophe, so it was most likely someone from the Dunmei Kingdom. Locke gradually shrunk the body of the steel dragon as he landed in front of his house. As soon as he landed, Locke¡¯s butler was waiting for him outside the door. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Young Master! I¡¯ve been waiting for you. The rumors about you in the Donmei Kingdom have already spread to Reynolds City from so far away. Master has been looking forward to seeing you for a long time! Would you like to take a shower and change now, or¡­?¡± Caspar had watched Locke grow up, so he was extremely fond of him. ¡°It¡¯s great to see you after such a long time, Caspar! Do you know where Princess Vicki is now?¡± Caspar immediately pointed in the direction of the backyard. ¡°Phew! I¡¯d better go greet my father first!¡± Seeing that Locke intended to avoid Princess Vicki, Caspar could not help but smile. When they arrived at Reynolds Benson¡¯s room they found him busy at the table. He looked up and saw Locke and Clifford. He immediately stopped what he was doing and stood up to greet them. ¡°The king¡¯s chief mage, Sir Clifford! Thank you so much for guiding and teaching Locke!¡± ¡°Earl Reynolds Benson, you must be joking! Locke is not interested in my knowledge! He is now an excellent Dragon Knight mage, and he has completed several difficult missions with minimal damage. He is already an outstanding captain of the Special Forces!¡± After everyone sat down, Benson immediately poured Clifford a cup of tea. ¡°Sir Clifford, I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re very knowledgeable. Could you discuss some topics on magic with me today?¡± Hearing this, Locke quickly escaped from the room. Seeing Locke leave, Benson laughed. ¡°Looks like Locke is still the same. This child used to hate academia. I didn¡¯t expect him to still be like this!¡± After hearing Locks¡¯s father¡¯s words, Clifford could not help but praise, ¡°During the time I spent with Locke, I actually did not spend much effort teaching him anything! He learnt most of the things himself. He has a strong will and a smart brain. Under normal circumstances, I would only impart some magical knowledge that one could not learn from books to him! However, when I share too much, he will fall asleep. Despite everything, he¡¯s learnt a lot and it¡¯s a truly remarkable feat!¡± Upon hearing Clifford¡¯s words, Benson could not help but laugh. ¡°Thank you so much, Sir Clifford! When Locke was young, he was always eager to impart knowledge to his younger siblings. However, after that incident with Niederhogg, the Black Dragon of Despair, my wife and the other children all died. From then on, Locke¡¯s personality changed. He would doze off no matter what he heard! So, after all these years, I didn¡¯t force him to change! But at this stage, I have a feeling he intends to seek revenge for his family! So if you have the time, please take care of Locke and make him give up on this idea!¡± Hearing this, Clifford finally understood Benson¡¯s true motive. ¡°My family also died because of Niederhogg, and I have always carried this desire for revenge. However, as my knowledge increased, I gave up on these delusions as I got older. I think one day Locke will give up on this idea and accept it!¡± Upon hearing this, Benson immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Clifford. He did not stop Benson. As Locke¡¯s mentor, Clifford was very concerned about him. Therefore, Clifford gladly accepted this bow. Meanwhile, after Locke left his father¡¯s room, he returned to his small manor. Since his mother, brother, and sister had all died by Niederhogg, Locke had been living here alone. Most importantly, he was worried that when he returned to this familiar place, he would be reminded of their gentle smiles. This was the pain that Locke had suffered throughout his life. Back outside the manor, Locke stole a glance at Princess Vicki from across the wall, but was quickly discovered by Smythe. Locke greeted him and returned to his room. He walked to the office that he was familiar with. The room was filled with books. These books were all ancient records, and they were all records of the six catastrophes. However, Loke¡¯s had no recollection of all these information in his memory. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Could I have lost a piece of memory when I took over this body?¡± With the help of the system, these memories should not disappear. Hence, Locke opened the system and searched through the list. Soon, he found something! ¡°Part of the memory seal will automatically be removed after reaching the Magister level!¡± ¡°What¡¯s this? How is this possible?¡± System Notice: ¡°Host¡¯s memory is sealed by Reynolds Benson!¡± After hearing the notification, Locke was no longer confused. It seemed like this memory was an extremely important one. However, he couldn¡¯t understand why he seemed to be missing an important part of his memory despite knowing there was something wrong with his parents. Puzzled and confused by all sorts of questions within his mind, Locke flipped though the books around him. He flipped through the pages one by one. Hydra¡­ Over an hour later, Locke had flipped through all the books. In the last book, he discovered a shocking secret. It was a small piece of paper. It was filled with words, and they were all his notes. ¡®I know that one day you would open this book, so I left this note for you. I know that one day in the future, my soul will collapse and die, and that will be when you arrive. I know you¡¯ll be very confused when you see this, but how did I know you would appear here? That¡¯s because there¡¯s something special that I can¡¯t tell you right now. One day, when we meet again, I will tell you everything! If you really want my wish to come true, then study the books in this room! The content within can help you defeat the six catastrophes in the future! After reading it, the paper in his hand suddenly started to burn, and it turned into ashes. Looking at this strange scene, Locke could not help but feel that his appearance in this world was not a coincidence! Chapter 37 Locke read all the books in the room before dark and found nothing special about them. The contents were all about the various characteristics of the six catastrophes and their locations. Finally, there were some legends about why they appeared. ¡°Strange! There was nothing mentioned about methods to get rid of them!¡± Just as Locke was about to flip through the books again, the old butler knocked on the door. ¡°Young Master, it¡¯s Caspar. The Master wants you to join him for a meal!¡± ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll do it now.¡± Then, he placed the book back. Just as they left the room, everything in Locke¡¯s room turned to ash and disappeared into thin air. Arriving at his father¡¯s manor¡¯s dining hall, three people were already seated at the long table¡ªClifford, Benson and Princess Vicki. Locke walked to Clifford¡¯s side, but his father, Benson, quickly stopped him with a look! Locke awkwardly walked to Princess Vicki¡¯s side after seeing his father¡¯s stern gaze. After sitting down, Locke wanted to explain his relationship with Princess Vicki to his father. Before he could speak, however, his father said. ¡°Vicki, from now on, will be my daughter-in-law. Locke, you must treat her well! After all, she has travelled across the ocean and came here from such a faraway place. During this period of time, you should accompany Vicki around the city!¡± Hearing this, Locke immediately lowered his head, while Princess Vicki was secretly extremely happy. He had been here for a long time, but he had always been holed up in his own room. They had yet to go anywhere together! After dinner, everyone left, leaving Benson and Locke in the dining hall. The two of them walked to the lounge at the side of the dining hall. Locke sat on a chair in the lounge to rest while Benson stood by the window, thinking about something. After a few minutes, Benson said, ¡°Many things have happened to you in the academy! The Reynolds family became more prosperous because of your outstanding performance, but none of this is what I want! I only hope that you can live peacefully, but it¡¯s too late for me to say that now. Therefore, please prioritize your own life over the missions you accept. I know what you¡¯re doing, especially with the special operations team. I¡¯m also aware of your importance to the kingdom¡¯s future. Although this is selfish of me to say, you are my last son. I have to consider the future of the Reynolds family!¡± After saying that, his father, Benson, fell silent. Hearing his words, Locke was deeply moved. Just as Benson¡¯s father had said, he had no other choice. It was impossible for him to escape from his duties as a captain in the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons. After making up his mind, Locke stood up and bowed deeply to Benson. ¡°No matter what happens in the future, as long as I am alive, I will not give up easily! No matter how difficult the mission is, I will make the best of the situation even of nothing goes in my favor. If possible, I will try my best to survive!¡± After saying that, Locke turned and left the lounge. Benson¡¯s eyes turned red after listening to Locke¡¯s words. ¡°Locke has grown up after all. I have no reason to keep him! The only thing I can do is to pray to the stars and hope that he can be safe in the future!¡± He left the room but did not have time to return to his room. Clifford sat down and said to Locke, ¡°You don¡¯t have much time left here. At most, we can stay here till midnight today! The King has sent an order. The eastern and southern borders of the Kingdom of Dunmei are in very dire situations right now. You need to go back and increase your combat power!¡± Locke nodded at Clifford and went straight to his room. He had to take the books with him before he left. However, as soon as he entered the room, he realized a big problem. All the books that were previously piled up there had disappeared. Locke hurriedly called the old butler over to inquire. However, the butler replied that no one had entered or left the room. Even though he did not manage to figure out anything from reading the books earlier, he had memorized all the content in the books. All of this knowledge had been recorded by the system, but Locke did not think to open the system to check. ¡°So be it!¡± He turned around and went to Vicki¡¯s room. After knocking three times, the door was quickly opened. She was wearing thin pajamas and was preparing to sleep. Seeing Locke, she quickly closed the door. ¡°Princess Vicki, I¡¯m just here to say goodbye to you! The Dunmei Kingdom is in dire straits, so I have to leave tonight! I¡¯ll have to postpone our trip around the city! I¡¯m really very sorry. After this war, if I can come back, I will accompany you for the entire day in Reynolds City!¡± After a while, Locke realized that there was no movement inside and turned to leave. Just as Locke was leaving, Vicki quietly opened the door and said to him, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you to come back!¡± When Locke heard the slight response, he walked out of the manor with a smile. After bidding his last goodbyes to the old butler, he immediately left the Reynolds Manor together with Clifford. They headed straight back to the Dunmei Kingdom. Meanwhile, the entire southern defense line had already sent four high-level Dragon Knight mages to hold their ground in the battle. Even so, the battle was still intense. These undead creatures from the abyss were very difficult to deal with. If the main force had been mobilized here, the Kingdom of Dunmei would not have been so pressured, because at this time, the Kingdom of Castley, which was located east of the Kingdom of Dunmei, was also waging war. It was as if they had discussed this with the Lord of the Abyss, and had simultaneously launched a war against the Dunmei Kingdom. When Locke was not around, King Dunmei had no choice but to instruct Hanos Lamira to fight against the enemies from the Kingdom of Castley in the east. This was a decision made after many considerations, because the east was full of humans. If Lamira was accidentally captured by the enemy, there would at least be a way out. However, it was different in the southern battlefield. This place was filled with abyssal creatures. They did not capture any captives at all. They would only kill everyone they encountered. The people and dragons that were killed there would immediately turn into undead creatures to add to the strength of the enemy¡¯s army. So, the King of Dunmei decided to let Locke handle the entire undead army in the south. His reasoning was that Locke had a lightning weapon that could counter undead creatures. The second reason was that he possessed a young dragon with divine light attributes and could naturally restrain these creatures! Thirdly, Locke had control over the first generation Steel Dragon. Although he could not unleash its full strength, he could still unleash astonishing destructive power. Hence, the king left the most difficult battleground to Locke! Chapter 38 On the way back to Dunmei, Locke thought of something. Why didn¡¯t Eliza appear much during this period of time when they were back home at the Reynolds estate? Hence, Locke quickly opened Eliza¡¯s status bar to check, and discovered that Eliza had actually evolved passed her infancy stage in such a short period of time. Eliza was entering its teenage stage! Locke had never heard of such a thing. Shouldn¡¯t dragons enter adulthood directly? Seeing Loke¡¯s complicated expression, Clifford asked worriedly, ¡°Did something happen? You look like you¡¯re struggling with your thoughts!¡± Upon hearing his words, Locke immediately waved his hand and explained, ¡°Well, I just found out that my baby dragon is suddenly evolved into a teenage dragon!¡± Hearing this, Clifford could not help but be surprised. ¡°Teenage dragon? I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing! I only know that dragons will evolve from infants to adult dragons. This is the first time I¡¯m hearing of a teenage dragon!¡± However, what piqued Clifford¡¯s interest was how Locke knew that his young dragon had evolved into a teenage dragon. He knew that Locke was keeping quite a lot of secrets from him. ¡°Forget it! When it fully evolves into a teenage dragon, we¡¯ll see what its situation is like!¡± Seven days passed quickly, and the two arrived at the Dunmei Kingdom. He did not even have time to rest before arriving at the Dunmei king¡¯s palace. After seeing Locke, the king immediately heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he said to Locke, ¡°From today onward, we will suspend your other tasks in the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons, but the position of team captain is still yours. The abyssal forces on the southern front are very active. Dunmei has lost a mid-rank general! Now, I¡¯ll give you a new position! I hereby appoint you as the General of the Southern Expedition. You¡¯re in charge of the frontlines of the war! You just need to destroy the undead creatures in the abyss. I¡¯ve arranged for other people to deal with those generals!¡± Hearing this, Locke dropped to one knee in front of the king. The king stood up and walked over to him, placing a new medal on his chest. ¡°Clifford, I now appoint you as Locke¡¯s deputy and mentor. I¡¯ll leave the rest to you!¡± After saying that, he walked to Clifford and whispered in his ear, ¡°Sorry for troubling you!¡± After hearing the king¡¯s words, Clifford¡¯s fatigue was mostly restored. After getting up, he immediately flew toward the Hanos Science and Technology Tower with Locke. Before they entered the battlefield, they had a very important mission, which was to get a new set of equipment at the Hanos Science and Technology Tower. Locke also needed to get the new core of the steel dragon from Lamira. Because they flew in on the Steel Dragon, Locke did not need to pass through the gate to reach the top of the tower. As soon as they stepped into the tower, Ischel Fergus quickly appeared before them. ¡°Ms. Lamira has instructed me to take you to the underground factory to retrieve the dragon core!¡± They followed her to the underground factory. In a huge container filled with liquid floated a dragon core. This was the dragon core and heart for Locke¡¯s Steel Dragon! Seeing Locke in a daze, Ischel Fergus immediately explained to Locke, ¡°This is the heart I recently obtained from a dragon in the southern battlefield! The heartbeat that you saw just now made it look very much alive. It was actually made from the heart of a dying adult dragon! Originally, this dragon heart was supposed to be used as the core for the second generation Steel Dragon, but Lamira insisted to fuse it into this¡­¡± As she spoke, Ischel realized she¡¯s said something she shouldn¡¯t have and immediately stopped. Locke walked over and placed his hand on the vessel. Soon, the heart in the transparent glass slot turned into a ray of light and merged with the tattoo on Locke¡¯s wrist. The contract on Locke¡¯s hand changed slightly and it turned into another color. At the same time, Locke also felt the power of a powerful dragon essence. ¡°Congratulations to the host for directly entering the second stage. From now on, the Steel Dragon can be upgraded manually!¡± Upon hearing this news, Locke could not help but feel happy. He did not expect to obtain so many benefits from this! After obtaining the dragon¡¯s heart, they followed Ischel Fergus to the weapons armory to pick out new equipment for Clifford. When they were well prepared, they departed. The steel dragon spread its wings and they flew toward the battlefield in the southwest direction. Because it had obtained a powerful dragon essence, the Steel Dragon grew from 100 meters to 200 meters. The Steel Dragon also obtained new methods of attack using its head, eyes and mouth. All the steel scales on the wings could be shed, and it could manipulate its attack based on all nine elemental attributes it possessed. Other than that, its heart was capable of releasing huge amounts of magic elemental energy. The first thing they did when they arrived at the battlefield was to follow the easternmost part of the battle line and head west. Along the way, the Steel Dragon continued to bombard the ground with light elemental scales! In just over an hour, the enemy army on the southern front was greatly reduced. Seeing the Steel Dragon controlled by Locke, the morale of the soldiers on the ground soared. The Earth Dragon cavalry immediately blew the horn to charge, and the infantry soldiers and artillery soldiers behind them all became valiant and fearless. Within these few hours, under Locke¡¯s leadership, the Dunmei army drove all the undead creatures from the abyss into the mountains in the south. In less than four hours, the battle had ended. All the soldiers raised their weapons and cheered. The sounds of cheers resounded throughout the lands. Even Locke, who was hundreds of meters in the air, could clearly hear the cheers from the ground! However, everything was not over after the battle ended. All the abyssal creatures had just temporarily retreated. The main battle would happen at night. Seeing that the war situation below had stabilized, Locke immediately commanded the Steel Dragon to descend to the frontline command camp. The one who received him was the first prince. When he saw the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragon¡¯s Team 5 Captain badge and the Southern Expedition General¡¯s badge on Locke¡¯s chest, he felt a deep sense of helplessness. This man who was many years younger than him had left him helpless. As the Grand Marshal, not only did he have a lower position than Locke, he even had to personally take the initiative to greet Locke. For the sake of the Donmei Kingdom, the first prince quickly calmed down. With a smile on his face as he walked to Locke¡¯s side and greeted him, ¡°You must be Reynolds Locke! Hi, I¡¯m Dunmei Jeffrey! Locke and Sir Clifford, thank you very much for your assistance!¡± Locke was extremely polite. Upon hearing his name, he immediately bowed to Jeffrey. ¡°Greetings, Your Highness!¡± Seeing that the other party was so easy to get along with, First Prince Jeffrey immediately walked to his side and helped him up. ¡°Thank you so much for your contribution in today¡¯s tough battle! Let us proceed to the command center to strategize our next move!¡± Chapter 39 After entering the command camp, they saw many imposing generals sitting inside. After seeing the medal on Locke¡¯s chest, they all stood up. No one present were members of the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons. Even though there were only a total of few dozen people in the Special Forces, more than 80% of the difficult tasks in the Kingdom of Dunmei were handled by them. Seeing that everyone was standing, Clifford immediately called out, ¡°Don¡¯t be too reserved. Locke is only the Team 5 Captain of the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons!¡± Hearing that, everyone became even more cautious. In their eyes, Locke was only about 16 years old! Despite his young age, he was already a member of the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons¡¯ elite group! Seeing everyone¡¯s reaction, Clifford realized that he had said something wrong. Helpless, Locke could only say to them, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry! Actually, I¡¯m just a newbie, and I¡¯ve only carried out a few missions. So, you don¡¯t have to stand in ceremony with me.¡± After hearing Loke¡¯s words, they did not dare to sit down anymore! As far as they knew, only a few rookies had managed to complete a few missions that the Dunmei Dark Blade Dragons tasked them with and survived. The two of them were helpless. The First Prince walked in and waved at the crowd before they sat down. After the main general, Locke, arrived, the first prince began to talk about his plans to defend the south. As the surrounding countries were not fully prepared, Locke was very busy these three days. He had to appear twice a day, and each time, he would appear in the middle of the war. This way, he could use the power of the Steel Dragon to cause great damage to the undead abyssal creatures. Locke¡¯s wish was to enter the battlefield, but he was quickly rejected by First Prince Jeffrey! His reasoning was that even the General should not wantonly waste his stamina. Instead, he should let the soldiers do most of the work. When the soldiers were under immense pressure, Locke¡¯s appearance would boost their morale, and they would try their best to resist the attacks from their enemies! Otherwise, if all the combat units¡¯ mana were exhausted from the start, they would have no way to deal with the enemy¡¯s main forces or enemy generals. Locke had originally thought that the first prince was not proficient in commanding battles, but he did not expect him to have such a high level of command. ¡°Alright! I will follow the grand marshal¡¯s instructions. I will rest in the camp. Just say the word, and I will immediately enter the battle!¡± After the meeting ended, Prince Jeffrey immediately set up a temporary tent beside the command camp for Locke and Clifford so they could rest there. In the camp. Locke lay down on the bed, and Clifford took out his tea-brewing tools from his backpack. He raised the teapot in his hand and said to Locke, ¡°Do you want some tea?¡± Since he had nothing to do, he could not sleep. Locke immediately stood up and sat down at the table. After fifteen minutes, the aroma from the teapot filled the room. ¡°Wow! What is this? Why is it so fragrant!¡± Seeing Loke¡¯s ignorant expression, Clifford chuckled. ¡°This is tea made from some spirit herbs that have been specially processed and dried! It helps with mana recovery. Drink more! When the war starts, you won¡¯t have time to recover your mana!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke checked his magic status bar and realized that he did not use much magic power along the way. Most of the mana was provided by the Steel Dragon¡¯s new core! Furthermore, the dragon¡¯s core was made up of a real dragon heart, and it had dozens of times more magic power than before! By automatically gathering magic power through the Steel Dragon, the core of the dragon would automatically restore all its magic power within a single day! The total amount of the magic essence inside the Steel Dragon¡¯s core was several tens of times more than that of Locke, Clifford and others added up. Name: Hanos Steel Dragon Power: Unknown Spirit: Unknown Toughness: Unknown Agility: Unknown Seal: Second stage removed (The remaining eight stages have not been removed) Water, Fire, Earth, Wood, Wind, Thunder, Light, Dark Ice Although he had removed the second seal, Locke was still unable to see the full attributes of the Steel Dragon. What surprised Locke was that after this battle, he actually obtained millions of experience points and 100,000 Merchant Shop Points! This made Locke extremely happy! Initially, he thought that EXP and shop points had to be earned through missions, but now it seemed that he only needed to kill enemies continuously! He immediately shared the one million experience points with Eliza. After points were added to the both of them, he directly jumped from Level 15 to Level 25. This level was equivalent to directly upgrading from the beginner level of a great sorcerer to the beginner level of a magister! After completing this, Clifford¡¯s gaze could not help but sharpen as he stared at Loke. ¡®This kid! He became a Magister after drinking tea! This is a little too terrifying!¡¯ He shook his head and pretended he didn¡¯t realize the change in Locke. Then, he picked up the cup of tea that had almost cooled down and drank it in one gulp. Time passed quickly, and dawn arrived. The battle outside had reached its final stage. One of the generals immediately came to Locke¡¯s camp and woke them up. ¡°Locke and Sir Clifford, please come out now!¡± After they¡¯d received instructions to move out, the two immediately flew into the sky. Locke converted the entire body of the Steel Dragon into a bright light skin. White rays of light shone from a few hundred meters in the sky, illuminating the entire southern defense line. When the soldiers saw the light from the steel dragon, they went crazy and fought even harder than before. Locke then launched a few attacks at the army of abyssal undead creatures. After a few hours, he had eliminated close to 10,000 undead soldiers. The experience points obtained by the system kept increasing, and so did the Merchant Shop Points. Because there were not many opportunities like this, Locke put in a lot of effort to make the most of this opportunity to earn more EXP and Merchant Shop Points. This was truly a rare opportunity! Under his continuous attacks, the battle ended before dawn. Prince Jeffrey saw the battle from afar and became even more respectful towards him! Such tremendous destructive power was definitely on par with the capabilities of the late High Priest Hanos! After the battle ended, Locke greeted them and returned to his temporary camp to rest without eating! Due to the limited time they had to rest, Locke and Clifford tried their best to enter a deep sleep as soon as the battle ended.. Chapter 40 After waking up, Locke checked out at the time on his system and realized that it was already noon. It was time for lunch. At the mention of eating, Eliza appeared. Eliza, who had evolved into a teenage dragon, was much more intimidating than an adult dragon. In order not to destroy the things around her, she shrunk her body before coming out. Rubbing its sleepy eyes, it hugged Locke¡¯s neck and called out, ¡°I¡¯m hungry! I want to eat a lot of things!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke immediately brought it to the Dragon canteen in the camp. Because it had been asleep for a long time, it ate the amount of food for two adult dragons! This scene stunned Chef Long! After so many years, this was the first time he had seen a dragon that could eat so much! Furthermore, it was a white-scaled dragon that he had never seen before! Under the chef¡¯s shocked gaze, Locke immediately left the canteen with Elizabeth who was already full. He went straight to the command center. During the day, in order to deplete the enemy¡¯s forces, most generals had already been deployed. Jeffrey saw Locke and immediately called out, ¡°You¡¯re awake. Do you want to do some post-meal exercise?¡± Locke immediately tilted his head and looked at the First Prince! ¡°It just so happens that the enemy has deployed abyssal evil dragon. Our generals are not able to deal any damage to this evil dragon. This white dragon behind you has¡ª¡± Before he could finish speaking, Eliza, who was standing behind Locke, criticized him. ¡°I have a name! My name is Eliza!¡± Upon hearing this, the first prince immediately corrected himself. ¡°Of course! Of course! Eliza possesses the light attribute, so she¡¯s quite effective against evil dragons! Please go with Eliza to take down that evil dragon!¡± Hearing the first prince call out her name, Eliza nodded in satisfaction and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll go with Locke to take it down! How dare a little evil dragon be so arrogant in front of me!¡± With that, Eliza turned and left the camp. Before following it, Locke helplessly spread his hands toward the First Prince and made a very apologetic expression. Seeing the two of them, Prince Jeffrey could not help but feel a headache coming on. After leaving the camp, Clifford immediately cast a flying spell on himself. Locke climbed onto Eliza¡¯s back. As they soared above the skies, Eliza transformed into a giant dragon that was forty-five meters long. Its huge body and white scales shone brightly under the sun. Before they even reached the battlefield, the evil dragon in the distance had already caught sight of Eliza through the reflected light, and it felt a wave of disgust creeping up its body. It immediately opened its mouth and roared at Eliza. Eliza had evolved and paid no attention to the evil dragon¡¯s roars. It extended its massive claws at the evil dragon and clawed its neck. It only took a split second to create a fatal wound on the evil dragon¡¯s neck. Moreover, the other party did not even have the strength to retaliate! When the abyssal creatures¡¯ General saw this scene, he could not help but frown. He had no idea where this white giant dragon came from. It had wounded the evil dragon so easily! He glanced at Loke, who was on the back of the flying dragon, and realized that this person was an enemy with the strength and power of a Magister. Helpless, he summoned the evil dragon back to his side so that he could recover and prepare for another battle. However, how could Locke let him leave so easily? Locke raised his hands and summoned the Steel Dragon to capture the evil dragon. In the end, Locke had Eliza deliver the final blow to the evil dragon. After the evil dragon went down, Locke did not stop there. He chased after the general of the undead on the ground. Seeing that the enemy was so difficult to deal with, the undead General of the Abyss dived underground. However, all of this was of no use. Locke quickly commanded the Steel Dragon. It lifted the entire mountain and flung it into the sky! Next, Locke launched an intense attack at the huge mountain. After shattering the mountain that flew several hundred meters into pieces, he found the undead general among the blown-up pieces! Locke had not expected such a pursuit before killing the evil dragon. After killing the evil dragon, Locke discovered that he had obtained a vast amount of experience and Merchant Shop Points, and his weapon had also entered the second stage. He continued to pursue this enemy general! Seeing that it had nowhere to run, it made its last stand. It immediately raised the axe in its hand and swung it at Eliza¡¯s face. Eliza opened her mouth and swallowed the undead General into her stomach whole before burping! ¡°Ugh! I¡¯m so full, I really can¡¯t eat anymore!¡± Upon hearing this, Locke rolled his eyes. He had not expected the battle to end in such a way! Clifford did not even want to complain anymore! This was not the first time something like this had happened. The only thing he could be thankful for was that Locke was his student and not his enemy! The Abyssal Undead Army that had lost their leader quickly turned tails and ran. The soldiers of the Kingdom of Dunmei had finally won this war! When Locke returned to the camp, he was welcomed joyously by the soldiers to the command camp. Suddenly, he noticed that the First Prince had a very upset and solemn expression on his face. He said to Locke, ¡°A huge problem has occurred in the eastern battlefield! Father just sent a message. He wants you to head to the eastern battlefield to provide support!¡± Hearing this, Locke could not help but think of Lamira, who was supposed to be fighting in the eastern battlefield. This young girl was not suitable for this war. After pondering the situation, he asked the First Prince, ¡°Has Lamira been captured?¡± Prince Jeffrey hurriedly waved his hand and explained, ¡°Lamira wasn¡¯t caught, but she¡¯s now under a very serious magic curse! So father hopes that you can control the situation in the eastern battlefield while Lamira recovers!¡± Upon hearing the first prince¡¯s words, Locke immediately heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave soon! Currently, I¡¯ve already killed all the evil dragons in the abyssal creatures¡¯ territory, and their general is in Eliza¡¯s stomach. Therefore, the situation in the southern battlefield is relatively stable! I¡¯ll leave the rest to you!¡± Jeffrey moved closer to Locke and patted his shoulders. ¡°We¡¯ll rely on you to finish this war! I will stay here until the end!¡± Locke saluted him and left the camp. He commanded the Steel Dragon and they flew toward the northeast. Although he wasn¡¯t that close to Lamira, Locke had benefited so much from her. No matter what, Locke did not want his benefactor to die just like that! On the way there, he logged into the system¡¯s Merchant Shop and kept checking on the selection of potions and items that could remove curses!