After Becoming an Evil Dragon, I Was Entangled by the Saintess - Chapter 35

In the following days, adventurers occasionally encountered attacks by Underdark creatures on the surface. Few carried Holy Domain Purification Potions, but fortunately, these monsters lacked the Gray Demon’s immortality. Even so, the adventurer parties still suffered casualties.

Klein City had a Mage Guild, but its resident mages were few in number and of relatively low professional tiers. Moreover, they were busy fulfilling commissions for the Lord’s Manor, leaving them no time to brew potions for the adventurers. Faced with this situation, the adventurers’ attention finally turned to the Magic Potion Shop in Klein City.

The shop’s potions and medicinal powders were neatly arranged, each labeled with its name and price. Like others on the Fei’er Continent, the adventurers dismissed the medicinal powders out of hand. Those with empty purses considered buying the potion dregs, but their faces turned green when they saw the price was even higher than the potions themselves.

“The medicinal powders are a new type of Magic Potion developed by Teacher,” Succubus Samir argued, defending the powders. “Their effects are no less potent than the potions.” But no one believed her. She shrugged. Well, when the adventurers experience the benefits of the Sisters’ Potion Shop firsthand, they’ll come back. She had complete confidence in that.

Mangshui Forest teemed with demonic beasts and hidden dangers. Even without venturing into the Underdark, adventurers faced constant peril. True to form, just days later, adventurers emerged from the forest and hurried to the Magic Potion Shop. They slammed still-warm Magic Crystals onto the counter and rattled off a list of potions. When they saw the Magic Potion Powder, they hesitated for a moment before buying a small quantity to test.

Yulxi had heard the rumors spreading among adventurers at the Gold and Silver Tavern, but she remained unconcerned. She had instructed her familiars in the forest to monitor the Underdark for any uncontrollable changes, and they would alert her immediately if anything went wrong.

While waiting, Ilti emerged from the laboratory with a brand-new Magic Energy Impact Gun. Veranse’s Bigu Powder had eliminated the need for meals, allowing her to devote herself entirely to studying runes day and night, fueled by a mage’s burning passion. After mastering the weapon, Ilti realized it wasn’t as complex or difficult as she had initially imagined. The true obstacle had been ingrained assumptions:

Transcendents and ordinary people exist in separate realms. No mage would care about the needs or capabilities of mortals. When faced with a shortage of soldiers trained in magic energy weapons, nobles simply hired Professionals who could sense Magic Power. Why bother exploring alternative solutions when money could solve the problem?

Ilti’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she hurried to find Yulxi, dragging along a soldier to test the Magic Energy Impact Gun.

Normally, a Magic Energy Impact Gun required the user to channel their own Magic Power to resonate with it. But now, the Mana was activated by special runes, making Magic Power unnecessary. The experimental results greatly pleased Ilti. Beaming at Yulxi, she raised her voice: “This Magic Energy Impact Gun can be mass-produced! Its Mana output is roughly equivalent to a First-Tier mage’s spellcasting, and it’s instantaneous!”

“The gun’s power can be adjusted by switching the Mana Runes inside. Though it’s only First-Tier, when wielded by a squad of soldiers, its combined firepower would be considerable. Moreover, there’s still room for improvement!” The First-Tier limitation was simply because Ilti herself was only a Second-Tier mage.

The outcome was exactly as Yulxi had anticipated. “Continue the research,” she instructed. The Red Maple Territory’s armaments were woefully inadequate, and purchasing equipment and weapons from outside would cost a fortune. Of course, Yulxi had no intention of letting the territory’s military become identical to those of other provinces.

“Let me see,” Flah said, leaning in close to Ilti, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she examined the Magic Energy Impact Gun.

Veranse smiled faintly, then abruptly changed the subject. “Our friends from the Crimson Flame Mercenary Group haven’t emerged from Mangshui Forest yet. Could they be in trouble?”

The Crimson Flame Mercenary Group was indeed in trouble.

Guided by Ada, they had ventured deep into Mangshui Forest, crossing the Rotting Swamp and penetrating into Sorann Valley.

In this snow-covered valley, they had fallen into a trap and been ambushed by a strange group of Kobolds—the Ditt Tribe, Yulxi’s Kobold familiars left behind in Mangshui Forest.

Chilian, a Third-Tier Professional, was unconstrained by the environment, unlike the incompetent fools who had previously ventured into the Rotting Swamp. She calmly directed her companions to break free and counterattack the Kobolds. But she soon realized these Kobolds were not only equipped with fine leather armor and weapons, but also possessed “intelligence,” employing tactics she had never seen before. Chilian’s instincts told her this was a form of warfare. Did the Kobold Tribe have a powerful Priest? Or perhaps a powerful backer?

Keira stared at the unusually intelligent Kobold leader, took a deep breath, and said, “Dragonkin.” But was this related to Yulxi? Or was there another Great Dragon hidden here?

Just as a life-or-death battle was about to erupt, a furious voice boomed across the battlefield.

“You fools! You’re scaring my Magic Plants! Take your fighting somewhere else!”

The Kobold leader’s cold, stern expression vanished. She bowed deeply to the Druid who rushed toward them like a whirlwind, saying, “My apologies, Lord. We’ll resolve this immediately.”

Ada, who had been unharmed and protected by the Crimson Flame Mercenary Group, suddenly raised her voice in disbelief. “Teacher?!”

“Hmm?” The Druid’s anger melted away, replaced by surprise. “Ada? What are you doing here?”

Standing before Keira and her companions was a woman in a pale green robe adorned with leaves and vines. She had pointed ears similar to those of an Elf, yet subtly different, and stood slightly taller than an Elf.

A Half-Elf.

Half-Elves typically have both human and elven ancestry.

Some people were fascinated by Half-Elves, but a significant portion harbored prejudice against them.

“They escorted me here to find you,” Ada quickly interjected, carefully observing her teacher’s condition. Despite being deep in the wilderness and surrounded by Kobolds, the Druid showed no signs of hardship; the Kobolds treated her with remarkable respect. Ada lowered her head and asked, “How did you end up so deep in Mangshui Forest?”

“I came to find seeds for a particular grain,” the Druid explained, gesturing toward the Kobolds. “I ran into some trouble, and these little fellows rescued me. In return, I taught their tribe how to farm and cultivate a type of frankincense.” It was strange—what would Kobolds need frankincense for? This tribe was peculiar. At first, Ada suspected they might have a Dragon, but no matter how she probed, the Kobold chieftain, who treated her with such deference, refused to reveal a single detail.

The battle dissolved as the Druid and her student reunited.

Chilian watched the Kobolds warily. When they sheathed their weapons, she followed suit, returning her sword to its scabbard. Turning to Ada, she declared, “We’ve arrived.”

Ada nodded blankly, the situation far different from what she had imagined. If her teacher had been in danger, she could have asked the mercenary group to rescue them. But now it seemed her teacher had chosen to stay here willingly. After a moment’s thought, she exhaled a heavy breath and said, “Thank you. I’ll stay here then. I’ll repay you someday.”

“We’re already settled,” Chilian said, shaking her head.

Ada froze, a blush creeping across her face. “That small amount of gold coins probably wasn’t enough.”

“The Lord’s Manor paid,” Chilian replied calmly.

“Huh?” Ada exclaimed. She wasn’t even a citizen of the Red Maple Territory and had no connection to the Lord.

Keira explained, “The Lord’s Manor is looking for Druids. If you have time later, you might want to visit.”

“Is that so?” Ada nodded absently, secretly filing the information away in her mind.

Nearby, the Kobold chieftain, Linger Ditter, stiffened slightly. The Lord’s Manor? Was Lord Yulshi searching for Druids? She turned to Lavise. “Great Lavise, you’ve helped us greatly. The winter is long, and Mangshui Forest cannot provide you with a comfortable environment. Our tribe has now mastered the basic techniques to survive in Sorann Valley.” She glanced at Ada. “Since your student has found you, we cannot force you to stay any longer.”

“Hmm?” Ada murmured, startled. Meeting the Kobold leader’s gaze, a chill ran through her. Kobolds were said to be foolish, evil creatures, with only the tribe’s priests possessing any intelligence. Yet this Kobold was no priest devoted to a deity, and his demeanor lacked any trace of recklessness or savagery.

Lavise, a Druid, cherished the wilderness, but that didn’t mean she wanted to spend the night in a freezing cave. Too lazy to overthink it, she simply said, “I’ve left the books behind.”

The Kobold leader’s expression grew even more respectful. “Thank you for your generosity.”

Ada stared blankly. Kobolds can read?

“Come on, what are you waiting for?” Lavise beckoned Ada, not even bothering to retrieve the plants she’d left with the tribe. She strode off first, leaving a trail of footprints in the snow, her fiery spirit undeterred as she didn’t even glance back.

“What’s going on?” Chilian’s usually cold face showed a hint of confusion.

Keira’s mind raced with possibilities, a suspicion surfacing deep within her. But she kept it to herself, shrugging and saying, “Who knows?”

Regardless, the crisis had been averted.

Since they were already passing through, they decided to bring the Druid and her student back to Klein City, completing their mission thoroughly.

Thus, a few days after Veranse inquired about the Crimson Flame Mercenary Group’s whereabouts, the group returned safely to Klein City.

“This is Klein City?” The Druid’s face showed surprise. She caught a sweet scent, sniffed the air, and quickly located a cake shop. Staring at the pastries displayed in the cabinet—so different from bread—Lavise frowned, unable to conceal her curiosity and interest.

“These are Red Maple Territory cakes,” Ada said, licking her lips. Though she had never tasted one herself, she had seen children eating them and heard tales of their origin. Red Maple Territory boasted many unique foods not found elsewhere, all generously provided to the people by their Lord. The brave Lord had once ventured across the Fei’er Continent, and the Black Dragon God, impressed by her resilience, had bestowed upon her abundant blessings.

Lavise bought two small cakes, handing one to the talkative Ada. After a moment of silence, she asked, puzzled, “Black Dragon God?” Did those three words together not sound absurd?

Ada nodded vigorously, pointing to the Black Dragon Flag hanging outside the cake shop. “Our Lord worships the Black Dragon God. There’s even a Dragon God Temple in Red Maple Territory, and now every household flies the Black Dragon Flag. But unlike some Churches in other regions, our Lord isn’t tyrannical. She doesn’t force her subjects to convert.”

“Is that reasonable?” Lavise frowned deeply, taking a bite of the small cake. Her furrowed brows quickly smoothed out as she savored the taste. “We know so little about the Gods,” she mused. “Perhaps the Black Dragon God truly exists.”

Otherwise, how could such exquisite food exist? In the Royal Capital, she had been honored as a guest of honor by the highest nobles. Yet the supposedly unparalleled delicacies served at their feasts paled in comparison to the street food in Red Maple Territory.

The God-forsaken Land… it must be the Royal Capital.

Lavise continued walking forward.

“What’s that?”

“Grilled meat.”

“Thousand-layer pancakes.”

“Soup dumplings.”

“Fried fruit.”

“Teacher, we’re out of money.”