Chapter 59
This time, the Dragonoid bounty is twelve million. That’s a huge sum of money!
“To deal with this General Dakisatharos, our entire party has mobilized. If we split it among forty people, it’s about three hundred thousand per person.”
Sister Liwei said this as she carelessly stuffed the bounty poster back into her pocket. As for Nono, she had been adjusting the portal coordinates on the doorknob ever since she entered the boudoir.
“Just hearing the bounty, you know it’s dangerous,” I said with a laugh.
“Yeah. This guy has been wandering around the swamp. If it gets near a city, the consequences will be unimaginable— Nono, are the coordinates set?” Sister Liwei asked.
“How could it be that fast.” fix
“Why would the permafrost in southern Falanlun suddenly thaw?” I couldn’t help but ask.
According to historical records, our world was originally ruled by the Dragon race. Tens of millions of years ago, the climate suddenly turned cold, and almost the entire continent was covered in ice and snow, which later generations called permafrost. Prehistoric creatures, including the dragons, were all sealed in the ice. But why would it suddenly thaw?
“A group of environmentalists calling themselves Druids said that humans overused magic and released too much carbon dioxide, leading to global warming,” Nono said with a blank expression.
“I’m sorry, what is carbon dioxide?” I asked weakly.
Nono shrugged. “The Druids said it. I don’t know either.”
“That group of Druids is talking pure bullshit! I cast a spell in the Royal Capital, and it’s going to affect Falanlun hundreds of kilometers away?”
Sister Liwei said with a displeased look.
Nono gave a cold snort. “It’s not just you affecting it. The Druids mean that everyone using magic is what’s impacting the climate. Therefore, they advocate that we abandon magic, or else all the permafrost in the world will melt.”
I could tell that although Nono was outwardly calm, her words were filled with sarcasm towards the Druids.
“Er… The essence of magic is Holy Light. Doesn’t abandoning magic mean abandoning the Holy Light? That kind of talk from the Druids will get them arrested by the Church as heretics,” I said helplessly.
“Sister Fei’er, you’re the Saintess. Hurry up and arrest them so they stop spreading bewitching falsehoods,” Sister Liwei said with a facepalm.
“Um… Arresting them isn’t the goal. It’s to help them see the error of their ways and return to the true path.”
More than the Druids, I’m concerned about the permafrost suddenly thawing. If more prehistoric dragons like General Dakisatharos emerge, it will be troublesome.
“It’s ready.” Nono said as she turned the doorknob. The scenery outside was no longer the streets of the Royal Capital, but a lush, green swampy wetland.
It’s truly unbelievable that this is the scenery after the permafrost thawed. I had just taken one step out of the portal when I saw groups of adventurers, gathered in twos and threes busy checking their equipment, all stand up. Dozens of pairs of eyes stared at me.
They seemed to have been waiting for me for a long time. It made me feel quite embarrassed.
“The support is here—!” Liwei raised her right fist and shouted. The adventurers all raised their fists in response, letting out a unified “OOH—!” shout. Okay… now I’m even more shy.
I saw Sister Mouyue smiling at me from the crowd. As an elf, she’s as beautiful as ever.
“Should I just cast ‘Rain of Holy Light’ like I did before?” I asked bashfully.
Although I used Rain of Holy Light as fireworks during the Christmas Festival,1 it really isn’t just for looks…
“Mhm. You just need to cast Rain of Holy Light from the back rank of the party. Nono will be with you. She can’t help much in combat either,” Sister Liwei said, patting my shoulder.
“But her teleportation magic is indispensable to the team,” I said.
“Thanks for the compliment,” Nono said shyly.
“Alright, everyone, move according to the plan we discussed. Liwei, you’re responsible for blocking General Dakisatharos’s attacks,” instructed Sister Mouyue, the party leader.
Sister Liwei drew her sword with a shing. “Leave it to me. I won’t miss any opportunity to slaughter a dragon.”
Her obsession with dragon-slaying is as deep as ever, I thought.
“Very good. This monster is stronger than any we’ve faced before, but it’s worth twelve million. Everyone, get your spirits up! We have support today, so we can absolutely take this monster down with zero casualties!”
Sister Mouyue’s voice was pleasant and melodious, as if it could inspire people. I think this is the charm of elves, right? Everyone is willing to gather around her. Although she’s usually lazy and a procrastinator, she’s very serious and responsible when commanding the team.
“OOH—!”
Everyone was rubbing their hands together, eager for action. At the same time, the sound of heavy footsteps approached, and the entire swamp began to shake.
It’s coming—
Codename: General Dakisatharos. The twelve-million-bounty Dragonoid is nearby!
Alright…
This is the reason I begged Lian Qi not to tell Sister Aijieliya. Because I’m risking my life adventuring.
I’ve been pulled along as support by them a few times before, hiding it from Sister Aijieliya. Ahem, this is the reason why I, the Saintess, am so familiar with platinum-rank adventurers…
If Sister Aijieliya finds out, she’ll definitely string me up and ground me, right?
Footnotes
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圣诞祭 (Shèngdànjì): Literally “Holy Birth Festival,” which is the standard term for Christmas. ↩