Chapter 443: The Genius Green Dragon |
In the end, Gauss still respected his teammates’ decision.
Just as he suddenly realized, teammates had their own wills, they were not his puppets.
The following days passed as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button.
Many things quietly changed around Barry.
The Maze was closed after authorities released notices about internal anomalies, and adventurers were orderly withdrawing.
The number of adventuring squads and adventuring guilds returning to Barry City visibly increased.
Looking around, nearly every few people on the street included someone dressed like an adventurer, while some civilians in ordinary clothes might not actually be ordinary residents, but lower-key adventurers.
Many goods in various shops, such as staple foods like grain, oil, rice, and flour, quietly rose in price.
But after just a day or two, the price hikes seemed suddenly restrained by an invisible force, settling back into a range that, although more expensive than before, was still tolerable.
Large numbers of beast carts carrying heavy loads of civilian supplies and other goods streamed in from the northern gate like ants moving their colony.
On the walls, below the walls, and on watchtowers, soldiers on patrol had noticeably increased if one paid a little attention.
The noble griffin knights who used to patrol the blue skies only at dawn and dusk now looked busier, making many trips back and forth inside and outside the walls, between the outer city and inner city.
All these signs indicated that something important seemed about to happen in Barry.
Even the most oblivious civilians slowly noticed the unusual signs around them; some young people, even if they sensed something, figured the sky falling had nothing to do with them. Naturally, the strong would protect their lives.
The Forest Capital had been peaceful for so long that several generations had never experienced the baptism of war.
Their vigilance against crises and monsters was even lower than that of the “peasant” countryfolk they used to look down on; many city-dwelling civilians in the Forest Capital had never seen any monsters up close besides the tamed griffin mounts in the sky.
The daily news they soaked up about adventurers, mazes, monsters, and treasures felt like stories from another world.
They and that world were clearly intertwined, yet separated by a transparent but distinct barrier, divided into two realms: mortals and transcendent beings.
Only some elderly people worriedly watched the soldiers patrolling the streets, and the adventurers moving in and out of the gates urged their children to buy extra dry food on the black market when they had time.
Gauss’s Red Dragon Guild had also stockpiled many supplies in advance.
Adventuring guilds like theirs had channels to purchase large quantities of supplies and were not subject to purchase limits.
Of course, this was not a privilege unique to the Red Dragon Guild; almost every adventuring guild did the same.
After all, those guilds were about to be among the main forces facing the campaign.
Local adventuring guilds, although not as loyal as paid soldiers, were still manageable.
The reason was that a tiny number of local guilds had their operations, members’ families, bases, industries, and hidden connections rooted outside the city.
Those assets could quickly flee; if the city really fell, their losses would be minimal.
So with that in mind, the leaders of guilds had long reached a consensus and held internal mobilization meetings.
Unless the war wasn’t lopsided yet, we will likely flee when things go south.
This is also why, in peacetime, cities are willing to offer generous welfare, policy favors, low-cost bases, and relaxed industry rules to keep guilds local — a kind of open conspiracy to bind guilds to the city.
As for Barry City, there were still some “outsider” guilds like the Red Dragon Guild staying behind.
This was the frontline for a potential war, and though war represented danger, it also offered opportunity. For example, to retain them, the Barry Adventurers Guild would provide substantial subsidy funds, which would be distributed to each person.
Moreover, their pressure was not as heavy as that on local guilds; they could decide whether to hold the front in Barry or retreat to the interior, such as Falim, based on circumstances.
It was a take-it-step-by-step approach.
“We’ve stored three months’ worth of food, that should be enough.”
“Potions, medical supplies, and medicinal herbs for brewing remedies are enough for about a month.”
…
Gauss listened to Chief Steward Ivan’s report.
Although Ivan had advanced to a fourth-tier Warlock, his role in the team remained chief steward and alchemist.
“Don’t skimp on basic supplies, buy as much as possible. Once war breaks out, transport to the outside will inevitably be cut off; it won’t be as easy to obtain emergency supplies as it is now.”
“I understand. I’ll check the storerooms and storage bags again when we get back, make sure everything has adequate reserves.”
Ivan nodded in agreement.
Even though he had already gone through the inventory in the warehouse and storage bags twice with his people before coming, one can never have too many checks.
For everyone in the Red Dragon Guild who knew war was looming, emotions were complicated at the moment:
nervousness, unavoidable fear, and a strange, unnameable excitement.
It felt like standing at a great turning point in history.
Perhaps many years from now, they might be recorded as part of history.
This human fascination with grand narratives seemed innate.
At the same time, none of them had experienced a war on this scale, so they inevitably worried about their fate; nobody could predict what would happen.
Even Gauss’s experience with war was limited to defending Grayrock Town, and those two events were not comparable.
Others kept busy.
Albenia used spare time to forge soft armor; after finishing the last set for Serlandul yesterday, every member of Gauss’s squad now had fitted soft armor.
Unlike ordinary armor, these soft armors were relatively light, only about twenty to thirty percent heavier than normal leather armor, but because they included mithril, their physical defense, magic resistance, and flexibility far exceeded common armor, giving the squad an extra means to survive in complex battle situations.
Others practiced their skills in their own ways.
Gauss used the Barry Adventurers Guild channels to spend one thousand gold coins to purchase a fifth-circle spell — an illusionist’s disguise spell.
This price was actually quite a bargain; on the open market it would have cost significantly more.
Also, after clearing the Maze, the Red Dragon Guild had funds on hand; even after excluding some inconvenient or unwilling-to-sell items and wages and bonuses distributed to members, Gauss still had five thousand gold coins, so he didn’t hesitate much when buying.
Money only has meaning when spent.
The disguise spell sounded unremarkable, but its effect was powerful.
It could give the target a new appearance, including but not limited to physical looks, clothing, weaponry, and equipment, and could significantly alter body shape — taller, shorter, fatter, or thinner.
Gauss could transform himself into a monster he was familiar with.
He had many choices: goblins, goblin-like creatures, lizardmen, gnolls — all targets he knew well and could use tactically.
Because it was an illusion skill, creatures with weak mental fortitude were nearly incapable of seeing through the disguise.
Even targets with strong mental power would have a hard time detecting anything off unless they were very close and paying special attention.
In Gauss’s hands, whose spirit was stronger than most transcendent beings, the effect would be even better.
That was why he bought it and chose to train it during the little time left.
Compared to fifth-circle offensive spells, auxiliary spells like this were what he truly needed before penetrating enemy territory.
Excellent physical fitness, the fifth-circle disguise, and the fourth-circle Dimension Door together were enough for him to operate freely in the perilous Emerald Forest.
Hayley from the Golden Beak Trading Company did not disappoint him either; even in these tense days, she managed to procure another five hundred-plus kilograms of mana clay for Gauss.
Combined with his existing supplies, Gauss now had a total of 2.8 tons of mana clay.
By mixing some ordinary soil when casting, the number of clay goblins he could create approached a hundred, a considerable force.
Gauss also gained an unexpected breakthrough.
While learning the disguise spell, his long-studied clay magic made cross-concept progress.
The new clay magic creatures he created became far more lifelike, almost indistinguishable from real creatures in skin tone, behavior, and physique.
He personally tested them; chopping off a clay creature’s arm caused the same crimson blood to flow, and their pain responses were so realistic that they did not reveal themselves as clay constructs. The clay magic quietly absorbed some of the disguise spell’s qualities.
Sometimes Gauss felt dizzy; if he were not the caster, he could not tell the difference with the naked eye.
One could imagine how much trouble these clay monsters would cause if they charged alongside real monsters in battle.
Clay constructs could cooperate with one another, while monsters would have difficulty distinguishing friend from foe, falling into confusion or even killing each other in a hurry.
Even as a disguise method for long raids, they were excellent.
A solitary goblin moving through a forest looked suspicious, but a group of goblins — even if other monsters noticed — would be assumed to be part of a far larger force.
Thanks to Gauss’s concentrated efforts, his disguise proficiency improved rapidly.
He soon reached the latter half of level 2, and would likely hit level 3 proficiency before actually entering the Emerald Forest to execute the mission.
..
At the same time, in the Emerald Forest.
Layer upon layer of green canopy rolled like a sea of emerald.
Deep within this ancient woodland, a pale gray-green mist hung as if in a thin veil year-round.
For human adventurers, the forest’s depths were different from its edges — here lay desolate forbidden zones.
And right now, in the mist that should have been silent, shadowy figures moved; as time passed, those silhouettes slowly became clearer.
They were creatures of various heights moving in step — a monster army.
This army flowed from the deeper south of the forest like a slow-moving, dark torrent.
Even without looking at their gear, one could tell how elite they were from their uniform movements, silent discipline, and an order almost unlike wild monsters, even surpassing the discipline of many armies.
Species disputes, territorial conflicts, and food-chain relationships seemed to vanish at this moment.
The monsters were bound together by a higher will, marching with their heads down, silently executing that noble intent.
More terrifying, when the view pulled back, one could quickly see this dark torrent was only a trivial stream; across the vast Emerald Forest, many such armies were on the move.
Occasionally shadows of flying monsters crossed overhead, skimming the treetops and scanning the marching columns for any disturbance.
Behind this dreadful tide that resembled an ant-like march, a temporary camp had countless roots entangled and woven into a huge platform, and in the platform’s center a figure lay lazily on its side.
It was a dragon.
A great dragon covered entirely in emerald-green scales.
Its body was enormous but not at all bulky; every inch of muscle looked like a work of art.
The scales that covered it were a gem-like clear green, layered over its streamlined body.
When sunlight filtered through the treetops and fell on it, those scales refracted greens of varying depths — from the yellow-green of new shoots to the deep green of summer leaves, down to the almost inky dark green of a deep pool — the colors flowed in layers, beautiful enough to steal one’s breath.
Dragons were such privileged creatures, powerful and beautiful.
When the Creator opened doors for them, He seemed to have opened every window as well, renovating the house and filling it with luxurious furnishings.
Long lifespans, innate spellcasting, flesh powerful enough to crush steel, and scale armor that granted magic resistance — dragons stood atop the pyramid in nearly every measure of life’s worth.
They did not need to squeeze potential into a few decades like humans, nor depend on numbers and breeding like orcs to maintain their species.
From the moment a dragon hatched, it was a born predator destined to sit at the top of the food chain.
Among these natural predators, the green dragon Aetherass was a rare genius.
Among the chromatic dragons, green dragons were by no means the strongest.
In pure physical strength, the red dragons were undisputed kings.
Those red beasts dwelling around volcanic mouths had the most powerful musculature and the fiercest breath; a single blast of an adult red dragon’s flame could reduce an entire castle to flowing lava.
In magical talent, blue dragons dominated among the chromatics; their mastery of lightning and illusion put many great elf mages to shame.
Green dragons likely stood roughly equal to black dragons, perhaps slightly stronger.
The clear gap existed perhaps only with the white dragons, the shame of the chromatics.
Yet Aetherass’s innate gift was undeniably impressive.
True dragons can indeed grow stronger with age, but few true dragons reach level 17 at the mere age of six hundred.
So among true dragons, Aetherass was undoubtedly a rare genius.
It had even been visited many times in dreams by Tiamat, the Mother of Chromatic Dragons.
In those dreams, five enormous dragon heads rose from endless darkness — crimson, azure, dark green, pitch black, and snowy white. Five necks extended from a single body; the ten eyes on those regal heads emitted terrifying radiance as they stared down.
Even as an adult great dragon, in the incomprehensible majesty of the Mother Dragon Tiamat, it felt as insignificant as a tiny lizard.
The Mother of Chromatics had repeatedly tried to recruit it in dreams, but like most chromatic dragons, Aetherass had steadfastly refused.
Despite Tiamat’s threats and temptations in those dreams, it never wavered.
Unlike metallic dragons, who revered their platinic god Bahamut, almost all chromatic dragons instinctively distrusted their “mother”; that distrust was etched into their bloodline inheritance.
All chromatic dragons knew Tiamat’s greed, cruelty, and cunning.
The more gifted a chromatic dragon, the more likely it was to resist this “mother.”
Tiamat longed to create a sufficiently powerful “vessel” to return to the world and achieve dominance over the material plane.
Yet the chromatic dragons below, who were supposed to be her devotees, turned out to be unfilial one after another.
Moreover, the more talented a true dragon, the weaker its shallow faith in her — a mere token of worship, but when it came to real offerings, let alone giving life or body, getting even one or two coins from them was difficult.
True dragons were smart; from the moment they hatched and received the true dragon inheritance, even hatchlings were nearly impossible to seduce.
That frustrated Tiamat’s ambitions; finding five chromatic dragons each with exceptional talent and different colors was extraordinarily difficult.
That Aetherass drew Tiamat’s repeated attention spoke volumes about its talent.
Not only had its personal strength surged, it also ruled a vast forest and was building its own lair forces; it was foreseeable that in a few centuries, the consolidated green dragon power would become a true dragon realm.
At this moment, beneath the platform before the great Green Dragon Queen, a few human figures in dark robes were crawling on their bellies.
Compared to the green dragon, their bodies looked as tiny as insects.
“Rise.”
Aetherass’s voice was low and resonant.
Those figures, pressed close to the ground, slowly stood.
“We thank Your Majesty.”
If Gauss were here, he would notice these humans were none other than devotees of the Dragon Worshipers.
These people were fanatics madly worshipping great dragons and everything related to dragons.
The leader among the Dragon Worshipers slightly raised his head, not daring to look directly at the Green Dragon Queen’s body; under his hood was the face of a middle-aged man.
Sunken eye sockets, prominent bones, his gaze full of fanaticism and excitement, his body trembling slightly.
“Your Majesty, we have brought detailed intelligence on the Forest Capital and the entire Coldjade Province.”
He took from his bosom a dark-golden diamond-shaped metal badge and raised it above his head with both hands.
The Green Dragon Queen did not respond verbally, but as it fixed its gaze on the badge, the badge slowly floated up to its presence.
With a thought, the magical device emitted a glow and then unfolded in midair.
The image was a detailed map.
Fine lines and miniature symbols represented various pieces of intelligence.
City populations, numbers of small adventuring parties, gate positions, distribution of citadel bastions, organization and numbers of city defense forces, and the distribution of villages and human settlements were all displayed on that map.
As humans, the Dragon Worshipers had long operated within human territories and naturally gathered much intelligence.
Their advantage as human spies was not something monsters could match.
So upon detecting the troop movements of the Green Dragon Queen, these devotees hurriedly consolidated their information, gathered from the cities where they were planted, and presented the intelligence to the local leaders who then offered it to the Green Dragon Queen.
The Green Dragon Queen examined this detailed human intelligence with a satisfied glint in its eyes.
It naturally had its own intelligence about human cities, but none as detailed as what these black-robed men submitted.
No wonder, even ten years ago, had it begun to support and nurture the surrounding Dragon Worshiper forces.
Humans still understood humans best.
The Dragon Worshipers could not only provide detailed intelligence, but when war broke out they could infiltrate human cities and military formations, aiding from inside and out to create chaos.