Translator: AnubisTL
Deep within the Sierre Wilderness, the rock walls of Needleleaf Valley shimmered gray-white under the thin daylight.
Garos's massive, imposing figure stood in a clearing in the valley, his metallic scales reflecting the faint light of dawn.
He lowered his head, his vertical pupils focused on the items laid out before him: blocks of pure, transparent black oil crystals, and several open wooden crates beside them.
Inside the crates were piles of magic gems, stacked like small mountains and radiating the elemental glow of various colors—red as fire, blue as ice, green as the vitality of a forest—all pure, clear, and free of any flaws or cracks.
These priceless treasures were part of the generous return gift sent by Princess Eileen of Lothurn.
Setting aside the equally considerable but somewhat vulgar gold and silver, the core of this gift consisted of five units of first-grade black oil crystals and over a hundred high-quality magic gems.
"A pity," Garos murmured. "Even with her status, Eileen couldn't have easily provided more black oil crystals."
He extended a claw, carefully picking up a cool block of black oil crystal and turning it over in his grasp for a moment.
He could feel the pure energy contained within it, a potent lure that awakened his primal instincts.
Ultimately, he suppressed the raw desire to devour the crystal whole, carefully returning it to its place and stowing it away with the others.
Not long ago, Garos had communicated with Princess Eileen from afar.
His request had been blunt: he wanted more black oil crystals and offered to compensate her with other gifts in exchange.
But Princess Eileen had been unable to comply.
She admitted candidly that even as a princess of the Royal Family, the amount of black oil crystals she could mobilize at once was extremely limited—far from enough to meet Garos's demands.
In peacetime, there might have been room for negotiation.
But now, with the Federation embroiled in a storm of political turmoil, a resource as priceless and strategically vital as black oil crystals had been designated as a top-level controlled substance by the major kingdoms. All distribution channels were strictly sealed. If not for her status as a princess, Eileen would have struggled to procure even a single unit of the crystals.
"This stuff is too tightly guarded. No kingdom would ever let it flow out freely."
To obtain black oil crystals stably and in large quantities, we will ultimately have to rely on establishing our own alchemy industry of a certain level, gradually concentrating and refining them from ordinary black oil.
Garos pondered silently.
Desire, once ignited, was like a boulder tumbling from a mountain peak—once set in motion, its momentum was impossible to halt.
Garos remembered clearly that in his weak young dragon days, the mere chance to drink some ordinary black oil was enough to satisfy him for a long time.
But things were different now.
Now, controlling the resources of the Frontierlands and the Scaly Earth Rift Road, ordinary black oil was no longer scarce to him, and that particular craving had faded.
Naturally, his gaze had turned fervently toward a higher level of energy crystals—black oil crystals.
Although Princess Eileen couldn't provide a large quantity of black oil crystals to show her sincerity, she hadn't come empty-handed. She had gifted Garos a considerable amount of 98 Refined Black Oil.
This highly refined black oil was a rare treasure that the Ironforged Tribe, despite their own craftsmanship, could not yet produce consistently.
Garos easily pried open the sealed lid of a barrel of 98 black oil with his razor-sharp claws.
Instantly, an aroma of energy—richer, more mellow, and tinged with a strange, searing heat—wafted out, stimulating his senses.
Without hesitation, he raised his massive head, opened his tooth-filled maw, and drank several great gulps!
The energy, burning like liquid fire, surged down his throat, igniting the blood within his veins.
Then, Garos's powerful, metal-scaled tail deftly coiled around several brilliant gems brimming with elemental energy from a nearby jewelry box.
He took a deep breath and swallowed the gems whole, along with another massive gulp of 98 black oil.
The elemental energy within the gems and the pure power of the 98 black oil violently intertwined, collided, and ignited within his stomach!
An indescribable sensation of euphoria instantly swept through his entire body.
It was as if the most blazing fire had exploded within his guts and organs, surging and churning!
"Pure bliss!"
A low, satisfied dragon's roar echoed through the valley.
Garos's scales flared, his muscles bulged and rippled, and his blood surged and roared like molten lava.
He refused to waste this perfect opportunity.
Rouse! Bloodburst!
With a series of dull thuds like thunderclaps that shook the very ground of the valley, Garos began a training regimen of extreme intensity, bordering on self-torture.
Time flowed silently, like the wind circling the valley.
Soon, several days passed in a flash.
One morning, the sunlight, like molten gold, poured generously over the tundra and coniferous forests of the Sierre Wilderness, and the sky displayed a nearly transparent, crystal-clear blue.
In this serene and brilliant morning light, Charles Haynes, the Flower Knight who had been unconscious for a long time, finally opened his heavy eyes as his eyelids trembled slightly.
His blurred vision, like glass covered in mist, gradually cleared.
The first thing he saw was the cold, rough, gray rock ground beneath him.
Then, his gaze slowly moved upward.
A massive, imposing silhouette, radiating an indescribable pressure, gradually came into focus and solidified before his eyes, finally revealing the red-iron dragon that had left an indelible mark on his soul.
"The war has ended."
The red-iron dragon's gaze fell calmly, looking down at the newly awakened and still extremely weak Flower Knight.
"But that certainly does not mean it's over."
Garos continued, his voice devoid of emotion. "The timing wasn't right for either of us last time, but now, we can resume our interrupted conversation."
Over the past few days, Garos had been doing more than just training and digesting energy.
Through the secret inquiries and investigations conducted by his familiars among the adventurers in Creekwood Town, he had confirmed that this Flower Knight—Charles Haynes—was a figure of excellent reputation, deeply respected and admired by many adventurers.
And not just within the Duchy of Raymond.
Known for his friendliness, warmth, and generosity, as well as his impeccable character—willing to help the weak even at his own expense—the Flower Knight enjoyed considerable fame within the adventurer community, recognized as a renowned hero.
Garos got straight to the point. "What exactly is your relationship with the Albert Family?"
Charles struggled to clear the haze from his mind as he woke, his voice still laced with weakness. "I was once indebted to the Albert Family."
He paused, bracing his aching body with his arms to force himself upright. "Earl Mills recounted the Ironforged Tribe's atrocities to me, imploring me to resolve the matter on behalf of the Albert Family and reclaim their lost lands."
"I came here to repay my old debt and to aid the people of Creekwood Town, who were said to be suffering. However, my own investigation revealed that the reality is far different from what Earl Mills described."
Garos now grasped the full story.
"I see."
The red-iron dragon's voice dripped with undisguised mockery. "Yet another nauseatingly cliché tale—a foolishly righteous knight, easily duped by a cunning and treacherous lord, travels a thousand miles to challenge an evil dragon, only to serve as a cheap tool for the nobility to eliminate a thorn in their side."
"And I, Garos, have the misfortune of playing the role of the evil dragon destined to be vanquished by justice in your little story."
"How utterly tedious."
The Flower Knight disagreed.
Having traveled far and wide for many years, he had witnessed countless facets of light and darkness in this world. He considered himself no mere greenhorn, naive and inexperienced.
"Respected Ironforged King, I prefer to believe that there has been some profound misunderstanding here."
Charles carefully weighed his words, his tone remaining sincere. "Earl Mills is known throughout the Southern nobility for his benevolence and kind heart, earning a reputation as a Lord of Virtue."
"Every year, he dedicates a significant portion of the family's income to charitable causes, establishing several well-equipped orphanages and taking in a vast number of homeless street children."
"He has never been stingy when it comes to fighting evil and upholding justice, always generously and freely funding the Adventurer's Guild and the local guard."
Charles continued earnestly, "Furthermore, he treats the common peasants and farmers in his territory with utmost kindness, lacking the haughty arrogance typical of most nobles."
"Because of this, all the subjects of the Albert Family's territory wholeheartedly support their benevolent Lord Earl."
Charles looked at Garos, his gaze earnest. "Perhaps some ill-intentioned individuals deliberately distorted the facts before the Earl, blinding him to the truth and leading to the misunderstanding of you and this unfortunate conflict."
"Respected Ironforged King," Charles Haynes declared, "I, Charles Haynes, offer myself as a bridge of communication. I will spare no effort to resolve the misunderstandings between the Ironforged Tribe and the Albert Family and facilitate a reconciliation between both parties."
Reconciliation?
Must he be joking?
Garos's massive head tilted slightly.
He realized with clarity that while the young knight before him might have embarked on many adventures and seen some of the world, his perspective remained fixed on the superficial. He was still captivated by the virtues meticulously polished by the nobility, unable to pierce the glittering facade to see the colder, crueler truth lurking beneath.
Speak of charity?
In the distant heartlands of the Southern Federation, Garos had similarly used the secret channels of the Gemstone Merchant Guild to establish the Spark Monastery at great expense.
It, too, sheltered a vast number of homeless orphans and abandoned infants.
He had provided those children with roofs to shield them from the wind and rain, food to help them grow strong, and books to educate them... In a sense, he had also changed their destinies.
Yet, Garos had never considered his actions to be born of kindness.
Behind this seemingly benevolent gift, a price had long since been set.
None of this had ever been a selfless contribution.
(End of the Chapter)
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