Chapter 481: Chapter 247: Dragon Breath, Heavenly Fire (Part 2)
However, having never experienced any decent battles, she ultimately held a skeptical attitude towards this overly young man.
Now, all doubts and speculations have been swept away.
Sava clearly knows how troublesome creatures like "Griffins" can be.
A long time ago, when she had just become a professional, she encountered one.
Its size was slightly larger than the one now, and the caravan she was escorting paid the price of three professionals and two transport horses to drive it away.
Of course, nicely put, it was "driven away," but in reality, it just completed its hunt and left on its own.
Her strength now is different from before, no longer a novice newly gaining the Professional Level, and she doesn’t have the confidence to walk away from a frontal battle with a grown griffin unscathed, let alone defeat and kill it.
But now...
Her gaze inadvertently glanced over to the griffin’s head that rolled on the ground, and the smooth cut on its neck.
Even though Vier’s spell stripped the griffin of its most annoying flying ability, leaving it to fight only on the ground with a few people.
The black-haired young man’s speed and explosive ability demonstrated in an instant have already completely surpassed the realm of a New Professional.
At this moment, Sava even placed herself in the position of that griffin in her mind.
If she was the one standing on the field just now, could she have blocked that sword?
Before she had time to think further, Wood’s voice came from beside her:
"Well done!"
"But we need to tidy up the battlefield quickly; there’s not much vegetation around here, and the smell of blood spreads quickly."
"Don’t bother with the leather and skeleton; I’ll supply the Gold Coin for you later. The feathers from the underside of the wings, claws from the front limbs, and the beak can be taken down—should sell for a good price."
The battle finished too quickly, and this unlucky griffin that viewed the escort team as prey was just decapitated upon landing.
Making the Dragon Descendants Sava and Luca, who had been ambushing on both sides, unable to make a move.
Thus, the profits from the materials naturally fall upon the spellcaster Vier and the decapitator Xia Nan to distribute.
Experienced adventurers, they swiftly collaborated in just a few minutes, neatly recovering the valuable materials like talons from the griffin.
Without lingering, they left its corpse on the spot, and the group of six swiftly departed.
It’s worth mentioning that Xia Nan, while collecting materials, temporarily cut two strips of meat from the griffin’s waist and abdomen, thinking to try roasting it when camping at night.
Who knows how it’ll taste.
"Don’t let your guard down." Maintaining formation, guarding the flank, Wood holding dual daggers seemed to reply to Sava’s earlier complaint.
"The Melted Scale Mountain Range, although the territory of that Red Dragon, doesn’t have many high-level demons, but there are quite a few like griffins."
The Red Dragon has an incredibly strong territorial sense, considering everything within as its private assets.
Like lions on the prairie, they won’t allow grown males of their kind in their territory and will even drive away weaker hyenas and leopards to ensure their hunting advantage as much as possible.
But they won’t waste much effort on tiny annoying mosquitoes or the "scavengers" that digest bones and rotting flesh in the air.
And for the escort team, which the Red Dragon challenges with a level as high as "17," seemingly insignificant creatures not worth its time and effort can annihilate them.
Need to be doubly cautious.
"Anyway, what happened at Melted Scale Town?"
Though terrain in Melted Scale Mountain Range is rugged and uneven, vegetation is relatively sparse, offering a much broader view compared to forests where enemies can be seen from afar.
Sava, therefore, had the time to ponder over their encounter in town.
"Earlier, when blocked at the exit, the figure that passed by, you said was the Knight Captain of the Morton Duke Family."
"Could it be..."
Regarding the Morton Family nested in Nianshu Territory, Sava, having ventured for years, certainly heard of them.
And the most famous thing about this Duke among adventurers is undeniably the bounty offered on the Association’s Task Board targeting the Red Dragon that snatched away their family’s heirloom relic.
The group was now within the Red Dragon’s territory range and had coincidentally encountered a knight from the Morton Family, such factors adding up inevitably led to speculation.
"How could it be so coincidental." Wood merely shook his head, "That thing has been lost for several years already, if they had a way to sneak into the Dragon Nest and steal it back, they wouldn’t have waited until now."
"Moreover, of Terry William’s strength..." next to him, the Half Elf Hai’an hesitated to add, "It’s decent, said to be the youngest Knight Captain of the Duke Family, but probably far from being Transcendent, let alone the gap with an adult giant dragon."
Xia Nan hung at the back of the team silently, merely listening quietly to their discussion.
But for some reason, when the discussion up front touched upon the family’s lost heirloom secret treasure, he suddenly thought of the strange artifact currently held by Luca, said to have been casually picked up from an alley, named [Dream Weaving Corridor].
"It can’t be this coincidental..."
His heart felt an inexplicable subtlety.
Meanwhile, the conversation at the front, vigilant of their surroundings, gradually drifted towards rumors about the Morton Family.
"Although the task info said it’s the heirloom treasure of the Morton Family, honestly, I feel it’s probably just some kind of collectible without much real utility."
"It’s simply more important for the symbolism it represents and the honor it holds."
Seemingly knowing some inside story, Wood hinted:
"Morton’s ancestor was one of the pioneers during the establishment of the Sevia Kingdom, and their origins... were even less than you and me, yet they still expanded nearly a seventh of the kingdom’s territory for the kingdom and the family; no need to say much regarding their strength."
"Now, after so many years, Morton’s descendants undoubtedly have far superior resources compared to their ancestors, with numerous generations not lacking in talented individuals."
"But if that legendary heirloom treasure was truly useful, it wouldn’t have been until now without a successor with power comparable—even if just similar—to their ancestor."
Upon hearing, Sava’s reptilian face showed clear disappointment.
"I thought..."
Just as she spoke half a sentence.
Buzz—
Accompanying a strange hum, brilliant scarlet light dyed her eyes red.
At almost the same time, the group of six sharply turned to look southeast.
Only to see a dazzling scarlet light ascending from behind the distant ridgeline, disappearing into the clouds.
Rumble—
Thunderous roars reverberated between heaven and earth, as the heavy, brewing leaden clouds surged, unleashing endless raindrops.
The rain poured down.
Crystal rain droplets reflected the gray-black sky as they slid off the surface of the dull black armor plate, taking away the residual bloodstains on it.
Staring directly at the direction from which the red light rose, Xia Nan’s thoughts fluttered.
But before he could communicate with his teammates.
An overwhelming pressure, seemingly familiar and freezing even thoughts, had silently settled invisibly above.
"It’s Dragon’s Might!"
His pupils shrank as he suddenly turned back.
What met his eyes was the Alarm Skill Protective Shield once again shattering into light fragments, and the bodies of everyone stopped in place.
And through the rain curtain, reflected against the heavy dull gray clouds, those red dragon wings entwining flame light, seemingly obscuring even the mind.
A second encounter.
The red beam that once led it away from its nest reappeared, revealing the Red Dragon’s unprecedented anger.
With no longer any forest canopy to obstruct them, the escort team of six was fully exposed to the sight of this apex predator of the food chain.
Innately proud, the red dragon "Crawbarry" disdainfully refrained from expending energy on these bothersome little bugs at a time like this.
But the fury over the theft from its Dragon Nest, the accumulation of unending anger in its heart also made it not mind before finding that damned thief—craftier than a Devil and deservedly burnt by Flame.
To vent some of its anger towards these equally insignificant yet audacious ants intruding onto its territory without permission.
Sending them to meet their destined fate.
Thus, with the power to melt steel plates into molten iron, reduce bones to ashes, and encase destructive aura amidst the steaming heat from evaporating rain.
Dragon Breath,
the crimson Heavenly Fire descended from the clouds.