Chapter 66#

His Holiness, the Pope Who Scatters the Holy Light#

Why can I still see Red’s stupid face even after I’m dead? That was the first thought that surfaced in Idi’s mind the moment he opened his eyes. It wasn’t entirely unreasonable — the azure dragon’s claw had pierced clean through his entire abdomen. Idi had known for certain that he wasn’t going to survive. It was only the desperate refusal to become the azure dragon’s excrement that had driven him to tear open that teleportation scroll and flee back to camp.

Seeing that the magician lying on the ground had opened his eyes, Lu Heng said softly, “Are you alright now?”

Red only just realized Idi was awake, and in his excitement, scooped the man into a crushing embrace. His hardened armor slammed into Idi’s nose, sending a sharp sting through the nasal cavity, and a warm trickle gushed forth. Idi shoved the foolishly large oaf away, swiped at his nose, and discovered he’d actually been bumped into a nosebleed. He snapped furiously, “Have you been kicked in the brain by a scale-armored horse?!”

To Red’s rare credit, he didn’t retort. Instead, his voice came out thick with a heavy nasal tone: “Idi, you almost died — do you realize that?”

Only then did Idi register what had happened. He had clearly been on the brink of death when he’d escaped back here, yet now his body showed not a trace of abnormality — even the chronic injuries accumulated over years of adventuring had vanished without a sign. His gaze shifted and he saw Eilla performing a high priest’s disciple greeting to the white-robed priest whom their employer always kept by his side. He understood at once that it was this white-robed priest who had saved him.

“Thank you for saving my life,” Idi said, offering a mage’s salute, then produced a badge. “The Crimson Tower will remember this kindness.”

Lu Heng returned the salute with a smile and accepted the badge. This Idi’s background was not simple — the Crimson Badge bore the private inscription of Grand Mage Hogg. The only people who could bestow such a badge were either his students or close relatives. All of Grand Mage Hogg’s students were at least at the Great Archmage level, and Idi clearly was not.

Rumor had it that Grand Mage Hogg had a very talented grandson. Lu Heng guessed Idi’s identity in his mind. He had originally intended to erase the Blood Wolf Squad’s memories, but it now seemed that making a few small adjustments might serve better.

The other two members of the Blood Wolf Squad had only sustained minor injuries; a single healing from Eilla was enough to mend them. Everyone gathered themselves emotionally and, finally, just as night began to fall, sat down to the dinner that had been delayed far too long.

Oionas tore off a glistening, golden-brown chicken wing with unceremonious greed, took a bite, then shoved it toward Lu Heng: “It’s a bit worse than a dragon-hawk wing, but passable enough to eat.”

With that, he ripped off every wing from the various feathered magical beasts on the spit and piled them onto Lu Heng’s plate.

Lu Heng gazed at Oionas, who was staring at him with blazing eyes and an expression of eager anticipation. He smiled inwardly and took a bite right where Oionas had already gnawed: “The flavor is genuinely good.”

Oionas suddenly felt his face grow hot. He averted his gaze awkwardly, but quickly turned back and snatched the roasted wing from Lu Heng’s hand: “I — I think this one’s the best. I’m eating this one. You can have what’s on the plate.”

Lu Heng gave him a look brimming with laughter in his eyes, then continued his meal.

After dinner, Red and Idi approached.

Red hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke: “Your Excellencies, I sincerely apologize. The Blood Wolf Squad’s strength is no longer sufficient to continue this mission. Therefore, we wish to request termination of the contract. We will return the deposit in full and compensate with an equal amount in gold coins.”

Though he was so broke right now he could almost pawn his own trousers, nothing mattered more than his companions’ lives. Red decided that upon returning, he would sell the materials he’d been saving to upgrade his weapons — that should be enough to cover the compensation.

“The road ahead is indeed too dangerous. We had also intended to end the commission. There’s no need for the deposit or the compensation,” Lu Heng said. “In exchange, it would suffice if Mage Idi simply tells us everything about his experience in full.”

What Idi said next confirmed Lu Heng’s suspicions. The moment the Void Gate had opened, Lu Heng had detected the aura of an ancient temple.

According to Idi, while one of their companions had been scouting the terrain from high ground, they had suddenly noticed what appeared to be tall stone pillars deep within the forest. The three of them headed in that direction but were discovered by the azure dragon before they could see anything clearly. Idi later drew the azure dragon away in the opposite direction, and in his panic, stumbled into a stretch of ruins. However, before he could take in his surroundings, the azure dragon had caught up to him. It then tore open his abdomen with a single claw swipe. In his desperation, Idi ripped open a scroll and escaped back. Therefore, he couldn’t provide any further specific details to Lu Heng and the others.

“Then let’s terminate the commission. There’s no need to return the deposit,” Lu Heng said, having obtained the information he wanted. He agreed to Red and the others’ request to end the mission.

“What is Lord Oionas’s opinion?” Although Idi knew that the white-robed priest before him was at least a bishop of the Holy Church, the one paying was ultimately Oionas. If the commission were to be terminated, the decision still rested with him.

Oionas, however, wrapped his arms around Lu Heng’s waist from behind and, in a lazy, languid manner, rested his chin on the shoulder of the man in front of him: “I’m sleepy. When you’re done talking, let’s go to sleep.”

As for Idi’s question, Oionas simply waved his hand, indicating he couldn’t be bothered.

Watching the two disappear into their tent, Idi felt as though he had swallowed something strange.

Billy City. Central Street.

Having bid farewell to the most troublesome employer the Blood Wolf Squad had ever dealt with, Red threw an arm around Idi’s shoulder and headed for the tavern: “Come on, let’s celebrate you snatching your life back. Have a drink.”

Idi plucked the arm draped over his shoulder off with a look of disgust and tossed it aside, then made his way toward their usual tavern.

“What I don’t get — there was nothing in that jungle. How did an azure dragon suddenly appear? I really can’t figure it out,” Red blustered as he caught up.

Idi drifted for a moment, then shook his head: “Maybe it was just foraging nearby.”

Far away, Lu Heng, having overheard their conversation, withdrew the mind control he had cast on the Blood Wolf Squad. He and Oionas then returned to the edge of the Lalan Basin.

The closer they got to the place Idi had described, the clearer the temple’s aura became. Yes — the temple still bore the lingering scent of divine power, for that prophetic mural had been left behind by the God of Light. On Dragon Island, perhaps because it had been the territory of the dragonkin demigod Oionas, the God of Light’s aura on the mural had been eroded away entirely.

The moment they glimpsed the faint outlines of white stone pillars through the trees, they heard a low rumble echoing from within the forest. Within seconds, a massive magical beast landed before their eyes — it was that azure dragon.

The azure dragon bore a passing resemblance to an ancient dragon, except that it had no wings on its back, while its forelimbs were unusually thick and powerful. Wing membranes connected its forelimbs to its torso, allowing it to glide at low altitudes.

Although legend held that azure dragons possessed ancient dragon bloodlines, the dragon clan never acknowledged this fact — because azure dragons were creatures without true intelligence. To compare the noble dragon clan with azure dragons was nothing short of an insult. Every ancient dragon would exterminate azure dragons on sight, and the Lord of Dragons was no exception.

A revulsion surging up from the deepest recesses of his bloodline caused Oionas to instinctively revert to his dragon form. The moment the Golden Dragon appeared, a crushing dragon’s might spread across the entire Lalan Plateau. Every magical beast in range dropped prostrate, trembling violently.

In that instant, who knew how many adventurers mid-battle watched their monstrous opponents suddenly abandon all resistance and collapse onto the ground, shuddering uncontrollably.

The azure dragon before Lu Heng and the others was no exception. However, this particular azure dragon seemed to have made its nest within the temple ruins. Having been bathed in divine power for countless years, it had developed a faint resistance to the dragon’s might. After trembling on the ground for a moment, it shakily, as though standing on a sieve, managed to rise to its feet.

Of course, it harbored no thought of defiance whatsoever. The azure dragon turned its massive body and attempted to flee into the depths of the forest. Oionas, seeing the creature still dared to resist, let out a low growl.

The pitiful azure dragon’s fragile surge of courage popped like a pricked balloon, vanishing with a sharp bang. It toppled face-first onto the ground again, covering its head with its front paws as it shuddered.

Oionas was about to unleash a breath of dragonfire to burn the azure dragon down to its bones, but Lu Heng stopped him.

“Wait, Oio. This azure dragon should make quite a decent mount,” Lu Heng said.

Back in Billy City, Lu Heng had wanted to buy a mount for travel. But no matter how high the grade of the mount, the moment Oionas sat on it, it would drop prostrate and tremble violently — making the merchants think their shop’s mount beasts had caught some plague.

This azure dragon, however, had faced Oionas directly in his dragon form and still retained a sliver of courage to resist. With some training, it should work as a mount.

When Oionas heard Lu Heng say this, he growled once more in a low rumble, then transformed back into human form.

The azure dragon finally stopped trembling, though it still lay motionless on the ground. Lu Heng knew this meant it had already agreed to become a mount. He produced a Contract Ring, sealed the pact, and stored the azure dragon inside.

“How can the Lord of Dragons’ treasure ride upon another magical beast?”

Hearing that sullen, displeased voice, Lu Heng knew the golden dragon’s possessiveness was acting up again. This was indeed an irresistible instinct of the dragon clan. Back when the dragons and humans still interacted, there had once existed the most powerful profession in the human armies:

Dragon Knights.

A dragon would choose a human who met its fancy, form a contract, and assist that human in becoming the most formidable knight. And that human would then belong to the dragon for life — never taking another mount or contracted beast until death.

This was getting a bit troublesome. If Oionas hadn’t been unable to maintain his dragon form for extended periods, Lu Heng wouldn’t have gone out of his way to find an azure dragon for a mount. They still had a long journey of wandering across the continent ahead of them, and traveling purely on two legs would be a tremendous waste of time.

Looking at the pouting, puffed-up dragon before him, Lu Heng had a sudden flash of inspiration. He gently ran his hand along the tense ridge of Oionas’s back: “You don’t need another mount. That azure dragon is your mount. You ride on the azure dragon, and I can… sit on your lap.”

“Since you’ve put it that way, I suppose I’ll reluctantly accept this puny azure dragon as my mount.”