Chapter 297: The Dragon's Blood (Part 2)

  Ethan quickly threw the black gem upwards, took a step back, letting the huge dragon claw carrying a gale sweep past his face to grab the black gem.

  "Finally got it back, finally got it back..." Moriel's voice, both weak and angry, echoed in the cave. She paid no more heed to Ethan, instead moving her massive body towards a corner of the cave.

  In this corner, piles of gold coins and various treasures had accumulated into a small hill, which, from its shape, seemed to be where she slept. However, in the searing dragon's breath that had filled the cave earlier, many of the treasures were completely deformed and destroyed. Now, Moriel faced these treasures as if they were obstructive garbage. With a sweep of her massive tail, gold coins and treasures flew across the cave, revealing a small altar hidden within. She bent down, the black gem pinched in her huge dragon claw, and carefully installed it in the center of the altar.

  After the gem fell into the altar, the entire altar began to emit a strange light and magical fluctuations, and the same fluctuations emanated from Moriel's body, as if in resonance. A strange chant came from her dragon's mouth, and then her massive body began to tremble. In the green magical fluctuations, the majestic and authoritative dragon body actually deformed and shrank like a ball of dough.

  After the green light flashed, the Black Dragon was gone. Only a woman with red hair, dressed in tight black clothes, stood before the altar.

  Ethan stared dumbfounded at these changes. He could sense that the magic Moriel used should, judging by its fluctuations, be considered the natural magic of the elves, but such a strange and astonishing effect was something he had not only never witnessed among the elves, but had never even heard of.

  Ethan did not know much about the most powerful beings on this continent. In truth, it wasn't just him; almost no one on the continent had much understanding of this ancient and massive creature. After all, her life was too long compared to that of humans, and the years she had experienced even exceeded the historical records of any current nation.

  An intelligent life form capable of possessing such a life and such abilities was originally something that humans could not understand or identify with. Just as ants and mosquitoes could never understand or identify with humans. Even Aunt El, who had guided Ethan here, did not know this dragon very well. She had only met this great dragon once when she came down to Nighon a long time ago.

  "Hahahahaha..." The clearly inhuman figure of the woman threw her head back and laughed, her red hair like a rising, burning fire, trembling and burning in the laughter. The laughter was still the deep, thick laughter of a great dragon, and the entire cave shook with it.

  The woman turned. She walked straight towards Ethan. Now, on her body, face, movements, expression, and aura, there was no longer the slightest hint of weakness.

  The woman walked up to Ethan. Although she seemed to be a head shorter than him in both height and build, Ethan could distinctly feel that he was looking up at her. This was a most instinctual, primal feeling. Her eyes scanned Ethan up and down for the first time, carefully and meticulously. Ethan could feel his skin break out in goosebumps wherever her yellow pupils swept.

  Moriel suddenly smiled and said, "How strange. This generation's Guardian of the Dark Will, Archibald's successor, is actually such a clumsy magician. The Leaves of the World Tree, considered a treasure by magicians, are utterly wasted on you." She glanced over at Sylka and Rodhart, who were still feeding on the corpses of the Temple Knights nearby. "If the Necromancer Guild hasn't fallen to the point of having no one, yet can still create two such fine puppet knights, I'm rather curious."

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  "Although, logically, retrieving this thing and completing the seal again is your duty, I did say I would thank you. All told, you've saved me twice." Moriel looked at Ethan, the pair of yellow dragon eyes flashing with a strange light. Her voice now lacked the deliberately feigned kindness; it was all top-down authority, contempt, and perhaps even a hint of dissatisfaction. "Do you know? I have been waiting for you for over a decade. It's been decades since the last Guardian of Darkness, that assassin, came here."

  "That damned Archibald. The seal he left behind only allows each generation's Guardian of Darkness to come and check, leaving me no way to find or notify you. For the past decade or so, the Drow should have sent many people to the surface to find you. But there was no news at all. After all, the surface is not our territory. Our people can't even blend into human society, and yet they don't have the power to force their way into Diya Valley. And you are all fellows accustomed to skulking in the shadows..."

  It was all Moriel speaking. Ethan never found a chance to interject. Perhaps it was an instinctual retreat; humans would cower before the natural aura exuded by such an ancient beast.

  The sound of digging and commotion outside the passage suddenly grew louder. The Drow reinforcements outside had finally cleared the collapsed passage. Amid the sound of footsteps, a group of Drow rushed to the cave entrance. When they saw the figure of the red-haired woman, they all immediately knelt and prostrated themselves.

  "Great Moriel. Your safety is truly the blessing of the Dragon of Shadows. It is also a blessing for our clan."

  "What's going on outside? Is it the work of that stupid ox, Tima?" Moriel asked.

  "Yes. Tima led all the Minotaurs in an attack on Othello. The other clans have already rushed to Othello to provide aid. We knew that since they dared to launch an attack, they must also have a plan targeting you. So I came to your aid first..." The leading female Drow propped up her upper body and said. She was a matriarch of a clan. "Great Moriel, is your body fully recovered?" The Drow matriarch was so excited she was weeping tears of joy. Although she and all the other Drow saw Ethan and the two Death Knights still gnawing on the corpses, they didn't seem to pay them any mind. In the presence of the great Moriel, all other existences were insignificant, like ants beside a statue of a god that need not be paid attention to.

  "My body is healed. Tima actually dared to collude with the human Church to deal with us. I will make the entire Minotaur race disappear from Nighon." Moriel nodded and waved a hand at the Drow. "You leave first to support Othello. I will rush over as soon as I finish things here."

  The Drow left quickly. Moriel seemed in no hurry at all. Instead, she looked at Ethan and asked, "All of this is thanks to you for helping me complete this seal... But I'm very curious, where did you find this sealed dragon's blood?"

  Ethan sighed and answered, "In the remains of a Drow friend..."

  "Your Drow friend? Was she on the surface?" Moriel's voice was full of astonishment.

  "Yes. She was a friend of mine... But she never mentioned this to me. I only found it in her body by chance."

  "What?" Moriel roared. A huge sound wave came from her mouth, shaking the cave. It was clear that the most prominent emotion within it was disbelief. "From which clan was she? How dare she betray her entire clan, betray the Dragon of Shadows, steal my thing, and escape to the surface? Impossible, how could a Drow betray her own clan and faith?"

  "I'm sure this must be Tima's doing; otherwise, he would never have the guts to launch this rebellion. Only a few matriarchs knew about my seal being damaged and my strength declining. But how could a Drow be bought by a Minotaur? What did she do it for? Faith? Desire? Can the Minotaurs give her those? Money? No Drow would be interested in that. Then what else? Could it be something as boring as feelings, or freedom?"

  Ethan was silent. He recalled the conversation between Jessica and the Temple Knights in the Tulalion Forest. Although it was brief, he vaguely guessed the reason. He was silent for a moment, then sighed and said to Moriel, "Enough, you don't need to waste your breath on me. Go and support your people. We can talk about our matters later."

  "No, not later. It must be said and resolved now."

  "Hmm?" Ethan was taken aback.

  "Compared to the situation outside, the matter between the two of us is much more important. It must be resolved as soon as possible."

  "The matter between us?" Ethan was taken aback again. The hilt of The Black Star was no longer in his hands, and even this matter didn't seem too urgent anymore. And from Moriel's words, it seemed she had business with him.

  Moriel looked up at the ice-sealed cave entrance at the top of the cave, then looked down at Ethan and said, "Archibald told me that the person who comes in from this path must be someone who has already finished cultivating the meditation technique he left behind. Is that correct?"

  "Yes." Ethan nodded. He was a bit surprised; he hadn't thought that the rule Archibald left in the Necromancer Guild seemed to have some connection to Moriel.

  "Just now, I also sensed that you have the power of the Leaves of the World Tree within you, don't you?"

  "Yes." Ethan nodded again.

  "Good, good, good..." Moriel looked at Ethan and nodded repeatedly.

  Ethan suddenly felt a strange sense of danger. Although, logically, Moriel seemed to have no reason to be hostile towards him, and should even be grateful, when Ethan looked into those yellow eyes, so different from a human's, he felt a sliver of fear emanate from his heart. He couldn't help but take a step back.