“Hehe, first, the elves we intentionally placed in the blackmarket were swindled, then for some reason, the existence of the Despair Church was exposed to the Eternal Lord, which subsequently even attracted His wrath…”
“And even now, I still haven’t figured out what happened that night to make Him so angry…but one thing I have realized is that this whole string of events entirely reeks of conspiracy against me.”
The old voice continued to echo in the secret chamber.
“A conspiracy against you?”
The Borderlord furrowed his brow.
“Indeed.”
“The projection of the Eternal Lord descended, and then my arrangements in my underground lair were disrupted by some other entities, the fragments of Scepter of Life that I had collected were stolen, and then… this recent news of Black Dragon sightings spread in Maple Leaf City…Dont you think it’s all too much for a mere coincidence?”
The old voice sighed.
“If you think about it carefully, you’ll realize that this whole slew of events revolves around one thing, and that is my desire for a corporeal body…”
“The mastermind behind this conspiracy is clearly targeting me, and this recent news of Black Dragon sightings is probably an attempt to lure me out.”
“My plan to rebuild my body has been thwarted. Now the best option I have left is to find a new vessel. The culprit who stole the Scepter most likely knew this as well…”
The old voice explained, dryly chuckled, and added,
“And very conveniently, not long after I lost the means to rebuild my body, news of a Black Dragon spread in the Maple Leaf Territory…the culprit is clearly looking down on me, did they think I wouldn’t notice such a blatant trap?”
Listening to the old voice’s response, the Borderlord’s expression became serious.
And the mirror in the secret chamber continued to flicker, with the old voice still echoing:
“Alas…what I don’t understand is how they discovered my underground lair. Could it be… there’s a traitor amidst the members of the Despair church? But all of those individuals are parasitized by my children, so theoretically speaking, there shouldn’t be any problems. Unless…”
“Unless what?” The Borderlord asked.
“Unless… an entity around Demigod or above personally intervened, thereby obscuring my perception amidst the chaos that occurred that night.”
The old voice said.
“A demigod…!” Hearing this, the Borderlord’s pupils slightly contracted.
“Hehe, don’t be surprised. The realm of Seigües has been closed and isolated for a thousand years. However, based on Rigdal’s foresight a thousand years prior, it’s projected that it is around this era, that mana of Seigües will undergo a resurgence, potentially resulting in the dimensional passageway reopening within the next dozen years at most…by then, not just demigods, but even the very gods themselves might physically grace this realm once more.”
A chuckle escaped the old voice, filling the chamber with a sense of amusement.
As the Borderlord listened on, his eyes flickered slightly and he couldn’t help but asked:
“So…is this the real reason for the strange phenomenas happening all over the Empire withn the past half year, as well as news of various evil gods reawakening one after another?”
“Of course, with the resurgence of mana, this hibernating realm will finally reawaken and become more active. Alas, if we don’t take advantage of these upcoming transitional years to accumulate strength, then everything will be out of our control when the dimensional passageway fully reopens and true gods walk the lands once more.”
With a hint of mockery in its tone, the old voice later on added:
“The Heavenly Gods…do not want to see any powerful beings beyond their control in Seigües. After all, they don’t want to witness the second coming of yet another Yggdrasill in this day and age!”
After saying that the olden voice shifted the conversation, and said in meaningful manner:
“Of course, this turbulent times… also an opportunity for you.”
Upon hearing these words, a subtle flicker graced Count Otto’s eyes.
He deliberated for a moment before inquiring:
“Do you… know who is behind the conspiracy against you?”
The old voice fell silent for a moment, then chuckled lightly:
“I have some guesses.”
“Being able to command elves suspected of being immortal, whilst also showing interest in the Scepter of Life, along with that oh so familiar aura of death, I’m afraid there’s only one such being that comes into mind.”
“But… it’s perplexing. If ‘She’ has already obtained the Scepter of Life, shouldn’t She have accomplished her objective? Why is She still enticing me with this Black Dragon…”
“Or perchance is… that rumor true?”
The ancient voice in the secret chamber carried a hint of doubt.
“Rumor?” The Borderlord’s mind stirred slightly.
However, the old voice remained silent, leaving the question hanging in the air.
Observing the lack of response, the Borderlord chose to let the matter rest and smoothly shifted the conversation to another topic.
“So… do you still intend to deal with this Black Dragon?”
After a moment of silence, the shadow in the mirror finally sneered:
“Deal with it? Of course, we must deal with it!”
“However, it’s not for me to deal with, but for you to handle instead.”
“…Me?” The Borderlord was astonished.
“Yes, after all, it is also the lord’s responsibility such as yourself to kill anyone that attacks their territory.”
“Whether you send your own people or call forth some adventurers to do your bidding, since the other party wants to attract people, then…let us abide by their whims and send people over.”
The old voice carried a hint of mockery.
Borderlord: “…”
“And… who said I’m not interested in this Black Dragon anyway?”
“Hmph, even if my current condition is not good, I am still a genuine ancient deity! The other side not only needs to borrow the power of the Eternal Lord to weaken me but also wants to lure me into the Dark Mountains. This clearly indicates that the other side’s strength is not necessarily stronger than mine!”
“At least…the other party doesn’t have the confidence to defeat me head-on!”
“Furthermore, no matter what bait the other side uses, it shouldn’t have used a Black Dragon which is a descendant of mine…”
“Who attracts whom, and who will be the ultimate victor, still remained uncertain.”
“You just need to do as I say, and leave the rest to me.”
“Don’t worry, once I have fully obtained a body, I will naturally fulfill our contract and help you achieve your goal.”
The old voice dryly chuckled, but in the dimly lit chamber, it sounded somewhat eerie.
A black dragon has appeared at Maple Leaf Territory!
Moreover, it is suspected to have made its lair in the Dark Mountains along the borderland’s edge!
Not only that, the esteemed Borderlord, Count Otto has issued a hefty commission to the entire Maple Leaf Territory, offering a reward of 300,000 gold coins to anyone that could hunt down this black dragon!
And the reward will be doubled if this black dragon can be captured alive, directly increasing it to 600,000 gold coins!
Furthermore, if the lair of this black dragon is found, the treasures in the lair shall belong to the individual or group that completes the task!
As this news spread in Maple Leaf Territory, all mercenaries and adventurers operating in Maple Leaf Territory and its vicinity were stirred up with excitement.
“300,000 gold coins! Eternal Lord above! What a huge stroke of fortune!”
“Look, the rewards will even double if we somehow capture it alive! Moreover… the Count has even promised to give all the treasures of the black dragon to anyone who successfully completes the task!”
“Is there something wrong with the Count? Why is he being so generous all of sudden?”
“It’s said that he’s currently busy dealing with the Despair Cultists in the territory and can’t spare the time to do the task himself, that’s why he delegated the task to outside parties instead…”
“Hiss… truly generous! No wonder he’s one of the seven major candidates for the throne!”
Looking at the posted notice, everyone’s eyes turned bloodshot with greed.
Three hundred thousand gold coins!
This huge sum of money is enough to buy thirty standalone villas in the most luxurious district of Maple Leaf City!
Not to mention, if the black dragon is captured alive, the rewards will even double!
Moreover, according some reliable information broker, that black dragon seems to be a juvenile, with its strength only reaching the peak of Silver-rank!
This level of strength is not impossible to subdue for some mercenary groups to handle.
As for the black dragon’s treasures in its lair… As a member of the dragon race, black dragons are also adept at accumulating wealth.
Even a juvenile black dragon like in the rumors probably has already collected a staggering amount of wealth!
For a moment, almost all the mercenary groups who received the news were itching to take action.
— 313 —
【 HUNTING THE BLACK DRAGON 】
NEXT
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