Although the Morehurst family's ambushers had already cleared out with Aubrey, Lu Mao wasn't sure if Aubrey or other potential factions would come looking for trouble.
For the safety of his teammates and for his own system rewards, he chose to remain with the caravan.
The caravan set off once more, horseshoes clattering against the gravel road.
The Bone Dragon had already taken human form, walking at the rear of the caravan alongside Novia, Lumu, and Sorge.
As for the troll, he kept shouting “hungry” from the very back of the line.
No one paid him any attention.
Lu Mao naturally stayed inside the middle carriage, comforting Liz, who had not yet recovered from her earlier fright.
Taking advantage of a moment when the others weren't paying attention, Balen grabbed Lu Mao's arm, pulled him to the side of the road, and lowered his voice:
“Tell me the truth, where did that Bone Dragon come from? And that skeleton mage, and that succubus—don't tell me they're also from the Guild. Where did you get them?”
“It has nothing to do with me, it's Novia. They have business in Falan City, so they're traveling with us since it's on the way.”
“Then why aren't you joining back with our party?”
Balen didn't let go, sizing him up suspiciously. “You're a member of our party too, so why are you hanging around with those guys instead?”
Lu Mao sighed, looking at him with an expression that said, “Since you asked, I might as well tell the truth.”
“At this point, I won't hide it from you anymore. Actually, I have a very special ability—
“I can scan the information of any item, including the level of monsters, the stats of equipment, the specific composition of materials, and I can even see some... how should I put it, rather private notes.”
He lowered his voice. “Novia and the others really need this ability of mine for their trip to Falan City, and they offered me a deal I simply couldn't refuse to join their party.”
Balen had indeed heard of a type of magic that could make someone incredibly knowledgeable—the Sage class—but compared to what Lu Mao described, that Sage spell was simply several tiers below.
His thick beard twitched, his expression shifting back and forth between “you must be joking” and “what if it's true?”
Releasing Lu Mao's arm, he pulled a palm-sized cloth pouch from his belt bag. Opening it, he revealed a fist-sized, pitch-black ore covered in fine, silver-gray veins.
“Then scan this. I brought this out from the dungeon, and I've shown it to three appraisers, but none of them could tell me what it is. If you can identify it, I'll believe you.”
Lu Mao looked down and glanced at it.
“Meteoric Black Iron Ore Core, Fine grade. It's not some high-tier material, but its purity is indeed very high.
“The appraisers probably couldn't recognize it because of the silver-gray veins on the surface. That's a fusion crust formed by the intense heat when the meteorite struck the ground. Conventional appraisal spells don't work on fusion crusts; you have to use specialized mineral identification spells.
“You should take it to a dwarven blacksmith to have a look; they'll definitely recognize it. Also, you used it to prop up a table leg, didn't you? There's a faint scratch on the bottom left. Flip it over and see for yourself.”
Balen flipped the ore over.
Sure enough, there was an extremely thin, faint scratch on the bottom left of the ore.
He stared at the scratch for a long time, then carefully wrapped the ore back in the cloth and stuffed it back into his belt bag. When he looked up at Lu Mao, there was no longer any doubt in his eyes, replaced instead by a near-fanatical reverence.
“Next time I go back to Ironforge, you must come with me.”
He lowered his voice, his tone exceptionally serious. “When the time comes, we'll take a walk around the ore-gambling stalls. You scan the raw stones on those stalls one by one, and we'll split the profits fifty-fifty.”
“Sure, we'll talk about it after this trip is over.”
Lu Mao nodded. “Before that, I still have to make a trip to Falan City with them.”
At the front of the caravan, Dalian rode his horse close to Elliot's carriage window and lowered his voice:
“Young Master, did you truly mean what you just said to Aubrey?”
“Every single word.”
Dalian was silent for a moment.
“Since you've decided to go back and fight, there are some things I must say first.
“The money your uncles spend every year to maintain their retainers and enforcers is not a single coin less than what the old Count spent researching necromancy.
“The forces you can mobilize right now are too weak. If you really want to go toe-to-toe with them, relying solely on your backbone won't be enough.”
His voice dropped even lower as he glanced back at the rear of the caravan.
“Those teammates of yours, especially that young man named Lu Mao—I've been watching him for a long time.
“The group he brought with him—a Bone Dragon, a Dragon Rank expert, a succubus, and a necromancer—are all fierce characters, but he seems to be the leader among them.
“If you can recruit them into your service, your uncles will have to think twice before trying any more underhanded tricks.”
Elliot turned his head and looked Dalian in the eyes.
“They are my friends, not my subordinates. I will not force them to do anything for me.”
“Young Master—”
“I know you mean well.”
Elliot interrupted him, his attitude firm and leaving no room for discussion. “But precisely because of that, I cannot treat them like retainers. Whether they wish to walk with me is up to them, not something I should demand.”
By the evening of the next day, the caravan entered the outskirts of Lumdor, which bordered the Famlok Kingdom.
A faint scent of sulfur drifted through the air. At the edge of their vision, a moss-covered stone house was faintly visible, hunkered down low in a mountain valley.
A line of system notifications popped up at the edge of Lu Mao's vision:
【Quest "Protect Liz and ensure her safe arrival at the alchemist's secluded retreat" completed】
【Distributing rewards—Save attempts +1, currently 6 remaining】
【Equipment dispatched: Black Dragon Bow】
Lu Mao sensed that a half-person-tall shortbow had appeared inside his ring, almost completely filling up the remaining space.
The quest was considered a complete success.
Lu Mao jumped down from the carriage and relayed the news to Novia and the others, and then they prepared to set off.
“I have to make a trip to Falan City. I'll come find you after my business is done.”
Liz leaned against Misha's shoulder. After being treated by Sorge with "Life Transfer," her spirit was much better than before.
She tilted her head to look at Lu Mao, then glanced at the massive Bone Dragon behind him that was beginning to stretch its wing bones, a faint smile appearing on her pale face.
“Brother Lu Mao, is the Bone Dragon comfortable to ride?”
This is going to be the death of me, Lu Mao thought.
But aloud, he said:
“It's not bad.”
He squatted down, bringing his gaze level with hers. “Once you get better, I'll have Uncle Agrix take you for a flight too.”
The Bone Dragon tilted its skull, the ghostly green flames in its hollow eye sockets flickering as it snorted heavily.
“Make sure you recover well and take your medicine on time.”
Lu Mao stood up and added, “And don't secretly pour your medicine into the flower pots. Your sister just told me all about it.”
Liz shrank guiltily behind Misha, murmuring softly, “But that medicine is just too bitter.”
Balen stepped forward, stood on his tiptoes to pat Lu Mao's forearm, and whispered, “Don't you dare forget about the ore gambling.”
Gerak nodded at him in silence; Rayne reached out and shook his hand firmly; Elliot was the last to walk up, handing him a scroll wrapped in oilpaper.
“I don't have much to give you. This is a Levitation scroll. Take care on the road.”
Lu Mao recalled his experience on the Bone Dragon; this was indeed something he desperately needed.
He took the scroll, tucked it into his tunic, and climbed up the skeletal wing onto the dragon's back.
The moment the Bone Dragon flapped its wings, the dust on the ground swirled in all directions. As they climbed higher, the sunset glow gradually spread across the sky before his eyes.
Then, he faintly heard Liz's voice. It was very soft, carried by the wind, but it still drifted up to him.
“Sister, Brother Lu Mao looks so cool riding the dragon—”
Rate on N.U.
