Chapter 406: Dragon Valley

Chapter 406: Dragon Valley

"Yes, Lord Rain." The Magic Iron Rank Swordsman nodded in agreement towards Rain.

Upon hearing that the other party was from the Black Flame Cult, Kayla's expression revealed comprehension. After all, the battle that occurred in Myister was caused by this very cult.

It seemed that while Rain's Swordbearer identity was one reason, the trouble he had gotten into, more or less, was also related to the protection he offered the Habsburg family.

This made Kayla feel quite apologetic. She said, "Rain, I didn't bring many escorts from the Imperial Capital, and their strength isn't that formidable. But I can assign a few people to be responsible for Lady Alena's safety."

She didn't suggest having the escorts protect the security of Rayn Manor.

Firstly, there weren't enough people.

Secondly, she had just glanced around, and although many of the guards in the manor had some disabilities, each of their eyes was sharp, and they responded to the battle that had just occurred at the manor's entrance in an orderly and unhurried manner. They seemed to be veterans of the elite army.

At this moment, Luther and Halowen exchanged a glance, and a thought floated into their minds: 'A big tree attracts the wind.'

Just now, Rain had been at the Dragon Knight Cadet camp, challenged by the disciple of the Tide Sword Saint.

That incident had just ended, and now, another terrible event had occurred where Lady Alena was targeted for abduction by the Black Flame Cult.

Moreover, according to the recent intelligence, it seemed that a rather troublesome strong Viper Sect member had arrived near the Imperial Capital, with the goal of capturing the Imperial Capital.

This left the two of them at a loss for words.

Especially Luther, who was well aware that Rain had also inflicted significant losses on the Sea God Sect in the Tundra.

In other words, just from what he knew, Rain was at least a thorn in the side of three different heretical organizations!

However, Luther had already made a decision in his heart.

Not only did he personally admire Rain's strength, but he was also a supporter of Rain. At the same time, the Snyder family and Rain were business partners in the gold mine, so if he didn't support Rain, who would? Of course, most importantly, he had high hopes for Rain. As long as he could overcome this hurdle, he would inevitably advance to the Legendary Rank and become a top-tier powerhouse.

"Lord Rain, if you have insufficient personnel on your side, our Snyder family's guard in the Imperial Capital can send over a team."

Hearing this, Halowen glanced at Luther, a bit surprised by his decisiveness.

However, Rain's potential and the previous letter from his father, Duke Minster, also allowed Halowen to quickly make a decision. He said, "Lord Rain, the Bavaria family can also provide some guards."

"Thank you for your kindness. I'll trouble you then." Rain nodded, not refusing.

Hearing this, Lagrel, who had been silent all along, first glanced at Kayla, then at Rain, and said,

"Rain, the Norton Clan has always been your loyal ally. High Priest Rom and Chieftain Darius instructed me before I left that if you need the clan's help, you only need to inform us."

Lagrel's words made Kayla think to herself, 'Indeed, she's a female warrior from the barbarian tribe.'

However, when did Rain establish a connection with the barbarian tribe, which was far away in the frigid Tundra?

And from the looks of it, their relationship seemed quite intimate, even to the point of being allies.

It was common knowledge that the barbarian tribes maintained a distant relationship with the Dragon Empire.

But at this moment, it wasn't appropriate for Kayla to ask Rain about it.

After some discussion, the safety of Rayn Manor and Lady Alena was more or less guaranteed, and Kayla would also send a warning message to the Habsburg family in Myister.

Soon, Halowen and Luther returned to make arrangements, leaving only Rain, Kayla, and Lagrel in the scene.

Just as Rain was beginning to feel a bit of a headache, unsure of what to say, his sister Mint came downstairs, her curiosity piqued as she looked at Kayla and asked, "Brother, who is this sister?"

Although this was Kayla's first time meeting Rain's sister Mint, she had heard about her from Rain before.

Kayla crouched down, removing a gem brooch from her top and handing it to Mint. She said, "Is this Mint? Sister has a small gift for you as a token of our meeting."

"No, I can't accept it. Brother told me not to accept gifts from others casually, unless it's from Sister Anna or Sister Lagrel."

Hearing Mint's words, Rain's forehead was covered in sweat.

"Cough, Mint, now that Sister Kayla is here, you can accept her gift without worry." Rain quickly winked at little Mint.

"Really? That's great! Sister Kayla, your legs are so long, and you're so pretty."

"I really like the gift you gave me." Mint expressed her appreciation to Kayla.

Although Kayla had grown up surrounded by such flattering words, she had become immune to them.

But in reality, it also depended on who said them. Little Mint's innocent and adorable eyes made it impossible for Kayla to suspect that she was lying.

"Sister Kayla, let's go play outside, okay?"

"Sure." Kayla readily agreed to Mint's invitation.

She also wanted to ask about Sister Anna and Sister Lagrel.

Soon, they were in the front yard, digging soil and planting flowers.

After a while, Kayla casually asked, "By the way, Mint, where is Sister Anna, whom you mentioned earlier? I don't seem to see her."

"She's not here. Sister Anna left." Mint replied.

"Hmm? Left? For a long time?"

"No, Sister Anna left two days ago. Then, Sister Lagrel arrived yesterday."

"Hmm?" Kayla glanced at Lagrel, who was still in the villa talking to Rain. She thought, 'Did she arrive yesterday? Perhaps I was mistaken.'

Perhaps, the relationship between Rain and Lagrel was that of battle partners.

Although the Dragon Empire had a relatively open attitude towards relationships between men and women, privately, the nobility had numerous lovers. But on the surface, they still adhered to the one-husband-one-wife system.

Kayla's acceptance of these matters was quite high, but deep down, she couldn't help but feel a bit of displeasure.

After all, what girl in love wouldn't want her partner to be devoted to her alone?

The same speculation naturally also arose in Lagrel's mind, but she was different from Kayla, the daughter of a count.

Rain had saved her life, and from the beginning, she felt a bit ashamed of inserting herself into Rain and Anna's relationship. So, after that intimate moment in Flashing Town, she quietly left and returned to the Tundra.

From start to finish, she believed that Rain's partner was Anna, but now it seemed that Rain's romantic history was more complicated than she had imagined.

At the same time, in Marshal Alfred's office...

General Augustus frowned as he looked at a report in his hand and said, "Marshal, as you had anticipated, although the Empire used the Dragon Knight Cadet selection as a cover, it seems that the various cults have already become aware of the Empire's plan."

"The insider we identified earlier must be of a high rank."

Marshal Alfred, with his silver hair and goatee, nodded and said, "This was already expected."

"However, this also means that we can gradually narrow down the suspects. As of now, there are only a few suspects left."

"Of course, the most important thing is that we must take this opportunity to resolve the hidden threat within the Dragon Valley Sanctuary."

General Augustus nodded and said, "Yes, Marshal, resolving the threat in the Dragon Valley is of utmost importance."

"For the personnel entering the Dragon Valley Sanctuary, I'd like to additionally recommend one person, the one who killed Harold—Rain."

It wasn't that the Sword Keeper Headquarters didn't trust Rain, but for this top-secret mission, the personnel had already been decided upon three months ago.

At that time, Rain had not yet arrived in the Imperial City, and his strength had not been revealed.

Naturally, Rain was not on the list.

"Oh? Is it him? Did Rain also participate in the Dragon Knight Cadet selection?" Marshal Alfred asked.

"Yes."

"Good. With his strength, he's a very suitable candidate. Moreover, if he enters the Sanctuary, he will also have the qualifications to know about this matter."

"Yes, Marshal, I was thinking the same."

"I'll find time to discuss the specifics with Rain as soon as possible," General Augustus nodded and said.

"Good!"

That afternoon, General Augustus met with Rain in his office.

As soon as Rain entered the room, General Augustus appraised him, his eyes shining with appreciation. "Rain, your strength has improved at an astonishing rate. I didn't expect that in a short time, your abilities would have advanced even further."

If Rain hadn't already undergone several sorcery tests, General Augustus might have suspected him of being an incarnation of a deity or something similar.

"Thank you, General Augustus. Your praise will be my motivation to move forward," Rain said with a smile.

"Have a seat, let's chat casually."

"Good!" Rain nodded.

He naturally knew that General Augustus had summoned him for a specific purpose and not just to chat, but he wasn't in a hurry.

As expected, after some small talk, General Augustus's expression turned solemn, and he said, "The reason I called you here is to discuss an important matter, and I hope you can participate."

"I'm all ears," Rain said, nodding.

"The second phase of the Dragon Knight Cadet assessment will take place in the Dragon Valley Sanctuary. Sir Rain, how much do you know about the Dragon Valley Sanctuary?"

"Not very clear," Rain shook his head. "I've heard that all personnel who have participated in the Dragon Valley Sanctuary assessment have to sign a confidentiality agreement with the Empire."

He had asked Luther about this before, but due to his oath, Luther couldn't reveal much.

The only thing that was clear was that the Dragon Valley was a rather special sanctuary, and the Empire attached great importance to it.

"Yes, but since you are now privy to this secret, you should understand that the contents must not be disclosed to outsiders."

"I understand," Rain said, straightening up slightly and nodding.

General Augustus paused for a moment before slowly explaining, "The Dragon Valley Sanctuary is a large-scale sanctuary and the Empire's most important one. It houses almost all the young and adolescent dragons, who live there until they reach maturity and their strength reaches the Epic Rank."

"That is, until they become mature dragons, their strength will increase to the Epic Rank level."

As if seeing the confusion in Rain's eyes, General Augustus continued without waiting for his question, "You may wonder why the Empire keeps the young and adolescent dragons in the Dragon Valley Sanctuary. The reason is simple: the unique environment of the Dragon Valley Sanctuary accelerates the growth cycle of the dragons."

"It can increase their growth rate by about three to four times."

"I see," Rain said, raising his eyebrows.

No wonder, even with various combat-related deaths taken into account, the number of dragons in the Empire was still slowly increasing. This was undoubtedly the Empire's most important sanctuary.

Generally, it takes two to three hundred years for a dragon to grow into a mature dragon.

With a four-fold acceleration, it meant that in fifty to sixty years, the Empire could possess an Epic Rank dragon.

"The problem now is that some strange phenomena have appeared within the Sanctuary. The Grand Astral Mages have used special sorcery devices to observe that some young and adolescent dragons are going berserk and attacking their own kind."

"Moreover, the situation has been worsening over the past year, and the preliminary investigation has revealed that the unique spatial structure of the Sanctuary has led to the appearance of creatures called Void Beasts.

"These Void Beasts have infected some young and adolescent dragons, causing drastic changes in their temperament and gradual mutations in their bodies."

"Currently, we call these mutated dragons 'Void Dragons.'"

"What about these Void-infected adolescent dragons? Have there been any changes in their strength?" Rain asked after some thought.

"According to ancient records, the Void-infected dragons exhibit more bizarre abilities. So, this mission will be very challenging."

Rain nodded.

Indeed, he had a relatively clear understanding of dragons. Most adolescent dragons were at the late Legendary Rank or the peak of the Legendary Rank. Combined with the dragons' innate physical abilities and talents, their combat power was already formidable.

If the mutated abilities are added, it will naturally be more troublesome.

This is why ordinary teenage dragons are no match for those infected.

At this moment, Augustus thought for a moment, his expression becoming more solemn, and said, "The more troublesome situation lies in the fact that the Cult seems to have already discovered the anomalies occurring within the Sanctuary."

"Currently, they are mobilizing their forces to gather near the Imperial City. Although we do not yet know how they will interfere with this operation, it is evident that they will make a move."

"This is indeed a big problem." Upon hearing this, Rain's expression also turned serious.

With us in the light and the enemy in the dark, the only thing we know for sure is that they will take action, but we are unaware of their specific plans. This makes our response more passive.

"Therefore, we have gathered the Empire's top legendary experts, not only the Swordbearers, but also the Imperial Military Elite and the Imperial Guard from the Senate."

"However, there are still some other uncertain factors."

"Some of these uncertainties originate from within the Empire itself. So, Lord Rain, please be fully prepared." Augustus looked at Rain and said.

"Okay, Lord Augustus, I understand." Rain nodded.

"This is the information about the situation within the Dragon Valley Sanctuary." At this moment, Augustus handed Rain a memory crystal.

After leaving the Swordbearer headquarters and boarding the carriage, Rain first reviewed the entire matter.

The information provided by General Augustus this time was quite extensive.

Rain had considered declining the mission, but after a moment's thought, he realized that as soon as he entered the Sanctuary, he would passively become a part of this mission.

Additionally, if the intelligence is accurate and there are indeed teenage dragons infected by Void Beasts within, he has even more reason to go.

Instead, he should take the initiative and be eager to go.

Because those infected teenage dragons were his stepping stones to promotion.

Having made the decision to go, he naturally prepared thoroughly and worked to enhance his combat power.

After some thought, Rain instructed the carriage driver to head towards the Academy Base.

Soon, Rain arrived at Mentor Mogaro's laboratory.

The moment he stepped in, he noticed that although less than a week had passed, the Hellfire Golem in the laboratory was already taking shape.

The progress seemed to be more than halfway completed, likely due to the previous golem-making experience.

Although there were improvements in this golem's design, most of its structure remained unchanged.

Mogaro, who had been working on the golem, stood up upon seeing Rain enter and said, "Rain, I estimate it will take about three more days to finish."

"Mentor, is there anything I can help with?" Rain offered proactively.

"Hmm? Do you have some free time on your side?"

"Since you have the time, let's get it done. You need to make two cannon barrels and then engrave them with engravings. I was originally planning to trouble Lord Bradley with this."

During their conversation, Mogaro picked up a bottle of liquor and took a few gulps.

"Okay, Mentor." Rain readily accepted Mogaro's arrangement.

After all, the reason for Mogaro's busyness was for his golem, and it was only right for Rain to help.

"Good day, Lord Rain!" Audrey and Alicia also greeted Rain with a bow.

"Hmm, Audrey, Alicia, thank you for your hard work." Rain smiled slightly.

As Rain had attained the Third Rank of Crystalization, he used his innate Sorcery of Metal Transformation, achieving even greater precision than before. In just a few minutes, he completed the creation of the two cannon barrels.

This immediately caught the attention of Mogaro nearby, who was almost dumbfounded.

It was common knowledge that cannon barrels required the highest precision.

Moreover, although the cannon barrels were made of metal, they were crafted from a special alloy steel, and transforming this metal using Metal Transformation was twice as challenging, if not more.

Even a Third Rank Crystalization Wizard would require an entire day to create such barrels.

Yet, his fellow disciple, had accomplished it in just a few minutes.

"In that case, we can finish it today." Mogaro said.

"Er, Mentor, if I help, how long would it take to make an enhanced Hellfire Golem?" Rain asked.

"Hmm? Do you have a challenging mission?" Mogaro immediately understood something from Rain's words.

"Well, not exactly, but I participated in the Dragon Knight Cadet assessment, and it might be useful in the future." Rain thought for a moment and decided not to mention the mission, only speaking of the Dragon Knight assessment.

"A Dragon Knight?" Mogaro smacked his lips a few times, eventually shaking his head helplessly and sighing.

"A Dragon Knight in his twenties... The Empire hasn't seen a genius like you in many years."

"However, sometimes being too outstanding can be a double-edged sword!"

"A Dragon Knight?!" The voluptuous Alicia was stunned upon hearing Rain's words.

Their Academy's strongest junior was about to become a Dragon Knight? Even Audrey was momentarily speechless upon hearing Rain's words.

Previously, although Rain was powerful and held a prestigious position, in the eyes of the Empire's citizens, there was still a significant gap between a Swordbearer and a Dragon Knight.

With Rain's involvement, the production of the Enhanced Hellfire Golem progressed rapidly.

By that evening, the golem was almost complete.

Mogaro dusted off his hands and said, "Rain, it's almost done. We can test it now."

"However, the consumption of spiritual power will be greater than before, so be a little more careful."

Although this reminder was somewhat redundant, Rain's heart warmed: "Okay, Mentor."

The Enhanced Hellfire Golem before them was significantly taller than the previous Hellfire Golem, especially with the addition of two dark, cylindrical cannon barrels on its shoulders.

The barrels were not long because they fired not traditional cannonballs but fireballs and shadow arrows.

Additionally, due to the expansion in size, the Enhanced Hellfire Golem's outer shell was considerably thicker, especially around the joints.

As the activation spell was chanted, a thumb-sized earth-yellow light pillar shone upon the Enhanced Hellfire Golem.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end