The resounding female voice was immensely loud, like rolling thunder.
Yet it spoke in the Greek language, with a clear and distinct tone.
Everyone present immediately understood the meaning of her words.
But... how could this be?
This dragon was actually speaking to them.
Or rather, this dragon could speak.
This was something none of them could believe.
In their view, all magical beasts and phantasmal species were merely wild animals.
Even the pinnacle of phantasmal species, the dragon, was just the highest level of beast.
Though some might possess a degree of intelligence, being able to speak human words and possessing full human-like intellect was another matter entirely.
Such occurrences typically only happened with divine beasts under the gods' command.
For example, the mother bear that raised Atalanta was one such divine beast.
Yet, the dragon before them could also speak human words, something utterly inconceivable to them.
Seeming to sense their thoughts, the dragon spoke again.
"I am the dragon under the magic goddess Hecate, guardian of Colchis. Shameless thieves, you dare steal the treasure I guard, truly a crime deserving of death.
If you obediently hand over the treasure now, you may yet escape with your lives. But if you refuse, don't blame me for unleashing a massacre."
The dragon's threat filled everyone with dread, yet their heroic pride and the goal of completing their mission made them stand firm, refusing to back down.
Battle seemed imminent.
At this moment, Jason's mind was racing furiously.
Caught in the act of stealing the Golden Fleece, with everyone blocked here by the dragon, did they really have to fight this dragon head-on?
Facing this terrifying behemoth nearly a hundred meters long, even if they ultimately won, the sacrifices required were beyond what Jason dared to imagine.
The constant loss of companions along the journey had plunged his heart into torment, now, he no longer wished for such tragedies to continue.
So, was there a way to avoid combat?
Suddenly, Jason realized a detail he hadn't noticed earlier.
Since the dragon before them could speak human words, it meant it wasn't a mere beast, but an intelligent being.
Facing such an opponent, why must they resort to battle?
As long as it was an intelligent life form, communication was possible, perhaps he could change the dragon's mind through negotiation.
No sooner thought than done.
Gathering his courage, Jason stepped forward from among his companions.
Suppressing his fear, he looked up at the dragon and spoke.
"Respected dragon... lady, greetings. I am the prince from the Kingdom of Thessaly in Greece..."
But before he could finish, the dragon interrupted impatiently.
"I don't care what country's prince you are, ant. The Golden Fleece is on you, right? Now, your only choices are to hand it over or be killed right here!"
Rude creature! Damned female dragon! Calling whom an ant?
Jason seethed inwardly with rage, but on the surface, he forced a smile.
"Respected dragon, forgive me for refusing your demand."
"Oh? So you're saying you want me to personally take the Golden Fleece from your corpse?"
The dragon's tone wasn't furious, yet her words sent chills down everyone's spine.
Upon hearing this, Jason hastily explained.
"No, that's not it, respected dragon. In fact, we can talk.
What would it take for you to let us leave with the Golden Fleece? After all, you shouldn't be a subordinate of King Aeetes, right?"
Jason said this based on a certain deduction.
Every time he recalled how the previous two trials were handled by mages from the Mystra Academy, he reached this conclusion.
The Kingdom of Colchis itself didn't possess such profound resources to set up so many trials for them.
Even the most dangerous dragon was a magical beast belonging to the Mystra Academy, not something the Kingdom of Colchis owned outright.
And if that was the case, there was enough room for maneuver.
No matter how close the Kingdom of Colchis and the Mystra Academy were, no matter that Aeetes's daughter Medea was a student of the goddess Hecate, the two were not truly one entity.
On the contrary, the distinction between the Mystra Academy and the Kingdom of Colchis was not insignificant.
In Jason's eyes, while Colchis had so many mages and was greatly influenced by the Mystra Academy's mages, that influence stopped at the palace.
Through his observations in the capital, Jason noticed that while the entire capital of Colchis differed from mainstream Greek styles in architecture, cuisine, clothing, and more, the palace itself was an exception.
As mentioned before, while Colchis's cities had a European medieval style, the palace was ancient Greek.
Jason didn't understand terms like "European medieval style," "Baroque," "Rococo," "Gothic"... but he clearly knew that those architectural styles completely different from Greek ones didn't belong to the Kingdom of Colchis but stemmed from the influence of the Mystra Academy.
After all, only Colchis had such a large mage force, and in Greece, Jason often saw similar buildings among mages.
The architectural style of Colchis illustrated the kingdom's immense influence from the Mystra Academy, but the palace's exception showed that such influence hadn't fully penetrated the Colchian royalty.
The royal family was independent from the Mystra Academy, they might have some cooperation, but Aeetes was no follower of Hecate, he was the son of the previous sun god Helios, and perhaps the Colchian royalty still answered to Helios.
And Helios certainly hadn't become a subordinate god to Hecate, the two were likely in a cooperative relationship.
This was Jason's deduction based on the intelligence he gathered in the city.
Now, he was risking it all to persuade the dragon based on this guess.
Upon hearing Jason's words, the dragon was first taken aback, then revealed an amused expression, though it was a dragon's face, its expressions were as rich as a human's.
"Yes, I am certainly not Aeetes's subordinate. I am Hecate's dragon, the guardian divine beast of the Mystra Academy.
Of course, I won't heed the Kingdom of Colchis's commands. But what of it?"
Hearing the dragon say this, Jason first marveled at how the dragon possessed intelligence on par with humans, capable of such complex thoughts, not some simple-minded fool or stubborn creature.
But he immediately felt elated.
Though the dragon's thoughts were complex, it proved there was room for discussion.
So he promptly spoke up.
"Respected dragon, I don't know why you, as the goddess of magic's divine beast, are guarding the Golden Fleece for the Kingdom of Colchis.
But I must tell you: if you let me leave with the Golden Fleece, I can offer you even greater benefits."
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