"Why is that kid holding a sword in the crowd? Wait… can he see the Divine Light?" The divine glow passed beside him.
"What was that?" Avion slid his sword back into his hat.
"Hey, kid."
Avion froze on the spot, the weight of those words pressing down on him. Slowly, he turned to look back at Ion.
"Can you see the light orb that just flew past you?"
What's with this guy? He looks like some noble, and just his presence warns me not to do anything reckless.
"No." Avion replied in a low voice.
"So why were you holding a sword earlier? And I saw you put it in that hat of yours. Care to explain how you did that?"
"I was just checking the sword's handle; it felt loose. As for my hat… I can't tell you where I got it, but it's like an infi box that can store anything."
"I see. But never pull out a sword in the market again."
"Okay, sir."
This kid is definitely hiding something.
As Ion spoke, he noticed the Divine Light hovering over someone, and without a second thought, he rushed toward it.
"This is interesting. He doesn't have any human kill count, yet his power is over one million. Even mine is only five hundred million." Ion noticed a person standing in a cloak.
He wanted to talk to this cloaked figure, but time was running out and he hadn't found any leads. He didn't want to ask King Helm about Vermok first because Ion knew Helm lied constantly, so he didn't ask him about Vermok when Helm came to welcome him. He didn't want to ask in public, because if Helm had lied, Ion might have killed him openly.
With a decision made, Ion headed to the royal palace to ask the king about Vermok, while Avion returned to his inn.
[Inn Resi]
"For the information I need on the seven dragons, I think I'll go to the Adventure Guild."
After reaching the guild, Avion entered, and immediately, everyone's eyes turned toward him.
"What is a kid doing here? He doesn't look older than fifteen," people murmured among themselves.
"This is not a playground, kid. Go back home." A large man stepped in front of him.
"I'm sorry if I'm causing any inconvenience, I'm looking for some important information about dragons. If any of you know anything, please tell me. I'm willing to pay for it."
"Huh, guys, did you hear what he just said? Hahaha!" Everyone laughed.
Tch, why do I always have to deal with idiots like this? Seems like I'm not going to find any answers here. Avion said in a calm voice,
"If you don't know, step aside."
This kid has a lot of guts, and he clearly has a lot of money. I especially liked those gold rings on his hands; they would look even better on mine.
"Kid, how about I tell you about the seven dragons in the side alley? It's very confidential information."
So, that's how you want to play it, pig.
"Sure."
Both of them left the guild and went deep into the silent alley. Avion suddenly stopped and raised his hand, pointing toward the pig.
"Carnivale, ten centimeters." He shot Carnivale at the man, and he burst into pieces.
"Well, I didn't get the information, but I certainly got some money and flesh to feed the gem." He then pulled the sword from his hat and fed the flesh into it, replenishing his life essence.
He entered the guild again and noticed a map of Eterion. On it, he spotted a public library and decided to go there.
"Wow, this library is massive and beautifully arranged. Maybe I can finally find some clues about the dragons."
Once inside, he was amazed by the sheer number of books. He approached the Archivist and asked about books on dragons.
"Hmm, there are so many books on dragons. This one looks useful… Throne of Scales." He sat down in a chair and began to read.
God created seven dragons, each powerful enough to obliterate a planet, if not more. They were not made for chaos but to maintain balance in the universe. Each possessed a unique power and watched over existence to prevent anyone from disturbing its peace and balance. But things went wrong. A war broke out among them and destroyed half of the universe. Enraged, God punished them by taking back more than half of their power and imprisoning them on Earth to repent for eternity.
Pyrrhalion, master of flame and inferno, was the fifth strongest of the seven dragons. He was imprisoned in a volcano near the Kingdom of Morneth.
Terravorn, guardian of nature and the fourth strongest, was confined in the Hollowfang Dungeon.
Luxirion, the son of light and the third strongest, remains a mystery. No one knows where he was imprisoned or if he is even alive.
Noctyros, keeper of darkness and the void, the second strongest, was imprisoned in the Great Abyss, whose location is unknown.
Myrridane, dragon of Time and Eternity, is the strongest creature known in the universe. Legends say a single attack from him destroyed entire galaxies and nearly killed the other six dragons. He is imprisoned in a special dimensional space guarded by two divine sentinels, each capable of planetary-level destruction.
Only information about five of the seven dragons was available, but somehow the text did not feel real. Even if all of it was true, the question remained, how did anyone know this much? With no other information, he decided that the real adventure begins now and his first target would be Pyrrhalion.
He purchased a world map from the library and set his sights on the Kingdom of Morneth.
"I don't think I'm strong enough to fight a dragon yet. Morneth isn't too far, so I'll travel on foot. First, I need to learn how to use this Phoenix Sword and understand more about my powers." With that, he began his journey to the Kingdom of Morneth.
After leaving Eterion, he chose the forest path to Morneth, a route full of monsters and all kinds of other creatures, some he had never seen or heard of.
[Royal Palace of Eterion]
Ion entered the audience hall and stood before the king. The hall was crowded, and whispers filled the air.
"Hey, my legs are hurting. Can I sit on the seat beside your throne, King Helm?" All the guards immediately pointed their swords at him.
"Whoa, whoa. Calm down. Did I say something to anger you?"
"How dare you disrespect our king? Even as a member of the Ascendants, you have no right to do that."
"Huh, I didn't just try to disrespect him. I did disrespect him. So what?"
"You-" Before anyone could react, Ion moved. In an instant, the soldiers' necks were cut clean, leaving them collapsing before they even knew what happened.
"I am asking you directly, Helm. Tell me everything you know about what happened in Vermok. I know you have spies in all nine kingdoms. Speak."
"I really don't know anything. All of our spies that we sent to Vermok also disappeared," Helm said, his fear echoing in his voice.
"Look into my eyes," Ion commanded Helm. The moment Helm met Ion's gaze, blood began to seep from his eyes.
"Ahhh, what is this? I didn't lie to you, so why?"
"Did I say you lied to me? No. This is how I know if someone is lying. If their eyes bleed when they look into mine, they speak the truth. If they lie… their hands tear open their own mouths, break their jaw, and rip out their tongue."
King Helm and everyone else in the hall fell completely silent. Their minds went blank and, fearing for their lives, they fled the palace.
Ion decided to return to the Arc, the flying island where their headquarters was located.