Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
When the dust settled, Han Hin visited Thunder Valley once again to seek any items he may have missed. Winston, Gibran, Cain, and Reg all began to harvest the thunderbird’s magical crystals. Of course, the girls were exempt from such bloody affairs, Yalina, having no immediate duties, turned her attention to the thunderbird eggs.
Han Jin used three thunderbird eggs to attract the thunderbirds, one of which was broken by a thunderbird’s body, but the other two remained in good condition.
Yalina put the thunderbird eggs in her hands for close observation. She then held the thunderbird egg under the sunlight and attempted to catch a glimpse of the contents inside. However, the thunderbirds had synchronized periods of mating and egg-laying, and all that was inside the thunderbird egg was liquid. At that moment, Yalina suddenly came up with an idea; she unleashed a small electric arc on her fingertip, scanning atop the thunderbird egg. She could clearly sense that the electricity did not disperse naturally, but instead was absorbed by the egg.
Yalina was having fun with the eggs, while everyone handling the thunderbirds in the distance had their hands entirely full. They were each extremely delighted at their findings as their gains were huge!
They collected more than eighty level 9 electric character magical crystals, a considerable portion of which were of the highest grade. Winston’s group was originally paid more than two hundred thousand gold coins for collecting two hundred bellflowers, three level 9 electric character magical crystals, and ten thunderbird eggs; the price was indeed somewhat higher, but it was nothing compared to what they had just achieved! Han Jin owed quite a bit of debt to the Mercenary Association, which he had been stressing about for a long while. However, his debt was now nothing to worry about.
The only problem they came across was that the Thunderbird King did not drop a higher leveled magic crystal, but instead only a super-highest grade level 9 magical crystal.
The money they gained was such a huge sum that it would make a second-tier mercenary group immediately think of retiring. The amount of money could possibly make by selling the magical crystals would leave them with enough wealth for the rest of their lives.
However, they didn’t have the authority to make such a decision. Winston and the others all knew that they had no chance killing such a large group of thunderbirds, without Raphael. The person that did the most work reserved the right to make the hard decision; that was the unwritten rule in the business of mercenaries, not to mention that Raphael had gradually become a leading figure among the group.
After harvesting the magical crystals, Julia and Yalina began to prepare lunch. Although the meat of thunderbirds was somewhat rough, the group was particularly picky, and Yalina followed suit despite being from an aristocratic background. Julia originally intended to pick a smaller and younger thunderbird for softer meat, but Reg and Yalina insisted that the Thunderbird King was roasted for food—- as they knew the habits and appetite of Raphael. Julia, unsuccessful in the discussions, was forced to clean the Thunderbird King with Gibran, placing it on top of the bonfire. She also picked a thunderbird for herself; the muscles of the Thunderbird King looked like a piece of tree root, and she feared that she could harm her teeth from chewing on such.
By the time they were done with cooking, Han Jin had returned. He had searched every rock slit in Thunder Valley, but he was unable to find any more eggs.
Julia arranged everything for dining. She wanted to see Yalina and Reg’s poor decision making as they tasted the Thunderbird King, yet they joined her to eat; the Thunderbird King was not for them, and they did not get to ‘enjoy’ it.
Raphael sat alone away from the others. His inheritance came with pains that normal people wouldn’t recognize. He couldn’t just eat food that felt comfortable in his mouth; whether it be sour, spicy, or entirely unchewable, he needed to digest anything that provided sufficient energy.
Raphael forcefully tore off a piece of meat and slowly placed it in his mouth. As he chewed, he frowned and sighed. He knew that the achievements he had were all due to the baby dragon he previously consumed! The blood he drank and the meat he consumed from the baby dragon were all turned into great vital energy, circulating throughout his body. It was fair to conclude that, without the baby dragon, he would never be in such a good position.
Compared to the baby dragon, the level 9 Thunderbird King was like a gristle, not quite delicious, but too wasteful to just give up. In the end, energy was just ultimately energy, and Raphael did realize that ‘large sums had to be accumulated from small numbers’. Though feeling pitiful in his heart, his mouth remained moving nonstop.
In the Dragon’s Territories and the Dragon City, there lived thousands of high level giant dragons; if Guevara was able to kill all of the giant dragons and fully absorb their energy, it could be possible for him to immediately finish his journey in cultivation and develop an immortal golden body..
However, the power of the giant dragons was too horrid, and his current ability was nowhere near such. Also, upon infuriating the dragon’s race, destructive catastrophes would descend upon him and his friends. Even if he was already a Ground God, he would not be able to fight such a mass of giant dragons. Also, Guevara has made it clear that significant power divides existed, even among level 12 super-class fighters. At the time, Guevara had the greatest power among the level 12 fighters, which was sufficient for him to Disdain the most worldwide, while the elder among the giant dragons was already a semi-deity. Therefore, he could attempt an attack on Dragon City, but any actual attack would be an attempt at suicide.
The atmosphere in the group away from Han Jin was bustling with activities. Even Yalina was happy about today’s outcome despite her background. Being an electric element magus, the electric character magical crystals would immensely help her!
The group chatted and laughed; even Winston and Saxon could temporarily forget the pain of losing companions. But as the conversation went on, Gibran and Winston suddenly quieted down, as their eyesight floated toward Han Jin.
The Thunderbird King was already half gone. The lunch was still ongoing. By the time Han Jin was completely full, the entirety of the Thunderbird King’s body was expected to go missing.
“Was he… well?” Julia asked quietly.
“What about it?” Yalina smiled. “Raphael once finished an entire bear.”
Yalina had never seen somebody eat an entire bear in one meal, but she had no reason to doubt the accuracy of the statement.
“Gosh! How is that possible?” Julia was stunned.
“Had Sunier not told you the story?” Yalina was somewhat surprised because she never knew that Sunier had regarded everything about Raphael’s special abilities as a secret between the two of them.
“No.”
“No way… that much meat! Where does it all go?” Saxon asked, completely stunned.
“Are you asking me? I would like to ask you the same.” Yalina shrugged her shoulders.
Winston then made a dry cough and moved his eyesight away from Raphael to Yalina, “Oh, yes, since we’re already done with our task, what should we do next? Should we return to Isolated Cliff City?”
“It seems like we need to fight together.” Gibran smiled and put out his hands. He understood Winston’s words; the Reaper Mercenary Team only had two members left. It would be impossible to find suitable members in a rush, but there wouldn’t be any mercenary groups fitting of their abilities. It was clearly the best choice to work with Raphael and Yalina’s group.
Of course, Winston with his own self-esteem kept his words subtle. His words, ‘what should we do next’ were an inquiry and subjugation. By asking Yalina, the daughter of the Grand Duke of Solomon, and a level 11 magus, it would not pose any insult to his identity.
Winston let out a long sigh, took out his hand, and used it to shake Gibran’s. His eyesight remained on Yalina, waiting for her reply.
“Do you remember the giant dragon Raphael killed?” Yalina smiled. Having experienced so much, Yalina had become much smarter, remembering to cover up lies for Raphel.
“Of course.” Winston nodded.
“We plan to excavate the dragon bone.” Yalina continued, “I have learned the alchemy that the Cold Shadow City used to build the frost giant dragon, and most of the magical materials are already in place. The only item I need is a dragon bone. Upon its completion, we will have a frost giant dragon for battles!”
“But… how could we move the huge dragon bones back?”
“I’ve prepared.” Yalina smiled, “I carried many potions with me to turn the dragon bone into powder.”
“Do you remember the place?” Gibran asked.
“Certainly. Raphael and I have left marks.”
“It’s fine, I will always remember the place, even if you guys forget.” Saxon followed.
“Cain had drained too much of his magic, we should rest here tonight and depart tomorrow.” Gibran said.
“Good.” Yalina nodded.
Just after finishing lunch, the bright sunshine had finally vanished, the sky turned dark, and a thick, black cloud covered the large forest. After a while, a distorted thunder storm tore through the sky as raindrops followed.
It was the first rain of spring. As the folklore goes, ‘The spring rain is as expensive as oil,’ which was certainly true as farmers are eagering waiting for rain. However, spring rains had one particularly annoying side; they were nearly endless, sometimes blocking sunshine for days.
Han Jin’s group had become quite familiar with the terrain of the area, so they hid in the caves. The sky varied abruptly in brightness, with continuous distorted lightning bolts, knocking everybody’s eardrums with every echoed wave of thunder.
Yalina, completely out of things to do, took out the thunderbird eggs and observed them carefully in her hands. She had made a few discoveries, but was still in need of more research.
Han Jin’s group instantly had all of their attention taken by the thunderbird eggs. In the illumination of the lightning strikes, the thunderbird eggs brightened bit by bit, like a piece of brilliant night pearl.
“What’s happening? Can thunderbird eggs absorb the electric elements in the air?” Cain yelled out loud.
At that moment, Yalina suddenly had a thought, as she rushed out of the cave in a hurry, looking towards the direction of Thunder Valley. She then turned back and yelled out loud, “Raphael, follow me! Quick!”
