Chapter 1 Top-Tier Materials

Top-tier materials are ninety percent of the time from the hands of top-tier experts. The storage ring of "Dragon Hunter" Bartolo Figaro had treasures that would make anyone green with envy.

Three pure-blood dragon crystals, dozens of sixth-tier or higher sub-dragon crystals, and hundreds of other high-level magic beast crystal cores, not to mention some rare materials that couldn't be bought anywhere.

Just these materials alone, if auctioned off at any of the major auction houses in the Lu Ying or Martha Empires, could probably buy several of the most elite fleets.

Unfortunately, storage rings were limited, and only a few were carried on his person. When Suren said he needed these materials, the old man had brought them all out.

Bartolo had no ties, and at the end of his life, he didn't want to take these things to the grave with him.

Suren didn't take advantage of him for nothing, and brought out several storage rings full of wealth.

This batch of materials wasn't sold on the market at all, so it was hard to say what its value was, but clearly sincerity was more important than value.

Bartolo was obviously not interested in gold and silver, but he accepted them anyway.

Seeing the exchanged treasures, he was even more certain that the young man before him was no ordinary adventurer. Just his wealth, enough to rival a country, was already unbelievable.

The old man also said that if there was a chance later, he would have someone send over the materials he had stored elsewhere.

Suren was naturally overjoyed. He put this batch of precious materials into the small void realm, and the war workshop and Dr. Banks's laboratory were immediately busy again.

...

Suren hadn't expected that tonight's supposed to be thrilling night raid would actually turn into such a great opportunity.

Meeting Bartolo not only gained him urgently needed and valuable information, but also earned him so many precious materials.

Although it was said to be an exchange, it was actually more of a gift from the old senior, looking at the relationship.

But Bartolo had no intention of staying, and prepared to leave after speaking.

Suren saw that he was very indifferent to the Dragon Knights, but he was also a little puzzled. Bennett, the团长, seemed easy to get along with, so he asked directly, "Senior, do you not get along well with the Miracle Legion?"

Bartolo shook his head and said, "It's not aimed at them. It's just that the royal family is wary of me, and I don't want to have too many connections with them."

Suren immediately understood.

Bartolo was an eighth-tier "Sword God," whose combat power was unfathomable. It was possible that there was no one stronger than him in the entire Dragon Country.

As the supreme king, he would inevitably be wary of such an expert if he couldn't control him.

Even if he was familiar with his knights, it would arouse suspicion.

Bartolo didn't explain much. The free-spirited sea pirate had no interest in power. He said lightly, "These knights are pretty good. But the Silver Dragon royal family is extravagant and licentious, and can't be considered good rulers. Be careful when you go to the capital this time. The petrification potion antidote formula is in the hands of the white-robed wizard Garcia. Her sister is the current Queen of the Silver Dragon Kingdom, Gracie VIII."

Speaking of this, the old swordsman seemed to have thought of something, glanced at the campfire in the distance, and added, "You'd better be careful, there might be something wrong with the person in that prisoner carriage. If possible, it's best not to travel with the prisoner carriage."

"..."

Suren's expression also became solemn as he listened. He certainly knew that there might be something wrong with the prisoner carriage.

But what others didn't know was that it might not just be the prisoner carriage, but himself as well.

He asked, "Senior, what's the situation with that prisoner carriage?"

Bartolo didn't seem to want to talk about the royal family's gossip, but hearing that Suren and the others were going to the capital, he said a few more words, "You should know about the news that Queen Deborah was cursed with petrification and is now searching the world for materials to concoct an antidote, right?"

Suren nodded.

Bartolo said, "There's currently no news circulating about how Queen Deborah was cursed. But you should know the tricks of the nobles. Whenever news is blocked, there must be an unspeakable scandal."

After a pause, he added, "And as far as I know, Queen Deborah is extremely jealous. She has played many disreputable roles in palace infighting because of jealousy. And she herself is from the Hayton family, which has a lineage of wizards. She herself is a witch with not weak cultivation, and is good at curse arts..."

Suren's expression changed slightly as he listened to this royal gossip.

Sure enough, nobles everywhere were never short of these shenanigans.

But hearing that the queen was a witch, he instantly understood something.

As far as Suren knew, there were only two ways to be cursed with petrification: first, by a Gorgon; second, by the [Medusa's Serpent Staff], which could cast petrifying beams.

Regardless of which situation, the fact that the queen was cursed and that "Helen" in the prisoner carriage was involved made things very delicate.

Bartolo saw that Suren obviously understood, so he didn't say much, "All of this is just my speculation. I don't know what the truth of the matter is, and I'm not interested in knowing. It's just that when I approached the prisoner carriage before, my intuition made me sense danger. So I'm just reminding you. In short, be careful."

Suren nodded thoughtfully, "Mm. Thank you for the reminder, Senior."

Bartolo had no more interest in staying after saying that, and said, "I still have some things to arrange. I'll come find you again in a few days. If you're still going to the ancient Dragon Country ruins by then, I might be able to accompany you for a while."

After he finished speaking, he turned and walked into the forest.

Suren was overjoyed to hear that, and didn't say much, "Take care, Senior."

...

After Bartolo left, Suren and Qiantiao walked back to the camp unhurriedly.

After all, they were their guests, and even if they wanted to leave, they had to tell the person who invited them.

Suren looked at Qiantiao beside him, whose sword intent was uncontrollably overflowing from time to time, giving him a faint sense of danger that made his spine chill. This was something he had never seen before, so he asked, "Sister Qiantiao, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

Qiantiao's eyes were a little unfocused, and she occasionally glanced at the sword manual in her hand, seeming to be immersed in some mysterious state of enlightenment. She added, "Just now, Senior Bartolo used the sword intent of *Shéndào Wúniàn* (divine path of no thought) to break through the realm, pointing out the *jiandao* (sword path) above the Sword Saint to me. This makes me feel very wonderful. If I can grasp those insights, I might have a chance to gain a firm foothold in this high realm..."

Suren was relieved to hear that, and was also amazed by her comprehension.

Master Jing had previously commented that Qiantiao's sword talent was top-notch, and Bartolo had said the same thing just now.

In any case, Suren only understood half of this exchange, but Qiantiao had obviously grasped something of her own.

This was a good thing, and Suren didn't think too much about it.

His mind flashed back to Bartolo's warning that the Silver Dragon royal family wasn't a good bunch, and that this trip to the capital might not be smooth.

And that "Helen" in the prisoner carriage was full of mysteries.

She was able to charm the Silver Dragon King into launching a war for her, so she must be incredibly beautiful.

But appearance aside, what was her relationship with the queen's curse?

Suddenly, Suren thought of something and realized, "Huh... that's right! When in doubt, I can ask my senior sister!"

Without hesitation, he dialed the communicator and asked, "Senior sister, are you busy? I have something I want to ask you about."

A familiar and indifferent response came from the communicator, "Taking a bath."

Hearing this response, Suren knew that she wasn't busy, so he directly explained some of the previous situation and his guesses, "That... do you know about Gorgons? I've encountered some situations here..."

Before coming to Dragon Country, Gorgons were just mythological legends in the classics. He had previously asked Mr. Hei, that polymath, but hadn't gotten any useful information, so he thought he would ask Mr. Jing, that "mobile database."

As soon as he asked, his own senior sister actually knew!

Mr. Jing's mirror copying ability allowed her to preserve almost all the knowledge she had ever seen in her memory.

Moreover, she also had a knowledgeable demigod father.

Mr. Jing: "You mean to say that you suspect that 'Helen' is related to the Gorgon race?"

Suren stated his doubts, "Yes. If the [Medusa's Serpent Staff] was used to cast the petrification curse, then the user would also be cursed with backlash. But if not, I can't figure out how the queen was cursed."

After listening, Mr. Jing proposed a third possibility, "Have you ever thought that it might be magical backlash from curse arts? The queen herself is a curse witch. She might have used some curse arts because of jealousy, and then been backlashed? If that's the case, then that 'Helen'... I've thought of another possibility. My father once told me a legend about the transformation process of a demigod bloodline..."

Suren felt as if a flash of inspiration had flashed through his mind, "Ah?"

Mr. Jing: "The Gorgon race is a demigod bloodline. They are the descendants of the Earth God and the Father of All Demons after intercourse. Because they were stained with the filth of the mortal world, they did not possess immortal bodies. And my father once saw some ancient legends in an ancient relic mural. It said that after a Gorgon reaches the upper limit of the plane's tier, it will use some method to 'undergo tribulation.' It will suffer all kinds of hardships in the mortal world in a pure body, such as war, lust, jealousy, brutality, humiliation, curses... and so on. Finally, it will slowly become evil, until it is killed by a true warrior. At that time, it will completely shed its mortal shell and become the evil 'Medusa Queen'..."

Suren vaguely felt that things seemed to be getting serious, "Medusa Queen? What tier is that?"

Mr. Jing said, "These mythological creatures with demigod bloodlines shouldn't be measured by ordinary standards. You can completely regard it as a dragon of equal combat power. An eighth-tier Gorgon can almost petrify any creature on this plane. And the ninth tier is a true demigod. Gorgons of that level are called 'Medusa'."

"..."

Hearing Mr. Jing's words, Suren felt as if a thread in his mind had connected all the fragmented information together.

...

Previously, Bartolo had also said that he could kill that seventh-tier Gorgon with one slash, not because he was stronger than that Gorgon.

But because both sides had the strength to kill the other in an instant.

This kind of victory or defeat was purely based on experience and skill, and also took advantage of the element of surprise.

"That Helen wouldn't be a queen of the Gorgon race who came to 'undergo tribulation,' would she?"

Suren vaguely felt that things were not good.

But the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

If it was really as he guessed, then all the inferences made sense!

Queen Deborah cast a curse and was then backlashed by Helen, petrifying herself... wasn't that exactly undergoing the tribulation of curses?

War, lust, jealousy, brutality, humiliation, curses...

Looking at it this way, it seemed like everything that had happened to Helen was complete?

Suren didn't think it was a coincidence.

Thinking again about the murder of Balder in Atlantic City, it must have been for the [Medusa's Serpent Staff].

And Helen went to the royal family, probably also for the staff.

Because each of the nine kingdoms of the Dragon Country had a staff in their royal family.

Suren didn't know what the serpent staff was for to "Helen," but he had one in his hand now.

He vaguely felt that this might be a crucial link.

Moreover, an existence that could make a Sword God like Bartolo smell danger, even if this Helen wasn't Medusa, she was close to it.

...

After communicating with his senior sister, Suren's expression became very solemn.

Looking at his changing expression, Qiantiao asked with confusion, "What's wrong?"

The inquiry interrupted his thoughts, and the look in Suren's eyes also became strange. He sighed slightly, "Things seem to be a little troublesome..."

But before he could explain, the two had already walked to the side of the camp.

The campfire was burning brightly, and the red flames illuminated a large area of open space.

As soon as the two returned, Legion Commander Bennett walked over, saying sincerely, "Mr. Suren, I apologize for disturbing you two tonight. I just received orders that I will send the prisoner carriage to the capital first thing tomorrow morning. You two can rest assured and rest. I have already had the sentries expand the patrol range of the camp, and there will definitely be no more accidents. Tomorrow, I will have my deputy, Johnson, accompany you to take care of you. Please forgive me for the poor care."

"It's okay, official business is important."

Suren saw that the other party's attitude was polite, so he didn't say anything.

Bennett had made the most appropriate arrangements, dividing the troops into two groups, and didn't intend to let the two of them continue to follow the prisoner carriage, which also dispelled Suren's concerns.

However, looking at the prisoner carriage, Suren originally wanted to remind him, but he swallowed the words back down.

The emperor had issued a secret order saying that he must send the person back alive, and Bartolo's persuasion was useless, let alone him, an outsider.

Moreover, the current situation was very complicated.

Even if it was really as he guessed, and this "Helen" was a high-level Gorgon who was undergoing tribulation, she couldn't be killed.

Killing her would be the true descent of great terror, an invincible demigod Gorgon. Who could stop her then?

Even now, Suren wasn't sure. Even if he was, he wouldn't dare to do it.

This was really a hot potato that couldn't be put anywhere.

Fortunately, Mr. Jing said that before "Helen" was killed, she shouldn't be much of a threat.

Another piece of good news was that the person in the prisoner carriage probably didn't know that she had been exposed.

Suren also racked his brains on how to deal with it, thinking of finding a chance to reveal this to the Silver Dragon royal family?

Anyway, he couldn't say it now.

There were only a few hours left until dawn, so Suren and Qiantiao continued to stay in the tent.

After entering the tent, Qiantiao was completely immersed in that state of enlightenment.

Suren fully released his perception, paying attention to the movements of the prisoner carriage at all times.

Fortunately, as expected, after repelling the Gorgon, there were no more sounds in the second half of the night.

The night passed without incident.

...

Before long, the sky lit up with red clouds.

Suren, who was meditating, had already heard the camp bustling. The knights were feeding the flying dragons.

The milk broth stewed for breakfast on the campfire was also fragrant.

Legion Commander Bennett personally instructed his subordinates to hang the chains of the prisoner carriage under the flying dragons, looking like they were ready to leave first.

Suren also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Staying with the prisoner carriage all night was like sleeping next to a ticking time bomb. You never knew when something big would happen.

As long as these people left first, he could also determine whether anyone really knew that he had a [Serpent Staff] in his hand.

"Phew..."

Suren breathed a sigh of relief.

However, things didn't go as planned.

Just as Bennett and his group were preparing to leave first, an unexpected change still came.

Suddenly, a high-pitched dragon roar resounded in the sky.

Suren in the tent suddenly opened his eyes, surprised, "Pure-blood dragon?"

The dragon roar of a pure-blood dragon was very different from that of a sub-dragon, like the difference between a cat's meow and a lion's roar. You could tell the difference as soon as you heard it.

Although the dragon roar that reached his ears was subtle, he heard it clearly.

Qiantiao next to him also opened her eyes instantly, picked up her saber, and the two of them lifted the tent and walked out.

Looking at it, a black dot was flying rapidly in the blue clouds in the sky.

Suren's pupils shrank slightly, and he immediately saw clearly that it was a handsome silver dragon.

Seeing this, he immediately guessed, "The Silver Dragon Kingdom's guardian silver dragon? That's not right... it's too weak. It seems to be a sixth-tier juvenile dragon?"

But the holy silver dragon was a very rare dragon. Even if it wasn't that eighth-tier guardian silver dragon, it was very likely directly related to it.

Moreover, what surprised Suren was that there was a figure on the dragon's back. Someone had actually tamed a pure-blood dragon?

Qiantiao on the side also watched with interest, "Oh~ it's still a female dragon knight."

Suren looked at the reaction of the knights in the camp, and vaguely guessed the identity of this female dragon knight, but his brows also furrowed.

Coming aggressively, it seemed like the person who came wasn't friendly.

Sure enough, before he could think too much, the silver dragon had already swooped down from the sky.

The dragon knight on the dragon's back, wearing exquisite silver armor, pointed her dragon spear at the prisoner carriage and shouted violently, "Dragon Flame!"

Legion Commander Bennett's face changed drastically, and he shouted, "Princess, don't!"

As he said that, he rushed up directly, holding up his giant shield and blocking the holy light dragon flame.

Although this was only a sixth-tier dragon, the dragon breath it spat out was comparable to a seventh-tier magic holy light dragon breath.

Bennett blocked the dragon breath head-on. Although he had a shield in front of him, his whole body was also scorched, and he was very embarrassed.

Seeing that it had been blocked, the female dragon knight controlled the silver dragon to pull up and fly into the sky again. She said with an arrogant face, "Bennett, you dare to block me?"

Bennett responded with a bitter face, "Your Highness, this is an important prisoner that His Majesty has ordered to bring back. Please forgive this subordinate for being obligated to offend Your Highness."

Hearing this dialogue, Suren immediately knew who the person was, the youngest daughter of Gracie VIII, Becky Gracie, who was extremely famous in the Silver Dragon Kingdom for her beauty and outstanding *douqi* (battle qi) talent.

However, she looked a little spoiled.

The female dragon knight gave an arrogant shout, "Get out of the way!"

She didn't explain at all, rode the silver dragon and charged over again, and then, without regard for the lives of the knights guarding the prisoner carriage, spat out another mouthful of dragon breath.

That beam, which was even thicker than before, shone down. This light-based magic, comparable to the seventh tier, burned the surrounding trees to a crisp and cracked the ground in an extremely short period of time.

The flying dragon knights of this Miracle Legion had to protect the prisoner carriage and didn't dare to attack the princess, so they could only resist.

Bennett could resist the dragon breath, but it didn't mean that other lower-tier knights could resist it.

In just this instant, Suren frowned tightly, because he saw four or five knights being burned alive by the dragon breath, and the air was filled with the smell of burnt meat.

This princess really had all the bad habits of a noble, and didn't treat the royal knights as human beings at all.

In the current situation, Bennett and his subordinates didn't dare to resist and couldn't disobey the king's orders, so they could only guard the prisoner carriage to the death.

The final outcome was to be killed, and then have the princess burn them all to death.

Originally, this was someone else's royal family's business, and Suren couldn't say anything.

Whether she was avenging her mother or clearing the emperor's side... it had nothing to do with him, an outsider.

But the actual situation was that the person in the prisoner carriage couldn't be killed now!

If it was really as Suren guessed, everyone here would die if she died.

If that mythological evil Medusa was born, he didn't know how many more people would die in the future.

He knew that this thing was ultimately a scourge, but he just didn't know how to deal with it.

Suren didn't want to care, but he had to. Not to mention that he wouldn't watch Bennett be killed, but the petrification potion formula and navigation map he needed were still in the Silver Dragon capital.

After spitting out the second mouthful of dragon breath, the female dragon knight flew into the sky and shouted again, "Still not getting out of the way?!"

Bennett's armor was already dim and lackluster, and he looked seriously injured, but he still didn't mean to avoid it, saying bitterly, "Sorry, Your Highness, this subordinate is obligated."

The female dragon knight snorted coldly, her eyes filled with numbness, and once again controlled the dragon to swoop down.

This third dragon breath was afraid of killing the prisoner carriage and Bennett and the others together.

Although Suren felt embarrassed, if he really attacked this princess, it would be even harder to get the formula.

But he was also ready to intervene.

However, Qiantiao on the side was faster.

She had heard about the whole story last night, and with the tacit understanding between the two, she knew what Suren was about to do.

Qiantiao didn't draw her saber, but suddenly her eyes were like lightning, and her domineering aura was released.

In an instant, a terrifying killing aura, like a substance, rushed towards the swooping silver dragon.

After all, it was just a sixth-tier juvenile dragon. Suddenly feeling that substantive killing intent, its arrogance turned into fright in an instant. Its swooping momentum also instinctively dodged, and its wings tumbled, causing it to fall with the dragon knight.

With a crash of broken debris, the princess, wearing gorgeous armor, fell face-first into the mud.

That terrifying killing intent not only affected the dragon, but also made her head buzz.

Qiantiao wouldn't be soft on any princess. She lazily placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, clicked her tongue, and said to Suren beside her, "Pretend you don't know me later. I'm going to beat her up, and you guys take the people and leave first."

Suren thought, that's a good idea!

This gambling addict usually used her hands more than her brain, but she was always reliable at critical moments.