“I found a piece of historical literature in an ancient book. Before Riverside was built, there used to live a powerful Black Dragon on this land,” Anna revealed.
“Black Dragon?” Ethan was suddenly taken aback when he heard Anna’s words.
It wasn’t the amount of information in Anna’s words that startled him, but a sudden system notification that rang in his ears.
[Ding! Initiation of the hidden quest, The Treasure of the Black Dragon. Reward: one S-rank treasure chest.]
Yet another quest with extraordinarily abundant rewards sparked Ethan’s interest instantly. “Tell me more,” he hastily urged.
Anna complied, and started to explain.
Three centuries ago, the place where Riverside now stood was a vast valley.
A formidable Black Dragon lived there, ravaging a territory spanning thousands of kilometers.
The Sunset Empire was yet to be founded, and a plethora of tribes inhabited this land.
To ensure their safety, these tribes were compelled to present a considerable amount of treasure to the Black Dragon annually.
Tribes failing to deliver were obliterated by the dragon’s fire.
The dragon kept accruing tributes for many years, its demands increasingly voracious.
The neighboring tribes were oppressed to a point of despair.
Therefore, the younger men from these tribes set out on journeys to combat the Black Dragon.
Years later, only five returned, each having ascended to A-rank strength.
In resistance to the prolonged oppression by the Black Dragon, these five young men mobilized a coalition army from all the tribes, embarking on a campaign against the dragon…
They both succeeded and failed.
That’s because the Black Dragon was far stronger than anyone had imagined, having entered the legendary S-rank domain.
The battle nearly annihilated all the surrounding tribes, and all five heroes perished.
However, the dragon also suffered severe injuries in that battle.
For centuries after, the Black Dragon never reappeared, and its existence faded into the mists of history like a myth.
“I suspect that the Black Dragon’s treasure trove, accumulated over many years, lies directly beneath the City Lord Manor,” Anna stated.
“Given the dragon’s peculiar attachment to this place and the subterranean hollow I could only detect with the Magic Tower, it seems plausible that the dragon’s lair is beneath us.”
“However, with my current abilities, I have been unable to locate the entrance to this dragon lair…”
“The treasure amassed by that Black Dragon over years would be an astronomical fortune. But the exact location of the lair and the means to access it may only be known to one entity – or rather, one dragon.”
Anna laid out everything she knew, and Ethan nodded thoughtfully after hearing her words.
“So, the one who is most likely to know the location of the dragon’s treasure is the very Black Dragon that Riverside is currently facing off against.”
It seems a meeting with this Black Dragon will need to be arranged soon, Ethan thought, forming a new plan in his mind.
“Go now.”
After dismissing Anna, Ethan called Rose.
Seeing Rose, fully armed and with a murderous look in her eyes, Ethan nodded approvingly.
“Now it’s all down to your acting skills.”
“You’d better make sure you don’t blow your cover,” Rose retorted sullenly.
After quickly rehearsing their script, Ethan jumped out of the window, revealing his true form as a dragon in the Riverside sky.
His terrifying dragon’s breath rained down from the sky, and Riverside was once again engulfed in flames.
“The dragon… The dragon’s back,” people cried out in panic.
“Help, save us!”
The survivors of Riverside were once again thrown into chaos.
Just as they had begun to pick up the pieces from their devastated homeland after the withdrawal of the dreaded Dark Lord Alliance, the dragon returned.
Ethan’s massive figure hovered above the city, then plunged down.
The pressure of his terrifying presence made countless citizens close their eyes in despair…
Amidst screams and wails, a sword’s ring suddenly echoed.
With a mighty bang, the fearsome dragon was catapulted into the sky as if struck by a mighty force.
An impressive figure of a female warrior stood defiantly against the wind, charging straight towards the Black Dragon in the sky.
“Begone, foul beast!”𝔬𝗏𝓵xt.𝚌𝒐𝔪
With a resounding roar, Rose thrust her sword again at the evil dragon, who narrowly escaped the attack with a nimble roll in midair.
“Ha!”
Rose took a deep breath.
Her figure suddenly split into two, creating countless afterimages in midair, all simultaneously attacking the dragon aloft.
The dragon’s claws shimmered with thunder, shattering the numerous afterimages upon contact, vanishing like bubbles.
Suddenly, a petite figure appeared in front of the dragon’s cold, vertical pupils.
Rose thrust out the dagger in her hand, piercing the dragon’s eyeball in an instant.
Hot dragon’s blood spurted out, and the giant dragon let out a heartbreaking scream…
Naturally, Rose wouldn’t miss this golden opportunity.
Once again, she lunged at the roaring dragon.
Her dagger pierced through the dragon’s wing, leaving a terrifying blood streak.
The dragon’s wing was injured and could no longer maintain balance.
With a sideways tumble, the dragon fell from the sky.
“Brothers, charge with me!”
From the ruins of the streets came a battle cry.
Samuel Jenkins, his face covered in blood, led a group of soldiers charging towards the fallen giant dragon with resolute determination.
Bang!
With a terrifying noise, the giant dragon’s enormous body crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Countless arrows and spells bombarded the dust cloud.
The dazzling light from the various spells burst, and from within the cloud of dust, the dragon’s agonized roar became increasingly frantic.
With a sudden flap of its wings, the dragon dispersed the dust and rose into the air again.
At this moment, Rose stepped forward once again.
Like a ghost, she rushed to the dragon’s side and aimed at its remaining eye.
Swish!
A chilling light flashed as Rose’s dagger once again penetrated the dragon’s eye socket.
“Roar!”
The dragon’s furious roar rang out again, and this time, there was a note of panic.
Blinded in both eyes, the dragon was at an absolute disadvantage.
The dragon opened its mouth wide, and a series of terrifying breath attacks radiated in all directions.
After dodging the surrounding attackers, the dragon ascended into the sky in disarray, swiftly flying towards the outskirts of the city…
The dragon’s figure grew increasingly distant until it became a small dot on the horizon, disappearing from everyone’s sight.
“Did we… win?”
“We won!”
In a mix of despair and disbelief, Riverside’s residents erupted in cheers.
Rose, the main heroine of this epic battle, was surrounded by the crowd.
People cheered and shouted, some even began worshipping Rose in their fervor.
They had really driven off the evil dragon!
Samuel Jenkins coughed to get everyone’s attention, calming the excited crowd.
He announced loudly, “Given the Lord of Riverside is currently waging war on the front lines and stretched thin, and all senior officials of Riverside have unfortunately fallen in battle, under the wartime special regulations, we’ve unanimously elected Lady Rose as the Acting City Lord of Riverside for better rebuilding after our discussion and voting.”
“Samuel Jenkins, for Acting Vice City Lord.”
“The Dark Lord Alliance just left not long ago, which is a significant threat. We have reported the situation to the Empire. Fortunately, under Lady Rose’s leadership, we successfully repelled the dragon!”
“This is a rare victory for us in our despair,” Samuel began.
“May the dead rest in peace, and the living press on. We still have many wounded in Riverside who need aid. Anyone capable, please follow Lady Rose’s leadership. Let us stand together, rebuild Riverside.”
Amid the cheering of the crowd, Rose was inaugurated as the Acting City Lord of Riverside.
This title was temporary, and even without an official Imperial appointment.
Once the rightful Lord of Riverside returned, the title would be rescinded.
But what if the Lord… never returned?
A cold smile crossed Rose’s face.
What she needed to do next was find a way to secure an official appointment, to become a city lord recognized and protected by the Imperial Codex.
…
Having left Riverside in disarray, Ethan was far enough away when a white light instantly enveloped him.
His injuries quickly disappeared, and his eyes healed fast.
“That woman, she really did go all out,” Ethan muttered under his breath.
Although they had agreed beforehand that they wouldn’t hold back, Rose’s blows had been a bit too real… even excessive.
The good thing was that, seeing the sorry state Ethan had retreated in, nobody would believe that it had been staged.
“The next time we’re in bed, I’ll get back at her for today,” Ethan thought.
Thinking of Rose in bed and her usual self being two completely different states, the thought of conquering such a woman made him smile with satisfaction.