Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 145 - 144: What’s Meant to Come Will Come

Chapter 145: Chapter 144: What’s Meant to Come Will Come

Under the manipulation of the Efreeti, the dormant volcano began smoking the very next day, but the amount of smoke was minimal, akin to lighting some branches for cooking. Had Leon not been watching closely, he wouldn’t have been able to see it clearly.

By the third and fourth day, the volume of smoke was considerable. However, considering the strong sea breeze, which easily dispersed the smoke, it was impossible for anyone in Watchtower Port, located tens of kilometers away from the Volcanic Island, to notice. However, this did not prevent fishermen, who were far from Watchtower Port and closer to the Volcanic Island, from noticing a mountain starting to smoke.

Elves, with their long lifespans, had seen the volcano on the island erupt before. Knowledgeable scholars recognized the volcanic cone and knew what it meant when a volcano began smoking. Unfortunately, the fishermen knew nothing and could only speculate that someone was making a fire on the mountain.

As the smoke from the Volcanic Island grew thicker and more persistent, and considering that there was only smoke without visible flames, someone eventually reported this strange phenomenon.

The de facto ruler of Watchtower Port was a merchant guild of the Talia Alliance, known as the Gold Shore Chamber of Commerce.

Naturally, the Gold Shore Chamber of Commerce had capable people who recognized that the small island in the Flash Sea had a mountain that was, in fact, a volcano. Now that it began smoking, there was a chance it could erupt at any moment. If an eruption was significant, the blanket of volcanic ash would definitely affect Watchtower Port.

Why had it, after hundreds of years of dormancy, suddenly started spewing smoke?

It must be some doing of the Fire Melt Salamanders living on that island. Most of them are cultists who worship the malevolent Fire Element Prince, Yimixi.

Better safe than sorry; it was necessary to take precautions against unforeseen events, and the Gold Shore Chamber of Commerce certainly had the money for it.

Hiring adventurers to venture onto the island to investigate the situation would clear things up, and everyone could sleep peacefully at night.

Just applying for funding of fifty Gold Coins, offering ten Gold Coins as a reward for adventurers, and the remaining forty... Real estate prices in Miren are really getting more expensive by the day. This amount of money wouldn’t even buy a restroom.

The Mayor, who also managed the affairs for the Gold Shore Chamber of Commerce, instructed his assistant to post a reward for adventurers. The assistant, in turn, had his men make a trip to the tavern... What kind of decent adventurer could be hired for mere one Gold Coin? Only the local thugs and ruffians.

But these thugs were not fools; in fact, they were often "smarter" than adventurers. They made up their mind to just take a look on the island and then head straight back home. How else would they deal with those Fire Melt Salamanders?

If not for Leon keeping those Fire Melt Salamanders on alert, those cunning rascals would have never been caught. But there had been instructions to do so, and as soon as those rascals landed, they encountered a group of Fire Melt Salamanders, including Molten Salamander Warriors and even Salamander Knights, who tied them up tightly and brought them before Leon.

"Spare me, spare me, Your Honor!"

"I’m kneeling before you!"

Watching those "adventurers" start kowtowing, admitting their faults, and begging for mercy upon encounter, and hearing that the Gold Shore Chamber of Commerce offered a reward of one Gold Coin for investigating the volcanic smoke, Leon didn’t want to ask anymore. He waved his hand, arranging for the Fire Melt Salamanders to send those people to work in the mines.

Not as slaves but for labor reformation.

One Gold Coin was worth a decent sum, but to offer one Gold Coin for adventurers to land on an island full of Fire Melt Salamanders and conduct an investigation, and yet still having takers was completely beyond Leon’s understanding.

The first group of "adventurers" was purely for amusement. They ran at the sight of the Fire Melt Salamanders but unfortunately could not outrun these amphibious, skilled swimmers.

As the first batch of "adventurers" failed to return, seemingly having met with misfortune, lessons were learned. The strength of the second group of adventurers was significantly improved, comprised of real adventurers now, with a sensible team configuration. They didn’t panic when they encountered Fire Melt Salamander patrol units, only to flee unscathed when Molten Salamander Contract Mages took action.

"Those Molten Salamanders are up to something; clearly, they are patrolling, which means something evil must be being prepared at the Volcano Top."

This was the intelligence that the fleeing adventurer group brought back to Watchtower Port.

There were Elves living in the forest next to Watchtower Port. A Druid from the Moonlight Fellowship was called upon to transform into an innocuous seagull, flew up into the sky, and scouted the Volcanic Island — a possibility that neither Leon nor the Efreeti had considered. Who would pay attention to a mere seagull?

An Efreeti was conducting a ritual at the Volcano Top. This was news alarming enough to panic the big shots in Watchtower Port.

"Why would an Efreeti appear in the open sea?" inquired the gaunt man, the tax collector of Watchtower Port. "Not that I doubt the esteemed Druid, I’m just a bit curious."

"The Efreeti didn’t appear in the sea; it appeared on the volcano," replied the Security Captain, stroking his bald head with anxiety. "The Efreeti must be aiming to awaken the volcano and then settle down there... We must stop the Efreeti, drive it away; otherwise, it will definitely continually plunder our merchant ships and fishermen, making us never live in peace."

"Could we request the esteemed Druid’s aid?" the Mayor turned to the Elf Druid.

"I can’t do it," the Elf Druid shook his head, "You should look for my teacher instead; that would be a more appropriate approach, as he is the Great Druid."

Challenge Level is not the same as job level; generally, Challenge Level is lower than job level.

A Great Druid capable of casting Nine-Ring Magic, rarely associates with people from civilized societies, and would not take action unless there is a significant threat to the natural order. Their Challenge Level might be just about 12, a bit higher than an Efreeti.

The Great Druid won’t act casually, and it’s futile to implore them to deal with an Efreeti. People as powerful as the Great Druid are hard to come by, but it’s still feasible to find someone slightly less potent—perhaps just rallying a few more would do.

Thus, the Gold Shore Chamber of Commerce has money to spare, and with a hefty reward, there will surely be brave souls willing to sign up, even if they have to face the formidable Efreeti.

In the game, an adventurer party consists of a maximum of four members... but the Challenge Level is designed with a four-person adventurer party in mind. In reality, there are no such rigid rules; the party can be as big as desired—five, ten, or even twenty people.

This newly assembled adventurer party at Watchtower Port didn’t have as many as twenty people, but the number wasn’t small either—there were precisely six, encompassing most professions.

The division of labor was cooperative; mages even used spells to cloak the little boat from Watchtower Port to Volcanic Island, allowing them to quietly slip onto the island.

For such an adventurer party, any encountered Fire Melt Salamanders were a mere trifle, either cut down on sight or captured, with none allowed to escape.

"Don’t kill it," the bard stopped the Barbarian with the raised slaughter blade.

"What do you intend to do?" The Barbarian didn’t lower his weapon but curiously watched the bard.

They were adventurers temporarily working together, lacking mutual trust.

"Just wait and you’ll see," the bard approached the Molten Salamander Warrior, beginning to prepare the charm spell for humans.

A bard involved in the subjugation of an Efreeti was definitely formidable; there was no reason for the charm not to work on a weaker Molten Salamander Warrior. Now under the charm’s effect, the Molten Salamander Warrior saw the ones who slaughtered its kin as familiar friends.

Bards prefer to travel between lands, carrying tales and news, and they love communicating to resolve issues more than fighting, being knowledgeable in the languages of various races... Although they might not know the rare language of the Fire race, speaking Dragon Language was no issue, since most Fire Melt Salamanders could understand it. The bard then asked, "Dear friend, may I ask you a few questions?"

The articulate bard, coupled with the charm spell, almost coaxed the Molten Salamander Warrior into revealing details about its kind. In fact, if it weren’t for everyone waiting for intelligence, the bard might indulge in gossip to enrich his stories for future performances.

"How did it go?" The Barbarian couldn’t wait, "What did you find out?"

"The Efreeti arrived a week ago, but it wasn’t alone; there was also a human," the bard mused, "That human could morph red scales, horns, wings, and a tail."

"A Dragon Vein Mage?" interjected the Mage.

Magic is an intrinsic part of a Magician. This dormant power permeates the body, mind, and soul of a Magician, waiting to be unleashed.

A portion of the magic wielded by magicians originates from the overflowing Dragon Clan magic power in their ancestries, much like many Kobold Magicians whose spells stem from Dragon Clan bloodlines.

Many Magicians with Dragon Clan blood will grow corresponding scales on their faces, which provide enhanced defense. As they grow stronger, they might even manifest a pair of dragon wings sprouting from the back, and the more powerful ones can evoke the Frightening Majesty of their dragon ancestors.

The bard swallowed hard, then continued, "The most crucial information—the Molten Salamander Warrior said the Efreeti was only assisting; the Dragon Vein Mage was the one leading the matter."

The bard divulged everything he knew, silencing the air suddenly.

"So what now?" a Ranger spoke up, "Do we go after the Efreeti or the Dragon Vein Mage?"

"The bounty was to deal with the Efreeti, right?" Wanderer said, scratching the back of his head.

"But the wicked Dragon Vein Mage is the true culprit," declared the Knight Lady. Knight Lady was a title given due to her attire; her profession is a warrior, not a paladin.

"Isn’t that perfect?" Wanderer spoke, "We deal with the Efreeti this time, and they’ll invite us to go after the Dragon Vein Mage next."

"That’s deceitful," the Knight Lady remarked.

"The employer tasked us to confront the Efreeti, and we’re doing just that. What’s wrong with it?" Wanderer retorted.

As internal strife threatened to break out within the temporary party, the Mage stepped forward saying, "Let’s put it to a democratic vote, the minority to abide by the majority."

After voting, the decision was to first pursue the Dragon Vein Mage, because the bard mumbled that the Dragon Vein Mage would surely be easier to handle than the Efreeti. By defeating the Dragon Vein Mage, and considering the Volcanic Island out at sea was no place anyone would want to be, perhaps the Efreeti would just leave on its own, saving them the trouble of facing a formidable foe.