Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might -
Chapter 176 - 175: The Unwelcome Guest Arrives
Chapter 176: Chapter 175: The Unwelcome Guest Arrives
Undead creatures do not require air, food, or sleep. They can cross the ocean directly, walking underwater as if traversing mountains and valleys.
The Death Knight only contemplated for a few minutes before abandoning the idea of crossing the ocean that way—it was too time-consuming, and he didn’t have much time to spare.
He was a Death Fear Punisher, bound by the Decaying Garden, traveling through the Death Passage to various planes. He could stay on a plane for at most one day before the Decaying Garden would "summon" him back.
Death Fear Punishers are indeed undead creatures, but they’re not mindless killers.
The Death Fear Punisher would travel to different worlds seeking contacts and agents, regularly using fear and bribery to reestablish his authority among them, aiding in the collection and acquisition of intelligence concerning the Impermanence Card and related matters.
Under these circumstances, the Death Knight knew he needed to find a fishing boat at the dock and pay a fisherman to take him to the island. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to row or steer the boat, and even if he killed a fisherman and raised him as a zombie, the zombie wouldn’t be able to row or steer either.
The Death Knight approached a middle-aged fisherman.
"I’m busy fishing; I don’t have time for you."
"All those Gold Coins for me?"
"Get on the boat quickly."
"Don’t worry, my boat is famously fast."
No matter if the Gold Coins given by the man in black emitted a strange rotten odor, as long as they were real, the middle-aged fisherman was more than happy to temporarily set aside his work and earn himself a handsome extra income. He didn’t have time to ponder why such a good fortune had landed in his lap.
Though happy, the middle-aged fisherman couldn’t help but feel curious and asked, "Why do you want to go to that island?"
The Death Knight did not speak, merely continuing to stroke the Punishment Hunting Dog.
Whether the Death Knight spoke or not, it didn’t stop the middle-aged fisherman from chatting. Some people can talk endlessly on their own, like how some dragons can talk to statues all day. He said, "Don’t you know there’s a dragon on that island?"
"A dragon?" The Death Knight reacted upon hearing this. He squinted slightly while gazing at the Volcanic Island. "You’re saying there’s a dragon on that island?"
"That’s right, a dragon," the middle-aged fisherman replied. "It’s been here for several months and awakened the volcano on that island."
"What kind of dragon?" Facing a dragon—even the Death Knight had to take this seriously. At the same time, he felt a sense of realism.
The Impermanence Card shouldn’t ordinarily appear on a small island in the ocean, but if it were owned by a dragon as part of its treasure collection, it would make perfect sense. A dragon’s collection is sure to include several Impermanence Cards, perhaps even a complete set.
"A Red Dragon, an enormous Red Dragon," the middle-aged fisherman said, putting down his oar and raising his hands to gesture. "Are you scared? Even if you’re scared and decide not to go, I won’t refund you... We’ve already come this far."
"Not scared... Just a mere Red Dragon," the Death Knight sneered. He thought to himself that a Red Dragon just starting to build its nest was most likely a young dragon.
Looking at the nearby small port town, which showed no signs of being attacked by the dragon, he mused that the dragon might not even be a young dragon.
Even if it were an adult Red Dragon, that would still be manageable. Even if it were a full-grown mature Red Dragon, he could still put up a fight. The only difficulty would be chasing the dragon down if it decided to flee.
What a pity—his steed, a Nightmare, had been killed by enemies. As an Evil Demon, the Nightmare would not resurrect in the Decaying Garden. He would have to find another way; otherwise, he could have ridden the Nightmare directly to the island, not fearing the Red Dragon’s ability to fly... Perhaps he should emulate his superior and find a flying dragon as a mount.
The middle-aged fisherman noticed the black-clad man’s sneer and curiously asked, "You’re not afraid of the Red Dragon? Are you a Dragon Slayer?"
"If it doesn’t behave, I wouldn’t mind slaying it," the Death Knight suddenly raised his eyes and glanced at the middle-aged fisherman with a half-smile. "What do you want me to do?"
"I don’t care. That Red Dragon doesn’t interfere with my fishing... That island is inhabited by Molten Salamander people—I don’t fish near that sea area anyway. The Red Dragon can stay there as long as it doesn’t attack Watchtower Port."
The middle-aged fisherman, indifferent to matters unrelated to him, continued, "Besides, I’ve heard that the Red Dragon is the protector of Watchtower Port. The docks, taverns, and casinos all say so."
"A Red Dragon... Protector..." The Death Knight couldn’t help but laugh. The two words were utterly contradictory. Red Dragons are known for pillaging, burning, and destroying, never for protecting.
"I didn’t believe it at first either," the middle-aged fisherman said. "But that Red Dragon hasn’t attacked us or attacked Watchtower Port... Gradually, even I started believing."
The Death Knight remained silent for a moment and said, "There must be some kind of conspiracy."
A distance of over ten kilometers was rather far for a fishing boat powered by oars. Traveling from Watchtower Port to the Volcanic Island took over an hour.
"We’re here." The middle-aged fisherman stopped the boat at the shore. "Be careful, traveler. Don’t die out here."
The Death Knight said nothing and leapt off the boat, landing in the shallows. He suddenly turned to look at the fisherman and said, "Don’t worry, I won’t die here... Because I’m already dead."
The middle-aged fisherman was still confused when he saw the black-clad man’s falcon and dog transform into skeletons. The man himself became a fearsome skeleton warrior clad in spiked plate armor. Beneath his helmet, his skeletal head glowed with a venomous fire in its eye sockets, and he slowly unsheathed his sword.
The Death Fear Punisher would seek contacts and agents in various worlds, but a mere fisherman didn’t qualify. The Death Knight drove his sword through the fisherman’s heart. Chaotic and evil, he killed without hesitation, retrieving the Gold Coins from the fisherman’s pocket before heading leisurely uphill.
Hopefully, this time, he would find something worthwhile. The Death Knight directed the Punishment Hunting Dog to lead the way ahead, while the Punishment Falcon soared in the sky, keeping watch and letting out hoarse cries.
A patrol of Molten Salamander people discovered the Death Knight and rushed toward him, babbling in strange languages of the fire clans. The result? The Death Knight cut each one down with a single strike. One lucky Molten Salamander Warrior managed to flee without engaging, giving him the opportunity to report back.
The Molten Salamanders were now under the management of an Efreeti, who, upon hearing the Molten Salamander Contract Mage’s report, led a group of followers to confront the intruder.
"Who are you?" The Efreeti levitated in the air with a curved blade in hand, immediately realizing the Death Knight was more than a Skeleton Warrior. "You’re a Death Knight?"
Riding atop the undead Strider he had resurrected, the Death Knight pointed his sword at the Efreeti and said, "You must be that Red Dragon’s subordinate. Go summon the Red Dragon—I have business with it."
"Who do you think you are to command me?" The hot-tempered Efreeti cast Enlargement Technique, then lunged at the Death Knight with his blade.
Though the Efreeti was powerful, he was no match for the Death Knight. The battle dragged on for a while but ended with the Efreeti’s defeat as his blade failed to penetrate the Death Knight’s armored plate.
"Everyone, attack and kill him!" The Efreeti commanded the Molten Salamanders, Orcs, Hobgoblins, and Bugbears to charge at the Death Knight. He himself soared toward the Volcano Top, knowing he would need the Red Dragon to handle this invader—if it was even there.
Leon, sprawled out by the Molten Lava Pool, was comfortably sleeping when the Efreeti woke him up with news of the intruder.
"A Death Knight wants to see me? I don’t recall ever offending any Death Knights. I’ve never even met one," Leon mused aloud, wondering why an undead creature was coming for him. After a while, he nodded thoughtfully. "A Death Fear Punisher, perhaps?"
Leon had entrusted the Impermanence Card to a Cloud Giant for safekeeping, but why was a Death Fear Punisher still seeking him?
What a nuisance.
"I’ll go check it out." Leon yawned, shaking off his sleepiness slightly.
"I’ll go too," said the Brass Dragon, eager not to miss such excitement. A showdown between a Red Dragon and a Death Knight was the kind of drama he’d enjoy talking about for years, if not a decade.
Leon followed the Efreeti out. When they encountered the Death Knight, they saw his howling Punishment Hunting Dog and the group of undead Molten Salamanders, Beastman Zombies, and Earth Goblins Zombies that the Death Knight had raised from those he killed.
"I heard you’re looking for me?" Leon looked down at the Death Knight, pondering the varying lore about him. Some books described Death Knights simply as templates, but the rulebooks Leon was familiar with ranked their challenge level at 17—formidable foes not to be underestimated.
"The Impermanence Card." Leon seemed to be a young dragon. Knowing he faced an adult Brass Dragon as well as the Efreeti, the Death Knight felt a flicker of doubt. "Hand over the Impermanence Card, and I’ll leave immediately."
"You’re a Death Fear Punisher?" Leon asked.
"Yes," the Death Knight replied.
"I don’t have the Impermanence Card." Leon wasn’t scared of the Death Knight, but he was wary of the Death Horror Monarch. If given the chance, the Death Horror Monarch would personally lead forces to hunt down and destroy a complete deck of Impermanence Cards.
"Then tell me where the Impermanence Card is," the Death Knight demanded. "Give me specific directions—tell me everything you know."
"Before I tell you—" Leon said, "Why don’t you first consider how to compensate me? You’ve killed so many of my followers."
"I’ll deal with him myself!" The Brass Dragon, though aligned with Red and Blue Dragons on occasion, was genuinely good-hearted and had no intention of committing evil. Facing the villainous Death Knight, neutrality was not an option.
"You won’t beat him. Let me handle it instead," Leon said with excitement. "I’ve just acquired a new set of gear and mastered a new skill."
Leon raised his claws, and Tear Claw manifested on all four limbs. Bearing his teeth, Dragon’s Jaw emerged as he leapt forward, landing before the Death Knight. A deafening roar accompanied the activation of his aura, transforming him into a terrifying ancient beast.
Leon glared at the Death Knight, expecting him to tremble in fear, much like a Cloud Giant had once done. Instead, the Death Knight remained silent.
After all, Death Knights are undead creatures, and many undead are immune to fear—certainly, the Death Knight was.
"What’s with the glaring?" The Death Knight mocked. "If looks could kill, I’d have died a thousand times over."
Leon felt somewhat embarrassed. To break the awkwardness, he had no choice but to strike with earnest ferocity.
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