Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 307 - 302: Investigating the Case is Not Easy

Chapter 307: Chapter 302: Investigating the Case is Not Easy

Leon agreed to Isily and soon met her teammates at the tavern on the left side of the adventurer’s guild hall.

Aside from the Halfling, Clifford, there was also a paladin clad in silver-white armor, a barbarian with obvious giant bloodline towering over two meters tall, whose gaze seemed both clear and foolish, and finally, a Martial Monk with sharp eyes wearing just a single layer of clothing in the dead of winter.

"Let me introduce them... You’ve met Clifford. Linus is a paladin sworn to the oath of devotion. Kun is a Goliath barbarian. And Sebastian is a Martial Monk from the Sanda Sect."

Isily introduced her teammates to Leon and then casually slapped his shoulder, saying, "This is Leon, a druid who, in critical situations, can even transform into a dragon."

"Not a magician?" Sebastian, the Martial Monk, had sharp perception.

"Can Sir Leon truly transform into a dragon?" Linus asked earnestly.

Leon shrugged and replied, "If Miss Isily can transform into a dragon, then I can become one too."

"Once I master shape shifting, I’ll be able to turn into a dragon!" In her human form as a Half-Elf, Isily’s pointed ears twitched as she spoke.

"When people are pushed to their limits, they can do anything. If faced with the threat of total annihilation... I once heard from a bard about shape shifting. All you have to do is focus on the creature you want to transform into, then this and that..."

"Sebastian, what’s with that look? You don’t believe me?" Isily chattered on relentlessly. "Don’t you believe in the power of family, friendship, courage, and bonds? I could absolutely pull off a shape shift in a flash and turn into a dragon to save everyone in times of peril."

That feeling was the sixth sense. Sebastian initially suspected Isily was up to something, but now he realized it was probably just his imagination. He responded perfunctorily, "I believe you, I believe you."

Leon, meanwhile, crossed his arms and looked at Isily, recalling a Silver Dragon he knew named Grianna. The impression that dragon left on him was so good that he’d developed a stereotype about Silver Dragons: they were either noble gentlemen or elegant ladies. He couldn’t imagine one as lively and playful as Isily.

A lively and playful Silver Dragon might exist, but a generous and magnanimous Silver Dragon? Certainly not. Isily showed no intention of treating anyone. Dragons are universally stingy, so Leon had to call the waiter himself to order food.

Isily didn’t mind recommending dishes though — things like braised beef and honey-roasted lamb shanks — while cautioning Leon not to try fermented shark meat lightly, describing its taste as a "heavy-duty bomb." She also warned him about pickled puffin, which was supposedly deadly, especially since the traditional way of eating it involved sucking out the liquefied, rotting innards through the anus...

Taking her advice to heart, Leon stuck to her recommendations, eating to his heart’s content.

After stocking up on food and water, the adventurer team wasted no time and set out, taking nearly three hours to reach Whale Bone Town on the shore.

The town owed its name to the enormous whale skeleton outside its borders, which might measure over a hundred meters in length. If that whale were still alive, its sheer size alone might rival an adult Dragon Turtle.

"What’s our next move?" The paladin asked while holding his weapon, a longsword.

"Split up and investigate. Find out what the missing people were doing before they disappeared, who they met, and what they said," Isily said, glancing around. Perhaps influenced by the disappearance cases, the entire town seemed unusually desolate.

"Why go through so much trouble..." Leon interjected.

"Have a better idea?" Isily asked; she trusted Leon deeply.

"What about him?" Leon raised his hand and pointed to a fisherman working on the dock.

"What’s wrong with him?" Isily asked, waving her hand dismissively.

The Halfling and Martial Monk tacitly approached the fisherman from both sides.

"What are you doing?" The fisherman noticed their movements.

"Who’s your master?" Leon walked closer to the fisherman.

Using his Heavenly Eye Technique, Leon saw no mere fisherman — he saw a menacing Merfolk in disguise.

"Master? What are you talking about? I don’t understand." The fisherman shouted, "Outlanders!"

"What’s wrong with him?" Isily asked Leon.

"Have you heard of Deep Sea Descendants?" Leon said. "Their existence begins with those unlucky souls abducted from the shores or rescued from shipwrecks. A powerful deep-sea entity offers them a horrifying bargain: submit, and they undergo an ancient ritual that transforms them into aquatic hybrid creatures."

"What nonsense..." The fisherman retorted. "Are you accusing me of being one of those Deep Sea Descendants? Do you have any proof?"

"No proof?" The fisherman raised his fish spear and shouted, "Help! Help! Outlanders are attacking us!"

Leon watched as fishermen and workers gathered from various parts of the dock and felt a headache coming on.

Though he could see through the disguises of Deep Sea Descendants, he didn’t know how to expose them. Killing them directly was no solution either, since their original human forms might be revealed afterwards. Even when slain in their Merfolk-like hybrid forms, the magic shaping their fish-like exterior would dissolve, leaving behind their pre-transformation state.

Leon decided to use his wits. Casually, he pulled out a potion from his pocket and said, "Drink this, and you’ll turn into a Merfolk."

"You expect me to drink it just because you say so?" The fisherman said. "What if I don’t turn into a Merfolk after drinking it?"

"I’ll pay you a hundred Gold Coins." Shaking the potion, Leon approached the fisherman. "Everyone here can bear witness."

As Leon closed in step by step, the fisherman instinctively stepped back, only to be shoved forward. He turned to see a Martial Monk blocking his way. Gripping his fish spear tightly, the fisherman made up his mind.

He swung his spear, and in an instant, transformed into his Merfolk form — a medium-sized monstrosity — and let out a terrifying shriek: a psychic screech. Anyone who heard it had to pass a wisdom saving throw or be stunned.

The Halfling failed the saving throw, while the Martial Monk managed to succeed but might not survive the Deep Sea Descendant’s attack. After all, its challenge rating was comparable to an Owlbear, and it would take at least a Level 7 or 8 professional to handle it solo.

The Deep Sea Descendant pushed the Martial Monk back and prepared to jump into the sea, where it would be nearly impossible for anyone to catch it.

Trying to flee?

Leon had spent years battling foes like overpowered Elder Green Dragons and the Witch Kings of the Ancient Fallen Empire. In games, such enemies always come with Magic Resistance and Legendary Resistance, rendering immobilization spells practically useless—a waste of time, really.

But now, finally, he had the opportunity to use one. Leon raised a finger and cast an immobilization spell on the Deep Sea Descendant.

The days of deduction are over; this is the era of surveillance, big data, and DNA analysis.

Using his Heavenly Eye Technique and True Vision, Leon easily uncovered three Deep Sea Descendants, a Sea Hag, and finally stood before a hooded figure dressed entirely in black.

The figure removed its hood, revealing pitch-black pupils and two tentacle-like arms with suction cups. Opening its mouth, it roared like thunder. Everyone except Leon and Isily succumbed to terror. The creature then lifted its tentacles and cast Dark Skill, summoning a vast region of darkness, but it was futile — a mere novice couldn’t possibly escape Leon’s immobilization spell.

"Was that a person or a monster?" Isily asked, still shaken. If she had faced the black-robed figure alone, she wouldn’t stand a chance without reverting to her Dragon Form.

"If my guess is correct... that was a Kraken priest," Leon said excitedly. A minor disappearance case leading to a Kraken? How thrilling!