Edward

"I am Edward, the viscount who is in charge of this place. Your entry triggered the alarm I set up. The Green Dragon Canyon is now forbidden to enter. How did you get in, outsider?"

The blond man reached out and pulled Mason up from the ground. His gaze stayed on the young man's eyes for a moment before he naturally looked away.

"I came from the swamp. I seemed to have fallen into a fantasy world. In the fantasy world, I was a knight guarding a princess..."

Mason answered his question and found Edward's wording strange. Why guard?

There was definitely something wrong with the vision he had just witnessed.

When entering, all of Mason's memories were blocked and replaced with new memories. He thought he was a knight who wanted to protect his princess and didn't even recognize other vests and his true self.

Although he gradually regained consciousness in the later stages, this incident still left Mason horrified. He had never encountered such a situation before.

There is no doubt about Oreius's combat ability, but when it comes to mystical magic, this vest seems a bit inadequate and is not as useful as Canaan's purification.

"You must have been infected by the miasma. The mist in the Green Dragon Canyon is poisonous and can cause hallucinations. Leave here first."

Edward explained, turned around and led him to the exit. The humid mist soaked their clothes, and just a few steps away, the other person's back seemed blurred in the smudged ink, making it vague and unclear.

A man's voice came from afar: "What's your name, and what are you doing in Green Dragon Canyon?"

"Orelius, a traveler."

"Take a shortcut through the Green Dragon Canyon...Are you planning to go to the central part?"

Mason responded vaguely, and quietly observed the other party's expression when he heard his name. After discovering that the Black Mist followers might be involved in this matter, Mason immediately became alert, even if the nobles here didn't want to believe it.

Edward was unaware and said with concern, "There's something wrong with this road. We can't use it any more recently. I'll take you back to town first."

"What happened?"

The man did not answer immediately. It took a long time to enter the canyon, but it was very easy to get out of it. Under the guidance of the Viscount, they quickly returned to the entrance.

Without the mist covering the sky, the jagged and ferocious dragon wings emerged from behind the Guide, spreading out their extremely gorgeous gilded wings. Even the mist could not conceal their graceful posture, and each scale seemed to be cast in gold, flowing with an enchanting luster.

He turned his head, revealing his golden snake-shaped pupils, and extended his hand in a friendly manner: "Do you need me to give you a ride?"

Mason shamelessly agreed.

This is a dragon! This is a dragon! Dragon blood bath, dragon scale armor, dragon tendon bow and arrow, dragon meat feast, not to mention these good things, who doesn't want to ride a dragon once?

Unfortunately, dragons have long since disappeared from this world. He stared at the wings behind him, and the dragonborn took a step back with some discomfort. He asked tentatively, "What's wrong?"

Mason remained calm: "No, nothing, I just think dragons are great."

If he could see one in this world, he would definitely grab one!

"Thank you for the compliment...?"

The danger radar rang inexplicably in his mind, and Edward picked up the young man and flew quickly towards the town. The wind from the sky roared past his ears, and the two returned to the town not long after.

Looking down at the town from above, Mason immediately found the Viscount's mansion in the center. It was so dazzling that it looked like a fallen gold nugget between the basin and the fields, making it impossible for people to take their eyes away.

It turned out to be a house made of gold!

"Lord Edward is back!"

Seeing the figure of the Dragonborn, the servants in the Viscount's mansion shouted messages. The Dragonborn folded his wings and landed on the ground with Mason.

The walls and garden statues were made of gold, the doors and window frames were made of gold. The golden light everywhere hurt people's eyes, and it was filled with the aura of the rich, making people want to rob them directly.

Under the stunned gaze of the red-haired young man, Edward showed an embarrassed and shy expression: "This is the nature of dragons. We dragons like to live in houses like this..."

"...I don't think anyone would want to live in a house like this." Mason said delicately, "This reminds me of a story."

Edward asked with great interest, "What story?"

"Once upon a time, there was a king who loved a girl who had been with him since childhood. He promised that when he grew up, he would build a house with gold to hide her."

The dragonborn's eyes lit up and he exclaimed in admiration: "I have never heard of such a story. This king must also be a dragonborn. With such sincerity, the other party must have married him!"

No, the ending is actually quite tragic. Mason coughed and awkwardly changed the subject: "Is the Viscount so rich? This is the first time I see a house made entirely of gold."

Edward's eyes wandered. "...It's like this. The Noble Association provides a certain amount of funds to nobles of all levels every year, and the rest is supported by taxes in the territory. Because I need to guard the Green Dragon Canyon, the funds will be more."

He exchanged all of these for gold.

Normal blood people would buy materials and pollutants after getting Robbie, but Edward didn't care at all.

He has only one goal: gold, gold, and more gold!

The dragon's deep-rooted habits were fully reflected in him. Otherwise, according to the dragon's unique qualifications, he would not have needed to be a viscount here and waste several years in vain.

The reason that prompted him to stay was firstly for some special reasons; secondly, because he had turned this place into a golden mansion without realizing it. Whenever he saw these golden little cuties, even if the Noble Association wanted to transfer him back, Edward would answer with a resounding "No!"

According to the rules, after the previous noble leaves office, the things he left behind in the territory will become the property of the next noble.

Unless he could move the entire house intact, Edward would rather live and die with his gold.

Mason's mouth twitched when he heard this, and he asked implicitly, "Are you so passionate about everyone?"

Before the other party said anything, he had already shown his underwear to the public, and was as friendly as if they were good brothers who had just met for a long time.

Edward ordered the servants to prepare the living room, paused when he heard this, and his eyes fell on the other person's eyes again.

The red-haired young man looked back in confusion. His eyes were sharp and cold, and his eyelashes were covering his dark golden pupils. They were steady and noble, but also had a light and floating flavor because of the carelessness of young people. Occasionally, they would flash against the light. They were not as bright and sharp as gold, but had a kind of misty laziness.

The Dragonborn was eager to take it, thinking that if it was a gem, it would be very suitable to be taken down and used as decoration for his house. Unfortunately, it was the eye of a living person, and he did not have the hobby of collecting living things.

After taking a few more glances, he said shyly, "People with golden eyes can't be bad people, right?"

Mason: “…”

This guy's brain must be clogged with gold.

Facing the questioning gaze, Edward took him back to the house with a guilty conscience, pretending that this little incident had not happened. The red-haired young man stared at his back with doubt, and after a while he asked, "What happened in Green Dragon Canyon?"

"An earl was attacked while crossing the Green Dragon Canyon and is now missing. I have reported it to the Noble Association, and someone should be here to deal with the matter soon."

Edward said: "The association has already issued a bounty. You can claim the mission through the [Mercenary Bounty Order]."

Mason's expression changed slightly, and he took out the parchment that Ya'an had given him earlier. After the bounty order was unfolded, he quickly selected the most suitable task, and indeed saw the bounty issued by the association.

[An attack occurred in the southern Green Dragon Canyon, causing the noble team to go missing. Urgent investigation and tracking is needed. Those interested, please contact Earl Edward. This mission is a dangerous mission, please participate at your discretion with bloodline A or above. Reward: One A-level cursed item, two opportunities to ask questions to the [Book of Answers], 30,000 robies. ]

It is indeed an aristocratic association, with great wealth and generosity.

"What is the [Book of Answers]?"

"It is an S-level pollutant treasured by the association. It can answer any question from the interrogator. It is through it that humans know where the world's pollution comes from."

"If it's so powerful, why doesn't it come up with a solution?"

A subtle and strange expression flashed across the dragonborn's face, so fast that Mason couldn't tell what emotion it contained. The other party shrugged his shoulders: "Of course the association wants to - but there is a price to pay for using it."

“If you want to find an answer, you have to contribute something of equal value. The association just provides an opportunity for communication, but even so, it attracts a lot of people.”

How many people are confused about how to achieve their goals?

For strength, for family, for career, for love. In this world, mistakes sometimes directly mean death.

The Book of Answers points to a path that is bound to succeed. This alone is enough to make countless people risk their lives to seek an opportunity.

Mason was no exception. Staring at the ink flowing on the parchment, he had too many questions in his mind, most of which were things he could not tell anyone else.

Why did he travel here and be chosen by the World Tree? Is there a chance to go back? How can he eliminate the black fog?

As for the exchange—he needn't worry about it.

The reason why the [Boning Knife] is so obedient and does not rush to kill people every time it is used is because it will be drenched in the blood of Oreius, and it is specially used to cure all kinds of disobedience.

Since the out-of-control [Portal] can be controlled, what about the [Book of Answers]?

There are some opportunities in front of you, and it would be a shame not to participate. There is no better reason than this to inquire about the missing case. He accepted the task without hesitation, looked up at the Dragonborn, and raised his eyebrows: "I suspect you did it on purpose."

"I did do it on purpose. This matter is a bit complicated, and it would be best if a strong person like you could join us. Right now, an earl is missing and a viscount is seriously injured. After dinner, I can take you to see him."

Edward was very open and made a gesture to invite him to come in. The decoration inside the house was also magnificent. Mason took his eyes off the furniture with difficulty and accepted the invitation.

After staying here for a long time, it is hard not to have the desire to knock a golden brick off the wall. The Viscount, with a bit of pride and show-off, led the other party around the house, and finally came to a relatively simple room.

As a hospital ward, the decoration here is relatively normal. Shaken was lying on the soft silk bed, his face pale and unconscious.

He was wrapped in bandages all over his body, and half of his face was bandaged up, which made him look extremely shocking. Mason frowned, leaned over to lift the quilt, and examined the other's injuries. He knew the other's ability, and even if he was in a difficult situation, he would never have a problem escaping.

"When will he wake up?"

"Not sure. When I found him, most of his body had already decayed. Those were injuries caused by the breath of a green dragon. Unlike other creatures, dragons are born with extremely strong vitality. Even if their bodies die, their souls will remain in the world forever. This is also the origin of dragon liches and bone dragons."

"During this time, I often went to the canyon to explore. I had a conflict with its bloodline, and I couldn't find any trace of the green dragon. That's why I wanted to let a strong bloodline person go in and take a look. Maybe he could find some clues."

"I see. Are there no other bloodline members coming yet?"

Edward said hurriedly, "It's quite far from here. Some people have accepted the mission but haven't arrived yet. I'll go arrange a room for you first, and then we'll talk about what to do next."

Mason had no objection. The Dragonborn was particularly enthusiastic when a guest came to visit. After leading him through some work, the red-haired young man successfully received the key to his room. He found an excuse to send Edward away, inspected the room, and sat down on the bed after making sure everything was OK, revealing the light scratches on his palm.

It was very easy to make a wound, and the wound healed was light in color. When he had just checked, he had dripped blood on Shaken's shadow, evoking a familiar connection.

Not long after, a faint black shadow squeezed in from the crack of the door, gently wrapped around his fingers, and emitted an extremely weak breath.

The red-haired young man asked in a low voice: "Was it Edward who saved you?"

The shadow gave a vague affirmation. Shaken was unconscious, but the shadow was one with him and must have witnessed what happened. Something flashed through Mason's mind, and he didn't have time to catch it. While he was thinking, the shadow climbed up the young man's wrist stickily, pierced his skin and sucked blood.

Mason came to his senses and said, "When we get back to the canyon, take me to the places you have been to."

Edward must be hiding something to get him into this situation. There must be something wrong with Green Dragon Canyon.