Return to Fantasy

The bright red blood was absorbed, and the faded red marks on the black shadow became clearer and clearer. Mason raised his chin, and the commander slid down his clothes and jumped out along the gap between the ground and the wall, moving closely on the roof.

Soon, the shadow stopped over the corridor. The servants walking down the corridor with rags did not notice it, talking quietly.

The more senior maid asked, "Is Lord Edward's room clean?"

The other person replied: "It's already done. I cleaned it myself."

"That's good. Lord Edward is attending to official business. Please ask the kitchen to prepare some delicious food tonight. People say that this time we will entertain the guests well."

The two of them talked as they turned the corner. The shadow followed the way they came, and every time it came to a door, it would go in through the crack. After a short while, it found Edward's bedroom.

The Dragonborn's bedroom was like a warehouse filled with gorgeous gold. Every piece of furniture was made of gold, extremely dazzling. The shadow carefully slipped into it, slid over the books on the bookshelf, and carefully examined the place.

"Bloodline Science Encyclopedia", "Gemstone Identification Process", "Gold Smelting Method", "Secrets of Golden Dragon History", "Detailed Explanation of Sealed Magic Patterns", "Secrets of Green Dragon"...

Various books were neatly arranged. The black shadow was about to take out the book about the green dragon when he suddenly heard faint footsteps coming from the door.

The shadow hid in the gaps between the books, blending into the darkness, spying on the movements outside.

The bedroom door creaked open, and Edward walked in from outside and closed the door casually.

His eyes slid past the bookshelf facing the door, and he didn't notice the shadow hiding there. The blond man pulled out the chair and threw himself on it. After lying there lazily for a while, he got up and walked to the bed, bent down and pressed a hidden mechanism.

The golden bed made a slight turning sound, and a small box popped out from it. Edward searched for a while, took out a medicine bottle and put it in his arms, then pressed the mechanism again and watched the box pop back.

"It's time to restock the medicine."

He muttered to himself, turned around and walked out the door. After making sure that the other party would not come back suddenly, the shadow slid down the bookcase and headed straight for the golden bed, triggering the mechanism according to the other party's previous method.

The hidden compartment popped out. The shadow, which was too weak to form a human figure, only stretched out two strange-looking "hands" and carefully turned over the things inside.

With the help of Shadow's vision, Mason saw that there were a lot of letters inside. He instructed Shadow to open one at random, and saw the handwriting that had been there for some time.

[I am very happy to hear that you have been entrusted with the important task of guarding the Green Dragon Canyon. No one is more suitable for this task than you. Guarding the Green Dragon Canyon is of great importance. Don't let the association down. Edward.]

[The green dragon is very cunning. We suspect that its soul has not completely dissipated, and may even have mutated due to pollution. Be careful at all times. If any strange person tries to find out about the Green Dragon Canyon or approaches there, show no mercy.]

【......】

[I have received your reply. Regarding the hallucinations you mentioned about people in the canyon, it is possible that they fell into the trap of the green dragon. These guys are good at playing with poisons and illusions, and they will stab you when you are unaware. I have mailed you a medicine that can weaken the influence. You must take it in time before entering the canyon.]

[I heard that you recently built a golden house. Although this is the nature of a golden dragon, don't forget that you can't stay in that small place forever. These things will only become gifts for the next one. Improving your strength is the most important thing.]

[The Green Dragon Canyon has been experiencing many anomalies recently. Be careful when you enter. Although gold dragons are naturally restrained by green dragons, they also regard them as mortal enemies...]

These letters are written from the most recent to the most recent time, and they all seem to be from the same person. The last letter stopped a few days ago, when Edward rescued Shaken from the canyon.

The writer of the letter seemed to have a particularly close relationship with the Viscount. The letter emphasized the importance of Green Dragon Canyon and vaguely revealed that someone was coveting this place.

Dragons are indeed rare. But why did the Knights be so wary of a green dragon they killed for the princess' birthday?

Mason commanded the shadow to restore the letters, then went to the bookcase and quickly scanned the two letters about the dragon clan. After cleaning up all the traces, he quietly left the room and returned to the guest room.

This took him a long time, but fortunately, lunch took a long time to welcome the guests. A maid in a long skirt knocked on the door and respectfully led him to the hall.

A warm aroma came from afar, and Edward had already been sitting here waiting for him.

As expected of a dragon descendant, Mason had a subtle look on his face. Even the bowls and chopsticks on the entire dining table were made of pure gold.

The whole roasted pig was carefully cooked, with a crispy golden skin and a layer of honey on it, which made it even more attractive. There were abundant roasts and stews, the cooked creamy soup was rich in aroma, the white bread was slightly charred, and it tasted great with fresh vegetables and fruits.

Looking at the steaming food on the plate, Mason could only be thankful that the other party still had reason to not eat raw gold. Although this did not seem to be a difficult task for the dragonborn's teeth and stomach.

"I hope the food is to your liking."

Edward took out a medicine bottle, took out a few white pills and handed them to him: "This is the medicine you must take when entering the canyon. It can relieve hallucinations. If fog suddenly appears, you need to take another pill."

Mason took the pills and examined them. There were six pills in total, and they were smooth and white, more like glutinous rice balls than pills. He said goodbye to Edward and ate one before entering the canyon again. As expected, he did not have any hallucinations.

As soon as they entered the canyon, the black shadow rushed straight in a certain direction, followed closely by Mason.

Thick fog filled the air, and the humid water vapor soaked into the lungs, making people feel nauseous. It was not until they passed the small half canyon that the black shadow stopped in front of a mountain wall. Mason looked up. The rocks were covered with traces of cutting by sharp weapons, and there were faint traces of blood on the low places, outlining the figure of a person leaning against the mountain wall.

The black shadow stuck to the human figure and refused to move, as if it was a child complaining to its owner, poking at this area vigorously.

"Don't poke it, there's something wrong here. Shaken was placed here on purpose."

Mason kicked the shadow, and even though his toes passed through his body, the shadow still retracted softly and obediently coiled around the human's feet.

He had examined Shaken's wounds earlier, and just as Edward had said, there were obvious signs of corrosion. It was as if someone had poured a cup of sulfuric acid on Shaken. But the wall was intact, without even a trace of corrosion. There was only one answer, that was someone had placed Shaken there on purpose, intending to disguise it as the first crime scene.

The red-haired young man continued to walk inside.

The milky white mist obscured his vision, and the ground beneath his feet gradually turned into hard rock. After walking for an unknown amount of time, a dark shadow suddenly crawled up his cheek and licked away the blood that oozed from his cracked skin.

Mason was stunned for a moment, then he raised his hand and touched his cheek. With a slight sting, his fingers touched something wet.

There's something wrong with the fog here!

The young man suddenly realized something. His skin had become extremely fragile under the attack of the mist, and even the blood could not bear it. There was also a burning pain in his throat. With the young man's excellent recovery ability, the wound was healing at an extremely fast speed, so that at first he did not even realize that he was injured.

No wonder people say that Green Dragon Canyon is dangerous. If you keep indulging in the illusion, you will eventually be affected by the mist and bleed to death! But this is not the reason why Shaken was seriously injured... There must be something else here.

Mason quickly retreated, and the spreading mist only reached the entrance of the canyon. The remaining few strands of mist lingered around the young man's arms, like the lingering hands of a lover. Unfortunately, there was a hidden murderous intent in it, which made people retreat.

Mason tried several more times, but still couldn't get through the canyon. Every time he reached a certain depth, the suddenly thick fog would block his progress. He could try to get in with his healing ability, but as for what else was inside, that was another matter.

After he returned to town, Edward comforted him for a while. Mason briefly described the situation in the canyon and asked, "Has this happened before?"

"Every once in a while, the canyon becomes inaccessible due to the activity of an unknown fog."

The dragonborn hesitated and added in a low voice: "There has always been a legend in the canyon. It is said that the body of the green dragon is pressed under the mountains, and one day it will return with anger. That's why it needs a watcher."

"If you encounter it, don't hesitate, just smash the dragon's skeleton immediately. Without the protection of the skeleton, the fragile soul cannot survive alone."

His tone was as relaxed as stewing soup with bones, and it sounded very subtle.

"Even if it stood there motionless and let someone chop it, it would take a lot of effort to break the dragon's bones."

Edward explained: "The dragon's wings have been cut off, so it will be easier to attack there. In addition, I have received a call. The remaining bloodline will arrive soon, and it will be much safer if we enter together. In the meantime, you can rest in the town."

Considering the mystery of Green Dragon Canyon, Mason agreed to stay. He didn't have to wait long, and the other four wandering bloodline members who accepted the mission arrived in the next few days.

Unlike the nobles, these wandering bloodlines have a distinct lone ranger temperament, and their eyes are filled with coldness and vigilance when they look at each other. Rather than being companions on a mission, they are more like fellow travelers.

Under such circumstances, Edward naturally did not ask for more. He distributed the medicines, gave some instructions to a few people, and then let them complete their tasks.

Mason quietly mixed in with this group of wandering bloodline people. After wandering around the canyon for two days, they still found nothing.

The thick white mist swallowed up all the clues. Even though Mason had intentionally led them to the stone wall, the remaining bloodline people could not find any clues. After a few days, the bloodline people finally couldn't stand it anymore.

"The Noble Association is kidding us, right? There's nothing in here!"

The speaker kicked the mountain wall with a curse, causing rocks to fall. The man spat on the ground in disgust. He was a fire ape, known for his violent temper. The rough skin covered by the mist cracked, and tiny blood threads flowed out.

The pain made him even more irritable. He looked at the faces of several people with a gloomy look and said in a stiff tone: "I don't believe that the earl could suddenly disappear. Maybe those big shots are using us for fun!"

A bloodline with an eagle-hook nose replied coldly: "Do you have anything that is worthy of those big shots' entertainment?"

The man sneered, "Who knows? Nothing has happened in Green Dragon Canyon for so long, why did it happen now? I've been here before, and there was no problem at all! In my opinion, these people are just playing tricks on us. Bah! This damn place!"

This statement caused a slight commotion among the bloodline people. Unlike the nobles who had the help of the association, the influence of the bloodline was more prominent on this group of wanderers. The fruitless patrols for many days made these impatient bloodline people anxious. Mason secretly scanned the faces that were filled with anger, and vaguely sensed a strange atmosphere.

Although the Wandering Bloodline is not very stable, most of them rely on missions for a living and have long been accustomed to the various troubles encountered during missions. Why would they lose their patience just because there is no clue for a few days?

Everyone present seemed to have swallowed gunpowder. The depressing environment became the last straw that broke the camel's back, twitching everyone's nerves.

They angrily vented their grievances to the Noble Association, complaining about the weirdness of the Green Dragon Canyon, and even some inappropriate words would make these bloodline people blush and argue loudly. Until a cold voice broke their argument.

"The fog is coming."

The speaker had a nice face that made people feel uncomfortable. He raised his eyes lazily and looked into the distance, and everyone realized that the fog had thickened without them noticing.

The fog, as white as fish soup, was pressing in, almost to the point where you couldn't see your hand in front of you. The investigation team took out medicine and stuffed it into their mouths, cursing, and discussed how to leave. The thick fog was too corrosive, making it seem very uneconomical to stay here.

Gradually, the voices of discussion died down. The red-haired young man stood there, turning the white pill around on his fingertips, but he didn't swallow it.

There was no point in lingering here, he had to go back to the illusion again to see what it wanted to say.

The mist quietly engulfed him, and the young man took a step forward, following the invisible light. After an unknown amount of time, he heard a faint voice calling him.

"Oreius!"

The jewel-studded skirt rose before his eyes, and then the girl's face appeared. She was truly stunningly beautiful, with skin as white as cream, eyes as bright as a waterfall, and long hair. The most dazzling emeralds and diamonds were not as beautiful as her face, and her angry expression only added a bit of intoxicating loveliness to her.

Anyone would fall in love with her, except for the knight she trusted the most. The dazed young man came to his senses and felt that he had forgotten something. He thought about it for a while in confusion, and decided to comfort the girl first: "I'm here, Princess."

The little princess took a deep breath, and then another. Her face turned into a round bun. "I was talking to you about the banquet, and you were distracted again!"

The knight apologized awkwardly: "Sorry, maybe I didn't sleep well... What did you just say? Can you repeat it again?"

“I’m only saying this for the last time.”

The little princess gave him an annoyed look, her emotions coming and going quickly. Her emerald eyes reflected the figure of the young man, and a hint of hidden shyness flashed across them in an instant.

"Tomorrow is my banquet. You must remember to crown me. I have already told my father. I don't want anyone else but you."

Who could refuse the little princess's request? Not even the most courteous knight.

The red-haired young man smiled helplessly, nodded, bowed, and spoke in a gentle voice.

"As you command, Princess."