The remnants of the sunset in the west had not yet faded, while the stars were already hanging from the grayish-blue canopy of the eastern sky.
In this gap where light and darkness tore at each other, Garros soared through the sky with a layer of crimson flames burning across his wings. After a brief circle, he dove toward the foot of a certain barren mountain.
The ground was covered with craters of varying depths.
The mountain itself was riddled with signs of collapse and fragmentation.
Cracks, resembling spiderwebs or lightning, were densely packed and crisscrossed almost everywhere.
—This place was the new training ground Garros had recently chosen.
Because the location was remote and surrounded by barren mountains and plains lacking various resources, no powerful creatures frequented the area.
As for the place he used to visit where he encountered the Copper Dragon, Garros had abandoned it just in case—for instance, if the aggrieved Copper Dragon brought its parents to seek revenge.
Folding his wings, the flames dissipated as the runes on the wing rings dimmed.
Garros, having indulged in the black oil, shook his head and swayed his body, feeling filled with inexhaustible strength. He took a deep breath, used the silver frost ring to spit out cold air to freeze and harden the mountain face, and then, as usual, slammed into it with his body.
It had now been over a week since the Earth Spiders first brought back the oily soil.
More than a week had passed.
During this time, because an underground tunnel had been excavated, the Earth Spiders traveled back and forth faster than the first time. They would return with oily soil from time to time, which Samantha then refined using Alchemy into the black oil that Garros found intoxicating and refreshing. Although the quantity was scarce and limited, it significantly improved Garros's training efficiency.
This one week was comparable to a previous month.
Coupled with his prior accumulation, his efforts were yielding rewards.
He felt he was on the verge of evolution. Besides a tingling sensation throughout his body, it felt as if a ball of fire was burning within him. The most obvious change was that the edges of his originally grayish-black Buffer Scales showed a gradient of glowing iron-red; they weren't sharp, but they carried high heat and had become very brittle.
"It seems that due to the stimulation from the black oil's energy, these Buffer Scales are evolving in some unknown direction."
"While they can still cushion the counter-shock, they've become more brittle and prone to shattering."
"I wonder if the coming evolution will be good or bad."
Garros thought silently to himself.
He found it difficult to specifically control the direction of the evolution, but so far, he hadn't experienced any negative evolutions. Feeling the gradually weakening Buffer Scales, Garros wasn't too worried. Once the evolution was complete in a while, he would know its specific effects.
The Red-Iron Young Dragon collided with the ice-covered mountain, producing a dull, thunderous sound.
Some of the outermost Buffer Scales on his body shattered, and the whirling fragments sliced across the ice, leaving deep gouges.
The cold air emitted by the ice landed on Garros and was rapidly evaporated by his high-temperature scales.
Accompanied by a sizzling sound like the clash of fire and water or the crushing of heat and cold, a cloud of steam and mist formed around him, enveloping the Red-Iron Young Dragon so that only glimpses of a scale or a claw were visible.
Previously, every time he collided with the icy mountain and his body was touched by ice chips or cold air, Garros would always feel severe discomfort, like the stinging pain of needles.
But with this period of training,
The cold stinging sensation still existed, but its impact had weakened somewhat.
He estimated that his ice resistance must have increased to some degree.
As the last glow of the sunset gradually faded and the sky was completely shrouded by night, Garros took advantage of the remaining black oil energy to continue his training. Dull collision sounds rose and fell one after another, echoing through the night.
Meanwhile.
In the wilderness about ten kilometers from the Hemlock Hills, on some nameless low mounds, five adventurers stepped across the parched ground, pushing deeper into the wilds.
Under the bright glow of the twin moons, time slowly passed.
Before long, as the adventuring party crested the final rocky ridge, they all noticed the relatively tall hills covered in dense hemlock trees.
"The water in the storage ring is almost gone."
"The hills ahead can support lush vegetation, so there should be a water source."
The Blonde Warrior licked his dry lips and said.
Exploring the wilderness was no easy task. The group had encountered no fewer than ten battles of various sizes during this time. Fortunately, they hadn't run into any overly powerful Vicious Beasts or monsters, so aside from some scratches, claw marks, and the dusty traces of travel, they had no life-threatening injuries.
"Wait."
The Caster suddenly spoke, then pulled a white crystal from his robes that was heating up and glowing red.
In an uncertain tone, tinged with both fear and greed, he said: "In the hills ahead, there seems to be, seems to be a Dragonkin aura."
Upon hearing this,
The eyes of the other members of the adventuring party narrowed.
"Haven, are you sure?"
The Blonde Warrior lowered his voice and asked.
"This crystal of mine has magic to sense Dragonkin auras; it's a magic tool. When it approaches a place where a Dragonkin aura remains, it emits a corresponding light as a warning."
The Caster, Haven, said: "The red light means it's a fire-type Dragon."
Thinking of the power and reputation of Dragonkin, the White-robed Priest whispered: "Then let's bypass these hills. It would be terrible if we encountered a powerful Dragon."
The Caster mused: "Judging by the intensity of the crystal's flashing light, the Dragon living here shouldn't be too strong."
He didn't hide his desire and greed as he said: "If it's a young dragon, or a weaker juvenile dragon, we have a chance to hunt it, or even capture it alive."
"Should we detour, or go and investigate? What are your thoughts?"
The Rogue toyed with her dagger and said:
"You must have heard that not long ago, an iron young dragon was presented to the little princess of the Losern Federation. The reward was more than an ordinary person could spend in ten lifetimes."
This matter had spread widely in the outside world.
The Necromancer chuckled: "That iron young dragon was caught in the Serel Wilderness. Many Evil Dragons live in this wilderness, so there are many young dragons surviving on their own. I really want to catch a young dragon to turn into a flesh Puppet; I'll definitely sleep with it every day and use the best Materials to arm and enhance it."
Every Dragon meant a massive fortune.
After some discussion, the group couldn't resist the temptation of 'wealth' and decided to approach cautiously to scout the Hemlock Hills. If they confirmed the target wasn't powerful, they would attempt an ambush and capture.
If the target wasn't there, that would be even better; they could set up traps in advance.
Under the cover of night, the group slowly approached the Hemlock Hills.
When they reached a certain distance, they stopped. The Rogue took out an alchemical tool similar to a telescope and used it to peer toward the Hemlock Hills, observing carefully.
Ten minutes later.
The Rogue's body suddenly jolted, and her breathing grew heavy.
In her field of vision, the figure of a Red Young Dragon was clearly reflected. It was sticking its rear up, scratching at the ground with its claws for some reason. Its dragon scales were as vivid as fire in the dark night, like glittering gems.
"Myser, what do you see?"
Noticing her abnormality, the Blonde Warrior urged.
Tying the alchemical tool to her waist, the Rogue couldn't help but smile, revealing a flash of white teeth: "I see a literal mountain of wealth."
The alchemical relics of the rumored abandoned mine?
If they could just catch this Red Young Dragon, they wouldn't even need those; this trip to the wilderness would make them filthy rich.