Garros and White Dragon Tereshi walked out of her dragon nest together.
"Do you want to go take a look at the ice plains?"
Looking toward the world to the north covered in frost and snowflakes, Garros suddenly had the idea to go explore.
The Frost Giants and Barbarians of the Permafrost Tundra were currently locked in a fierce struggle, a chaos woven of blood and death that had become the main theme of the ice plains.
Garros had not gone directly to the ice plains, but the small group of troll subordinates he had first captured and then absorbed, as well as the Frost Behemoth he had killed before, all had certain connections to the ice plains.
The Borderlands were adjacent to the ice plains.
The chaos of the ice plains was also impacting the Borderlands, so Garros wanted to head there to investigate the specific situation.
However, after careful consideration of this whim, he shook his head and put the thought behind him.
"Never mind, the ice plains are chaotic and dangerous; going there now would be like jumping into a churning furnace."
"There's no need for me to risk it personally."
"Almost every day now, creatures are migrating and fleeing from the ice plains. If I want to understand the situation, I can do it through these creatures without putting myself in danger."
After calming his mind, Garros looked toward the White Dragon.
"Come with me."
This territory was very crude—or rather, it wasn't a territory, just a hiding place. There was nothing to miss, so the White Dragon abandoned the place without any psychological burden.
The two dragons took to the air one after the other, retracing their original path. As they gradually moved south, the temperature in the air slowly rose.
Meanwhile...
On the Estonia Great River, the deck of the treasure shone with a warm luster under the sunlight. Nick leaned lazily against the mast, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility.
The river surface was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the verdant pine forests on both banks, with only the ripples carved by the ship's hull slowly spreading out.
"You saw the Sky-Rending Wings?"
The Tiefling Maggie walked out of the cabin, came to Nick's side, and asked softly.
"No, it's the Great Sky-Rending Wings."
Nick corrected his wife's phrasing, saying: "He is even more powerful than I imagined. He is worth us betting all our chips on."
Looking at his wife's lower abdomen, Nick said tenderly: "Maggie, the moisture on the deck is heavy; you need to rest now."
The Tiefling had been found to be pregnant.
Humans value their descendants more than Dragonkin do, and it was precisely because he was thinking of his and Maggie's child that Nick resolutely decided to bet on the Young Dragon to provide the best possible environment for them.
He knew.
After passing the other party's test during this meeting, his weight in the dragon's mind would surely have increased.
Maggie's emerald eyes blinked, and she said with a smile: "I'm not some frail human girl, Nick. Ten of you wouldn't be enough to beat me with one hand."
The merchant rubbed his nose and gave a sheepish smile: "I was overthinking it."
Pausing for a moment, he said: "Whether this child is a boy or a girl, they will surely be strong and healthy."
Maggie was silent, finally letting out a sigh and whispering: "I hope the child can be as smart as you."
She had suffered enough cold looks and discrimination and didn't want her child to inherit the Tiefling Bloodline.
However, the probability of a crossbreed between a Tiefling and a human was high; there was a fifty percent chance their offspring would inherit that sliver of devil blood.
"No, Maggie, I like your eyes and horns."
Nick pulled his somewhat worried wife into his arms, the casual smile on his face vanishing, replaced by a serious expression as he said: "I promise, I will establish a powerful Family and obtain a title and territory. When that time comes, even if our child inherits your Bloodline, they will not face cold looks or discrimination."
"In our territory, the Tiefling Bloodline will be a source of glory rather than a burden."
Wealth often meant resources and connections.
The status of merchants on Planet Bernardo was not low. Extremely wealthy merchants could purchase titles and territories to join the ranks of the nobility. However, this was no easy task; at the very least, the current Nick could not achieve it.
"Mhm, I look forward to the arrival of that day,"
Maggie said, a smile appearing on her face.
Suddenly, as a gust of wind blew, the calm river surface began to break apart.
First came subtle ripples, which then turned into surging waves.
Dozens of sharp dorsal fins sliced through the water as a school of Blade-Fin Sharks swirled around the treasure like silver lightning. The ship's hull began to shake violently, and the mast let out an overburdened groan.
"Careful!"
"Vicious Beasts are approaching underwater! On guard, on guard!"
"Port side thirty degrees, prepare the Demonic Energy cannons!"
The sailors and guards of the treasure stood ready for battle.
The Estonia Great River was never a place known for safety. No one knew how many aquatic Vicious Beasts or monsters lived beneath the vast river surface, and they often launched attacks on passing merchant ships.
Blade-Fin Sharks were aquatic Vicious Beasts. Just as their name suggested, they had dorsal fins like steel blades that could slice open a ship's hull.
The treasure's armaments could handle this school of Blade-Fin Sharks, but it would inevitably take damage. They would then have to dock for repairs, and their itinerary would be delayed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ship's cannons roared, the explosions sending layers of waves into the air, scattering the school of Blade-Fin Sharks and making it difficult for them to get close.
But in the gaps between the water columns formed by the bombardment, a Blade-Fin Shark wagged its tail, its strong body breaking through the water and pulling a white wake across the surface as it charged straight toward the ship's hull.
Right at that moment—
Whoosh!
A feathered arrow wrapped in strong winds descended from the sky, predicting the Blade-Fin Shark's path and striking it precisely. It pierced into its body, and then the strong winds raged and suddenly exploded, blowing apart flesh and blood from its body.
Explosive Magic Arrow—this was one of the magic archery techniques favored by Elven archers.
It was fast, had strong penetration, high precision, and could explode after hitting its target.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three more arrows fell in a triangular formation, forcing back the sharks trying to approach.
Immediately following—
One Explosive Magic Arrow after another fell from the sky, coordinating with the treasure's bombardment to scatter and defeat the shark school.
A few minutes later, the river surface, dyed red with blood, gradually calmed down. The corpses of Blade-Fin Sharks floated on top, while the others had already fled.
Nick returned to the deck from the cabin where he had been hiding.
He looked up, and along with the sailors and crew, gazed toward the sky. They could faintly see a figure riding a warhorse, like a guardian angel, treading through the air.
"It's a Centaur commander under the Dragon Lord."
Nick remembered that there was a unique female Centaur with wings in the Centaur tribe. He couldn't see the figure in the sky clearly, but it was presumably her.
Nick was right.
The figure was indeed the half-blood Centaur Elvie. She had received orders to provide escort for the fleet.
And such treatment was something the merchant had never had before.
After meeting Garros this time, he had received even more support.
"It seems my choice was correct."
Nick took a deep breath, a brilliant smile appearing on his face. He bowed slightly to the Centaur in the sky to express his gratitude, then turned to the crew and shouted: "Haul those sharks up! We're adding shark fins to tonight's meal!"
When the treasure set sail again, the river surface had returned to tranquility.