Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

Chapter 36: Alchemical Relics

"This much oil-soaked earth must contain more black oil than what's left in the alchemical engine."

Wagging his tail happily, Garoth picked up a lump of the oil-soaked earth and squeezed it, pressing out black oil that dripped into his mouth.

However.

Unlike the imagined refreshing spiciness.

The harsh, disgusting taste that resembled eating feces made Garoth frown.

—He'd never actually eaten feces, but he imagined this must be what it felt like.

Unlike the black oil he'd consumed last time, this seemed full of impurities. After swallowing, no thick energy immediately surged up. Instead, it required digestion first, and the energy obtained afterward would likely be inferior to the previous black oil.

"Why is this?"

Garoth felt puzzled.

After brief consideration, he understood the general reason."The black oil from the alchemical engine has already been refined—it's not crude oil. What I'm eating now must be pure, unrefined crude oil with many impurities."

Crude oil was still edible.

But the absorption efficiency couldn't compare to refined black oil, and the taste was indescribable.

Fortunately.

There was a solution.

Garoth turned to Samantha and assigned her a task: "Use your alchemy to refine all this crude oil from the oil-soaked earth into black oil for me."

To please Garoth and earn treasures from him.

Samantha had studied alchemy day and night, already learning how to refine black oil. Though her skill was mediocre, she could handle this simplest form of refining crude oil into black oil.

Hearing Garoth's words.

Samantha licked her lips and said, "Oh, my dear brother, I'd do anything for you. But will this make you happy?"

She didn't want to work for free—she was asking for payment.

This was a reasonable request.

Samantha's current position was equivalent to Garoth's follower, a wingmate. In draconic society, such followers differed from vassals and servants.

A wingmate serves the primary dragon.

The primary dragon must regularly provide compensation to the wingmate.

Empty promises wouldn't suffice—red dragons might be dull and crude, but when treasures were involved, they became meticulous and shrewd.

Garoth hadn't completely overcome his obsession with treasures yet. Parting with them still pained him.

But after some thought, Garoth ultimately displayed generosity, lining up several gold coins.

"Do well, and these are yours."

For a young dragon, these coins were sufficient. Samantha's eyes gleamed as she pounced toward the coins.

"My dear brother, you're so kind! I'll serve you, do anything for you!"

She exclaimed.

"Wait, my clever sister. Do you want even more?"

Garoth's words carried some magical persuasion, making Samantha pause.

"Of course!"

She declared firmly.

Garoth spoke unhurriedly: "Considering our blood ties, I'll give you two options."

"First, take these five gold coins directly, guard them carefully—though there's risk of losing them."

"Second, leave them with me for safekeeping. By the Dragon God above, I promise to return six coins after one year, eight after two years—increasing annually."

Samantha hesitated immediately, uncertain which to choose.

Garoth pressed his advantage, guiding her: "Think—which is better? Fixed wealth or growing riches? We dragons should focus on long-term benefits."

After prolonged hesitation.

Samantha deliberated but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of annually increasing treasures, so she agreed.

"I'll collect them after one year. You must give them to me then, or I won't work for you anymore."

Samantha stated firmly.

But when the time actually came, she might feel differently.

Moreover, being a dragon himself and understanding draconic weaknesses, Garoth was skilled at manipulating dragons. If she performed well without slacking, rewarding her properly wouldn't be an issue.

Garoth nodded, putting the coins away again, and said solemnly:

"Of course. You know me—I'm no deceitful green dragon."

Imagining her growing fortune, Samantha skipped away happily to work.

Using common iron ore found throughout the Ser Wilderness, she melted it with her fiery breath, hammered it slowly, inscribed some runes, and shaped it into a basic alchemical crucible.

Placing lumps of oil-soaked earth inside.

Samantha muttered incantations, her claws tracing patterns in the air as she channeled magical energy to form runes within, then breathed her dragonfire to begin refining the black oil.

Before long.

Garoth had a batch of refined black oil.

Contained in a rough iron pot, the liquid was thick and pitch-black.

After a light sniff, Garoth drank it all in one gulp.

Whoosh!

It felt like fire ignited in his stomach.

"Pure flavor, powerful kick! Now this is the black oil I want!"

Sparks shot from his nostrils as Garoth's energy surged. The dark red patterns on his inner scales grew more vivid, and the iron-red edges of his buffer scales seemed to brighten slightly.

Flapping his wings, Garoth soared skyward and landed on his usual training grounds in the wastelands.

Whoosh!

Using the Frost Silver Ring to freeze rocks into steel-like hardness.

The fiery Garoth couldn't wait, charging headfirst into his daily training routine.

Meanwhile.

Along a minor branch of the Thousand Serpent Traces, several figures moved slowly.

A two-meter-tall blond warrior in heavy armor, carrying a door-sized greatsword; a pale, lanky necromancer shrouded in negative energy; a curvaceous female rogue with daggers and a crossbow at her waist; a beautiful white-robed priestess; and a young spellcaster in light blue robes.

Five in total, forming an adventuring party.

The warrior's armor and greatsword bore alchemical runes, clearly superior equipment. The others' gear was more ordinary but still better than common ironware.

This group belonged to the [Tomorrow] adventuring team.

Hearing rumors of powerful alchemical relics in an abandoned mine within the Ser Wilderness, they came exploring, hoping to find these legendary artifacts.

The rogue studied her complex map and whispered, "Beyond here lies no proper road. We'll truly enter the wilderness—domain of monsters and beasts."

The necromancer grinned: "Opportunity always accompanies risk. This is the necessary path."

On planet Bernardo, professions like necromancy that desecrated corpses and souls faced some discrimination, but weren't universally reviled as evil—that depended on the individual.

"I've heard this wilderness hosts many dragons. I hope we don't encounter any."

The priestess murmured softly.

The spellcaster lowered his voice: "What if they're young dragons? We'd strike it rich—could return without even exploring the mines. With my binding spells, a young dragon couldn't escape."

Young dragons posed no threat to them.

They feared older dragons.

"Stop dreaming. Such luck won't happen. Stay alert and stick close."

The blond warrior said gravely, his massive frame leading the way, giving his companions strong reassurance.

Entering the wilderness, they remained vigilant against any movement, advancing gradually.

From above, observing their path would reveal—they'd pass near the Iron Fir Hills. With luck, they might encounter young dragons as the spellcaster wished.