That bard is such a charmer!

Chapter 18 features the wicked dragon older sister.

Grace tilted her head slightly, gently stroking her face with one hand, and scanned Richard's entire body with a rather amused gaze before slowly saying:

"First, I'd like to ask a question."

"How did you learn that magical melody, and why did you decide to play it at the last minute?"

"That level of magic has no effect on ordinary dragons, but your behavior makes it seem as if you knew of my existence and that Zoya was no ordinary dragon."

"Targaryen, I'm very curious..."

No, you're not easy to ride at all.

Honestly, why be so sensitive? I thought I could get away with this at this hour.

Richard sighed inwardly, but explained aloud:

"Actually, I don't know what happened either."

"I was just immersed in singing, completely absorbed in it, and then, when all my emotions reached their peak, I... I vaguely saw a figure that was glowing."

"I couldn't see him or her very clearly, but in any case, that figure told me everything and taught me this piece of music."

Richard's words were rather vague.

If this happened in his previous life, others would definitely think he was talking nonsense.

But Terella is a world where gods truly exist.

There are hundreds of gods of varying strengths and abilities, such as the Lord of Radiance, the Goddess of Wealth, the Mother Earth, the righteous Platinum Dragon God, or the evil Five-Colored Dragon Queen.

Although they are rarely able to descend to the human world due to various restrictions, they still occasionally interfere with the fate of the world by appearing in dreams or possessing believers.

Therefore, Grace immediately understood Richard's implication after hearing this.

"If everything is as you say, then you may have received guidance from a deity."

"Interesting... Which god has come to interfere in this matter? The Platinum Dragon God? The Lord of Radiance? No, they always leave their names after doing good deeds... Could it be the God of Poets and Travelers? No, that one has been missing for almost a hundred years..."

"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Things involving the gods are always baffling. Anyway, I understand now. You're not only a courageous little poet, but also a lucky one~"

what!

You passed!

But seriously, although I know that I am no match for a dragon in terms of age or size, do you really need to keep using the word "small"?

Richard pursed his lips, then saw Grace clap her hands with a laugh like a little girl, and then say:

"First problem solved, let's move on to the next section~"

"Regardless of whether or not divine intervention was involved, I would like to formally thank you once again."

"Without you, I'm afraid I would have remained trapped inside Zoya's body forever, gradually merging with her over time, and eventually losing myself completely..."

In the end, although Grace's lips were still slightly upturned, a hint of self-mockery and bitterness inevitably crept in.

Seeing this, Richard answered carefully:

"It's what I should do. After all, in that situation, saving you was saving myself."

"Moreover, to be able to defeat a red dragon and save a bronze dragon single-handedly is a rare honor for a poet like me!"

"If conditions allowed, I probably would have already rushed into a tavern and started bragging to everyone I knew."

Grace chuckled and continued:

"So, sir poet, now that you've gained glory, what reward do you desire?"

"Rewards?"

"That's right, you saved my life, so I should repay you. So please tell me—ah, escorting you out of here doesn't count, that's also what I should do."

"Um……"

Seeing that Richard had lowered his head and did not answer immediately, Grace continued:

"Anything within my capabilities is fine, and I don't mind being a little daring~"

Anything is fine, right?

Miss Red Copper Dragon, you can't just say things like that.

Richard narrowed his eyes slightly.

Grace seemed to sense his suspicion, her eyebrows arching as she smiled and said, "Speaking of which, you've been peeking at my ( ) the whole time, haven't you?"

"!"

"Don't be so surprised. My senses are very strong, and I can easily detect your gaze."

"..."

"Don't be so shy. If you want to do something to them, just say it out loud. I won't mind~"

"!!!"

"After all, we dragons don't actually have these. This fat is just a fake created by shapeshifting. If you like it, feel free to use it! By the way, do you prefer a bigger one? Hmm, it's a bit of a hassle, but it's not impossible to adjust..."

Thump thump~

Puffy puffy~

As he watched Grace begin to knead her own body, Richard's eyes twitched uncontrollably.

Is this normal for a dragon?

Ah, considering the existence of the kobold race, it seems quite normal.

So, should I say yes? To be honest, as a poet, I have indeed had fantasies about the mother dragon, but isn't this a bit too fast…?

wrong!

The mischievousness in this guy's smile was practically overflowing!

She's just teasing herself on purpose!

Upon realizing this, Richard immediately became calm and rolled his eyes.

Grace, on the other side, burst into laughter.

At this moment, Richard recalled the things the helmet had told him, remembering how the copper dragon had tried to turn the dungeon into a labyrinth, building doors that couldn't be opened from this side and rooms that couldn't be left without doing so, and then letting adventurers in to toy with them...

Haha, confirmed.

Although this Lady Grace is indeed a copper dragon of the good alignment, her personality is among the worst of her kind!

Richard then ignored the other man's advances and focused on what kind of reward he wanted...

To get a satisfactory answer, he first listed out what he wanted to do.

There are three items in total.

The first thing is to continue becoming stronger.

There's not much to say about that. Countless facts have proven that strength is the foundation for standing in this world, and he is still too weak right now.

Considering that the resources in this underground city have been exhausted, he needs to leave here and go outside to gain more experience and charm more items in order to achieve his goal.

The second thing is to repay kindness.

The leather gloves helped him in a way that was almost self-sacrificing, so he had to keep his promise and go to Phoenix to find the mother and daughter and help them.

While you're at it, try to increase your favorability rating so you can get a gift pack or something.

Finally, the third thing...

That's revenge.

Richard recalls the other four members of the Starsword Squad.

Captain Jostein Green, mage William Dulles, priest Bill Benjamin, and thief Wusharp... Damn, I don't even know his real name.

Since they kicked me off the carriage with murderous intent, they must pay the price!

This matter cannot be delayed for too long. After all, they have taken away a lot of treasure, and if too much time passes, they might just disappear.

Furthermore, since they've always operated in Phoenix, this matter will most likely have to start there too, which connects to the second issue...

These are Richard's main goals at this stage.

So, in what ways can the bronze dragon in front of him help him?

Paying money is probably not an option; most of the Red Dragon's treasure has fallen into the crack.

Then all I can do is put in the effort...

Having finished his thought, Richard raised his head and looked directly into Grace's eyes, saying:

"I've decided on the way I want to repay you. I'd like to invite you to be my companion and travel with me to Phoenix..."

They were called companions, but they were more like thugs.

Firstly, Richard doesn't have any strange or insistent beliefs about revenge that require him to do it himself. If a dragon could help beat up the kids, he would be happy to do it easily.

Secondly, he also wanted to conduct some experiments on the road, having Grace help him kill several high-level monsters until they were half-dead, and then he would finish them off to see if he could gain experience.

Across from her, after hearing Richard's request, Grace lowered her head slightly, staring at the campfire not far away, remaining silent.

This reaction made Richard feel a little nervous.

What happened?

Could it be that after such a long delay, the dragon's proud nature finally kicked in, and it felt that my request was too presumptuous and beneath its dignity?

No, you just said it yourself, I saved your life, so you can ask for anything!

Just as Richard was about to back down because he couldn't stand the atmosphere, Grace suddenly burst out laughing.

"Do you think I'm angry? Were you scared?"

"..."

Hello, is this the Abnormal Dragon Research Center? A patient from your center has come to my house.

Facing yet another glare from Richard, Grey laughed nonchalantly and said:

"So what if I'm your henchman? No problem. Compared to the debt of gratitude you owe me for saving me, this repayment is nothing."

"I traveled through the human world when I was young, and I've done similar things quite a bit before."

"And to be honest, even if you hadn't brought it up, I would have had to take the initiative to ask to travel with you..."

Huh?

Why is that?

After hearing Grace's words, Richard couldn't help but become curious as well.