Chapter 18: The Spirit of the Dragon Coil (Part 1)
In the eastern sky, the gray-robed man stood atop the head of a massive black dragon that coiled and wound through the air, a confident smile on his face as he watched the green-robed middle-aged man and the earth-yellow giant battle.
"Swoosh!"
A sharp screech pierced the air as the green-robed man’s longsword stabbed through the earth-yellow giant’s head. "Bang!" The giant’s head exploded. Yet the earth-yellow giant seemed unfazed. Its boulder-like fist slammed heavily into the green-robed man’s body.
"Pfft!" The green-robed man spat a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale.
But the earth-yellow giant’s shattered head quickly reformed, completely unharmed.
"Tirion, you’d better hand it over. The Earth Guardian I summoned is no match for you," the gray-robed man said coldly from atop the black dragon’s head.
The green-robed man glared at the gray-robed man. Suddenly, he shouted fiercely, "Rudy, if I can’t have it, you won’t either!" A dazzling emerald light burst from the green-robed man’s hands. The gray-robed man, who had been standing aloof on the black dragon’s head, immediately panicked: "Stop!!!"
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion erupted as the emerald light in the green-robed man’s hands flared brilliantly, as blinding as the sun. With a violent blast, the light dissipated moments later.
"Tirion, you—" The gray-robed man pointed angrily at the green-robed man, unable to finish his words.
The green-robed man, pale-faced, sneered at the equally dim-faced gray-robed man: "Now it’s over. Neither of us gets it. Rudy, I’m injured now, but if you want to kill me, it won’t be that easy." With a cold laugh, he transformed into a streak of emerald light and flew northeast at incredible speed.
The gray-robed man watched the green-robed man vanish toward the horizon, frowning but not pursuing.
The earth-yellow giant beside him gradually dissolved into nothing.
"Starry Sword Saint ‘Tirion’? Pity. I can’t kill him yet," the gray-robed man muttered under his breath. Then, as if sensing his master’s thoughts, the black dragon beneath him flapped its massive wings and roared southeastward.
In the blink of an eye, these two Saint-level experts disappeared at the edge of the sky.
But Bird Mountain Town lay in utter ruin. Hundreds of collapsed houses, painful groans, furious curses, mournful wails, and sorrowful sobs filled the air. In just a short while, a peaceful morning had turned into a day of disaster.
******
In the Baruch family living room, only Hogg remained.
Hogg sat by the long table, his brow deeply furrowed. As the de facto ruler of Bird Mountain Town, he naturally had to worry about the townspeople.
Footsteps sounded, and the steward ‘Hiri’ entered from outside: "Master."
"How is Linley?" Hogg immediately turned to ask.
Hiri smiled and replied, "Rest assured, Master. I’ve cleaned and bandaged Linley’s wounds, fed him well, and put him to sleep in clean, comfortable clothes. By the time he wakes up, he should feel much better."
Hogg nodded in relief, but his brow remained furrowed.
"Are you worried about the townspeople of Bird Mountain Town?" Hiri asked.
Hogg nodded and said bitterly, "Uncle Hiri, the ordinary folks of Bird Mountain Town aren’t like us. The men are fine—they’re usually first- or second-level warriors. But the women? When those huge rocks fell from the sky, they had no way to defend themselves!"
Hiri nodded as well.
In all of Bird Mountain Town, only a handful had cultivated ‘Battle Qi.’ When thousands of massive rocks rained down, unless one hid in a cellar early or used a shield, being hit meant disaster.
"Now we can only wait for Hillman’s tally," Hogg said anxiously.
After a long while, hurried footsteps sounded outside the living room.
Hogg’s eyes lit up, and he looked up to see Hillman rushing in.
"Hillman, what are the casualties in Bird Mountain Town?" Hogg asked quickly.
Hillman sighed mournfully: "We’ve just finished counting. Three hundred and twelve dead, and nearly a thousand injured." The entire town had only about five thousand people, so nearly one-fifth were casualties. Even with stone houses providing some protection, the toll was devastating.
"Such heavy losses?" Hogg’s heart tightened.
A nation’s most important resource is grain, and the same goes for a town. With so much labor lost and the disabled needing to be fed, the town’s economy would face even harsher times.
"Alas!" Hogg let out a long sigh.
He wanted to reduce taxes, but Bird Mountain Town’s taxes were already very low. Even maintaining his own family was becoming a struggle. How could he help the townspeople? In other towns, taxes were so high that many farmers worked themselves to death.
"Master Hogg, the townspeople are grateful for your kindness. They know everything you’ve done. Don’t worry too much," Hillman consoled him.
Hillman was born in Bird Mountain Town.
As a sixth-level warrior, Hillman could have served as a guard captain for any noble in the royal capital. But out of gratitude for the Baruch family’s generosity to Bird Mountain Town, he returned from military service to become the guard captain of this declining family.
"Hillman, take the guards and check on the town. Uncle Hiri, go rest as well," Hogg ordered directly.
"Yes, Master," Hillman replied.
The steward Hiri also bowed in acknowledgment. Then they both left the living room, leaving Hogg alone.
……
In Linley’s bedroom.
Linley had a head injury, and the steward Hiri had instructed everyone not to disturb him, letting him rest well. While chaos reigned outside Bird Mountain Town, Linley’s bedroom was quiet. Linley himself was deep in a pleasant dream.
"Ding~~~"
A faint, trembling hum sounded. Rays of light emerged from Linley’s chest, and the dark Dragon Coil Ring, bathed in that glow, slowly floated out from beneath his nightshirt, hovering about ten centimeters above his chest.
The trembling grew more intense, and the ring’s glow became brighter and brighter.
Fortunately, no one entered Linley’s bedroom at that moment. If they had, they would have been stunned. Linley himself slept soundly, completely unaware of the floating ring.
"Swoosh!" The ring’s glow suddenly contracted sharply, transforming into a hazy stream of light. That stream flew out from the Dragon Coil Ring and landed beside the bed, materializing into a person.
This was an old man in a moon-white robe, with white hair and beard, and a kind, gentle face.
The Dragon Coil Ring then fell weakly onto Linley’s chest. Linley’s eyelids twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes. Seeing this unfamiliar old man standing by his bed, he was startled: "You, who are you?"
"Little one, hello. I am Delin Kowalt, a Saint-level magician of the Puan Empire!" the kind old man said with a smile.
Linley’s eyes went wide: "You, you’re a Saint-level magician?"
The kind old man nodded confidently.
"No, wait, Grandpa. You said the Puan Empire? The Puan Empire that was destroyed over five thousand years ago?" Linley, well-versed in continental history, knew that the Puan Empire had fallen long before his own family was established. None of the current four great empires included the Puan Empire.