Chapter 80 - Mystery and Return

Memory extraction, complete.Richard’s eyes flickered as the scenery around him returned to normal, and he had found a hidden clue.

Richard was uncertain whether Gregory, at the time, had understood his concealed meaning; perhaps he did but simply chose not to acknowledge it. Regardless, Gregory obviously sensed some danger approaching, which was why he sent himself and Pandora away.

But… the problem was, having been sent away, he couldn’t really leave.

His packed suitcase was still in the old castle. Even if he didn’t need the numerous experimental materials, devices, and records in the suitcase, there were two things that were essential to take with him—the Wizard Book “Monroe Chapter” and the Crystal Skull.

Moreover, he was a bit curious—what exactly was the danger that Gregory had foreseen? Were there really wizards secretly targeting all the giant dragons?

Why?

It couldn’t simply be for the treasure hoarded by the dragons, could it?

Richard didn’t know about the other dragons, but as far as Gregory was concerned, there really weren’t any valuable gems. The most abundant things in the Dragon Cave, apart from trash, were stones.

To be honest, Gregory, the giant dragon, couldn’t just be described as poor; he was pitiable. His entire fortune might not even worth as much as a single gemstone in his suitcase.

Could it be that the wizard wanted Gregory’s body, to use some part of it as magic materials for casting spells? But… was it necessary to pursue him from thousands of miles across the continent?

According to the records in the “Monroe Chapter,” some spells could be cast using casting materials combined with mana to reduce some mana consumption and effectively enhance the magic’s power. But even so, it wasn’t absolutely necessary to have casting materials.

Casting materials were just the icing on the cake; they were good to have but not a dealbreaker without. Some wizards who sought perfection never used casting materials in their spells.

So, if it was just for casting materials that the wizard sought to hunt Gregory, even to the point of eradicating the entire giant dragon species, this… this was inexplicable.

What was really going on?

What secret did Gregory’s giant dragon species possess that made them worth coveting? And who was it, what wizard, that tirelessly pursued the giant dragon species of Gregory?

Frowning, Richard pondered.

After a moment, Richard turned his head to look at Pandora, who was griping his hand tightly, afraid that if she let go, he too would walk away after being flung aside by Gregory. Richard couldn’t help feeling a headache; did he really have to take this young dragon, who could only maintain human form, and leave?

Taking a deep breath, Richard made a decision. It would be better to go back and take a look.

Whether it was for the items in the suitcase, to answer his doubts, or to take Pandora back to Gregory, he had to return, and quickly.

After all, delays could cause further complications.

Having made a decision, Richard looked at Pandora and said, “We’re going back, to find Gregory and see what’s really going on.”

Pandora’s eyes widened, she blinked slowly, and spoke softly, “Really?”

“Really, let’s go,” Richard replied, pulling Pandora toward the hillside. As he spoke, the incantation “Wind Light Spirit” was simultaneously cast on both his and Pandora’s bodies, swiftly navigating them through the forest back to their destination.

At that moment, the sky darkened even further, signaling that a significant snowstorm was imminent.

Half a while later, Richard and Pandora had traveled five or six miles through the woods, completing half of the journey. They took a brief rest, preparing to continue onward. Just then, from the direction of the hill in the distance, suddenly came an earth-shattering roar.

“Roar!”

It was Gregory!

Pandora’s body shuddered, and her icy demeanor turned somewhat pale, a hint of panic in her eyes. She didn’t know what had happened for Gregory to react this way.

The next moment, she saw it.

High above the small hill in the distance, two dark shadows shot into the sky, entwined in a frenzied struggle. One massive shadow was clearly Gregory, while the other, smaller one resembled a person—a wizard.

The battle was ferocious. Gregory continuously spewed out bursts of intense flames, trying to scorch the dark shadow, but the shadow’s body was occasionally surrounded by streaks of light, blocking Gregory’s fire, and in turn, unleashing bolts of lightning onto Gregory.

Gregory was somewhat outmatched, and his pitiful cries echoed as he was overpowered. The figure didn’t seem particularly formidable, but every attack precisely targeted his weak spots as if they knew him better than he knew himself.

Angered, Gregory roared loudly, and from deep within his throat, a violent explosion of flames engulfed his foe. But in the next moment, he took a heavy blow to the back. The shadow had somehow appeared behind him and slammed down with a spell; Gregory’s massive body uncontrollably plummeted towards the ground.

The two shadows vanished swiftly from the sky, disappearing from both Richard and Pandora’s view.

Richard felt Pandora’s grip tighten yet again, slightly cold, evidently more tense and worried than before.

There was no need for many words at this time; Richard simply said, “Let’s go.”

He continued leading Pandora in the direction of the small hill.

Crackling sounds.

When they approached within a thousand meters of the hill, Richard stopped with Pandora among the trees of the forest, gazing toward the hilltop.

After all, he was there to understand the situation, not to offer up his life.

Given the strength of the dark shadow they had just witnessed, and noting that even Gregory was no match, a direct confrontation would likely result in death in an instant, even with Pandora’s presence; the outcome would not change.

The disparity in strength was immense—the opponent was very likely a true wizard of the current world, yet it was unknown whether they were a First-level Wizard, a Second-level Wizard, or even a Third-level Wizard.

Regardless, it was not someone Richard could easily contend with; he still needed to be cautious, even if he wanted to understand the situation, retrieve his belongings from the suitcase, try to rescue Gregory, and return Pandora to the other party.

The hill was eerily quiet; no movement at all. Richard watched for a long time and saw nothing unusual, his brow slightly furrowed.

Pandora, gripping his hand, alternated between tenseness and relaxation, clearly in extreme unrest.

Richard reached out with his other hand and gently ruffled her hair, patting her twice to comfort her. After a moment of thought, he pulled out a single-tube spyglass from his chest.

The spyglass, invented in the 17th century on modern Earth, was technology hundreds of years ahead of what the current world had displayed. This one had been crafted in the Blue Lion Kingdom. Initially, he had only made two—the larger one kept in the suitcase, and the smaller, more portable one he carried with him.

Usually, Richard would not resort to using it, very much aware of the issues it could cause if discovered by the wrong people. After all, it was an object that could potentially alter the course of war and history. Anything that substantially exceeded the technology of an era or violated the world’s level of development, especially if deemed too outlandish by others, would hardly be accepted and would invite great trouble—much like Copernicus’s heliocentrism, which had led countless people to persecution.

So even as a prince at the Palace with absolute authority, Richard had only cautiously studied certain things within certain boundaries. He had never thought to make them widespread, let alone to change this world.

Consequently, he didn’t help the entire Blue Lion Kingdom progress with advanced Skill Points or equip their Soldiers with Firearms, cannons, tanks to conquer the world. He made no improvements to seeds, built no fertilizer factories to increase food production for the masses. Nor did he plagiarize works not present in this world, such as Dante’s Divine Comedy, Boccaccio’s Decameron, or Shakespeare’s Hamlet, to become a poet or a literary giant.

Richard held no sense of belonging to this current world, and thus he was rational, individualistic, or one might even say, selfish.

This was Richard, and he had always been this way, never changing.

Holding the spyglass, he shook his head slightly, casting aside the clutter of thoughts, and placing it to his eye, Richard looked once more toward the hill.