Rolling hills stretched gently into the distance, waves of green wheat swaying in the breeze. Among them, farmers pulling weeds stood one by one.

They had spotted the two massive cargo wagons advancing in a line along the main road.

Clack—clack—

Reinforced with iron plates along the wheels and partitions, each wagon was pulled by four horses. Ian and Mev rode atop Nila and Moro, flanking the wagons on either side like an escort.

"Why are they all tilting their heads and staring like that?" Thesaya muttered from atop a crate in the rear wagon.

"You must not have looked at the map at all, Elder. This road leads to Tessen. It circles far around the outskirts," Nasser replied calmly from beside her, one arm resting along the partition. "Since heading south is much faster for reaching Tessen, this is practically a road only they use."

"Ah, so they wouldn’t even consider there’s a fork along the way." Thesaya nodded, her tone already losing interest.

Nasser let out a chuckle. "They wouldn’t use the road that leads into the forest at all. They probably don’t even think of it as a road."

Only the two of them carried on a casual conversation. The others likely didn’t even notice the farmers’ gazes.

Just moments earlier, Ian had finally revealed their destination after finishing the meal. It had only taken a few words.

"Lu Solar... my heavens..."

However, it was more than enough to leave the people aboard the merchant wagons speechless for several minutes.

Fael and Bor stared blankly from the front wagon’s cargo bed, where half the crates had been cleared to make space.

Oscar sat perched on a crate, while Hallig held the map from the driver’s seat—all of them unable to take their eyes off Ian, who rode atop Moro.

"So... right now... we’re..." Fael finally found his voice just as Ian raised the wine bottle. It was the very wine Fael had brought from Borta.

"We’re going to retrieve the treasures gathered by that great being?"

"No need to confirm it again. You heard correctly." Ian replied flatly as he lowered the bottle.

Of course, it wasn’t merely a treasure vault—it was one of the Platinum Dragon’s old nests. However, he saw no reason to explain that just yet.

"I heard you, I just can’t quite believe it, Agent of the Saint," Fael murmured, almost to himself, his voice tinged with disbelief. "When I was a child, I heard stories that the Platinum Dragon possessed countless treasure-filled caverns and that it would swim through them as if bathing in gold."

His unfocused gaze slowly returned to Ian, who was once again raising the bottle. "I thought they were just legends, but they were true. Still, gifting one of them in its entirety to its agent... that’s something I’ve never heard of..."

"We know how unbelievable it sounds," said Thesaya, drawing Fael’s group’s attention to the rear.

"But all of us here have already received miraculous gifts from that great Platinum Dragon. And the Agent of the Saint, as its agent, has received them many times over," she added, gently stroking Lily’s hair resting on her thigh.

Beyond the pairs of horses moving in steady rhythm, Miguel, seated at the driver’s bench, gave a quiet nod.

"You’re absolutely right. Glory to the great Platinum Dragon," said Miguel, clasping his hand in reverence.

"May the heavens bless the great Platinum Dragon..." said Mev. She, too, had placed a clenched fist over her plated breastplate, where the elixir of life granted by the Platinum Dragon was secured beneath.

"The Agent of the Saint not only returned safely from beyond the Black Wall after slaying two archdemons, but he later defeated another archdemon from the depths of the sea. Having achieved such feats worthy of being recorded in the heavens, it’s only fitting that he received a reward to match," said Nasser.

"Ah..." Fael slowly nodded at last

"Demigod of the North..." said Bor. His eyes, now filled with renewed reverence, turned toward Ian.

"Indeed..."

Hallig and Oscar were no different.

Ian, however, simply took another drink, not even bothering to acknowledge their stares.

"So that’s why you brought only us," Fael muttered quietly, stroking his beard. "No matter how tight-lipped people may be, if we brought along additional guards and laborers, word would inevitably spread. The exact location might even be exposed."

"The Demigod simply wished to avoid unnecessary loss of life, Master. After all, ancient wraiths are said to lurk within that fog," Mev added in a firm tone.

In truth, Fael’s reasoning is much closer to the mark.

Ian swallowed his wine without showing it.

"Now that I think about it, perhaps that mist was created by the Great One," said Thesaya.

Ian’s brow twitched slightly as the merchant group turned toward her.

She smirked faintly before continuing, "It wouldn’t have wanted the location of its treasure vault to be known. Whether intentional or not, those wraiths would serve as its guardians."

"That’s an interesting perspective, Elder," Nasser replied with a soft chuckle.

"And a convincing one as well," Fael added as he stroked his beard.

Ian simply took another drink without much reaction. It was something he had already considered himself.

Most dragon nests I’ve seen were simply concealed... But this was said to be the Platinum Dragon’s first lair.

It had once mentioned enjoying grand, eye-catching creations back then. It wouldn’t have been strange if it had set up unnecessary measures like this.

"If the elder’s theory is correct, then the fog and wraiths may not pose a problem for us," Nasser added immediately.

As the merchant group turned to him in confusion, Thesaya nodded. "You’re sharp, Nasser. That’s right. The Agent of the Saint is here—the rightful master of the vault, and the dragon’s agent."

"I see."

Only then did the others let out quiet exclamations, turning toward Ian.

Wiping his mouth with his glove, Ian let out a low chuckle. "It’s just speculation, so don’t get your hopes up. Even if it was something the Platinum Dragon arranged, it’s been left unattended for a very long time."

His voice remained flat as his gaze moved from Fael to the guards one by one. "There’s no telling what kind of unforeseen changes the madness beyond the Black Wall might have caused."

"We will not let our guard down, Demigod," Bor replied firmly, nodding his head.

Hallig and Oscar followed suit, each giving a resolute nod.

"I’ll fight with everything I have so I won’t hold you back."

"I’ll show you what I can do, Great Warrior."

"Well, to be honest, I’m a little worried," said Thesaya.

Oscar stiffened, his eyes twitching, but she went on leisurely, "In my experience, beastfolk are pretty hopeless against things like wraiths. So be careful not to get possessed, Oscar. I might just cut off your tail to snap you back to your senses."

Oscar shot her a glare, eyes wide.

Anger flickered in his yellow gaze, but it did nothing to wipe the mischievous smile from Thesaya’s lips. He stared at her for a moment as she casually stroked Lily’s hair.

"There’s no need for concern, Great Warrior. That won’t happen," said Oscar.

Ian let out a short laugh and nodded. "You don’t need to worry either. I won’t let the Elder cut off your tail. Unless I decide to do it myself."

That alone was enough to replace the anger in Oscar’s eyes with tension. His ears stood stiff as he swallowed hard.

"So you’ll be paying the count and us with the gold and treasures from inside, I assume. And likely..." Fael said after a brief moment of thought.

Bor frowned almost immediately and turned to him. "You really can’t help but bring up money, can you, Master?"

"Isn’t that my duty?" Fael let out an awkward chuckle as he replied, then added, "This is something that requires especially careful calculation. We can’t simply rely on the Agent of the Saint’s generosity and take excessive compensation, can we?"

"You do have a way of making the obvious sound profound..." Bor clicked his tongue.

"Take a generous share. You’ll be transporting not just food, but gold and treasures as well—to Orendel and the North," said Ian.

"So you were planning to send some there too." Fael, who had been locking gazes with Bor, turned back politely as if nothing had happened.

Ian nodded. "Of course. They’re all valuable goods. You should be compensated accordingly."

"We’ll need to be especially strict about security, then. Not that I doubt the caravan’s guards or porters, but we should seal the crates tightly. Best not let anyone know what kind of treasures we’re carrying," Fael replied, eyes narrowing as he stroked his beard hard enough to almost pull it out.

This time, even Bor nodded in agreement. "We should place the crates on the bottom and stack sacks of wheat on top."

"As expected of you. You think ahead." Fael smiled.

"Though it may not be just gold and jewels," said Nasser.

Meeting Ian’s gaze, he smiled. "Seems I spoke out of turn. I’ll keep quiet."

"It is the treasure vault of a great being, after all. There are bound to be relics resting there." Thesaya chimed in anyway, making Nasser’s restraint pointless.

When Ian glanced at her, she smiled. "We’ll find out in a few days anyway, won’t we?"

Clicking his tongue, Ian raised the wine bottle again.

Fael, who had been swallowing nervously, cautiously asked, "Relics as well? Do you intend to retrieve those too, Agent of the Saint?"

"Don’t be greedy, Master." Bor cut in quickly.

As Fael coughed awkwardly, Ian shrugged. "I'm not sure there’ll be anything I can sell to you. But for now, yes."

"As if that would ever be the case. Dragon relics are priceless—wait." Fael trailed off mid-sentence, then suddenly raised his eyes. "You mean... You plan to use all of them?"

So this is the downside of having only the sharp ones.

Ian smacked his lips lightly and gave a small nod. "That’s right. For now."

Not just Hallig and Oscar—even Bor, who had been eyeing Fael with mild disapproval, turned toward Ian at once.

There was no hiding the instinctive greed in their eyes.

"Lu Solar... So you truly consider the central civil war that serious..." said Fael with a sigh.

Surprisingly, his expression held more shock than admiration.

Ian took another sip of wine and shrugged. "Let’s drop the subject. We don’t even know what relics are inside or how much we can carry, so there’s no point discussing it further right now."

His gaze swept over the crates filling half the cargo space. "Besides, transporting and loading those items will be a problem in itself."

That was also why he had left most of the items in his pocket dimension behind on the wagons.

Fael, steadying his breath, gave a slow nod. "That’s true... You might be the only one who can even enter."

A soft click of the tongue came from Thesaya. It was obvious she wanted to go in.

"That should cover everything we needed to discuss. So focus on your respective roles." Ian added as if he hadn’t noticed.

Picking up the reins he had let hang loose, he turned to Hallig. "For now, just make sure we don’t lose our way."

"Yes, Demigod," Hallig nodded immediately.

There was duty in his eyes, but also unmistakable greed. He clearly hoped to get his hands on even a single relic.

At least he’s honest...

Ian scoffed, then pulled the reins, signaling that he didn’t want to be disturbed further.

Moro snorted and slowed its pace as Ian’s gaze drifted across the green wheat fields stretching down the slope.

Swoosh—

Beyond where the wind swept through, dark patches of empty land and a stream came into view. People moved in the distance, preparing to begin farming soon.

The forest and mountain ridges still lay far in the distance, almost hazy.

"One minute you’re lecturing me about greed, and now look at you. Your eyes are dripping with it."

"Seems I’ve been influenced by you."

"That’s your excuse? Pathetic."

Fael and Bor bickered in the background, their voices fading into noise.

Ian stared past the horizon, his eyes sinking into thought. It wasn’t only because he was thinking of the Platinum Dragon, now gone beyond the Milky Way.

This time, I hope things turn out better.

The Platinum Dragon’s legacy was bound to alter many fates once again.

Even without that, Ian was already certain that much of the future he had foreseen had begun to shift. Perhaps the future changed the moment it was glimpsed.

Maybe this is why Seras always looked so anxious.

There was no guarantee it would become a better future. As he took another drink, Ian suddenly turned his head.

Across the wagon, Mev had slowed to ride beside him, watching him closely. The faint concern in her eyes likely came from reading his expression.

Ian gave her a small smile and flicked the bottle toward her with his Willful Grasp.

Thunk—

She caught it without a word and raised it to her lips, drinking with a strangely resolute look.

"It’s a shame, thinking about it now, that the Platinum Dragon has fallen into slumber." Thesaya’s voice rang out from the front.

The chatter died down at once as she continued leisurely, "If it knew that Your Grace had slain yet another archdemon and risen as the new Archduke of the North, it would have surely granted another great reward."

So that’s where she was going with this.

It was enough to draw a wry, bitter smile from Ian.

He pulled a cigarette case out of his pocket dimension and slipped one between his lips. He had a feeling he wouldn’t enjoy what was about to be said next.

"Indeed. It would have been very pleased," said Nasser.

"Could you tell us what happened in the North... in detail?" Bor asked carefully.

I knew it.

Ian lit his cigarette and clicked his tongue inwardly.

"You’re in luck, Bor," Thesaya said again, clearing her throat with a hint of theatrics. "There’s far too much to recount easily, but fortunately, we have plenty of time now."

"I dare say, it’ll be just as unbelievable as our current destination," added Nasser, almost like a chorus.

Ian exhaled a thin stream of smoke, looking faintly displeased. However, he didn’t stop them, knowing it would keep everyone entertained on the way.

And they won’t bother me either.

Moro, now trailing near the rear, subtly shifted toward the center of the road. It was clearly moving closer to Nila—and to Mev.

"Want some?" Meeting his eyes, Mev held out the bottle.

With the cigarette still between his lips, Ian smiled. "Sure."

Beside her, the endless green wheat fields continued to ripple like waves.