Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon's Might-Chapter 435 - 429 Advancement

Rafael quickly sought out the protagonist group. After a tug-of-war, they unsurprisingly failed, given that the devil’s reputation wasn’t any better. Among the group was Will, a victim of the Purgatory Contract, who opposed and dismissed him, transforming into swirling sulfur smoke that dissipated into the air, leaving only a significant chuckle.

Leon couldn’t follow Rafael to his mansion in Aphnas and had to shift his focus back to the protagonist group. He watched as the group boldly barged into the goblin camp, played chicken games with the goblins, forced a goblin named Crusher to lick toes, and eventually poisoned a group of goblins through their beer barrels... committing all kinds of misdeeds.

Harassin from the Emerald Forest is a Great Druid, usually with a challenge level as high as 12, and easily adept in Nine-Ring Magic. Yet, in the game, he was imprisoned by goblins, which was quite absurd.

Now, naturally, such circumstances couldn’t occur. He wasn’t captured; he was merely lingering in the goblin camp.

Of course, even though Harassin is a Great Druid, it’s impossible to face so many goblins at once. The saying ’many ants can kill an elephant’ holds truth, let alone the fact that the goblin camp is teeming with Hobgoblins, Bugbears, Ogres, large giant spiders... not to mention the Hobgoblins Warlord Ragzilin and the Drow paladin Minsala.

Yes, not all paladins are good. Not to mention those who break their sacred oaths to pursue dark ambitions or serve evil forces, known as Oathbreakers. Paladins under the Oath of Vengeance are often called Avengers or Dark Knights, and those under the Oath of Conquest have no qualms about colluding with the Nine Prisons and are sometimes referred to as Tyrant Knights or War Merchants.

Regardless, with the protagonist group’s appearance and coordination with the Great Druid Harassin, the small goblin camp was no match... Minsala was thoroughly wicked, but he had the advantage of understanding the times and mainly looked decent. Leon quietly assisted and helped her avoid dying in vain.

The Fierce Flame engulfed the goblin camp, and the thick smoke covered half the sky. The orange-red firelight reflected on everyone’s faces, casting the shadows of the protagonist group long.

The protagonist group promptly and cleanly swept the goblin camp, causing the previously possible forest battle to abort before it could begin.

After the celebratory bonfire extinguished, the Tiefling refugees, who had overstayed in the Emerald Forest, finally packed their bags and set out for Border’s Gate. The protagonist group continued along the Path of Ascension and soon encountered a Gnoll warband, commanded by a Flind Gnoll.

This time, Leon, transformed into a squirrel, sat on a branch and eagerly watched the protagonist group use the power of Heart-stealer tadpoles to control the Flind Gnoll, easily defeating the Gnoll warband and rescuing the Scantlin Council members, then witnessing their encounter with the Tiefling Barbarian Karak...

The sight of the red-skinned Karak, covered in glowing patterns, somewhat intrigued Leon.

In the game, Karak was a supremely kind young woman, brave in love and hate, gentle to children, humming along the road, enjoying the circus, yet having a tragic end was truly unwarranted... Hmph, he was going to protect Karak. Would Zarriel dare to utter a word of nonsense?

As the protagonist group departed from Oaken’s resting ground toward the mountain pass, it was clear their target was Irelia’s Nursery. Leon couldn’t follow them anymore. He had to proceed in advance because Irelia’s Nursery contained artifacts he was determined to secure.

Leon transformed into a Transformed Falcon Eagle once again, flapping his wings, flying over the mountain pass, and hurried towards Rosymorn Monastery to find the hidden Irelia’s Nursery beneath it.

The underground Irelia’s Nursery was no place for a Falcon Eagle or sparrow. Leon pondered whether to transform into a mouse or lizard, but thinking he might be struck by a Gis sword due to someone’s itchy fingers, he ultimately opted for a fly transformation.

In the game, Irelia’s Nursery didn’t have a Young Red Dragon as its Guardian, nor were there so many well-equipped Githyanki... Leon was quite curious about how the protagonist group would breach Irelia’s Nursery, as it wasn’t comparable to the goblin camp.

Deep within Irelia’s Nursery, Leon found two statues of Lathander. By moving this statue, he could open the door to the hidden chamber. The problem was that the outside was full of Githyanki warriors, and even in his eyes, the strongest Githyanki adjudicator here was just an ant.

Leon didn’t want to offend the Githyanki because he still needed these Star Realm Pirates to plunder precious alchemy materials and deliver them to Watchtower Port to curry favor with him.

Thinking for a moment, Leon found a secluded corner, and his form began to twist and change... He initially wanted to transform into a Transformed Purple Worm, but considering the conspicuous size of the Super Giant Purple Worm, he decided on an Ankheg instead.

Ankhegs can spit acid, corroding hard rock, making them excellent tunnelers. Transformed into an Ankheg, Leon easily dug a winding tunnel in the depths of Irelia’s Nursery, leading to the hidden chamber where the treasure he longed for was kept.

Leon didn’t decipher puzzles; when faced with dilemmas, the Samadhi True Fire was his solution. Capable of burning magic, it allowed him to reach the Blood of Lathander effortlessly.

The Blood of Lathander was a magnificent Hard Head Hammer, infused in a radiant beam, with a fist-sized amber, dotted with deep red spots, set into its handle, radiating light on its own, representing the true Blood of Lathander.

Leon still remembered the origin of the Blood of Lathander—

Lathander’s Church had prayed for the interference of Lathander’s avatar during a battle against Samast, who had summoned his avatar to fight alongside them.

All of Samast’s spells were nullified by Lathander, and it’s said that with just a fragment of a scroll imbued with Mistra’s Divine Power, he managed to scratch Lathander, drawing four drops of blood, which were saved afterward.

Leon recalled the provenance of the Blood of Lathander—

The Lathander’s Church and the Cult of the Dragon were engaged in a battle, and in a prayer to Lathander, the followers called upon a manifestation that joined the fray.

All of Samast’s spells were negated by Lathander, and it’s said that he only managed to scratch Lathander and draw four drops of blood with a fragment that held Mistra’s Divine Power, which were later kept by someone.

Leon recalled the origin of the Blood of Lathander and reached into the light, taking the Blood of Lathander into his grasp. As soon as he did, the self-destruct mechanism was triggered, threatening to destroy the entire chamber.

Leon wasn’t one for puzzles; when in doubt, he used Samadhi True Fire. The Samadhi True Fire could burn through magic, and he effortlessly countered the self-destruct device. Now, even Lathander would be reachable for him, and for those few minutes with Fatian Xiangdi and the Vajra Body he could endure some damage.

In summary, Leon took away the Blood of Lathander. Suddenly, he remembered the item he needed to secure in Irelia’s Nursery, which led the protagonist group to encounter the white-haired elder—a construct avatar of the Legendary Mage Elminster.

Elminster’s avatar helped Gael stabilize the dangerous bomb within him. However, there was also a task from Mistra for Gael that was revealed during the conversation between the protagonist group and this avatar.

It was at this moment that Leon realized something—

In the game, the protagonist group would not need to level up slowly and can make swift progress, while in reality, besides Astarion being a utility character and Laiyeze’er having incredible combat talent but still requiring growth, the other members were essentially already fully developed. As a result, their journey took them to Irelia’s Nursery in just a single day, allowing them to escape it by evening and encounter Caslak’s Lieutenant Worth, who asked the protagonist group for help in releasing the Comet Prince trapped in the Astral Prism to overthrow Vilakis.

Leon didn’t care who won or lost, as he did not interfere with Githyanki and Githzerai politics and knew that with the collaboration of the Githzerai, there might be a chance against the tyrant of the Nine Prisons... Nevertheless, he wasn’t concerned about the outcome.

After leaving Irelia’s Nursery, the protagonist group didn’t go directly to the Shadow Cursed Land. Instead, they set out toward the mountain pass, clearly aiming for Irelia’s Nursery. Leon couldn’t follow them any longer. He had to go ahead first because there were relics he was determined to acquire from Irelia’s Nursery.

Leon transformed again into a Transformed Falcon Eagle, flapping his wings and flying over the mountain pass, quickly heading towards Rosymorn Monastery, to find the Irelia’s Nursery hidden beneath it.

The underground Irelia’s Nursery wasn’t exactly a place for a Falcon Eagle or a sparrow; Leon considered whether to transform into a mouse or not, but thinking he might be cut down by a sword from a curious Gith, he ultimately chose to transform into a fly.

In the game, the Irelia’s Breeding Grounds didn’t have a Young Red Dragon as its Guardian, nor were the pests a real threat, unlike in the Goblin Camp.

In the depths of Irelia’s Nursery, Leon found two statues of Lathander, and if he moved this statue, he would open the way to the hidden room of the relics. The problem was, the outside was filled with Githyanki warriors, and even if he could still handle Lathander, they were still a threat.

Leon didn’t want to cause trouble with the Githyanki. He appreciated how the Star Realm Pirates continued to plunder precious alchemy materials for him, obediently presenting them at Watchtower Port.

After some thought, Leon found his way to a secluded corner, and his form began to twist and change... Although he intended to transform into a Transformed Purple Worm, given their Super Giant size, he ultimately chose to transform into a fly instead.

Leon, transformed into an Ankheg, effortlessly dug a winding tunnel beneath Irelia’s Breeding Grounds, leading to the hidden chamber containing the treasure he longed for.

Leon was not one for puzzles and, when in doubt, relied on the Samadhi True Fire. The Samadhi True Fire could burn through Magic, and Leon reached into the glow, carefully retrieving the Blood of Lathander.

Leon stretched his hand into the radiance and had just taken the Blood of Lathander when the entire chamber suddenly began to shake, giving rise to four soaring towers that concentrated destructive energy.

It was said to be a self-destruct mechanism; if anyone forcibly took the Blood of Lathander, this self-destructive mechanism would obliterate the chamber. But Leon easily dealt with it. After all, even Lathander himself could be momentarily challenged by him due to Fatian Xiangdi, and with the Vajra Body, he could certainly withstand the damage.

Having secured the Blood of Lathander, Leon suddenly thought of something in Irelia’s Breeding Grounds that hadn’t been hatched yet—it was something that he needed to take in advance.

When Leon found the protagonist group again, they were in conversation with an elderly man with white hair... who was a construct avatar of the Legend- ary Mage Elminster.

This avatar of Elminster helped Gael stabilize the explosive bomb within him, but in truth, it was Mistra who had a task for Gael and therefore sent the avatar to deliver the message.

At this moment, Leon realized—

In the game, the protagonist group would need to level up gradually, while in reality, except for Astarion, who was more of a tool character, and Laiyeze’er, whose combat talent was impressive but still required growth, the rest of the group were already almost fully developed. As a result, the real-life protagonist group reached Irelia’s Nursery in a single day and managed to escape by nightfall. They encountered Gis Commander Caslak Worth who expressed that he hoped the protagonist group would help free the Comet Prince trapped in the Astral Prism and aid in overthrowing Vilakis.

Leon didn’t care who won or lost; he didn’t interfere with the internal affairs of the Githyanki. He was not interested in who emerged victorious; he merely had to ensure that the Githzerai, by joining forces against the tyrant, had a fighting chance... Though Leon didn’t concern himself with their outcome, he decided to return from Irelia’s Breeding Grounds as the protagonist group opted not to head directly to the Shadow Cursed Land but instead turned towards the goblin camp to head into the Dark Territory. This caught Leon by surprise.

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