The barrel man staggered over, drawing his sword as he walked, and his armor rattled.
Ekmund took half a step back, smiled and said to Matthew:
"Come on, it's not convenient for me to kill him."
"He is the puppet of the evil dragon. He has lost his life long ago. He is a living dead that is more miserable than the undead. Killing him is a kind of relief for his soul."
Matthew has quick eyesight and quick hands, and he can perform a "malicious transformation" by raising his hand.
However, the white light hit the barrel man's neck.
The latter is motionless!
"Dragon puppets can share some of the dragon's resistance. Their spell resistance is often not low, and transformation spells are not effective against them."
Ekmund prompted.
At this time, the barrel man had rushed out of the camp.
Matthew didn't hesitate, and took a few steps back. With the support of "Combat Casting", he successfully summoned "Astra's Claw"!
The giant claw covered with gray spots suddenly slapped the "Dragon Puppet" in the face.
The latter raised his sword high and struck it head on.
The great sword easily split Esdrael's Claw into two pieces. However, the giant claw's forward movement was not hindered. After bypassing the great sword, the broken part healed automatically.
puff!
Astra's claw pressed against the dragon puppet's forehead and upper body.
Sizzle!
Negative energy penetrated his armor and rubbed against his body.
Billowing white smoke was rising, as if a pot of boiling water had been poured into the snow.
Matthew opened his left hand, squeezing his neck in the air, and walked forward with rapid strides.
Following his movements, Esdrael's Claw also pushed the dragon puppet into the tent.
Rumble!
Matthew pushed this heavy enemy to the mountain wall behind the tent in one breath!
Tentacles extended out from all sides of the giant claw, slapping the dragon puppet's body crazily.
The latter struggled violently.
"Do you still have the strength to resist?"
Matthew raised his right hand and threw a dissociation spell, successfully dismantling the opponent's armor.
Then an ordinary pale hand slapped the dragon puppet on the chest.
Just once.
Dragon Puppet's body seemed to have been drained of all its strength.
He tilted his head, and turbid yellow liquid suddenly emerged from his facial features.
Wow!
He quickly collapsed at the foot of the mountain.
…
"Tip: You killed the puppet warrior of Red Dragon Kusulus, and Red Dragon Kusulus's hatred towards you will be +1!
The pale hand killed and captured a high-quality soul (red dragon puppet/LV14), and the effect is being improved——
1. Attack range, instant death determination, and blood-sucking effect are slightly improved
2. Duration + 1 day"
…
"Well done. Dragon puppets are living dead that lack life elements, so instant death judgment is very easy to take effect on them. Your observation and reaction skills are stronger than I expected."
Ekmund praised without hesitation.
Matthew's cheeks felt slightly hot.
He didn't think much about it at all, he was simply used to the left and right bow operations of "Esdra's Claw" and "Pale Hand".
However, Ekmund's words actually taught him a new knowledge——
"The living dead who lack life elements are more likely to trigger immediate death than ordinary life."
Matthew immediately took this information to heart.
Then he asked respectfully:
"How did you find out he was a dragon puppet?"
Ekmund said seriously:
"Observation."
"If you observe carefully, you will find that many details in life hide amazing secrets."
Matthew scratched his head, looking confused.
Ekmund couldn't help laughing:
"I lied to you."
"I use prophecy. Although my proficiency in prophecy is not as good as that of Roderick who sells fakes, it is more than enough for gathering information."
"In fact, as soon as I arrived on this land, I sensed the peculiar smell in the air - the smell of dragon puppets is too strong. If you have studied them, you will be hundreds of miles away like me.
You can smell it.”
Matthew wondered:
"But even if you can confirm that there is a giant dragon on the other side of Red Earth Mountain, how can you be sure that he is the new lord of Red Earth Mountain?"
Ekmund smiled slightly:
"Because I quickly remembered that the red dragon just paid a life-saving fee to the alliance last month."
Matthew: "..."
Ekmund said unabashedly:
"Because I personally accepted the payment, I am quite impressed by the red dragon named Cyrus.
I just used prophecy to conduct reconnaissance and discovered that Kusulus murdered the youngest son of the lord of Red Earth Mountain more than a month ago, and then used transformation to change into the other person's appearance, and then assassinated the lord of Red Earth Mountain.
After that, he occupied the Red Earth Mountain as the lord's youngest son and began to develop the army with great fanfare.
It didn’t take long before the Red Earth Mountain army began to threaten the surrounding territories, including your Rolling Stone Town.”
Matthew asked expectantly:
"So you want to take action?"
Ekmund shook his head:
"The enemy is short-handed. I can't even kill his dragon puppet. How can I possibly deal with him?"
"To take a step back, the dragon's participation is also part of this round of war. As long as Kusulus has not done anything outrageous, our attitude towards him is actually the same as that of a mortal lord."
"You don't have to worry too much. Kusulus will not dare to attack Rolling Stone Town in the short term. My appearance here today is also a deterrent for him."
Matthew understood.
He even suspected that Ekmund had long known that the new lord of Red Earth Mountain was a red dragon, and what he said just now was just his rhetoric!
The reason why this scheming chief mage took the initiative to lead his team here was to sell a favor, and on the other hand, he wanted to defeat the red dragon Kusulus.
Matthew carefully recalled every word of Eckmond's words and realized that there were indeed flaws in his words, and the other party probably did not deliberately cover up the lies.
There are many things that just need to be understood by each other.
If it was revealed, Matthew would be embarrassed.
But soon.
Matthew noticed another unusual word in Ekmund's words:
“What you just said was ‘life-saving money’, not ‘protection money’?”
Ekmund explained patiently:
"That's right. This money was paid by the dragons to the legendary mages headed by the Seven Saints. The purpose is to avoid being slaughtered for no reason."
Matthew was shocked and said:
"Do the Seven Saints like to slay dragons?"
Ekmund shook his head:
"There is only one I like, and that is Ms. Suriel, one of the three current Masters of Tongtian.
As the most outstanding disciple of Mr. Fei Capital, Ms. Suriel is very obsessed with the act of slaying dragons.
There was a period of time, probably a few decades ago, when she searched for dragons all over the world almost day and night.
Every time she finds one, she will take the initiative to touch it and find trouble.
At the beginning.
The dragons don't know why.
Many hot-tempered young dragons started having sex with Suriel right away.
Then they became the dragon scales, dragon bones and medicinal wine in Suriel's collection cabinet.
quickly.
Suriel's reputation as a dragon slayer spread throughout the dragon world.
Because she really went too far.
The remaining dragons of Irondor had to join forces——
They are mainly five-color dragons, mainly red, white, black, blue and green. They were the biggest injured in Suriel's dragon-slaying operation.
The five-colored dragons joined forces and fled to "Eternal Judgment Island".
That was a drop of tears shed by Baruch, the five-color dragon god, on the material world before ascending to Tianlun Palace.
The island formed by the teardrop has its own world inside, and Baruch can exert his divine power here.
The five-color dragons originally did not like to live on Yongju Island, but during that time Yongju Island became their safe haven.
Not long after, Suriel broke into Everlasting Island and had a fight with Baruch, the five-color dragon god.
The result of that fight was probably a draw.
Afterwards, the two sides held several negotiations.
As far as I know, Suriel got what she wanted. At the same time, she also promised Baruch that as long as his people paid her a life-saving fee regularly every 20 years, she would not
Will actively seek trouble for the five-colored dragons active on the mainland.
Of course, we all know that except for the ancient dragon, the Seven Saints actually have the ability to slay dragons easily.
So in the end, the life-saving fee was upgraded to seven copies.
The five-colored dragons either couldn't bear the humiliation and fled to other planes to seek life;
Or just obediently pay the life-saving fee, so that at least the league's top brass won't take the initiative to cause trouble for them."
Speaking of which.
Ekmund lamented:
"Speaking of which, Ms. Suriel is quite reasonable. For a dragon like Kusulus that has not been active on the mainland for decades, she will not charge him a life-saving fee during his sleep period."
Matthew said thoughtfully:
"So Kusulus was awakened recently?"
Ekmund nodded:
"possible."
Matthew was very emotional:
The Seven Saints are really powerful and terrifying!
It would be great if I also had that kind of power. If I have nothing to do, I can go to Yongju Island to grab the disciples and grandsons of the Five-Colored Dragon God...
"Su Ruier is Fei Capital's student, Margaret is Suril's student, and I am learning combat magic from Margaret. Speaking of which, I can be considered Fei Capital's disciple."
Matthew thought wildly.
"In short, you don't have to worry too much about Kusulus in the near future. If you have ideas about him, you can talk to Suril's students. You may get unexpected results."
Ekmund said with a smile:
"It is not convenient for us old guys to come forward, but if a war breaks out between you over a territorial dispute, it will naturally not violate the agreement between the five-color dragon god Baruch and Suriel."
"By the way, are you ready to explore the outer plane?"
Matthew said solemnly:
"I have informed Moonlight Goddess a few days in advance. She has not responded directly, but she must have acquiesced."
Ekmund thought for a while:
"Ms. Asia is indeed one of the gods who is relatively friendly to humans. If she is willing to open the Moonwood to us, then I will use a clone to take charge of the exploration of the outer plane for you."
"This group of mages will also follow suit and contribute."
"But it must be agreed in advance that all data, information and knowledge gained from this kind of project must be shared with the alliance. As for the material harvest, it is up to you to distribute it yourself."
Of course Matthew knows the rules.
He had never dared to explore the outer plane, but with Ekmund leading the team this time, he wanted to do so.
As for the harvest, you can earn whatever you take.
Ekmund then made another point:
"Work is work, but the purpose of this group of mages is more than that. This morning, I thought you would charge a ticket near the Mark of the Dead or the protective umbrella, but you didn't do that."
"I'm not sure if you have another plan or if you really don't want to accept the money, but if you do this, it will make them very uneasy."
Matthew was speechless.
He actually wanted to sell tickets to Moonglade.
But Ekmund said so.
Matthew said readily:
“How much should I charge?”
Ekmund asked:
"Are you going to give them knowledge points for this emergency project?"
Matthew shook his head.
He didn't know the market clearly before, so no wonder he was called "Merciful Matthew".
You can't always take advantage of someone.
"Then just collect 22,000 gold coins from each person."
Ekmund sincerely suggested:
"This number is almost enough for them to get it without feeling too distressed. If it's too little, you'll be looked down upon. If it's too much, people will complain."
"You can accept 20,000 of them yourself and give me the 2,000 part."
Matthew's expression was a little subtle.
Ekmund looked at him with a half-smile:
"After you give me the part of 2000, I will transfer it to Teacher Isabel in full."
"Don't forget where your status and wealth come from, kid."
Matthew immediately felt ashamed of his dirty thoughts.
His first reaction was that Ekmund wanted to eat up this part of the profits...
"Sorry, Mr. Eckmund."
Matthew apologized sincerely.
Ekmund is almost teaching himself the ways of the world in the league step by step, which is actually very rare.
Matthew thought carefully.
All of his resources and wealth come from his A1 title and those 10,000 knowledge points.
All of this was given by Isabel.
It's obviously inappropriate to not respect her elders after making money.
"Every time I make money from now on, I have to pay part of it to her old man!"
"And big bosses like Eckmund also have to maintain good relationships, including Margaret. Giving gifts during the holidays is a simple matter, but it may come in handy in the future."
Matthew feels he has learned a lot.
But his mind seems to have been corrupted a little bit.
This made him feel a little mixed.
Soon after, the effect of the mass immobilization technique disappeared, and the soldiers rushed over noisily.
However, the two of them had followed Ekmond's random door back to the tree house.
The tree house was very busy at the moment.
Mages are very fond of having fun for themselves.
Matthew and Ekmund took a look, and after confirming that nothing happened, they walked away.
after an hour.
Matthew returns to West Valley Farm.
"How was the interrogation?"
Matthew asked.
Lorraine shrugged:
"He can answer questions faster than the little girl who throws herself into my arms can take off her clothes."
Henry showed an excited smile:
"Master Matthew, I sincerely surrender, please give me a chance to be loyal!"
Matthew stared into his eyes:
"Then do you know about the red dragon Kusulus?"
Henry looked confused.
"I don't know, my lord."
he replied.
Matthew looked at Zeller.
The latter's polygraph is still in effect.
Zeller shook his head gently:
"He didn't lie."
Matthew pondered for a moment, then picked up part of the conversation between Ekmund and himself and told everyone.
When Richard and Zeller heard that the lord of Red Earth Mountain turned out to be a red dragon, they immediately felt like they were facing a formidable enemy.
Only Luo Lan looked interested.
He patted his thigh excitedly:
"I knew something big was going to happen in Rolling Stone Town! It seems it has something to do with that red dragon!"
Matthew looked at Lorraine:
"Can your gossip tell us about the origin of that red dragon? His name is Kusulus. It is said that he has been sleeping for decades, but for some reason he appeared in the Red Earth Mountain recently."
Luo Lan narrowed his eyes slightly and his ears twitched rapidly:
"Let me try."
A full ten minutes later.
Only then did he get out of that state a little tiredly.
"I probably know the origin of that red dragon."
Lorraine's tone was a little strange.
Matthew asked:
"Did someone wake him up?"
The dragon's sleep has always been a cycle of hundreds of years. During this period, if it is not artificially awakened, the dragon will rarely take the initiative to interrupt its sleep.
Matthew suspected that there was another mastermind behind Kusulus!
Sure enough, but Luo Lan replied:
"Someone woke it up."
Matthew asked eagerly:
"Who? Evil organization? Warlock?"
Luo Lan looked strangely and said:
"It's you."
Matthew suddenly showed a surprised expression:
"it's me?"
"When did I wake up Kusulus?"
Lorraine seemed to want to clarify the ins and outs of the matter by singing.
But he was interrupted rudely by Matthew:
"Tell the important point."
"Okay, Matthew, I will only give you this face, but you can't stop me from singing next time."
Lorraine looked a little unhappy, but explained patiently:
"I learned from the legends of the Underdark that Kusulus was a red dragon that had just entered its youth stage. His strength grew rapidly, as did his size.
Before waking up, he found a very secluded place in the Underdark to hide himself and undergo the last long sleep before his youth.
However, a sudden earthquake struck him, and rocks falling from the sky woke the grumpy young red dragon from his sleep.
After waking up, the furious Kusulus spent a long time removing the stone from his body.
After that, he wreaked havoc in the underground city and demolished a gathering place for ghosts.
A few days later, Kusulus, who was venting his anger, found an exit to the surface. With his extraordinary talent, he successfully integrated into human society with the help of his transformation technique.
After learning that the Lord of Red Earth Mountain was secretly recruiting troops, Kusulus took decisive action.
Matthew just said what happened next.
What needs to be emphasized is the earthquake——
It originated from the explosion of an evil altar thousands of miles away.
Although the explosion did not cause much damage to the underground space where the explosion was located.
But by chance, it aroused resonance from the bottom, and accidentally blew up the underground city where Curlesus was.
And the several instigators of that explosion——
I heard the description of the fungus tribe, and you, Matthew, are among them!"
"You are the one who awakened the red dragon Kusulus!"
Matthew's eyes widened.
real or fake?
Is it such a coincidence?
Two months ago, he and Bobo blew up the Evil God Altar of the Calamity Cult in the underground city of the rain forest.
The explosion at that time only caused a small-scale collapse, but unexpectedly triggered a butterfly effect thousands of miles away.
If these words did not come from Lorraine's mouth.
Matthew absolutely didn’t believe it!
"What about the high mountain reservoir in Gaoye Ling? It didn't collapse because of the explosion, right?"
He was a little uneasy.
Lorraine shook his head:
"Then I don't know. It may be related, or it may not be. As far as I know, there seems to be a black dragon moving over there. It's most likely not you."
Matthew breathed a sigh of relief.
Zeller and Richard looked at each other with more serious expressions.
The former spoke:
“So, there is a green dragon directly north of us;
There is a red dragon due south;
There seems to be a black dragon in the southwest?
Only the white dragon and the blue dragon are needed to gather all the five-color dragons.
I just want to know if the dragon is targeting Rolling Stone during its active years?"
No one could answer his question.
Several people discussed for a while.
It was decided to temporarily detain Henry at the South Trading Post.
Zeller planned to use Henry to continue negotiating with Red Earth Mountain. Even if he knew that the other party was a red dragon, he still had to do superficial things.
Rolling Stone Town is not yet ready to deal with a giant dragon with its own strength. Before that, it is better to ensure the stability of the situation.
night.
Matthew led the mages back to the oak forest and opened the door to the Moonglade under the moonlight.
Asia indeed acquiesced to her actions.
Everything seemed to go smoothly after that.
Ekmund's clone is in charge of hosting.
Matthew will just have to sit back and enjoy the rewards.
He stayed in the Antu Empire's laboratory for a short while, and after leaving A Bing and Peggy to monitor the scene, he quietly slipped out.
In the oak forest late at night.
There was silence.
Matthew came under a tall and holy oak tree and gently called the name of the fairy princess Lulu.
Half a moment.
A bright light flashed.
The long-lost beautiful face came into Matthew's eyes.
"Good evening, Matthew."
Lulu still looked very shy, and her voice was soft and waxy.
"Good evening, Your Highness Princess."
Matthew said kindly:
"I want to summon the "Dryad Guard" and perform a ritual called "Enemies of the Woods."
When the size of the oak forest reaches a certain level, tree spirit guards can be summoned through the oak fairies.
These guards can be used to act as the first barrier in an oak forest.
The Enemy of the Woods ritual is a tracking ritual.
It can be used to find nearby hidden enemies.
Matthew's intention is obvious.
He wants to find those Blighters and kill them all!
Lulu showed a hint of embarrassment when she heard this:
"I have just been promoted to Fairy Princess, and I haven't had time to go to the Flower Garden to get my crown and scepter. Summoning the tree spirit guards may be just fine, but the ritual of the Enemy of the Woods is a bit too high-end for me."
Said.
She looked at Matthew hopefully:
"Can you accompany me to the "Fairy Garden"?"
"That is the interlayer between the Arcane Wilderness and the Prime Material Realm. There are many fairies living in it. Some of them are very good at bullying people. I can't escape every time."
"If it were Matthew, he wouldn't let me be bullied, right?"