Azure Scepter

Page 19

Paladins exude a sense of peace, much like the sun.

As a law-obsessed individual, Aulis immediately discerned the other party's current state: "A flash of courage?"

“Don’t be afraid, I can help you,” the paladin whispered, his slow, calm voice reminding the dragon of the devil who tricked others into signing soul contracts…

"Who are you anyway?"

“The person who helps you solve your lifespan problem,” Trier said casually.

My heart, which had already calmed down, suddenly started racing!

The paladin continued in a voice so low it was almost a whisper, “The sacrifice has taken a part of your soul, which is why the wound on your face never heals. But it has not only taken away your physical health, it has also taken away your lifespan…”

“As a dragon that should live a very long time, your lifespan is probably less than fifty years.” The paladin held up one finger. “But I can help you restore your lifespan.”

“Nonsense. Even the demon lords of hell are powerless against this.” The bronze dragon narrowed its eyes slightly. “I am not some ignorant fool. What you are saying is theoretically untenable.”

“Lossevi has turned the sacrifice into her own lifeline,” Trier said softly. “You have established a strong connection with that lich, and the wound is the node of that connection—the key to your healing is not healing at the level of the soul or the body, but severing the connection.”

"The devil who made the deal with you obviously didn't know this, so his attempt was doomed to fail."

The paladin's voice was soft, but every word struck Aurelius's mind like a meteorite.

Did the lich use that artifact as his life casket?

The bronze dragon suddenly understood many things.

But how did the paladin on the other side know about this?!

"By the Radiance, has someone cast a terror spell? What are you all doing?" The knight's voice suddenly came from behind him. Olius looked up at the paladin in front of him, only to find that the other man was no longer speaking.

—The other party is waiting for my offer.

After a moment of silence, the dragon said, "So what is the price?"

It held its breath.

Trier slowly raised his head and said at an extremely deliberate pace, "No cost."

PS: This is yesterday's update, there are two more to come.

Chapter 32 I'm too tired to laugh anymore

The bronze dragon fell silent for the third time, completely unprepared for the paladin's words.

—If this strange human had no ulterior motives, then why did he threaten me just now?

It was extremely puzzled, just as it had been a few hours earlier when it saw the paladin throw inexplicable holy symbols: it knew that there must be some kind of logic behind the other party's seemingly chaotic and crazy behavior, but it just hadn't figured it out yet.

"Since he is a paladin, there shouldn't be any problem."

Aulis took a deep breath and decided to clear his mind and stop thinking about the complex game behind these actions.

All it wanted now was to stay within the realm of courage and enjoy the brief, hard-won peace; it was simply fed up with the panic attacks.

The bronze dragon closed its eyes, and the invisible spiritual light dispelled the cold rain. The warm waves made it sigh comfortably.

Seeing the bronze dragon peacefully close its eyes, Trier knew that his persuasion had been completely successful.

He took the opportunity to glance at the panel:

[Intimidation a great success! Your intimidation skills have been enhanced by this experience; +5]

[You successfully used intimidation multiple times in a short period of time, and you obtained some information about the "coercion" specialty.]

[Persuasion successful. Through this experience, your persuasion skill level increases by 1.]

“The plan was a success,” the paladin thought. “If we want to stop the copper dragon from escaping, instead of trying to convince it that we can defeat the Silent Whisperers of Beaver Town, we should use its lifespan as leverage in exchange.”

“In this situation, I don’t need to ask for anything extra, because as long as the copper dragon knows that I have a way to heal its injuries, it is unlikely to run away before the battle collapses—if I die, then its recovery will be completely ruined.”

"In short, I now have absolute control."

Although the bronze dragon was no longer able to laugh, the smile did not disappear; it simply moved to the paladin's face.

Trier suppressed his smile and quickly scanned his surroundings.

The garrison captain looked bewildered; he hadn't understood the riddle-like conversation between Trir and the copper dragon at all. The elves and dwarves, on the other hand, were already used to it and appeared quite calm.

Shouts poured out from the cracks in the courtyard wall, and through the narrow gaps, one could see a large number of armed survivors gathering, while the knight and Noy had already come up behind the tailor.

“This dragon inexplicably unleashed its dragon might to intimidate me, so its presence at the inn can no longer be kept secret.” Trier’s mind raced. “Shortly after I left this morning, someone attacked the inn with a modified version of the Death Cloud spell, causing everyone to be infected with the Blood Plague. This could certainly be a simple coincidence, but there is a greater probability that there are still lurking Silent Whisper cultists in the inn.”

"Once the Whispering Society's undercover agents discover the dragon's tracks, they will definitely spread the message quickly. And as the location of the Copper Dragon is exposed, the Whispering Society cultists in Beaver Town will inevitably attack as quickly as possible—this is a very reasonable speculation."

"Even with an optimistic estimate, the Silent Whisperers can control at least a thousand undead. Moreover, there are an unknown number of professionals among them, and the proportion of spellcasters would be unusually high."

The paladin glanced at the noisy courtyard, where, as the dragon's might dissipated, the townspeople had begun to descend into chaos.

Some cried out in despair, believing that the cult was about to harvest their wealth and hoping to surrender immediately to save their lives; others angrily brandished weapons, wanting to physically eliminate surrenderism; but most were simply utterly bewildered and had no idea what was happening before their eyes.

What we are seeing is a miniature replay of the apocalyptic scene that unfolded in the town yesterday.

—The Silent Whisperers didn't even need to lift a finger; the hysterical infighting triggered by Dragon's Might alone was enough to completely shatter the survivors' weak resistance.

The copper dragon smiled rather embarrassedly, and the hideous wounds on its face seemed to tremble. As it smiled, Olius hissed and gasped.

"This dragon can cast spell sequencing, which proves it must have a spell addiction, because dragons don't have this kind of spell in their innate spells. And a dragon having a spell addiction means it's a mage. As a mage, it can act so recklessly without considering the consequences. Chaotic people really don't think before they act," Trier thought to himself.

"Although the Silent Whisperers are very powerful, if I can completely unify the power of the survivors, then it's not impossible—there are currently at least one hundred armed young men in the hotel, more than twenty professional soldiers who have undergone long-term systematic training, a crippled adult dragon, and three people with very high professional levels..."

"Although a large number of people have been infected with the blood plague, I now have the ability and materials to cure it, so the blood plague will not affect professional soldiers."

“However, although I have a lot of diamond dust, it is not enough to heal everyone—this is not a problem, but rather an opportunity to better mobilize the survivors.” The paladin thought coldly, “The gains from the final battle with the Silent Society will be substantial, and the casualties will be significant. At that time, whether it is newly captured diamonds or dead bodies, the remaining survivors will definitely be able to receive treatment.”

"Such a decision is clearly an evil act, but it certainly won't lead to a shift in allegiance, because poor thinking can also produce the same decision. In other words, there is no consistency between purpose and action."

"In short, my first priority is to find and eliminate the Silent Whisper Society's mole to buy time to integrate the survivors."

Trier looked down at the emblem, which was now emitting a dazzling white light.

“Unlike yesterday’s headless guessing, I now possess the Holy Symbol of Kod—I can quickly screen out suspects, and then use divine magic to detect evil for further screening, thereby greatly narrowing down the range of suspects for the undercover agent.”

"Trier, what's going on here?!" Harlan's anxious voice interrupted the paladin's thoughts.

Trier stretched out his hand and pointed to the tailor in front of him: "Let me introduce you, this is Olius, a bronze dragon."

"dragon!?"

b. I'm really sorry, I need to log in to my account now, so the outstanding balance will likely have to be delayed even further...

Chapter 33 Noe

Trier did not choose to conceal the existence of the bronze dragon, so he spoke loudly—Olius himself had unleashed the dragon's might, making it impossible to hide its existence.

Instead of making a futile attempt to cover it up, we should take this opportunity to observe the crowd's reaction and identify those who react strangely.

“A dragon!?” The knight’s thick eyebrows furrowed, and his remaining eyeballs shifted slightly, revealing a strong sense of doubt. “By the Radiance, Trier, you must be joking—I know this esteemed tailor. He is the best tailor in the entire Southern Duchy, and he has served the Roland family for over ten years with his superb design and sewing skills!”

"Moreover, my ancestor Harlan the Dragon Hunter is famous for driving away evil dragons. The tailor White in 'White the Clever Speaker' is actually fictional. The real story prototype is actually my ancestor, who risked his life to join the Queen in driving away evil dragons. I think it's unlikely that any dragon would be willing to suffer such humiliation."

"Although you have been inspired by the radiance, you must have made a mistake in this matter."

Trier wasn't really listening to the knight; he had been carefully observing the crowd and had already made a few preliminary choices.

"The organizers of the hotel survivors are now undoubtedly the garrison captain, the knight, and Noy—I need to convince them."

With this thought in mind, the paladin turned to look at the bronze dragon, who had started grinning foolishly again.

“Noble Sir, your ancestors must have loved to laugh,” Olius said. “My late wife often said that laughing more would prolong life, but too much laughter is also harmful. Hey, I think you are wise enough to understand that, just like water is good, but drinking too much water can kill you, as you see with those who drown.”

"Excuse me, what are you saying?" Harlan's brows furrowed so tightly they almost twisted together. The tailor was rambling on and on without any clear point, and it took him a lot of effort to understand that the other man was mocking him.

However, he was not angry.

Harlan always strictly adhered to his knightly oath, especially the precept of humility, so he rarely got angry even when offended.

“You have a much better temper than your ancestors,” the tailor laughed, and before the knight could react, it walked into the empty street.

"Thump...thump thump!" The knight suddenly heard a dull heartbeat.

He initially thought it was his own heartbeat, but the next moment he was astonished to see the vibration of the rain. The fine black raindrops in front of him twisted as if they were being hit by invisible waves!

He looked up and saw a hideous dragon head emerge. A terrifyingly large scar ran across the dragon's head, almost splitting the massive head in two; with each heartbeat, the enormous scar, nearly the size of two people, continued to writhe and tear, dripping golden dragon blood mixed with necrotic scales and flesh.

Heavy breathing shattered the drumbeat of his heart. Pain was suppressed in the dragon's brown pupils, and flames even ignited in his deep-set eyes due to the intense emotional turmoil. The blazing flames suddenly collided with the raindrops, rising into a cloud of black mist.

A strong, putrid stench filled the air.

Harlan had seen dragons before, and had even participated in hunting white dragons during his long career as an adventurous knight, but the size and appearance of the dragon before him completely exceeded his imagination!

This is at least a mature, adult dragon!

He noticed that his hand holding the sword had begun to tremble.

The knight forced himself to observe the dragon the tailor had transformed into. He noticed that although the dragon was enormous, it was extremely emaciated. Its scales were dull and lifeless, its shriveled muscles clung limply to its protruding bones, and its wings were particularly withered. When fully extended, these wings, which could have blotted out the sky, were almost entirely thin, and the base of the wings was practically rotten!

“It can’t fly!” Harlan rolled his one eye. “If it really comes down to fighting, I’m not without a chance!”

"Young man, my sewing skills aren't bad, are they?" A muffled, thunderous voice suddenly boomed in my ears.

Before the knight could answer, the dragon continued on its own: "I enjoy sewing. The feeling of being absorbed in it is calming. The sense of accomplishment and pleasure of sewing a garment is no less than listening to the most skilled bard perform."

The knight swallowed hard. He wanted to say something, but felt that nothing he said would be appropriate.

The next moment, he was suddenly horrified—"Aurius...that seems to be the name of the dragon my ancestor banished!"

At this moment, Trier, hidden in the dragon's shadow, calmly and efficiently observed the crowd. After a brief moment of shock and panic, the key individuals under his observation quietly left the crowd.

"There are two people, but we can't rule out the possibility of others," the paladin thought to himself. He carefully observed Sister Noe, but she did not make any unusual moves.

She seemed to be trying her best to maintain a composed demeanor, but her thin shoulders were trembling slightly.

Seemingly noticing her gaze, she turned her head, and strands of silver hair, wet with rain, peeked out from the sides of her hood, falling damply over her shoulders.

A smile played on her lips as she strode towards the paladin.

“Noy is a high priest. If she is a cultist, then my current plan needs to be drastically modified.” Trier’s mind raced. “I don’t have many divine spells left to cast today, but it is essential to use a spell to detect good and evil and determine Noy’s identity.”

"The nun needs to be detected individually, and by surprise—as a high-ranking priest, she is likely to possess the ability to shield and distort faction detection, making it easy for her to evade group detection."

“If Noi is not a cultist, then as a high priest she must be kind, so it will certainly greatly anger her, but as long as she is properly appeased, it will not have a major impact on the subsequent plans; but if she is a cultist, then a huge hidden danger can be eliminated directly.”

"In short, this plan is necessary, and its benefits far outweigh the risks and costs."

Noi passed Harlan, who was lost in thought. The aroma of citrus and rosemary filled the air, dispelling the stench of negative energy.

“Trier, I was really worried—I thought you were really going to leave me.” The nun blinked her ruby-like eyes. “You…”

Trier raised the holy symbol expressionlessly and then released the ability to detect good and evil.

The next moment, a blinding pure white light suddenly exploded in front of him. The intense white light was as dazzling as the sun. The light was so bright that it even made the paladin's eyes sting. He squinted slightly to barely adjust to the intense and blinding light of goodness.

Under the effect of detecting good and evil, the nun's entire body radiated a holy, pure white halo, and the layers of light made her look like a saint stepping out of the stained glass windows of a shrine.

At that moment, the nun's smile froze, and she stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

"The detection of good and evil indicates that she is kind, and very kind." The paladin took a deep breath, and a sweet fragrance filled his nostrils.

"Detecting good and evil?" The nun's gentle voice suddenly took on a cold tinge, tinged with a hint of dejection. "Trill, tell me, what have I done wrong that makes you distrust me so much? Is this some revelation of the radiance?"

The time traveler intended to apologize and appease the other party as planned, but suddenly, he inexplicably sensed a hidden fluctuation.

A thought struck him—Noy had just cast a divine spell.

"Noy is very good at casting spells silently; I have no way of knowing what she's casting," Trier thought. "No, that's not right—the control panel!"

The cobalt blue light curtain slowly unfolded.

[Perception exemption successful. You have been exempted from the effects of suggestion.]

[Charisma saving throw failed. You are now under the effects of the divine spell Realm of Honesty.]

"The Realm of Honesty? Why?" A thought flashed through Trier's mind like lightning. "What was her last question?"

In a flash, the paladin looked up and saw the seemingly downcast nun tilting her head and smiling as she looked at him.

Chapter 34 Honest People

"The Realm of Honesty" is a divine spell widely used in the field of interrogation. Its effect is simple and direct: individuals within the spell's range will be unable to lie intentionally, and if the subject is unprepared, they will unconsciously reveal the truth.

This is undoubtedly an extremely powerful divine spell.

“What have I done wrong that makes you distrust me so much! Is this a revelation of the radiance—this is Noy’s last question.” Trier raised his head slightly, analyzing the nun’s intentions at lightning speed. “She is particularly concerned about whether I have truly received a revelation of the radiance.”

"There are only two reasons: either she has a secret she is ashamed of and is afraid that I have already discovered this through divine revelation; or as a high-ranking priest, she is very curious about divine revelation."

"The second reason is unlikely, because if she wanted to inquire whether the miracle was real, there was no need for her to cast a spell secretly—at the same time, she used a suggestion spell before releasing the Realm of Honesty, and this spellcasting trick is usually used by those experienced and insidious inquisitors of the Radiant Church to torture their adversaries."