Chapter 43: Reward

The fire in the Bone-Crushing Fortress had not yet been completely extinguished, and the air was filled with the smell of burnt meat, sulfur, and the acid smell unique to Black Dragons, like the decay of a swamp. The huge Black Dragon Klausuna was coiled on the dome of a destroyed mage tower. Her scales were like obsidian fragments, reflecting an oily, dark green luster under the firelight of the burning city in the distance.

"Barot, my subordinates have destroyed five Ogre fortresses in a row. It's time to fulfill your promise. Don't tell me you're not ready for the reward."

"Klausuna, you haven't done enough. You know that Balgu's army has lost battles recently, and their morale is very low. We should continue to take action."

"Is that so? That means you don't intend to give it. How many battles your Ogres lose has nothing to do with me. If you can't give me a reward that satisfies me, I'll make you look good!"

"Hehehehe, little Black Dragon, you are really funny. How does a Master Rank have the courage to threaten me? I'm really curious about how your brain grew."

"I never said I came alone this time. Your wisdom is the same as your Ogre subordinates, which makes people feel sad, devil."

"Are you talking about the Harpy and the five dragon beasts that came with you? With such a little strength, you dare to scare people in front of me. It's really ridiculous. Also, such a few subordinates can only bluff."

"You'd better think clearly before you speak. I have Grand Duke Sakavi behind me. If something happens to me here, are you sure you can leave here alive?"

"That stupid Black Dragon who only knows how to guard treasures? He is just a Legendary Rank spell. What's there to be afraid of? Don't forget, I am also Legendary Rank."

"I won't pretend I didn't hear this. You say if you die, will your Queen know that a devil like you existed?"

"Klausuna, I have to admit that your wisdom far exceeds my imagination. I intend to fulfill the promised commitment. To be honest, working under that stupid dragon can't bring out your talent. Think about it, the treasures you worked so hard to plunder, but that Black Dragon wants to take away most of them. This is very unfair, don't you think?"

"I think what you said makes a lot of sense. If there is something practical to support your point of view, then I will seriously consider your suggestion."

"I just like dealing with smart people. Your rewards are all here. You can count them on the spot. I won't admit it after you leave this door."

His assistant, the Master Rank devil Bazel, appeared silently below him. Bazel wore a well-tailored scarlet suit, his skin was like polished ruby, and a wisp of smoke from some unlucky soul hung on his small horns. He waved his hand elegantly, and a huge box made of twisted metal and painful faces appeared on the open space with a "bang."

"As promised, Ms. Klausuna," Bazel's voice was like silk rubbing against glass, "This is what you deserve, the reward for breaking five fortresses. Equivalent to the value of 1 million standard gold coins, we have already exchanged it for you into a more... interesting form."

Klausuna's huge head slowly lowered, and a pair of molten gold vertical pupils locked onto the box. She didn't touch it immediately, but took a deep breath first, as if tasting the "taste" of the treasure in the air.

She smelled the thick, inseparable aura of metal and gems, but beneath this, there were more complex, more tempting tastes: the magical fragrance of ancient parchment, the cold sharpness of arcane crystals, the faint wailing of sealed souls, and a trace of... the typical cunning sweetness belonging to devils. This taste made her both intoxicated and vigilant. The magical items of devils always carry the fragrance of contracts, souls, and lies.

She just used a claw tip the size of a finger, sharp as a dagger, and gently pushed open the box lid. What came into view was a mountain of gold coins. But they were not ordinary gold coins. Some were soul coins engraved with crying faces, some were fire-world coins with magma flowing on the edges, and some were underworld iron coins cast from pure black iron, emitting an aura of despair.

"Not bad, devil. You really brought me a little surprise this time. These currencies that only circulate in specific places are indeed rare collection boutiques, but that's all."

She lifted a layer of gold coins, revealing the weapons underneath. A long sword burning with eternal vengeful fire, with a cursed eyeball embedded in the hilt; an obsidian tower shield that could absorb all light, with countless faces screaming silently on the shield surface; and a war whip made from the tendons of Dwarven heroes, each section engraved with runes that weaken the will.

Klausuna picked up the burning long sword, observed it seriously, and praised: "Not bad, it's a very interesting toy that can be used to pass the time, but it doesn't play any role in combat."

Then flipping down, a whole set of dragon scale armor forged from refined gold appeared (coincidentally, the size is just right for a youth dragon), with protective magic arrays etched on the surface; three long swords suspended in mid-air, the blades burning with flames of different colors—green purgatory fire, blue ice death, and pale soul-sucking sword; on a dragon rider shield, the ferocious dragon head relief was lifelike, as if it would come alive at any time to spit dragon breath.

She looked at the weapons in front of her, nodded slightly, and said: "Not bad, this is what it should look like. Finally, I saw something that made me slightly satisfied."

The bottom layer was several scrolls made of magical beast skin, on which were not written with ink, but complex magic arrays drawn with solidified blood. Malako just took a look and recognized that it was a High-Level "Death Array," which could instantly drain the vitality of all life in an area and convert it into pure negative energy.

"Waste," she commented, "Such exquisite death art, but it can only be used once. However... as a one-time surprise, it is fatal enough."

Her gaze was attracted by several strange magic tools. A brass compass, the pointer did not point to the north, but rotated slowly, tracking the nearest life aura—a perfect tool for chasing and hunting. A statue of a succubus carved from magical wood, with powerful curse spiritual light hidden under the charming posture, emitting an ominous aura. And a bone amulet that looked unremarkable, but Klausuna could feel the power of twisted space contained in it—a precise short-distance teleportation opportunity.

In an unremarkable small box, dozens of perfect-grade gems, star-colored sapphires, red zircons, and imperial emeralds were piled together at will. One of the soul prisms even had a painfully twisted elf phantom imprisoned inside, screaming silently. Klausuna put it into her space ring without changing her expression.

"The reward is generous, and this is impeccable. The reward for attacking the next fortress is also on the way. But devils never do loss-making business, lady. I hope you can continue to fulfill your promise."

"The road ahead, there are seven more fortresses." Her voice carried a trace of satisfied laziness, "When I get tired of playing with these 'toys,' I will continue to pave the way for you. Now, don't disturb me."

"Hey, Black Dragon, don't forget, during this time, your subordinates have looted many Ogre towns. You need to understand that this is our wealth, not yours." Bazel's voice rang out at an inopportune time.

"The agreed things didn't mention that looting is not allowed. How to rob is my freedom. Devil, you are not the first to let a dragon spit out its own treasure, and of course, you won't be the last, but I can guarantee that you will be the one who dies the worst, none of them."

The devil Bazel bowed, a smile that was not easily detected hooked at the corner of his mouth, and retreated quietly. He knew that this dragon had been firmly "invested" by him. After taking his money, whether it is a dragon, a human, or an orc, they will eventually sell their souls to the devil.

After the devil left, Klausuna took out a black gold coin from the box from the ninth layer of Baator Hell, with the emblem of Asmodeus branded on it, and they were emitting a faint evil light themselves. Looking at the tempting gold coins, the Black Dragon actually fell into crazy greed for a while, and there seemed to be a voice in her mind, constantly persuading her to swallow this huge treasure that originally belonged to her.

"Devils are really interesting. Thinking that sealing a few souls in gold coins can bewitch me? That's too underestimating dragons." After saying that, she put the gold coins back into the box and drew a Sealing Technique at will, and the whispering sound disappeared instantly.

In the 20-plus years in the Grand Duke's territory, Klausuna understood one thing: unless her strength is too powerful, a dragon fighting alone is very difficult. All kinds of ill-intentioned people or organizations will pounce like vultures seeing rotten meat.

This is also the reason why Sakavi is not afraid that his subordinates will not listen. As long as they don't have the ability to defeat him, they can only work honestly. Under the checks and balances that exist everywhere in the territory, no one should think about going out to set up an independent mountain.

For Klausuna's behavior of using the opportunity of doing things to get some benefits for herself, Sakavi has always kept one eye open and one eye closed. As long as she can handle things well, if she doesn't leave anything for her subordinates, then no one will be willing to work hard in the future.

However, whoever dares to intercept half of the money when going out to do things, thinking that Sakavi doesn't know, then Sakavi will definitely let him know whether he really doesn't know what they have done outside, and let them always remember the lesson.

For some pests who have no great use and like to cheat, steal, and play tricks, Sakavi's practice has always been to hang them directly on the local city wall. ===== CHAPTER 44 =====