[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ember-dragon":3,"chapter-ember-dragon-ember-dragon-chapter-72":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Ember Dragon",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1162088,1504,"Chapter 72: The Noble NPC","ember-dragon-chapter-72",72,"\u003Cp>The four of them took the ten gold coins they had scraped together to the Tiefling Exchange and bought the 【Mysterious Invitation】.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Singo handed the shiny gold coins to the Tiefling merchant, Mantou’s expression was extremely pained. He thought to himself: How many pieces of equipment could you buy with that? You spendthrift!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The invitation in their hands felt heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their group went to the rented small house and eagerly opened the invitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The paper inside had a pale yellow pattern, thin and seemingly no different from ordinary paper, but the words on it were formed by burning flames, flickering incessantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was only a brief sentence on it—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You will meet the most noble one here.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it that big of a deal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like we didn’t bet wrong this time; at least it’s worth it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the small words on the invitation, Mantou was full of anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Singo remained calm: “I told you already, the quest items you get by spending so much money will definitely yield considerable returns.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Born Battle Maniac chuckled: “Come on, stand properly; I’m about to use it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Confirm to use 【Mysterious Invitation】!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the space in front of the four of them rippled, then gradually twisted and cracked, forming a door-shaped spatial rift. Flames burned around the fissure, like the “door frame” of this dimensional gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, a portal? So high-end?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mantou exclaimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Up to now in the game, no magic class had developed teleportation skills. Mages who couldn’t learn anything without scrolls didn’t even count, and even the current so-called “true spellcasters,” the Sorcerers, didn’t have such high-end abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Summer Night Autumn Rain and Born Battle Maniac were naturally overjoyed; even Singo, who usually wore a scowl, showed a trace of excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he still reminded: “The item description says that behind the door may be danger or reward, so we must be fully prepared.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed, it’d be bad if we got wiped out after going in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mantou nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Blessing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Summer Night Autumn Rain waved her wooden staff, beams of light descended, bathing everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This divine spell grants the recipient advantage on attack and saving throw checks, considered the all-purpose spell for priests in the early stages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Healing Potion, Poison Resistance Potion, Wyvern Venom, Slick Oil, Precision Oil...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Singo took out one item after another from his backpack, introducing them like treasures. Soon, these items piled up like a small hill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where did you get so many things?” Mantou couldn’t help but ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this resource-scarce early stage, many newbie players couldn’t even put together a basic set of equipment and couldn’t even defeat the big goose raised by the Tiefling aunt next door, yet Singo had accumulated so much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Watch more, practice more, grind more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Singo said lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mantou finally understood the extraordinary aspects of these top professional players. In this regard, he had to admit defeat—referring to showing off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After applying oil to their weapons and armor, placing potions in their backpacks to deal with various situations, and making a series of preparations, Singo was finally ready to go. However, he looked very bloated at the moment, worthy of the dreams of min-maxers and the nightmares of those who value appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four stepped into the mysterious flaming portal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A heatwave rushed towards them, seemingly leaving marks on everyone’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, why is it so dark?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Feels a bit hot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Autumn Rain, cast a Light spell; we can’t see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Summer Night Autumn Rain raised her wooden staff and began casting a divine spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Light!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The end of the wooden staff emitted a faint glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the light was weak, it was enough for the four to barely see their surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They found themselves in a dark, narrow rocky tunnel. The air inside the tunnel was inexplicably stuffy, and there was nothing around except for hard rock walls. The passage led into unknown darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What should we do? Should we keep going?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The narrow rocky tunnel made Mantou feel a bit oppressed; even with the Light spell, he couldn’t feel at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Singo gritted his teeth and said fiercely, “We’re already here; we can’t just go back. Let’s go all in!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They cautiously walked along the passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the four seemed to exit the tunnel, and the space in front of them opened up significantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This should be it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone stay alert; report any findings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Light spell could no longer reach the cave walls; all around was darkness. In the vast, gloomy cave, sounds occasionally echoed, making everyone even more nervous, cold sweat dripping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, an unknown light appeared, followed by more lights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom! Boom! Boom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the sound of flames igniting in the air, hundreds of exquisitely crafted dragon-headed oil lamps along the cave walls lit up in succession, illuminating the surrounding darkness and allowing the four to see the full view of the spacious cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waves of heat rushed towards them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wide road suddenly appeared before them, flanked by blazing flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the end of the road stood a man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had black hair and golden eyes, with delicate features. In the depths of his dark golden pupils, flames burned fiercely, exuding a trace of innate arrogance. On both sides of his face, faint crimson scales appeared, and long, bone-white dragon horns grew on his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wore a dark red, luxurious robe inlaid with gold thread patterns over his tall body, exuding a noble and irresistible unique aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Summer Night Autumn Rain couldn’t help but blush and sighed, “Ah, the official model is so handsome.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mantou complained, “Damn, why is this NPC so damn handsome? Almost catching up to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Summer Night Autumn Rain couldn’t help rolling her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Singo urged, “Mantou, quickly cast Detect; we must have encountered an important character.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, okay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mantou responded instinctively, then skillfully pulled up the panel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Mysterious Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer - Cassius】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Affiliation: 【Ember Nest】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Basic Abilities: ???\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Challenge Level: ??? (Extremely Dangerous!)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Favorability: -5 (Mild Dislike)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mantou then realized and couldn’t help cursing, “Damn you, Singo, you tricked me again; the favorability dropped!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing his nickname, Singo still wore his usual expressionless face: “Everyone will remember your sacrifice. So, Mantou, what did you see?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mantou shook his head: “Can’t see anything; all the info is unknown.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Singo clenched his fists and said excitedly, “Great! We’ve really found him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From my observation, only the 【Oathbreaker Sword - Medrolash】 in Baator City had an unseen challenge level. Others like the Captain of the Guards, Damacus, had visible challenge levels. We are the first to find this second important NPC; we can definitely—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, a calm male voice suddenly came from afar, interrupting his enthusiastic speech.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dear invited guests, casting detection upon meeting might be impolite, don’t you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---------------------------------\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A big thank you to [Resev2024] for joining my Patreon! Your support means a lot to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*************************************************\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you want to read more chapters, you can Read (214) chapters ahead on Patreon:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tier 1: $1\u002Fmonth for an additional 5 chapters. 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