[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-toppling-the-entire-world-with-the-power-of-one-":3,"chapter-toppling-the-entire-world-with-the-power-of-one--toppling-the-entire-world-with-the-power-of-one--chapter-36":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Toppling the Entire World with the Power of One Dragon!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2256939,4403,"Chapter 36: Alchemical Relic","toppling-the-entire-world-with-the-power-of-one--chapter-36",36,"\u003Cp>“All this oily soil must contain more black oil than what’s left in the alchemical engine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a pleased flick of its tail, Garos picked up a piece of oily soil, squeezed it, and extracted the black oil, letting it drip into its mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was nothing like the fiery, exhilarating sensation he’d imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bitter and disgusting, the taste made Garos frown—as if he’d eaten shit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—He’d never eaten shit, but he figured it couldn’t be much worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the black oil he’d eaten last time, this contained many impurities; swallowing it didn’t immediately surge him with potent energy. Instead, he had to digest it first, and the energy gained afterward was likely far less than from the previous batch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why is that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garos was puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, he understood the general reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The black oil from the alchemical engine has already been refined—it’s not crude oil. What I’ve been eating is raw, unrefined crude oil, full of impurities.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crude oil can be eaten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But its absorption efficiency is worse than black oil, and the taste is indescribable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s a solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garos turned to Samantha and gave her a task: “Refine all the crude oil in these oily soils into black oil using your alchemy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To win Garos’s favor and earn treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samantha had studied alchemy day and night, learning to refine black oil. Though her skill was mediocre, this simplest task—turning crude oil into black oil—she could still manage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing Garos’s words,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samantha licked her lips and said, “Oh, my dear brother, I’ll do anything for you—but will it make you happy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t want to work for free; she was here to negotiate payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a reasonable demand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samantha’s current role was equivalent to Garos’s follower, a dragonkin. In dragon society, such followers differed from dependents or slaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragonkin served their master dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The master dragon was expected to periodically reward the dragonkin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empty promises wouldn’t suffice. Red dragons were foolish and crude, but when treasure was involved, they became shrewd and calculating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garos hadn’t yet fully shaken his obsession with treasure. Handing over coins made him feel a pang of loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after thinking it over, Garos generously laid out a row of gold coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do a good job. These are yours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a young dragon, these coins were more than enough. Samantha’s eyes lit up as she lunged forward to claim them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My dear brother, you’re so kind! I’ll serve you, I’ll do anything for you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She cried out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait, my clever sister—do you want more?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garos’s words held a certain magic, causing Samantha to freeze mid-movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She declared firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garos spoke slowly, “Out of our blood bond, I offer you two choices.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One: take these five gold coins, guard them carefully—and risk losing them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two: leave them with me. I’ll keep them safe. By the Dragon God’s oath, I guarantee: in one year, you’ll receive six gold coins; in two years, eight; and each year after, more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samantha hesitated instantly, unsure how to choose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garos pressed on, coaxing gently: “Think—would you rather have unchanging wealth or wealth that grows? We dragons must think of long-term gains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After long hesitation,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samantha, unable to resist the lure of ever-increasing treasure, agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll take it in one year—you better give it to me, or I won’t work for you anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samantha said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tone was resolute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But by then, it might not matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, since he himself was a dragon, Garos knew the weaknesses of dragon nature well—he was skilled at tricking dragons. And if she performed well, without cheating or slacking, giving her real rewards wouldn’t hurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garos nodded, retracted the coins, and said seriously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. You know me—I’m not a deceitful green dragon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of her growing treasure, Samantha bounced happily off to work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using ordinary iron ore found everywhere in the Ser Wilds, she melted it with her flame breath, hammered it slowly, engraved faint runes, and shaped it into the most basic alchemical crucible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She placed chunks of oily soil inside the crucible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samantha chanted softly, tracing runes in the air with her claws, weaving magical energy into the crucible, then exhaled her dragon breath to begin refining the black oil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garos now had a batch of refined black oil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was stored in a crude iron canister, thick and dark as tar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sniffed it lightly, then drank it all down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flame seemed to ignite in his belly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pure flavor, strong punch! This is the black oil I want!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sparks shot from his nostrils. His vigor surged instantly; the dark red patterns on his inner scales glowed brighter, and the faint iron-red hue along the edges of his buffer scales seemed to shine more vividly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flapping his wings, Garos soared into the sky and landed on a barren plain where he often trained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using the Silver Frost Ring, he exhaled cold air to freeze the rocks, hardening them like steel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Filled with fiery energy, Garos charged forward without hesitation, slamming into the frozen ground to begin his daily training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along a side path of the Thousand Serpents’ Trace, five figures walked slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A golden-haired warrior, two meters tall, clad in heavy armor and carrying a sword as wide as a door, pale-faced and gaunt; a necromancer wrapped in negative energy; a female rogue with a curvaceous figure, a dagger and a crossbow at her waist; a beautiful woman in a white robe, a priestess; and a young spellcaster in light blue robes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five in total, forming an adventurer party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden-haired warrior’s armor and greatsword were engraved with alchemical runes, exuding quality—clearly fine equipment. The others’ gear was ordinary, but not mere iron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This group belonged to the [Tomorrow] Adventuring Guild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d heard rumors of a powerful alchemical relic left behind in an abandoned mine in the Ser Wilds, and came to explore, hoping to find the legendary artifact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rogue studied her intricate map and whispered, “Beyond this point, there are no proper paths. We’re entering the wilds—the domain of countless monsters and ferocious beasts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The necromancer grinned. “Opportunity always comes with risk. This is inevitable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the planet Bernardo, necromancers—who desecrate corpses and souls—faced some prejudice, but weren’t universally branded as evil. Whether one was evil depended on the individual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They say there are many dragons in this wild. I hope we don’t encounter any.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The priestess murmured softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spellcaster lowered his voice: “What if it’s a young dragon? If we find one, we’re rich—we won’t even need to explore the abandoned mine. With my binding spells, I can easily drag it to the surface, trapping it with no escape.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young dragon posed no threat to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They feared older dragons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop dreaming. Luck like that doesn’t happen. Stay alert, stick close to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden-haired warrior spoke gravely, his towering frame leading the way, giving his companions deep reassurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They entered the wilds, wary of every rustle and breeze, advancing deeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If viewed from above, one could trace their path—they would pass Iron Fir Hills. If fortune favored them, they might, as the spellcaster hoped, encounter a young dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1199,"2026-06-19T14:21:50.702Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","67cb652bb840031e55a2428c9ca8fd00709ca530c3f045d676ec6e5fabfb6558","toppling-the-entire-world-with-the-power-of-one--chapter-37","toppling-the-entire-world-with-the-power-of-one--chapter-35",101,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ftoppling-the-entire-world-with-the-power-of-one--cover.jpg"]