Chapter 380: Holy Grail Knight

"Searching for the giant dragon…"

Lei En was momentarily confused, about to ask a follow‑up question, when he suddenly thought that with so many transcendents nearby, his words might be overheard, so he gave Ai Mi Li Si a hand signal.

Ai Mi Li Si immediately understood and cast a spell to set up a Soundproof Force Field around the tent.

"They want to slay a dragon?" Lei En finally asked with relief.

"Yes." Red Bronze Dragon Jia La De Luo Si wore an excited expression; as a true giant dragon, he was oddly not averse to dragon‑slaying. When Ai Mi Li Si summoned him before, he sensed the aura of a dragon‑slayer on Lei En but paid it no mind.

Lei En glanced at him and asked oddly, "Which dragon are they after? How did this stir up such a commotion that even members of the Rose Knight Order showed up?"

"It's said to be a female Black Dragon," Jia La De Luo Si said. "I've been mingling with those mercenaries these past few days and picked up some information. Lei En, you have no idea of this Black Dragon's capabilities… Not to mention the Rose Knight Order, I bet you'd want to slay it too."

Ai Mi Li Si and Xin Da La both understood, each with a dragon beside them, showing a look of helplessness.

Lei En could only cooperate and asked, "What has this Black Dragon done?"

"She assumed human form to infiltrate Brantania, posing as a countess named 'Yi Bi Xi An', swindling for over twenty years, and only recently was exposed and fled."

Jia La De Luo Si's eyebrows rose with excitement, "I heard those mercenaries say she specifically conned nobles and magnates in Brantania, using beauty and tricks, becoming the most famous aristocratic lady there."

"She defrauded money under the guise of business and investment, promising high returns. I don't know how many fell for it—some invested as little as twenty‑to‑thirty thousand Gold Shields, others tens of thousands, even the Knight King was swindled out of a large sum."

"After Yi Bi Xi An's identity was exposed, she fled on the spot, whereabouts unknown."

"The Knight King summoned the Lake Goddess to perform divination, which pinpointed the Black Dragon's lair hidden in the Deep Mud Swamp. He then ordered Dragon Rider Ma Xiu*An Sai Long to bring the Rose Knights here, swearing to recover the nobles' money."

"The Knight King also issued a bounty: anyone who finds the Black Dragon's lair, civilian or noble alike, may choose either fifty thousand Gold Shields or a knight's domain as a reward."

"The mercenaries of Brantania have gone mad, all rushing toward the swamp."

Lei En listened, lost in thought.

He had long heard of Dragon Rider Ma Xiu*An Sai Long's great name; this powerhouse might be the most famous Dragon Rider in the world today.

Ma Xiu*An Sai Long is not only a Dragon Rider but also a Holy Grail Knight!

Every Holy Grail Knight is a Divine Chosen of the Lake Goddess, having endured harsh trials and arduous tests, ultimately receiving the goddess's blessing, drinking the holy water, ascending to Legendary High-rank, pledging unwavering loyalty to the goddess, guarding Brantania until death.

To the people of Brantania, Holy Grail Knights are saints walking among mortals, revered and worshipped as moral exemplars.

Holy Grail Knights also rank among the top combat forces in legends.

They no longer need to merge with demonic souls; they become their own vessels—the mortal Holy Grail—housing the goddess's divine power, gaining immense strength, and after death offering their souls and a lifetime's cultivated divine energy to the goddess, augmenting her might.

Ma Xiu*An Sai Long is a Legendary High-rank Holy Grail Knight, having served as the Rose Knight Order's commander for nearly a hundred years; his true‑dragon partner is an adult female Silver Dragon, who is also his lover.

The touching love between man and dragon spreads widely throughout human realms.

Lei En had heard stories of Silver Dragon Knight Ma Xiu*An Sai Long since childhood.

As for that Black Dragon, defrauding money under the pretense of investment sounds like a Ponzi scheme… It reminded him of Steel Dragon, Mrs. Xia Lanwei, who dealt in real‑estate.

Do all the world's giant dragons possess such economic acumen?

Lei En subconsciously asked, "How much money did she swindle?"

"The sum is too huge to tally accurately," Jia La De Luo Si said, his eyes full of yearning. "Some say at least three million Gold Shields, others five million; yesterday I overheard a few Rose Knights discussing privately—it could be over ten million!"

"That much!"

Lei En's jaw dropped; that Black Dragon is playing on a massive scale!

Brantania's total population is just over twenty million, its area roughly equal to three to four provinces of the Empire; losing ten million Gold Shields to a single giant dragon would severely sap the kingdom's vitality.

No wonder the Knight King sent the Rose Knight Order to collect the debt.

If the dragon‑slaying goes poorly, the Knight King himself might ride out to lead the campaign.

"Exactly…" Jia La De Luo Si exclaimed.

True dragons differ greatly in temperament, yet every giant dragon shares one trait: greed for wealth. The Red Bronze Dragon seemed to see countless Gold Shields piling like a mountain before his eyes, "Over ten million Gold Shields could fill my entire lair, sigh…"

Not only him, Xin Da La's eyes also glittered with gold.

The soul colors of these two dragons shifted and swirled with emotion, apparently plotting against that Black Dragon.

To be honest, Lei En felt a bit stirred.

He looked at Ai Mi Li Si and asked, "Is the giant dragon you intend to summon that Black Dragon?"

Black Dragons belong to the Chromatic Dragons, which are generally Evil Dragons worshipping the Evil Dragon Mother Ti Ya Xi Si; dragon summons can only be bound to giants who revere the Good Dragon deity Bahamut, mostly metal dragons, with a few exotic varieties.

"Probably not."

Ai Mi Li Si's expression was uncertain.

"Then how did you know the Deep Mud Swamp harbors a Good Dragon?" Lei En asked again.

"I once dealt with the Beastmen of the Ice Thorn Clan," Ai Mi Li Si said. "The Deep Mud Swamp grows 'Black Soul Mushrooms'; you've probably heard of them—they're a rare herb that alchemists can turn into top‑tier soul‑refining elixirs. Years ago I entered the swamp to gather Black Soul Mushrooms and noticed a dragon‑summon reaction, indicating a Good Dragon nearby, but I didn't dare summon."

"I see," Lei En nodded.

That meant Ai Mi Li Si also didn't know what kind of Good Dragon it was.

"Did you find the dragon?"

Ai Mi Li Si shook her head, replying gloomily, "I went back to the spot where I once met the Good Dragon a few days ago; the dragon‑summon gave no response, so that dragon may have just passed through."

"Why not keep searching?" Lei En asked, puzzled.

"Even if I found it I wouldn't dare sound the horn," Ai Mi Li Si said, full of helplessness. "Commander Ma Xiu*An Sai Long has been in the swamp lately; I'm afraid the dragon‑summon would react to his Silver Dragon, and if it summons the Silver Dragon we'd waste this chance."

Lei En suddenly realized—it was indeed a tricky situation.

The Silver Dragon had a soul pact with Ma Xiu*An Sai Long, so it could not also enter a dragon‑summon oath with Ai Mi Li Si; the two would conflict.

A dragon‑summon can only accumulate a use opportunity once every thirty years, and this was the last chance.

Missing this would mean waiting another decade or more.

Ai Mi Li Si had been pondering the matter these past days, tentatively asking, "Lei En, how about we give up and try our luck at Shi Jie Shan Mai?"

Shi Jie Shan Mai is the place with the most giant dragons in the world.

But having too many dragons is actually a drawback.

Lei En sat down, shaking his head, "No. The dragons of Shi Jie Shan Mai are too many and mostly Evil Dragons. If you sound the horn, you might summon not a Good Dragon but a horde of Evil Dragons. Even if it's a Good Dragon, it could be an elderly or ancient one—we'd likely be outmatched."

He still remembers the group of white dragons he met on the Seien Plateau, and the ancient red dragon that occupied the solitary peak.

Ai Mi Li Si actually knows this well; the ancestors of the Zhuo Gengbao family never dared to summon a giant dragon in Shi Jie Shan Mai because it was too dangerous.

"This won't do, that won't do either."

Xin Da La said with an impatient expression, "Then what should we do? We've waited so long, we're bored to death, I feel moss growing on my body."

Lei En glared at her; that stubborn mother dragon was contradicting him again.

"Let's search in the swamp; maybe we'll get lucky," he said without stating it outright. Relying on his Soul Eye, Will of Truth, and the Voice of All Things, he could not claim his searching ability was the best in the world, but those stronger than him were few.

"Good!" Jia La De Luo Si was the first to agree, rubbing his hands and saying, "Maybe we can find that black dragon's lair, hehe…"

Xin Da La's eyes also lit up.

Ai Mi Li Si was also unwilling to give up so easily; after hesitating, she said, "We can't delay too long; Haitoke needs me to return and take command."

"Then we'll search for only half a month; when the time's up, regardless of the outcome, we return," Lei En set the plan.

"Hmm, that's the only way," Ai Mi Li Si had no objection.

Jia La De Luo Si could hardly wait and urged departure; Ai Mi Li Si also wanted to seize the time, deactivated the Soundproof Force Field, packed up, and stored the tents in a spatial ring.

The nearby people saw their actions and no one was surprised.

More mercenaries had already entered the swamp; those remaining in the Ice Thorn clan were only a small portion, establishing a resting base here and taking turns to search the swamp.

Ai Mi Li Si summoned four tall phantom war horses, and everyone mounted them.

Just as they were about to leave the camp, Lei En suddenly looked into the distance.

Soon after, the ground trembled slightly, dust billowed on the road coming from the west, and a massive army appeared in people's view.

"Wolf cavalry!" someone shouted in alarm.

Hundreds of orc warriors rode atop massive dire wolves, racing along the road; each orc bore a wolf‑head tattoo on his chest, wielded a great axe or war blade, and marched with swift training, as if ten thousand troops surged together, their momentum awe‑inspiring.

Several dark specks appeared in the sky, drawing nearer; soon everyone saw their forms—it turned out to be a dozen or so wind riders.

"Wo Rui Er Guard!"

The mercenaries erupted in a clamor, and the Rose Knights also became alert.

On the ground, amid the wolf cavalry, a squad of shaman priests was protected.

Among them, an old shaman stood out; his build was more robust than ordinary orcs, his hair and beard had turned gray‑white, one tusk was broken, his facial wrinkles were deep, making him look very aged, yet his eyes were clear, his muscles still well‑developed, comparable to the strongest orc warriors.

The old shaman wore a pair of massive odd‑shaped war blades at his waist, indicating his formidable melee strength.

Lei En used his Soul Eye to glance, and his pupils involuntarily contracted slightly.

This seemingly frail, aged orc was actually an eighteenth‑rank shaman priest!

(End of Chapter)