Chapter 128: Searching for the Poisonous Dragon Lizard Orchid

“I don’t know what your goals are, but if it’s not too dangerous, I wonder if we could join you. It would also give my granddaughter some adventure experience, so she won’t be easily bullied in the future!”
Horton said affectionately, stroking the girl’s head.
“And one more person means more help. We can also lend a hand. As for what you’re looking for, we won’t ask for anything!”
Horton and the others were curious about Donald’s secret mission. Miss Thorn, especially Emily, was eager to join. If not for her grandfather’s restraint, she would have secretly followed Donald and the others. So Horton simply asked directly. With his own protection and a strong team, there probably wouldn’t be any life-threatening danger.
Upon hearing Horton and Thorn’s request, Edwina said she needed to discuss it with her companions.
Donald’s opinion was that, under any circumstances, they had only two options regarding the Thorn family and others. The first was to leave them behind and move forward alone, but given the Thorn family’s strength, there was a high chance they would be caught up. Once they found the ruins, according to the rules of the continent, whoever found them could claim a share, meaning at least half of the loot originally belonging to Ansel and Donald would have to be divided.
The second option was to take them along to search for the ruins. With more strong fighters, they could move faster, but dealing with the distribution of treasures in the ruins would be complicated.
As for eliminating these people in the swamp? They weren’t unprincipled scoundrels, and their strength wasn’t enough to completely overpower their opponents. It might work against ordinary adventurers or minor nobles, but against a powerful force like the Thorn family, their core members would need something to save their lives—otherwise, it would be impossible. If even one of them escaped, they would incur a lasting feud with such a powerful group, which could only end when one side was defeated. Moreover, both sides held significant status in their respective countries, and this could even lead to war between the nations, affecting even more people.
Donald would never support such an action that harmed others without benefiting himself. The Ansel family also had its own honor and wouldn’t resort to such despicable tactics. So Edwina came up with a way to maximize benefits while minimizing risks.

“Since Mr. Thorne wants to show the younger generation, how about we make a deal? We’ll help you find the Poisonous Dragon Lizard Orchid, and in return, you won’t interfere with our actions. You can choose whether to help or not as you see fit. As for all the gains from this trip, aside from what we give up, you’re not allowed to claim any part under any pretext. What do you say to that?”
After some thought, Thorne realized that his side wouldn’t suffer any loss from such a deal—might even gain something—plus, since the other party cared so much about this secret mission, he became even more curious. So he nodded in agreement.
“The reason I brought Emily along this time, besides searching for the Poisonous Dragon Lizard Orchid, is mainly to give her some experience. Other matters aren’t on our agenda, so please rest assured—we’ll just observe and listen, without revealing a single secret!” Edwina thought to herself, “Once we arrive, you won’t think so anymore. An archmage’s ruin is enough to drive an entire kingdom crazy. I’m luring you in with words first; even if you change your mind later, you won’t have the guts to claim much of the treasure!”
But aloud, she said, “Very well! The reputation of the Thorne family is indeed trustworthy! Please board the ship.”
Seeing Edwina easily trap that experienced silver mage in her scheme, Donald secretly smiled, admiring the marquess’s quick wits.
Excluding the two pilots who operated the airship, the standard capacity of a goblin airship was ten people. With Donald and his group of eight, plus the six from the Thorne family, fourteen people were now on board, slightly overloading it.
Fortunately, Donald, Ferdinand, Emily from the Thorne family, and Kelsas—these young people—were all on the deck, so the cabin wasn’t too crowded.
Moreover, since they were flying at low altitude and didn’t dare speed up in those dangerous swamps, the reduced flight efficiency caused by overloading wasn’t a problem at all.
Donald had gone onto the deck to observe better and determine the correct direction. Ferdinand and Kelsas were simply worried about Donald’s safety. As for Miss Thorne, she was naturally lively and curious—the view from the deck was far more pleasant than the stuffy cabin.
“It’s amazing! This is the first time I’ve seen a ship that can fly in the sky. Could this be the power of the legendary Sky City? When I get back, I’ll definitely tell Molly and the others—they’ll be green with envy!”

Not only curious girls like Emily were amazed by every aspect of this airship, but even Hordonsorn and the others were in awe.
“Is this a ship powered by magic? It’s so ingenious—I wonder which master created it. What a great invention! Once such flying vessels become widespread, human life will become much more convenient and fast!”
Hearing the old silver mage Hordonsorn exclaiming at the ship’s entrance, Donald smiled and explained, “It’s actually a product of ancient goblin technology combined with alchemy. It generates thrust by converting heat energy and the energy from crystal cores. However, its cost is extremely high—no kingdom can afford several such airships. It will be extremely difficult to make them widespread!”
Hordonsorn sighed, “What a pity!”
Donald continued, “Although my airship has drawbacks like its high cost and lack of offensive capabilities, its flying ability is extremely strong. It can carry people at heights of thousands of feet, and its speed is comparable to that of most level-five flying magical beasts. Its greatest advantage is that it only requires ten elementary element crystals to cover a distance of ten thousand miles, giving it astonishing endurance!”
“Isn’t that even more convenient than having a flying mount?”
“Of course. An airship isn’t like a magical beast—it doesn’t get tired, doesn’t need feeding, and flies smoothly. You don’t have to sit outside in the cold wind; you can drink tea and eat inside without any disturbance. Describing it as a ‘traveling home’ is the most fitting term!”
Hordonsorn’s eyes lit up as he asked, “Did you build this airship yourself, Lord Baron?” Seeing that the silver mage of the Thorne family seemed interested, Donald made up an excuse on the spot and said, “Indeed. After I obtained the blueprints for the airship, I began preparing to build it. I’ve just completed Griffon One recently, and another one is under construction. However, we’re short of funds and materials. If you could provide a magic core or crystal worth 100,000 gold sols, or precious materials like refined gold and silver that are extremely rare, I can build you such an airship and even train the pilots to operate it!” Hordonsorn didn’t respond right away. Meanwhile, Edwina inside the cabin was also very interested and took over the conversation, saying, “Donald, our Ansel family also wants you to build such an airship. I wonder if you can agree?”
Donald smiled and said, “Of course. But if you want one, Lady, you’ll need to wait a few more months!”

“I can wait that long. With this airship, it will be much easier to travel back and forth between my home and the royal capital. I estimate it will only take half a day to get there!” Edwina was not only impressed by the strategic advantages of the airship but also considered her king brother’s limited time, wanting to be able to take care of him while still being at home in the royal capital.

Ferdinand patted Donald on the shoulder but didn’t say anything to offer him a discount. If no one else were around, he would surely have made some jokes, but since the Thorn family was also interested in purchasing the goblin airship, saying such things would be equivalent to helping them haggle, which would only hinder Donald.

Of course, Donald set a high price for Hordon, aiming to take advantage of the situation to extort a large sum from the Thorn family. Although the exchange price for the airship was expensive, it wasn’t that extreme. As for the one the Ansel family wanted, Donald would just make a profit equal to the cost, so he naturally wouldn’t overcharge them.

To be honest, Hordon was indeed tempted by such an airship. Such a convenient and fast ancient flying device could play a significant role for a family with power, and for a mage like him who loved traveling and exploring, it would be like having a mobile home at all times.

However, the price of 100,000 gold sols was too high for him. If he were buying it privately, he could afford it with all his wealth, but then he would have to consider the opinions of his fellow elders and the current family head, who had held high positions for decades. So, he could only temporarily agree with Donald to conduct the transaction after returning to Gardrel.

Donald agreed to help Hordon find the Poison Dragon Lizard Orchid first and certainly wouldn’t just talk without taking action. Besides, Poison Dragon Lizard Orchids usually didn’t grow alone—there would be at least two plants, and if there were more, they would have a chance to get a share as well.

According to the bounty hunter Sorg, Donald started moving south from the island he was on earlier, searching for solid land where he could land and areas where lizard-type monsters appeared. Coincidentally, the direction Sorg suggested for searching was roughly the same as the location of the ruins he had identified. Realizing this, Donald was glad they had chosen the second method to involve the Thorn family and others—it turned out to be the right decision.