Chapter 129: The Nest of the Two-Legged Dragon
As for how the Thorn family and others ended up together with the bounty hunter Sorg the Beheaded, it happened after Donald left the capital. Although the Thorn family was unfamiliar in this strange land of Celt, the mage Hordon often traveled and had extensive experience in adventuring. That’s why he was repeatedly appointed by the Thorn family to lead their members on training missions.
He sent people to inquire about the Two-Legged Dragon Swamp among several mercenary groups and renowned adventurers in the capital. Many refused to take on this task and recommended Sorg the Beheaded, as he was considered the most knowledgeable adventurer about those dangerous lands.
In fact, if the area bordering the Two-Legged Dragon Swamp in the central part of the continent wasn’t already the border between orcs and humans, where large numbers of orc elites frequently appeared, making it extremely difficult even for silver-ranked warriors to pass through despite being hindered by others, they would have entered the swamp directly from there instead of traveling far north to Celt.
After finding Sorg, although he was interested in the task, he already had another assignment that would take at least a month to complete. So they arranged to meet in the Six Southern Towns at a later time.
A few days ago, after meeting, they officially entered the Two-Legged Dragon Swamp to explore. However, due to its vastness and ever-changing nature, even though Sorg was known as the most familiar adventurer there, with rich experience and great strength, he couldn’t lead them to the Poison Dragon Lizard Orchid right away.
It took several days to locate the small oasis island, the place where Sorg remembered having seen seedlings of the Poison Dragon Lizard Orchid before. But since there were no mature plants at that time, he hadn’t collected any. Now, judging by the time, the plants should be mature. Yet when they arrived, they found that the area where the seedlings used to grow was trampled flat. It was likely destroyed by some external magical beast or eaten by a giant lizard. Disappointed, they soon realized they were surrounded by angry giant lizards.
That’s when Donald and the others arrived to offer help.
The goblin airship, which was moving forward, suddenly stopped, surprising everyone inside. Before they could go out to ask what was happening, Donald entered with a serious expression.
“I think I’ve found the Poison Dragon Lizard Orchid!”
Horton was overjoyed upon hearing this. He and his men had searched for days with Sorg without finding the target, yet someone simply searched from atop the airship and located the Poison Dragon Lizard Orchid!
Donald then added, “But it will likely be difficult for us to approach the Poison Dragon Lizard Orchid, as they grow in the territory of a Two-Legged Dragon tribe, just a few hundred feet away from their nests!” This was the result of some owls he sent ahead to scout.
Upon hearing Donald’s words, everyone present frowned. A few Two-Legged Dragons alone wouldn’t be a threat to them, but stealing from their doorstep would mean facing an entire swarm of dragons. Even the silver-ranked strongmen weren’t sure they could escape unscathed.
“That Two-Legged Dragon tribe is about ten miles to the left ahead. Adult dragons are patrolling within a ten-mile radius—this must be their territory. It’s impossible for our airship to get there, so we’ll have to infiltrate on our own and find a way to pick the Poison Dragon Lizard Orchid.”
After hearing Donald’s analysis, everyone knew it was a dangerous task, but the allure of the Poison Dragon Lizard Orchid was great. At least Horton wasn’t willing to give up.
“Lord Baron, do you have any plans?”
Donald smiled and said, “Of course. I have an invisibility potion that can hide one’s appearance and scent, though it prevents attacks, otherwise, one’s location would be exposed.”
Ferdinand asked excitedly, “Are you saying we can take the potion to become invisible, sneak into the Two-Legged Dragon nest, pick the Poison Dragon Lizard Orchid, and then leave quietly?”
“Exactly!”
Edwina also said, “Donald, your talent is truly astonishing. Not only have your spells improved rapidly, but your alchemy skills are also so advanced. This must be the best method we have right now!”
“But just in case something goes wrong, I need two silver-ranked strongmen as cover!”
As he spoke, Donald scanned the crowd, looking for suitable candidates.
“What? Are you going to pick the Poison Dragon Lizard Orchid yourself?” Horton and Thorne asked in confusion. A task like this required a nimble swordsman, not a young mage.
“Yes. Aside from me, none of those here are certain they can escape unscathed. So I’m the most suitable candidate for this mission!”
Although the Thorne family and others were skeptical, seeing that no one from the Ansel family or others objected, they clearly recognized Donald’s strength. Naturally, they wouldn’t give up on the mission either.
In the end, after discussion, it was decided that one Silver Swordsmen from each of the Ansel and Thorne families would join Donald in this mission. Of course, if they succeeded, they would each receive a share of the Poison Dragon Lizard Orchid. As for Donald, who took on the greatest risks, he would get all the remaining Poison Dragon Lizard Orchids. Seeing his disciple ready to embark on this adventure, Maelthor didn’t try to stop him; instead, he gave him a few words of encouragement and careful instructions. The old mage knew that keeping his disciple by his side all the time would prevent him from growing stronger. Although Kelsas was worried about his master, he knew Donald had teleportation magic, so even if surrounded by Pterodactyls, he could escape instantly. Thus, he said nothing. Only Ferdinand was extremely concerned about Donald’s safety, constantly nagging him. It was his mother, Edwina, who couldn’t stand it any longer—she pulled him aside by the ear before letting Donald go. For Edwina, though she didn’t know Donald’s true strength or secrets, seeing how worried his teachers and followers were, she realized this young mage was confident enough to succeed in the mission. Even if he failed, he surely had a way to save himself. Ferdinand was just overthinking out of concern; after hearing his mother’s words, he was left at a loss. He could only watch as Donald led the two powerful Silver-tier Swordsmen off the airship and headed forward. After traveling about a mile away from the airship, Donald stopped and said, “Let’s start taking the potion now! Pterodactyls will be patrolling the skies ahead. You’re all experienced experts—you know what to do!” The two middle-aged Silver Swordsmen nodded, now recognizing Donald’s strength. That a Bronze Mage, without using any magic, could keep up with them at the speed of ordinary Silver Swordsmen without breaking a sweat was already a huge surprise to them. After taking the potion, the three of them vanished instantly, then moved carefully but quickly ahead. The invisibility potion had a time limit—they had to cover the roughly five-mile distance within two minutes, then take another dose of the potion to infiltrate the Pterodactyls’ nest, collect the Poison Dragon Lizard Orchids, and return to the airship. If they were discovered by the Pterodactyls, the two Silver Swordsmen would hold off their attacks long enough for Donald to gather the herbs, after which the three of them would use a teleportation scroll to escape danger.
Donald’s plan was almost perfect; as long as nothing unexpected happened, there was little risk. Soon, the three of them arrived in front of the Two-Legged Dragon tribe’s nest, less than a mile away. Although Two-Legged Dragons preferred living in environments like swamps, they never built their nests there but instead chose elevated locations such as hills and mountains. Such terrain was unlikely to exist in swamps, so these clever subdragon creatures found a fairly large area of solid ground and brought in stones, trees, and other materials from outside the swamp to gradually build a nest that resembled a small hill. Above them, countless Two-Legged Dragons flew back and forth, with at least a hundred of them, along with some smaller young dragons playing on the various peaks of the nest. Upon arriving, the three saw that on a small patch of land in front of the nest grew many green shrubs, including a few beautiful flowering plants that were the target of their mission. Donald immediately said into the air, “Time to act!” Two-Legged Dragons relied on their vision and keen sense of smell to perceive their surroundings, as their hearing wasn’t very sharp, which was why Donald dared to speak from such close range. Hearing this, the other two quickly took another dose of the invisibility potion. Then Donald silently approached the target area. Everything went as smoothly as he had expected. When he reached that patch of land, he didn’t alert any of the Two-Legged Dragons, nor did any of them notice that the flowers and plants in front of their nest had been secretly stolen. Strangely enough, the Poison Dragon Orchid was only deadly attractive to amphibians like lizards and snakes that lacked dragon bloodline. It had no effect on subdragon creatures like Two-Legged Dragons or Earth Dragons, not even those with a trace of low-level dragon blood. That’s why no powerful subdragons competed for this magical plant. To the Two-Legged Dragons, these Poison Dragon Orchids were just like a few weeds in front of their home—nothing worth paying attention to.
In contrast, the area where the Poisonous Dragon Orchid grows is regarded by the Two-Legged Dragons as a sacred place for mating and reproduction. This is because, whenever the Poisonous Dragon Orchid matures, it releases an aphrodisiac scent that only affects dragon-like creatures. By absorbing the bodily fluids they shed into the soil during mating, the Poisonous Dragon Orchid can produce seeds and thus reproduce the next generation. After the flowers bloom, these orchids have no effect on sub-dragons, who, with their limited intelligence, cannot understand what is happening. On the other hand, ordinary lizards or venomous snakes that manage to swallow the fully matured Poisonous Dragon Orchids containing seeds will evolve into sub-dragon monsters with a trace of dragon bloodline—a true marvel of creation. Donald speculates that the ancestors of such lower-tier monsters like lizards and snakes may have had a bloodline connection to dragons in ancient times, but over time this connection became latent, appearing only when triggered by external forces. The mysterious substance contained in the Poisonous Dragon Orchid is precisely what can activate the powerful genes hidden within this latent bloodline.