"It's your service fee. I'll probably need your help regularly while we're staying here. And, of course, it covers the cost of the daggers. But—"
Ian looked up at Diana's slightly dazed moss-green eyes as he spoke, then reached toward the mask with his right hand and added,
"To think you'd see as an unreliable and disappointing human, it almost makes want to—"
"—I apologize." Diana interrupted, nearly throwing herself toward him, her hands shooting out to cover the top of the mask.
"I misspoke. Ian Hope, please forget everything I just said. You are the most honorable human I've ever t and the most faithful rcenary of unparalleled integrity." Kneeling on one knee, Diana added the words without even breathing.
Ian, eting her gaze, slowly curled his lips into a grin. "I can feel the sincerity. Apology accepted."
"Phew."
When Ian lowered his right hand back into the water, Diana let out a sigh of relief. She then hesitantly spread her hands away from the mask. She glanced down at its concave interior, her trembling eyes locking onto the cigarette inside.
It was shorter and slimr than the one she had smoked last ti—clearly one of Findrel's cigarettes.
As Diana stared at the cigarette as if entranced, Ian spoke casually. "What's wrong? Is it too small for your liking?"
"N-no way!" Startled, Diana shook her head vigorously and quickly slid the cigarette deep into the gap of her chest plate. Only then did her lips curve into a smile, and she turned to face Ian.
"Thank you, Ian Hope. You truly are a benefactor of Erenos."
"So, I'm finally being recognized as a benefactor?" Ian chuckled, tipping the mask slightly in his hand as he spoke. "Leave the hot water by the door. Oh, and starting tomorrow, I'd prefer my als at ho."
"Got it. I'll pick them up and bring them here," Diana replied without hesitation, not even slightly annoyed. In fact, her lips still carried a faint smile.
So, the pride of a fairy is worth a single cigarette, huh?
Ian mused internally as he released the mask. Diana, clutching the beast-shaped mask tightly to her chest, exhaled a relieved sigh.
"Alright, I'll head back and—" Diana's gaze abruptly froze on Ian's wet forearm. The taut muscles, etched with battle scars and intricate tattoos, caught her attention.
"Get it ready," she snapped in a stiff tone, springing to her feet. She spun away, slipping the mask's straps around her neck as she moved.
Grabbing the buckets, Diana's back was turned when Ian called after her. "Don't spread the word. I'd rather not wake up to an ambush by other fairies."
"Don't worry." Standing in the doorway, Diana turned to Ian with a mischievous grin.
"I'm not sharing even a single puff of this. It's all mine." With the sound of gears turning, the bathroom door slid upward, and Diana's smiling face disappeared beyond it.
Of course. There was no way Diana would share her only cigarette.
Thinking as much, Ian slid his upper body back into the water. As he rested the back of his head against the rim of the tub, a faint smile tugged at his lips. From now on, Diana would dedicate herself fully to aiding him, likely hoping to earn another cigarette.
Unfortunately, there won't be more.
That was when Yog's voice slithered into Ian's mind.
—You have the most devious smile when you’re alone, my friend.
The creature had resurfaced, swimming lazily across the bathwater. Yog's love for water was likely a remnant of the Swamp's Resentnt, sothing Ian recalled it being not disappeared but rged into one.
Half-opening his eyes, Ian muttered, "Keep it down. Lucy's sleeping."
—You seem to have forgotten. The terminal etched into Lucy is connected to you.
Yog's tone remained calm and asured.
—I can't speak to her without going through you, but the reverse? That's entirely possible.
"What a delicate pain in the ass." Ian snorted, raising his left hand lazily above the water. "And that ans my peace shouldn't be disturbed, either. So, just swim quietly."
—How you enjoy pointless things.
Yog chuckled slowly, but after that, it went silent.
Finally, peace returned.
Ian gazed at the back of his left hand, now out of the water. In the center, faintly engraved, was a hexagonal pattern—a spell circuit so subtle that only he could notice it.
Mantra Resonance.
Ian narrowed his eyes, pulling up his skill nu. In the shared category, a new skill had appeared. However, it was a conditional skill, only activatable within the dragon's domain. That was all the description provided.
Does this work in all dragon lairs? Or is it specifically because Archeas had a hand in creating this place?
The only certainty was that Ian would have gained this skill regardless of the Platinum Barrier. The surface-level resonance had rely been the initial trigger;
its waves had spread throughout his body, responding to the dragon's core embedded within him.
I get that this is an event skill for the Dragon's Agent, but… Would I even use it?
Ian clicked his tongue. He knew that abandoned dragon lairs lay hidden across the continent. Yet, they had no connection to the ga's overarching plot. They were simply Easter eggs, as many guides described them.
Sure, he could use it here, but all it would do was throw the city into chaos. He could also claim ownership of the city, but it wasn’t as if the residents would suddenly rally behind him.
So it's probably ant for dealing with the Heaven Defier.
Ian nodded to himself. That was the most convincing conclusion. While he had no idea what kind of Mantra circuits were carved into the dragon's grave, whatever they were, they would undoubtedly be useful when facing one. Perhaps it was a skill ant to be obtained after stepping into the dragon’s grave.
Maybe that’s why Archeas stopped from going there in the first place.
If Ian thought a fight was manageable, there was no way he'd walk away on his own.
A faint, bitter smile ford on Ian’s lips as he thought of the Platinum Dragon. He felt certain that by now, the dragon would have realized he was missing. The words of the Platinum Dragon, claiming that all dragons would succumb eventually to madness, resurfaced in Ian's mind.
It's not like he'll lose his sanity over a single agent, but still.
It would certainly give him more reason to focus on tearing down the Black Wall.
Shaking his head lightly, Ian closed the skill nu and subrged his head deeply into the hot water. For now, all he could do was savor this rare mont of peaceful rest. A ti would inevitably co when he'd look back on this mont with longing.
***
Ian opened his eyes under a blanket.
Warmth enveloped him. He couldn’t rember the last ti he had fallen into such a deep, comfortable sleep without the aid of ditation. He wanted to stay like this a little longer, basking in the laziness.
—Finally awake. I was so bored I could hardly stand it.
Yog's voice interrupted, shattering the peace.
Clicking his tongue, Ian slowly lifted his upper body. The room was small, the ceiling slightly low, as if all the furniture had been shrunk.
He had slept curled up on the corner floor, not just because it brought a sense of security but also to fully enjoy the warmth radiating through the ground. Even though the blanket he'd used was old and tattered, it had kept him warm and light.
Likely thanks to the dragon's magic flowing through the city.
Just then, Lucia's head popped through the door fra.
"Are you awake?" Her voice was casual, and her face looked noticeably refreshed. She must have cleaned up while he slept. Her crimson hair, which was once matted with dust and gri, now hung damp and sleek.
"How long have you been up?" Ian asked.
"Not sure. Maybe two or three hours," she replied.
Nodding, Ian asked as he stood up, "What about Diana? She was supposed to bring us breakfast."
"She hasn't co by. Even if she did, she probably wouldn't have co in, knowing you were still asleep."
"Which ans you've gone without food."
"Not exactly." Lucia's lips curved into a slight smile as she shrugged. "There's still so jerky left. I had a little."
"Ah, good thinking." As Ian stepped out of the room, he added, "But try not to touch it too much while we're here. Once that's gone, we'll be stuck with whatever passes for jerky in this town."
"Doesn't matter. As long as it's edible, isn't that enough?" Her nonchalant response made Ian chuckle softly—it was exactly sothing he would say.
"Are you feeling okay?" Ian asked as he approached the table, picking up his White Phosphor Armor.
"I feel great. Slept soundly for the first ti in a while, and the air here is nice," Lucia replied, shrugging.
This must be how people turn into Moles, Ian thought wryly as he began donning his armor.
"Then let's get ready to head out. We need to eat."
"I thought yesterday was the last ti you'd eat at the dining hall?" Lucia asked as she adjusted her clothes.
Ian shrugged. "The attendant hasn't co, so we have to go."
Ian wondered if he'd given Diana the mask too early. As he adjusted the greaves, he drew a Truesilver Steel Sword from his pocket dinsion and secured it at his waist.
The sound of grinding stones echoed as Lucia, already standing by the door, pulled the handle. Ian approached and strode forward into the underground city.
The layered, stair-like structure of the underground city unfolded before him: a stream cutting through the center of the settlent, orderly rows of cultivated fields and workshops beyond, and walls and ceilings etched with intricate Mantra circuits. The city seed quieter, likely due to the near absence of patrol scouts.
Turning his body and tilting his head slightly, Ian's eyes narrowed for a mont before he relaxed and began walking again, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"So, at least she didn’t run off."
Leaning casually against a nearby wall was Diana, her mask flipped up and perched atop her head. Beside her stood two familiar dwarves, both wearing displeased expressions as they exchanged words. One had a red beard, and the other sported curly black beard—they were the sa guards who had opened the entrance to the sewer gate for him earlier.
—Lots of little bearded ones.
Yog's lazy whisper ca as Lucia followed behind Ian.
The two dwarves weren't alone. Across the plaza leading to the inner fortress, several other dwarves were milling about, so already beginning to inch closer as they caught sight of Ian. Diana, glaring at the encroaching dwarves, turned to look at him.
"They look like they're waiting for ," Ian remarked without stopping.
Diana nodded. "These stumpy fools said they wanted to wait in front of your place. I've been keeping them back."
"Good job."
It was easy to imagine the dwarves pounding persistently, potentially disrupting his rare, restful sleep. That would have put him in a foul mood, ruining any chance of a peaceful trade.
Ian turned his gaze toward the red-bearded dwarf, who was already watching him.
The dwarf gave a slight nod of acknowledgnt. "Well, hello there, lanky friend. We've t before, haven't we?"
"So, what’s this about?" Ian stopped at a reasonable distance and asked, glancing at the other dwarves approaching from behind.
"Well, you see." The red-bearded dwarf scratched his thick nose and exchanged a look with the curly-bearded one before stepping a little closer.
Diana also moved, subtly stepping back to position herself between Ian and the dwarves, as though to shield him.
She’s acting so loyal now.
Ian swallowed a laugh.
The red-bearded dwarf, now standing still, finally continued. "That armor of yours—it doesn't look ordinary. And now that I'm seeing it up close, neither does that sword of yours."
"Oh, this?" Feigning ignorance, Ian glanced down at his White Phosphor Armor and shrugged. "They say it's an artifact of the fairies."
Diana's head whipped toward Ian in surprise while the two dwarves exchanged glances and burst into laughter almost simultaneously.
"Ha! No way the pointy ears could make sothing like that. Maybe if it was commissioned from a dwarven master craftsman, then sure."
Ian scratched his chin thoughtfully and gave a slow nod. "Well, I suppose that makes sense."
It was certainly a more convincing claim than saying the fairies had crafted it themselves.
"Then I suppose we should call this a dwarven artifact once owned by the fairies," said Ian.
"You're quite perceptive, my friend," the red-bearded dwarf said with a grin, his gaze shifting past Ian to Lucia. "The equipnt that the red-haired lady over there was wearing looked pretty remarkable, too. If I'm not mistaken, it's all made with truesilver alloy, isn't it?"
Lucia nodded calmly. "That's correct."
"But that," the dwarf continued, "was the work of a craftsman on my level. Those of us with this skill set can spot it right away. But you, lanky friend—your equipnt…"
His sharp eyes returned to Ian. "These pieces are the work of a master. The armor, the greaves, and even that sword. So… would you mind letting us take a closer look?"
The red-bearded dwarf glanced at the other dwarves gathering in the street with a faintly annoyed expression before adding, "This city is ho to many skilled craftsn, but sadly, none have reached the level of a master. If you were to lend us your equipnt, just examining it would teach us so much."
"Sounds like you'd like to take it apart to examine it."
"Now, now, I wouldn't ask for that much. But if you allowed it, it'd help us imnsely," the red-bearded dwarf said with a toothy grin, his yellowed teeth visible. The curly-bearded dwarf nodded in agreent as a quest window appeared in Ian's view.
[The Aspiration of Craftsn.]
The objective was straightforward: show equipnt of a certain quality to the dwarven craftsn. The reward was a small amount of experience and an unspecified bonus.
I didn't expect there'd be a quest for this, Ian thought as he closed the window.
The red-bearded dwarf, growing impatient, licked his lips and continued, "Your armor doesn't look like it's in great shape, to be honest. If you keep using it as it is, it'll fall apart before long. If you let us examine it, we'll make sure it's repaired to the best of our ability."
"Well," Ian murmured, rubbing his chin as if pondering the offer, before finally shrugging. "Still, that doesn't sound like a very compelling offer."
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