OBS Chapter 198 begins
Chapter 198 begins
Chapter 198 begins
On a misty morning, the crisp sound of horses' hooves suddenly broke the silence. The rolling wheels crushed the frost-covered grass and slowly drove into the wilderness.
Looking at the caravan behind him, which had grown somewhat larger, Mark felt a long-lost surge of pride welling up inside him.
He had already sold most of the weapons he had traded from the Red Dragon for an average of 400 gold coins each. Wolf made a fortune. After Thor robbed half of his loot and he returned from the wilderness, Mark had seriously considered stopping there.
His life's work had allowed him to accumulate some wealth, and although he lost money on this trip, he wouldn't be left destitute in his old age.
But the thought of the financial hardship he might face in the future stirred up a sense of resentment within him, and he ultimately decided to take another gamble.
Later, when he traded the weapons he had acquired from Saul for even more wealth, he once again considered quitting.
However, after attending a private banquet hosted by a truly wealthy businessman, he developed an even greater desire for a manor of his own.
So when he heard the rumors about the Red Dragon, he immediately realized it was an opportunity and hurriedly assembled a larger caravan to come and try to get a share of the profits.
"After this trip, I will definitely quit! The money I make will definitely be enough for me to buy a piece of land next to the deep water port and live a comfortable and wealthy old age."
Mark gazed at the distant, faintly visible mountains, his face filled with anticipation for the future. The convoy moved slowly forward until it was swallowed by the morning mist.
On another route, Kate rode an old brown horse, walking silently through the wilderness.
Thick moisture condensed into brown marks on his old leather armor, and his hair was wet, with water droplets sliding down the worn hilt of the sword at his waist.
The sudden commotion ahead caught his attention. Although his left eye had become hazy and cloudy, his right eye suddenly shone with a sharp light.
He carefully dismounted, reached out and gripped the hilt of his sword, and cautiously moved forward little by little.
Fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that the people in front of them were several familiar faces—the young adventurers they had met at the tavern, who seemed to be arguing over a disagreement.
He didn't intend to pay attention or get involved, and led his horse around to the side, his figure gradually disappearing into the morning mist.
Even though most of the wilderness was shrouded in thick fog, the area around Thor's lair remained unchangingly hot and dry.
The towering volcano roared and shook, like a giant piece of smoke, constantly spewing out thick smoke.
Volcanic ash mixed with sulfides and minerals merged with high-altitude water vapor, acting as condensation nuclei and causing a gray-black rain to fall.
At this moment, Thor was lying in the lava, most of his body submerged, with only his ferocious head and towering back showing.
As the number of creatures in his territory increased, his means of obtaining essence also broadened.
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Almost every moment, you can see the numbers after the balance jumping around—it's as if some being is calling out his name or paying homage to his majestic statue.
A significant portion of these new balances became Thor's food expenses, being exchanged for various energy crystals and minerals, which he then consumed.
After all, his formidable strength and robust physique did not come from nowhere; they required a large amount of energy and material replenishment.
Those dragon crystals and the like are nothing compared to how fast he's accumulating essence; he can easily exchange them for a huge amount of D-grade essence.
Even higher-level energy crystals, minerals, and the most expensive miscellaneous item I've drawn so far—ether crystals—still represent a considerable expense when consumed.
The energy inside the ether crystal that he initially swallowed has now been almost completely absorbed.
The subtle influence of the unique energy made him more sensitive to various elements and his transformation ability stronger. On the dark red scales on his body, one could even see a layer of flowing rainbow light.
This made Thor feel that he was trending towards evolving into a rainbow dragon. Weren't those legendary true dragons supposed to be able to absorb and be immune to all magical elements in the world, and even transform them into their own weapons?
Or perhaps, the special energy within the ether crystals activated the most primal dragon blood within him?
It's important to know that Tiamat, the five-headed dragon queen who was the source of all the five-colored dragons, was also a being who could control multiple elements. However, this characteristic was split in the five-colored dragons she created, which is why they were divided into different types.
Thor felt that he was more likely to gravitate towards the Rainbow Dragons, since even the original five-colored dragons could only master the elements of their own race.
In any case, ether crystals are a great tonic for him, so the more the better.
In addition to his daily food expenses, Thor also collects miscellaneous items every now and then to unlock more exchangeable items.
Most of them are useless, but a few are worth noting.
For example, he might throw a wisp of miasma collected from the Valley of Miasma at the Fungus People of the Underdark, who are also fungi, to see if they could figure out anything from it.
There is another type of ore called Dragon Script, which contains energy similar to that of Dragon Crystal, but it is artificially synthesized. Thor finds the taste strange and doesn't like it.
There is also a type of azure-blue, glass-like crystal called Azure Thunder Crystal, which is formed from sand and gravel struck by lightning in the extreme environment of the Tianqian Sand Plain. It is rich in pure lightning power and can be considered a decent snack.
This adds a new "dish" to Thor's menu that can enhance his lightning attribute.
However, all things considered, among all the energy crystals obtained so far, the Dragon Crystal is still the most cost-effective. It is pure, inclusive, and of a high enough rank, making it irreplaceable, just like a staple food.
Time flew by, and Thor left all the affairs of the territory to Alan, only responsible for issuing orders. He would fly out twice a day, morning and evening, to harvest more emotions, living a carefree life.
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The more creatures there are in a territory, the more diverse the needs will naturally become.
Astute merchants, like sharks smelling blood, had already traveled great distances to seize the opportunity to sell their goods and make a fortune.
Before doing this, they wisely paid a visit to the owner of the place.
After a moment's consideration, Saul generously granted them the right to trade, but he would take 70% of the profits.
To prevent these cunning fellows from deceiving or falsifying accounts, he also assigned a clever dog-headed man as a supervisor to each merchant.
In addition, dragons have an innate sensitivity to wealth, as well as a little bit of magic similar to mantras, which can almost eliminate the possibility of being deceived about 80%.
The remaining 20% was simply the business acumen of those merchants, and Thor didn't care much about it.
After all, the truly profitable businesses, such as pubs and casinos, are still firmly in his hands.
At the same time, Thor will also issue missions to help these outsiders accelerate the development of their territory.
As the population grew, one day he finally felt the time was right, so he rose into the sky from the boiling volcano, announcing the start of the new era.
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