A Dragon against the Whole World

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Alchemical Relics

”These patches of clay certainly contain more crude oil than what’s left in the alchemy engine.”

Galos happily swung his tail, picked up a piece of clay, squeezed it, and let the crude oil drip into his mouth.

However.

It was not as fiery and invigorating as he had imagined.

The taste was so rough and hard to swallow it was like eating... well, he’d never eaten feces, but it seemed just as bad.

Unlike the crude oil from last time, this one seemed to contain many impurities, offering no surge of rich energy after swallowing; it needed to be digested first, and even then, the energy obtained was likely inferior to the previous crude oil.

”Why is that?”

Galos was a bit perplexed.

After a moment’s thought, he figured out the general reason.

”The crude oil from the alchemy engine had already been refined, not raw; what I’m eating now must be pure natural crude oil, unrefined, full of impurities.”

Crude oil can be ingested.

But the absorption efficiency isn’t as good as refined crude oil, and its taste is beyond description.

Fortunately.

There is a solution.

Galos turned to Samantha and gave her a task: ”Refine all the crude oil from these pieces of clay into black oil using your alchemy.”

To win Galos’s favor, and to be granted treasures.

Samantha tirelessly researched alchemy day and night, having learned to refine black oil; although her skills were average, she was at least capable of straightforward refining like converting crude oil to black oil.

Upon hearing Galos’s words.

Samantha licked her lips and said, ”Oh, my dear brother, I’m willing to do anything for you, but shall this make you happy?”

This was her way of asking for compensation rather than working for free.

It’s a reasonable request.

Samantha’s current role is akin to Galos’s follower in the Dragon Race society, different from regular followers or slaves.

Followers serve their master dragon.

The master dragon needs to periodically provide some compensation to the followers.

Keeping them engaged with mere promises isn’t viable; even the dim-witted and brutish Red Dragons become calculating when treasures are involved, turning quite shrewd.

Galos hasn’t completely overcome his fascination with treasures yet, so giving them away feels somewhat painful.

But after some thought, Galos generously laid out several gold coins.

”Work hard, these are yours.”

For a young dragon, these gold coins are enough for Samantha, who gleefully rushed forward to grab them.

”Oh my dear brother, you’re so wonderful; I would do anything to serve you!”

She exclaimed and said.

”Wait, my clever sister, do you want more?”

Galos’s words seemed to possess some kind of magic, causing Samantha to pause.

”Of course!”

She replied emphatically.

Galos said calmly, ”Considering the bond between us, I offer you two options.”

”The first is to take these five gold coins and keep them carefully, but there’s a risk of losing them.”

”The second is to leave them with me and I’ll keep them safe, and with Dragon God above, I promise to give you six gold coins in a year, eight gold coins in two years, with rewards increasing yearly.”

Samantha hesitated for a moment, unsure how to decide.

Galos seized the opportunity to coax her: ”Think about it, which is better between static and ever-growing wealth? We dragons should focus on long-term interests.”

After much contemplation.

Samantha couldn’t resist the allure of an annual increase in treasures and agreed.

”A year later, I will want to claim it, you must provide them, or else I won’t work for you.”

Samantha said.

Her words were resolute.

But when a year actually passes, it might not be the case.

Moreover, Galos knows the weaknesses in dragon’s nature and is adept at swaying dragons; if she performs well without slacking, he might genuinely reward her.

Galos nodded and put the coins away, speaking seriously:

”Of course, you know me, I’m not a deceitful Green Dragon.”

Thinking of her fortune that will grow, Samantha joyfully bounced off to work.

She used some ordinary iron ore found everywhere in the Sel Wilderness, melted it with flaming dragon breath, then slowly hammered it, engraving some runes, shaping it into the most basic alchemy cauldron.

Individual pieces of clay were put into the cauldron.

Samantha muttered incantations, her claws drawing runes in the air with magic energy, then released dragon breath to begin refining the crude oil with alchemy.

Soon after.

Galos had a refined batch of black oil on hand.

He stored it in a somewhat rough iron container; the black liquid inside had a viscous texture.

After a gentle sniff, Galos drank it down in one gulp.

Phew!

It was like a flame ignited inside his belly.

”Pure taste, potent! This is the black oil I wanted.”

Spraying sparks from his nostrils, Galos was suddenly energized, the dark red patterns on his inner scale armor becoming more vibrant, the iron-hot edge of the buffer scales seeming brighter.

He spread his wings and soared into the sky, landing on the outer plain where he often trained.

Phew!

Using the Silver Frost Ring, he exhaled cold air to freeze the rocks, turning them hard as steel.

Eagerly, Galos charged headlong, starting his routine training.

Meanwhile.

Along a small branch off the Thousand Snake Mark path, a few figures slowly walked by.

A two-meter tall, blond Warrior clad in heavy armor and carrying a broad heavy sword, his face pale and lanky surrounded by negative energy, a Necromancer, a fiery-bodied Female Wanderer with daggers and a crossbow at her waist, a beautifully-featured Female Priest in white robes, and a young-looking Caster in a light blue magic robe.

A total of five people, forming an adventurer’s team.

The armor and great sword on the blond Warrior were engraved with alchemy runes, appearing of excellent quality, clearly fine equipment; the others’ gear was relatively ordinary but certainly better than basic iron weapons.

This team belonged to the [Tomorrow] Adventurer’s Group.

They had heard rumors claiming a powerful alchemy creature is left in an abandoned mining pit in the Sel Wilderness, so they went to explore, hoping to find the legendary strong alchemy creation.

Wanderer checked the complex map in hand, whispering: ”Just ahead there will be no proper road, we will officially enter the wilderness, into the territory of many magical and fierce creatures.”

The Necromancer grinned: ”Opportunities always come with risks, it’s a necessary route.”

On Bernardo Planet, professions like Necromancers who desecrate bodies and souls might face some discrimination, but they aren’t outright considered evil; their morality depends on the individual.

”It’s said there are quite a few dragons in this wilderness area, hopefully, we won’t encounter them.”

The Priest softly said.

The Caster lowered his voice: ”What if it’s a young dragon? If we encounter a young dragon, we’ll hit the jackpot. We can return immediately without exploring abandoned mines. With the blocking spell I possess, it’s easy to pin a young dragon down, making escape impossible.”

Young dragons pose no threat to them.

They feared the more matured dragons.

”Don’t dream, it won’t be so lucky. Everyone stay cautious and stick close to me.”

The blond Warrior said solemnly, his towering figure walking at the forefront, providing solid assurance to his companions.

They entered the wilderness, alert to the surroundings, gradually delving deeper.

Looking down from the sky, observing their advancing path trajectory would reveal—they are passing through the Iron Pine Hills; if fortunate, they might fulfill the Caster’s wish, encountering young dragons.