Chapter 29 : Chapter 29
Chapter 29: Dragonblood Stone and the Dragon Mountain Range
In the study of the Duke’s residence in Winter City, the lamps burned through the entire night.
Sylvia was reviewing a mountain of documents, and even with an entire staff to share the burden, the exhaustion on her face was impossible to hide.
The implementation of tax reform, the reorganization of military armaments, and the political struggle against the old nobles all consumed enormous amounts of energy.
She rubbed the space between her brows, set down the feather pen in her hand, and picked up the cup of black tea beside her, which had long since gone cold.
Ever since arriving in the Northern Territory, everything had been like a tightly wound clock, turning at breakneck speed without a moment’s pause.
Only one person seemed to exist outside that relentless rhythm.
At that moment, inside a private alchemy workshop in the core area of the industrial park, Logaris was staring at a half-human-height alchemy furnace in front of him.
Above the flames, inside a crystal-clear long-necked flask, a brilliantly colored liquid was bubbling away and releasing a strange fragrance.
Following the instructions in a Tome, he was trying to replicate the legendary alchemical potion known as the Fountain of Youth, and he had already been “slacking off” on it for three days.
For Logaris, once the industrial framework had been established, his job was done.
Did they think they could work him like a mule?
Not a chance.
The experiment had already reached its final step—Life Ignition.
Logaris narrowed his eyes in concentration and carefully guided a thread of mana into the long-necked flask.
However, the instant he tried to fuse the life activity of several core ingredients together with his mana, the liquid inside the bottle abruptly froze.
All its radiance vanished in an instant, turning into a murky gray-black sediment.
“Life activity fusion failed.”
Logaris was not discouraged.
He calmly cut off the mana supply and recorded the data from the failed attempt.
He removed his glasses and tapped his forehead with his knuckles.
The problem was not with the formula, nor was it an operational error.
He rapidly reviewed every possible explanation in his mind and arrived at a single conclusion.
Ordinary mana could not serve as the “binding agent” needed to merge those materials perfectly.
He needed a “primer” that itself contained immense vitality in order to complete the final step.
A name surfaced in his mind—Dragonblood Stone.
This gemstone could form only in places where dragons had lived or fallen, after more than a thousand years of being steeped in dragon blood and the energy of the earth’s veins.
It was a legendary alchemical material said to carry the very essence of a dragon’s life.
And then the latest line from the Book of Prophecy echoed in his ears once more.
“One week later, the one who will overturn the world shall appear within the Dragon Mountain Range.”
The Dragon Mountain Range.
A gleam flashed through Logaris' eyes.
Whether it was to search for alchemical materials or to verify the truth of the Book of Prophecy, he had to make the trip.
One of his greatest strengths was his ability to act immediately.
The next moment, he had already turned around and begun packing.
His custom-made Magitech Gun was carefully cleaned and fastened at his waist.
The hidden compartments of his pack were stuffed full of spare high-purity Aether Crystals.
All kinds of alchemical potions and wilderness survival tools were sorted efficiently by category.
The entire process was smooth and flowing, without a single unnecessary movement.
Once he had finished, he left the workshop.
In the study of the Duke’s residence.
When Logaris pushed open the door, Sylvia was resting with her eyes closed.
Only when she heard the noise did she open them.
The sharpness in her gaze faded the moment she saw it was him, leaving behind only faint weariness.
“Has something gone wrong at the industrial park again?”
“No.”
“I have already handed the follow-up work over to Aaron. He can handle it.”
Logaris walked up to her desk and got straight to the point.
“I am going on a long trip.”
Sylvia’s hand paused halfway to her teacup.
She looked at him.
There was no surprise in her silver-gray eyes, only a kind of helpless resignation that said, As expected.
This man was always like this, his thoughts running wild and his actions arriving without warning.
“Where are you going?”
“The Dragon Mountain Range.”
“What for?”
“For a very important magitech experiment.”
He did not mention “the one who will overturn the world.”
That matter was too vague and insubstantial, and it might just as easily be a trap.
Sylvia fell silent.
She knew that when Logaris used such a calm tone to say something was important, there was no room left for discussion.
She set down her teacup, stood up, walked over to him, and reached out to straighten his slightly disordered collar.
“Winter has not passed in the Northern Territory yet.”
“It is even colder in the mountains,” she said softly.
“Be careful.”
“Do not worry.”
…
Lilith had been living quite comfortably lately.
Perhaps because that man had repeatedly failed in his attempts to study her constitution, he had temporarily given up researching her Anti-Magic physique.
Each day, he only had her clean up the mana contamination produced by the industrial park, and the rest of her time was hers to spend freely.
Although it certainly could not compare to the freedom she had enjoyed back when she was a mercenary, it was already quite good for a prisoner.
When someone knocked on her door, she was humming a tune and admiring her new ribbon in the mirror.
She ran happily to open it.
But the moment she saw that face—the one that haunted her nightmares—the smile on her face froze instantly.
“L-Lord Logaris… why have you come?”
“Pack your things.”
Logaris was as brief as ever.
“You are coming with me on a long trip.”
Lilith’s survival instincts immediately began screaming in alarm, and she asked cautiously, “Then… where are we going?”
“The Dragon Mountain Range.”
The moment she heard that place name, her first instinct was to refuse.
What kind of place was that?
It was said to be where dragons had fallen, a land full of unknown monsters and deadly magical traps.
Among mercenaries, there was a common understanding: no matter how high the reward, if a mission involved the Dragon Mountain Range, you had better first ask yourself how many lives you had to spare.
But then she remembered that day aboard the Magitech Train, when this man had raised a hand and summoned that destructive “sun.”
That power still made her tremble whenever she thought about it.
The contract brand buried deep within her soul also began sending waves of burning pain through her, reminding her who the true master was.
Lilith shuddered.
Every thought of resistance vanished in an instant.
She forced out a helpless smile.
“My lord, please wait a moment. I… I will be ready right away!”
A few minutes later, the two of them walked one behind the other through the faintly bright streets of Winter City.
Lilith carried an enormous bundle on her back, one wildly out of proportion with her figure.
It was stuffed full of every life-saving tool and snack she could find.
When they reached a deserted alleyway, Logaris stopped.
“Stay close.”
He grabbed Lilith by the shoulder.
Before she could even react, the surrounding space suddenly twisted.
A dizzy, world-spinning sensation hit her, and Lilith felt her stomach churn violently while the scenery before her eyes dissolved into a blurry vortex of color.
By the time her feet touched solid ground again, she was already dozens of li outside Winter City, standing on the wilderness.
The icy morning wind blew across her, making her shiver and clearing some of the haze from her spinning head.
Lilith clung to a withered tree, her little face pale as paper as she retched repeatedly.
Not everyone was immune to the disorientation caused by spatial teleportation.
She did not want to experience that feeling a second time for as long as she lived.
“M-My lord… urgh… next time… could we ride horses instead?”
Logaris merely glanced at her and ignored the question entirely.
His gaze had already fallen upon the Dragon Mountain Range in the distance, where its savage outline was emerging beneath the morning light.
The mountain range resembled a crouching ancient beast.
Its endless snow-covered peaks were like a jagged spine, and the eternal ice and snow upon them reflected a grim white light beneath the sun.
“Let us go.”
“We do not have much time.”