Westminster Bank

Seeing that not a single Poison Dragon Scale pattern had been filled—and that a Black Iron Dragon Guide had nearly lost his life in the attempt—the mood of the crowd, which had lifted after the mysterious departure of the Comet Dragon Snake swarm, instantly plummeted. A buzz of whispers began to spread from all directions:

"The Dragon Gate has thirty-two Dragon Scales in its pattern. All of them must be filled with blood for it to open. According to the contract, no matter how unskilled a Black Iron Dragon Guide is, he shouldn’t have failed to fill even one."

"That Black Iron Dragon Guide used the Ancient Celtic Dragon Summoning Technique. While that Ancient Technique can draw out the Poison Dragon Aura from a Dragon Guide’s badge, it doesn’t draw out much. Plus, his Trial Taker is only Black Iron Tier... The Dragon Heart might not be pure enough."

"Also, the difficulty of opening the Dragon Gate is linked to the auras of the Dragon Species living in the inner circle. The harder it is to open, the stronger the Dragon Descendants inside must be..."

"How strong are we talking?"

"Did you see that commotion on the altar earlier? That was caused by a dragon’s roar. It’s a sub-species!"

"A sub-species!" someone gasped. "Those are the Dragon Race closest to the Ancient Dragons! In that case, it’s probably the cause of this Dragon Calamity. It’s no wonder the Dragon Gate won’t open."

.........

Looking at the pristine Poison Dragon carving on the Dragon Gate, Tune frowned. "What’s going on? How could the blood fail to fill even a single Dragon Scale?"

Jose’s gaze flickered furtively over his eldest sister. Though he was still suspicious—the Comet Dragon Snakes could have left at any time, yet they’d departed the very moment she arrived—he still spoke.

"Regardless, the Dragon Gate must be opened today. It’s just a matter of which Dragon Guide is willing to step up."

"If I recall correctly," he said, "the more scales a Dragon Guide fills, the more potent the Poison Dragon Aura on their Dragon Guide’s badge becomes. Collecting that aura will be invaluable for Dragon Hunting later, won’t it?"

At this, the Dragon Guides in the crowd began whispering among themselves again:

"Poison Dragon Aura... That’s valuable stuff. Glanville was a Pure-blood Ancient Dragon; his residual aura can repel any Dragon Descendant below the Third Generation Species. It would be incredibly useful for Dragon Hunting."

"That reminds me of why the Comet Dragon Snake swarm left... Have you all noticed? Ever since Miss Isabella arrived, not only have the Comet Dragon Snakes vanished, but so have the Flying Dragons in the sky..."

A few Dragon Guides glanced covertly at the eldest daughter, who stood with her Red Spear planted on the ground, her long hair fluttering in the wind. But when her sharp, emotionless eyes swept over them, they all hastily bowed their heads.

"The Blood Curse of the Beowulf Family, the bloodline of a Dragon Slayer... She still has remnants of Dragon Scales on her face."

"That explains it, then... Members of the Beowulf Clan naturally have a suppressive effect on Dragon Descendants... But if she has the Dragon Slayer bloodline, then why were her two younger brothers earlier..."

"Shut your mouth! You got a death wish? Just focus on being a good Dragon Guide. The succession of the Patriarch of the great Dragon Slayer Beowulf Clan is not for the likes of us to meddle in!"

.........

Listening to the Dragon Guides’ loud whispers, a vein bulged on Tune’s forehead as he said coldly,

"What Dragon Slayer bloodline? What the hell do they know about Beowulf? Since when is a damn Blood Curse a good thing...? Eldest Sister’s mother was just a Bloodless. The reason I haven’t awakened the Blood Curse is probably because my bloodline is too pure."

Jose, however, remained gentle and refined. "While the Blood Curse is hardly a blessing, in some ways it represents the clan’s true lineage. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be known as the ’Old Blood’...

I heard Eldest Sister gained a great deal from the ritual this time. I expect you’ll be the one to come out on top at the Dragon Spear Baptism..."

Jose turned and nodded at Isabella, who had appeared behind them at some point without them noticing.

Tune’s face went rigid. ’I can’t believe Eldest Sister Isabella was right behind me!’ He didn’t have time to wonder how she’d appeared; all he could think about was whether his fierce and formidable sister had overheard his earlier remarks.

The thought sent a cold sweat down his back and made the hairs on his neck stand up. Tune subconsciously tightened his grip on the Scale-Stripping Saber at his waist, ready in case his eldest sister decided to suddenly strike him down.

But she ignored him, speaking directly to the two Silver Dragon Guides. "Go open the Dragon Gate."

The two Silver Dragon Guides froze, their hearts sinking.

’Could it be? Has Isabella realized that "Master Jack" is a fake?’

’Otherwise, why would she approach them directly instead of asking Master Jack, who’s been standing beside her counting money this whole time?’

However, the two Silver Dragon Guides didn’t dwell on it. After receiving a signal from Jose, they turned to the crowd of Dragon Guides. "Who else will try?"

The Dragon Guides exchanged glances, and then one after another, they began to volunteer.

The two Silver Dragon Guides exchanged a look, intending to select a few High Tier Dragon Guides, but Jose suddenly stepped forward and announced loudly to the assembled Dragon Guides and Trial Takers,

"Since that’s the case, we’ll proceed from lowest to highest Tier. All who wish to try opening the Dragon Gate, please line up according to your Tier. We’ll go one by one."

It was a very clever arrangement. It took into consideration the lower-Tier Dragon Guides and Trial Takers while also giving the High Tier individuals a chance to show off.

The difficulty of opening the Dragon Gate had skyrocketed. The Black Iron Tier Dragon Guides and Trial Takers were essentially just filling the ranks; the true main force consisted of the Bronze Dragon Guides and their Trial Takers.

Since that was the case, it was best to go with the flow and earn some goodwill.

Tune felt a pang of regret. ’Second Brother just snatched away a perfect opportunity to win people over, and I completely missed it.’

’At this rate, how will I ever become the Patriarch? Dammit!’

Isabella merely swept a disdainful gaze over everyone present. Her eyes paused on Freya, who was surrounded by other Trial Takers and Dragon Guides, and she let out a cold snort.