Ashen Dragon

The four quickly walked along the Flaming Road.

Mantou wore a fawning smile, hoping to use his own skills to make up for the favorability points Singo had lost.

"Dear sir, is there something you wish to ask us? Just say the word, and I will go through fire and water to serve you!"

[Favorability -5.]

[Mystic Dragonvein Spellcaster, Cassius has a favorability of -10 towards you (Mild Dislike).]

Mantou's smile instantly froze on his face.

"Why did it go down instead of up!" Read new adventures at empire

"Damn, why is this mysterious NPC so troublesome?" He cursed inwardly, growing frustrated.

A faint hint of mockery flickered across Cassius's face. You think I don't know what you're like? You must be secretly cursing me in your heart, he thought.

But outwardly, he remained calm and said, "Starfallen from lands unknown, I did not invite you here to listen to such nonsense."

[You have been given a quest by the player Mystic Dragonvein Spellcaster, Cassius: I'm Going to Eat Mantou, Singo, Summer Night Autumn Rain, Natural War Maniac.]

Singo simply said, "Please go ahead."

The Half-Dragon Spellcaster looked down at them, exuding a powerful aura. His golden pupils shimmered with light:

"Since you were born in Barto City, it is surely the arrangement of the God of Fate. Go and learn about its brief history, or delve further into the stories of the Tiefling and Ashen Nest. You'll make new discoveries."

The quest appeared on their panels.

[Investigate the Tiefling's Story]

Quest Description: The Tiefling, known as the "Devil's Offspring," originally did not belong here. Driven away and massacred, they migrated here with impressive resolve, founding their city on the monster-infested Stormy Ridge in just five years. What did they face five years ago? What drove them to migrate here and join Ashen Nest?

Quest Reward: +500 Faction Contribution to Ashen Nest

"So the reward is faction contribution..."

Singo's voice sounded disappointed. Given the importance of the NPC, he forcefully swallowed the words, "Not even a dog would want this."

Even Natural War Maniac and Summer Night Autumn Rain looked slightly disheartened. They had read Singo's guide, which stated that faction contributions were currently useless. Although there might be future uses, at the early stages, they were like empty promissory notes.

"Wait... look at this!"

"Quick, check out the shop interface!"

Mantou's voice trembled with excitement.

"Damn, are you crazy?"

Singo was startled by Mantou's overreaction and cursed before instinctively opening the interface.

[Mystic Dragonvein Spellcaster, Cassius opens his personal shop to you.]

Unlike typical merchant NPCs, the trade panel of the high-end Mystic Dragonvein Spellcaster, Cassius was divided into three sections: Mithril Shop, Common Shop, and Normal Shop.

The Normal Shop sold items similar to those of regular merchants: various iron swords, leather armor, potions, raw materials, and food. There was a wide variety, but nothing seemed particularly special.

"What's the big deal? I can get more of this."

But as they looked further, Singo was stunned, struggling to utter two words—

"Holy... crap."

Starting from the Mithril Shop, the product listings underwent a dramatic change. Rare quality gear appeared, items never before seen during the beta test, like the Whisper Greatsword, Emerald Dragon Scale Sword, Carved Wooden Staff, and Hunter's Longbow.

These dazzling items, over a hundred in total, with their shimmering magical auras, made everyone dizzy with excitement.

Singo scanned the equipment descriptions, growing more ecstatic: "Whisper Greatsword, with roots of the Whisper Tree extending from the hilt to silence targets upon hit, an incredibly versatile early-game divine gear. Dragon Scale Shield, with its built-in Anti-Dragon Class Type Aura, a core piece against dragon bosses.

Hunter's Longbow, capable of marking targets with a single aim, the graduation gear for archer warriors in the early stages..."

However, looking at the prices below, his excitement waned.

Most of these items cost dozens of Gold Coins, and several of the Rare quality early-game divine gears were priced over a hundred Gold Coins. Even for a pro player like Singo, saving up that amount was difficult; only wealthy, large guilds could afford to buy one or two pieces.

These high-priced items weren't meant for individual players like Singo. They were placed by Cassius to specifically target large guilds for profit.

Yet, Singo noticed the shop's descriptions.

[Mithril Shop: Requires 3000 Faction Contribution Points to Ashen Nest to unlock.]

Singo sharply inhaled: "I see, faction contributions are crucial!"

Cassius's golden eyes narrowed slightly, a cold smile forming within. "Called my faction contributions worthless, didn't you? Now, see their importance!"

Cassius's position had risen from a diligent worker in his past life to the faction leader. With his elevated status, his attitude had naturally changed.

As the boss now, his only desire was to exploit the players, squeezing them first for Gold Coins with invitation letters, and then for labor with faction contribution restrictions.

As for buying gear?

Players could scrape together some Gold Coins, pooling their resources. Eventually, they would manage to gather enough.

Can't gather enough? No problem, they could just opt for installments with a bit of interest, making regular payments. After all, Cassius wasn't a devil, just a plain Red Dragon, eager to fulfill every player's dream of acquiring divine gear.

"Singo, check out the Mithril Shop next."

Mantou prompted, his voice now numb with shock.

Singo ignored Mantou's nickname and pulled up the panel.

[Mithril Shop: Requires 10000 Faction Contribution Points to Ashen Nest to unlock.]

It started with the familiar faction contribution requirement.

However, instead of a myriad of items, the Mithril Shop displayed only a few, each priced in faction contribution points!

Singo fixated on those item descriptions.

"Dragon Blood Elixir, unlocks the sub-occupation quest for Dragon Vein Sorcerer, priced at 4500 faction contributions."

"This is... Scarlet Scale, unlocks the advanced warrior occupation quest for Red Scale Conqueror, priced at 9800 faction contributions."

[Red Scale Conqueror]

Requirements: Large Dragon Vein Creature Mount, Dragon Bloodline, Warrior base level 3, +4 proficiency in Riding Skill

Occupation Description: When the Dragon's Roar echoes from afar, the Red Scale Conquerors charge on their massive and fierce Dragon Vein creatures from the sky, bringing endless flames and total death to their enemies.

Mantou gritted his teeth, eyes filled with unprecedented determination: "No one stop me, I'm becoming a Dragon Knight!"