Chapter 19: The Dragon Sword’s Price and a Family’s Plunder

‘Clang, clang, clang!’

‘Bzzzt, bzzzt~’

With two Dragon Artifacts now in her possession, Yao Yueli could, albeit barely, contend with Gudou Caotian.

Gudou Caotian expertly controlled several flying swords, unleashing them towards her.

Though these swords were exceedingly fragile when pitted against the two Dragon Artifacts in Yao Yueli’s hands, their power was immense.

Indeed, their destructive force was considerable; a single hit would almost certainly result in either grave injury or, more likely, death.

“Girl, you must now comprehend the might of the Dragon Artifacts! You should know that my Gudou family will absolutely not relinquish the Gudou Dragon Sword!”

“Leave the sword obediently, and this old man promises not to harm even a single hair on your head!”

“You old scoundrel, do not presume I am unaware of your true intentions! I fear that the moment I surrender the Gudou Dragon Sword, you will seize me and claim the Blazeflash Dragon Sword as well!”

Yao Yueli was far from foolish; surrendering it was simply out of the question!

However, Gudou Caotian’s thoughts diverged significantly.

He merely desired the Gudou Dragon Sword.

Even if the Blazeflash Dragon Sword were offered to him now, he would not dare accept it!

If the Gudou family were to possess two Dragon Artifacts simultaneously, it would pose a grave threat to the Radiant Moon Royal Family.

In such a scenario, before the swords could even grow warm in their possession, the Gudou family would likely cease to exist.

Naturally, the Blazeflash Dragon Sword could not be allowed to fall into the hands of the Radiant Moon Royal Family either.

A more powerful Radiant Moon Royal Family would also prove detrimental to their interests.

Ultimately, his sole desire was the Gudou Dragon Sword.

“Little girl, rest assured, I, Gudou Caotian, would never stoop to such unscrupulous deeds!”

“Heh heh, how convenient to want to engage in debauchery while maintaining an image of purity!”

Yao Yueli’s mockery was absolute.

“The Gudou Dragon Sword was left here with the clear understanding that whoever drew it would claim it as their own. We successfully drew it, so how has it suddenly become yours? Is this not blatant robbery?”

“Cough, cough! We never said we would seize it; the Gudou Dragon Sword is indeed yours. However, little girl…”

Gudou Caotian stroked his verdant beard, his expression feigning benevolence as he spoke:

“With two Dragon Artifacts in your possession, do you truly believe your life will remain peaceful once word spreads? Returning the Gudou Dragon Sword to my Gudou family would truly be for your own good.”

“So, what kind of transaction do you propose?”

Yao Yueli had no intention of keeping the sword, understanding the adage that ‘possessing a treasure invites calamity’.

She had merely been waiting for Gudou Caotian to utter those very words.

“The compensation for the transaction will naturally be substantial.”

Gudou Caotian’s heart swelled with delight. This was perfect; no matter the cost, this sword had to be acquired.

“I feel quite unsafe here. How about we conduct this at Star Moon Academy instead?”

At the academy, she had teachers who supported her, all of six-star strength; even the Radiant Moon Empress would be powerless against her there.

Gudou Caotian hesitated. “No, that won’t do. If you then refuse to sell the item to my Gudou family, wouldn’t we have let you off scot-free this time?”

“To be frank, you still intend to seize it, don’t you?”

Yao Yueli sneered. “There’s no need to worry; I am not like you people, who break promises!”

“In summary, either we conduct the transaction at Star Moon Academy, or we fight here. Even if I cannot defeat you, I still possess a method to destroy this Dragon Artifact.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

The prospect of the Gudou Dragon Sword being destroyed instantly agitated Gudou Caotian.

“Very well, we shall go to Star Moon Academy.”

“However, if you wish to ensure no harm comes to the former subordinates and servants of your Enchantress clan, you had best behave yourself.”

Gudou Caotian lowered his voice, delivering the threat.

Upon hearing this, a murderous glint flashed in Yao Yueli’s eyes.

Once, the Enchantress clan had been one of the four great families, commanding the allegiance of many others.

Many individuals had not gone to the front lines. Upon her return this time, she had originally intended to seek out those subordinates and members of the Enchantress clan.

However, they had either been forced to pledge allegiance to other great families or had been purged.

It appeared some had even been captured by members of other families.

“Fine! It’s a deal! If you truly wish to obtain the Gudou Dragon Sword, you had best release all the imprisoned Enchantress subordinates.”

Yao Yueli, of course, would not trifle with the lives of her people.

This time, she would not only outwit the Gudou family but also rescue her clan members!

“Naturally, we shall comply. Compared to the Gudou Dragon Sword, those individuals are inconsequential.”

Gudou Caotian’s lips curved into a smile. With the Gudou Dragon Sword in his possession, he, too, would be able to break through to become a six-star Artifact Master.

Ranking among the top three powers in the Radiant Moon Kingdom, who could possibly stand against him?

For such a splendid future, he would agree to anything.

****

“Little Ahoge, this is a Gudou family shop. Arriving here now, are we planning to catch our enemies off guard?”

“As they say, the most dangerous place is often the safest!”

Mao Yuxia had fled, bringing Ahoge Dragon with her.

She had expected Ahoge Dragon to suggest heading to the academy, as it was undoubtedly a very safe location.

However, they had instead turned and entered a shop.

“Huh? I wasn’t thinking that! With all the powerful individuals currently gathered outside, blocking Big Sister, we should take advantage and plunder this place!”

At this moment, Ahoge Dragon could no longer feel the magic patterns on her stomach heating up.

She knew then that Yao Yueli had concluded her battle.

Time was of the essence. She pointed towards a distant pile of items and declared:

“Those appear to be crossbows! No one is here now, so let’s take them.”

“Eh? But they’re too large! We should look for things that are both valuable and easy to carry instead!”

Having spent considerable time with Ahoge Dragon, Mao Yuxia had gradually picked up some bad habits.

Still, Ahoge Dragon was proving to be far too greedy!

While it was true that weapons could be concealed even when she was invisible, carrying such a massive item would undoubtedly complicate their escape.

“Don’t worry! I have my ways.”

Ahoge Dragon possessed the Void Dragon Horn; she could easily empty the entire contents of this house!

“We agreed to only take one. Any more would genuinely be too much to carry.”

Mao Yuxia, unable to dissuade Ahoge Dragon, could only lead her towards the crossbows.

Ahoge Dragon had already examined the attributes of these crossbows using her [Analysis Dragon Eye].

Their power was sufficient to pierce through twenty centimeters of city wall!

If one of these were to strike a person, even a three-star Artifact Master would be unable to withstand it.

These were undoubtedly weapons of war.

Upon reaching the crossbows, Ahoge Dragon produced the Void Dragon Horn from beneath her skirt.

As soon as it touched a crossbow, the weapon vanished.

“Meow! This…”

Mao Yuxia gasped in alarm, quickly covering her mouth, fearing discovery by those outside.

“Is this a storage artifact? Didn’t you acquire it from a Gudou family shop before?”

“Hehehe! That’s why I say, we’re going to make a fortune this time!”

Ahoge Dragon chuckled mischievously, nudging Mao Yuxia’s shoulder, prompting her to move closer to another crossbow.

The Void Dragon Horn could only store items when it physically touched them!

Mao Yuxia fully grasped the implications of this.

She nodded vigorously, asserting, “These crossbows are as costly as a Bronze Artifact; let’s take them all!”

“And those other artifacts and protective armors…”

Both were incredibly enthusiastic about plundering. In short order, the entire room was emptied of its contents; Ahoge Dragon even took the display racks.

“There should be even more valuable items on the second floor…”

The two exchanged a knowing smile, then ascended the stairs to the second level.

Gazing upon the dazzling array of treasures, both their eyes widened in awe.

This shop was undeniably far superior to the one that had previously tricked Gudou Toutian!