Chapter 35: The Scummy Dragon’s Schemes and an Unexpected Call

As Theresia uttered those words, she cast an intensely guilty glance towards the door. A profound sense of relief washed over her when the tightly shut tavern entrance didn’t suddenly burst open, followed by Theodore barging in.

Her gaze then fell upon Lola, whose expression had grown quite dim. A satisfied smile played on Theresia’s lips.

Theodore had already been ‘reset’ by her. ‘Let his lingering influence continue to be useful,’ she mused. ‘After all, such a hefty commission had been paid; it was simply good after-sales service.’

The scummy dragon chuckled mischievously in her heart.

The arrival of an elf princess was an unexpected boon. Such individuals typically possessed knowledge of forbidden lore or magic, making them an invaluable asset for her team’s assault on the 100-floor labyrinth.

Indeed, a team.

She yearned to become an unparalleled legend in Montoille, a single dragon conquering all 100 floors of the labyrinth. However, this dream remained elusive.

Before the 70th floor, she had effortlessly crushed every boss with sheer brute force. Yet, beyond that point, merely defeating the guardian was no longer enough to unlock the path to the next level.

Upon seeing the clear conditions for clearing the 70th floor, Theresia profoundly understood why no dragon elders had ever bothered to claim such an achievement in Montoille.

A thousand-by-thousand piece jigsaw puzzle plunged Theresia, a complete puzzle idiot, into despair.

Furthermore, to acquire the correct pattern for the puzzle, she first had to seek out the Riddle Mice scattered throughout the 70th floor of the labyrinth.

These were palm-sized mice capable of human speech, fond of posing riddles. If bribed with an Apollo Peanut worth one gold coin, a Riddle Mouse would present a puzzle.

Answering correctly earned one point. One hundred such Riddle Mice were distributed randomly across the 70th floor. All had to be found, and all riddles answered correctly, to obtain the puzzle’s template. An incorrect answer, however… meant starting all over again.

Only then could the actual puzzle-solving begin.

After wandering the 70th floor for seven days and seven nights, Theresia returned to the first floor. Seeing the detailed guide for the 70th floor, she nearly dragonized on the spot, roaring and breathing fire at the sky.

However, the 70th floor was merely the beginning. Every subsequent floor required special conditions to open the path to the next.

In the face of the labyrinth’s malice, sheer strength felt utterly insignificant.

What truly drove the dragons to despair was the distortion of space deep within the labyrinth by some unknown force, rendering teleportation impossible beyond the 30th floor.

Furthermore, the monsters on each floor of the labyrinth would respawn after a certain period. These refreshed creatures were directly teleported to their respective floors by the labyrinth’s unique mechanisms, making it impossible to clear them out permanently.

Though the labyrinth appeared to be a downward-reaching structure, each floor was, in fact, an independent space connected by special spatial magic. The entrances to each floor merely pointed downwards, creating the illusion of descending underground.

This meant that directly blasting the floor with an ‘Infernal Roar’ wouldn’t create a sneaky shortcut for a dragon.

Consequently, every return to the first floor essentially necessitated restarting the entire expedition from the 30th floor.

The deeper one delved, the scarcer information regarding the攻略 became. Currently, only Theresia had ever led a team to the 100th floor.

This marked Theresia’s third journey to the 100th floor.

‘Third time’s the charm,’ she declared, determined to conquer the 100th floor this time!

For this third attempt, Theresia had hired numerous elite teams during her second expedition, conducting extensive research on the 100th floor. Upon their return, she meticulously analyzed all the gathered intelligence.

The expenses incurred were so vast that even the Elf Queen had advised restraint.

Judging by the queen’s expression, securing further investment for another attempt seemed quite unlikely.

Therefore, this third expedition was a decisive, do-or-die endeavor!

****

The following day, just as Theresia was about to head to the labyrinth entrance to rendezvous with her team, a long-distance communication from Dragon Island came through.

‘Could it be that old dragon knows I might break the curse this time, and this is their last desperate struggle?’

Theresia frowned slightly. The only one from Dragon Island who would proactively contact her from such a distance was the Old Patriarch.

A cold sneer touched her lips. ‘It’s too late for struggles now!’

‘Old dragon, the great Black Dragon King will show you through action that your era is over!’

Theresia accepted the communication without hesitation and spoke, “Old dragon, what is it? Are you here to welcome the new king’s ascension? It’s far too late to flatter me now! However, I’ve always respected my elders and cherished the young, so I might just leave you the legendary position of gatekeeper.”

After spouting all the delusions swirling in her mind, Theresia heard a bewildered, adorable, and flustered voice on the other end: “Ehh?! Am I going to be a gatekeeper now? Waaah, and I’m only 198 years old, not yet an adult, so I’m not old. If I absolutely have to be a gatekeeper, you must provide enough food.”

Theresia was struck speechless.

‘Was that truly the main point?’

Still, it was rare for Catherine to remember to contact her remotely, so she wouldn’t dwell on it.

Theresia inquired in a serious tone, “My friend, a sudden communication? Has the old dragon made another major move?”

Catherine had intended to contact Theresia yesterday, but unfortunately, she had classes to attend, homework to complete, and exams to take. It was only after 12 hours that she managed to sneak away from White Dragon Teacher’s watchful eyes to communicate with Theresia.

(Dragons are naturally energetic, with different sleep patterns than humans. A few hours of sleep can provide energy for 7-8 days. Of course, for some dragons, sleep isn’t just for recovery; it’s a pleasure in itself, leading to extended periods of slumber.)

Responding to Theresia’s query, Catherine recalled Theresia’s advice to think thrice before acting.

She carefully considered whether she had seen the Old Patriarch near Theodore yesterday. The answer was no.

She then pondered whether the Old Patriarch had been on Dragon Island recently. The answer was no.

Had the Old Patriarch caused any major commotions on Dragon Island lately? The answer was no.

Thus, the final answer was revealed.

Catherine replied with certainty, “No.”

Theresia paused, then asked with amusement, “If not, could it be that you just missed me?”

Catherine genuinely missed Theresia and answered earnestly, “Yes.”

Theresia immediately felt a playful urge. “What did you miss about me?”

“I missed how you’d let me copy your homework, help me during exams, and then patiently re-teach me afterward. Most importantly, I missed how you’d make me huge amounts of delicious food.”

As Catherine spoke, she began to pour out her grievances: “Theresia, you wouldn’t believe the miserable life I’ve been leading recently. They don’t even give me enough to eat, telling me that knowledge is the best sustenance. But books are so unappetizing and don’t fill me up at all…”

‘No, that phrase wasn’t meant for you to literally eat the books.’

In the past, Theresia wouldn’t have minded listening to her best friend’s amusing complaints. However, now wasn’t the time; her departure was imminent. Judging by Catherine’s tone, this seemed like a spontaneous outpouring of grievances, nothing truly important.

So, with ambitious fervor, she declared, “Mhm, Catherine, I understand your suffering. Don’t worry, bear with it a little longer. Once I acquire the Elven Secret Treasure and become a celebrated hero among all dragons, I will naturally rescue you from this cage.

“At that time, I shall confer upon you the title of Great General of the West-Conquering Dragons, beneath one dragon and above ten thousand! Let’s see who dares to make you eat books then. I’m pressed for time, so I’ll have to cut this short. Goodbye.”

Catherine was momentarily stunned, pondering the nature of the ‘Great General of the West-Conquering Dragons’ position.

Suddenly, she remembered the crucial matter she hadn’t yet conveyed and quickly blurted out, “Wait a moment, I have something very important to report—”

However, Theresia disconnected the communication faster than Catherine could finish her sentence.

The good news was that Catherine was a White Dragon, possessing enough abundant magic to support another brief long-distance communication.

The bad news was that as she prepared to initiate another remote call, a colossal dark shadow enveloped her.

Catherine trembled as she turned, only to find a White Dragon, twice the size of her own dragon form, gazing down at her with crystalline blue eyes. Its terrifying maw slowly opened: “Catherine, what are you doing sitting here during the exam?”

Catherine gulped hard and replied, “Well, I just had something very important to tell Theresia.”

The larger White Dragon immediately understood. “Heh, so that’s it. You’ve become addicted to seeking outside help, have you?”

It was a well-known fact that Catherine’s failure to absorb critical knowledge during her ‘fledgling period’ didn’t just affect her. The White Dragon who had served as her teacher was once lectured by the Old Patriarch for over half an hour, unable to even lift their head.

And now Catherine dared to attempt the same trick again!

The White Dragon, furious, laughed mirthlessly, then immediately sobered. They seized Catherine’s dragon tail and began dragging her towards the examination hall.

“It seems you need a few extra exams to understand the rules of the testing grounds. This exam is invalidated. For the next five days, you’ll have an exam daily, with no sleep, rationed food, and I’ll be watching you the entire time. I refuse to believe this!”

Catherine’s dragon claws desperately scraped against the ground, but to no avail. All she managed was to furrow the earth. “No! I really have important news to tell Theresia! Really!”

Her voice echoed across the island, and Theresia’s fate was consequently altered in a major way.

The White Dragon Teacher remained oblivious to all of this. But if they had known… they would have been overjoyed!

After all, Theresia was one of the culprits behind their own scolding!

They might even have sought praise from the Patriarch!

Dragon Knight Theodore was already on his way!