"Wouldn't it be faster if I transform and you just sit on my back? Why bother riding a carriage?"
"That's the third time you've asked since we started this journey, and its only been a couple of hours since we started. No matter how many times you ask, my answer won't change, I don't want your identity leaking out. Lia also agreed that's why we are taking a carriage. The only other people who know that you're a Dragon are my guards who were with us when we encountered Lord Gaoh and I put a gag order in place to make sure none of them let any information regarding your identity get out."
"I know, that's the third time you've said that."
"You didn't need to hear it a third time if you didn't ask the same question for the third time. I would hope I don't need to repeat myself for a fourth time as well."
"Ok, fine, but wouldn't it be faster if I transform and you just sit on my back? Why bother riding a carriage?"
This time Aurelia doesn't bother to give me a reply as she just continues to read her book and flips to the next page. Seems like she finally got tired of playing along.
Eventually, the sun has set and we arrive at our destination, the Albus mountain range. Aurelia sends the coachman away as we prepare to set up camp for the night. Once we get a fire going, rather than taking the time to put a tent up, I just return to my true form and curl up, leaving Aurelia to put up a tent for herself. I think she was complaining about something, but I made sure to move toward the mountain so that if someone for some reason does see me, they would just assume I'm a monster on the mountain. Although, I get the feeling that my transforming isn't what Aurelia was yelling at me for but I ignore her and sleep through the night to pass the time.
As morning arrives and I awake, I find that Aurelia had gotten up before me and started eating.
"Why didn't you wait for me to get up or even just wake me up if you were going to eat?"
"Now why should do either of those when you didn't even help me put my tent up and instead went straight to sleep the moment we got here."
"It's not like I didn't do anything, I started the fire."
"That you then proceeded to roll over in your sleep before I could even do anything about it."
Moving over a little, I do actually find the smouldered ashes of what was the fire I started last night. So I effectively did nothing and just went to sleep...
"So, you ready to head up the mountain?" I ask.
"I'm amazed that you can just ignore the entire conversation to that point and shift the topic like that."
"If you're not coming, then I'm heading up," I say as I begin to slither up the mountain.
"Wait! I never said I wasn't coming!" Aurelia yells, as she puts out her fire and jumps onto my back.
Travelling up the mountain we come across plenty of monsters, but none of them is able to provide any experience to me since they are both far too low of a tier. Some of them are actually higher level than me, but since their tier is too low they can't give me any decent amount of experience. But this isn't the case for Aurelia as she has been killing off everything I've ignored so far. I'm not too sure how gaining experience is for people who aren't monsters, but she has already levelled up a few times, reaching level 6. Not only is her level just two below mine, but her stats are also starting to surpass me even with the bonus from my Soul Furnace. This isn't even taking whatever other abilities she has hidden up her sleeve.
For me to gain anything from killing small fry, it would have to be killing thousands of them at a time. But recently, all I've done is kill some weak politicians and they don't provide jack shit. But my wish has been granted as a little after reaching halfway up the first mountain in the range, we come across a tier 7 monster, a level 22 Tri-horned Mountain Rhinoceros. Compared to what I was previously familiar with on Earth, this things is several times larger and three equally large horns protruding from its head, and unlike a rhino from Earth, this one's tail is much thicker with a spiked ball on the end.
Despite almost being three times my level are stats are not too far apart, so if this were an honest fight it would be a little close, but with my abilities, I don't believe I can't win. But its been a while since I've had a nice fight, so I think I'll take it easy... oh, ok then.
Before I can even initiate a fight, without me even realising when she got off my back, Aurelia has tied up the rhino and dragged it over.
"What's that look for, we are here to power level, not have fun wasting time with pointless fighting. So hurry up and kill it so we can move on and look for a new target. I even wrapped it up nicely for you."
"I get it. I completely understand what you are saying and why, but come on!"
Although my eagerness for a fight doesn't stop me from taking the free experience.