As Anya was speaking, the dragon cavalry had approached, clearly having spotted the presence of the Iron Thorn Mercenary Group, and their advance began to slow. Now at a closer distance, Ye Yinzhu saw a man in his thirties sitting atop the Golden Crystal Rage Dragon, a seven-meter-long heavy dragon spear hanging by his leg, and an ancient-styled longsword hanging at his waist. His body was clad in silver armor that shone brilliantly in the sunlight. He wore no helmet, and his golden hair flowed loosely behind him. He was tall and straight, with ordinary features, except for a five-inch scar stretching from the corner of his eye to his chin on his left cheek, giving him a fierce look. A silver hexagram the size of a palm on the left breast of his silver armor, emblazoned with a Zi Luolan pattern, indicated his family.
Facing the imposing pressure of the Golden Crystal Rage Dragon, Ge'en's mount, the Green-spined Earth Dragon, roared and trembled.
"Praise Falan, greetings, esteemed Dragon Knight. It is an honor to meet you here," Ge'en jumped down from the back of the Green-spined Earth Dragon somewhat hastily, placed his right hand over his left chest, and gave a respectful knight's salute to the Dragon Knight on the back of the Golden Crystal Rage Dragon.
The Dragon Knight merely glanced at him, speaking indifferently, "Praise Falan, state your origins." The dragon cavalry behind him had come to a uniform halt, devoid of any noise, fully displaying the quality of this troop.
Far from being upset by the other's indifference, Ge'en quickly replied, "E-rank Iron Thorn Mercenary Group; we're on an escort mission."
The Dragon Knight pointed forward with his hand, "My partner is hungry, yield five unicorns for its fodder. Here are twenty gold coins for compensation," he said while casually tossing a coin pouch. Despite being twenty paces from Ge'en, the coin pouch reached him in an instant. Ge'en instinctively reached to catch it, but was pushed back by the force from the pouch, stumbling several steps and nearly falling to the ground.
"Uncle, be careful." Yin Zhu supported Ge'en from behind, preventing him from making a fool of himself on the spot.
After throwing the coin pouch, the Dragon Knight didn't even glance at Ge'en again, gently patting the thick back of the Golden Crystal Rage Dragon with an indulgent look. Clearly, that was his "partner" he had mentioned.
Anger flashed in Ge'en's eyes, but he dared not offend the Dragon Knight before him. However, the group had just enough unicorns, and if they gave away five, there'd be no room for the mercenary group's supplies.
"Is that much force necessary? Why should we give your earth dragon our unicorns?" To Ge'en's astonishment, Ye Yinzhu had stepped forward without him noticing, his clear and melodious voice filled with a hint of anger.
The Dragon Knight's brow furrowed slightly, and as he lifted his eyes to Ye Yinzhu, their gazes met. Although the Dragon Knight had the advantage of height, Ye Yinzhu's eyes showed not the slightest hint of retreat, his clear black pupils revealing a stubborn streak.
"A mage?" The Dragon Knight's voice softened a bit. Mages too were noble, even though the badge on Ye Yinzhu's chest represented only Red-rank.
Ye Yinzhu nodded and said, "We are not selling our unicorns. If we sell them, we'll have nothing to use."
At this point, Ge'en had recovered his composure and quickly shielded Ye Yinzhu behind him. He was too well-acquainted with the pride and strength of dragon cavalry and feared Ye Yinzhu might suffer, "I am sorry, Dragon Knight Sir, we really do not have any unicorns to spare. Perhaps," he hesitated.
The Dragon Knight's eyes flashed coldly; he was growing impatient. "Who among you can withstand a blow from my lance may leave. Otherwise, leave the unicorns."
"What gives you the right to be so domineering?" Ye Yinzhu looked up and angrily glared at the Dragon Knight.
The Dragon Knight simply stated two words, "Power." Indeed, on the Ryuzakinus Continent, power decided everything.
"Such arrogance! Viscount Austin, it's been a long time. How about I take your dragon spear instead?" Anya's graceful and charming voice emerged from behind Yin Zhu and Ge'en. Hearing this voice, Viscount Austin shuddered, and his gaze, which hadn't properly taken in Yin Zhu and his party, suddenly shifted their way.
With a soft "ah" from his mouth, Austin's body flickered and he had already jumped down from the back of the Golden Crystal Rage Dragon, "Praise Falan, Miss Anya, it turns out to be your team." As he spoke, his right hand had already touched the silver star on the left chest, the knight's salute was much more standard than Ge'en's.
"Praise Falan." Anya lifted her right hand, allowing Austin to complete a hand-kissing gesture.
The sudden change in the Dragon Knight's attitude immediately surprised the mercenaries of the Iron Thorn Mercenary Group; they could never have imagined that a Dragon Knight would speak with such a tone and show such respect towards their employer.
"Miss Anya, what is this?"
Anya indifferently said, "I went to Bo Pang to purchase a batch of goods and hired the Iron Thorn Mercenary Group as an escort. I didn't expect to encounter Viscount here. Weren't you always in Milan City?"
Austin glanced at Anya, a mesmerized flash passing through his eyes, "This time I am escorting a batch of military supplies to Bo Pang. As you know, the Bo Pang Kingdom has always been a partner of Milan. The task is already completed, and I was just preparing to return to Milan City. You're going back too, right? Why not let us escort you? An E-rank Mercenary Group is simply not worthy of your status."
Anya snorted, "Never mind, as long as your dragon spear isn't pointed at me, I'll be satisfied. How could I possibly trouble you with such a grand entrance?"
Austin chuckled bitterly, "I offended you just now, not knowing you were here, Miss. Austin's dragon spear may be sharp, but it will never be aimed at you!"
Anya calmly said, "In that case, Viscount, please proceed on your way. I presume you need to hurry back to Milan City to report."
"Miss, are you sure you don't need our escort?"
Anya looked at him, retorting, "Do you think I need it?"
Austin gave a self-deprecating laugh, "In that case, Austin will take his leave. When you return to Milan City, I will come to apologize." As he spoke, he took several steps backward before springing up effortlessly to mount the several-meter-tall Golden Crystal Rage Dragon. Before leaving, he spared Ye Yinzhu a glance, and in his eyes, Yin Zhu saw a hint of hostility.
The Dragon Cavalry moved at an astonishingly high speed and disappeared in the blink of an eye. However, this time the steps of Austin and his Dragon Cavalry were much gentler, not stirring up much dust.
Watching the Dragon Cavalry disappear into the distance, Ge'en approached Anya and said with unease, "Miss Anya, I'm sorry..."
Anya smiled faintly, the coldness on her face dissipated, "There's nothing to be sorry about. Even an A-rank Mercenary Group wouldn't react much better than you did in the face of Dragon Cavalry. After all, they are the ultimate soldier of humankind. It's time we departed, Captain Ge'en." With that, she didn't wait for Ge'en to say anything else and returned to the carriage, as if she didn't see the respectful gazes of the mercenaries.
"Uncle, don't be distracted, we should get going," said Ye Yinzhu, patting Ge'en on the shoulder.
"Ah!" Ge'en came back to his senses, thinking to himself that his employer must have a very extraordinary identity. It would be better not to ask too many questions and not to know things that shouldn't be known, to avoid unnecessary trouble. Offending someone who even a Dragon Knight respects was not an option for him; better to complete this mission quickly.
"Yin Zhu, thank you for what you did just now."