Ranch's question plunged Xina into deep thought.
She was no fool.
On the contrary, to become a stellar magus and step into the novice, no, now intermediate level at such a young age, Xina could certainly be considered a genius, and those who are geniuses are usually very intelligent.
"Did you orchestrate this? How did you manage it?" Xina asked directly, her eyes filled with increased wariness, pondering how she would handle the situation if Ranch adamantly refused to return the Tribunal's treasure.
Ranch nodded and said, "Yes, I did. As for how, Miss Xina doesn't need to know. Of course, I'm not unreasonable... How about this, Miss Xina, you help me with something, and I might consider returning the artifact."
"What do you need?" Xina inquired.
"I want to unlock the treasure of the dragon here."
Ranch shared his thoughts.
Due to the battle between Xina and Charles, the original Rock Manor Ruins were leveled, and the magic array Xina had set up to conceal the aura was destroyed, even triggering something that caused the manor to gradually emanate a dragon's aura.
With the night ripe for complications, if others sensed it, it might lead to unnecessary trouble.
Hearing such a straightforward request, Xina breathed a sigh of relief and agreed, "Okay."
With Xina's assistance, progress was significantly faster.
The trio dug into the ground, reaching more than twenty meters deep before encountering a transparent barrier.
"It seems our guess was correct," Ranch thought to himself, then gestured for Xina to take action, as dispelling barriers was more suited for a magus.
Unexpectedly, even Xina's most powerful star magic made no impact on the barrier.
She gave a wry smile and said, "It appears this isn't an ordinary barrier but a bloodline barrier... Which makes sense, considering how powerful dragons are. Even in death, they wouldn't allow their accumulated treasure and remains to be easily accessed by others."
Ranch gave Xina a few looks to ensure she wasn't lying.
He was also aware of what a bloodline barrier entailed—it was a barrier that only beings of the same bloodline as the one who established it could enter.
This meant that only another dragon could penetrate this dragon barrier.
Was he supposed to give up?
Impossible!
Feeling somewhat impatient, Ranch glanced at the system Store, considering using today's refresh chance to try and find a useful item.
But then, he seemed to recall something, pulling out a Bizarre Scale from his storage ring, an item he had previously purchased for a hefty sum of gold coins.
[Bizarre Scales: Unique. Seemingly a scale from a formidable creature, it allows the wearer to temporarily exert the aura of the scale's original owner, an aura impressive enough to astonish dragons. It can only be used once. Special note: Regardless of purchase status, this item will not appear again in the Store. Price: 3000 gold coins.]
"Can this thing allow me to enter the barrier?" Ranch pondered, not hesitating to attach the scale to his wristband.
A powerful aura immediately emanated from him, causing Xina and Sophia to feel a surge of trepidation, nearly compelling them to kneel before it abruptly vanished, and Ranch himself disappeared into the barrier, vanishing from sight.
"Ranch!" Sophia called out anxiously.
Standing aside, Xina appeared contemplative, her curiosity about Ranch intensifying.
She couldn't help but ask, "Sophia, who exactly is Ranch?"
"I don't know," Sophia refused to answer.
This was within Xina Bella's expectations; she didn't press further but waited quietly.
Perhaps the series of events that had unfolded since meeting Ranch had left her astounded and no longer prone to surprise.
She didn't think Ranch would come to any harm.
However, Ranch was indeed facing trouble now.
After passing through the barrier, he found himself rapidly descending, thankfully only a dozen meters or so, the landing causing a rush of blood due to the impact.
Before him lay the corpse of a gigantic dragon, occupying the entire vast cavern, but not a hint of life could be seen.
A massive wound penetrated the dragon's skull, the remnants of its aura terrifyingly potent, akin to a fallen star crushing down upon him, the immense weight making it difficult for Ranch to stand firmly, let alone take a few steps.
"Who could have inflicted such a wound?" Ranch couldn't help but feel alarmed.
As the most formidable race on the continent, dragons are renowned for their might.
Judging by the size of the deceased dragon before him, it was an adult, arguably one of the most powerful beings on the continent...
Yet such a creature lay dead in a minor place like the City of Crimson.
Now was not the time to ponder this mystery.
Ranch had to face the harsh reality that if he couldn't withstand the overwhelming aura, he might die here, becoming part of the dragon's treasure.
But how could he save himself?
The oppressive aura bore down incessantly.
Even though Ranch's physique had significantly strengthened, he was acutely aware that he could only hold out for at most ten minutes.
With this in mind, Ranch turned his attention to the system Store.
He opted not to continue refreshing the goods but instead opened the description of the permanent goods, where more detailed information appeared.
[Permanent goods section]
[Spend one thousand gold coins to select specified goods to replace the current permanent goods. Permanent goods will not be refreshed, and the selected specified goods must be ordinary items that have appeared before.]
There was a cost to change the permanent goods, along with restrictions.
But under the circumstances, Ranch found the price acceptable.
He quickly proceeded with the operation, muttering to himself, "What I need now is the Energy Reagent!"
Several prompt messages appeared.
[Spend one thousand gold coins to change permanent goods!]
[Goods exchange completed! Current permanent goods have been changed to Energy Reagent, with no limit on the daily purchase quantity!]
"What a pleasant surprise!" Ranch couldn't help but rejoice as the purchase limit on the Energy Reagent was lifted!
With over twenty thousand gold coins acquired from Charles, he was in an unprecedented state of affluence.
Generously, Ranch spent five thousand gold coins to buy a hundred bottles of Energy Reagent and immediately consumed one.
His weary body swiftly recuperated, and he could even move slightly under the oppressive aura.
Ranch knew his plan was working; he just needed to slowly make his way to the Dragon Corpse, where the pool of blood was sufficient to fulfill the conditions for unsealing the Dragon God Vessel.
Half an hour later.
Thanks to the continuous supply of Energy Reagent, Ranch reached the side of the gigantic dragon and drank another bottle.
Then, he lay in the blood flowing from the Dragon Corpse.
Agonizing pain surged through him as his body underwent a monumental transformation, but this time Ranch remained conscious, acutely aware of the distinct change that would signify the unsealing of the Dragon God Vessel.
The dragon's blood on the ground was continuously absorbed by Ranch, causing the dragon's corpse to slowly decay.
Five hours later, Ranch slowly opened his eyes, a flash of blood-red flickering briefly.
He eagerly looked at his information panel, which had transformed drastically.
Even prepared as he was, he was still astounded at that moment.
[Current Information]
[Ranch]
[Class: Intermediate knight trainee]
[Bloodline: Dragon God Vessel]
[gold coins: 15744]
[Attributes]
[Strength: 86; Spirit: 20; Stamina: 109]
[Evaluation: Are you really a knight trainee?]
…
[Dragon God Vessel (Complete)]
[Effect One: Magic Affinity. Thanks to the effect of dragon blood, you can sense the mana flowing in the air; you might become a powerful magus.]
[Effect Two: Body Enhancement. The strength of your body is significantly increased.]
[Effect Three: Advancement. You can continue to enhance the Dragon God Vessel, gaining even more powerful talents. The next enhancement requires: a 3-tier Dragonblood Potion, an Immortal Undead Crystal, Holy Water, Shadow of Demon.]
Closing the system panel, Ranch briefly sensed the various magical powers in the air with unprecedented clarity.
With just a meditation technique, he could instantly become a magic apprentice; and the explosive power within his body, making him obsessed, allowed him to leap dozens of meters and shatter boulders with a casual punch.
"Such power is terrifying."
After a moment of reflection, Ranch turned his attention back to the Dragon Corpse.
The body had completely decayed, losing all its value, but he couldn't overlook the pile of treasures gleaming with gold behind it.
Just as Ranch was about to move towards them, he suddenly stopped and looked up into the air, where an odd crystal floated.