Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Garen was speechless about having his communication cut off like this. He could only turn to the person with the second highest Crystal Core reward. It was a soldier dressed in full armor and helmet. It seemed to be a man who was serious and solemn.
He quickly pushed his awareness over.
The soldier first was stunned then proceeded to communicate with Garen.
“Your Draconic Aura isn't much.”
“My Draconic Aura may be a little weak, but it reached the standard,” Garen argued.
“You're still a dragon whelp?” A frown covered the face of the soldier under the helmet. “I have no objection on smaller beings but I need to ask this beforehand, can you breathe fire?”
“… I'm sorry, I'm a White Dragon… I can only breath ice…” Garen was helpless.
“White Dragons can only breath ice? I thought all dragons breathed fire… Erm…” The soldier was dumbfounded and quickly regained composure, “Then I apologize. I need a fire-breathing dragon. This has been a dream of mine since little,” He apologized endlessly, “sorry, sorry.”
“It's alright…”
Garen did not know how this person could initiate a summoning ceremony. He didn't look like a wizard.
The third.
It was a tall muscular bald man. He wore gold earrings, two bronze wristbands and had a chest full of hair. Beside him was the carca.s.s of an unknown large beast.
“Quickly now, I pay a handsome reward. The Large Axe Tribe never discriminates against companions. Even though you're very little, even though you're only a White Dragon and not the black dragon I want, it's okay. Leave the war to me. You just need to stand behind and breath fire!” The bald man said crudely.
Garen looked at the carca.s.s beside him. Although it was camouflaged, that was a dragon, right? A young dragon that hadn't died for long.
Did this person think he was an idiot? Only an idiot wouldn't be able to see through this obvious summoning trap.
Garen was speechless. The supposed summoning trap was to bait dragons through rewards then proceed to kill the dragon for materials, treasure, and resource.
These tactics were normally done by evil wizards. It must be some disturbance by the Black Streak Empire.
He decisively ended the conversation.
It was empty and vast in his mind.
The remaining summoners were simply too wretched.
There wasn't any Demon Core and Garen only needed them. The majority of these summoners were weak. The weakest was a Level Two. Seeing her pale state at the verge of spewing blood, bringing this companion to war would be inviting death with open arms.
Ignored.
He looked at another one. A tall skinny pole, wearing an impoverished wizard robe. The reward was a few old-looking antiques. Yet, there were no wizardry elements to them. How silly of him to summon a dragon with these things.
Ignored again.
The last one was this Kevin's voice that first jumped into his mind. Although he hadn't yet responded to him, he did not give up.
Garen was a little surprised. He offered to push his awareness over to be in touch with him.
“Do you have Demon Cores?”
“Yes, I have two, two Level Fours!” Kevin seemed frightened and immediately replied. He released out a summoning request and any dragons with a slight compatibility would heed this request. However, up to now, the summoning ceremony was almost over, yet only a little White Dragon responded to him. He had already made up his mind to give up and thought that there would not be any dragon that would take to him.
The things that he could take out to attract the dragons were too little after all, apart from some jewels. The dragons loved collecting these jewel, but the main attraction was the tools or scrolls that were useful to battles.
He heard nothing from the black dragons and red dragons that he was the most hopeful for. The purple dragons cut off communications from him at the first second.
As communications broke off one by one, Kevin fell into a deep slum.
But at the very last moment, he didn't think the last contact transferred over his awareness.
“It seems that you don't have any other dragon choices,” said Garen in a low voice.
Kevin was in awe as he lowered his head without saying a word. He hadn't always been a confident person even as a Level Four wizard. Furthermore, he was facing a White Dragon that was the weakest of all dragons, but a dragon whelp was still a valuable kind of level four beings. His unrealistic hope was lost and he should be lucky to have a dragon that was willing to choose him.
Garen still has plenty of other choices such as the underground black ghosts but he really didn't like these dirty-looking coals. Not just their appearance but the spider G.o.ddess that these black coals wors.h.i.+pped. That fellow was known for teasing souls, and if an abnormal soul such as his were to go over…
“Right, him then. I don't have any other choices.” Garen helplessly stared at Kevin.
Kevin could see in Garen's eyes that misery loved company. Both of them were leftovers from the selection and could only depend on each other.
“I'll say… Could the rewards be replaced by Demonic Cores from now on?” Garen started bargaining, “I don't oppose to jewels.”
“Sure, no problem,” Kevin answered swiftly.
“It's best not to look for me if it's a battle with no Demonic Cores. It's not worth it,” Garen continued to demand, “if it's a Level Five being and the risk of danger is heightened, then you need to increase the reward to at least one Level Four Crystal Core.”
“This… Isn't it a little expensive?” It was hard on Kevin as his income wasn't that expandable, and taking out two Level Four Crystal Core at a time was already much. Yet, now Garen requested for three Level Four Crystal Cores for every summon.
Three! That was a lot as it would be enough to buy the most expensive villa in town and hire over ten beautiful maids for a month of hedonism.
“This is already really cheap,” Garen casually added. “Just see how you manage it. Don't tell me you can't even take out these small number?”
He seemed casual and indifferent during negotiations, but he was, in fact, serious within. This person was his only way and best bet to swiftly gather the Demon Cores.
Ever since he got in trouble with that Level Seven Suffering Knight, Garen felt that something dangerous was waiting for him in the outer world mountain range so he dared not hunt for Demon Cores himself and stayed within reach of the Elder's Peak.
Now this summoner here would be the main source of Demon Cores for a long time. He mustn't take this lightly.
“And, the summoning should not be less than once in a month,” Garen continued. If he were to summon him once in a blue moon, what would he gain then?
“Your requests are… too high. I can't bear the expenses…” Kevin was silent for a long time before answering in difficulty.
Garen was also speechless.
The two stared at each other. For a moment, n.o.body said anything.
After a while, Garen helplessly asked.
“How much can you take on?”
No matter how horribly he fared, he was still a dragon. A White Dragon whelp that was a level being. Even if a Level Four wizard was employed, it wouldn't be this cheap, right? If one Level Four Crystal Core was used to open the summoning portal, wouldn't that mean Garen could only earn that little profit only?
“I… I only have these two Level Four Crystal Cores…” Kevin's face was flushed red as he answered with his head lowered. “If I sold my house then I can push in one Level Three Crystal Core…” This was all his inheritance.
All these years in order to provide for his daughter's studies, he devoted himself to making potions and the profits were mostly for his daughter's spending. Wizardry was the most expensive profession as just the wasted materials on experiments each year was enough to cause bankruptcy to a village n.o.ble. A small part of those failed experiments could be used to exchange some resources while the remains could only be destroyed and wasted. There was just so much money burned off in a year.
For most regular people, Kevin was financially doing well. However, to the dragon race, he was poverty-stricken and poor to the point that he couldn't afford an underwear.
“These can be the cost for a one-time summoning…” Garen had no words but he has lost all other contacts. He has to choose this person. If he knew this would happen, he would have chosen… Sigh… He suddenly recalled that n.o.body chose him, apart from this Kevin.
In other words, he himself was left with no other choice.
“So, I can only depend on myself?” Garen thought to himself. He first had some certain expectations that perhaps he could earn higher level Demon Cores through summoning to increase his growth. It looked like now it was just wild wishes.
This person named Kevin was not only a poor man. He didn't seem like a combat wizard. He was the academic type. There would be no hope for him in war. There was no telling how long he could survive.
“Okay okay, don't come bother me if there's no matter then.” Garen forcefully sighed and cut off his dream of earning Demon Cores.
“Now give me something from your side. And that's it.”
“Oh… I'm sorry. I'm just too poor… This is the deposit for the first summoning,” Kevin helplessly placed his Level Four Crystal Core up the summoning ceremony.
With a swoosh, the Crystal Core disappeared and appeared before Garen. Garen's awareness has also left a mark on Kevin.
The human and the dragon had instantly sworn in a partners.h.i.+p through the exchange.
“That's it then. I like to sleep so don't look for me if you don't have any matters. Let's talk when you have collected enough Demon Cores,” Garen left these words in a depressed mood and cut off the communications.
On the other side.
Kevin walked down from the dimmed lit summoning formation. His daughter went up to hold onto him with concern.
“How was it, father? Did you manage to pledge a dragon?”
Looking at his daughter's eyes of expectation, Kevin wanted to deny as pledging and not pledging made no difference considering Garen's att.i.tude. Yet, he didn't want to see his daughter's disappointed face, so he nodded and forced a smile.
“I was lucky to meet a White Dragon. Although White Dragons are the weakest dragons, but the fella I met is very strong. I was surprised at first. That head, that body, couldn't be compared to a regular White Dragon. He was basically equivalent to a black dragon. He's really strong!” He was unexpectedly proficient in spinning lies. But the request for rewards is simply too much… He needed at least three Level Four Crystal Cores. I convinced him to lower to two level four and one level three Crystal Cores.” Kevin pretended to put on a satisfied but pocket-burned face.
“This is still very expensive. But at the very least, father, you have a dragon companion. You have at least a trump card at the battlefield.” His daughter was genuinely happy for him.
“So it's best we do not summon him frequently but only at crucial times,” Kevin quickly added. Although he didn't want to lie to his daughter, he really did not want her disappointed.
