The wizard starts by trimming the donkey's hooves

Chapter 406 Dragon Valley

"Yes, Lord Ryan." The magic iron-level swordsman nodded to Ryan and said affirmatively.

Upon hearing that the other party was from the Black Flame Cult, Claire's face showed realization. After all, the previous battle in Meister was against this cult.

It seems that although Ryan's identity as a swordsman was a reason, it seemed that the trouble she got into this time was more or less related to protecting her Habsburg family.

This made Claire feel very apologetic. She said, "Ryan, I don't have many guards with me to the capital, and they are not very strong. But I can transfer a few people to be responsible for the safety of Ms. Olena."

She did not ask for guards to protect the safety of Ryan Mansion.

One reason is that there are not enough people.

The second reason was that she had just taken a look and although many of the guards in the mansion were disabled, they all had bright eyes, and they responded to the battle that just took place at the door of the mansion in an orderly manner and without any panic, as if they were all elite retired soldiers of the army.

At this moment, Luther and Harlowen looked at each other, and a thought came to their minds: "A tall tree attracts the wind."

Just now, Ryan was challenged by the disciple of the Tide Swordmaster in the Dragon Knight Reserve Camp.

The incident over there had just ended when here another terrible incident happened where one of our subordinates, Olena, was attempted to be kidnapped by the Black Flame Cult.

Moreover, according to the intelligence just received, it seems that a very formidable strong man from the Secret Snake Cult has arrived near the imperial capital, and his target is also Ryan.

The two of them really didn't know what to say.

Especially Luther, he knew very well that when Ryan was in the tundra, he also caused great losses to the Poseidon Cult.

In other words, based on what he knew, Ryan was a thorn in the eyes and flesh of at least three evil cult organizations!

However, Luther had already made up his mind.

Because not only does he personally admire Ryan's strength and is Ryan's supporter, but the Snyder family and Ryan are also partners in the gold mine. If he doesn't support him, who will?
Of course, the most important thing is that he is optimistic about Ryan. As long as he can overcome this difficulty, he will definitely enter the epic realm and become a top powerhouse.

"Sir Ryan, if you are short of manpower, we can transfer a team of people from the Snyder family's guards in the imperial capital."

Hearing Luther's words, Hallowen couldn't help but look at him, a little surprised at Luther's decisiveness.

However, Ryan's potential and the previous letter from his father, the Duke of Munster, also made Hallowen make a decision quickly. He said, "Sir Ryan, the Bavarian family can also provide some guards."

"Thank you both for your kindness. That's a trouble." Ryan nodded and did not refuse.

Hearing this, Lagre, who had been silent all this time, first looked at Claire with her beautiful eyes, then looked at Ryan and said:

"Ryan, the Norton tribe has always been your loyal ally. High Priest Rom and Chief Darius reminded me before I set out that if you need the tribe's help, just let them know."

Lagre's words made Claire secretly say in her heart, "She is indeed a female warrior from the barbarian tribe."

But when did Ryan get in touch with the barbarian tribe far away in the Howling Tundra?
And it seems that they have a close relationship with the Norton tribe, or are they allies?

You know, the barbarian tribes have always been cautious about the Dragun Empire and have always maintained a distant but not close relationship with it.

But at this moment, she naturally couldn't ask Ryan anything.

After some discussion, the safety of Ryan's mansion and Olena was basically guaranteed to a certain extent, and Claire would also send a special message to the Habsburg family far away in Meister to warn them.

Soon, Harlowen and Luther returned to make arrangements, leaving only Ryan, Claire and Lagre at the scene.

Just when Ryan was beginning to have a headache and didn't know what to say, his sister Mint ran down from upstairs lively. She looked at Claire curiously and asked, "Brother, who is this sister?"

Although it was the first time Claire met Ryan's sister Mint, she had heard Ryan mention her before.

She squatted down, took off a jewel brooch from her shirt, handed it to Bo He, and said, "Bo He, right? I'll give you a small gift as a greeting."

"No, I can't accept it. My brother told me not to accept gifts from others unless they are from Sister Anna or Sister Lagre."

Hearing Mint's words, Ryan's forehead was almost covered with sweat.

"Hey, Mint. Now with Sister Claire, you can accept her gift without worry." Ryan quickly winked at Mint.

"Really? That's great! Sister Claire, your legs are so long and beautiful."

"I like the gift you gave me very much." Mint praised Claire.

Although Claire had been surrounded by such compliments since she was a child, she was almost immune to it.

But in fact, it depends on who is saying it. Little Mint fluttered her big innocent eyes and looked so cute that Claire would never suspect that she was lying.

"Sister Claire, can we go play outside?"

"Okay." Facing Ryan's sister's invitation, Claire readily agreed.

She also wanted to ask about Sister Anna and Sister Lagre.

Soon, the two arrived at the front yard and began digging the soil and planting flowers.

"By the way, Mint, where is the sister Anna you just mentioned? I don't seem to see her." After a while, Claire asked casually.

"No, Sister Anna left." Mint said.

"Hmm? Gone? Gone for a long time?"

"No, Sister Anna just left two days ago. Then, Sister Lagre came yesterday."

"Hmm?" Claire glanced at Lagre, who was still talking to Ryan in the villa, and thought, did she come yesterday? Then maybe she was worrying too much.

Perhaps, the relationship between the other party and Ryan is that of fighting partners.

Although the Dragun Empire has a relatively open atmosphere regarding men and women, and nobles have many lovers in private, they still adhere to the monogamous system in public.

Claire was quite accepting of these things, but she still had some thoughts and unhappiness in her heart.

After all, which girl in love doesn’t want her partner to pamper her alone?

The same speculation naturally crossed Lagre's mind, but she was different from Claire, the earl's daughter.

Ryan saved her life, and she felt a little ashamed of herself for intervening between Ryan and Anna from the beginning. So, after the intimate moment in Goldshire, she quietly left and returned to the tundra.

From the beginning to the end, she thought that Ryan's partner was Anna, but now it seems that Ryan's love history is more complicated than she thought.

at the same time.

Inside Marshal Alfred's office.

General Augustus frowned, looked at the report in his hand, and said:
"Marshal, as you expected, although the Empire used the early selection of dragon knight reserves as a cover-up, judging from the dynamics of the cults in various places, it seems that they have already noticed the Empire's plan."

"The traitor we identified earlier was of a very high level."

Marshal Alfred, who had silver hair and a mustache, nodded and said, "This is something that was expected."

"But in this way, we have gradually narrowed down the scope. At present, the suspects are just those few."

"Of course, the most important thing is that we must take this opportunity to resolve the hidden dangers in the secret realm of Dragon Valley."

Augustus nodded and said, "Yes, Marshal, solving the hidden dangers of Dragon Valley is the most important thing."

"For those who want to enter the secret realm of Dragon Valley, I recommend one more person, Ryan, who killed Harold."

It’s not that the Sword Bearer Headquarters doesn’t trust Ryan, but because the Sword Bearer Headquarters had already determined the personnel for this top-secret mission three months ago.

At that time, Ryan had not yet arrived in the imperial capital, and his strength had not yet been revealed.

Naturally, Ryan was not on the list.

"Oh? It's him. Did Ryan also participate in the selection of dragon knight reserves?" Marshal Alfred asked back.

"Yes."

"Well, with his strength, he is a good candidate. Moreover, if he enters the secret realm, he will be qualified to know this matter."

"Yes, Marshal, I think so too."

"I'll find time to talk to Ryan about the specific situation as soon as possible." Augustus nodded and said.

"it is good!"

That afternoon, Augustus met with Ryan in his office.

As soon as he saw Ryan coming in, Augustus looked at him, his eyes lit up and he said with admiration:

"Ryan, your strength has improved so fast that it is amazing. I didn't expect that after not seeing you for a while, you have improved so much."

If Ryan had not already gone through several witchcraft tests, Augustus would have doubted him to some extent, wondering if he was the incarnation of a god or something like that.

"Thank you, General Augustus. Your praise will be my motivation to move forward." Ryan said with a smile.

"Sit down, let's chat."

"Okay!" Ryan nodded.

He naturally knew that General Augustus's main purpose in looking for him was not likely to be to chat, but he was not in a hurry.

Sure enough, after some greetings, Augustus looked serious and said, "I called you here because there is something important. I hope you can attend."

"I'd like to hear the details." Ryan nodded and said.

"The second part of the Dragon Knight Reserve Assessment is in the secret Dragon Valley. Sir Ryan, how much do you know about the secret Dragon Valley?"

"I'm not sure. I heard that all those who have participated in the Dragon Valley Secret Realm Assessment must sign a confidentiality agreement with the Empire." Ryan shook his head and said.

He once asked Luther this question, but Luther could not reveal the details due to his oath.

The only thing that is clear is that the Dragon Valley should be a relatively special secret place that the empire attaches great importance to.

"Yes, but, Lord Ryan, you are qualified to know the relevant secrets. Of course, the content must not be leaked." "I understand." Hearing this, Ryan sat up slightly, nodded and said.

General Augustus paused, then began to narrate slowly:
"The Dragon Valley Secret Realm is a large secret realm, and also the most important secret realm in the empire. It contains almost all the young dragons and adolescent dragons in the empire. Until these dragons reach maturity, they all live in the Dragon Valley."

"Until you become an adult dragon, that is, when your strength reaches the epic level, you will be teleported out of the secret realm."

As if seeing the doubt in Ryan's eyes, Augustus continued without waiting for Ryan to ask:

"Perhaps you are wondering why the Empire places both baby and adolescent dragons in the Dragon Valley Secret Realm. The reason is simple. In the Dragon Valley Secret Realm, there is a special energy environment that can accelerate the growth cycle of dragons."

"Almost. It can increase the growth rate by about three to four times."

"I see." Ryan raised his eyebrows and said.

No wonder, even taking into account various accidental deaths in battle, the number of dragons in the entire empire is still showing a slow upward trend. This is definitely the most important secret realm of the empire.

You should know that it usually takes about two to three hundred years for a giant dragon to grow into an adult dragon.

If the speed is accelerated fourfold, it means that in fifty or sixty years, the empire will have a dragon with epic combat power.

"The problem now is that some strange phenomena have occurred in the secret realm. The great astrologers have observed with special witchcraft devices that some young and adolescent dragons have gone crazy and attacked their own kind."

"Moreover, in the past year, the situation has become increasingly serious, and the cause has been preliminarily identified. The special spatial structure of the secret realm has led to the invasion of a monster called the Void Beast."

"They infected some young and adolescent dragons, causing their temperaments to change drastically and their bodies to gradually mutate."

"At present, we call this mutated dragon a void dragon."

"So what is the mission this time?" Ryan thought for a moment and asked.

"First, we need to eliminate these young dragons that have been infected by the void beasts. There is currently no way to reverse the situation."

"Secondly, activate and place three special devices in the secret realm to strengthen the protection of the secret realm."

"I have another question, General Augustus, since this matter is so important, why don't you let the Imperial Guardians enter the secret realm?" Ryan asked puzzledly.

"Once the strength of an individual in the secret realm exceeds the legendary level, he will be expelled from the secret realm. In addition, we have thought about concealing the strength of epic-level masters in some way to allow them to enter, but the cost is too high."

"Understood." Ryan nodded.

"Let me say one more thing. Every time we open the Dragon Valley Secret Realm, we need five Level 4 Dawn Wizards to jointly cast the activation magic array. In addition, the other materials consumed by the activation of this teleportation magic array are also very valuable."

"So, in the past, it was held every five years. But this time, because we need to eliminate the invasion of void beasts as soon as possible, we will start the selection of dragon knight reserves in advance before the time comes."

"One last question. Has the strength of these adolescent dragons infected by the Void Beasts changed?" Ryan asked.

"According to ancient books, the creatures infected by the void beasts should have improved in strength, and some of their attack methods will become more bizarre. Therefore, this mission is very difficult."

Ren nodded.

Indeed, relatively speaking, he was quite aware of the dragon's strength.

The strength of young dragons is mostly in the late legendary stage or the peak legendary stage. Coupled with the dragon's unique physical body and innate abilities, their combat power is already very strong.

If some mutated abilities are added, it will naturally become more difficult.

This is why ordinary teenage dragons are no match for infected dragons.

At this time, Augustus thought for a moment, his face becoming more solemn, and he said, "The more difficult situation is that we found that the cult seems to have also known about the changes that occurred in the secret realm."

"Right now, the other party is mobilizing personnel to gather near the imperial capital. Although we don't know how they will disrupt this operation, it is clear that they will take action."

"This is a big trouble." Hearing this, Ryan's face became serious.

Our side is in the light while the enemy is in the dark. The only thing we know is that the enemy will take action, but we don't know exactly how the enemy will act. This makes it rather passive to deal with.

"So, we have mobilized the most elite group of people in the empire at the legendary level. This operation involves not only us sword bearers, but also the strong men from the imperial military and the Senate's internal guard."

“However, there are some other uncertainties.”

"There are some uncertainties coming from within the empire. So, Lord Ryan, please be fully prepared." Augustus looked at Ryan and said.

"Okay, Lord Augustus, I understand." Ryan nodded and said.

"It contains an introduction to the secret realm of Dragon Valley." At this time, Augustus handed Ryan a memory crystal and said.

After leaving the Sword Bearer headquarters and getting on the carriage, Ryan first reviewed the whole incident.

Because what General Augustus told him this time contained a lot of information.

It’s not that Ryan hadn’t thought about rejecting this mission, but after a little thought, he realized that, in fact, as long as he entered the secret realm, he had passively joined this mission.

In addition, if it is true as the intelligence said, there are many teenage dragons infected by void beasts, then he has no reason not to go.

Instead, you should take the initiative and rush to go.

Because those infected teenage dragons are the nourishment for his promotion.

Since you have decided to go, you should naturally make adequate preparations and improve your combat effectiveness as much as possible.

After thinking about it, Ryan asked the coachman to drive to the school’s headquarters.

Soon, Ryan arrived at the laboratory of his mentor Mogaro.

As soon as he stepped in, he found that although less than a week had passed, the Hellfire Golem placed in the laboratory had basically taken shape.

The progress seems to have been completed by more than half, which should be due to the previous experience in making golems.

Although there are many improvements in this production, most of the structures remain unchanged.

Mogaro, who was lying on the golem, saw Ryan coming in and stood up and said, "Ryan, it will probably take about three more days."

"Teacher, is there anything I can help you with?" Ryan took the initiative to ask.

"Hmm? Is the sword holder's side so empty?"

"Since you have time, it couldn't be better. You need to make two gun barrels and then engrave inscriptions on them. I originally wanted to trouble Sir Bradley with this matter."

Taking advantage of the break in the conversation, Mogaro picked up a bottle of liquor, took two gulps, and said.

"Okay, mentor." Ryan naturally accepted the arrangement made by mentor Mogaro.

After all, the reason the other party was so busy was for his golem, so it was only right for him to do something.

"Lord Ryan, good day!" Audrey and Alicia immediately saluted Ryan and said.

"Well, Audrey, Alicia, thank you for your hard work." Ryan said with a smile.

Since Ryan had become a third-level crystallized wizard, he used his innate magic, metal transfiguration, with greater accuracy than before. In just a few minutes, he had completed the production of two gun barrels.

This immediately made Mogaro, who was standing by, almost stunned!
You know, the most important thing for a gun barrel is accuracy.

Moreover, although the gun barrel is made of metal, it is a special alloy steel. The difficulty of deforming it using metal deformation technique is more than twice as high as that of ordinary steel.

Even for the deputy sect leader Bradley, who was in the early stage of the third level of crystallization, it would take a whole day to make it.

But he didn't expect that his disciple Ryan could accomplish it in just a few minutes.

This... is a natural puppet making a holy body?
"In this case, we can get it done today," said Mogaro.

"Uh, mentor, if I help, how long will it take to make another improved Hellfire golem?" Ryan asked.

"Hmm? Do you have a difficult task recently?" Mogaro immediately heard something from the words of his favorite disciple.

"Well, not really, but I participated in the assessment for the dragon knight reserve, which may be useful later." Ryan thought about it and still did not mention the mission, but only talked about the dragon knight assessment.

"Dragon Knight?" Mogaro smacked his lips a few times, and finally shook his head helplessly and sighed.

"A dragon knight in his twenties. It's been years since a genius like you appeared in the empire."

"However, being too dazzling is sometimes not a good thing!"

"Dragon Knight?!" Alicia, who was standing by with a plump figure, felt dizzy upon hearing this.

The strongest junior in his own school is about to become a dragon knight?
Even Audrey was stunned for a moment when she heard what Ryan said.

You must know that although Ryan was very powerful and had a prominent status before, in the eyes of the people of the empire, the sword-bearer and the dragon knight were still on two completely different levels.

The gap is as big as that between baron and duke!
With Ryan's participation, the production progress of this improved Hellfire has made rapid progress.

The production was basically completed by the evening of the same day.

Mogaro just dusted his hands and said, "Ryan, it's almost done. We can test it now."

"However, the consumption of mental energy will be greater than before, so you have to be a little more careful."

Although this reminder was a bit redundant, Ryan felt warm in his heart: "Okay, mentor."

The improved version of Hellfire in front of me was much taller than the previous version of Hellfire, especially with two black round gun barrels on the left and right shoulders.

The barrel is not long because what it releases are not traditional cannonballs, but fireballs and shadow arrows.

In addition, due to the expansion in size, the thickness of the shell of the improved model has been greatly improved, especially in the joints, where the thickness of the metal protection has almost doubled.

At the same time, there are three small furnace devices on the back of the golem, which are used to power the two gun barrels, the chest cannon and the whole body drive.

As the spell of activation sounded, a thumb-thick ochre-colored beam of light shone onto the improved version of the Hellfire Golem in front of him.

(End of this chapter)