Nol lay despondently in the fog of the early morning.
He had ventured deep into the Black Forest to better adapt to the original form of the Dracolich. Adapting to an alien body was much harder than he had anticipated, and with the immense destructive power of the Dracolich, he dared not flail about recklessly.
With surging power flowing through his veins, Nol simply lay in the leaves with one claw supporting Teest, who was enjoying the dragon scales, and the other holding his achievements from the past few months in Tahe—
[Dracolich [?]—Lv.1]
[HP: 100/100 [Permanently Locked] | MP: 100/100 [Permanently Locked]]
[Strength: 5,700 [-99.35%] | Agility: 1,588 [-99.35%] | Intelligence: 19,322 [+260%] | Physical Defense: 3,375 [-99.35%] | Magical Defense: 5,691 [-99.35%]]
[Status: Curse "Physical Destruction [Undispellable]" Permanently Active; "Staff of Sacrifice" Effect Active; "Guardian Oath" Skill Active]
Of course, the original power of the Dracolich wasn't that exaggerated.
The attribute increase from [Fallen Death] was added directly to the weakened values, which looked quite intimidating. Nol suspected this was because [Fallen Death] itself didn't exist within the system, so the enhancement method was so crude.
Nol's current stats were even stronger than a normal level 20 Fallen Knight.
Having only 100 HP wasn't an issue. His defense could greatly weaken attacks, so he wouldn't die from a single hit, and he had a Death Knight by his side.
His mana could be managed with "The Complete Recipe Book", and now he could use his own body as material to repair the damage in the Dragon Corpse Notebook—strictly speaking, the Dracolich was a form of a dragon corpse.
So even with the annoying curse hindering his performance, Nol's abilities were still monstrously strong.
Especially his intelligence. This stat was stronger than many adult dragons, and as long as he didn't encounter an unreasonable opponent like Zhuang Shuhang, who he couldn't attack decisively, Nol was an unrivaled magic artillery.
After reviewing his full stats, Nol was more concerned with the "?" after Dracolich. He poked at it repeatedly with his claw tip but never got an explanation from the system.
After Teest carefully read Nol's attributes, he stretched in the fog and summoned his own.
[Player ID: Teest]
[Death Knight—Lv.1]
[HP: 220,534/220,534 | MP: 30,040/30,040]
[Strength: 21,527 [+30%] | Agility: 9,707 [+30%] | Intelligence: 2,804 [+30%] | Physical Defense: 12,868 [+30%] | Magical Defense: 9,950 [+30%]]
[Status: Curse "God's Forsaken [Undispellable]" Permanently Active; " Betrayal Overture" Skill Active]
Nol: "…" You're not weakened by a curse, impressive!
If it weren't for magical artifacts and armies, in a one-on-one fight, his knight would likely be the strongest in all of Tahe.
Coupled with his own dragon-level intelligence, their awkward, cough, compromised cooperation, they could roam most of Tahe unchallenged.
Nol lowered his gaze, preparing to estimate the approximate stats of other "pre-arranged teammates", but saw Teest's panel continuously hovering in front of him.
[What are you doing?] Nol couldn't help but ask.
[To this world, I'm now more dangerous.] Teest lazily flipped over on the dragon scales. [At this moment, I am willing to be your sword and shield, but you must watch me closely—if I choose to leave in the end, you let me go. Is that really okay?]
Nol was unsure what Teest meant.
He pulled his mouth out of the leaves and poked it towards Teest.
[I left the gold wheel with you. This way, when I think of leaving, I will hesitate… and I hope you will too.] Teest stroked the tip of Nol's mouth.
So what then?
Was Teest hoping for a gift similar to the gold wheel, or did he feel too free and want additional restraints?
Perhaps sensing the confusion in the dragon's eyes, Teest leaned forward, kissing the scales on the tip of Nol's mouth.
[This is just a normal conversation,] Teest said. [I want to talk to you, but don't want to use the methods taught by the church to persuade, so I can only speak from the heart.]
Nol blinked his large eyes.
Aside from lies, probing, and seduction, Teest rarely ever just talked. After all, since being taken away by the Eternal Church at the age of seven or eight, he had never had someone he could comfortably talk to.
[Then let's have a normal conversation,] Nol said. [So, did you clean my mouth first before kissing it?]
[Ah, you caught me.] Teest draped himself like a sloth on the dragon claw. [I thought it was very effective.]
[You cleaned too vigorously.]
[You also burrowed quite vigorously. The Black Forest isn't exactly a clean place.]
[…Your faith is really flexible.]
[Do you really prefer those mindless fanatics?] Teest stretched his arm, ambiguously caressing the fine scales on the dragon claw. [They would shout, dying for their God, but I would only give my life for my own thoughts. I guess you prefer me.]
This conversation was veering off track.
True to his Mad Monk persona, Teest flirted unabashedly, even with a Dracolich. Nol's claw felt ticklish. Uncomfortably, he drooped his head and reinserted his mouth into the leaves.
[Yes.] He finally responded.
Teest laughed triumphantly, a joy so genuine and nearly sincere.
After a night of turmoil, morning arrived, and the surrounding fog gradually brightened. They slowly moved away, revealing the two figures left behind—
A black dragon and a snow-white man. The latter nestled against the former, admiring the fading stars.
The sunrise in the Black Forest wasn't particularly spectacular. The burning sky was fragmented by numerous tall trees, with only the morning light streaking through the fog, its path visible.
The surroundings were utterly silent, as if the monsters sensed the dragon's presence, and even the insects dared not come close. Time seemed slow and thick, as if only the two of them existed in the world.
Teest adjusted his position on the dragon claw, relaxing as if he would melt away. Nol had never seen Teest so relaxed in all the time he had known him.
Nol's mood softened in turn. Plans and worries, for the moment, vanished.
He had never been in love on Earth, unsure of what "normal" love felt like. He could only be certain that, at this moment, he truly found peace.
Nol lay there, the boiling power inside him gradually calming, his breath and heartbeat as gentle as sleep.
[You still can't change back?] Teest flipped over on the scales. [You're too large now. I can't kiss you all over—although I'd like to.]
[I want to get more familiar with the transformation process,] Nol bravely said.
This was his first time actively controlling the transformation, and if he got stuck halfway, it would be an awkward scene. Even with the Mad Monk's bizarre tastes, Nol didn't want to embarrass himself in front of someone he liked.
[So you can't change back then.] Teest's tone held a hint of sympathy.
The Dracolich discontentedly blew the leaves around. [I just need a little more time!]
[Open your mouth.]
[…Huh?]
[I have some herbs that can help you focus,] Teest said mysteriously.
Nol looked at him skeptically for a while, but eventually acquiesced and opened his mouth, mimicking a crocodile on dry land. His fangs alone were as tall as a person, allowing Teest to easily climb into Nol's mouth—after removing his boots and robe and casting several cleansing spells on himself, Teest cautiously stepped onto the tongue.
Nol hoped the herbs wouldn't be too bitter.
He tensely felt Teest's palms, trying to open his mouth wider, and became afraid of accidentally biting his knight. But instead of the expected herbs flying into his throat, he felt a tingling sensation all over.
Teest stopped at a bite wound on Nol's tongue, leaning against a tooth, and began to kiss the slightly open wound.
In that moment, the scales on Nol's back nearly exploded off. The sensitive wound triggered waves of tingling and numbness. Teest even included some healing ointment, making the kiss both sweet and stimulating, like a wound being nibbled at.
If Teest's actions were initially somewhat related to healing, by the end, it was unmistakably a genuine kiss—he held Nol's tongue gently but firmly, kissing with intense focus.
The Dracolich felt like his entire being was thrown into a hot pot. Nol's mind was overwhelmed with shock and stimulation. He wanted to close his mouth, but Teest stubbornly remained inside.
Nol struggled in place, not daring to move too much—just enough to create a shallow pit.
He couldn't take it anymore. He had to close his mouth. But he couldn't hurt Teest—absolutely couldn't hurt…
A dazzling blue-white light flashed, and the giant Dracolich disappeared, leaving only a panting, crouching Nol.
Teest took out a robe from his bag and tossed it to Nol with a smile. "It seems those stories about 'true love's kiss' aren't completely just tales."
"You…" Nol wiped his mouth, still in shock. "Your faith is really flexible…"
"At least I was successful." Teest winked at him.
He extended a hand to Nol in the pile of leaves, his tone light yet gentle.
"It's time to go home, Nol," he said.
...
"I want to go home," "Flawless" Anakin moaned in despair.
The good news was that she could finally meet with the Master of Paradise, Xu Yue, again. Just recently, Lynn contacted her through a doll, saying that Paradise had important matters to discuss and asked her to bring Solo along. The bad news was that the Temple of Life also requested that she negotiate with Paradise about the situation and convey information related to "The Manor".
The good news was that the Homeward Saints Guild and Amazon would surely protect her in front of the Temple of Life. The bad news was that these two major guilds also wanted to know what exactly happened in The Manor.
Haha, one incident requiring three different reports. Haha, even her tutor had never been this harsh. Anakin seriously doubted whether she had transitioned into a "Flawless" or rather, a "Flawless Reporter".
But what could she say?
The Temple of Life was unaware of the inside story, but she knew it as clear as day. The fall of "The Manor", a gathering place for transmigrators, certainly involved Paradise in some role.
Recently, besides her, many other Players had come into contact with Paradise—this "contact" was merely being guided by the monsters of Paradise to discover some outer dungeons of the Black Forest. Apart from her, no other Players had successfully entered the Lost Tower.
For this, Anakin had brushed it off with her +20% luck value.
Thanks to Nol, she was now rightfully a top-tier Player, and having a few tricks up her sleeve was only logical, attracting no suspicion for the time being.
"This is the first time Xu Yue has actively sought us out."
Anakin fiddled with her new magic wand inlaid with the 'Festival of New Green', muttering to herself. "First mission, absolutely can't mess up… Absolutely can't mess up…"
Anyway, if bad luck struck, Solo would be unlucky with her, so she might as well go for it!
However, the moment she arrived at the meeting room, Anakin immediately regretted her shallow determination—what in the world was this?!
Around the round table, Nol and Teest sat together, both emanating a much stronger aura than when she last saw them. Besides the glued-together duo, there were two more people in the room.
Coincidentally, she recognized both—from the wanted posters at the top of the Temple.
The notoriously renegade Pope, Godfrey Painter, was eating dried fruit earnestly. His posture was very elegant, yet he ate at a rapid pace, the honeyed fruit disappearing steadily in front of him. When he noticed the new arrivals, Painter lifted his head and smiled warmly at Anakin.
He was dressed in simple linen clothes, devoid of any ornamentation.
The mental state of the Eternal Church's High Priest, Fischer Reginald, seemed very poor. He dipped his fingers in tea, drawing the holy emblem of the Eternal Church on the table repeatedly—each time he reached a critical point, his finger would slip, preventing the emblem's completion. He stared at his wrinkled fingers, his expression filled with sorrow, his face marked with tear stains.
How strange—too strange. What the hell was going on?
Anakin's brain nearly froze. She couldn't comprehend this combination. What was Xu Yue thinking, bringing these two together?!
Overwhelmed by the chaotic scene, Anakin tried to back out the door, only to bump into Solo following her. Solo covered his nose and yelled "ouch" loudly.
"Please take a seat, Miss Anakin," Nol said with a smile as Anakin performed a pendulum act at the door.
"Ah, this… Do you know, these two…" Anakin dared not run away. She dragged her equally bewildered cousin to a chair, step by cautious step.
"We know. We've already coordinated. Mr. Painter won't kill Fischer," Nol said soothingly.
He tried to sound casual, with the confidence of a strong person.
…But who knew the hardships behind it?
If this group of powerhouses really started fighting, it would be more stubborn and hard to manage than kindergarteners.
When Painter first saw Fischer, he calmly pulled out a brush and nearly took Fischer's life on the spot. The former Pope was skilled. If not for Nol's forethought, Fischer would have had a few more holes in his head.
Later, with Teest's passionate encouragement, Fischer tearfully cursed the Eternal Son for half an hour, and Painter finally accepted the fact that "Fischer's mind is troubled and relatively harmless".
Fischer, on the other hand, was like a kicked stray dog by the roadside, his spirit broken. He alternated between scornful glances at Painter, confused and persistent stares at Teest, and banging his head on the table.
Of course, Mr. Mad Monk wasn't very willing to cooperate at first. If not for Nol's crazy eye-signals, he seemed more inclined to bring out popcorn and watch these two religious figures fight to the death.
'What a harmonious team, so easy to manage.' Nol's heart yearned for death.
So don't ask too much, Miss Anakin. I just managed to calm them down. Nol struggled to smile, hiding his despairing preschool teacher's expression.
"It's not that…" Anakin said weakly, her voice fading.
"We also gave Mr. Painter enough compensation. He's willing to assist my actions," Nol added thoughtfully. "Mr. Painter's reputation is good enough. You two don't need to worry too much."
Teest snorted disdainfully, receiving a light kick from Nol on his leg.
"I… I understand." Anakin relaxed slightly, finding a distant seat on the edge of the chair.
She couldn't shake off the terrible feeling of a tourist mistakenly entering a wild beast's cage.
"Miss Anakin is a collaborator we trust," Nol said, addressing Painter, "so you can speak freely as well."
Painter gave a slight bow and smiled without saying a word.
Honestly, Painter was more difficult to deal with than Nol had anticipated.
Painter seemed unreliable, but he was actually the leader of the Drifting Mercenary Group. When he heard about the cooperation to tackle a super-difficult dungeon, his requests were very practical—
Painter demanded that Paradise hire the entire group of Drifting Mercenaries, along with the residents of Paradise, to deal with the minor monsters. He claimed it was to help protect the members of Paradise, but in reality, it was a risk-free training and experience-gathering opportunity.
Hiring the leader meant getting the whole group; no separate deals.
"Even for us, 'cooperating with Paradise' is a bit sensitive," Mr. Painter said. "If only the small fries are involved long-term, it will have a negative impact on the group. Better to let everyone see for themselves."
He needed witnesses, huh? Typical of someone from the Temple of Life.
As for the information about dragons, Painter didn't agree. Even after Nol increased the compensation tenfold, the former Pope still refused with tearful eyes.
"My Lord, dragons hold grudges," he said. "Until I'm sure of your character, I can't just reveal their information—if you do something and get noticed by Subelbot; once he traces the source of the information, everyone in our group will suffer."
In other words, this former Pope still didn't trust Paradise.
No problem. "Fighting together" was one of the easiest ways to build trust.
"Now that everyone is here, let me explain the commission details."
Nol snapped his fingers, and a large magic screen appeared—
[The Ancient Knight's Last Wish]
The Ancient Knight's Last Wish was a dual-location linked quest. It was one of Tahe's high-difficulty group battle dungeons and needed to be triggered in the "Ancient Battlefield Tombs" beneath the Black Forest.
After completing this large dungeon, a six-person team was required to escort "The Ancient Knight's Skeleton" to the Endless Sea, fulfilling the knight's wish to be buried at the world's end.
If the first half of the quest tested the number of Players in a group, the second half assessed the quality of the strong within the group—the destination wasn't the beaches of the Endless Sea, but a solitary island floating on the sea. If the skeleton was completely destroyed during this period, the quest would end in failure.
Nol presented this quest as a "legend passed among the monsters of the Black Forest", pretending to be just an innocent and curious leader of the monsters.
"Legend says only a divine envoy can open the tombs," Nol said. "So I specially invited Miss Anakin and Mr. Solo."
"What about the final treasure?" Painter raised his hand solemnly. "If I understand you correctly, the six of us will escort the skeleton. The Endless Sea area is now completely dominated by the Demon King, particularly dangerous. Forgive my bluntness, but if the treasure isn't valuable, this treasure hunt will be more loss than gain."
Solo nodded vigorously, with Annakin also showing agreement.
The former Pope was quite astute.
Nol glanced at Teest unintentionally.
"When the Ancient Knight returns to the end, his bones will sink into the deep sea, and his armor will rust away. His will shall transform into a shield, a sword, and an armor, eternally unbreakable."
Nol said softly.
"I need the armor. Mr. Painter, Miss Anakin, you two can divide the shield and sword equally."
Painter's gaze wandered between Nol and Teest, then clapped his hands together. "If even the Master of Paradise wants the armor, the matching sword and shield can't be bad! Okay, okay, please be sure to let me join."
High Priest Fischer whimpered, and Anakin nodded stiffly—well, at least she still had a salary, so it wasn't comparatively so bad.
"That's the general situation. Please rest here for two days. We'll discuss the details of the operation later."
...
"You didn't say you'd give me the armor."
Teest, hands behind his back, walked backwards in front of Nol, almost floating. "I thought you wanted to upgrade the members of Paradise and take a look at the Demon King's situation."
"You never used a shield in the battle against The Manor."
Nol spoke in a low voice.
Ever since Teest acquired "Curiosity", he had never seriously used it—the attack from Zhuang Shuhang last time was overwhelming, leaving no room for the shield's appearance.
"I guess it's because the defense isn't complete. Using only a shield would be cumbersome… The 'Knight's Will' armor is light and sturdy, which makes it very suitable for your fighting style."
This way, Teest could fight fully armed.
"What about the sword and shield?" Teest leaned in closer. "Why give those to others?"
"Oh, because those two pieces of equipment are called 'Knight's Loyalty' and 'Knight's Benevolence'… Are you sure you can get along with them?"
"..." Teest visibly deflated.
"See?"
The author has something to say:
Teest: Performing a real deep kiss.
Who would have thought, even a dragon could be French kissed by a human! (?