You Drew a Corrupt Official? You Clearly Drew Old Man Lance

The members of the Bronze Bounty Guild arrived at the Earl's Mansion early in the morning. They ate breakfast Earl's Mansion. Ticia and Ingrid told them they were friends of the Viscount, Ingrid immediately instructed the Earl's Mansion's chef to prepare 27 breakfasts.

Considering that the Viscount's friends were adventurers from the Bounty Guild, Ingrid had the chef prepare some roast meat.

Roasted meat, served with bread and milk, should be enough to satisfy the Viscount's friends.

After the Viscount's friends had finished eating and drinking, the Viscount came down from the second floor, yawning and still wearing his pajamas.

He prepared a gift for the members of the Bronze Bounty Guild: two vials of extraordinary potions.

One is an upgraded and specially formulated extraordinary potion that can temporarily enhance combat power while also boosting defense.

Side effects will appear three to five hours after taking the medication.

Adverse reactions are negligible.

Unupgraded versions of the extraordinary potion can only temporarily enhance combat power, not improve defense.

The Viscount allowed the members of the Bronze Guild to choose freely.

Perhaps they were in a real hurry, the members of the Bronze Guild accepted the Viscount's extraordinary potion and some other items, and then turned and left the Earl's Mansion.

As they were leaving, the Viscount's friend said that if all went well, they would bring the Viscount a gift when they returned—a gift made of pure gold.

The Viscount smiled but said nothing.

About three hours after the Bronze Guild members left, Little Dragon Highness said her head was a little itchy, scratched it a few times, and then about half an hour later, an amethyst-colored tortoise shell grew on Little Dragon Highness's head. The tortoise shell was sparkling when it first appeared.

She thought the Little Dragon Highness with the Amethyst Turtle Shell growing on his head was even cuter.

But Little Dragon Highness doesn't seem to think that way. "Waaah, you lied to me Lance! You lied to me! Didn't you say that an itchy head means your brain is growing and you're getting smarter? Look! Look! Is this a brain? It's a tortoise shell! And it's shining! Waaah! I don't want a tortoise shell on my head! I don't want to be a tortoise dragon! What should I do, Lance? Can you find a way to remove this tortoise shell from my head?"

In the Earl's Mansion's mansion hall, the young dragon cried loudly and stretched its head in front of Lance, showing Lance the shimmering Amethyst Turtle Shell on its head.

She was overjoyed to find that Er Gouzi had grown a turtle shell on his body in the morning.

Unexpectedly, just a few hours later, an amethyst-colored tortoise shell also grew on her head.

Waaaaah... I'm so sorry, dog.

I laughed too loudly this morning.

Give me another chance, and I promise I won't laugh at you anymore.

Lance, sitting on the sofa, was also slightly surprised. The dragon cub had only licked the upgraded [Three Minute War God], and it was already causing side effects? If the drug was so potent, why wasn't the dragon cub releasing its surge of power? Or was it that the drug's effects were all concentrated on the amethyst-colored tortoise shell on its head? Not to mention, the dragon cub with the tortoise shell on its head looked rather silly and cute.

It needs to be recorded.

Lance took out a Image Stone from the Diamond Cutter, tapped the dragon cub's tortoise shell on its head with his finger, making a thumping sound. "What?"

Look here.

When the young dragon looked up, the image of the tortoise shell on her head was instantly captured by the Image Stone. Her various reactions, such as grievance, cuteness, and confusion, were all recorded by the Image Stone.

"Is this Image Stone?"

"Yes, it's just a tortoise shell growing on your head. It's nothing serious, like wearing an amethyst helmet. It won't affect you and can even enhance your head's defenses, so there's absolutely no need to worry about it."

Lance tapped the dragon cub's tortoise shell on its head a few more times. "Does it hurt when I tap your tortoise shell?"

"It doesn't seem to hurt."

"Look, isn't this great? I don't have to worry about me beating you anymore."

"I'd rather be beaten dumb by you than live with a turtle shell on my head for the rest of my life. Waaah, what should I do, Lance? Why don't you find a hammer and see if you can break this turtle shell?"

"Why go to such an extreme? It won't affect you at all. Let it exist for a while. It will be a wonderful experience for you."

She didn't want this bizarre, ghostly experience.

She's Imperial Princess! Who's ever seen Imperial Daughter with a tortoise shell on her head?

If the tortoise shell on her head never disappears, she won't be able to become emperor even if she returns to the Farolyn Empire.

Imperial ministers and nobles would never support a Imperial Daughter with a tortoise shell on her head.

"Don't worry, the shell on your head is because you were craving something this morning and licked a bit of the extraordinary medicine I prepared. It's a side effect. In a few days, the shell on your head will naturally disappear."

"Really?"

"Real."

The baby dragon breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that it would disappear. If it had been left with the turtle shell on its head, the evil dragon might have watched helplessly as its pet dragon died. It disappeared in a few days.

So what are we going to do for the next few days? Stay in the Earl's Mansion and not go out?

Should she wear a hat when she goes out? And was the dragon saying it would disappear in a few days just to comfort her?

It wasn't meant to comfort her; Er Gouzi Er Gouzi still has a turtle shell on his body, and he probably doesn't want to be a dog-headed turtle.

"Then I won't go out to set up the stall with you for the next few days. You can go by yourself. I can't let the people of Saint Blue City call me ' Your Turtle Dragon Highness '."

"You're overthinking it. They'll just think you're cute."

"I want them to feel that I am authoritative."

The majestic Little Dragon Highness, not the adorable Little Dragon Highness.

After all, she's destined to be an empress.

The dragon cub with the tortoise shell on its head didn't want to go out, and Lance didn't force it. After a day or two, she stopped caring.

As for setting up a stall to earn money to pay off the debt, it's been over a thousand years since then, so it doesn't matter if it's delayed a little longer. These past few days I've been staying at the Earl's Mansion, drinking tea, reading books, and enjoying the snow.

Looking at the weather forecast, it's going to snow again, either tomorrow or the day after.

Let's wait four or five days and see if the Rabbit-Ear Girl Meredith and the others have arrived at the bounty mission location.

He placed a teleportation marker on Meredith's Rabbit-Ear Girl.

If any of the younger members of the Bronze Guild encounter danger, he can instantly appear at their location using a teleportation scroll.

The Golden City. He didn't believe that there really was a city built of gold.

For the next two days, the young dragon stayed at the Earl's Mansion.

It snowed on the third day, and the young dragon, who had stayed at the Earl's Mansion for two days, wanted to visit the Dragon God Temple.

Lance smiled and touched the turtle shell on the baby dragon's head; the turtle shell on the baby dragon's head felt quite nice.

He was thinking about whether he should take some time to perform a shell removal surgery on the dragon cub and remove the shell from her head. When he told the dragon cub about this idea, she was very happy and agreed on the spot.

When he took out the scalpel needed for the dissection surgery, the dragon cub shook its head like Pellet Drum, then covered its head with the tortoise shell and ran away without looking back.

In mid-January, the Rabbit-Ear Girl Meredith led the members of the Bronze Bounty Guild to the location designated by their employer: the Lost Ancient Domain.

There is no human habitation within a radius of a hundred miles in this place.

The members of the Bronze Bounty Guild stood Lost Ancient Domain, looking at the Lost Ancient Domain shrouded in white mist.

The employer said that more than two thousand years ago, this place was the capital of a kingdom. More than two thousand years later, it has become a lost land filled with ominousness, mystery, monsters, and all kinds of legends.

When the light is good, standing Lost Ancient Domain, through countless towering ancient trees, you can vaguely see some dilapidated buildings and occasional dark shadows.

Simply standing Lost Ancient Domain, the members of the Bronze Bounty Guild felt a sense of oppression.

To find the legendary Lost Golden City, one must enter the Lost Ancient Domain and find the passage to the Golden City.

"As expected of a joint bounty mission, I can already feel the pressure even before entering the [Lost Ancient Domain]."

"Look, members of other Bounty Guild have arrived as well. Three of the Bounty Guild are not from our kingdom. This joint bounty mission involves international cooperation."

"The Berserk Bear Bounty Guild. Most of its members are berserkers, and they fight fiercely. Once they activate their Berserk Mode, there will be no living thing within five meters of them. After we go in, let's stay away from the members of this guild."

"The Beauty Scorpion Bounty Guild, did you see the scorpion tails behind them? If you get stung by that thing, even Earth Dragon will foam at the mouth. They are the Scorpion-Human Race, and I heard that they have the blood of the Western Continent Demon Race flowing in their veins."

It seems that even if the Lost Golden City wasn't made of gold, the treasures inside far exceed our imagination.

Louis, Bazel, Dalton quietly explained the origins of several other guilds not far away to the guild members.

They occasionally undertake bounty missions across borders and have seen or heard of these Bounty Guild.

They have a good reputation and their members are all very capable.

In particular, the Beauty Scorpion Bounty Guild is extremely powerful, not only because of their intimidating scorpion tails, but also because of their formidable strength.

"That's about it. Let's start checking the combat equipment. Put the extraordinary potions that Old Man Lance prepared for us in easily accessible pockets. Two doses of extraordinary potions. If we encounter a troublesome monster, we'll prioritize taking the upgraded version of the [Three Minute War God]."

The Rabbit-Ear Girl, Meredith, changed into Demon Armor, and an enchanted greatsword appeared in her hand.

The other members of the Bronze Bounty Guild also changed into their combat gear and prepared for battle.

Old Man Lance had also put all the extraordinary potions he gave them into easily accessible pockets, so that if they encountered any troublesome monsters, they could drink the extraordinary potions he had prepared immediately.

Louis took out a gold steel ring and put it on his head. In the center of the gold steel ring was a bead that looked like an eye. This thing was given to him by Old Man Lance. Dalton and Bazel also had one.

The old man said that wearing this thing could protect their heads from being blown off and keep them clear-headed.

Huh? Why is Meredith here too?

"Dalton, that eye-like bead in the center of your Adamantine Circle seems to have rotated."

"The eyeball embedded in the center of your Adamantine Circle seems to have been moved by the Source Power Item given to you by Old Man Lance. It's a bit strange."

"Unconditionally trust Old Man Lance, regardless of whether the tools are strange or not."

Louis, Dalton, Bazel gathered around Meredith.

Meredith turned and glanced at the guild members before leading the way toward the Lost Ancient Domain.

The figures of the Bronze Bounty Guild members disappeared into the white mist.

The Lost Ancient Domain was dimly lit, and various snakes and insects could be seen from time to time.

When they left Saint Blue, they took some dragon dung with them. Snakes and insects wouldn't get close, and even weaker Source Beast, Ferocious Beast, and Exotic Beast wouldn't approach them if they smelled the dragon dung.

Even so, the members of the Bronze Bounty Guild did not let their guard down. As they ventured deeper into the area, they encountered some ruins and rubble.

These ruins are either entangled in vines or pierced by thick branches; a gentle pinch with your hand will turn them into powder.

Occasionally, you can still see some stone carvings missing arms or legs, all decayed under the erosion of time.

"Come quick, come quick! There's a stone tablet here with inscriptions and a few blurry pictures on it. It's a historical artifact from over two thousand years ago. Hehe. Let's take this stone tablet with us when we leave!"

A member of the Bronze Guild discovered a stone tablet with text and pictures. He called out, and the Rabbit-Ear Girl Meredith glanced around and came to the stone tablet.

The writing is too ancient, and eroded by the power of time. Most of the characters are either only the upper part or only the lower part, making them difficult to rub.

Some of the carved images are still barely legible.

"Meredith, can you understand the writing above?"

"I can't understand it, it's too old, and the font is incomplete. Look at the pictures. These pictures seem to be from the time when the rulers used someone's story to warn their subjects."

"???"

"Can you understand it?"

"I can make some guesses, but I don't know if it's what I think it is."

Tell me about it.

"The first carving depicts a person holding a book, and the following carvings all feature him, in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, all of which show him reading. The middle carvings are blurry and difficult to decipher, but this one shows a person who has become an official."

This person is the one in the first picture. The following pictures show how this person's official position rose higher and higher, and he soon became a person second only to the emperor. Looking at this picture, the person in the picture has a lot of gold and silver jewelry in his house. Look here, what is blurred should be a basement, which is filled with gold and silver jewelry.

There are also several blurry pictures of people constantly giving him money. Look at the last one. It's a gallows with a guillotine next to it.

I understand now. This stone tablet must record the story of that corrupt official from more than two thousand years ago.

A person who studied diligently for years became an official, and as his rank rose higher and higher, he gradually forgot his original aspirations, became a corrupt official, and was eventually sent to the gallows.

It's not just a legend; the corrupt official mentioned in the bounty quest "The Lost Golden City" actually existed in history.

"Old Man Lance taught me sketching. Based on the fragments of these stone carvings, I pieced together the approximate appearance of this corrupt official from more than two thousand years ago. It's not very accurate, but it's barely legible. Would you like to see it?"

Upon hearing this, the members of the Bronze Bounty Guild immediately became interested and gathered around a round-faced girl, staring at the portrait in her hand.

It's not that the drawing is very well done, but it looks kind of familiar.

It feels like I've seen it somewhere before.

"Why does this person you drew look a bit like Old Man Lance?"

"It really is true, Annie. The person you drew does look a bit like Old Man Lance when he was young, but he's not as handsome as Old Man Lance when he was young."

"Is this a corrupt official you've drawn? This is clearly a young Old Man Lance."

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