Tax-Collecting Exchange

Upon arriving above the Red Scale Garrison, the logistics personnel below raised red and yellow flags to signal and relay instructions to the Wyvern in the air.

Steamed Bun immediately deciphered the instruction. He patted Noodles's neck and whispered, "Dragon Stop Position Number Thirteen."

"Aww~"

The Noodles let out a low growl, circled a few times above the garrison, and then landed precisely within the yellow box marked on the platform.

The support staff immediately surrounded the Wyvern, wiping its scales, fastening its chains, and filling its feeding trough Wyvern its favorite blood and flesh paste.

The Wyvern offered no resistance, simply stretching their bodies and enjoying their service.

As the empire grew and funds increased, the Red Scale Garrison developed a complete logistics system, ensuring that the Wyvern were always in peak condition.

Thank you all.

Steamed Bun a shout, Mantou jumped off the dragon and eagerly walked down the stairs.

As he walked, he bumped into a player without realizing it—who turned out to be Singo dressed as a viscount.

Why are you in such a hurry?

Looking at the magnificent viscount's robes on Single, Steamed Bun replied with envy, "Go exchange for abilities."

"I just read the guide you posted, which said that professional players should spend their experience points as early as possible to exchange for abilities to improve their strength, right?"

Singo glanced at him and said casually, "My guide was aimed at top professional players, were you one?"

Steamed Bun gritted its teeth and said, "I think I am."

Singo glanced at his panel and said sarcastically in a calm tone, "No way, there can't be anyone who hasn't reached the level cap and is stuck at level seven and can't level up, right?"

"You haven't even reached the level cap, so where would you get the experience surplus?"

Steamed Bun continued stubbornly, "Don't you even know what it means to plan ahead?"

"Never mind all that, just tell me, where is the Experience Shop at the garrison?"

"He's with Marquis Alger. You'll have to go to his office to find him. There are already dozens of people in line."

"Wipe."

Steamed Bun continued down the stairs and soon arrived at the entrance of the regimental commander's office on the third floor of the garrison.

Sure enough, a long line had formed at the entrance, and basically all the Red Scale Conqueror players he recognized were there.

He had no choice but to obediently wait in line.

Fortunately, the time interval between each person's ability exchange was not long, only a few minutes for each person. Steamed Bun waited for half an hour before queuing up at the office door.

He carefully pushed open the door and walked into the spacious and luxurious office.

Alger, the supreme commander of the Red Scale Conqueror, stood not far away. He still had that half-dragon, half-human appearance, only the horns on his forehead were longer and the scales on his body were denser.

His magnificent robes and the Dragon Head Medal on his chest made Steamed Bun extremely envious—it was the medal of an imperial marquis, a symbol of noble status.

The Dragon Vein Giant Eagle was lying nearby, not chained at all. It was chewing on precious magical ore, curiously tilting its head to look at the player who had just entered.

The Steamed Bun looked up at the top of Alger's head.

Alger, the leader of the Red Scale Conqueror

Faction: Embers of the Burned Empire Challenge Rating:??? He couldn't help but feel a little emotional, not expecting that even after reaching level seven, he still couldn't see the Challenge Rating of this "first Red Scale Conqueror".

Thinking of this, Steamed Bun said ingratiatingly, "Boss Alger, I've also come to exchange abilities with you."

He hesitated for a moment, then asked:

"Hey, Mr. Alger, since I was one of your first two students, could you give me a slight discount?"

"Cannot."

Alger replied coldly.

As a genuine native, he couldn't actually see the control panel; he was simply ordered to stand here to greet players and conduct so-called "ability exchanges."

After each exchange, Alger would feel a strange energy surge into his body, but he could not control it and could only passively accept it.

Therefore, the so-called "preferential treatment" is out of the question.

"All right."

Steamed Bun scratched his head awkwardly and opened the [Experience Shop] panel.

[Alger Yoman's Experience Shop]

Proficiency Items: Riding +18, Military Skills +14, Reconnaissance +12, Hunting +11, Sport +10, Survival +10 Special Abilities: Commander's Ambush, Dive Attack, Air Emergency Stop, Rapid Turning, Tide-Like Movements, Stamina Recovery

Wow, so many!

Steamed Bun couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

But when he saw the experience points required for those abilities, he was immediately discouraged.

Raising his [Riding Skill] proficiency to 18 requires a whopping 9000 XP, almost a third of all the experience he has gained so far.

Exchanging for a useful ability like [Commander's Ambush] requires tens of thousands of experience points.

"We can't afford to replace it, we simply can't afford to replace it."

In the end, Steamed Bun chose to spend 3000 experience points to raise his [Riding Skill] proficiency to level 14.

After pressing the "Confirm Redemption" button.

The Steamed Bun's experience bar dropped significantly.

He and Alger resonated with each other through their shared bloodline from the Red Dragon, ultimately forging a special bond.

Alger's memories and skills related to "riding" were transferred into Steamed Bun's body.

His skills have grown rapidly.

At this moment Steamed Bun felt as if he had been training to ride since childhood, spending decades on the back of his eagle, living with his mount day and night.

Even the body develops certain muscle memories.

By the time Steamed Bun came to his senses, his interface had undergone a dramatic change.

[Riding Skill +14]

"That's amazing."

Steamed Bun clicked his tongue in amazement, finding the experience incredibly novel.

Alger closed his eyes slightly, feeling the strange energy flowing into his body, making him stronger.

"The Starfallers".

"What a strange bunch."

Even though he was used to the outrageous behavior of the Starfallers, Alger was still quite surprised by this strange infusion of power.

However, they did not know that half of the experience gained from the Steamed Bun was paid as "taxes" to the Faction Leader —that is, the emperor of the Embers of the Burned Empire, the Red Dragon Keosius.

[You gained 150xp][You gained 300xp][You gained 200xp][You gained 400xp][You gained 1900xp] Keosius browsed the constantly refreshing panel information, staring at the densely packed experience data, feeling quite pleased with this kind of "harvesting Leeks" behavior.

"It turns out that the experience was transmitted through the bond of [Imperial Grace]."

"As expected of a gamer."

"With just this little effort, we've gained tens of thousands of experience points. If this momentum continues, we'll soon be able to break through level eighteen."

"Leveling up while lying down is much more enjoyable than painstakingly killing enemies."

The Red Dragon grinned, revealing a ferocious smile—an expression that contained the joy of a bountiful harvest.

From then on, these players would become nourishment for him to improve his strength.

He gently flapped his wings and circled over the Antonio City.

"Long Live the Empire!"

"Long live His Your Majesty Keosius!"

The people in the city erupted in cheers, celebrating His Majesty's arrival and looking forward to the future.