The Blue Dragon Erebus Was Actually a Materials Depot

The blunt, heavy sword swung down with what appeared to be a slow but actually swift motion.

Under Frieren's dumbfounded gaze, a towering sword Sword Qi ripped through layers of crimson clouds, forcefully creating a wide crack in the blue sky leading south.

Sunlight streamed through the gaping crack in the crimson clouds, making the swirling snowflakes appear even more beautiful.

But no more snowflakes were falling around Shazo and Frieren.

It took Frieren a while to recover from her shock. Her voice trembling with tears, she said, "Mr. Shazo, it's just a little snow, and you've broken the sky like that! Isn't that going too far?"

Shazo now realized that he had been too quiet and had acted impulsively, but how could he possibly admit it?

So Shazo stubbornly retorted, "Nonsense, how is that going too far?"

"I ensured my own convenience while not inconveniencing others, and that's not excessive at all!"

"Besides, I didn't break the sky; I just opened a hole in the clouds to let the snow fall."

"Let's go, little girl!"

"Although it's stopped snowing on our way, it's still very cold. Let's hurry south; it'll be warmer there."

Shazo scratched his cheek, sheathed his Claymore, picked up his suitcase, and strode south.

It has been a year since Frieren was entrusted to Shazo by her master. The two have completed their initial adjustment period and have gained a deeper understanding than just superficial.

She sensed Mr. Shazo's embarrassment, so she didn't press him further, picked up her briefcase, and quickly followed after him.

The world at this time was underdeveloped, covered with dense Forest, Forest black bears, leopards, and wolves roamed.

Wild boars and other ferocious beasts.

The roads at that time were very rudimentary. Even in the bustling town, the roads were dirt tracks, and if you went a little further away from the settlement, the roads would be overgrown with weeds.

As for the more distant places, those roads are actually animal trails trodden by large Beast, and walking on such roads, it's easy to come face to face with these beasts.

However, it is not an option to avoid such paths, because leaving the often-trampled animal trails makes it easier to encounter highly venomous insects and snakes in the undergrowth.

Those things are even more deadly.

Therefore, ordinary people basically could not travel far, and merchants could only complete limited transactions by forming large-scale caravans.

But for Frieren and Shazo, roads, Beast, and insects are not problems.

As Mage, the first magical principle Frieren learned from her teacher was to conceal her magical power, and her first spell was [the spell to banish malevolent creatures].

By using this magic, you can warn those large beasts that an even more deadly and powerful being is approaching, and they should all get out of the way!

Even venomous snakes and insects will be deterred by the magical fluctuations and quickly driven back to within 50 meters, so there's no need to worry about being Sneak Attack.

However, with Shazo around, there's no need to use magic at all.

He could simply unleash his aura and power to terrify all the animals into fleeing in panic.

When he releases the natural balance of Druid magical fluctuations, all animals will regard him as Gods, and will grant him whatever he desires.

Shazo also possesses the [Three Bedrooms and Two Living Rooms Spell], allowing him to live in a beautiful wooden house anytime, anywhere. Therefore, the wilderness offers no restrictions to the two of them and instead provides them with plenty of food.

Shazo and Frieren traveled at an extremely fast pace, reaching the southern desert from the snow-covered northern Forest in just one month.

Upon entering the desert, Shazo was warmly received by the Blue Dragon Erebus Busen.

The dragon, covered in blue scales, was a truly colossal creature, exuding a terrifying aura as it flew through the sky.

It opened its gaping maw, filled with fangs. "Shazo! You bastard!!"

"Give me back my scales, teeth, and horns!!"

When Frieren saw the giant Blue Dragon charging towards her, she was so intimidated by the terrifying magical power emanating from it that her body trembled involuntarily, and her magical power became severely disordered.

Just as the elven girl was filled with despair because she couldn't use magic, she suddenly heard the Blue Dragon's heartfelt howl, and her despair vanished instantly.

Frieren's body stopped trembling, and the magic within her returned to calm.

[So my earlier guess was right; this is a dragon that was bullied by Mr. Shazo.]

[She looks so pitiful----]

Shazo never expected that Erebus, the Blue Dragon and ruler of the southern desert, would expose his past and make him lose face in front of Little Frieren.

He grinned maliciously at Erebus: "Well, Erebus, you're really brave."

"You think you can control me just because I brought a junior along?"

Erebus roared, "You think I'm afraid of you? Come on!"

Shazo retorted without backing down, "Erebus, you slippery eel, come on!"

The next second, the man and the dragon were locked in a fierce battle.

However, the Blue Dragon doesn't use its Inazuma breath because it would make Shazo's hair stand on end, which would quickly lead to the slaughter phase.

In return, Shazo didn't take out his own longsword from the box, but fought the Blue Dragon Erebus with his bare hands, and they ended up fighting to a draw.

Frieren soon discovered that Mr. Shazo and Mr. Erebus were indeed friends; although their fights were loud, they posed no real threat to each other.

The ping-pong game went on for a long time, and Shazo's clothes were torn to shreds. He was wrapped in strips of cloth, and his dignified image was completely gone.

But the Blue Dragon Erebus was badly beaten by Shazo; the desert was littered with broken scales, broken teeth, and torn whiskers.

To Shazo's deep regret, he said, "Tch, I couldn't break your horn this time."

Erebus covered his swollen eye socket with his claws and complained, "You bastard, how did you get stronger again?"

After stopping, Shazo called Frieren over to clean up the battlefield. Magic was extremely efficient in this regard, and they quickly collected all the debris dropped by the Blue Dragon.

As agreed beforehand, half of these materials belonged to Frieren, and she worked with great enthusiasm, completely forgetting that the huge and terrifying Blue Dragon was watching her.

Feeling the materials radiating intense magic in her hands, Frieren couldn't help but swallow hard, desperately wanting to possess them all.

Fortunately, she restrained her greed and carefully processed all the materials, storing them in her suitcase in different categories.

At this moment, Erebus said in a muffled voice, "Not bad, Elven Mage. Frieren has taken on a very good apprentice."

Shazo shook his head and said, "Frieren is not Frieren's student, but Flamme's disciple."

Erebus nodded in realization and asked, "That human girl with orange hair, how is she doing now?"

Frieren lowered her head and replied, "Ms. Flamme has passed away."

"Ha, that's great!" Erebus happily wagged its tail. "One less person to strip me of my scales."

Frieren slowly raised her head, her eyes calm and expressionless as she looked at Erebus, but Shazo caught a glimpse of the anger in them.

He stepped back with interest, watching the interaction between the elven girl and the blue dragon.

Erebus flicked its tail like a puppy for a while, then suddenly noticed the wound on its tail where scales had been knocked off. It looked down and saw the scales in Frieren's hand.

After a long, stunned silence, Erebus sighed deeply, "One Flamme has died, and now another elf has come, trying to pluck my scales. Alas, when will this end?"

Shazo laughed and said, "Alright, we've left you such a large territory. All we want are a few scales and teeth that can grow back. You should be content."

Erebus furious. Pointing to the severed spot on his left horn with his claw, he asked, "Here, can it grow back here too?"

Shazo's smile remained unchanged as he continued, "There are still five left, what's wrong—don't you want them anymore?"

Erebus shuddered, shut his mouth in frustration, and his eyes revealed an uncontrollable fear.

After gathering its strength for a moment, it shouted loudly, "This is the last time! If you come to the desert again, I will definitely kill you!"

Erebus shouted as it leaped and flapped its wings, flying away in a panic, like a stray dog that had been hit with a stick.

After Erebus said it was good that Flamme died, Frieren remained silent, but her eyes were fixed on the Blue Dragon Erebus.

Following Shazo's instructions, she observed every detail of Erebus, analyzing the Blue Dragon's weaknesses and movement habits.

o

After the Blue Dragon flew away, Frieren took out a small notebook and recorded her observations.

Shazo asked with a smile, "You want to kill Erebus?"

The Little Elf nodded. "Yes, it said it was good that the teacher died, which I really don't like."

"Haha, there's no need, really no need," Shazo said with a laugh. "I heard from Frieren that your teacher often comes to steal Erebus's scales."

"Furthermore, Flamme is not strong enough to defeat Erebus; she only bullies the Blue Dragon because of Frieren's reputation."

"Erebus was furious about this, but he always ended up getting beaten up by Frieren. He was holding in his anger, and saying a few unpleasant things after Flamme's death couldn't be considered a fatal offense, could it?"

Frieren blinked, unable to continue writing in her little notebook.

This Blue Dragon seems quite pitiful; it was brutally beaten by its master, bullied by its teacher, and even had its scales stolen.

The Blue Dragon Erebus Busen is actually a source of materials for the strongest swordsman and Great Mage the Elf Race.

It's not unreasonable for it to complain a little.

However, the Little Elf still felt unhappy.

Shazo suggested, "When you're strong enough in the future, come and beat it up, but don't take its scales."

Frieren thought about it seriously, then nodded earnestly, accepting Shazo's suggestion. "Mr. Shazo is right, I'll only attack it, I won't steal its scales!"

Then the Little Elf happily continued recording the information she observed about the Blue Dragon, but she "thoughtfully" highlighted several fatal weaknesses.

After crossing the desert, Shazo led Frieren south.

Frieren asked, "Mr. Shazo, where do we go next?"

Shazo replied, "I remember 400 or 500 years ago, when I was traveling to the southern coast, I encountered a strange human who claimed to be a chosen one of the Goddess of Magic, an agent of humanity, and to spread the Goddess's faith."

Frieren was stunned. "Mr. Shazo, are you referring to His Excellency the Grand Patriarch of the Church?"

Shazo shrugged and said, "It's him, the Grand Patriarch you mentioned. I made a bet with him."

"We're betting on whether his teachings will be distorted after his death, and whether the Church he founded will transform from an organization that shelters the poor into one that provides cover for darkness and desire."

"Frieren, you should know, I won the bet."

"Although the Goddess Church still maintains its vigorous vitality, its doctrines have become unrecognizable, and Church supporters have changed from the poor to the nobles."

"So, I'm going to go get my bet back now."

Frieren asked curiously, "Mr. Shazo, what are your stakes?"

"If I lose, I will serve as the Chief Holy Knight for the Church for 500 years; if he loses, he will give me the longsword bestowed upon him by the Goddess."

Frieren asked in surprise, "Mr. Shazo, this bet is extremely unfair. How could you accept it?"

Shazo replied, "This is a sure-win gamble, so why would I be afraid of betting a large sum?"

Frieren's eyes widened. "You predicted the current state of the Church 400 years ago?"

Shazo nodded. "This is not a prophecy, but a certainty."

"Humans are a race with strong desires, which gives them a vigorous curiosity and persistent effort, but also means that human organizations will inevitably decay and degenerate within a short period of one or two hundred years."

Frieren remarked, "That was indeed very fast—"

Shazo laughed and said, "Actually, elves also decay and deteriorate, but our life cycle is very slow, and the rate of generational renewal is even slower, which creates the illusion of stability."

"Human beings decay within a hundred years because they experience the replacement of Fifth generations during that time."

"If you trace the Elf Race back Fifth, you'll find that it was almost ten thousand years ago, when the Elf Race ruled the entire world."

Frieren nodded in realization. Although she didn't understand the true meaning behind Shazo's words, she kept them in mind.

The reason Shazo told her all this was because Frieren's generation of elves would grow up in an era of great change, an era in which the relationship between elves and humans would shift.

All the elves will grow up in human society, and will have to re-understand the world according to the generational pace of humankind, and gradually get used to the new rhythm of civilization.

If it weren't for Shazo, it would have been Himmel, the first human to defeat the Demon King and bring 70 years of peace to the world, Church Frieren this lesson.

But Frieren was over a thousand years old at that time, and the impact she felt was too intense; the level of pain was heartbreaking.

Moreover, she missed the opportunity to get to know Himmel because of this, which is a great pity.

In Shazo's view, Himmel was an extraordinary human being who was able to suppress the Demon King's Army for 70 years while still being human.

It wasn't until the 29th year of the Hero’s Calendar that the Demon Race resurfaced and wreaked havoc on the world.

This is the Miracle!

It's the Miracle that even the invincible Shazo couldn't achieve.

He hoped that Frieren could realize the difference in time in advance and gain a deeper understanding of this human hero.