The Lawful Good Dragon?

Because of Chen Jinyang's entry into the city, all of Mirabar was thrown into near-total chaos. When Sunderland Starglim walked into the filthy, chaotic temporary settlement for the affiliated villagers, the people there were shocked by the sudden arrival of such a high-ranking figure. Facing the scrutiny of the elegant and noble High Lady, old Sailu was left at a complete loss for what to do.

"Is there a boy in your Gnome Village named William?" Sunderland, her face as cold as ice due to her shock, asked frigidly.

"Y-yes, there is such a person! But he and his two siblings stayed behind in the village as Winter Keepers. William is just a fool; I don't know why a noble lady such as yourself would ask about him?" Old Sailu was deeply astonished that such a prominent figure in Mirabar would inquire about a nobody like William.

If only he really were a fool! Sunderland's mouth twisted in irritation at old Sailu's words. She cast aside her poise to curse him bitterly in her heart, but she did not let it show on her face. Instead, she said stiffly, "Come out with me! I have questions for you!" With that, she turned and walked away. The anxious Sailu glanced at the villagers around him, who were too terrified to even breathe, and had no choice but to follow her out helplessly.

On the way to the Temple of Tyr, Sunderland listened to Sailu recount the situation regarding the three William siblings, paying particular attention to the abnormal behavior Chen Jinyang displayed after crossing over and returning to the Gnome Village. She scoffed at the villagers' attribution of this to the awakening of a warlock's bloodline! There is definitely something wrong! It seems the real William is already dead! The current William is absolutely an impostor! The clever High Lady had guessed this part correctly, though it was not the draconic shapeshifting she imagined, but rather the soul of a Descendant of the Dragon crossing over to possess the body. At this moment, a vague thought flickered in the back of Sunderland Starglim's mind, so faint that she didn't even notice it herself.

When they arrived at the Temple of Tyr, the Four Heroes of Mithral were still arguing with the temple guards. The arrival of the High Lady brought both sides to a halt; as the person directly in charge of Mirabar, her prestige in the city was quite high. She frowned as she looked at the silent drow and the chattering dwarves, then said to the guard captain, "Let them all in! I want to see Bishop Vistark Orey! He has been acting far too outrageously lately!"

The knight said with some difficulty, "But! Respected Lady Sunderland! Allowing an evil drow to set foot in the righteous Temple of Tyr is unforgivable!"

In a foul mood, Sunderland roared angrily, "Now! Immediately! I want to see Orey!" Her towering chest heaved as she glared at the cowering knight, who retreated in fear.

Old Sailu followed behind, muttering under his breath, "If this place is truly the seat of justice, then vampires are pure angels! There wouldn't be so many commoners dying of illness in the place where we stay." Clearly, the lady heard his complaint; she turned back and glared at him fiercely before leading the group into the temple.

The bishop, who had been monitoring the commotion outside, had long since discovered the High Lady's arrival. He greeted her with an exaggerated flourish, saying in a declamatory tone, "Ah! Respected Lady Sunderland! Welcome! May you be bathed in the radiance of the Lord of Justice, Tyr!" As he spoke, the well-dressed, tall man attempted to take Sunderland's delicate hand for a kiss, but the lady, in her poor mood, avoided him.

After being rebuffed, Bishop Vistark Orey straightened his body as if nothing had happened, smoothed his thinning hair, and fixed a sharp gaze upon her from his deep brown eyes, set above a high, straight nose.

"Bishop Orey! Your recent behavior has been utterly disgraceful! Stop your insane actions at once!" Sunderland attacked the bishop without a shred of politeness.

Bishop Vistark replied with an unperturbed expression, "All of this is for the glory of Tyr!"

"Enough! You are tarnishing the radiance of Tyr! In all of Faerun, no priest of Tyr has ever been as greedy as you!" the High Lady sneered coldly.

"I am greedy? Hahaha! In this city filled with the clinking of gold coins, mortals obsessed with wealth would rather go to the Temple of Waukeen to buy inferior, overpriced healing potions (a low-quality potion that only heals superficial muscle wounds) than come to the Temple of Tyr to receive nearly free divine healing! What does it matter to those arrogant, vain fools whether I raise the price of divine healing or not? In this dangerous North, the great God of Justice is actually less popular than the petty Goddess of Commerce! Hahaha!" The bishop, who looked extremely capable, laughed bitterly, as if he had suffered a great blow in the past.

Lady Sunderland shook her head with a sense of loss and changed to a softer tone, "Enough! Bishop Orey, let us not speak of the past! Lower the cost of the priests' healing! I will permit you to send a representative to join the Glimmerstone Council as an observer!"

"No!" The bishop, his gaze like a sword, stared fixedly into Sunderland's eyes. "That is useless! I demand permission for Tyr's paladins to join the City Watch!"

Sunderland met his gaze without yielding, "Absolutely not! Marquis Larim and the Council will never agree to that! I can only agree to arrange for one paladin to serve as the Marquis's personal guard! That is as far as I will go!"

"Two!"

"Two? Bishop Orey, you are truly too greedy! Fine! Fine! I agree! But you must arrange for your priests to heal all the wounded here as quickly as possible!" Sunderland's expression shifted from helplessness to a smile as if she were changing masks, using a little manipulation to handle the bishop who thought himself so clever.

Having achieved his wish, Bishop Vistark Orey impatiently shouted to his priests, "Jama! Thalis! Thalis! Gather all the priests! We have work to do!" The priests in the temple scrambled out in a panic; the long period of idleness had left them completely unaccustomed to labor.

Sunderland brought old Sailu before Gosa and the others, continuing to inquire about information regarding Chen Jinyang.

"Caught a Fish-Eating Crocodile with his bare hands? Are you sure it was the so-called 'Demon of the Waters'?"

"I am certain it was a Fish-Eating Crocodile! Later, Mr. Elrago traded a magic bag for it from Mr. William! Mr. Elrago certainly wouldn't be mistaken!"

Listening to their account, the High Lady pinched her delicate, beautiful chin and began to ponder: To be able to catch a "Demon of the Waters" with bare hands, it must undoubtedly be a dragon! Trading a magic bag with Elrago doesn't quite fit the habits of an ordinary dragon.

Elrago should still be alive. This William has been protecting the giantess and the two children, tolerating the elf's pranks, agreeing to guard the caravan, and sparring with the drow in combat techniques. Heh heh heh! I finally understand! This is a Lawful Good upper-tier dragon! That is why he could tolerate me being alive after I teased him! Hahaha! So what if he is a dragon! He was still teased by the beautiful and moving Sunderland Starglim! Little dragon, be good! Bow down beneath the skirt of the infinitely charming Lady Starglim!

After a series of indescribable fantasies triggered by her inner queen persona, the High Lady suddenly snapped back to reality. She hurriedly wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and looked around guiltily, relieved that no one had noticed her lapse in composure.

Sunderland rubbed her forehead and coughed a few times to draw everyone's attention before saying, "Let us hypothesize the origin of this fake William! A Lawful Good upper-tier dragon disguised as a human, preparing to travel through the North, happened upon the deceased fool William while being new and ignorant of the world, and obtained William's memories through some mysterious magic! The kind-hearted dragon decided to integrate into human society under the identity of William and take care of the two poor children along the way, and thus everything that followed came to pass! Heavens! If not for the probing of the wise Sunderland Starglim, I fear this 'Mr. Dragon's' identity would have remained hidden forever! Heh heh heh!" The others stared at the self-intoxicated, lovesick lady as if she were a fool.

Bishop Vistark Orey, who was bent on expanding the glory of Tyr, also began to let his imagination run wild. An upper-tier dragon that has converted to the faith of Tyr and is bathed in the great radiance of Tyr! For the guide of this dragon of justice, what an honor that would be! The Lord of Justice will surely bestow boundless grace! Oh ho ho ho!

At this moment, the little elf girl who had been listening to the High Lady's analysis could no longer sit still: "A kind dragon? Hee hee hee! That's amazing! The first female dragon knight in elven history! Ya ho ho ho! The dragon's treasure! Wah ha ha ha!" The little elf girl, lost in her daydream, took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and snuck away on her own.

By now, the dwarves of the Axe of Mirabar had gathered a guard of nearly a hundred men, full of ambition as they prepared to go and "subdue the invading dragon." The commanding officer, Torg Danzo Hammer-Striker, asked his companion, Agranth Heavy-Hammer, with some trepidation, "Agranth! Are we really going to subdue a damn dragon?"

The seemingly honest and sturdy Agranth Heavy-Hammer scoffed, "Hmph! Do you really think our dwarven brains are made of stone? Subdue a dragon? Back then, a single low-tier dark dragon destroyed the ten-thousand-strong Mithral Hall. Now we are facing an upper-tier dragon! With just us? Do you take me for an idiot?"

"Then what are we doing right now?" The commander of the Axe of Mirabar, Torg, was suddenly confused.

"Just putting on a show! Circle the city once, let everyone see! Only dwarves are the bravest and most loyal guards of Mirabar!" the dwarf leader, who was gradually transforming into a qualified politician, chuckled.

Shelter Street, the opposite of Windy Street—the latter being a low-class residence for unwelcome, poor foreign merchants, where the temporary settlement for the affiliated villagers was also located—was a place of indulgence prepared specifically for the wealthiest and most noble guests. The Iron-Forge Inn was situated in the very center of Shelter Street. The large dining table was a mess, and Chen Jinyang and his three companions sat on benches cushioned with thick, soft animal hides. The two little ones, having eaten their fill, were rubbing their bulging little bellies and whimpering.

Chen Jinyang looked at the two uncomfortable children, unable to laugh or cry, and said, "You two little ones! You really have no self-control! If you can't eat it, don't eat so much! Look at Phinia! Phinia is... Phinia! Oh, for heaven's sake!" Chen Jinyang covered his face and couldn't go on! The giantess, who was using a piece of bread to wipe the leftover sauce from her plate, lifted her sauce-covered face upon hearing this, and didn't forget to stuff the sauce-soaked bread into her mouth before finishing.

It wasn't that the food here was particularly delicious; it was simply that the four poor souls hadn't eaten a decent salty meal in over half a month.

The New Year is coming soon! Adding an extra chapter!