Night Falls

"You just said... you wanted to buy that broken lamp, right?" Oyana's anger subsided somewhat. "Fine... how much are you planning to pay...?"

The magic circle behind the witch began to fade. Her crimson lips gently drew on the hookah in her hand. "Let me warn you first: I want cash, good old clinking silver coins. Don't waste my time like that old witch!"

"I... I have one Kralimaya Gold Coin and two Kralimaya Silver Coins on me..." Denolan's heart pounded violently. This was the first time he had lied to an abnormal human like a witch. "For the sake of our future business, I plan to pay two Kralimaya Silver Coins for this Twin Lantern as a gesture of goodwill."

"Hmm..." Oyana said as she smoked her hookah. "Looks like you made quite a bit of money selling holy water on the black market..."

"Not... too bad..." Denolan pretended to remain calm. "I made around a dozen Kralimaya Gold Coins..."

"Oh... and then?" Oyana asked.

"I plan to expand my business."

"Keep reselling holy water?" Oyana sneered. "Let me tell you, the Church's pie isn't so easy to take a slice from—"

"No... I'm not reselling holy water..."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"Dragons—" Denolan said loudly. "I have the formula for Refined Dragonblood Gems! We can work together to sell high-purity Dragonblood Gems... You should know that a single high-purity Dragonblood Gem can sell for thousands of Kralimaya Gold Coins!"

The moment Denolan finished speaking, Oyana burst into laughter.

"You naïve little boy, did you come to the wrong place? This isn't the Sacred Sea or the Chilabudan Archipelago. Canfor produces monsters, not dragons. Besides, just transporting Dragon Blood to Canfor costs over a dozen silver coins, never mind the cost of the Dragon Blood itself. I'm afraid your business is impossible..."

"Still..." Oyana said after exhaling a puff of smoke, "I'll sell you that broken lamp at a loss. Give me two silver coins and take that crazy woman with you..."

"Th-then fine... guess I'm just not lucky..." Denolan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that Oyana didn't agree to it... But... the original plan can't be used anymore...

"Were you just talking about dragons?" Rosa Kevin said as she flipped open the little notebook of vengeance in her mind. "There are dragons living on the mountain peaks north of Elrina Forest..."

The moment Rosa Kevin finished speaking, Oyana and Pervi rushed over, though neither looked friendly.

"Witch, is that true?" Out of professional habit, Pervi held his dagger to Rosa Kevin's throat. "Is there really a giant dragon living there?"

"Not one dragon, but five~" Rosa revealed a sinister smile. "They're a family..."

"Five giant dragons... How many Kralimaya Gold Coins would they be worth?" Yalila blurted out.

"Dragons are ranked by bloodline. If it's a pure-blooded Lulolinge Divine Dragon, one would be worth at least ten thousand Kralimaya Gold Coins. And if you include the treasure they've accumulated over the years... those five dragons would be worth at least a hundred thousand Kralimaya Gold Coins," Lanta answered.

"As expected of the Dragon Tooth Clan, who make their living hunting dragons... You calculated that quickly..." Rosa chuckled. "Unfortunately, those dragons are merely ordinary Common Dragons. They can't possibly be worth that much."

"Even if they're only Common Dragons... each one should still be worth one or two thousand Kralimaya Gold Coins. And they should have treasure hoarded away too... All together, they'd still be worth quite a lot," Oyana continued along Lanta's line of thought.

"Treasure... treasure..." Rosa Kevin realized something was wrong. "Wait—the dragons' treasure is mine!"

"You're so annoying, crazy woman!" Yalila kicked Rosa Kevin out of Oyana's magic shop. Half an hour later, Denolan emerged from the shop carrying the battered Twin Lantern.

"Why were you thrown out too?" Rosa Kevin asked.

"I wasn't thrown out. I came out on my own. They said they'd notify me at the inn after they killed the dragons..." Denolan's dazed look was somewhat endearing.

"Kid, those bastards probably tricked you out here..." Rosa Kevin said in a worldly, lecturing tone.

"Does that count as being tricked?"

"Did you tell them the formula for Refined Dragonblood?"

"Uh... Oyana said she needed to see whether it could really refine Dragonblood Gems... so I told her..."

"You were totally tricked!" Rosa Kevin stamped her feet in fury. "That damned witch, looking down on me like this! I'm the strongest monster, after all! An ancient evil god! It's the greatest honor of your life that I came to your lousy magic shop! I XXXXXXXX! Believe me, I'll flatten this damned city right now! Immediately! This instant! I XXXXXXX!"

"Um, Grandma... you really shouldn't get so angry..." Denolan took two biscuits from his pocket and handed them to Rosa Kevin. "Have something to eat first, Grandma... I think you must be hungry too..."

"Hmph... I'm an evil god! The strongest monster, and you... you only give me biscuits!"

"Then... you don't want them?"

"Of course—I do..." Rosa snatched the biscuits from Denolan's hand. "For the sake of these biscuits, I won't destroy this city."

"Uh... as long as you're happy, Grandma..."

"Call me Demon King—"

"Uh... Demon King, where are you staying now? Your family must be worried about you. Should I take you home?"

"My family?" Rosa scratched her head. "They're all asleep. I'm living in Labi Village, far from here, for now. I'll go back once I get the investment."

"Labi Village..." Denolan's eyes flickered unconsciously. All his former memories had turned to ash, and now he was alone. "Wasn't Labi Village already burned down...?"

"That's right—so I'm going to rebuild Labi Village! I'll let this world know that the strongest Demon King, Rosa Kevin, has returned—wahaha—"

"Ah... then I wish you success..." The smile on Denolan's face gave no clue whether it was joy or sorrow. When he came back to himself, he was the only one left on the entire street. The snake head on the dust-covered Twin Lantern flickered with light, its grayish-green glow pointing out the road ahead. Though that road was not bright, it was one he had to travel.

Where did that old lady go just now... Forget it... I should deal with my own affairs first.

Denolan carried the lamp and headed toward the inn where he was staying.

At that moment, the bell hanging above Canfoer City's walls suddenly rang out. Soon afterward, warning bells echoed from every church.

"Monsters! Monsters! Undead monsters are coming from the slums!" the night watchman shouted.