Setting Foot on the Way of the Ancient Dragon

Original, original flavor?

Fingel looked at Serena, who was hugging the armor and chuckling, and couldn't help but take a step back, his expression extremely strange.

If you saw something that could very well be a memento of your idol in front of you, would you still be happy to have obtained the original armor your idol wore?

The Princess's behavior is really strange no matter how you look at it!

He stiffly turned his head and exchanged glances with his companions, while the others shook their heads, unable to understand what was going on in the Princess's small head.

Could it be that he went insane because of the shock?

"Suck--"

Serena took a deep breath while clutching the lion helmet, and dust and debris rushed into her nostrils, causing her to cough incessantly.

"Cough cough cough, the vomit is all ash, it has no taste at all."

Even the violent coughing didn't make her throw the lion helmet aside; she held it tightly in her arms.

Fingel's urge to complain surged. How could the armor still have the smell of Ornstein after it's been reduced to this state? If it could still smell now, how strong must the smell be normally?

"I'll have a craftsman polish it up and keep it as a keepsake when I get back, hee hee~"

"No, no, if we polish it, it won't have those marks of time. It really should be left as is."

"But it doesn't look good when it's all covered in dust. Ugh, I'm so conflicted. What do you guys think? Should I sand it or not?"

We'll just stand here and watch.

The members of Hasawi Squad were speechless; Serena's mental state was exceptionally beautiful, even among all the people they had ever met during their adventures.

Seeing the different expressions on the faces of the three people opposite her, Serena suddenly couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Does this kind of commotion make you feel less sad?"

She brushed the dust off the lion's helmet and said, "I'm afraid you're overwhelmed with grief."

"I might have felt a little down at first, but after what you did, I don't feel so bad anymore," Matilda thought to herself.

"I never expected him to leave his armor here in the end."

Serena stroked the armor, which was covered with the marks of time, and her tone returned to normal. She assembled the armor pieces one by one, and the complete Ornstein Armor was gradually completed.

"I know what you're all thinking. You think I'll be very sad after seeing this, so you want to comfort me, right?"

She arranged the arm armor neatly.

"For a moment just now, I really wanted to cry, like a dam releasing floodwaters, but then I suddenly understood."

She carefully placed the leg armor pieces one by one.

"Just because the armor is here doesn't mean that Ornstein died here. Maybe he retired from the army. Armor doesn't represent life."

The breastplate is quite damaged, but it can be repaired with magic.

"And even if his life really ended here, I think he was quite lucky."

Serena held a shard in her hand, examining it for a long time, unsure where to put it, and said:

"Look, the Farron Undead Legion was eventually corrupted by the Abyss and lost their minds, Overlord Wolnir survived only because of his bracelet, Gwyndolin was devoured by Aldrich. Compared to the others, at least Ornstein accomplished his goal of finding the Sun's Eldest Son, and there's no sign of a tragic ending."

"This is already considered a rare good ending in the Zane Dungeon. Why should I be sad? I should be happy!"

After hearing what she said, Fingel decided to retract his earlier judgment that the Princess had gone mad.

The other person's mental state is indeed beautiful, and they are better at regulating their emotions on their own, always finding explanations that can generate positive emotions in the face of anything.

And after the Princess's comparison, it seems that Ornstein's ending is indeed quite good.

Seeing Serena's optimistic attitude, Fingel breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a little disappointed.

He was probably disappointed that he didn't get to see the Princess break down and cry. Thinking about it, he even felt that he had gone a bit too far.

Seeing that the other person was still trying to figure out how to place the fragments, he sighed and said:

"I'll take it back to the craftsmen to repair it. It's getting late, so we might as well wait here and not pay any more respects to the Nameless King."

"If I could, I would prefer to fix it myself."

After seeing Ornstein's armor, Serena suddenly felt that this trip to the dungeon was truly worthwhile.

I saw a bunch of great things and witnessed the final story of my favorite character. It felt like I had finally finished watching the series.

I felt a mix of satisfaction, reluctance, and sadness—a truly peculiar feeling.

She suddenly remembered her novel, which she had abandoned halfway through. Since arriving at the Royal Palace, she had been forced to give up writing, and her readers would never see the ending.

One reason was that there were too many complicated things happening in the Royal Palace, and the other reason was that she felt she couldn't continue writing and couldn't think of a good ending.

But now, she has a vague idea of how to write the ending of the novel.

"When I go back this time, even if I can only write a few hundred words a day, I will definitely finish writing it."

While Serena was still mending her armor as she pondered, the members of Hasawi Squad were discussing the spoils of their adventure.

Not only did they discover a new area called "Archdragon Peak," defeat the Ancient Flying Dragon and Havel Warrior, and challenge the Serpent Legion alongside Hawkwood, but they also tracked down the "Nameless King," who is believed to be the final boss.

Although there are still many paths on Archdragon Peak that they haven't explored, their other achievements are enough to show that their exploration has been fruitful. Discovering a new area and finding the final boss in a single day is an astonishing efficiency that puts them at the top among adventurers.

Defeating the Ancient Flying Dragon will grant you the Dragon Head Stone, which has the same effect as what Klan had before. Sacrificing some appearance will improve your basic strength. This almost costless way to become stronger is sure to be popular.

Defeating the Havel Warrior will grant you his weapons and shield, items that are likely only usable by those with superhuman strength. If your physical abilities allow, perhaps imitating the Havel Warrior's clothing and fighting style would be a good option.

Defeating the Serpent Legion will yield the Twinkling Dragon Stone. It's currently unknown how much the Twinkling Dragon Stone, as an advanced version of the Dragonstone, will enhance the human body, but it shouldn't disappoint. After all, even Hawkwood coveted it so much. Speaking of which, that guy just ran away without a word, which is really infuriating.

Defeating the Nameless King? Sorry, that's impossible.

Fingel thought, perhaps he could try organizing a powerful expedition team, just like last time.

But he quickly rejected the idea himself.

"The Nameless King gives me a sense of terror a hundred or even a thousand times greater Aldrich. Even if we reorganize a punitive expedition, it will be futile."

And it seems like they have no reason to fight to the death with the Nameless King, right?

The reason people fought Aldrich was due to a combination of factors, including the suppression of the Holy Light Church by the Dark Moon Blade, which originated from the adventurers' own faction. This ultimately led to the final battle. If it weren't for Elsa, the battle might not have been successful.

After that battle, both Hell March and Elsa seemed to be bedridden for quite a long time. I wonder if Elsa has recovered yet.

Currently, the Nameless King, or rather the Sun's Eldest Son, gives the impression of a hermit who has secluded himself on the Archdragon Peak after getting involved with a dragon, and has not done anything that would make people angry. He is also extremely powerful, so it is really hard for people to have the idea of attacking him.

"Never mind, I'll just go back and report to the guild. Whether they want to fight or not is none of my business."

Fingel muttered to himself that he was already financially independent and could retire on the spot. Unlike the average adventurer who made a living in the dungeon, his series of adventures in the Zane Dungeon were entirely out of his own interest.

He had no interest in defeating the Nameless King, so even if the Adventurers' Guild approached him later, he wouldn't participate in the raid.

"Princess Highness, time is almost up. Hurry up and pack everything you want to take with you, or it will be troublesome if you forget something."

Feeling that it was about time, he turned around and reminded him.

Aleya and Matilda picked up the Great Dragon Tooth and the Havel Greatshield respectively, and it was clear that they were struggling to carry just these things.

"Wait a minute, I think I'm starting to get it."

Serena searched high and low until she finally found the last piece of armor and excitedly pressed it onto the plate.

Although she could exchange her soul for a brand new Ornstein armor from the Brass Woman, she always felt that the original one lacked a soul.

The weathered armor in front of her now had a real soul; it looked like the one the other person had actually worn. Holding it, she could even imagine smelling it.

With the last piece attached, the armor was completely repaired!

Serena admired her masterpiece for a few seconds, then quickly took out a bag to pack it up, intending to take the armor back intact.

However, at this moment, the armor suddenly changed.

As it was fully restored, a point of light appeared on the surface of the armor, and Serena's hand happened to press on it.

"Huh?"

The object within the point of light is a ring, but inside the ring is a tiny painting.

[The Painting World: "Embarking on the Path of Gu Long"]

[These paintings depict the stories of seekers who embarked on the path of the ancient dragons in ancient times. They contain fragments of the original Way of the Ancient Dragon, and by passing through the trials of these fragments, one can obtain a portion of the ancient dragon's power.]

[The seeker of truth encounters a lion knight who has come to find an old friend; this is the story as seen through the seeker's eyes.]

The moment she touched the ring, Serena felt dizzy again, and an unfamiliar scene appeared before her eyes.

"No way, not again!?"

She opened her eyes and was greeted by a bright and sunny scene. Wasn't she still at Archdragon Peak?

No, this is the foot of the mountain, thousands of meters away from the summit!

"Does this mean I have to climb up from here?"

Thinking of this, Serena had the urge to immediately clear her Spirit Power and leave. Climbing mountains was too tiring, even more torturous than fighting.

She was surrounded by all sorts of people, each looking travel-worn, but their eyes, gazing at the mountaintop, were filled with fervor—the eyes of Furious Rajang seeker of the truth.

Before Serena could take a closer look, a commotion suddenly broke out among the group of seekers, who scattered to the sides, leaving her standing there dumbfounded.

"What's wrong?"

Suddenly a tall shadow fell behind her. She turned around, and her eyes changed instantly.

It's a living Ornstein!