For most players, although they know that Seraphina's true form is a Red Dragon, the image of the red-haired girl counting money is already deeply ingrained in their minds. Along with this, another label imprinted in the players' minds is "otaku".
Many players had never seen Seraphina leave the bank before, and today, for the first time, they learned that this NPC possessed this ability.
Seraphina ignored the stares of those around her and continued walking forward on her own.
After a period of construction, a new building area has been formed around the castle.
To make the settlement look more aesthetically pleasing, several players who work in the urban planning industry in real life, with Ed's consent, created a new plan for the settlement.
In the new planning map, a huge open space has been specially cleared in front of the castle. This plot of land, which cannot yet be called a square, will be used to host some large-scale events in the future.
Seraphina thus arrived at the center of the unfinished plaza. She looked around to make sure the plaza was large enough and that she was far enough away from the surrounding wooden buildings.
The dragon girl ignored the gazes of others, raising her hands as if supporting something unseen, while waves of heat began to surge around her.
In an instant, layers of mist appeared from nothingness around her and spread rapidly in all directions.
Layer upon layer of white mist quickly enveloped the central part of the entire square.
The sounds of claws scraping against the ground, the clanging of thick scales, and heavy, muffled breathing mingled together, accompanied by irregular tremors from the ground that echoed in all directions.
This is the core safe zone of the Second Holy See, and none of the players felt that any danger might arise.
Many people had already made some guesses, so they prepared in advance, found the most suitable angle, and turned on the shooting function.
"Call!"
A hurricane suddenly appeared, instantly dispersing the thick fog that had completely obscured visibility.
What unfolded before them was a colossal Red Dragon, so exquisitely beautiful that words could hardly describe it.
Its entire body is covered with thick scales, and upon closer inspection, the patterns on each dragon scale exhibit periodic shimmering.
The dragon's body was nearly a hundred meters long, and now, standing in the square, its head was almost level with the middle of the Shattered Castle.
The hurricane that swept through the thick fog was merely the gentle flapping of a pair of dragon wings covered in tiny scales.
At this moment, all eyes were on Seraphina. The players screamed with joy, frantically recording everything they saw. Although the local natives knew that the dragon would not attack them, they still ran back to their new homes, which they had only recently moved into.
The most vehement reactions came from the Dragonborn who made a living near the castle.
The moment they saw Seraphina's true form appear, they immediately dropped everything they were doing, knelt on the ground in the most devout posture, and murmured the prayers passed down from their ancestors.
Ignoring everyone's reactions, Seraphina pressed her almost half- Ed's golden vertical pupil against a window in the castle, looking at the boy on the other side of the window.
Although there was no verbal communication, Ed knew what Seraphina wanted to ask at that moment:
Is the scale big enough?
Ed's lips twitched, and he gave a thumbs up:
That's enough, really enough. Dragons are indeed best at doing things that attract attention.
Having gained her employer's approval, Seraphina spread her thick wings and took off after a brief warm-up.
Her crimson and dark red body was enormous, but her wings were so large they seemed to blot out the sky. The hurricane swept across the square once again, completely clearing away all the dust that had settled on the open space since autumn.
In the blink of an eye, the enormous dragon's body disappeared into the horizon, leaving only the players' familiar dialects rising and falling.
Inside the castle, Ed knocked on a door.
Gray was pointing at the design drawings in front of him and talking non-stop, while the [ Traditional Eccentric Wheel ] beside him was nodding and taking notes.
Three days after the last surgery, Gray was finally reborn by "Tree Mother".
At this moment, he was no different from when he first came to the Second Holy See, except that all the brass parts on his body had been replaced with wooden ones.
Upon seeing the boss arrive, Gray immediately stood up to greet him, while Ed gestured for him to sit down, a mysterious smile on his face.
"Are you free? I have a small gift for you."
"For me?"
Gray pointed to himself, his face full of disbelief.
He's almost thirty this year, way past the age where people would make fun of him like that. Besides, today isn't anything special. What is the boss trying to tell us?
Ed seemed to see through his thoughts and said with a smile:
"The bio-armor you developed performed exceptionally well on the battlefield and helped us capture a very significant enemy."
"I think this situation warrants some benefits for my employees beyond their salaries, so if you're not busy right now, you can come with me."
Gray paused for a moment, realizing his boss wasn't joking.
He glanced at the [ Traditional Eccentric Wheel ] beside him. After all, the two of them had just been discussing mechanical structures, and it would be impolite for him to leave abruptly from the other person's perspective.
But Gray was clearly overthinking it. The [ Traditional Eccentric Wheel ], who was already aware of the good show, had already started recording and began nodding frantically when Gray asked for his opinion.
So Gray followed Ed toward the castle gate, while [ Traditional Eccentric Wheel ] followed behind them, already contacting [ Zhong Lele ] to sell exclusive perspective videos.
The group arrived at the castle gate but did not choose to go down the Inverted Staircase. Gray realized that something was wrong.
There were several times more players in the square than usual, and even from such a high vantage point, the noise of the crowd almost drowned out his and Ed's conversation.
These Soul Returner stood in the square, leaving the center completely empty, as if waiting for something to arrive.
Ed looked at the traveling merchant and mechanic beside him:
" Gray, I have some news for you."
"Please speak."
"The first batch of crops from the Second Holy See is almost fully ripe. Considering that it will take some time for simple processing such as drying, it will be ready for long-term storage and transportation in about a month."
"Very good!"
Gray's face beamed with joy, and Ed looked at him with a smile:
Do you remember our promise?
Agreement?
Gray for a few seconds and realized that Ed was referring to the election for the Grand Foundry Master.
"I remember."
He nodded firmly, Ed continued with satisfaction:
"Therefore, in order for you to successfully return to the Graycast Corridor and participate in the election, there are three things that you need to lead in completing over the next month."
"First, the development of the bio-armor needs to be completed as soon as possible; this is clearly stipulated in our employment contract."
"I see."
"Secondly, submit a plan for establishing a trade route. I intend to send some Soul Returner with you to the Graycast Corridor."
"Very well, the Graycast Corridor has always welcomed envoys from friendly forces, but we need to be careful about their adaptation to the local environment..."
"Third..."
The sky darkened, and everyone, including Gray, looked upwards, except for Ed, who remained calm.
In the sky obscured by giant wings, Seraphina, now in her true form, landed steadily in the middle of the plaza, gripping the three-story mobile fortress, Antasia.
Despite the sheer size of the mobile fortress Antasia, it appears comically small compared to Seraphina's actual body, like a scaled-down architectural model.
Gray's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't believe that the Antasia, which he had been forced to leave, was now right in front of him, held in the claws of a giant dragon.
It's as simple as a fetch game between you and a domesticated animal.
And Ed's voice flowed into his mind like a clear spring:
"Get your car fixed, don't be late for your trip."