The Interrogation Report

Su Ming and Zijin approached the sorcerer who was being trampled under the dragon's claws. Zijin immediately began to deal with him: removing all magical items from the target's body, disarming him, stripping him of his clothes, and finally burning even Zijin hair with flames.

"This... Zijin, is it really necessary to go this far?" Su Ming looked at the goblin in front of him who had instantly turned into a smooth, green "white cut chicken," and his lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Absolutely!" Zijin answered decisively, her eyes wary. "When dealing with a sorcerer, we can't leave him anything! Even a single hair could become a medium for him to cast spells or escape!"

Then, Zijin donned the most powerful anti-magic artifacts and bound the goblin tightly with iron chains, leaving him no chance to escape.

Meanwhile, Ruixiuli two companions also returned safely. The Grand Magus Mentor who had disguised himself as Saxon and endured Zijin's "Hexagon Meteor Strike" was intercepted and killed without any doubt by the three powerful figures surrounding him.

In his hand, Ruixiuli held a small crystal bottle, inside which was imprisoned the terrified soul of the goblin apprentice Bulukka.

Seeing that Su Ming's side had been settled, with Saxon trampled on the ground like a dead dog, he weighed the bottle in his hand with some regret, "Tsk, what a waste."

Su Ming crouched down, staring at the disheveled Saxon. "I'm curious about something. How did you know about Leoni, and how were you able to imitate him so precisely?"

Saxon grinned, revealing a twisted, silent smile through his blood-foam-filled mouth, and chose to remain silent.

Su Ming straightened up, his gaze sweeping over his companions. "Who's skilled in interrogation?"

Bowers, one hand on his hip, grinned slightly. He stepped forward. "I'm currently studying; could I have an internship?"

Su Ming nodded decisively, "Okay, it's yours."

****

The fierce conflict that occurred at the port quickly entered into a complicated cleanup phase.

Considering the considerable damage they had indeed caused to the city, Su Ming arranged for members of the Final Bone Mad Machines to quickly restore and rebuild the severely damaged areas, and to pay compensation to the innocent residents who suffered losses for the destroyed items.

Fortunately, apart from a few goblins who got too close to watch the commotion and unfortunately fell or were cut by debris during the clearing, this sudden battle did not cause any casualties in Green Thorn Port.

However, the biggest "loss" of the day came from the stewed meat rice of the twelve Silver Dragon and one Blue Dragon —that's right, the Blue Dragon Lanlie, after hearing the Silver Dragon describe the unparalleled delicious taste of that stew, he also came back.

Even with a generous amount of rice and a small amount of meat, and careful preparation, the entire four tons of meat disappeared in an instant thanks to the dragons' voracious appetites.

Zijin seemed not to have fully recovered from the ordeal. She stayed close to Su Ming as he handled the aftermath, her eyes still showing lingering fear.

"This... Zijin," Su Ming looked at her with a hint of helplessness, "We're on a ship now, we're safe."

"Okay." Zijin rubbed her temples, seemingly trying to dispel the tension. "That scene just now was truly terrifying. I had absolutely no idea it was a trap—I couldn't even imagine what the consequences would have been if..."

"Next time," Su Ming looked at her, his tone serious and solemn, "I will definitely be more careful!"

****

Later that evening, the Pansy's freshwater and general supplies were fully replenished, and all crew members returned to the ship.

Su Ming decisively ordered the ship to set sail, heading straight for Dragon Gorge Port.

At the same time, a detailed interrogation report on the sorcerer Saxon was also presented to Su Ming.

The Saint Rank Trickster wasn't exactly tough. In fact, his personality was even more inclined to seek good fortune and avoid danger than that of a more cunning individual. According to Saxon's confession, he was hired by the "Plundering Clock" for this operation, which is why he launched this "fortune favors the bold" assassination.

The high bounty is one aspect, but if the operation to kill Bone King and Bay Owl is successful, it will bring him tremendous deterrence, which can be translated into practical benefits.

Throughout the entire operation, Saxon was prepared to abandon his teammates at any time and was confident that he could escape by using a clever escape plan if the plan failed.

Unfortunately Su Ming lacked martial ethics, and a giant dragon descended from the sky to fight him!

After a brief analysis, Su Ming realized that hiring a "third-party" team to carry out this type of task seemed to be a first for the "Plundering Clock." This might, to some extent, indicate that the other party was facing a shortage of manpower.

More importantly, all the information about Ranger Leoni, including his search for Su Ming and his group, and details about his appearance, came from their employer, "The Plundering Clock."

The "Plundering Clock" also contributed to the planning of many details of this ambush operation.

Therefore, it can be inferred that Leoni may have been controlled by the "Plundering Clock" or even fallen into its hands.

However, Leoni may have been one of the perpetrators of the attack on Atiya. Therefore, he himself may be a member of the "Plundering Clock" organization.

However, Leoni's timely provision of crucial information about Abigai's "Thread Puppet Prison" during the battle of the Him Cavern played a decisive role in Su Ming's ultimate victory over the powerful enemy, which clearly negates this point.

In short, this matter is full of suspicious points and must be thoroughly investigated. Su Ming felt that the most effective way was not to capture mercenaries like the Trickster, but to try to capture a high-ranking member of the "Plundering Clock" as a prisoner.

In that way, many mysteries will be solved.

Su Ming and Zijin disagreed on how to deal with the sorcerer Saxon.

Zijin was clearly still furious. She insisted that someone as slippery and cunning as Saxon was extremely risky to imprison and prone to making mistakes. After all, finding loopholes and ways to escape was practically his job.

On the other hand, the value of a living, breathing Saint Rank expert is also immense.

After a moment's thought, Su Ming proposed a plan: to escort Saxon to Northern Ice Island. It was the territory of the Feather Race, with a pure population and a simple environment. Moreover, it was covered in ice and snow all year round, and the terrain was extremely unfavorable for escape and concealment.

For a sorcerer, the factors that can be used for escape are very few.

Moreover, chaining a Saint Rank goblin to mine with sturdy iron chains would make them a very "durable" source of labor, and they could also serve as pioneers to explore the most dangerous passages.

The Feather Race would certainly welcome this.

After weighing the pros and cons, Zijin reluctantly agreed to Su Ming's plan.

****

However, Su Ming did not travel with the ship. The ambush at the port made him realize that the "Pansy" could hardly hide its whereabouts from the enemy's sight.

Su Ming felt it necessary to expedite the progress of certain key matters. Therefore, after the Dragon Reception, he, along with Zijin and Stacy, rode the Blue Dragon Lanlie away from the fleet and flew directly to Dragon Valley to accept the Dragon King's invitation.

Only by resolving the dragon's situation as soon as possible can we focus all our efforts on dealing with the Temple of Light's Divine Covenant Faction without distractions. At that time, with increasingly abundant resources, we will be able to face the "Plundering Clock" with greater composure.

As for why the Blue Dragon was chosen— the Blue Dragon's fine scales are relatively softer than the Silver Dragon's thick, mirror-like plate-like scales. Although Lanlie's scales are still very hard, riding him is ultimately much more comfortable than riding Silver Dragon.

But Stacy insisted on riding the Silver Dragon, refusing to budge no matter how much Su Ming tried to persuade her.

That night, Su Ming and Zijin lay on the broad back of the Blue Dragon and spent the night together in the wild. The next morning, they successfully reached the northern edge of the Dragon Valley.

"After about two more hours of flying, we'll reach Dragon Court." Zijin looked down at the familiar yet unfamiliar landscape below, a deep longing in her eyes. "I really... haven't been back for over a hundred years."

"Is the Dragon King easy to talk to?" Su Ming asked Zijin cautiously. "What would be the worst-case scenario if the negotiations broke down?"

"Leaving safely is definitely not a problem," Zijin replied with considerable certainty, then changed the subject, "But how things develop afterward depends on how badly your negotiations break down."

"Uh..." Su Ming decided to learn more details, "Are there any taboos or restrictions regarding the Dragon Race?"

"You're not a dragon," Zijin glanced at him irritably. "No one expects a human to understand dragon customs and follow their elaborate rituals, so just do as you please." She sighed softly, sounding somewhat troubled. "I can't. Sigh, I can never remember how to address certain dragons, and the relationships with all those distant relatives are just too complicated..."

"Even dragons have these kinds of troubles related to family relationships?" Su Ming asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Why wouldn't there be!" Zijin said helplessly. "Besides, you have to understand that dragons are extremely long-lived! That means that even just within three generations, the number of their direct or collateral blood relatives would be at least in the hundreds!"

She thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "Hey, could you contact them on Earth and have them develop a dragon face recognition app for me? One with a note-adding feature! Otherwise, every time they introduce me to a relative, I don't recognize them at all the next time we meet, it's really embarrassing!"

Su Ming immediately contacted Dodder through their mental link and explained Zijin's needs. Dodder quickly responded: No problem, arrange it.

"In the eyes of the Dragon Race, is killing one's own kind the most unforgivable crime?" Su Ming changed the subject and continued to ask.

"Generally speaking, yes," Zijin nodded in confirmation, "But deep down, Dragon Race are quite fond of duels among their own kind. Many disagreements are often resolved through a fight. There have been instances in history where a mistake has resulted in the death of the opponent."