Unexpected Gift

In the silence, the Boarman merchant—Hulk felt uneasy.

This feeling was terrible!

He would rather the Red Dragon scold him, or even beat him, than endure this invisible pressure. It was like a prisoner standing before a tribunal, facing a punishment that could be fatal, or perhaps lead to acquittal; this placed a mountain of psychological pressure on him.

After a long while, Jose saw cold sweat beading on the Boarman merchant's body and felt it was enough.

"This is the first and last time, understand!"

The Red Dragon's tone was not good, but Hulk felt a wave of relief: "Un…understand."

"You completed this mission well, I am very satisfied." Jose gave him a carrot after the stick, taking out a small pouch and shaking it. The friction of the gold produced a pleasant jingle.

"This is the hiring fee you paid upfront."

Seeing the bag thrown his way, Hulk instinctively caught it, his face full of disbelief.

"M…Master, I…I…I…"

Jose's tone allowed no room for argument: "Take it if I tell you to take it."

"Yes!"

"Regarding the Minotaur, the agreed-upon payment cannot be shorted by a single cent."

Although he felt confused, Hulk still bowed: "I obey your will."

Only then did Jose nod with satisfaction.

In truth, he had considered using violence, threats, and other means to exploit the Minotaur's labor for free, but after thinking about it, he abandoned the idea.

On one hand, this would severely dampen the Minotaur's enthusiasm for forging. On the other hand, while getting something for free was satisfying, it would also erode his own credibility, which was not worth it in the long run.

For those in positions of power, credibility was worth ten thousand gold.

Of course, Jose wasn't quite in a position of power yet, but he would be eventually.

"Oh, right!" The Boarman slapped his head and, turning back, dragged the box left on the ground forward: "Master, I brought you a gift. You will definitely like it."

"Oh?"

The Familiar's tone was so confident that Jose's interest was piqued.

"I'd like to see what kind of gift it is."

The Boarman merchant took out a long string of keys, searching for the right one among them. As he searched, he said, "This gift comes from deep within the Gloomy Forest. Smugglers risked their lives to transport it out secretly. It's very valuable…"

Hearing this, Jose became even more interested.

After all, the Gloomy Forest was one of Tydanore's two major elven settlements, and the elves lived deep within that forest. The forest was enchanted by powerful elven mages, and without knowing the correct path, outsiders could not enter.

As for special products from the Gloomy Forest that were worth smuggling, there were many. For example, artworks produced by the elves, magical items, and Moonlight Gems. The most valuable thing Jose could think of was the Wisdom Ancient Tree left over from the Elven Dynasty's peak.

The branches of the Wisdom Ancient Tree had a magic conductivity comparable to Mithril, making them one of the best primary materials for wands. However, the elves themselves didn't have enough Wisdom Ancient Tree branches, so they wouldn't easily let them circulate.

"Found it."

The Boarman inserted the key into the lock and turned it gently.

Click!

The lock opened, and Hulk lifted the lid of the box, revealing the gift inside.

Seeing the gift in the box, Jose's face was filled with shock.

The box contained an Elven Maiden. She was curled up in the small space, hugging her knees. Her beautiful face was contorted with fear, and her long, dark eyelashes were matted together by tears, making her look pitiful.

"Th-this is the specialty you mentioned?!"

The Boarman merchant made a gesture, smiling charmingly: "Master, an elven virgin, a peerless delicacy, please enjoy."

The "enjoy" here meant exactly that—to eat!

Damn it!

Jose felt speechless at the peculiar tastes of the Red Dragon race.

Indeed, an unopened female was the Red Dragon's favorite food. Elven maidens were the best, followed by human maidens. These two were considered luxuries by Red Dragons, a symbol of their status, prestige, and taste. Consuming them greatly satisfied a Red Dragon's strong vanity and self-esteem.

An ordinary Red Dragon would have gladly accepted and devoured this gift, but Jose was no ordinary Red Dragon.

Having once been human, he had a certain sense of identification with both humans and dragons. He absolutely could not bring himself to eat species like elves, who looked so similar to humans.

Looking at the Elven Maiden's beautiful face, if it were consensual, he wouldn't mind finding another way to "consume" her.

Jose frowned slightly. What should he do with this elf?

Send her back?

Imprison her?

Raise her to become an elven knight?

Jose felt a bit conflicted. He glanced at the Boarman merchant, who was eagerly awaiting praise.

It would be best to figure out her origins first.

After all, beautiful Elven Maidens were not only a Red Dragon's favorite but also a favorite of human nobles. Whether for personal use or to entertain guests, they were very impressive. Moreover, elves were long-lived, had a long shelf life, and if well-maintained, could be passed down for more than ten generations.

The elves, however, were not monsters to be captured at will. They were once the overlords of the continent, and even in their decline, they remained a significant force that Tydanore could not ignore.

With so many benefits and such rarity, the price of a female elf was unimaginable. Even selling all the Boarman merchants wouldn't be enough to afford one.

"Where did you get it?"

The Boarman merchant was skilled at reading people. He noticed the Red Dragon wasn't as happy as he'd imagined and wondered where things had gone wrong. "On the... on the road."

"On the road? What happened? Tell me more."

"It's like this. The day before yesterday, while I was traveling on the Great Prairie, I encountered a group of adventurers fleeing from the Gloomy Forest. This elf was our spoils of war."

Oh, so it was a case of one thief preying on another.

Jose suddenly understood.

"Wait! You said fleeing adventurers?! Were they being pursued?"

"We didn't see any pursuers before we left."

"Then, did you check them for injuries? Did you get any information? How were the bodies handled?"

"We only hastily collected the spoils of war and left them to die in the wilderness." The Boarman merchant realized that their actions had been somewhat careless.

The Forest Elves in the Gloomy Forest were of the good alignment, but not foolishly so. They detested the act of selling their own kin and showed no mercy to slave-catching teams. They had even established special units to hunt down slavers. His actions could very well lead the elves to the Bloodtooth Mines.

He paused, then said as if to comfort himself, "Master, please don't worry. The bodies on the Great Prairie will never last the night. The hungry beasts will help us clean them up completely."

Jose glanced at his Familiar. "I hope so."

"Oh, right. The direction the slave-catching team was fleeing seemed to be towards the Graytail Centaur Tribe."

Just as Jose was about to ask more, there was movement from inside the box. He stuck his head in and saw the Elven Maiden's eyelashes flutter.

The Elven Maiden slowly opened her eyes. She saw a massive Red Dragon head hanging above her, its lava-ball-like eyes staring at her. After a moment of confusion, she seemed to wake up, her eyes widening in terror, her mouth opening.