Translator: AnubisTL
The map? We'll talk about that last. Judging by her tone, it was more precious than all her treasures and equipment combined.
Garos glanced at the scattered coins she had produced, then fixed his gaze on the rogue.
"If I kill you, all this will be mine anyway," he said. "You're trying to trade my own possessions for your life? That hardly seems a fair exchange."
The rogue knelt on the scorched earth, her trembling hands clutching a yellowed parchment map. She had already shed her leather armor, and her inner garments were soaked with cold sweat. Splatters of her companion's blood still stained her forehead.
Under the moonlight, the map's edges shimmered with a metallic sheen, as if woven with mithril threads in an intricate anti-counterfeiting pattern—something no ordinary adventurer could possess.
"If you kill me, you'll only get an ordinary map," the rogue pleaded. "It requires a special method to reveal its true paths. I ask for nothing more than to live. Please forgive my earlier offense."
Garos didn't reply. His tail gently curled around the map, the dragon scales along its edge as sharp as blades, yet under his control, they pressed tightly against the parchment without tearing it.
He lifted the map with his clawed hand and examined it closely.
The map was covered in a chaotic tangle of silk threads, showing no discernible pattern or map-like features, as if it had been encrypted.
"Look up and meet my gaze directly," Garos commanded.
"Tell me, how did a low-level adventurer like you come across clues to a legendary-grade alchemy item?"
Though still a young dragon, Garos's voice carried an undeniable authority that compelled the rogue to instinctively raise her head.
This is a born super-evil dragon, still in its young dragon phase. Our luck is terrible—we've encountered such a creature, the rogue thought in terror. Trembling under the red iron young dragon's black dragon eyes, she stammered, "It's like this..."
She recounted the events in a disjointed manner, her fear and panic making her words jumbled. Yet Garos managed to piece together the full story.
In short:
The rogue had obtained the map from a naive rookie adventurer at a tavern, using seduction and theft skills while he was drunk.
The rookie adventurer had boasted that the map led to the location of a Legendary Alchemical Artifact, claiming it originated from the lost Gray Dwarf Dungeon and marked the site of Marnes, the dungeon's former location.
Marnes Dungeon was said to contain the buried corpses of tens of thousands of gray dwarves.
Its downfall was said to be caused by the uncontrolled activation of a Legendary Alchemical Artifact, which was subsequently lost within the Gray Dwarf Dungeon.
The Gray Dwarf Dungeon, Marnes, had indeed existed and flourished for a time, producing many powerful weapons and equipment. Some ancient artifacts from that era still circulate today.
However, as time passed and circumstances shifted, Marnes was buried by the earth after its destruction, and few now know its exact location.
The legend of the Legendary Alchemical Artifact continues to draw adventurers, but their efforts have been fruitless due to their inability to find Marnes.
The rogue initially dismissed the map as a rookie adventurer's fantasy, claiming it marked the location of Marnes Dungeon.
But later, when the earl of her city issued a furious warrant for the adventurer's arrest, she realized the adventurer was the earl's son.
Obsessed with tales of adventure, the earl's son had stolen the map from his home, intending to assemble a team for an expedition. Instead, he was met with a harsh dose of reality.
Before he could even leave the city or gather his team, the rogue had already swiped his coin purse and the map. Had it not been for the crowded streets and watchful eyes, she likely would have stripped him down to his underwear.
Garos shook the map, saying, "Your story sounds like a fanciful tale, not a factual account."
The existence of the Gray Dwarf Dungeon was mentioned in his inheritance.
It was indeed a dungeon buried beneath the tides of history.
As for the cause of its destruction, opinions varied widely. The most widely accepted theory was that the rogue's account was true: the dungeon had been destroyed by a Legendary Alchemical Artifact that had gone out of control.
Other theories existed as well.
For example:
That the gray dwarves had touched upon the true essence of alchemy, incurring the wrath of the gods and being punished with annihilation.
Hmm... Among these fantastical explanations, the rogue's account of a Legendary Alchemical Artifact going out of control actually seemed the most plausible.
As for the gray dwarves themselves:
These intelligent beings were a type of dwarf, possessing the dwarves' strength and exceptional talent for smithing. However, their temperament differed drastically from that of normal dwarves. They were treacherous and malevolent, harboring deep hatred for most other races and universally disliked by all other sentient species. They typically dwelled in underground dungeons.
Meanwhile, the rogue urgently swore, "I swear by the peace of my fallen comrades! By my grandparents' honor! Not a word I've spoken is false!"
Garos grinned, baring his teeth. "You know the price of deceiving a dragon is ten times worse than death."
He stared at the rogue before tossing the map back to her.
"Show me the location of the dungeon."
Upon hearing this, the rogue hesitated.
This was her only bargaining chip with the dragon before her, and she didn't want to give it up so easily.
After a moment's thought, a humble, ingratiating smile spread across the rogue's face. She tentatively asked, "Noble dragonkind, if I reveal the coordinates of the dungeon, would you forgive my transgression?"
Transgression?
Garos dismissed the notion with a wave of his hand.
He chuckled and said, "I swear by my mother's name that I care nothing for your transgression. I will allow you to leave my territory unharmed. The life or death of such a weak creature is beneath my concern."
The rogue had no room to negotiate, nor did she dare provoke the evil dragon. She quickly agreed, flattering him with practiced ease. "I trust your word implicitly. A dragon's promise is more precious than any gem. A single word from a dragon as magnificent as you is worth more than ten thousand gold coins."
Without further delay, the rogue took the map and, under Garos' watchful gaze, walked to an open space. She held the map up to the moonlight, then tore it to shreds with a violent rip.
The fragments scattered into the air, but none fell to the ground.
The fragments danced in the air, swirling and coalescing into a brand-new map.
Garos picked it up and examined it closely.
Etched onto the map was a detailed depiction of the wilderness terrain, including the Hemlock Hills, barren plains, lakes, and forests. In the southeastern corner, a circle outlined in silver thread marked a specific location.
"According to the map's markings, Marnes Dungeon lies beneath an abandoned mine shaft," the rogue said obsequiously. "With your might and wisdom, you'll surely obtain the Legendary Alchemical Artifact and become a giant dragon who will one day rule the wilderness."
Garos stared at the map, ignoring her. He merely waved a claw dismissively. Samantha, curious, craned her neck to peer at the map as well.
The rogue slowly backed away.
Garos glanced at her but made no move to stop her.
Realizing he wouldn't prevent her escape, the rogue turned and fled into the thick darkness, sprinting desperately between the towering iron firs that dotted the Hemlock Hills, not daring to pause for even a moment.
(End of the Chapter)