Chapter 207 - Returning To The Rank 7 Castle
Riveting Night and Zaine reached Madam Carrie's office, where they saw the older woman lounging around while sipping tea idly. She was clearly taking a break, as working every hour of the day would just be counterproductive.
Madam Carrie seemed surprised by their visit, but didn't fail to treat them with the necessary courtesies. She even prepared some beverages for them herself, while muttering about the distinct absence of her aide.
"I hope you were satisfied with the outcome of your item's auction, Mrs. Night." Madam Carrie asked genially.
Riveting Night nodded. "I am. The final price for them was far above what we had envisioned."
Madam Carrie laughed happily. "I am pleased to hear that. Should you have excess Aether Crystals in the future, please make sure to inform us beforehand. Had we shared the rumors of their appearance you might have benefitted even more."
Suddenly, Madam Carrie's eyes displayed a glint of craftiness. "However, I do not think that you two came here to share a cup of tea with this old woman, correct?"
Riveting Night could only smile wryly underneath her hood. "That is right, we are here on a different business."
"Please do say. If the Church can help you, we surely won't hesitate." Madam Carrie acknowledged honestly.
Riveting Night took a deep breath and chose her words carefully. "In light of the recent invasion by Void Monsters, Draco and I wish to procure some materials that could aid us in creating more powerful equipment to assist with the eradication of such vile entities."
Madam Carrie nodded along. If this was their goal, then the Church would naturally not hold back. Theirs was a noble mission.
Yet Madam Carrie deduced that for Riveting Night to personally come and request the necessary materials, it could not be anything simple or easy to acquire.
Riveting Night's next words proved her right. "As such, we would like to purchase a small set of scales belonging to a Light Dragon of at least, the Supreme Rank."
After Riveting Night said this the room became deathly quiet. Zaine was still, Riveting Night was still and Madam Carrie was still as well. A simple cough would sound like a gunshot at this point in time.
Madam Carrie seemed worried, then gloomy, then resigned. She sighed lightly and rubbed her grey hair bun, seemingly lost in thought.
Both Zaine and Riveting Night didn't move a single inch, not even blinking, as they didn't want to influence her silent rumination. This continued for almost 3 minutes before Madam Carrie spoke.
"Alright, seeing as the Church owes a big favor to Draco, I am willing to discuss a possible trade with you. However, the terms will have to really justify the exchange." Madam Carrie eventually stated.
Riveting Night and Zaine exchanged a quick look that hid their happiness deep down. Riveting Night had thought about how much to offer in the time she had not moved, and was ready to make their offer.
"We are willing to pay 10,000,000 platinum, as well as any other resource the Church deems valuable."
Madam Carrie immediately shook her head. "You should know that the value of anything pertaining to Dragons is extremely bloated in today's world. The potions Draco had offered us that allows one to gain 50% Source Origin of a Low-Rank Dragon were slightly above 5 million platinum."
"For something pertaining to a Supreme Rank Dragon, this is not enough... not even close."
Her words made Zaine and Riveting Night shake. They both had been aware that Draconic stuff was f.u.c.k.i.n.g expensive, but for ten million platinum to not even be close?!
After bartering away his 23 Dragon's Blessing potions the Church had even given him a Divine Chest, something that was almost impossible to give out.
Zaine's earlier prediction on the price had been too rash. It couldn't be helped though, as both women lacked the experience interacting with these kinds of valuable items.
However, Madam Carrie was irrefutably right. If even something pertaining to half a Low-Rank Dragon was 5 million platinum, then a full one should be around 10 million platinum or more.
To climb past Low Rank, to Medium Rank, then High Rank, and finally Supreme Rank, that was a jump of four levels. Naturally, the value would also jump astronomically.
It was likely that even the 49 million platinum they had wouldn't cut it for the scales. Those scales could be used to create a set for a powerful Rank 7 God that had an affinity with the light element.
After all, a Supreme Ranked Dragon was an entity that was knocking on the door of God Rank. Since a God Ranked Dragon was the equivalent of a True God, it was a realm where one could rule over the myriad races of this world.
After all, Origin Gods were busy trying to keep the universe stable. Apart from the one time Caelo had come down to smash the Ultima Sunt race into paste, never had an Origin God left their realm.
Those scales were naturally of unparalleled value. The Church didn't keep them for all these centuries because they liked looking at it, but because there was no one deserving of it.
There was also the problem of finding a worthy craftsman. Even Grandmaster Blacksmiths, no matter how few they were, had success rates and failure rates. If they failed with those scales, it would be too huge a loss to swallow, so it had been kept till now.
But at the same time, this presented an eternal stalemate. The scales didn't have a good suitor or craftsman, and it was unlikely that one would appear in the near future.
However, having it sit in their treasury was also a bloody waste. There was no point in a resource if one couldn't use it, no matter how valuable it was.
The reason why Madam Carrie was willing to sell it to Draco's faction, was due to their extremely good relationship, Draco's potential, and his possession of a Divine Item. It was worth making a trade, as long as another precious material of equal value to the scales could be presented.
Riveting Night decided to ask, "What does Madam Carrie think would be a good enough item to trade?"
Madam Carrie looked right into Riveting Night's hood, connecting to her eyes. Even though the elderly woman couldn't see inside, she knew they were locked in eye contact.
"One top-grade Aether Crystal."
This price stunned Zaine, but not Riveting Night. Riveting Night had predicted that this might be what it would take to buy such an item once Madam Carrie clarified the true value of the scales.
As Madam Carrie had revealed to them earlier, top-grade Aether Crystals were no longer in circulation and were considered almost priceless. The scales of a Supreme Rank Dragon fell into a similar category, so using these two to trade should be perfectly balanced.
Riveting Night first contacted Draco and told him about these conditions. This had been at around the time where he was about to close up training with Richmond, double casting two defensive spells under bombardment by the old mage.
At the moment, Draco had only 20 of them. 10 from Hikari, 5 from himself and 5 he had received from Inventor Doug in exchange for the Sunfire Mystic Flame.
Draco still had no idea where the f.u.c.k Doug got them from, but those were the last of what he had. It was no wonder the poor Inventor has blood vessel burst in his eyes and breathed like he had tuberculosis when he left back then.
Draco didn't want to let others know he had those precious crystals, but the Church was trustworthy. Madam Carrie had even guessed that they might have had top-grade on hand, yet she hadn't made a move for them.
It was likely that if not for Riveting Night wishing to acquire the scales, Madam Carrie would never have brought it up. However, since Riveting Night wanted the scales, Madam Carrie had to be clear about this matter.
Draco sent over three top-grade Aether Crystals. He told Riveting Night to use one for the transaction, and to gift the other two to the Church of the Light.
Draco wasn't sure what kind of result it would bring, but he was sure it would be a wise investment for the future. The Church especially seemed to desire Draconic items, and Draco knew why.
If he provided them those rare Aether Crystals, it would be more than just earning two favors.
Riveting Night was silent for a long while before she waved her hands and placed the three top-grade Aether Crystals on the table. When Madam Carrie and Zaine saw this, they were horrified.
"The first one is to pay for the scales. The latter two are gifts from Draco and I to the Church."
Madam Carrie's face became utterly grim, like she had met her arch-nemesis in life. She stared at the three crystals silently, her brain whirring so fast even Riveting Night and Zaine could've sworn they heard something.
Eventually, the old woman sighed heavily once more and took the crystals, then got up. "I shall go and fetch the scale right now. Please give me a minute or two."
"Take your time." Riveting Night said genially.
She was also quite curious as to what benefits Draco's crazy action would bring. Would they be awarded with another Divine Chest? Or a Major Divine Emblem?
She didn't have to wait long, as Madam Carrie returned with a slightly thick box that was carved with wood from the Etz Chaim, which was Flora's true body when she was on earth.
The one Draco had seen in the Unique Quest was simply a one-time thing that was created for the quest. If Draco had cut the wood, he would have gained the actual material which was also very rare, but he would have angered the Rank 7 Flora.
This could have led to Draco being unable to complete her Hidden Quest, or even in her straight-out killing Draco on the spot.
However, for the vassal of the True Gods, having wood from Flora's body was nothing much. Flora might even throw away the shaving and deadwood from her body down to them. After all, who would care about one's nails or hair after they were cut?
Madam Carrie opened the chest and Riveting Night felt her bloodline boil as it resonated. The Light Dragon's scales also began to shine, keen with excitement, and Riveting Night involuntarily transformed into her Sun Goddess form for a split second before she suppressed it.
However, both Zaine and Madam Carrie had seen it, with their hearts feeling great waves. Riveting Night's strange and sudden transformation gave Madam Carrie the same feeling as the True Gods did, while Zaine felt like the aura was similar to the Devil God's shrine.
Still, everyone pretended as if nothing had happened, and the box was claimed by Riveting Night, who sent it directly into her inventory.
Since Madam Carrie had nothing else on her, Riveting Night got up and began to leave after paying the proper thanks and bidding farewell to Madam Carrie, who reciprocated.
The moment Riveting Night and Zaine left, Madam Carrie's expression became solemn. She went over to her desk, and took out a special form her drawer.
Madam Carrie hesitated for a long while before gritting her teeth and letting go of her worry. She furiously scribbled some words across the form, and if one looked over her shoulder, they'd be able to see the title of it.
It read, 'Application for Admittance into the Realm of Gods'.
............
Riveting Night quickly returned to the Castle, whereas Zaine headed back to Vita City-State as she wanted to expedite the birth of her child. Today's foray had simply been to gain favor with Riveting Night, a task which was an overwhelming success.
Riveting Night entered their bedroom to find a Hikari, who had since transformed into her half-dragon form, as she pressed Draco down beneath her.
The fellow had a difficult expression on his face. He didn't want his Dragobonded mate to become a glorified chicken, but at the same time, he also didn't want Hikari to suffer from s.e.x.u.a.l frustration due to being in extreme heat.
When they saw Riveting Night enter, Draco didn't push Hikari off. Instead, Riveting Night pulled down her hood, revealing Eva's slight smirk.
"Carry on!"
Eva directly undressed and walked into the bath with a loud titter, sounding like those noblewomen from anime shows. It was quite an irksome manner of laughter that made anyone want to spit at her.
Hikari was embarrassed for a few seconds, but her desires quickly suppressed this feeling, about to run rampant. It was like she was fed a bowlful of aphrodisiac, nothing but s.e.x could bring her back to her normal state of mind.
Draco recognized this, which was why he didn't stop her. Her bloodline was pushing her to birth more eggs in the shortest possible time due to the fact that she was part of an endangered species, and her rational mind was buried beneath this.
Draco didn't suffer from this because the Black Dragon aspect of his bloodline was just 1/5th of it. He was also the ruler of hell and the most beautiful angel. He even had the general aspect of being a Devil, just like Eva's general aspect was that of a Sun Goddess.
Draco removed Hikari's dress, even as she continued to writhe all over him, kissing and licking his entire body. Her tail continued to batter his body lightly, while her wings flapped rapidly every few seconds.
These were all typical signs of a female Dragon in heat, and it was best to satisfy them as soon as possible, or they would become really foul and irritable. Female Non-White Dragons might even go on a rampage and destroy Field Zones unless their Dragobonded mates satisfied them.
Even the usually shy and gentle Hikari was turned into a beast by her instincts… truly, the power of a bloodline was a double-edged sword.
Draco managed to take her dress off after much effort and then receded his armor into his body, leaving them both n.a.k.e.d. As if lost in a trance, Hikari still continued to writhe around him madly.
Draco could only grab her and press her down, then ravage her in the way she wanted. After Hikari climaxed a few times, he gave her another healthy serving of his seed, this time focusing on the human aspect of it.
The change in Hikari was instant. She became docile and lazy, instantly falling to sleep without even cleaning herself up. Draco could only shake his head with a wry smile.
He then went into the super mini small world bath and saw a n.a.k.e.d Eva seated at the bank of the waterfall, staring at the water in deep thought.
Draco went up to Eva and sat beside her, a light smile on his face. "Penny for your thoughts?"
Eva smiled at him with adoration, and then lay her head on his shoulder. "I dealt with a bit of bottled up trauma today. It's quite hard to suppress the damage from the old world."
Draco became solemn. "So soon?"
Eva nodded silently. "It was because I saw this there."
Eva took out the Orb of Worlds replica and showed it to Draco. Similar to her own strong reaction, Draco's pupils narrowed into serpentine slits as his breathing became rough.
The feeling of being utterly consumed by hate and anguish for more than 7 in-game years smothered him, and he felt himself suffocating. How he managed to keep his sanity throughout those years was a miracle.
After moving on to a peaceful life, he had forgotten what it felt like. Seeing the Orb of Worlds triggered his memory, although the Draco now was different from before.
His Horned Demon Inheritance instantly devoured all his negativity, using it to strengthen his body slightly. Draco didn't have to rely on external help like Riveting Night due to his bloodline.
"They actually sold the Orb of Worlds in the Auction?" Draco asked with incredulity. The Divine Auction always had good stuff, but when Hellscape and Darkrow finally had the qualifications to attend without being bullied around, these kinds of items were rare.
It might be that most of the good stuff had been bought, or that the recent Great War (in the previous timeline), had culled too many lives and had drained too many resources.
Eva smiled and brought out more items. When Draco saw the lineup, his eyes bulged to a degree that Eva giggled freely. This silly side of Draco was what she loved to see, because it reminded her of their mutual innocence back then.
"A deed to a Divine Dungeon, a Special Inkstone, a Gemcore, Primal Papyrus and a replica of the Orb of Worlds…"
Draco muttered this and then stared at Eva like he was looking at a monster.
"Did you stun the lot of them to death with your celestial beauty for all of this?"
Eva crossed her arms and smiled smugly. "No, I was domineering like you, using financial might to suppress all."
Draco looked disappointed. "Ah… it would have been great if they could see that my soulmate is the world's greatest beauty…"
"You!!" Eva was infuriated by Draco's imagination. How could he expect her to show her face to anyone else but him? Her very existence was for him alone!
Draco saw Eva's fury and his eyes glinted. "Hehe, do you want to do something about it? Do you want to punish me, Eva?"
Eva suddenly felt like something was wrong, and she tried to flee. However, how could she escape Draco?
The fellow captured her and dragged her over to the sauna, while she begged and whined all the way, but Draco didn't let his heart waver.
After activating his Horned Demon Inheritance's s.e.x.u.a.l booster to the max, soon the sounds of heavy pounding that even shook the earth resounded, as if bombs were landing on the terrain.
This, mingled with a woman's euphoric cry, could only make one have crazy thoughts and imaginations in their minds.
Soon, Eva emerged from the super mini small world bathroom with wobbly and shaky legs, her eyes almost glazed over in fatigue. She then fell onto the bed, and just like Hikari, went straight to sleep.
Draco emerged after her looking refreshed. He smirked as he saw the two of them sleeping after he had waylaid them. Hikari's was necessary, but Eva's was punishment.
She had been too unruly in recent times, but this should set her on track.
Draco climbed into bed and went to sleep as well, dreaming about the face Shuro would make tomorrow when he stripped his store!