CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 45: AFTER THE DEMON TIDE

What to do?

Lin Jun was truly stunned now.

No matter how she thought about it, this Dragon Man in front of her must be the daughter of that Ancient Dragon, right?

That’s right, the daughter, Lin Jun just checked.

Dragon Man’s body was covered with thick scales, and their features seemed both male and female, so she hadn’t been able to tell earlier.

But those are minor details.

The problem now is, the Fusion Parasite can’t be undone...

Her status is just like Dylan’s, she’s been parasitized, but still a step away from becoming a Puppet.

Don’t know if sending it back through another Rift is still possible?

"I’ve only half parasitized your kid, sending them back home now!"

Haha... Lin Jun could imagine herself, being sliced into four pieces by Dragon Claw, then taken to burn, freeze, smash, and melt.

Speaking of which, where is the Giant Dragon’s real body?

Deep Area?

Probably not, although there’s no corresponding intelligence, but the demons emerging from the Rift are too different from those in the Purple Crystal Dungeon.

Maybe it’s some other demon gathering place, or even another dungeon?

Ask Dylan about it later.

If it’s another dungeon, wonder if that Ancient Dragon has a way to break out?

Earlier, the electric arc from the dungeon did repel Dragon Claw, but the Ancient Dragon only took a slight hit and didn’t exert full force.

If it has a way to break the dungeon’s rules, even if she hides on the fifth floor, it might not be safe.

No matter what, being targeted by an Ancient Dragon is way too terrifying.

Luckily, things haven’t reached an irreparable stage yet.

It’s just parasitism for now, haven’t turned into a Puppet!

And, the Ancient Dragon should still be unaware of its kid’s specific situation.

There’s still a chance for recovery!

There is... right?

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"Oh wow... it’s truly miserable..."

Back at Dumb Wind Town, Dylan was a bit shocked by the scene before him.

Charred beams and fragmented walls crashed against each other, broken pillars skewered into the neighboring rooftops.

The once bustling alleys turned into a continuous stretch of debris, even the grand granite-built hall of the Adventurer’s Guild now just consisted of a few columns jutting starkly towards the sky.

More than half the town had been destroyed.

Walking through the streets, an unsettling sticky sensation arose from his boot soles; the ground was filled with coagulated blood, indistinguishable whether it was from demons or humans.

Bodies were everywhere, along with people handling the deceased.

After the Demon Tide crisis, the United Kingdom and the Adventurer’s Guild jointly issued a rebuilding task.

Most people here took up this task to come.

In the center of town, a massive, headless Three-headed Serpent corpse lay across the road.

A ring of venom surrounded the serpent’s body, and no one there dared to handle it.

Rumor has it, the president of the Relic Association arrived solo beforehand.

Managing to kill most of the demons that invaded and wreaked havoc in the town, preventing further disaster escalation.

Yet, even so, many town residents were killed or injured, and adventurers suffered even more.

It is said that less than one-fifth of the adventurers who took up guard duties survived.

Thankfully, he listened to his boss’s orders and didn’t stay here but ran to another location to undertake the task of inquiring about the Duke’s Daughter.

Otherwise, with his skill level, he would probably be one of the victims.

It’s foreseeable that even if Dumb Wind Town is rebuilt, it would be far more desolate than before.

Moving forward, a relatively intact building appeared before Dylan, making him click his tongue in wonder.

"Rotten Willow Tavern has actually survived!"

Though not completely unscathed, the tavern’s walls had collapsed on one side, and there were obvious burn marks around.

But compared to the neighboring ruins, it’s already a miracle!

Dylan entered the tavern, initially intending to assess internal damages, but unexpectedly, someone was already inside.

"Cole! You came back so quickly?"

The tavern owner glanced up at the arrival, saw it was Dylan, snorted dismissively and continued repairing a broken-legged chair.

"You mustn’t have run at all, did you?"

Cole replied: "At my age, why run? If the tavern’s gone, might as well kill me straight off."

Dylan admired him with a thumbs-up, a gutsy fellow.

And incredibly lucky to survive this.

"But with the town in such a state, how much business can you still have?"

Cole appeared indifferent, rubbing his gin-blossomed nose:

"As long as the Purple Crystal Dungeon still exists, this place will return to normal sooner or later."

"Can we enter the dungeon now?"

"What are you thinking, of course not, the announcement already stated that the dungeon must remain sealed for half a month."

Dylan clicked his tongue; he would have to stay on the surface for another half month?

Other aspects weren’t an issue, but the problem was, he was short on money.

This time he came out with just five gold coins in total, never thought he’d be outside for so long.

Drinking Magic Potion daily, he’s almost out of money.

He missed the dungeon’s Mycelial Coffin Board...

Dylan walked to the counter and picked up a wooden cup, ladling a cup of wine from the barrel below.

"Isn’t there anywhere around here to make money?"

"Money-making? Aren’t those guys outside doing that?"

"Ah-ha—" The cheap wine slid down his throat, the over-fermented sourness, made the hair on the back of his neck stand up comfortably, "Cole, you know I don’t mean that kind of odd job."

Cole stopped his woodworking, turned to size up Dylan.

"What, you’re short of money?"

Dylan nodded: "It’s tight, urgently need some."

"Well..." Cole glanced around, no one apart from them had entered the tavern, "actually there’s something you can help me with."

The wooden trapdoor creaked under pressure, Dylan followed Cole into the wine cellar.

The pair stood before a large wine barrel.

"Help me transport this to Fish Sail Port, three gold coins for your down payment, another seven from your contact once the job’s done, how about it?"

Saying this, Cole lifted the lid, revealing it filled with demon materials and weaponry, mostly still stained with dark red blood.

The combination of these items made a pungent smell causing Dylan to slightly recoil: "Old man, you’re making money off the dead?"

Clearly, these were stripped off demons and adventurers who met their end, outright illicit activities.

"Just tell me whether you’ll do it or not!"

"I’ll do it, why wouldn’t I!"

If he doesn’t make money soon, he might die from magic power depletion.

"But with this quantity, I can’t take it all out alone, you won’t expect me to use a wagon to go via the main road, will you?"

Cole sealed the barrel again.

"Of course, not via the main road, come back tonight, four people, each with a bag, take the west forest route."

"And isn’t there a chance we’ll encounter stray demons?"

"Why else would I pay you 10 gold coins? For charity?"

Dylan nodded; the tavern owner had a point.

Exiting Rotten Willow Tavern, Dylan now had three more gold coins, he needed to buy a bottle of Magic Potion for the road.

What Dylan didn’t know was, among the contraband Cole showed him, there was a Book of Human Skin, emitting faint waves of magical power.