Chapter 471 - 383: The "Dragon-Fisher" on Amber Lake
Chapter 471: Chapter 383: The "Dragon-Fisher" on Amber Lake
After their tour of the Magic Academy, Raylo brought Avril to Amber Lake.
The lake’s surface was as smooth as a mirror.
A gentle breeze swept by, sending ripples across the water that glittered with golden light under the sun.
The two strolled side-by-side along a cobblestone path by the lake, enjoying the rare moment of tranquility.
"It’s so beautiful here."
Avril sighed softly. She took off her shoes and stepped onto the warm sand with her bare, pale feet, letting the water lap gently at her ankles.
"It is."
Raylo watched her, his gaze soft. "The first time I came here, it wasn’t nearly this peaceful."
Avril looked at him curiously.
"Oh? Did you run into some kind of trouble here?"
Raylo smiled and pointed toward the vast center of the lake.
"See my Divine Weapon, Broken Flow? I got it from the bottom of this very lake."
As they walked, he began to recount the tale of how he had acquired the Divine Weapon.
He described the ferocious might of the Abyssal Snake-necked Dragon as it stirred up storms, and the thrilling battle where he, riding Baofeng, fought it alongside the Eternal Giant Turtle and Sun.
When the story was over, Avril was silent for a long time.
She just watched Raylo quietly, the worry and lingering fear in her eyes plain to see.
Raylo took her soft hand in his. Just as he was about to speak, an old, abrupt voice came from nearby.
"Well now, you brat! So you’re the one who stole what this old man had hidden at the bottom of the lake!"
They turned toward the voice and saw an old, white-bearded man in a straw hat sitting on a reef not far away.
He wore coarse linen clothes, a fish basket sat by his feet, and he held a simple fishing rod in his hand. He looked just like an ordinary fisherman.
At that moment, he was glaring at Raylo, his beard practically bristling with indignation.
Raylo froze for a second, then collected himself and studied the old man with great interest.
There was no fluctuation of Magic Power or Fighting Spirit from him. His aura was as plain as a roadside stone.
But Raylo’s intuition told him this old man was anything but simple.
Two Personal Guard Knights followed a dozen meters behind him, and both he and Avril were dressed as nobility. This was no "undercover inspection."
’No common old man would dare speak so loudly to a noble, let alone go out of his way to pick a fight.’
Before Raylo could say a word, the old man had already tossed his fishing rod aside and jumped down from the reef. His movements were unusually nimble, not at all what one would expect from someone his age.
He stomped over angrily and reached out to grab Raylo by the collar.
"Hey! Watch your mouth, old man! What a baseless accusation!"
One of the Personal Guards strode forward, positioning himself in front of Raylo.
The other Guard immediately moved to flank the old man, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"Stand down."
Raylo raised a hand to stop them.
He looked at the fuming old man before him, not with anger, but with a sense of amusement.
He looked the old man up and down and replied.
"By that logic, I suppose the Abyssal Snake-necked Dragon was your pet, then?"
The old man jutted out his chin and puffed out his chest, perfectly self-righteous.
"I caught that Snake-necked Dragon from the deep sea and released it into this lake, so of course it’s mine!"
This twisted logic made the surrounding Knights exchange glances.
Raylo was amused and burst out laughing.
’You can’t judge a book by its cover, just as you can’t measure the sea with a bucket.’
’This old man is either truly mad or a peerless master who enjoys walking among mortals.’
’Either way, there’s no need to make an enemy of him.’
"Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right."
Smiling, Raylo took a coin purse from his coat, tipped out ten heavy Golden Dragons, and walked over to the old man’s reef. He neatly stacked them one by one on the spot where the man had been sitting.
Their golden gleam was dazzling in the sunlight.
"Old sir, please take these Gold Coins as a small compensation for the item I took. As for that Snake-necked Dragon, I’ve already slain it, so I’m afraid I can’t return it to you."
The old man stared at the Golden Dragons on the rock, stunned for a moment. Then he curled his lip and muttered, "I suppose you’ve got some sense, kid... But my treasure was worth much more than this..."
Raylo paid no more mind to his muttering, took Avril’s hand, and turned to leave.
The Personal Guards followed close behind, casting several uneasy glances back as they left.
The old man walked back to the reef, scooped up the scattered Golden Dragons, and tucked them into his clothes with a satisfied smirk. He then sat back down leisurely and cast his line once more.
"Kid, do you know why this lake is called Amber Lake?" the old man suddenly called out.
Raylo stopped in his tracks and looked back at the strange old man.
The old man continued, speaking as if to himself.
"There’s a type of Treasure in this lake—Ancient Amber, sealed since time immemorial. Buried within it are the secrets of antiquity..."
"Kid, if you’re lucky enough to find it, you can come find me on the highest peak of the Black Stone Mountain Range. I’ll grant you a great opportunity."
Raylo was astonished. ’Ancient Amber... this is the first time I’ve ever heard of such a thing.’
By the time Raylo snapped out of it and prepared to ask the old man for more details, he had already vanished from the reef.
...
After a lavish lunch at the castle in Amber Territory, Raylo said his farewells to Lillian.
On the lawn outside the castle, the Storm Griffin King Baofeng was lying about lazily, preening its tawny Iron Feathers.
Seeing Raylo and Avril approach, it let out a low growl and affectionately nuzzled its enormous head against Raylo’s shoulder.
Raylo vaulted onto Baofeng’s broad back, then pulled Avril up to sit in front of him.
"Hold on tight."
At his command, the Griffin Knights all took to the sky.
Baofeng gave a mighty flap of its wings, kicking up a hurricane out of thin air as its massive body shot up from the ground, soaring straight into the clouds.