Chapter 40 - Crafting a Gift (3) - Final, Dragon Bloodline

The two of them reached the mountain in less than three minutes... Ray controlled Arthur’s body with his magic, making him fly really fast.

They didn’t need to circle the entire mountain and slowly wind their way up to the top. Everything was way easier than before.

The villagers were in shock when they saw Ray there, showing him the utmost respect by bowing.

"Mayor Ray, it’s an honor to have you here. How can we help you?"

"Go take care of whatever you need," Ray said to Arthur. "I’ll chat with the folks and relax in the hot spring. Meet me here in about 30 minutes. We can’t take too long."

Arthur nodded and headed off, walking through the forest toward the ancient ruins.

’There’s a good chance Ray will figure out where I’m going, but whatever. He can’t get in here even if he wants to.’

He went down the stairs of the ruins and opened the first door, which closed as soon as he passed through it.

The second door, on the other hand, was already open when he arrived. Myra could open and close it with her dragon blood whenever she wanted.

"That was quick," Myra said.

She wasn’t in her dragon form anymore, but in her human form instead. Myra had long, pure white hair that reached almost to her feet.

Even though she wore no clothes, her scales covered what needed to be covered. Arthur still felt awkward looking at her like that. After all, she was his master’s wife.

"Sorry about that, but I prefer being like this over being a giant dragon in this cramped place," Myra said. "Next time, bring me some clothes too."

Arthur tried not to stare and focused on what mattered.

"I brought the gift you asked for. Mind telling me how I can use that special Soul Artisan ability?"

"Of course. Just come to me and donate the item willingly. You can’t be attached to it, or it won’t work. You need to donate it without a shred of selfishness or sense of loss."

That was kind of... complicated to pull off. For the current earring, Arthur was absolutely sure he could manage without a problem.

With more powerful items that he wanted to keep for himself, though, it would be hard to let go that easily. Especially since he was a loot goblin who loved keeping his inventory stuffed.

Anyway, he slowly walked over to Myra, and at that moment, the system notified him.

[Special Soul Artisan class function unlocked]

[Your special quest with Myra will grant you bonus rewards for this donation. For future donations, the rewards will be much weaker, though permanent as well]

[To donate any item, you must have a good relationship with the NPC or player receiving it]

[The donated item will no longer be Soul Bound, meaning the player can list it on the market. Be careful who you donate items to, since they can’t be returned to you]

Arthur took the earring out of his inventory and handed it to Myra, not knowing whether she would like it or not.

The system recognized what he wanted to do right away.

[Relationship Level: High]

[Myra considers you a good friend since you are her husband’s disciple]

[Do you wish to donate the Silver Earring to her?]

Arthur accepted and donated the item. A blue energy emerged from it and flew back into his body. It was the part of his soul, previously fused with the earring, returning to him.

Now the item was no longer Soul Bound to him, just as the system had announced.

Myra accepted the gift with a smile on her face.

"This earring is beautiful," she said, and then teased, "but you could’ve made 2, no? Am I supposed to wear it on just one ear? Looks like you were trying to save on ores... Bram used to do that all the time."

Arthur gave an awkward laugh. "Hehe. You really are wise. Centuries of life have given you great wisdom."

"So now you’re calling me old?" Myra smacked him on the head. "Unbelievable."

She put the earring on her ear, and the moment she did, an energy left her body and went straight into Arthur’s.

The reward for a donation would normally be low. A few permanent attributes, maybe a passive or an active skill from the class of the person receiving the item. But since this was a special quest, this time it was something impressive.

A dragon bloodline! Arthur had never thought he would get something like that. Damn, no player ever thought they would get this, especially not this early.

[Royal Dragon Bloodline acquired]

[Tier: Divine]

[Bloodline maturation: 5% / 100%]

[The bloodline will improve over time]

[Bonuses:]

[+30 to all attributes]

[+100% Fire Resistance]

[Dragon Scales passive, granting 10% damage reduction to all types of damage]

[More skills will be unlocked as your bloodline improves]

The initial rewards were already impressive. Those points would transform Arthur, making him way stronger.

And 100% Fire Resistance?

’I can already think of a few big bosses I could go fight and abuse that complete fire resistance against, hehe.’

Once the bloodline assimilated with his body, Arthur’s eyes glowed with an unfamiliar color, and his pupils changed too, turning into vertical slits, exactly like Myra’s.

"Can you feel the power in your body now?" Myra asked. "It will help you go even further, and in the future, free me from this place."

Arthur opened and closed his hands, feeling that immense power running through his veins.

"Do I need to infiltrate the Holy Church now, or can I wait a while?" he asked.

"No rush, but it has to be before the rebellion happens," Myra said. "Can you talk to Bram as soon as possible? Tell him I’m fine, and that I want him to try to delay the rebellion. But don’t tell him where I am. There’s no reason for that. He can’t get in here, and if he tries to take the relic from the church, they’ll kill him..."

The Holy Church was truly strong... The members of its upper ranks had absurdly high levels, capable of killing dragons with relative ease.

Arthur knew it was a powerful organization, but that much? He had no idea.

"Alright, I’ll talk to him as soon as I can. And I have no reason to infiltrate the church so soon anyway. With my current level of power, I won’t be able to climb to the high ranks that easily."

"True, you have a point. And Cinder, can you bring me a few things when you get the chance? Some clothes, maybe a mattress and blankets? I don’t need them, but there’s something comforting about having them around."

"Sure, no problem."

Arthur chatted with Myra for a while longer and then left the ruins. He headed back to the village right after and waited for Ray to return from the hot springs.

"Exploring some ruins, huh?" Ray said, throwing his arm around Arthur’s shoulders. "Care to share any discoveries?"

Ray was really friendly, and he was Bram’s friend too, but having him that close, and getting questioned like that, made Arthur tense up...

Trusting someone blindly was never a good idea. Especially a smart and powerful mage like Ray.