Chapter 860: Don't Stand on Ceremony
To have even half a life left now is pure dumb luck.
Kempes, that fool, really is hopeless. He brought this on himself—can't blame anyone else.
Droy, that old fox, what scheme do you think you're playing at? You really think I don't know? If you have the skill to harvest the Primordial Venom Dragon, go ahead—I'll give you that much.
Hearing Leon's cold laugh, Droy's old face flushed red. He knew exactly what Kempes was up to, but didn't stop him—basically gave his tacit approval. Who would've thought things would go so badly?
Now, looking at the Primordial Venom Dragon lying quietly in the pit, then at Kempes—half dead on the ground—Droy's expression was complicated.
Technically, by our previous agreement, whoever finds something gets to keep it. Leon Merlin discovered the Primordial Venom Dragon's corpse, so it's rightfully his.
But this is the corpse of a Primordial Venom Dragon!
The Primordial Venom Dragon went extinct back in the God-Demon Age—it's even older than the Chromatic Dragons. These days, Chromatic Dragons are just legends, so who could let the corpse of a Primordial Venom Dragon slip away before their eyes...
Technically, if we help with the harvesting and the rest of the work, getting ten percent from Leon Merlin would already be generous. Even a few scales would be a huge gain for us. If he keeps it all, it wouldn't be unfair.
But this is the corpse of a Primordial Venom Dragon—how could anyone let that go?
This is something of immense benefit to the Caucasus. Even a few scales could boost our overall combat strength. If used for our top warriors—Ninth-Rank Title Archmages among the Caucasus Battlemages—there'd be no rival below Sky Rank.
No opponent's shield could stop our Thunderbolt Spears. If we forged them entirely from the dragon’s claws or scales, even Sky Rank shields might be pierced.
Even a few scraps of flesh could greatly enhance our entire race’s constitution. We wouldn’t need antidotes to walk freely in Viperfog Valley.
If we're lucky enough to gain a trace of the Primordial Venom Dragon's bloodline power, the Caucasus Battlemages would have a new trump card from now on.
For us Caucasus, this is something we absolutely can't give up. If we can't have it all, we must at least get a share.
At worst, we let Leon Merlin take a bit more. As long as he helps detoxify, he doesn't have to do anything else—the Caucasus Battlemages will handle all the rest, including processing the materials and any auxiliary supplies.
When the time comes, Leon Merlin can pick first—he can have the best parts, no problem.
That’s already a big show of sincerity. He doesn’t have to lift a finger and still gets the rewards. I doubt Leon Merlin would refuse.
After all, there's a Primordial Venom Dragon corpse here. Now that we know about it, he can't keep it all to himself—he has to give us a share to keep us quiet.
Faced with Leon Merlin's cold laugh, Droy shamelessly pretended not to notice. He ignored the gravely injured Kempes and stood at the edge of the pit, making it clear he wasn't leaving.
There was no way Leon Merlin didn't know what Droy was plotting.
Hmph, damn old fox, this time you've miscalculated. Since you want to stay here, then stay you shall...
Leon Merlin sneered and said calmly to Droy.
“Caucasus Seer Droy, you all carry on. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”
With that, Leon Merlin turned and left with his people.
Droy stared in astonishment, dumbfounded as he watched Leon Merlin's departing figure, completely unable to process what had just happened.
What just happened? Leaving already?
This is the corpse of a Primordial Venom Dragon! With something this rare—already lost since the Nesser Dynasty—you’re just going to leave?
What the hell are you thinking?
Fine, leave if you must—but at least deal with the Primordial Venom Dragon's poison before you go…
This is a Primordial Venom Dragon—even as a corpse, its insides and outsides are saturated with deadly toxins. Forget the Caucasus Battlemages, forget Auckland—there’s probably no one in all Northend who can neutralize its poison.
Our only hope is you, and you’re just leaving? What the hell is going on?
Viperfog Valley only exists because of the Primordial Venom Dragon’s corpse. You can create antidotes to resist the valley’s poison—can’t you just whip up something to counter the dragon’s toxins, too?
You’re our only hope—no one else stands a chance. Only you might be able to make an antidote for the Primordial Venom Dragon’s toxin, and you’re just going to leave…
Leaving…
Hearing those words, Droy felt his mind explode—“leaving… leaving…” was all he could think about.
If Leon Merlin doesn’t detoxify the poison here, who can? He’s the only hope, so how could he just leave?
Primordial Venom Dragons went extinct back in the Elder Age—who could possibly neutralize their poison now?
Irrelevant message: skip. No translation needed.
Maybe in the early Nesser Dynasty, some pureblood elves and Chromatic Dragons could do it—but now?
Don’t be ridiculous—so many years have passed, even if a method survived, it’s probably lost somewhere by now.
Low-level alchemists shouldn’t even think about touching this. High-level alchemists’ time is far too precious, and none would waste it on something that’s been useless for tens of thousands of years.
Otherwise, after all these years, Viperfog Valley wouldn’t have remained unexplored…
After all these years of research, even Auckland’s mages haven’t cracked the poison mist in Viperfog Valley. Back then, even two Worldshapers came here and failed.
Leon Merlin actually wants to leave—has he lost his mind?
If he leaves now, things will get much worse…
Suddenly, a glimmer flashed in Droy’s eyes.
Damn, maybe Leon Merlin doesn’t even realize this is a Primordial Venom Dragon corpse?
If he doesn’t know, ask him! Ask me! I’d be more than happy to explain!
Even if you don’t ask, don’t leave! I’ll explain everything—the Primordial Venom Dragon’s traits, its value, I’ll tell you all about it.
Those arrogant, foolish Auckland mages lack this knowledge, but we Caucasus Battlemages have it!
The Primordial Venom Dragon’s scales, claws, flesh—every part is a priceless rarity, every bit a treasure. If you don’t understand, I’ll tell you!
Droy stomped his feet in frustration. In the brief moment he hesitated, Leon Merlin had already left with his people, vanishing in a blink. By the time he reacted, they were long gone.
Droy wished he could chase after Leon Merlin, drag him back, and force him to listen about how precious the Primordial Venom Dragon’s corpse was. How could he say something as outrageous as “leaving”?
Droy was so shocked by Leon Merlin’s actions, he didn’t react in time—and by then, it was too late to stop him.
After Leon Merlin had moved a good distance away from the pit, he glanced back, a cold smile on his lips.
These greedy fools—I know exactly what that old fox is plotting. But from the start, I never intended to share the Primordial Venom Dragon’s corpse with the Caucasus Battlemages.
If you want to share, fine—I’ll leave. You can gather what you want. If you manage to collect it all, I’ll admit defeat.
If a single Caucasus Battlemage can neutralize the Primordial Venom Dragon’s poison, I’ll consider myself unlucky.
But in this era, I doubt anyone capable of neutralizing the Primordial Venom Dragon’s poison has even been born yet…
Three thousand years later, someone discovered the first Primordial Venom Dragon corpse of the era—no, just a fragment.
Even that fragment had mostly lost its toxins. Only a trace of residual poison remained, and people had to wait a thousand years to collect it.
They had to wait for the poison to dissipate before collecting it. But once the poison was gone, the fragment’s value plummeted.
Because of that fragment, more than a dozen major mage factions went to war, suffering countless casualties. In the end, the Black Tower took the fragment—only to discover it was poisonous meat, barely edible.
It took a thousand years of ridicule before the toxins finally dissipated…
Eight thousand years later, Northend was at its peak. In a Venom Plane, a Primordial Venom Dragon corpse was found, and only the era’s top Saint Alchemist, after more than a decade, discovered a way to detoxify it.
The Primordial Venom Dragon corpse in Viperfog Valley isn’t as extreme as the one that polluted an entire plane, but it’s far more potent than the mere fragment.
In this era, nobody but me can neutralize the Primordial Venom Dragon’s poison.
If you want to die, go ahead—help yourself. But don’t blame anyone else when it happens…