Overlord: Start from the Goblin Lair.

Chapter 167 After Returning
"I understand that," Quest nodded. "Everything should be done step by step. Perhaps we can change the views of your subordinates?"

The spy stood up and said goodbye to Ron before disappearing into the night again. He had to inform his fellow tribesmen of the good news. On the other hand, Ron and his companions continued their journey back to the trading post after daybreak. Others should know the news about the Hailan Empire and Baron Green Swamp.

But there are always some "people" who know faster than others.

"You succeeded."

When Ron and his group returned to the trading post, a golden dragonborn was standing outside, having obviously been waiting for them for a long time.

"The groans of the Soul Forge have ceased, and the miserable bodies of those empty creatures have been laid out on the waterfall. Most importantly, the manipulator behind the scenes can no longer play his puppet game."

The golden dragon, who appeared as a dragonborn, smiled and stretched out his arms to Ron, giving him a firm hug.

"But this is just the first step, right?" Ron did not respond to his enthusiasm and asked, "Salan Lane has only been operating here for two or three hundred years at most, and before that, Delusion Land was already dangerous enough."

"Exactly. Do you remember the mine you went to?" The golden dragon walked into the hall of the trading station. "That's where it was left before the elves came."

"Then can I boldly guess that their queen is also planning something in the dark?"

Jin Long paused for a moment and said, "I appreciate your foresight, but I personally think that the probability of this happening is not very high."

"After all, do you remember the story I told you? The queen was killed by her own subjects. If her subjects were not mistaken, she should have been dead."

"Moreover, the stories and anecdotes of that era have long been lost in this land. Apart from the mines, all traces of that kingdom have been almost completely wiped out. Even if she still tries to do something, I'm afraid she is powerless."

"Of course, your concerns are reasonable. We should indeed be on guard against such low-probability events."

"So you came here just to celebrate our victory?" Ron walked into the hall and sat down on a chair. "I thought you would tell me some more information and let me continue to be a sucker and run errands."

Jin Long smiled bitterly: "You think too much of me... I came here to celebrate your triumphant return. I even brought a gift - look."

Three parts of reluctance, three parts of nostalgia and four parts of heartache flashed across the eyes of the dragonborn who was the incarnation of a golden dragon, but in the end he still closed his eyes, which were almost as red as a palette, and stretched out his right hand tremblingly. In his palm, a pink gem lay quietly.

"Please, you are so unworthy," Sera couldn't bear it any longer. "You can afford such a small gem and you are so reluctant to part with it? At least give us something else of value."

"This is not an ordinary gem. It is one of the gems on that slate," Jin Long said with a bitter face. "Even if there is no amethyst slate, this gem alone is worth a lot of money."

"I'm just an adult dragon. How can I have so many magic treasures? Treasures of this quality are extremely rare!" "It's just that I have the pride of being a golden dragon. If it were a copper dragon, they might just steal them!"

"Hey, hey, hey, aren't you metal dragons? Why are you doing this? Bahamut is watching you!" Ivy was unhappy. Although this thing was not theirs, it was their trophy!
How can this dragon work without putting in any effort and still want to share the spoils?
"I didn't do anything like that," the golden dragon threw the gem to Ron with a guilty look on his face. "It's quite difficult for the dragon clan to obtain treasure legally. You can't say that about them."

"Some young dragons or newly adult dragons often reach agreements with banks or lords to guard the treasury in order to keep the treasure company. Copper dragons are probably the worst of the bunch. In order to prevent depositors from taking their money, they often ask them all kinds of tricky questions. Over time, almost no bank on the continent dares to hire copper dragons as guards."

"Actually, there is one," Yelena, who was still tied to the pole, interjected, "It should be in the desert. The connection between there and the Shadowfall Underworld is very weak. I've been there."

The Golden Dragon glared at the Shadow Spirit and said, "The bank is run by a pair of sphinxes! Do you think there are many people willing to deposit money with them?"

"What's wrong with the Sphinx? What is that?" Sera and Driver were confused. They had never even heard of the name.

"Also called sphinxes, they guard secrets and treasures, and they treat every visitor equally - all visitors must pass their tests," Sylvia explained, "including depositors who come to withdraw money."

"There was an unlucky wizard who thought he was extremely smart. He took a fancy to the Sphinx's confidentiality and stored many of his treasures there," Jin Long curled his lips, "Then one time he was being chased by someone, and when he was about to take out his trump card, he answered the question incorrectly."

"Uh, so he's dead?" Ron frowned. Isn't this price a bit too high?
"Oh no, he's not dead, he's just trapped." The golden dragon raised his head and thought for a while, "If I remember correctly, he answered the questions about the male and female sphinx correctly, but was stumped by the questions of the copper dragon, so he was stopped at the entrance of the treasure house."

"His enemies were even more miserable. They didn't even answer the first question and were stopped outside the ancient tomb that served as a bank. A few of them were so reckless that they tried to attack the Sphinx and force their way through. In the end, they were all torn in half by their own hands."

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At first, I wanted to finish the book in a day, but the current situation is a little different from what I expected... To put it simply, I found a job, and that's why I was busy these two days.

My speed is about 5-6 hours a day, but now both the objective time and subjective energy are not enough, and this update volume cannot be sustained...

I would like to express my sincere apologies to all my friends here.

If the grades of this book were good, I might be able to be tough and not go, but it seems there is no way now... My family does not approve of this, even though it would be easier if we could get about the same amount of money from both sides.

I will still update at least twice a day, and I will try to update more often when I have time. But when I will be free is probably not something I can decide. (Sigh)

(End of this chapter)