That's right, that's what adventure is like!

—"The mage chooses his path, the warlock is chosen by his bloodline."

This proverb aptly points out the difference between a mage and a warlock; although both are spellcasters, their essence is completely different.

Mages need talent; they spend their days studying spells and reciting incantations to gain power.

Warlocks don't need to go through all that trouble. They rely on awakening, where the bloodline naturally passed down from their ancestors will suddenly erupt at some point, granting them immense power.

Dragon Vein Warlocks are the most unique type of warlock.

Dragons are the embodiment of magic, with the instinct to cast spells flowing in their blood. An awakened dragon-blooded sorcerer can cast spells without chanting and has scales to block damage without weapons.

In addition, they naturally possess an effect similar to the might of a dragon.

Just like right now.

Cecilia.

The dragon vein sorcerer was merely standing at the doorway, but the moment his pale golden vertical pupils opened, a powerful sense of oppression descended upon this small space.

The gray fog dissipated, the air became heavy, and the lizardmen in the cages all lowered their heads. The dog-headed men stopped sharpening their knives, and even the large blue lizard closed its eyes.

This is them submitting to those with more concentrated dragon blood.

Roland also felt the pressure, but he did not have dragon blood, and his current physique was strong enough that he could barely remain calm.

This gave him ample time to observe the female dragon vein sorcerer.

She was tall and slender, half a head taller than Roland, and wore a light purple robe that covered her thighs, but it was clear that her proportions were quite good.

Her long, grayish-brown hair had a dark golden sheen and was casually draped over her shoulders. It was difficult to tell her exact age from her face; her features were soft, and she carried an indescribable sense of aloofness.

Her neckline was open, revealing very faint light gold scales on her fair neck and collarbone, barely visible when light reflected off her skin.

The scale pattern transforms into true dark gold scales starting from the elbow, fine and delicate, blending seamlessly with the skin as if it were naturally formed.

The most striking feature was undoubtedly his eyes. His pale gold vertical pupils, though only briefly glancing over Roland's face, gave him the feeling that they could see right through him, as if even his marrow and soul had been exposed.

Strangely, those eyes possessed a mysterious magic that drew him in without him even realizing it, immersing him in them until his consciousness began to blur.

Nourishes—

The lost coin in the inner pocket suddenly became scalding hot, and the burning pain instantly snapped Roland awake. He immediately looked away, thus avoiding being hypnotized any further.

Yes, hypnosis.

This dragon vein sorcerer likely awakened the bloodline of a brass dragon, which naturally possesses a certain hypnotic effect, causing him to fall under its spell without realizing it.

His perception of Cecilia's danger level rose another notch. He took a step forward, interrupting Aletta's eye contact with the sorcerer, and greeted her.

"Your Excellency Cecilia, Judge Ramona asked me to give you her regards."

Cecilia shifted her gaze from Aletta to Roland, her pale gold vertical pupils gleaming.

"Ramona?" She repeated the name, a smile playing on her lips. "From what you're saying, she's still an examiner?"

Roland nodded.

Having known Ramona for so long, he finally learned about her position in the association through various subtle inquiries.

The Materials Auditor is a very lucrative position, responsible for the distribution, evaluation, and management of extraordinary items during the association's operation. No wonder they were given those precious tree roots so casually back then.

Seeing him nod, Cecilia scoffed and said disdainfully, "I really don't know what's so fun about the Adventurers' Guild. Don't you get tired of staying there for so long?"

Roland didn't respond. He didn't know what the relationship was between Cecilia and Ramona, but since the elven ranger had a grudge against her, he probably wouldn't be too friendly towards the association.

In that case, it's better to say less, since the purpose of this trip is not to befriend this dragon vein sorcerer anyway.

Without speaking, Cecilia stepped down and slowly stood beside Aletta, whose body was trembling and who hadn't uttered a word due to the suppression of his bloodline.

Cecilia lifted Aletta's chin with her fingertips, her gaze falling on the disguised black-blue vertical pupils, then sweeping over the light blue scales on the back of her hand.

"Thin," she slowly lowered her fingers, her tone flat, "but if it's really as Ramona said, it would be a good test subject."

Turning around, she extended her hand to Roland again: "Give me the things. The dragon language interpretation is complete. You can leave the child here and then you can leave."

really.

Roland glanced at Aletta, who had lowered her head, patted her back to comfort her slightly, and then took out a metal fragment from his bag.

The patterns on the fragment had a dark yellow hue and writhed slightly under Cecilia's gaze.

With just one glance, her pale gold vertical pupils narrowed slightly, and she murmured, "Interesting."

She turned around and went back into the cabin. When she came out again, she had a roll of parchment with her.

The finger hovered above the fragment of dragon language. Although there was no movement, the patterns began to glow with golden light, as if something was awakening from the engravings.

Aletta finally recovered from the shock, looked at the golden light, and asked in a low voice, "What... is that?"

Roland didn't speak, but waited quietly.

As the golden light grew stronger, the patterns began to twist and turn, transforming into three runes that were imprinted on the parchment in Cecilia's hand, forming several marks.

Cecilia stared at the marks on the parchment for a long time before finally looking up with a half-smile on her face.

"I've deciphered it," she said with a hint of interest. "The three runes represent three trials. Are there three of you?"

Roland nodded: "Yes."

"Hmph... In that case, it seems you're the fastest," Cecilia said, a smirk playing on her lips. "Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"Sure."

"Alright," she said casually, pointing to the three runes. "These three dragon runes have teleportation magic. As long as I say them, you will be instantly teleported to three different locations."

"As I understand it, each of you should only be able to choose one to be teleported to. Since you've chosen now, the other two won't be able to choose you."

"After completing the test at the teleportation point, you will be teleported back again, and then you will head to the location of these patterns—as you probably already know, it is deep within the Trembling Swamp."

"There, as the ultimate victor, you will receive their blessings, probably some rewards and rituals or something."

After speaking, she paused slightly, a smile playing on her lips, and asked, "Would you like to know where these three locations are?"

Roland looked at her expression and had a bad feeling, but still said, "Please speak."

Cecilia toyed with a stray strand of hair, a cunning glint in her vertical pupils.

"Hehe... This organization's test is quite interesting," she pointed to the first rune, "This leads to the southern part of the Blue Crystal Mountains, the front line where the Imperial army and the remnants of the King's forces are facing off. You should know what that place is."

Roland frowned: "A war zone?"

“It’s more than just war,” Cecilia chuckled. “The fighting there has been going on for almost a year, and the soldiers’ blood has almost turned the blue crystals of the entire mountain range red… When you go there, you’d better pray that you don’t fall into the middle of the battle.”

Before Roland could react, she pointed to the second rune: "This leads to the depths of Whispering Forest, the territory of the elves, and the very heart of it."

She paused, then said, "You should know how elves treat intruders, let alone humans."

Roland remained silent.

"As for the third one..." Cecilia's finger lingered on the rune, and she looked at it for a while before raising her head, her smile growing even wider.

"The third route leads to one of the most interesting places—the first level of the abyss, the edge of the region."

"I've heard that endless black ashes float there. Yes, the black ashes from the Black Ash Dungeon. How about giving it a try?"

Roland remained calm, having nothing more to say.

Cecilia crossed her arms and looked at Roland: "Once you've chosen one, don't regret it. The rest are for the other two."

"So, have you made up your mind?"