Chapter 120: More Money

Garon picked up the stone door, opened his dragon mouth, and casually tossed it inside. As it disappeared among his sharp fangs, a faint glow flickered briefly before vanishing into the space of a ring Garon had obtained from Morton's relics.

Originally, Garon had thought the so-called lava demi-plane portal was a teleportation array or something of the sort, but he had learned from Luna that it was indeed a physical door. The stone door was embedded with rune arrays, making it portable and much more convenient than a fixed teleportation array.

Despite its weight, the door wasn't overly large, and the space ring he had acquired from Morton was sufficiently large to store it. Morton, being a high-ranking wizard, had a high-quality space ring with several tens of cubic meters of space inside, far surpassing the meager few cubic meters most human spellcasters possessed, some of which only reached up to about a dozen cubic meters.

After storing the stone door, Garon looked down at the Duke of Thorns with an approving gaze and said, "As the leader of a duchy, you've made the right choice."

Handing over the lava demi-plane portal so readily had saved both parties a lot of trouble.

After speaking, Garon prepared to leave, intending to return to the northern ice fields before venturing into the lava demi-plane to check the situation.

However, just as Garon was about to take flight, the Duke of Thorns hastily called out, "Silver Dragon, please wait."

Garon's platinum eyes, emotionless, turned to the Duke.

The Duke, seeing that Garon had paused, quickly said, "Recently, the people of Mosha have been suffering from the troubles caused by an evil dragon."

"In the Karol Mountains, not far from our duchy, lives a red dragon that has set its sights on Mosha. It comes here every now and then to raid and even demands the lives of our people to satisfy its hunger."

"The Mosha Duchy has already lost a great deal of manpower and resources because of it."

"I hope that you, as a just and kind Silver Dragon, can help the people of Mosha drive out this evil dragon and save our duchy from this dire situation."

"I speak for all the citizens of Mosha when I extend our gratitude to you. We will forever remember your kindness."

The Duke had assumed the color and aura of Garon suggested he was a Silver Dragon—a species known for their nobility and willingness to help the weaker beings.

However, Garon shook his head and responded indifferently, "I do not need your memories, and furthermore, your nation's problems are your own, not mine."

If he had been a true Silver Dragon, hearing of a red dragon's atrocities might have impulsively prompted him to agree to help, as Silver Dragons are never stingy in assisting the weaker humans.

But Garon was not actually a Silver Dragon; his appearance merely resembled one due to his silver scales.

Surprised by Garon's blunt refusal, the Duke had not expected such a straightforward denial. He had thought that after giving up the stone door and sincerely requesting help, any good Silver Dragon would not hesitate to assist.

But Garon's response was unexpected, yet upon reflection of Garon's previous actions, it made sense.

This 'Silver Dragon' seemed different from typical Silver Dragons, showing no compassion for the weak. The Duke reevaluated the imposing silver dragon before him.

After Garon prepared to leave again, the Duke quickly called out, "True Dragon, the Mosha Duchy is willing to pay a significant reward for your assistance."

Switching from "Silver Dragon" to "True Dragon" in his address, the Duke acknowledged he might have misunderstood Garon's true nature.

"All true dragons treasure wealth."

Since an altruistic request was ineffective, the Duke decided to appeal with treasure, seeking to trade wealth for Garon's intervention.

Garon noted the change in how he was addressed but didn't mind; after all, he wasn't a Silver Dragon. Being mistaken for one had its advantages, given their reputation for benevolence and justice.

Hearing the Duke's offer of a trade, Garon slightly nodded, showing interest, and asked, "What price do you offer?"

The Duke considered carefully before responding, "The Mosha Duchy is prepared to offer 9,000 gold coins."

Gold coins, universally valuable across the prime material and outer planes, were no small sum, as most common people would never see even one in their lifetimes.

To Garon, however, gold coins were less appealing than magical gems, unless in sufficient quantity.

Directly starting with an offer of 9,000 gold coins, Garon wasn't about to accept immediately.

"A red dragon is not an easy adversary to deal with, and being of the same true dragon lineage, if word of this spreads that I helped humans against my own kind..."

Garon's voice trailed

 off, heavy with implication.

The Duke realized what Garon implied almost immediately—he had offered a fair sum thinking it might suffice due to Garon's prideful nature as a dragon, but he underestimated Garon's expectations.

The Duke hesitated for a moment, pondering if this silver dragon might be as insatiable as the red dragon, potentially leading to another challenging scenario of being hard to dismiss once summoned.

After some deliberation, the Duke's gaze firmed. He believed his judgment to be correct—this dragon before him didn't seem benevolent but wasn't a greedy beast either.

"True Dragon, I understand that asking you to act against your own kind to help humans is a difficult request," the Duke continued. "Therefore, I am willing to increase the reward to 10,000 gold coins, plus fifty magical gems of various properties."

"If you are interested, I personally will also gift you ten pure maidens."

"Moreover, if you are willing, on behalf of all the citizens of Mosha, I promise an annual tribute of 10,000 gold coins in exchange for your protection. If you need to personally intervene, additional rewards will be provided."

Mosha urgently needed a powerful deterrent against other nations, and the Duke believed that the mighty silver dragon could help the duchy escape its crisis.

Thus, he decided to gamble everything, trading wealth for the dragon's protection.

Garon, contemplating, replied slowly, "I dislike trouble. Your nation is amidst war, and protecting it for a mere 10,000 gold coins a year is far too little."

Mentioning the war brought a weary look to the Duke, who explained, "Please rest assured, I won't involve our troops in war anymore. Mosha only wishes to preserve itself and avoid becoming a vassal state."

"Thus, Mosha only seeks to borrow the renown of True Dragon to deter those coveting our land."

"If you need to personally intervene, you may refuse. Of course, if out of compassion you agree, Mosha will do everything possible to provide additional wealth that satisfies you."

With needs on the line, the Duke used an honorific to address Garon.

"You can keep the maidens," Garon stated. His age and current disposition left him uninterested in such offerings.

The Duke looked relieved and asked, "Does this mean you accept the deal?"

Garon didn't immediately agree. After thinking it over, he mused, "I am currently seeking magical knowledge. I want your duchy's collection of inherited spellbooks, from any school of magic."

The Duke frowned slightly, then offered, "All spellbooks in Mosha's library can be copied for you."

"I'm unsure if the copies will satisfy you."

"If you wish to see the original books, you are welcome to access Mosha's library at any time."

Books are valuable not for their material but for the knowledge they hold—this was Garon's true aim.

Garon glanced at the Duke and finally said, "Deal."