Wind Valley was not far from Keli City, and the Speed Carriage soon arrived at this place, rumored to be home to many Flying Dragons.
From the highway, a colossal canyon, nearly ten thousand meters high, could be seen at the road’s end. Its peaks almost touched the sky.
At the canyon’s entrance, a neat line of soldiers stood, each holding a metal tube resembling a firearm.
The mountain peaks on either side of the canyon, though immense, were devoid of even a single blade of grass. Despite their towering height, there was no snow at the summits; only bare, rugged stone.
Occasionally, fortress-like structures could be discerned atop these rocky mountains.
“By the way, Senior Yin, why does every city in the Land of Disorder possess such strict military armaments?” I inquired, gazing at the seemingly formidable soldiers and the suspected fortresses on the peaks.
“Because war can break out at any time,” Yin replied, uncharacteristically serious. “It used to be internal strife amongst ourselves, but now we must guard against a sudden uprising from the Divine Realm.
After all, it’s not difficult for the gods to bypass our defenses and strike at the rear of this Land of Disorder. The assassin who tried to kill you is proof of that.”
“However,” Yin added, a hint of smugness entering his voice, “with me, the God of Death, personally protecting you, no one will ever succeed in assassinating you.”
‘It’s better not to say such things…’ Establishing such a flag is truly dangerous. ‘It’s better to be safe than sorry.
“Don’t you trust me? I am—”
“Stop talking,” Liu Han interjected, turning from the front seat. “It’s truly getting tiresome to listen to.” She flat-out refused to hear Yin’s lengthy discourse about his past.
“That’s right, Uncle,” Mifeier chimed in, continuing the critique. “You keep repeating how amazing you used to be. You say you were a formidable assassin, but in my impression, assassins aren’t like that.
Mifeier even feels that you’re not as mature as I am.”
Yin’s shoulders slumped, and he bowed his head. “Fine…”
“Screech—” The Speed Carriage came to a halt, its wheels grinding against the ground. “Alright, everyone, I won’t be going any further,” the driver said, turning around. “It’s not really convenient for outside vehicles like mine to enter here.”
“Very well,” we responded. Opening the car door, we placed a few coins into his hand before disembarking.
Approaching the majestic sentry post of Wind Valley, we were surprised to find that the guards conducted no inspections whatsoever. They barely even glanced at us, allowing us to pass freely into the valley.
We walked through the silver-white steel gate, entering a vast, wide avenue. Yet, the road seemed far from smooth, littered with pebbles.
Instead of shops, tall cliffs lined the path, their surfaces a barren gray, devoid of any green.
“I feel like the difference between outside and inside here is immense,” Liu Han remarked, observing the valley, which lacked modern amenities and appeared incredibly primitive.
I nodded vigorously, like a pecking chick. “This really doesn’t seem like a place where people live…”
Yin cleared his throat twice, spreading his hands. “Actually, it’s not just ‘like’ it; no one actually lives here. The guards at the entrance are mainly there to monitor for any dragons causing trouble.”
“Why is that?” I asked again. “Aren’t we here to ride Flying Dragons?”
Yin cast a glance at me. “We are here to ride Flying Dragons, not people. This Wind Valley is a famous gathering area for Wind Dragons. Basically, most ordinary Flying Dragons here don’t mind carrying people to earn some extra money.”
“Aren’t dragons a very proud race?” I questioned further.
Yin looked at me in surprise. “Giant Dragons are indeed creatures whose tails will practically reach the heavens if they’re superior to you. But once you can utterly crush them, they become incredibly docile.
What kind of pride do those shameless creatures possess?”
‘Uh… this seems somewhat different from my assumptions.’ I had always imagined Giant Dragons to be like those on television: aloof, majestic, and domineering.
“Look, they’re here now,” Yin announced, pointing towards two gradually clearer specks in the distance.
“Whoosh—” A gust of air swept past. In a short while, two azure Flying Dragons landed before us.
“Hey, need a ride?” one of the larger azure Flying Dragons whistled, speaking in a teasing tone.
Yin nodded. “To the Wing-Broken Gate.”
“The Wing-Broken Gate, huh…” The other Flying Dragon, which appeared much more subdued, seemed to ponder. “One hundred and seventy Wing-Broken Coins.”
“One hundred and seventy?” I exclaimed in surprise. We had only paid three coins for the Speed Carriage ride here, and that was even for a specially chosen larger vehicle.
At this moment, Ryan Micheus, who had finally recovered from his previous significant blow, spoke up. “You’re extorting us, aren’t you?”
“Hey, hey, don’t talk nonsense. I’m an honest dragon,” the seemingly honest Flying Dragon retorted.
Yin ‘tsk’ed. “Sixty. You seem like a decent dragon, yet you’re still trying to swindle little ones who don’t know the market. What a dragon scum.”
The ‘honest’ Flying Dragon’s expression stiffened. It seemed to have hit a snag. “Alright, then, according to market price, eighty.”
Yin raised an eyebrow, staring coldly at the ‘honest’ Flying Dragon. “I’ve changed my mind. Fifty. Otherwise, I’ll tell the other Flying Dragons what you’ve done, and see what they think?”
“Sixty it is, let’s go,” the honest Flying Dragon said, its face a picture of misery.
“Forty. Still trying to haggle with me?” Yin continued to drive down the price.
The honest Flying Dragon was practically on the verge of tears; at this rate, it would soon be a free ride. “Alright, alright, forty it is.”
Witnessing this scene, we all struggled to suppress our laughter, nearly bursting from internal injuries. Aside from Xilinka, who watched Yin with a peculiar gaze, our faces were flushed crimson, and we could barely breathe.