Elven cultivators

"You're not from Eldron Plains, are you?"

Cassius suddenly spoke, looking at Anton with a probing gaze.

Harvey and the others all looked over at the same time.

From the casual conversation just now, it's not hard to see that Anton's knowledge of Eldron Plains is very limited, which doesn't seem like someone who lives here.

Anton, who had cultivated an image of an outsider, immediately nodded in agreement upon hearing their words: "I come from Green Heights."

Green Highlands is adjacent to Eldron Plains, but belongs to another Dragon City.

Upon hearing Anton's answer, Harvey and the others were both enlightened and somewhat surprised.

It should be noted that all the Dragon Cities in the region have adopted strict blockade measures for the territories they control.

For example, Kreisor Dragon City has established hundreds of military outposts along the mountain passes and main roads surrounding the Eldron Plains, collectively known as the "Dragon Tooth Line".

These outposts guarded all the passages in and out of the plain. Anyone who attempted to leave the plain without permission would be imprisoned in the Dragon City dungeon or executed on the spot—the methods of execution were often extremely cruel, in order to deter other "restless" residents.

This is also one of the reasons why other intelligent races are extremely dissatisfied with the dragons.

No one wants to be confined in a cage like livestock and lose their freedom.

Although the Dragonfang Line could not completely block the vast Eldron Plains, Anton's ability to break through the line was enough to prove that he was still quite capable.

For a time, Harvey and the others became more enthusiastic towards Anton, and answered all his questions without reservation.

Cassius, however, suddenly fell silent and refused to speak.

Anton extracted a lot of information from Harvey, the most important of which was that the dragon guarding the city of Kreisor was a Shining Ember Dragon.

"A noble among the dragons?"

Anton thought to himself.

There are also distinctions in bloodline among dragons.

At the very top of the pyramid are the four royal families: Flame Crown Dragon, Storm Wyvern, Rock Dragon, and Azure Abyss Dragon, symbolizing the four elements that form the foundation of the world.

Secondly, there are the nobles among the dragon race, such as the Shining Dragon and the Frostvein Dragon.

The lowest tier includes lower-level dragons such as Stoneheart Dragon, Mistridge Dragon, and Prism Dragon.

Of course, even lower-level dragons are beings born to be superior to all other races.

The dragon race, protected by the dragon god Aio, possesses the power of the gold rank from the moment of their birth.

Once one reaches adulthood, one will inevitably comprehend and materialize one's own elemental power, transcending the Gold rank to touch the fundamental laws of the world.

Therefore, the dragon race calls themselves the "Golden Race," regarding other intelligent races as lowly servants, taking whatever they want from them, and having the power of life and death over them.

"No wonder the other intelligent races on the Eldron Plains have been suppressed to the point of having no temper."

Anton shook his head inwardly.

Not to mention the Dragonborn Legion of Dragon City, the mere existence of the Shining Ember Dragons is enough to overwhelm other intelligent races.

Composing himself, Anton continued chatting with Harvey and soon learned that the rare mineral they were looking for was Flameheart Silver.

"Flameheart Silver?"

Anton's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to look at Cassius, scrutinizing this seemingly unremarkable scholar for the first time.

Noticing Anton's scrutinizing gaze, Cassius's expression flickered with unease, but he forced a smile: "What's wrong?"

Anton's gaze fell on Cassius's neck, where an inconspicuous gray stone pendant, about the size of a thumbnail, was irregularly oval and hung from a plain hemp rope close to his chest.

Anton's gaze lingered on the stone pendant for a moment, and a faint, ambiguous smile slowly appeared on his lips.

"Mr. Cassius, may I ask you a question?"

Cassius paused, taken aback: "What?"

What are your thoughts on death?

Harvey and the other three looked at each other, puzzled as to why Anton would suddenly ask such a question.

However, Cassius's expression changed slightly upon hearing Anton's question.

He gave Anton a deep look, his hunched back suddenly straightening, and the air of a down-on-his-luck scholar receded like the tide, replaced by a chilling indifference.

"In my view, everything in the world is too fragile and will eventually wither and perish; only death will last forever."

Cassius's voice was low and flat, carrying a strange reverence.

"Is that so?" Anton remained noncommittal. "But death is death, and everything you have will disappear, which is why people fear death."

"A superficial understanding," Cassius sneered. "Death is not the end, but rather the shedding of all illusions, a return to purity, and the welcoming of new life."

Even the slow-witted Harvey and the others realized something was wrong at this point.

Cassius, in particular, seemed like a completely different person.

"Mr. Canglan, Mr. Cassius, what's wrong with you two?" Harvey quickly interrupted their conversation.

Anton laughed and turned to Harvey, saying, "Captain Harvey, the formation of Flame Core Silver requires an extremely high temperature and pressure environment. It is usually found in igneous rocks deep within volcanoes. The geology of the Thousand Rock Hills is mainly sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, and there isn't even an active volcano, so it's impossible for it to produce Flame Core Silver."

Harvey froze, then his expression changed, and he abruptly turned to look at Cassius.

"Mr. Cassius, is what Mr. Canglan said true?"

They were adventurers who knew nothing about ores, but Cassius, as an expert in ore identification, could not possibly be unaware of the conditions for the formation of Flameheart Silver.

If what Canglan said is true, and there is no Flameheart Silver in Thousand Rock Hills, why would Cassius hire them at a high price?

Cassius did not answer the question, but merely glanced at Harvey indifferently.

This action is tantamount to tacit agreement.

Harvey and the others were immediately filled with surprise and doubt.

Anton smiled slightly: "Mr. Cassius is no ordinary scholar; he is also a member of the Ring of Annihilation."

The Ring of Annihilation?

Harvey paused, then instinctively asked, "What's that?"

"A fanatical organization that worships death." Anton casually explained, stroking the black steel sword in his hand. "They believe that everything will eventually perish, and death is the only truth. They are a group of madmen who like to create death everywhere."

A reverence for death?

Harvey and his three companions felt a chill run down their spines; it certainly sounded crazy.

"You don't understand the true meaning of death at all," Cassius sneered. "All the strife, pain, greed, and chaos in the world originate from life itself. Living beings plunder for survival, fight for desire, and become obsessed with emotions. Only death can cleanse all of this and allow the world to be reborn."

He paused, a hint of doubt in his eyes as he looked at Anton. "What I'm more curious about is, why do you know so much about our organization?"

Whether in the Green Highlands or the Eldron Plains, the Ring of Annihilation's operations have only just begun, and logically, the people in these two places should not yet know of the organization's existence.

Anton simply chuckled upon hearing this.

Just kidding, in his past life he fought against the Ring of Annihilation quite a few times in the game, killing at least seven or eight hundred members of the Ring of Annihilation, if not a thousand.

In the background description of the 3.0 game version, the appearance of the Scourge of the Undead is linked to the Ring of Annihilation.

Anton just didn't expect this organization to start stirring up trouble so early.