Quit the team, then picked up a beautiful girl with problems

"My power is not limited to that of a priest, there are other things as well. That's why I dared to go out alone and take risks.

“It’s just because of what happened in the past, I don’t want to use its power.

"I've made up my mind this time. I'm going to learn how to control it. Mom said it's very powerful.

"I'll show you, but you can't think I'm a monster." Dorothy frowned.

"I've seen all sorts of mysterious things in the sky, so I'll just treat them with a normal mind," Li Ang said.

After receiving the assurance, the lady nodded, closed her eyes, and began to accumulate strength.

Her breathing gradually became heavier, and her outstretched palms seemed to be spasming. She gritted her teeth, fighting the spasm and preventing her hands from clenching into fists.

As she exerted her strength, Leon saw several "blue veins" popping up on the edge of her sleeves and converging on her palms. The skin there suddenly broke and bled, and several tender green vine-like things emerged from it.

The vines twisted together and stretched forward, and a white bud quickly grew at the top. In an instant, it bloomed into a pure white five-petal flower.

Looking closely, the stamens of this flower are all sharp blades with barbs, which instantly give the beautiful flower a terrifying feeling.

"Magic flowers." Dorothy said softly.

Li Ang frowned, and the system displayed the information of this "flower".

【Magic Flower [Growth Period]】

This plant-based monster is extremely bloodthirsty. Ancient elves passed down a method of using its seeds to cultivate legendary warriors. A single Magic Flower produces a seed every hundred years. When the seed falls to the ground, the original Magic Flower disappears into the magical dimension. To grow, the seed must parasitize a gifted host. When mature, it bursts forth, taking the host's life. If the host can draw upon its power through willpower, it can slow its maturation and strengthen itself.

【Species: Plant species】

【Battle Wisdom: Level 4】

[Servant: Demon Flower Whipper, Level 2]

Energy Source: Demonic Root Forest Gull, Level 4

[Body Strength: Active Vine, Level 4. Slaughtering Core, Level 4. Blade Crown, Level 4]

[Special Attack: Bloom and Sow, Devour and Kill]

[Skills: Magical Supply, Plant Domination, Immortality, Power Drain]

[Combat Power Increase: 45%]

What a special monster.

So this is the magic flower.

Li Ang had seen something similar before, but it was just a carving on an ancient elven site. His mission at the time was to escort scholars on an expedition. Some scholars believed the plant on the stone carving was merely a decorative pattern, while others suggested it might be a specific object of worship by the elves.

Now it seems that the latter scholars were right.

Seeing it breaking out of the body, Leon confirmed his previous guess when he saw Dorothy's own panel. It seems that this kind of thing will indeed take her life early.

Perhaps her desire to escape her current life and pursue adventure was also related to the fact that her life was approaching its end. However, she had not told Li Ang about this, and Li Ang felt that she might not know that she could extend her life by defeating the Demon Flower.

Being parasitized by the demon flower is definitely not something she is born with. What on earth did her family do?

Li Ang looked at the system information again, and the word "Legendary Warrior" was a bit eye-catching.

If the legend on the panel refers to level 10, Dorothy now looks like a canary, but her potential is also ridiculously high.

However, she still needs to rely on her own will to squeeze out this potential.

Seeing Leon thinking for a while, Dorothy felt uneasy: "No?"

She pursed her lips and said, "Because of the Demon Flower, I can be fine no matter what kind of injuries I suffer. As a healer who doesn't need protection, it's not bad, right?"

Leon glanced at the cuts on her gloves, which had been exposed when she had taken them off to eat the cloud dumplings. Dorothy noticed his gaze and explained, "All wounds will heal after a good night's sleep."

"I'm really useful. At worst, you can tie me up and use me as a human shield."

"That's excused."

Li Ang said: "I know your situation"

He pointed to the darkness ahead and said, "Adventure awaits ahead. Let me see your resolve."

"Then let's go." Dorothy picked up the magic lamp excitedly. "After meeting you again, I took decisive action. I feel a little bit remarkable."

"..."

Li Ang held up a lantern and walked ahead.

There was nothing special outside the exits of the next few secret passages. There was a long-abandoned cellar, the wall of a well, and even a bedroom where strange shouts came from. Leon would definitely not open such a door, but Dorothy seemed reluctant to move.

After walking for a long time, the two arrived at the basement of the Earl's Mansion.

There is something unusual behind the first secret door of the Earl's Mansion.

Coffins with sculptures attached were arranged in a circle in the vast space, and on an altar in the middle of the circle, several round, white spheres were quietly placed.

62. Older than the Empire

Dorothy also noticed the spheres. "What are those?"

Just as she was about to take a step, Li Ang reached out to stop her and pointed at the floor: "Be careful of the trap."

"Trap? I know some ancient ruins have traps. Are you saying there are traps here too? Why can't I see any?"

The lady tilted her head, her ginger hair adding a touch of silliness to her.

"The traps are definitely not set for you to see. However, traps can be divided into magical and purely mechanical ones."

Leon explained, "The traps in the ancient ruins and supernatural Jedi raided by high-ranking air cavalry groups are a big problem, but the ones here are obviously just ordinary traps for tomb robbers or desecrators."

"Normal? Not dangerous?"

"Probably flames, poison gas, arrows, and retractable blades. With your delicate body, you'd probably be turned into a mummy or skewered in an instant."

When Dorothy heard Leon talking about her body, she had her hands on her hips and was smiling faintly, but she couldn't laugh anymore after hearing the second half of the sentence.

"I won't die...but it will definitely hurt. Forget it, I don't dare to move. You come and explore the way."

"It's not about whether it hurts or not. This isn't just a problem for you. The way you explore during an adventure also needs to take into account the adaptability of the other people in the team."

Leon had seen an entire team with exceptional defenses and no fear of poison gas, who would brute force their way through common traps. However, most teams didn't have that kind of resources, so they would deploy a rogue equipped with various tools to defeat common traps.

Since we haven't made that kind of preparation now, we need experience to judge and avoid places where there may be traps.

Li Ang pointed to the ground. "The tiles around the altar, the statues in the niches, and the rows of hanging oil lamps—these are the three things in this room that are most likely to contain a mechanism."

He pointed to the vent at the bottom of the wall and said, "That's where we're exposed."

The grids of some of the ventilation holes were covered with dust. Although there was dust near other nearby ventilation holes, it was obviously much thinner, indicating that these "ventilation holes" with thick dust had no airflow passing through them and were actually mechanisms that sprayed flames or poisonous gas.

"If it weren't for the ash, they wouldn't be easy to spot, but no one has been here for so long. Hiding is almost ineffective.

"Since we know the locations of some of the mechanisms, the traps that trigger them are generally nearby. This is determined by both craftsmanship and cost control. Based on this idea, we can look at the nearby floor tiles. For traps made of ordinary materials like this, the tiles may bulge or settle over time, and there may also be obvious gaps between them and other tiles."

Leon explained to Dorothy while stepping into a safe position.

He wasn't afraid of ordinary traps. With the Wind Chaser's Sacred Bell, he could freely use his wind elemental shield, preventing traps from getting close. However, this tomb was already underground within the Earl's Palace, and the noise of a trap being triggered might be noticeable.

However, when he got closer, he found that the traps had been disarmed.

Turning back, he saw the lady tiptoeing cautiously, stopping at every step. Li Ang had initially thought she was overly nervous, but he realized she was avoiding some bones and spider webs on the ground.

"Come in, the mechanisms here should be ineffective."

“Why?” asked Dorothy.

"I originally thought this was the cemetery of the Finat family, but it turns out it has a different owner. It's possible that Finat was the one who disarmed the trap."

"Whose tomb is this?"

"I should ask you that," Leon said, turning back. "You've worked at Spark Harbor for so many years. Haven't you learned about the history of the Earl's Mansion? Gathering information is a necessary part of any adventure."

Dorothy laced her fingers together and twisted them together.

"I don't know, sorry."

"This tomb contains information about the sleeper." Li Ang said, pointing to the side.

There are words engraved under the sculptures corresponding to the coffins, and there are reliefs on the stone walls between the different sculptures. The paint on them is precious and has only peeled off slightly. However, it does not matter even if it fades completely, because the reliefs are of a very high artistic standard and are enough to tell the recorded story in full, which is a family history.

The coffins and statues are arranged in a clear order. The craftsmanship of the oldest ones is still relatively crude, and although the last one is completed, no one is buried there, and the positions after that are all vacant.

The epitaph below the first portrait reads: "Here lies the pioneer Linden, who landed on Spark Island with his fellow explorers, helped the inhabitants defeat a dragon whose breath spewed sparks, won their support, and thus established the glory of his family."

"Adventure partners" may be a beautification. They may be adventurers, or they may be pirates or roving guerrillas.

"Hogati Linden, the harbor builder, brought prosperity to Spark Island and ensured the family's rich foundation."

"Lina Morn Linden, the dragon tamer. She brought the family the methods for taming Martian dragons, deterring all forces coveting key positions on Spark Island and ensuring the family's long-term stability."

……

"Kabang Linden. A loving grandfather, a stern father, and a brave warrior. He died gloriously fighting against the barbarian army of Kekrus. We will carry on his legacy and defend our family lands."

"Ducas Wall Linden. A playboy who returned home, he inherited his father's legacy and joined his subjects in resisting the barbarians. He beheaded several red-haired barbarian generals. In his final moments, he protected the Fire Dragon Ranch from the barbarians' machinations."

"Ducas Linden Jr. Artist,"

The text below the last sculpture only has the beginning, and the unclosed empty coffin indicates that the artist was not buried here, or it may be impossible to be buried, or there is no one to preside over the process.

"The Lindens?" Dorothy thought, rubbing her chin.

"This family was the earliest builder and ruler of Spark Harbor. It must have been a long time ago. I have never heard of it, let alone any fire dragons on this island," said Li Ang.

Today, towns have been built even on the outermost edge of Spark Island, and there is no trace of the "Fire Dragon Ranch" at all.

“I might know something about this.”

Dorothy pointed to the tombstone of Carbon Linden and said, "The name Kekrus has been mentioned a lot in the past year or two. Later, someone told me that he was the founding emperor of the Holy Sperril Empire."

"Looking at it this way, it was the Finat family that followed the Empire in conquering Spark Island and eliminated its original owners."

According to what Leon had just learned from Lancelot, the empire had existed at least eight hundred years ago, which was much earlier than the founding of the Sky Knights Guild.

Even if most contemporary people live in Ignis airspace, they have no real sense that this land once belonged to the Empire, let alone knowing the history before the Empire's conquest.

For a sky knight like Leon, their understanding of a sky island is more about what resources and uses it can provide.

This tomb is so ancient that it seems to be a phantom in time, even the founding emperor of the empire is the same.

If it weren't for a place like Spark Harbor where he had a long history, no one would even mention him.

At the same time, Leon didn't think the entire "city mezzanine" the system showed him could be that ancient. Those secret passages were probably built by the Finat family later, and many records of the wars that took place there are mentioned in many documents.

The Finat family discovered this tomb during the construction process, and it was thus connected to the secret passage.

After the secret passages were no longer needed, they deliberately abandoned some of the places outside the exits or placed them under their control and surveillance.

Leon asked Dorothy, "Is the house you live in owned by the Finat family?"

"Yeah, a lot of the mansions belong to them, but I'm just paying rent, so I don't have any intention of having anything to do with them!"

Li Ang nodded, he should have guessed right.

If the Finat family followed the founder of the empire in his battles, it would also explain why they immediately became the vanguard when the empire was about to rise again.

Dorothy smiled teasingly, "Why are you asking this all of a sudden? Do you care so much?"

Li Ang didn't respond to her and walked towards the altar in the middle of the tomb.

63. Fire-feathered Lizard King

　Li Ang knew from his experience that the things on the altar were monster eggs. Now that he knew the history of the Linden family, they were most likely the so-called fire dragon eggs.

Salamander Egg

The eggs of powerful Fire Feather Lizard monsters. Their young require the consumption of precious minerals from volcanic areas and prey on pyrotechnic monsters to grow. The chests and abdomens of adult monsters contain volcanic power, and even breathing can cause sparks to erupt.

[Level

Spirituality: Lost

[Use: Summoning beast contract, alchemy, spell material]

It turned out to be Salamander.

Lizard monsters with fire attributes and covered with feathers are classified as Fire Feather Lizards, and Salamander is the strongest among them. They are a powerful sub-dragon, known as the King of Fire Feather Lizards.

Salamanders are particularly formidable enemies in scorching environments. They are massive, averaging over ten meters in length, and possess exceptionally swift movements. Upon reaching Tier 7, they can harness their flames for short bursts of propulsion, giving them excellent maneuverability.

They even live in groups, and can be considered the overlord of a region as long as the king of the island is excluded, so they are quite famous.

The giant fire dragon known as the King of Purgatory rules over the Salamander tribe, some of whom have even transcended realms and grown to level 7.