Endymion, the city gate.
A long line had already formed outside the entrance.
Several Quagoa soldiers wearing specially made magical sunglasses were conducting inspections.
Among the crowd, a large and muscular Minotaur stood in line, looking around with obvious curiosity.
It was the Minotaur Sage.
Ever since he sensed the aura of Catastrophe magic earlier, he had traveled through the Empire and several nearby nations to gather information.
After wandering around for about half a month, the sage finally remembered the plan he had originally intended to carry out.
Without further delay, he headed straight for the Sorcerer Kingdom.
"Hmph, looks like this time our fellow countryman who arrived here is quite capable."
Looking at the city before him, which had once belonged to the Argland Council State, the Minotaur Sage could not help but feel impressed.
No one understood better than he did how troublesome the True Dragon Lords were.
For the past several centuries, he had lived with extreme caution just to avoid attracting their attention.
It was only around two hundred years ago, during the Demon Gods' uprising, when the leader of the Thirteen Heroes descended into this world.
That fellow countryman had drawn the attention of many True Dragon Lords.
Under the protection of the Minotaur nation located in the central continent, he finally dared to briefly show himself.
"Six hundred years... to be honest, I'm getting tired of living like this."
The Minotaur Sage sighed inwardly.
His emotions were complicated.
He glanced at the two items inside his backpack, and his thoughts began to wander.
Before he could continue thinking, a sudden commotion pulled him back to reality.
He raised his head and looked forward.
At the very front of the line stood a particularly eye catching humanoid demihuman.
He wore pale white clothing, and an unmistakable noble aura surrounded him.
The scales covering his skin and the pair of pure white dragon horns on his head attracted attention from everyone around him.
There was no doubt about it.
This was a Dragonoid.
Judging from his appearance, the concentration of dragon blood in his body was extremely high.
At the front of the line, this Dragonoid currently wore a rather awkward expression.
Ilsayas Naiakut.
That was the name he was using as a disguise.
If one casually asked a stranger, they would likely have no idea who that name referred to.
However, if his other title was mentioned, many people would immediately recognize it.
The Clear Light Dragon.
In the central region of the continent, slightly toward the southwest, there is a desert known as the Dolor Desert.
It is also called the Di Guolvs Desert, a name derived from the great empire that once existed there.
Among the nomadic tribes of that region, a religious organization that worships the [Clear Light Dragon] as its chief deity is widely known, and its main temple is located in that desert.
The Clear Light Dragon.
Also known as the Clear Light Dragon Lord.
He was a dragon surrounded by an air of mystery.
Among all known dragons, he was the only one worshipped by people as a god.
Since forming a contract with an NPC of the Eight Greed Kings several centuries ago, back when he was still relatively weak, he had never left the desert region.
This visit to the Sorcerer Kingdom had two purposes.
One was to respond to the request of that NPC from the Eight Greed Kings and search for a guild weapon that had gone missing.
The other was to personally observe this nation that had sparked his curiosity.
At first, he had been somewhat nervous, worried that he might reveal his true identity. He even considered transforming into a completely different race.
However, once he arrived near the Sorcerer Kingdom, he abandoned that idea.
There was simply no need.
There were far too many dragon blooded hybrids.
Ever since the Three Kings of the Sorcerer Kingdom ascended the throne and it became known that one of the rulers belonged to the [Dragonoid] race, dragon blooded individuals from all over the continent had begun flocking to the Sorcerer Kingdom.
Because of this, the Clear Light Dragon Lord did not need to disguise himself carefully.
Simply appearing in the form of a Dragonoid would only make people think his dragon blood was relatively pure, which was not unusual here.
However, just as he was about to enter the Sorcerer Kingdom, something unexpected happened.
"Three copper coins."
The Quagoa soldier's simple sentence left the Dragon Lord completely confused.
Copper coins?
What were those?
Then he suddenly remembered hearing his followers mention something like this before.
Right. Entering a city required paying a small fee.
After figuring that out, the Clear Light Dragon Lord found himself in an awkward situation.
He had not brought any money.
He had considered many different possibilities beforehand, yet somehow overlooked this one detail.
What kind of situation was this?
Failing before even getting started?
He had not even entered the Sorcerer Kingdom yet, and he was already stuck at the very first step.
Leaving was not an option.
He had already waited in line for so long, and more importantly, as a Dragon Lord he had his pride to consider.
He stared silently at the Quagoa soldier blocking his way.
The Clear Light Dragon Lord said nothing, simply looking at the soldier with a quiet, steady gaze. The situation immediately became awkward.
"Sir, please leave immediately. You are obstructing others from entering the city."
"If you continue like this, according to the laws of the Sorcerer Kingdom, we have the authority to arrest and detain you."
The Quagoa soldier frowned as he spoke to the Dragonoid in front of him.
In the past, he might have felt some hesitation because of the other party's race.
But times had changed.
Now he almost hoped the other party would cause trouble, maybe even start a fight.
After all, the Quagoa King had taught them a lesson with his own life.
Do not be afraid. Just fight.
As long as there was a legitimate reason, any incident counted as a work related injury.
Even if they died, they would be resurrected without conditions and might even receive a reward.
Seeing the Quagoa soldier practically eager for a confrontation, the Clear Light Dragon Lord could not help but twitch the corner of his mouth slightly.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, the next person in line could no longer hold back and prepared to speak up.
However, before she could say anything, someone else stepped forward first.
"I'll pay his share. It's no big deal, right?"
The Minotaur Sage took out a coin and handed it directly to the Quagoa soldier with a cheerful grin.
The Quagoa soldier glanced at the gold coin in his hand.
He remained silent for a moment before stepping aside.
"…Next time, pay attention."
"Yes, yes. Thank you, Mr. Guard. We understand."
The Minotaur Sage nodded repeatedly.
Then he grabbed the still stunned Clear Light Dragon Lord and confidently walked through the city gate.
Queue skipping successful.
The registration line quickly returned to normal.
Watching the two figures gradually disappear into the city, Ninya slowly let out a sigh of relief.
Behind her, Arche also relaxed.
Only then did she realize that she had been gripping the hands of her two younger sisters so tightly that her palms were soaked with sweat.
"It's alright now. Let's go inside too."
Ninya gently took her slightly frightened sister's hand.
Then she looked back at their companions from [Swords of Darkness] and [Foresight] and smiled.
A brand new story was about to begin for them.
(PS: Herohero has already spoken with Ninya privately in Chapter 224.)
(I wrote that Herohero went to meet an acquaintance, and that acquaintance was Ninya.)
(This is also part of the reason why Arche finally decided to leave her family with her two younger sisters.)