Chapter 65: Chapter 22: Dragon Blood Baptism 2
As Su Ziyu returned to the inn, the mercenary named Hank swiftly followed him.
Outside the door.
Su Ziyu turned to look at the large man in front of him, slightly furrowing his brow and asked, "Something you need?"
"I’ve prepared both the horse and the map that you wanted." Hank’s expression was much more respectful than yesterday, and there was an uncontrollable excitement in his demeanor. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Was the ritual you performed just now the Dragon Blood Baptism?"
Oh?
He actually knows about the Dragon Blood Baptism.
Right.
Yesterday, I remember someone calling him a barbarian. Is that a special occupation or an ancient tradition?
Afraid of misunderstanding, the barbarian named Hank quickly said, "My ancestor was Grosch, a Dragon Slayer."
"My family migrated to the Glacier Mountain Range in the north over a thousand years ago."
"Our ancestor left behind a special coming-of-age ceremony that requires one to travel alone to the Great Ice Glacier and kill a Frost Flying Dragon. Legend has it that this bestows the power of ancient barbarians."
The large man in front of him seemed somewhat dejected as he said, "But this ceremony has been lost for a long time."
"We’ve searched for many years but haven’t found the Dragon Slayer’s legacy."
Su Ziyu pondered for a moment before lifting his head and said, "Do you want the secret knowledge of the Dragon Blood Baptism ritual?"
Without a doubt, Su Ziyu’s words essentially confirmed that the ritual he just performed was the Dragon Blood Baptism.
"Yes." The large man nodded and said, "Whatever you need, as long as I can manage it, feel free to ask."
Su Ziyu thought for a moment and asked, "What do you have?"
"I’m leaving today."
The Dragon Blood Baptism is a special ritual knowledge, not an enhancement provided by the Space-Time Monitor System, thus it can be taught to others.
As soon as he heard this, the large man didn’t hesitate to take off his bracer. He said solemnly, "This is the Power of Frost Giant, a treasure given by a Witch to my grandfather. It can grant a person giant-like strength."
A grayish-white bracer, seemingly unremarkable.
Su Ziyu reached out to take it, and immediately streams of data began to display some prompts.
"Unknown Magical Artifact detected!"
"Scanning and analyzing!"
"Appraisal complete."
In Su Ziyu’s mind, some data began to emerge.
"Magical Artifact: Power of Frost Giant."
"Use: A Magical Artifact crafted by an Ancient Witch, capable of significantly enhancing personal strength, but unable to exceed the power limit of a Frost Giant."
This bracer appears to adjust slightly in size.
As soon as Su Ziyu put it on, he felt his strength surge greatly, making the anti-material sniper rifle in his hand feel as light as an ordinary stick. He glanced at the large man ahead and said, "When you arm-wrestled me yesterday, you didn’t use this?"
If he had used it then, Su Ziyu would certainly have lost.
"That was a fair duel." The large man shook his head and said, "A true warrior doesn’t cheat."
Su Ziyu chuckled and said, "Follow me."
The acquisition of this Magical Artifact was a pleasant surprise, and what he offered was merely the ritual knowledge triggered by his authorization. Since the man recognized the Dragon Blood Baptism ritual, Su Ziyu decided to trust his words.
Soon.
Su Ziyu imparted the entire ritual knowledge to the large man. The Dragon Blood Baptism ritual wasn’t complicated; the real challenge was how to hunt a Flying Dragon. Only the Dragon Blood Baptism LV1 ritual has been unlocked, and whether higher-level, more complex rituals exist is uncertain, possibly due to insufficient permissions being unlocked.
"The warrior of the Northern Ice Glaciers owes you a favor."
Although Su Ziyu accepted the Magical Artifact Power of Frost Giant, the large man maintained a sincere expression and said, "If you encounter any trouble in the future, you can find us at Ice Extreme Peak."
"We will do our utmost to offer assistance!"
Clearly, the Dragon Blood Baptism ritual is extremely important to them. However, for Su Ziyu, once the ritual knowledge is imparted, it becomes unnecessary unless he can increase his permissions to unlock more advanced baptism rituals.
He nodded and said, "Remember."
"The ritual must be completed within half an hour of killing the Flying Dragon, otherwise the power contained in the dragon blood will dissipate."
The barbarian named Hank hugged Su Ziyu gratefully and said, "Thank you."
After Su Ziyu packed his things and asked the mercenaries some questions, he prepared to set off with two horses.
Hank also prepared to return to the Great Ice Glacier.
He intended to bring back the Dragon Blood Baptism ritual, and there’s one thing he didn’t tell Su Ziyu: if he brings back the ancient barbarian’s legacy ritual, he will have the right to compete for the leader of the barbarians.
Su Ziyu came quickly and left just as swiftly.
In this remote small town, he left behind a legend—a mysterious Knight killed a Flying Dragon with a unique Magic Spear in one blow, and then this mysterious Knight drifted away, leaving no trace of where he went.
Meanwhile.
Outside the town, in the woods, Su Ziyu met York, who was waiting.
He hid in the shadow of the trees, and if it weren’t for him speaking, even Su Ziyu wouldn’t have noticed him.
"You killed that Flying Dragon?" York looked shocked.
He scrutinized the anti-material sniper rifle on Su Ziyu’s back and murmured, "Is this also the creation of a Witch?"
In this world, Witches hold significant status.
When people talk about Witches, they often compare them to the White Queen. Of course, in the eyes of humans, the White Queen is considered slightly more powerful.
"Mm." Su Ziyu wasn’t bothered to explain.
He glanced at the large tree next to York and suddenly felt like testing how much his strength had been enhanced. He put down his things and walked over to the waist-thick tree and hugged it tightly with both hands, exerting force.
Crack.
Su Ziyu’s face slightly reddened, and with the sound of roots breaking, the large tree in front of him was hoisted up from the middle.
He really did uproot it?
My strength is this immense now?
Su Ziyu found it hard to believe, and York was even more shocked, staring with wide eyes. He glanced at Su Ziyu, then at the tree, unable to avoid the thought slipping into his mind.
Is he intimidating me?
"Let’s go." Su Ziyu mounted his horse.
He had once ridden horses while traveling, though his skills weren’t particularly good, but it was sufficient to travel.
"My goodness."
"You’re incredibly strong!"
"I’ve only seen a Mountain Giant uproot such a big tree! Have you ever seen a Giant? There used to be many Giants here, but there aren’t as many now!" York swiftly climbed onto his horse, rambling as he tidied things up.
He’s a very chatty gnome.
Su Ziyu hadn’t even asked a question when York started narrating his past adventure with Pick where they took down a Mountain Giant.
.........