If one word were to describe Jude and his companions’ dragon-seeking journey, it would be "tedious."
At the beginning, the team was filled with curiosity about the swamp, as it had truly been a forbidden land.
In the past, anyone who dared to venture deep into it hardly ever returned, and over ti, the Gai Gu Swamp beca synonymous with danger and mystery in the eyes of adventurers.
This ti, the Arias family had reportedly brought in lizard people who had lived there as guides, allowing these outsiders a glimpse into the true face of the swamp.
Additionally, the attractive rewards offered by the Lady had drawn quite a few rcenaries from Black Stone City to sign up for this expedition. However, the final roster surprised everyone.
Those rcenaries with good reputations and strong abilities were not selected, instead, it was those with notorious backgrounds and even questionable morals who were chosen.
So experienced rcenaries sensed sothing odd and not long after, a rumor surfaced that the official from the Arias family responsible for recruiting rcenaries in Black Stone City had been secretly accepting bribes. Those who were unwilling to pay were eliminated.
This was confird by a few rcenaries who failed to make the final cut, along with earlier rumors about the new Family Head of the Arias family.
To many rcenaries, Ireya was now equated with resentnt.
However, those lucky ones who had bribed their way into the upgraded version of the Dragon Seeking Team couldn’t stay happy for long.
They hadn’t even encountered the Evil Dragon yet, mainly because the search process was incredibly torturous. There was an elent of novelty on the first day they entered the swamp, but that soon faded away.
In its place were the various oddly shaped trees surrounding them, the perpetually muddy ground that would envelop boots after just a few steps, making movent feel like walking with weights tied to one’s feet.
And that wasn’t the worst part. There were small puddles hidden under the grass and ferns; a careless step could subrge one’s entire boot, soaking it through.
If not dried promptly, the foot would begin to redden and itch, and in more severe cases, rot and beco infected.
Of course, the most fatal were the mud pits that, once fallen into, one could not climb out of—the more one struggled, the faster they sank. These pits, large and small, were scattered throughout the Great Gai Gu Swamp.
So were obvious at a glance, but many felt no different from normal mud until stepped upon. If it weren’t for the two lizard people leading the way, the Dragon Seeking Team would probably be advancing only by feeling their way forward with walking sticks.
Besides the terrible road conditions, the swamp was also teeming with poisonous insects, especially problematic at night when one could get bitten while asleep.
The first casualty the team faced was due to a snakebite. By the ti everyone woke up the next day, the poor soul’s body had gone cold.
Furthermore, the swamp’s humid environnt and the sulfide gases emitted from the humus were constantly tornting the team mbers’ nerves.
In fact, by the fourth day, soone had already started considering withdrawal, but they had to dismiss the thought due to unfamiliarity with the way back.
Because of language barriers, it was difficult for the rcenaries to communicate with the three lizard people, and these lizard people would only take orders from Li Yu, occasionally seeking Jude’s—this probationary disciple of the Double Rest Sect—opinion. Li Yu’s orders were clear: find the dragon, and they would not leave until the dragon was found.
As for what other people thought, they simply didn’t care.
So, so people set their sights on the leader, Jude.
On the eleventh day into the swamp, soone approached the captain, who seed a bit aloof and seldom spoke, always staying with his big black dog, hoping he could negotiate with the lizard people to send soone to take back those who no longer wanted to continue the expedition.
Jude threw the half-eaten jerky to Black Beauty, looked at the person, and said slowly, "You signed a contract with the Arias family, promising to complete this expedition, half of the paynt was already paid to you in advance. Isn’t it a bit late to quit now?"
"Fuck the Arias family, fuck the contract! I’ve suffered enough in this godforsaken place, we’ve earned the asly sum that stupid woman Lady paid us!"
A rcenary with a fierce look and wielding a scythe threatened, "If you don’t send us away, you’d better stay vigilant while you sleep, watch out for an extra hole in your head one morning!"
And he had a partner who played the good cop, a short but handso young rcenary with a sunny smile.
With such a charming face, he was popular wherever he went; even strangers could quickly let down their guard and chat with him for a few minutes, feeling a sense of regret for not having t him sooner.
But if you really treated him as a friend, you’d end up being scamd out of your pants.
Rumors of missing girls in the villages near Black Stone City implicated the two n, but they always acted cautiously, and the sheriff found no evidence, forced to watch them escape punishnt.
The smaller rcenary told his partner, "Don’t talk like that, this guy clearly isn’t one of the Arias family. He’s probably been deceived by that Lady just like us and now definitely doesn’t want to stay here and suffer either."
While speaking, he also gave Jude a look, hoping the latter would agree to ease the atmosphere.
But Jude acted as if he hadn’t seen it, lightly spat out two words to the previously foul-mouthed rcenary, "Idiot!"
After saying that, he bent down and continued playing with the dog.
The rcenary wielding a scythe beca furious upon hearing this, picked up his weapon, and charged over.
The onlookers around couldn’t help but sweat for Jude; had it not been for the quick action of the smaller rcenary, who imdiately grabbed his partner from behind, there might have truly been an extra hole in Jude’s head.
However, before the rest of the team could even breathe a sigh of relief, Jude sighed and spoke again, "Why can’t idiots like you ever understand a simple truth? Shouting loudly doesn’t an you’re tough. Isn’t there a saying, ’It’s the quiet dogs that bite’?
"Why can’t you, as a human, understand such a simple truth?"
Then Jude said to the smaller rcenary, "You can let him go. I bet you three gold lions that I’ll sit right here, and he won’t have the guts to lay a finger on ."
The smaller rcenary hesitated, wanting to say more, but the one ard with the scythe suddenly exerted strength and broke free, sneering at Jude seated on the large rock, "You’re asking for it!"
After saying this, he strode up to Jude, who, true to his word, remained seated motionless.
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