"I didn't expect that I could get so much experience just by taking a random mission. It's like pie in the sky!"

"Hahaha, Noodles, let's go! I want to show off in front of Xin Gou!"

Mantou, carrying the heavy blood-stained sack containing the frost giant's head, stood up triumphantly on the back of the wyvern.

"Ow—"

The pterosaur seemed to sense its master's excitement. It stretched its neck, raised its head, and let out a hearty roar.

Today, Mantou is already the Dragon-Blood Viscount of the Empire. As the saying goes, "If one person succeeds, the whole family will benefit", even the two-legged flying dragon is no exception.

The noodle is now more than seven meters long. Although its neck is still as thin as a noodle, it is covered with hard and thick dragon scales, and its body has become much stronger and more solid.

In short, after experiencing many gifts of blood, Noodles has become far more "red dragon-like" or "atavistic" than its fellows.

However, due to its huge size, Mantou always feels a little uncomfortable when riding on the back of the wyvern, so he is considering buying a saddle with a seat.

"Shh-"

The wyvern spread its wings, and the tips of its wings cut through the air, making a somewhat shrill whistling sound. It then flew towards the city of Istalia carrying the knight on its back.

The warehouse of the Frost Giants' rebellion was just on the outskirts of the city, only a dozen kilometers away, and Mantou arrived at the city gate not long after.

The place where Mantou accepted the mission was the Empire's Emergency Bounty Office, which was quite far from the Chilin Garrison.

Therefore, he did not choose to land at the "Tinglongping" of the garrison, but went directly to the south gate of Istalia.

The South Gate is known as the most majestic city gate of the Burning Empire. It combines both defensive and ornamental features, and is also the facade of the capital, Istalia.

Even the Imperial Engineering Team, which included many civil engineers and spellcasters proficient in earth elemental energy shaping spells, took several months to complete it.

The city gate was dozens of meters high, with the flag of the Burning Empire flying above it, and a number of ferocious stone dragon heads sticking out from it - it was said that these dragons could shoot powerful shrapnel bombs from their mouths, enough to blow any invader into ashes.

Tiefling guards dressed in mighty armor and holding shining rifles were standing guard on it. They were well trained and remained unmoved regardless of wind or rain.

And on those tall stone pillars, there were real two-legged flying dragons squatting, ready to take off into the air at any time to meet the invading enemies.

Faced with such a situation, even the bravest soldiers would inevitably feel fear. Many spies revealed their flaws in front of the city gates and were captured on the spot by the guards.

"Citizens, please queue up in an orderly manner and avoid crowding!"

"Citizens of the Empire, please be mindful of your words and actions. The great Majesty Cassius is always watching you!"

The passionate voice of the tiefling guard captain came from the loudspeakers on the city wall.

In front of the majestic city gate that was dozens of meters high, the crowd was bustling and noisy, but they were lined up in neat rows and appeared to be in an orderly manner.

"There's been a lot going on lately. We just received a batch of orders from the suburbs."

"Who says it's not?"

"I heard from those big shots that there's going to be another war!"

“It’s good to fight a war. With His Majesty Cassius’s protection, the Empire will never lose.

Every time a war breaks out, orders from the factory fly in like snowflakes, and workers are recruited everywhere, so there is no worry about not having money to make."

"Yes, the tavern my family runs is the same. When those wealthy soldiers return triumphantly, we can make a lot of money every day."

"Hahahaha, the Empire had better fight more wars and never stop fighting."

Hundreds of people and caravans entering and leaving the city formed long queues, and fully armed tiefling guards were conducting routine checks on them.

However, the tiefling guards' inspection was quick and their movements were extremely skillful.

"Di-"

"Safe, entry allowed."

Only a calm mechanical sound was heard, and the people of the empire entered the city one after another.

The tiefling guards simply took out the newly developed magic scanner of the Ministry of Science and Technology and scanned them up and down, then took a look at the basic documents and let them into the city.

However, as the "honorable Viscount of Dragon Blood", Mantou naturally does not need to go through this process.

"Ow~"

Noodles circled in the air for a few times, greeted his fellow tribesmen on the stone pillars, then slowly flapped his wings, preparing to land on the open space outside the city.

The wings of the pterosaur caused a strong wind, which raised clouds of dust and made quite a commotion. The people around looked up and exclaimed in surprise.

"Look! He's riding a dragon!"

"It's the Red Scale Conqueror!"

"They are beings that can control flying dragons. It is said that every Red Scale Conqueror is a relative of His Majesty Cassius. They are really amazing!"

"I wanted to try it before, but the trial in the Flying Dragon Valley is too dangerous."

"Wait - look at the medal on the knight's chest. He is a dragon-blood noble! And a viscount!"

Amid the people's exclamations, the two-legged dragon fell to the ground with a bang, and Mantou rolled off the dragon's back quite complacently, acting like a knight.

"Good day, Lord Viscount!"

"Lord Viscount!"

"I will never forget your heroic sight of riding a flying dragon!"

Many people greeted him with great respect, and even those who were far away would nod in greeting as a sign of respect - this was the treatment given to dragon-blood nobles within the empire.

Mantou smiled and waved to the enthusiastic people of the empire, then took the reins of the wyvern and walked towards the city gate.

Before he reached the city gate, several Tiefling guards came to meet him, and their squad leaders came to greet him personally.

This is the pomp and ceremony of a dragon-blood noble, not to mention that this is a distinguished viscount, of which there are no more than four hundred in the entire empire.

Although Istalia, as the capital of the empire, is home to many big names, a viscount cannot be neglected.

"Good day, Lord Viscount. Please come this way."

The tiefling guard first bowed his head in a "loyalty salute", then walked forward respectfully and took the reins from Mantou's hand.

Mantou nodded slightly, followed Tiefling, and walked towards the "special passage" with ease.

Tiefling suddenly turned around and said, "By the way, I'm going to eat steamed buns, Viscount. Can you please show me your flying dragon license?"

Mantou's eyes widened, a little confused: "Didn't you enter the city with a noble medal before? Why do you need a flying dragon driver's license now?"

Tiefling smiled apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, Lord Viscount, this is a new regulation issued by the higher-ups, and there's nothing we can do about it.

It is said that a few days ago, some Starfallers stole dragon eggs and baby dragons from the Dragon Valley without the permission of the Empire, and rode dragons in the city without passing the assessment, causing quite a bit of trouble."

"Haha, it turned out to be that guy. He pissed off the boss."

Mantou couldn't help laughing out loud.

He knew the player who was riding a half-grown flying dragon around the city. He was also a blogger named "Dashui Lanzi".

He recently got into the movie "Erezagai", but he didn't expect that in just a few months, it would cause quite a stir. "Okay, since it's a request from the higher-ups, I'll find it for you."

Mantou rummaged through his standard backpack, pulled out a small, exquisite green card, and handed it to the tiefling beside him.

"Driver's name, I'm going to eat steamed buns, driving experience of three years, no accident record
Identity: member of the Red Scale Conquerors, intermediate sheriff of the 13th Istalia Squadron."

The tiefling guard took the driver's license with both hands, glanced at the words on it, and after a moment, handed it back with a smile on his face.

“No problem, Lord Viscount, your mount can follow us into the city.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with our security team’s work.”

Mantou waved his hand nonchalantly: "It's okay, it's okay. I understand you. We are all workers. It's not easy either."

Steamed buns and noodles thus entered the city of Istalia.

There are still people coming and going and traffic here. There are all kinds of shops on both sides of the busy streets. Small steam locomotives are running on the tracks, and the whistles are blaring.

The Starfallers walked aimlessly on the street, and when they saw someone, they would approach them and ask them if they had any mission.

However, the busy people of the empire usually ignored it and just walked past in a hurry.

The reputation of these poorly dressed Starfallers has spread throughout the empire: they often have little ability and often mess things up, so they are also nicknamed "useless people".

Compared to them, the people of the empire prefer to go to old-fashioned institutions such as the Magic Office and the Royal Bounty Office to find those powerful and experienced Starfallers to do things for them.

Mantou looked at the newbies wearing novice uniforms on the street and couldn't help but sigh: "Tsk tsk, there are more and more new players in this game."

"What the hell? Look, it's that old thief Mantou!"

Suddenly, a new player pointed at Mantou, obviously recognizing him, and the group of players around him immediately surrounded him.

"This guy is so cool, he even has a mount."

"I got into it just by watching his videos, old thief Mantou, your Elezega diary hasn't been updated for two months!"

"I want to ride a dragon, too!"

Looking at the "loyal fans" who were crowding around him, Mantou suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and even had the urge to run away.

"What are you doing!"

"I've already told you that no crowds are allowed to cause trouble in the city of Istalia!"

Fortunately, the sheriff who was patrolling nearby arrived in time and shouted loudly.

He waved his baton and drove away these "useless people" like driving away sparrows. These players immediately fled in panic - they didn't want to go to jail.

The sheriff came to Mantou and bowed respectfully: "Long time no see, Viscount Mantou, I hope I didn't hurt you?"

"It's okay. Thank you very much."

Mantou nodded slightly, but he couldn't remember who the unfamiliar sheriff in front of him was.

Could it be that he has lost his memory?
Unexpectedly, the sheriff actually stepped forward, changed his respectful attitude, and said in a mocking tone: "Haha, Lord Viscount, it feels good to enjoy the treatment of a noble."

This annoying expression, this familiar mocking tone
Thinking of this, Mantou took a few steps back, his eyes suddenly widened, his face full of disbelief.

"What the hell? Are you Xin Gou?"

The "strange" sheriff nodded and said complacently, "Well, you didn't recognize my new face, did you?"

Mantou looked him up and down, and was surprised to find that not only did the other person have a new look, but there was not even a player nickname displayed above his head. He looked like a real NPC.

He asked curiously, "How did you do it?"

Singo pulled out a folded grey leather bag from his backpack and shook it proudly in his hand.

"The Shapeshifter Mask. Once you put it on, you can disguise yourself as anyone. It can even hide the player's identity. It's said that this was developed by the guys at Magic Coin, specifically for their traitor business."

"Damn, a magical tool to hide my identity!"

Mantou immediately showed eagerness, but after thinking for a moment, he said, "Xin Gou, tell me a price so that I can give up."

Singo said casually, "This is made of the skin of a shapeshifter. The material is extremely precious. It costs at least 500 gold coins."

Mantou's face suddenly darkened, and he pretended to burst into tears: "Okay, no need to say anything, this is another piece of equipment that a poor guy like me can't afford."

"Here, here you go."

Unexpectedly, the other party threw the gray leather bag over, seemingly not caring at all.

Mantou quickly reached out to catch it and looked at Singo in disbelief, his eyes full of surprise, but also a bit of vigilance.

This usually stingy miser is actually willing to pluck the feathers?

And he pulled out 500 gold coins at a time?

If someone is too nice to him for no reason, he is either a traitor or a thief. Is this guy trying to trick him into becoming a slave again?

"Why, you don't want it? If you don't want it, give it back to me."

Singo pretended to reach out to ask for it back, and Mantou quickly put the equipment on his face and asked, "What's going on? The sun is rising from the west?"

Before he finished speaking, Mantou's face kept changing, and finally turned into the appearance of a familiar male star.

“Do you think you are Eddie Peng?”

"I just restored my handsome face. This is what I look like in real life."

"Get lost! You're attracting more attention like this. Do you still want to be surrounded by those new players?"

"Well, I have to put up with it."

Mantou's face changed again, and finally turned into an ordinary passerby's face, which was similar to his original appearance.

"Okay, so why do you want to send me equipment and make me a slave?"

Singo smiled bitterly and shook his head: "The facts prove that I was wrong last time. I am fully responsible for the annihilation of our team. This is my compensation to you, everyone will get a share.

I was so eager to prove myself that I ignored the most basic intelligence."

He took out a book with a red dragon pattern on the cover and the words "Guide to Dragon Research" from his backpack and continued, "According to the information I got, the challenge level of a 20-meter-long ancient red dragon can reach above level , and the abyss dragon we encountered
I'm afraid it's beyond our imagination. I risked the whole team to challenge it, which was like trying to stop a chariot with a mantis arm, and I overestimated my own ability. "

Mantou was immediately amazed and said, "Oh my god, that boss is so powerful, isn't the challenge level going to be off the charts?
By the way, what about our Emperor Kai of the Burning Empire? He killed the Abyss Dragon all by himself, isn't that even more amazing?"

"do not know."

Singo answered truthfully.

“The current players are still too weak. Even the top players—such as Iron Frenzy and I—have only just reached level 11, and are still far from being truly high-level players.

But as far as I know, at least in this version, the empire under the protection of Cassius's wings will never perish."

"That's good. All my assets are in the Empire. If the Burning Empire is gone, I will go bankrupt." (End of this chapter)