Around the displayed equipment and treasures, the players' discussions grew increasingly heated, eventually escalating into a shouting match.
"I—if we take just one of these back, wouldn't we hit the jackpot?!"
"Hell yeah!"
"Look at that one, a Salamander Claw Sword! That's a Rare-tier weapon too!"
"If you ask me, maybe these things are rewards the tower master prepared for us!"
"The trial was so brutal, and so many people died—leaving a few extra rewards is hardly unreasonable!"
"Wait, doesn't this stuff look like offerings or ritual sacrificial items?"
"What do you know? This is what you call official hidden perks! They have to fit the game's lore while handing out rewards, so naturally they dress them up as offerings."
"Besides, you don't even know..."
"Whatever! That Ring of the Efreeti Noble belongs to Wangquan! The server's first obtainable Very Rare equipment can only go to the strongest guild!"
"Why the hell should it go to Wangquan again?"
"Because three of our guys cleared the trial! Anyone who has a problem with it can step up and take it!"
"Hmph!"
"From what I know, your paladins might be tough, but your spellcasters are total garbage!"
"Then come and try us!"
The players' argument turned white-hot. Driven by greed, some were already seeing red, poised to snatch the loot by force.
The members of Wangquan Guild were the most frenzied of all. Taking high-tier equipment back translated directly into cold, hard cash!
If they secured the very first Very Rare piece of gear on the server, Bazhe—their guild master, who was a wealthy heir in real life—would reward them with well over a hundred thousand yuan!
In the face of such staggering profit, other quests, dignity, and rules weren't worth a damn.
Wangquan's sorcerer grabbed the Ring of the Efreeti Noble, clutching it tightly in his palm, and shoveled a hefty pile of gold coins into his inventory.
"You'd better think twice!"
"Stealing our loot here is an outright declaration of war against Wangquan!"
The other two Wangquan players stood guard in front of him, facing off against several players trying to contest the treasure.
"Think you're hot shit just because you've got money?"
"Wangquan has crossed the line! This gear belongs to everyone!"
In an instant, the atmosphere atop the tower reeked of gunpowder.
Centered around this server-first obtainable Very Rare piece of equipment, a player brawl was on the verge of erupting at any second.
Meanwhile, Xiaye Qiuyu quietly slipped away from the bickering crowd, retreating to a secluded corner of the summit.
*This is the final trial—a test of human greed.*
*Knowing that lord's personality, these fools blinded by immediate profit aren't going to meet a good end.*
*Heh, the Wangquan crowd...*
Xiaye Qiuyu let out a soft chuckle. Foreseeing Wangquan's impending humiliation put her in high spirits.
Backed by corporate money in the real world, Wangquan had pulled off numerous monopolistic schemes, causing no small amount of grief for solo players like her.
She watched the bustling crowd, a faint light flickering in her beautiful eyes.
Aside from those squabbling over the gear, plenty of players still maintained their composure.
For instance, the female player Art is an Explosion from the Machine Cult; Mingyue, the sorcerer from Magic Coin; the professional sorcerer Aichi Feidan...
And then there was Ailong Rufeng, a sorcerer from the notorious Dragon Lovers Association, standing before the dragon-shaped statue with a look of utter fervor.
Xiaye Qiuyu knew, of course, that those guys were all perverts.
Their guild master, Saphis, was infamous for flooding the forums with eye-searing, lewd dragon art, earning himself the honorary title of "Dragon-Obsessed Fiend."
Xiaye Qiuyu's delicate brows knitted slightly. She still felt something was missing.
*No, something's still not right...*
*The final trial couldn't be as simple as just resisting temptation. If it were, it would only weed out idiots like Wangquan.*
She carefully recalled the recruitment notice from Isdalia.
*Dragon-Pact Sorcerers forge pacts with red dragons... They wield mysterious, formidable Draconic Spells, united in loyalty to the empire's sole master, the supreme sovereign—the Cinder Emperor, Cassius.*
"Fealty... loyalty!"
"I get it now!"
Xiaye Qiuyu's eyes lit up. She finally realized where the crux lay.
The key was loyalty!
A Dragon-Pact Sorcerer had to be absolutely loyal to the Emperor, revering him as if serving a god—and *that* was the true final trial!
With that realization, Xiaye Qiuyu smoothed her robes and strode swiftly over to the humanoid statue of Cassius.
Kneeling before the statue, she clasped her hands together in prayer.
*Though...*
*Lord Cassius is ridiculously handsome!*
*How can an in-game NPC hit every single one of my aesthetic preferences so perfectly?!*
Although her posture looked devout enough, the thoughts swirling through her head bordered on scandalous.
"What is she..."
"Oh, I see."
Art is an Explosion noticed Xiaye Qiuyu's bizarre behavior. After a moment of thought, she walked up and began to pray as well.
The other sorcerers glanced at the two praying women, then looked at the entranced Ailong Rufeng, their expressions turning peculiar.
"Tsk, Cassius really has a ton of fangirls! Heard there's even a fan club in the real world."
"Aren't there fanboys too? Look right there."
"Those Dragon Lovers Association freaks are all perverts! They post absurd pictures on the forums all day long!"
"Gotta admit though, Boss Cassius's character model really is top-tier!"
"Yeah, definitely the best-looking one I've seen. Too bad he doesn't show up that often..."
"I wonder how much gold this statue would sell for..."
...
High above the summit, far out of the players' sight, Misha, the Daughter of Dragonfire, hovered in midair, swirled by ribbons of flowing flame.
Her golden eyes remained fiery, but her gaze was chillingly severe, carrying a trace of murderous intent.
It was as though her eyes could pierce right through the thick stone walls to see everything happening inside the Tower of Karmic Fire.
"These vulgar wretches..."
"How dare they touch the offerings I prepared for His Majesty Cassius? They truly have a death wish!"
Misha clenched her slender hands, fierce flares of light bursting from her palms.
In her mind, the players fighting over the equipment were already sentenced to death.
"They don't even respect His Majesty. They aren't fit to become noble Dragon-Pact Sorcerers! They don't even deserve to live in the Cinder Empire..."
Misha muttered darkly.
Her gaze shifted toward the humanoid statue, and her expression softened slightly.
Two women bearing the dragon bloodline were kneeling before the humanoid statue of Emperor Cassius in prayer—just as she did every day.
Moreover, they possessed golden vertical pupils, the mark of dragon blood.
This gave Misha a sense of affinity, leading her to view them as equals.
For the sake of her vengeance, and to better manage the Tower of Karmic Fire on His Majesty's behalf, Misha always put on a mature, cool-headed facade, acting decisively and ruthlessly.
Yet despite all she had endured and how early she had been forced to grow up, at heart she was still a teenage girl.
Deep down, she longed to find "subordinates"—or rather, "companions"—she could truly get along with.
"To still offer prayers to His Majesty amid such chaos... they are worthy of becoming Dragon-Pact Sorcerers."
She looked toward the dragon-shaped statue.
A man stood before it. Though he wasn't kneeling in prayer, his expression was extraordinarily devout.
*That look in his eyes... he's practically a zealot,*
Misha thought to herself.
Little did she know, the thoughts running through this "zealot's" mind were far more scandalous—enough to warrant being burned at the stake.
Rather than devout, that look was sheer infatuation; he was practically drooling!
Blinking her eyes, Misha murmured, "He, too, is worthy of becoming a Dragon-Pact Sorcerer."
"These three Starfallen have passed the trial and proven their loyalty to me."
"All three are qualified to serve as His Majesty's emissaries—Dragon-Pact Sorcerers."
Having said this, Misha glanced back across the summit, her brows furrowing slightly as hesitation flickered in her eyes.
There was still another group of Starfallen.
They had cleared the trial and hadn't coveted the sacrificial offerings, yet they hadn't displayed any loyalty either.
After a moment's contemplation, Misha finally made up her mind.
"Hmph..."
With a cold snort, flames rippled across her stunning golden pupils.
Parting her silver teeth, she uttered a single sentence: "Teacher Trump once taught me..."
"If loyalty is not absolute, it is absolute disloyalty!"
Chapter 432