Redscale Conqueror!

The four hastened forward along the flaming path. A fawning smile broke across Mantou's face. He wanted to use his own wits to win back the favorability Singo had cost them. "Respected sir, why have you summoned us here? Just say the word, and this humble one will gladly go to any lengths for you—braving mountains of blades or seas of fire!" [Favorability -5.] [The Mysterious Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer, Cassius, has an opinion of you of -10 (Mild Disgust).] The smile instantly froze on Mantou's face. *Why did it drop instead of going up?!* *Damn it, why is this mysterious NPC so high-maintenance?* he cursed frantically in his head. A faint, barely perceptible trace of amusement surfaced on Cassius's face. He thought, *Do you think I don't know what you lot are like? You're definitely cursing me behind my back right now.* Outwardly, however, he spoke in an airy, unbothered tone: "Starfallen from parts unknown, I didn't summon you here to listen to your nonsense." [You have issued a quest to the players Wo Qu Chi Mantou, Singo, Xiaye Qiuyu, and Tiansheng Zhankuang.] Singo said concisely, "Please go ahead." The half-dragon sorcerer looked down upon them, radiating a powerful aura as light flickered within his golden eyes. "Since you were born in the City of Baator, it is naturally the design of fate. Go and learn of this place's brief history—or the older tales of the tieflings, of the Cinder Nest. You will discover something new." A quest refreshed on everyone's panels. [Investigate the Story of the Tieflings] [Quest Description: This group of tieflings, branded as 'fiend spawn,' never belonged here. They were once hunted and butchered, yet with astounding willpower, they migrated across vast distances, building their own city on this monster-infested Storm Heights in just five short years. What exactly did they endure five years ago? And what drove them to migrate here and join the Cinder Nest?] [Quest Reward: +500 Cinder Nest Faction Contribution] "So the reward is Faction Contribution..." Singo's voice sounded somewhat disappointed. Only out of respect for Cassius being an important NPC did he swallow back the rest of the thought: *Not even a dog would want that.* Even Tiansheng Zhankuang and Xiaye Qiuyu looked let down. Both had read Singo's strategy guide. Faction Contribution currently served no purpose whatsoever. While it might prove immensely useful down the line, in the early game it was nothing more than an empty promise. "Wait... take a look at this!" "Quick, look at the shop interface!" Mantou's voice trembled with excitement. "Damn it, what are you freaking out for?" Startled by Mantou's sudden outburst, Singo cursed under his breath, though he still instinctively pulled up the menu. [The Mysterious Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer, Cassius, has unlocked his personal shop for you.] Unlike ordinary merchant NPCs, the interface for this lofty and enigmatic Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer was divided into three tabs: the Adamantine Shop, the Mithral Shop, and the General Shop. The General Shop carried items no different from those sold by standard vendors—an assortment of iron swords, leather armor, potions, crafting materials, and food. Though plentiful, none of it seemed particularly special. "So what? I can get my hands on plenty of this stuff." Yet as he browsed further down, Singo stood flabbergasted. It took him a long while before he choked out two words: "Holy... shit." Starting from the Mithral Shop, the inventory underwent a complete transformation. It displayed rare-tier equipment that had never been seen since the closed beta began, including items like the Whisper Greatsword, the Emerald Dragonscale Sword, the Carved Wooden Staff, and the Hunter Longbow. Better yet, there was a dazzling array of gear—over a hundred pieces in total! The interwoven mana auras shimmering across them left the players utterly entranced. Singo scrolled through the item descriptions, his expression growing euphoric as he muttered under his breath, "Whisper Greatsword... Whisper tree roots extend from the hilt, silencing the target on hit—an early-game god-tier weapon with incredible versatility. Dragonscale Shield, comes with an anti-dragon aura, specialized gear designed specifically for dragon bosses. Hunter Longbow, applies Hunter's Mark in a single aim, early-game end-game gear for my archer-fighter build..." Yet the moment he glanced at the prices below, his heart sank halfway into his chest. Most of these items cost dozens of gold coins, and the few rare-tier early-game artifacts were priced at over a hundred gold. Even a pro player like him could hardly scrape together that much. Only those massive, deep-pocketed guilds could probably afford one or two. In truth, these heavily marked-up items were never intended for solo players like Singo anyway; Cassius had put them out specifically to fleece the major guilds. Then Singo caught the requirement listed at the top of the shop. [Mithral Shop: Unlocks at 3,000 Cinder Nest Faction Contribution.] Singo drew a sharp breath. "Looks like I was wrong. Faction Contribution is actually crucial!" Cassius's golden eyes narrowed slightly, a sneer rising in his heart. *Keep disparaging my Faction Contribution, you punk. You made it so nobody wanted to take the brick-hauling quests, forcing me to budget my own coin. Now you see how good it is, don't you?!* Cassius's status had shifted from a hardworking wage slave in his past life to a faction leader in this one, and as his status rose, his mentality naturally evolved with it. Now that he was the boss, the only thing on his mind was ruthless player exploitation. First squeeze a batch of gold coins out of them through the invitations, then wring out their labor through Faction Contribution requirements. As for buying gear? The players would simply tell themselves they could squeeze out a few more gold coins. Pool everything together, and they would always manage to scrape up enough. What, you say you still can't afford it? Worst comes to worst, there's always installment plans—just a tiny bit of interest, as long as you make your daily payments. After all, Cassius wasn't some devil. He was merely an ordinary red dragon, quite willing to help every player fulfill their dream of donning full god-tier gear. "Sing-dog, take a look at the Adamantine Shop," Mantou prompted, his tone already somewhat numb. Singo didn't bother arguing over Mantou's nickname and simply brought up the interface. [Adamantine Shop: Unlocks at 10,000 Cinder Nest Faction Contribution.] Still that familiar Faction Contribution requirement at the start. Only, the Adamantine Shop didn't feature a wide variety of wares. Just a sparse few items were displayed on the interface—and all of them were priced directly in Faction Contribution! Singo's eyes locked onto the descriptions of those few items. "Dragon Blood Elixir: Initiates the quest for the sorcerer subclass, Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer. Price: 4,500 Faction Contribution." "This is... Crimson Scale: Initiates the quest for the fighter prestige class, Redscale Conqueror. Price: 9,800 Faction Contribution." [Redscale Conqueror] [Prerequisites: Large draconic mount, dragon bloodline, Fighter base level 3, +4 Riding proficiency bonus] [Class Description: When the dragon's roar echoes from afar, the Redscale Conquerors descend from the heavens astride massive, brutal draconic beasts, bringing endless flames and utter ruin upon their foes.] Mantou gritted his teeth, stoking a fierce resolve as an unprecedented determination flared in his eyes. "Nobody stop me—I'm going to be a dragon knight!"