Chapter 733 — Stealing Knowledge

Though Tire herself often came across as rather unreliable, at least this time her advice struck Gao Yang as quite dependable.

Even if the "Ultimate Book" really was a relic of some ancient civilization long since lost, those dragons who made their fortune by safeguarding others' property and then waiting for the owners to die out probably knew of its origins, too. They might even be able to dig an intact copy out of their vaults...

To be honest, Gao Yang still felt rather guilty about accidentally wrecking the Ultimate Book.

After returning to Cecil Palace, he immediately contacted that senior agent lady through the Mithril Ring.

And just as expected, the blue dragon lady appeared before him in less than thirty minutes, as punctual and swift in answering as ever.

"The Mithril Vault is pleased to serve you," Mei Heng Ponia said, standing before Gao Yang, her features veiled by a pale violet gauze, only her slightly curved eyes betraying her smile. "This time, do you need to deposit or retrieve something, or consult about our services, or... express delivery again?"

"Never mind that for now," Gao Yang waved his hand, unable to resist asking a question he had long wanted to ask. "Why are you always able to get here so fast, as if you live right next door to me? There's no historic event for you to observe right now, so don't you have anything else to do?"

Mei Heng's professional smile seemed to stiffen for an instant, but when he looked again it was only an illusion; her smile remained as gentle as a spring breeze. "You are a key client of the Mithril Vault, so of course you receive extra attention. But this time, my being near you really is a coincidence. Please do not worry, my work will not be delayed. Every employee of the Mithril Vault is dutiful."

Looking into Mei Heng's steady, trustworthy eyes, Gao Yang could only believe her. Still, he could not help sizing her up and down a few more times. "I have another question, and it may be a bit rude, but is that the only outfit you own?"

Even in this biting winter cold, Mei Heng still wore that signature violet gauze dress with its faint hint of allure. In the past Gao Yang had never paid it much mind, but today icicles were hanging from the streetlamps in the city, and nearly everyone he saw was in winter clothing—everyone except Kamael and Niguxi, the Egg Lord—so seeing this agent lady before him now, the incongruity was especially glaring.

Mei Heng probably had not expected Gao Yang's questions today to be so pointed either; she froze for a moment at the words, then managed a somewhat stiff smile. "...You should know that I am a dragon. To me, this human form is merely for convenience in moving through human society. I... am not particularly keen on adorning my human form."

"I see," Gao Yang nodded. "Sorry, those questions were rather rude."

"It's all right. Treat it as idle chat between friends; I don't mind," Mei Heng said with a smile and a shake of her head. "So, what brings you to summon me today?"

"You could call it a consultation. We recently came into possession of something, but no one knows its origins. Still, I thought that if anyone did, it would be the dragons, with their long history... perhaps you could help."

"Thank you for your trust, but I must warn you in advance: dragons may know a little more than most, but we do not know everything, and we cannot tell you everything either," Mei Heng said, a flicker of curiosity surfacing in her eyes. "So... what exactly is this thing?"

"A book, but it isn't here. You will have to come with me," Gao Yang stood up and gestured for Mei Heng to follow. "I'll tell you on the way how we came by it..."

With a retinue of attendants, Gao Yang led Mei Heng out of the royal district, and they soon arrived near the Institute of Magical Technology. Along the way, he gave her a rough account of the Ultimate Book's origins and also mentioned what had happened near Sorenhold. The dragon lady was clearly interested in the latter; when she heard how Bei Yila had transformed into the Soren Great Tree, she could not help shaking her head and letting out a sigh. "Ah... I once saw that giant tree as I flew through the sky. Truly incredible, amazing even to a dragon... But I never imagined the tree came to be that way."

"The Finality of All Things paid with their own lives and flesh, but the things left behind in the wasteland are still disturbing. A pack of mutated druids able to survive in a magic tide environment—there's no telling what they are brewing right now," Gao Yang said with a furrowed brow. "Even with your abilities, is there no way you could fly over the Great Wall and scout the situation inside?"

Gao Yang was tempted to borrow Mei Heng's power as a dragon to investigate the Gondor wasteland. After all, that wasteland was home to a powerful interference energy field, and even his satellite surveillance could not see clearly inside it. But he also knew that he and the Mithril Vault only had a lukewarm "friendship"; he could neither give Mei Heng orders nor issue the Mithril Vault a commission "beyond the scope of its services." So at this moment he was merely speaking offhandedly, without much expectation.

Yet after hearing Gao Yang's words, Mei Heng thought seriously for two seconds, then nodded. "Actually, I can fly over that barrier. My maximum flight altitude is more than enough to cross it."

Gao Yang raised an eyebrow at that, a flicker of hope rising despite himself. "Then..."

"But I'd die as soon as I flew in," Mei Heng continued.

Gao Yang: "..."

Then what was the point of saying that! Humans could do that too—just interface with the elves' control center, open a temporary entrance in the barrier, and Gao Yang could march a squad of infantry right through it without even sneaking. But what good would that do? They'd die too...

"Actually, you wouldn't necessarily die," Mei Heng added, apparently feeling her answer had not been professional enough. "It's just that the danger is extremely, extremely high. The chaotic magic environment is very harmful even to dragons, and the thunderstorm environment in the wasteland's cloud layer is the greatest threat to entering from the air. And on the ground there are countless aberrations and energy hurricanes. According to our estimates, even for a young dragon trained in combat, the death rate within twenty-four hours of entering the central region of the Gondor wasteland approaches ninety percent..."

Gao Yang thought it over and concluded that what Mei Heng said was no different from before—still death.

"Then forget it," he waved his hand. "I was just speaking offhandedly. Don't take it to heart."

As they spoke, they had arrived at the door of the laboratory where the Ultimate Book was kept.

The accompanying guards and attendants took over the defense of the laboratory entrance. The staff responsible for maintaining the facility opened the lab doors, and Gao Yang led Mei Heng into this tightly secured room. The Ultimate Book still lay quietly on the round platform in the center of the room, protected by a ring of fencing and a layer of shielding.

Gao Yang pointed at the large black-bound book on the platform. "That's it. You..."

As he spoke, he looked toward Mei Heng beside him, but the rest of his sentence caught in his throat.

Mei Heng was staring fixedly at the Ultimate Book on the platform. The calm, unruffled air this dragon lady always maintained had at some point vanished without a trace. She hardly bothered to conceal the gravity and vigilance in her gaze, and that stern look made Gao Yang realize one thing in an instant:

Mei Heng knew the secret of the "Ultimate Book"!

"From the look of you, you most likely know the Ultimate Book's origins," Gao Yang quickly reined in his surprise and spoke to draw Mei Heng's attention back. "Seems I really did find the right person this time."