Greystone City was a small city on the border of the Kingdom of Halen, facing the Blackthorn Forest.
If the monsters in the forest launched a full-scale invasion, it could perhaps serve as a decent outpost.
Normally, most of those passing through the city gates were travelers, traveling merchants, and bottom-dwelling adventurers who lived on the edge of a blade. Inside the city, only a small garrison of kingdom troops maintained order.
Recently, adventurer parties and solo travelers from neighboring towns had been converging on Greystone City. Within the city, farmers hauled stones to the top of the walls, assisting craftsmen in reinforcing them, as if bracing for an impending storm.
At dusk, the afterglow of the setting sun spread across the kingdom's border, coating the treetops of the Blackthorn Forest in a layer of gold.
Right at that moment, the hurried rumble of carriage wheels echoed from the gravel road in the forest.
A dust-covered carriage broke through the mist between the trees, emerging from the depths of the forest and speeding toward Greystone City.
The carriage body was caked in mud and grass clippings, with claw marks from monsters and several crudely made arrows still lodged in its corners.
There were four people in the adventurer party aboard the carriage. Kate, the warrior driving the carriage, gripped the reins tightly, looking back nervously toward the compartment from time to time.
Inside the compartment, a thick layer of sand and dirt covered the floor. In the central depression lay a “bedsheet” inscribed with magical runes, upon which a giant, half-a-person-tall egg rested quietly.
The dark red shell was covered in fine scale patterns, continually radiating heat even through the shell, making the temperature inside the carriage noticeably higher than outside.
From time to time, an extremely faint, heartbeat-like tremor pulsed from within the egg.
A live red dragon egg.
Inside the carriage, the door curtain and windows were completely sealed. Lina, the mage and party leader, sat to one side of the egg, her staff hovering above it as she maintained a magical barrier that masked its presence.
Her robe, which served both as thermal insulation and heat resistance, was the very “bedsheet” beneath the dragon egg; paired with the sand and dirt, it prevented the continuous heat radiating from the dragon egg from burning through the carriage's oak floorboards.
Veil, the ranger, peered through a crack between the wooden planks at the back of the carriage, watching vigilantly for any movement behind them.
Bol, the dwarf shield guardian, stood guard on the other side, one hand resting on the warhammer at his waist and the other holding his refined iron round shield measuring one meter in diameter, ready to strike at the slightest sign of trouble.
What they guarded against was not just monsters, but adventurers like themselves.
“Kate, faster. We must make it back to Greystone City before dark. My mana won’t last much longer.”
Lina’s voice was hoarse and her brows were tightly knit. Whether from the dragon egg's intense heat or the heavy drain on her mana, fine beads of sweat already covered her forehead.
The red dragon egg in the carriage was simply far too important to this adventurer party known as Gray Feather. In terms of value, handing the dragon egg over to the prominent figures in the city could be exchanged for magic potions and class scrolls—items so rare they could hardly be bought with money, often only seen at auctions.
The rewards gained would be enough for every member of the party, all of whom were currently Third-Tier practitioners, to step into the Fourth-Tier, joining the ranks of Mid-Tier practitioners, or perhaps go even further.
By comparison, the gold coins and colored crystals retrieved from the dragon's nest were far less conspicuous, and all those riches were currently stored in a wooden crate in the corner.
This also made the party realize that the so-called red dragon treasure did not seem to be like what the bards sang of in taverns—seas of gold coins and mountains of gems.
Or perhaps this red dragon had a clever way of hiding its treasure, and their party simply hadn't found it.
In any case, they had merely accepted a scouting quest issued by Viscount Cullen at the Adventurers' Guild. Thanks to the favor of the Goddess of Luck, not only was the quest completed smoothly, but they had also obtained gains beyond their wildest imagination.
With night approaching, the outline of the city could already be seen at the end of the gravel road in the distance. Over the party members' tense, visibly exhausted faces, a flicker of joy also emerged.
What they did not know was that within the red dragon egg returning with them slept a soul from another world.
Lin Feng, an overworked wage slave who had graduated two years ago and completely blended into the city.
Working nine to ten, with only one day off or no breaks at all, and a meager base salary, the passion he possessed upon graduation had long since been drained dry by endless overtime, proposal revisions, taking the blame, and running errands.
Today was another night of working overtime late into the evening. Turning off the company's last light, Lin Feng dragged his exhausted body out through the office building's front doors.
In one hand, he carried takeout that had long gone cold, and in the other, he clutched a phone that was nearly out of battery, his mind still dwelling on the reports due first thing tomorrow morning.
Perhaps he truly was too tired.
His body moved like a machine along the night road.
Suddenly, a sharp horn blared behind him. Lin Feng did not even have time to turn around.
The screech of brakes, the violent friction of tires against the pavement, and the crash of impact all erupted in an instant.
Immediately after, a silhouette was sent soaring through the air...
When he regained consciousness, Lin Feng felt as though he were trapped in a dream. Darkness enveloped him on all sides; drifting between clarity and stupor, an unfamiliar name echoed repeatedly in his ears.
“Kael Traven Kragor...”
Could the legends of reincarnation through gods and buddhas actually be real?
And this time, into a foreigner?
No...
That was, until countless jumbled fragments of information flooded into his consciousness.
“Continent of Veland... red dragon... muscle... magma... treasure...”
A foreign... dragon?
Lin Feng realized that he might have reincarnated into another world, just like the characters in the anime and shows he watched in his spare time. The flood of information in his mind was the so-called draconic heritage.
Faced with this thunderbolt of news, Lin Feng actually accepted it without the slightest sense of dissonance, and a trace of joy even welled up within him.
Toward the knowledge and skills that could help him survive and thrive, Lin Feng approached them with virtually the same diligence he had once devoted to preparing for the college entrance exam—learning, organizing, summarizing...
...
Ahead, the city gate built of gray stone was visible in the distance, with a few flags of the Kingdom of Halen sparsely planted atop the walls.
The closer they drew to the city gate, the more stifling the party's atmosphere became.
The red dragon egg could not be discovered by anyone. Given the “rustic simplicity” of this small border city, if such a priceless treasure were exposed, four more adventurers' corpses would turn up in the wilderness outside the city tomorrow.
Standing between the monster-infested, peril-laden wilderness and the town protected by walls was this very city gate—or rather, the guards stationed at it.
Inside the carriage, Lina the mage lowered her voice and warned, “Kate, stay calm. Keep your expression natural, just like we’re returning to hand in a quest as usual.”
Veil the ranger exchanged a glance with Lina and draped the cloak that could mask presence over the red dragon egg. Although its heat insulation could not compare to a mage's robe, it would be enough to hold out for a short while.
Lina also ceased casting; otherwise, the fluctuations of magic would be far too conspicuous.
Bol the dwarf stepped to the front of the carriage. With his broad armor and shield, he could just block the line of sight toward the dragon egg if someone lifted the curtain from outside.
Soon, the carriage arrived at the city gate and was stopped by two guards clad in leather armor and bearing spears.
These past few days, a massive influx of adventurers had poured into Greystone City, making the entry inspections much stricter than usual. Naturally, the city gate guards' pockets were also far heavier than before.
“Halt for inspection!”
Wearing a black iron breastplate, the leading guard captain stepped forward in front of the carriage, his face stern as he spoke coldly.
Kate calmly reined in the horses without showing the slightest panic, stood up from the driver's seat, hopped down from the carriage, and said with a hint of flattery, “Good evening, Captain. Gray Feather party, returning to report after completing a scouting quest in the Blackthorn Forest.”
“Mm, step out for inspection,” the guard captain nodded, his gaze sweeping over the tightly sealed carriage. “With recent unrest on the border and rampant smuggling, all adventurers must disembark for inspection, and all cargo must be verified.”
As the guards prepared to step forward, any close inspection would inevitably expose the dragon egg.
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