"Fuck off, it's my tamed animal," Lone said to the guards that were panicking and who were trying to attack Infa.

A frown covered the foxkin's face. 'I expected some panic like at Count Lorton's estate, but really? Mystopolis - the home of The Academy and The Adventurer's Guild's headquarters, is really so easily startled by a B-ranked dragon that's clearly under someone's control? That's just stupid considering how many X-rankers are in this city. Would they have reacted differently to Garadia? I am kinda using Infa as a test, but to be fair, he's not exactly cute and cuddly.'

Lone used his Ascending Aura on the guards and knights that were trying so desperately to stop him and Infa from entering the city, forcing them to their knees.

Perhaps thirty seconds had passed after that when Lone suddenly felt an unfamiliar and quite clearly powerful soul arrive at the gate. Something about this soul seemed... off, but regardless, it was still one of the most powerful souls that Lone had ever sensed, so he was immediately on guard.

Glancing to the peak of the amber walls, Lone saw a very displeased old man staring back down at him.

This man had a long white beard and luscious silver locks. He was adorned in beautifully crafted robes that make him look both regal and powerful, however, his left arm seemed to sag lifelessly.

"How dare you try to invade my city with a monster. Some gall you have just because you're set to be that Erion boy's disciple," the elderly-looking man said very softly, but Lone was still somehow able to hear the man as if he was stood right next to him.

'This guy's a Divine... Is he the city lord?' Lone wondered as he began formulating plans to deal with the man who was quite clearly threatening him.

"I'm not invading anywhere. Are you as stupid as your soldiers are?" he asked as he looked at the presumed city lord with a disdainful glance. 'Think I'll let you bully me 'cause you're a Divine? Fuck you. I'll kick your fuckin' ass if you insist that I'm invading this place.'

Infa wanted to bury himself beneath the land and simply fade away from existence. 'Why is the foxkin being so rude to that incredibly powerful presence? I knew it! It was a terrible idea to believe him and follow him here...'

"Hmmpf." The elderly man walked off of the walls and stepped onto the air. He peacefully strolled down to the ground as he kept his narrowed eyes fixed onto Lone and Infa. "You know not who you are provoking, Fox. Do you think that because you managed to kill those charlatan Seekers that I shall just roll over and do as you please?"

Lone scoffed. "You're the city lord, right? And a Divine? Who gives a fuck? Let me and my tamed monster in. I don't honestly want to put you in your place, but I'll do it if you force my hand."

"Why you little inr-"

"Ahahahaha!" Thunderous laughter filled everyone's ears as Grand Guildmaster Sarah lightly jogged through the western gate. "I'd heard that ya were out here causin' trouble, Patches, but I didn't expect ya to have tamed a dragon then immediately start a pissin' contest with ol' Sammy Dickless here!"

"Sammy Dickless? What? Is this guy a eunuch?" Lone asked seriously.

The elderly man in question clenched his right fist tightly and his face burned red with fury. "How dare you call me that, you barbarian of a woman!"

Sarah laughed in his face. "I says 'em how I sees 'em, Sammy. Anyhoo, why're ya botherin' my good buddy Patches here?"

"The guards assumed I was invading the city just because I'm riding a dragon," Lone answered in the presumed city lord's place. "I mean, come on. How stupid can you get? Sure, I can understand the guards a little, but this guy's a Divine. You'd think he'd have more brains than your average Joe."

'Sammy Dickless' certainly didn't appreciate Lone's mocking words and tone. He shifted his eyes back and forth between Sarah and Lone before he said, "This is far from over, Fox." With that, he swished his right sleeve in an exaggerated manner before he walked back into the city.

The grand guildmaster shouted loudly enough for all of the nearby knights and soldiers to hear her. "Ya heard the big man himself, didn't ya? The dragon's under the protection of The Adventurer's Guild, so bugger off!"

No one could really retort her since she was one of the three Divines that lived in this city as well as the leader of the most powerful continent-wide organisation. Her political clout was so great that only the city lord could dare to argue with her over this matter.

Lone rescinded his Ascending Aura and smiled as he encouraged Infa to walk through the city gates. Sarah strolled alongside the creature made of rocks. "I'm surprised, Patches." She placed a palm on the side of Infa's deformed face and stroked it gently. "You really tamed it, huh?"

Infa felt strange. With his connection to the land, he was able to determine that this presence that was touching him had absolutely no negative feelings towards himself. 'Does this presence know me...? No, maybe its a dragon in disguise? The human world sure is scary...'

Lone raised an eyebrow at Sarah's question. "You expected me to?"

"Call it a hunch. I'm pretty good at figurin' out my precious little adventurers and their motives," she replied with a shrug. "Also, I sensed little to no killing intent from ya when ya and the girl left to do the quest." Sarah then scanned Infa's back. "Speakin' of which, where's Soph?"

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"Not here," Lone replied sarcastically.

"Right ya are," the grand guildmaster noted as she clasped her hands behind her head and started whistling.

'Why does this woman act so... nonchalant around me? First, she baits me with potential info about returning to Earth, then she specifically tells me about a quest involving the entire Crimson Foxkin Clan, now she protects me from a fellow Divine like it's nothing? This is fishy. Really fuckin' fishy...' Lone was worried that the woman had a hidden agenda that was lurking beneath her blunt attitude, and she was just waiting to pounce on him at the soonest opportunity.

Sarah saw the way that Lone was looking at her, so she winked at him. "I appreciate your passionate gaze, Patches, but I already told ya that I've a preference for clits, not cocks, right?"

Lone rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes you did."

He left the topic for now. Lone had something more important to do right now than to worry about Sarah, after all. He needed to stay up all night tonight to watch over Infa in secrecy to see what the people of Mystopolis would try now that they knew that the dragon was in this city and was seemingly docile.

'Garadia is perfectly happy in The Summoning Room, but I want to show her the world in person, plus, I'd like it if she could become friends with Infa and win him over to stay with us permanently. No dragon is weak regardless of how useless his tribe thought he was,' Lone concluded as he, Infa and Sarah trod through the city towards the guild district.

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"No increase in my plate's rank this time?" Lone asked after he officially turned in Count Lorton's emergency request.

"Nope. Ye'r close though, so do another quest or two and ye'll be a white-gold plate," Sarah replied casually.

The Adventurer's Guild still had a few people loitering around inside, but it was currently just past midnight, so most of the people here were either heading back to their rented rooms on the third-through-sixth floor, or they were simply getting drunk. Only the occasional group or solo adventurer were here this late to hand in a completed quest.

Lone scratched the back of his head as he sighed lightly. "Look, I'm not really sure how to say this, but thanks."

"What for?" the grand guildmaster asked curiously.

"For helping with that Divine being. That was the city lord, right? I was honestly fine on my own, but I know you were just trying to help me avoid even more trouble than I've already gotten myself into," Lone explained.

Sarah waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine. I know what it's like to have a million flies buzzing around ya all at once. One less ain't much, but hey, it's one less than a million, ain't it? And yeah, that was the lord of Mystopolis. 'Duke Samual Drendon', or Sammy Dickless, as I like to call him."

Sarah wandered off to a table full of intoxicated adventurers and grabbed one of their drinks. None complained after seeing who their beer thief was, instead, they laughed it off.

She then returned to Lone's side and took a few swigs of her beverage. "The guy's a total cunt. Wanna know why he's called Sammy Dickless?"

'Man, her language is just as foul as mine is,' Lone commented internally as he smirked. "Sure, why not?"

"'Cause the bastard ain't a true Divine. He tricked his way past the triple-X-rank barrier, as a result, the old bastard can't use his cock or his left arm. Not even the pinnacle saint of The Healer's Association could cure him!  Fuckin' hilarious, right? Hahahaha!" Sarah roared.

Lone cared very little about the man's uncurable limpness, however, one thing that she'd said did, in fact, catch the foxkin's interest. "Did you just say that he tricked his way past? How? That's possible?"

Sarah shrugged. "Not the foggiest clue, Patches. Erion's the one who said he cheated. I've never known Erion to lie to me, so I believe him."

Lone frowned. 'Is this related to that triple-X-ranker army back at the world tree? Damn... If it is, then I should investigate this duke a bit...'

"Why the long face, Bud?" Sarah asked as she lightly slapped Lone's shoulder.

"I'm just thinking about how pretty much every duke that I've met up to this point has been a real piece of shit. I was kinda hoping that trend had both started and ended in Milindo," Lone confessed as he smiled bitterly.

"I heard about what happened to ya in that backwater country. It's hard for me to exert my influence so far from the headquarters even despite how obvious it was that ya were set up. Sorry about that, Patches," Sarah said with a short laugh.

Lone shrugged. "I managed. Besides, Gilbert did everything that he could to help me. I mean, that fucked him over in the short term, but it was the thought that counted."

"Right ya are!" Sarah loudly replied as she finished her drink and invited Lone for a round of ale or two.

He politely refused and decided to return to Infa who he had left outside for a while.

The massive dragon was calmly sitting on the cobbled road like an unmoving boulder. He rumbled to life as soon as he felt Lone approaching him. "I do not like this place."

Lone put a hand on the baby's front arm and patted it lightly. "I'm sorry. I know you're uncomfortable."

"... Is it possible for you to bring me into that 'pocket dimension' that you mentioned earlier? The presences that have been focusing on me are... disturbing," Infa requested with a certain innocence and purity in his shaken and mildly frightened voice.

'Damn it. He may be a ten-foot-long dragon made of stone, but he's still a kid... Oh well. I guess I'll can the plan to use him as a test tonight.' As heartless as he wanted to be with the baby dragon, Lone's inner teacher couldn't help but accept the creature's request after hearing the tremble in its gravelly voice.

"Sure, but it won't be the same pocket dimension. I'll be sending you to another one where three of my friends are staying. If they ask you any questions, just explain what happened, okay? They won't attack you. They'd be retarded to think that I lost the key to The Glade or something," Lone said confidently.

"... Thank you." It was a constant struggle to fight his instincts which were screaming at him to flee and get as far away as he possibly could from Lone and this city, but Infa was truly thankful from the bottom of his heart for the foxkin's willingness to be kind to him. Even for a dragon, acceptance and kindness could go a long way.

"No problem, Big Guy," Lone said with a light sigh as he used his anvil and forge necklace to send Infa into The Glade.

After that, he shoved his hands into his pocket and strolled through the city as he headed back to The Palace of Rest at a leisurely pace.

When he was about ten minutes away from the hotel, a signal ran through his mechanical glasses. "What the... George shattered his communication orb?"

Lone's expression turned grim. "Soph's out of action for now, so I'm gonna have to run... Don't die before I get there, George, Scott," he mumbled under his breath before he put as much power as he could into his legs and jumped into the air.

He then utilised his skill, Sky Walking, and bolted through the air in a straight line towards Madam Cortelle's Palace of Rest.

Perhaps tonight wouldn't be a bloodless evening after all. Lone could only hope that the boys had smashed the orb by mistake because if not, there would be hell to pay. The only question was, who would be the one paying?