The winter morning was slightly damp and chilly, the world completely still. A faint light began to appear on the distant horizon, gently illuminating the pale blue sky as the new day began.

Barrett and EeDeChi lingered outside the castle for a moment, breathing in the fresh air that lingered in the mist. On a nearby stone step, a half-elf priestess with silver hair, draped in a white cotton robe, clasped her hands together in prayer. Green gemstone jewelry, shaped like willow leaves, wrapped around her arms as she bowed her head in morning prayer.

A young man in a dark red robe crouched beside her, lazily chewing on a sweet grass root he had just dug up from the ground. They were adventurers hired by the lord, and had naturally been granted permission to stay in the castle.

The half-elf girl's soft prayer drifted on the breeze:

"…Elariontha, my most revered goddess, in our journey through life, you give us the light of hope, your love endures through the ages.

"You uphold us with your loving hands, protect us with your warm embrace. When we are sad, you comfort us; when we face hardship, you help us; when we are ill, you heal us. We receive your blessings, walking the path you delight in…

"…To the supreme and omnipotent Dragon Progenitor, may your blazing light shine upon me, driving away the darkness in my heart; may your bloodline cleanse me, removing my filth; may you bestow upon me the power to spread my wings and soar, transcending my limits…

"Looking up to your mighty power, I yearn for you to ignite my blood. I am willing to offer my soul and life in sacrifice, seeking the strength that flows in the boiling blood…"

Once the priestess finished her prayer, she jumped down the stone steps and sweetly greeted the two "travelers."

Barrett, puzzled, called out to her:

"Just now, I heard your prayer. It seems like you prayed to two deities. The second one was 'Dragon Progenitor,' right? Isn't that a faith from outside your elven pantheon?"

The young man in the dark red robe quickly responded: "She's praying for me. My father follows the Dragon Progenitor, so I do too. But all this praying stuff is really a hassle, so I let the professionals handle it."

The young man in the red robe, Dravenir Drakos, ruffled his dark brown hair, giving a somewhat embarrassed grin. He had once told Barrett that his father was a half-dragon bandit.

"He's just too lazy," the half-elf girl, Emily Darcy, shook her head helplessly. "Anyway, the prayer for Dragon Progenitor is short, so I just help him with his morning prayer."

"Can you really pray for someone else?" EeDeChi was amazed at how many oddballs existed in this world, though she considered herself one of them. "This god called 'Dragon Progenitor' doesn't have anything to do with the elven gods, right?"

"'Dragon Progenitor' is a deity worshipped by some of the dragonborn. It's probably an ancient Dragon Lord from long ago," the half-elf girl said nonchalantly. "Anyway, 'Dragon Progenitor' has never appeared, so, goddess Elariontha won't mind me doing this."

"Don't insult my faith," Dravenir said proudly. "According to legend, as long as your faith is sincere enough, you can give up everything and summon Dragon Progenitor, who will descend with unmatched power to save the dragonborn."

"Then please pray yourself from now on. I won't insult your faith," the half-elf priestess smiled as she walked away. Dravenir hurriedly caught up to her and quickly changed his tune, saying that she could insult Dragon Progenitor all she wanted.

EeDeChi couldn't help but murmur, "Looks like this 'Dragon Progenitor' really isn't that impressive."

…

The lord, his eldest daughter, his wife, two adventurers, and two "travelers" were seated around a long table, enjoying breakfast freshly served by the castle cook.

The breakfast was quite lavish. The bread, made from wheat flour, was perfectly baked with a golden crust and an irresistible aroma of freshly baked goods. Slices of cured ham, cheese, and pancakes with fried potato shreds stacked on a porcelain plate, each one more tempting than the last.

After the frozen milk melted, it was mixed with maple syrup, brought to a boil, and cooled to room temperature, resulting in a sweet and rich taste. As for the oatmeal porridge, mutton soup, and fried cured meat, there was no shortage of variety.

Everyone had a small porcelain bowl of butter next to them. The group leisurely sliced their bread, spread the butter with their knives, and dipped it into the steaming hot mutton bone broth, chewing it slowly.

...

Halfway through the meal, a servant pushed open the door and hurried in, whispering something into Martin Smith's ear. Martin's face immediately darkened. He apologized to the others at the table and quickly left.

Soon, the sound of an argument could be heard—Lord Martin Smith was in a heated debate with someone, until a haughty voice cut him off.

Martin returned to the dining room reluctantly, followed by a fully armored man, wearing a longsword at his side and gleaming half plate armour. The man was accompanied by a gaunt, pale old mage. The man's half plate was clearly made from a mix of Mithril and Adamantite, high-quality materials adorned with a family crest inlaid with gold—elegant and intricate.

Martin Smith introduced them: the man was Angus Waverly, the Marquis, and the old mage was a high-level sorcerer. Angus Waverly had heard that the statues guarding treasure in the nearby forest had awakened and were defeated, so he led a group of family knights and mages to search for the treasure.

Angus Waverly held the title of Marquis, two ranks higher than Martin Smith's title of Viscount, so Martin had no choice but to greet him with the utmost respect.

Martin Smith spoke gently: "Waverly Marquis, you've arrived so early. Would you like to sit down and have some breakfast?"

"No need," Angus Waverly glanced disdainfully at the food on the table, his tone arrogant. "I led my men through the night, and I didn't come here for peasant food."

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

He looked down his nose, sneering as he surveyed the "travelers" and adventurers in the room. "Let's go, immediately. I heard the travelers you hired defeated the stone giant. Have them come along and lead the way."

Angus flicked his red silk cape on the back of his armor and turned to leave. The high-level mage, with his eyes half-closed, said nothing and followed him out of the dining room.

"That guy's a piece of work," EeDeChi muttered angrily as she spooned some oatmeal into her mouth.

"He's just a well-fed noble with nothing better to do," Barrett whispered. "What's his Justice Value?"

"I haven't checked his Justice Value yet," EeDeChi mumbled, still chewing the oatmeal. "But I'm pretty sure, anyone who interrupts breakfast isn't a good person."

That being said, in light of Lord Martin Smith's hospitality—providing them with excellent food and lodging—Barrett and EeDeChi, the two "travelers," along with Dravenir and Emily, the two adventurers, all set out. They followed the others to the spot where the stone golem had been destroyed yesterday.

Marquis Waverly brought along a small but well-equipped group of knights, as well as an old mage riding a white horse, exuding an air of calm confidence.

On the other hand, Martin Smith's group only had a few scattered knights and eight or nine yawning militia guards. Angus glanced at their appearances, his disdain growing even more apparent.

According to the old mage, hundreds of years ago, a legendary wizard had tried to transform himself into a lich. However, due to the low purity of the magic crystals he had purchased from unscrupulous merchants, the ritual failed.

At the brink of death, in order to ensure his lifetime's collection of treasures wouldn't be stolen, he used his final magic to scatter his wealth and magical items, sending them flying like meteors across the world. The stone golem guarding the treasure in the forest was one of his hidden hoards.

The group quickly arrived at the edge of the forest, where the stone giant's massive footprints had once trampled the ground, leaving only a pile of broken stone fragments. The only remnants were several large, solid footprints in the frozen earth, proving that these stone shards had once formed the body of the stone golem.

"Kid, I heard you're the one who defeated the statue guardian and got hailed as a hero?" Angus Waverly, riding on horseback, trotted up to EeDeChi and asked coldly.

EeDeChi turned her head away in disdain and ignored him. She pulled her scarf up a little higher, covering her face more thoroughly, leaving only her bright black eyes visible.

Barrett quickly stepped in to explain, saying his companion didn't like talking much.

"Heh, I get it," Angus smirked, riding off. "People who've never seen much tend to get full of themselves. In this backwater town, you defeat some random stone golem and suddenly you're a hero? That title is way too easy to earn."

He drew the sword from his silver-armored waist and twirled it in his hand, the blade flashing with a cold, high-level enchantment. "If I were fighting the stone golem constructs, with my family's sacred sword, 'Breath of the Cold Wind,' I could cut that golem into four pieces in three strikes."

Nearby, a servant immediately offered a compliment, saying that Marquis Waverly had been practicing martial arts since he was eight, excelling in horseback riding and martial arts.

Angus raised his sword to silence the flatterer. "Enough. I'm tired of hearing these empty praises. A strong person becomes strong not because of others' compliments, but because of their own abilities."

EeDeChi snorted and, with Barrett, skirted around the pile of broken stones, heading into the forest.

"Adventurer, you lead the way," Angus said, pointing his sword at the young man in the red robe, Dravenir Drakos. "I hope your brain isn't numbed by alcohol and you still remember the way to the treasure..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a sound like a meteor falling struck the ground, and a deafening roar shook the earth. The knights and militia guards looked up in shock and quickly turned their horses around, fleeing.

Marquis Angus Waverly nervously turned his head, his eyes filled with dread as a towering stone golem filled his view.

The stone golem that suddenly appeared lowered its massive head slightly, its giant stone eyes locking onto Angus Waverly, who was only about ten steps away.

"HELP!" Angus screamed, panicked, struggling to even hold onto the reins. Fortunately, his powerful destrier sensed the danger and immediately bolted, galloping away. Angus clung desperately to the horse's neck, nearly falling off.

But he didn't manage to outrun the stone golem's reach. The imposing creature leaned down slightly, and with two stone fingers, it pinched Angus Waverly's luxurious red cloak, lifting him off the ground. Just moments ago, Angus had been strutting around, full of himself, but now he dangled in mid-air, flailing his limbs and crying for help.

He raised his proud family's sacred sword, Breath of the Cold Wind, and struck at the stone golem's fingers, but it was futile. The sword didn't even leave a scratch on the stone surface.

The knights, who had been fleeing in panic, finally came to their senses. They shouted the slogan "Protect the Marquis!" as they rode their horses in circles around the stone golem, throwing spears at its legs.

The stone golem lifted its right foot and stomped the ground with such force that it felt like an earthquake had hit. The massive shockwave sent knights and horses tumbling, throwing them off their mounts. The horses, spooked, scrambled to their feet and fled, ignoring their fallen riders.

Fortunately, the stone golem seemed to be interested in nothing but Marquis Angus Waverly. It didn't trample the fallen knights, instead staring at Angus with its stone eyes, as though pondering what kind of creature he was.

The fallen knights scrambled to their feet and fled, with a few other cavalrymen rushing over to help them onto their horses.

Poor Angus Waverly screamed in agony, trapped under the golem's fingers, flailing like a monkey. His legs kicked and squirmed, and the area around his pants grew darker and damp, with the wetness spreading continuously.

Marquis Angus Waverly had peed his pants.

Seeing that the stone golem had no intention of harming anyone, some people—who just couldn't resist watching trouble unfold—stopped from their panicked retreat. They pointed and laughed at Angus, hanging in mid-air, held by the golem.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" The adventurer Dravenir Drakos was the first to burst out laughing.

Elite adventurers were the ones who looked down the most on noble and royal authority. Even if the person wetting their pants was the king, the adventurers would still be in stitches.

Dravenir's laughter sparked the powder keg of humor, and the militia, armed with spears and short swords, began laughing loudly as well, mocking the disgrace of Marquis Angus Waverly.

Lord Martin Smith tightly pressed his lips together, forcibly suppressing his own laughter. His knights, following the knightly code, did their best not to join the militia in their loud laughter.

The old mage, who had been pacing around the stone golem, finally couldn't sit still anymore. He pulled out his staff from his spatial ring, raised it high, and began chanting a long spell. A 4th-tier spell, Thunderstrike, hit the stone golem's knee, but it only caused a puff of gray mist. The golem stood unmoved.

The long-absent EeDeChi and Barrett appeared beside the stone golem. EeDeChi gazed at the stone golem, raised her arm, and a dazzling array of magical rings appeared around her wrist.

5th-tier spell, Earthshattering Quake!

A blinding white light exploded at the golem's feet, sending up a cloud of dirt that temporarily obscured EeDeChi's figure.

"It's a 5th-tier spell! You're a transcendent-level mage who has entered the Hero domains!" The old mage stared blankly at EeDeChi, forgetting to lower his raised staff. "I… I've lived so many years, and I still can't even recognize a Hero."

EeDeChi watched Angus Waverly, who was still dangling in mid-air, flailing and screaming. She laughed uncontrollably for a moment, holding her stomach. Then, she secretly took out the magical item she had obtained not long ago—the Constructs Storage Box.

Inside the Constructs Storage Box, there had originally been a small metal figure and a small stone sculpture, but now the stone sculpture's spot was empty.

Taking advantage of the dust and debris flying through the air from the magic, EeDeChi held the Constructs Storage Box, silently commanding, "Return to the box."

The towering stone golem, just like how it had appeared suddenly, vanished in an instant. With no support, Angus Waverly fell from mid-air and crashed heavily to the ground, immediately losing consciousness.

the Constructs Storage Box in EeDeChi's hand flickered, and the small stone sculpture reappeared.

The knights who had come with Angus circled the unconscious Marquis five times before confirming the golem had indeed vanished. They picked up Angus Waverly and, their tails between their legs, left quickly.