Westminster Bank

Chapter 270: Chapter 167: Dragon Guide Baron

Howard said, "No, Governor. It’s more than that. He is exceptionally favored by the [Mystery]."

Hoover said, "Davis, many are favored by the [Mystery]. Those few S Level operatives at Westminster are the best examples, but you also know the trouble they bring along with them...

If Baron Constantin were to clear himself of those accusations, he would undoubtedly be an excellent containment operative. The problem is, he hasn’t. As Vice Governor, you should know better than I that luck is part of containment."

Howard’s expression was complicated. "He’s a Dragon Knight. He has the Golden Eye."

"There have been no Dragon Knights in this world since the fall of the Dragon Clan... Do you know which Dragon Descendant he has a contract with? A pure-blooded subspecies, or perhaps a third or fourth-generation one?"

Hoover said, "Besides, six years ago, he was the infamous Bloodless from the Inner Side who had his engagement broken off. Even if he did become a Dragon Knight, what Dragon Species of the third generation or higher would willingly choose him as their Contract Knight?

As a professor of Mystical Biology in Edinburgh, you should know better than I that a member of the Dragon Race will only contract with a single Knight in its lifetime."

"If you just want to make his position official, it’s actually quite simple. As long as he meets the containment standards for the requisite Taboo Items, we can handle it easily without making a public announcement.

But truly granting him an S Level title is not something I can do right now. That would undoubtedly require the approval of the board of directors.

You know what those old foxes are like. Nothing short of Gold will make them bend their principles, to say nothing of the fact that recruiting Mr. Constantine would be tantamount to directly confronting the entire Old Descendant World."

Hoover gazed at the massive shadow thousands of miles away, gnawing on the roots of a tree. "Especially after my decision to sell the Elves insurance on the World Tree."

Hoover said, "That Mr. Baron is in a difficult position, and so are we... We’ll have to see if a Dragon Slayer capable of drawing the Dragon Spear appears at the Beowulf Family’s Dragon Hunting Ceremony."

"In the thousand years since its inception, no one has ever drawn the Dragon Spear from its Trial," Howard said. "The election of the Beowulf Family Patriarch is merely a matter of seeing who can activate more of the Nine Dragon Patterns on the spear."

"Which means no one will ever be able to put an end to the Dragon King and the Mad Dragon... And that’s not all... Because I have to fulfill my insurance obligations, I’m stuck in this godforsaken place every day... staring at this smoggy, sunless sky..."

Governor Hoover casually formed a spell seal, sighed, and recited an old proverb in a strange accent, "Tread on frost, and solid ice will follow."

"What do you mean by that?" Howard asked.

"Send someone to the Dragon Spear ceremony and see who activates the most Dragon Patterns," Hoover said. "Even if they still can’t wield the Dragon Spear, that person might at least be the one most likely to stop the Dragon King from acting so insane."

"Governor, are you planning to sell them insurance?"

"Of course... what insurance? I mean, if an Old Race from the Beowulf Family activates six or more Dragon Patterns this time, Westminster Bank is willing to partner with them and grant them VIP client status."

Hoover continued, "Although Nidhogg has been infected by Madness and gnaws on the roots of the World Tree all day to maintain his sanity, he has one hour of clarity each month. The Dragon Spear is said to be imbued with some of his aura, so the more Dragon Patterns a person activates, the more of the Dragon King’s aura they are exposed to."

"We can use this to our advantage and launch a plan."

Howard’s interest was piqued. "What plan?"

"Operation: Hunt the Mad Dragon."

"The Mad Dragon?" Howard’s mind couldn’t keep up. Weren’t they just talking about the Dragon King Nidhogg? Why had the topic suddenly shifted to the Mad Dragon sealed beneath Traitor’s Cliff?

In response, Governor Hoover just smiled. He pinched his fingers together as if calculating something, and his graying eyebrows suddenly shot up. "Oh no! There’s a bad omen for 1988. Could it be a financial crisis?"

Governor Hoover was the third governor of Westminster People’s Bank. He was of mixed Chinese and British descent, a professional Daoist, and a firm believer that finance was metaphysics.

Hu was his surname, Fo his given name.

...

Beowulf Manor. The site of the Dragon Hunting Ceremony.

Following Isabella’s gesture, everyone present turned their gazes toward Baron and his companion, Jack, who hadn’t managed to flee in time. Of everyone, the two "Silver Masks" surrounded by numerous Dragon Guides paid the most attention.

The two of them had glanced at Baron from a distance earlier and could tell at a glance that his Silver Mask was fake. Although the design was the same, its color was a shade too white.

It was less a "Silver Mask" and more a "White Mask."

And these "White Masks" were typically worn by swindlers in the European Region who posed as Silver Dragon Guides to make money.

Of course, only the two of them, being genuine "Silver Masks," could spot the difference. An ordinary Black Iron or Bronze Mask-wearer would likely have been fooled.

Out of professional ethics, one of the two was about to expose the fraud, but the other stopped him.

The reasons were as follows:

They were both paid to do a job—namely, to help their respective employers compete for the title of Patriarch. This made them rivals.

The only people present who would hire a Silver Dragon Guide for the Trial were the Dragon Slayers of the Beowulf Family. By probability, excluding their own employers, Jose and Tune, the most likely candidates were the fourth son, Denero, and the eldest daughter, Isabella.

No matter which candidate had hired him, bringing a fake Silver Dragon Guide to the event was advantageous to their own employers.

If their employer won the position of Patriarch, not only would the reward be generous, but they could also use the Patriarch’s letter of recommendation to apply for a promotion to Golden Dragon Guide in Iceland.

Hearing this, the other Silver Mask understood and immediately dropped the subject.

They just didn’t expect what would happen next. After a short while, the White Mask was gone. A little while after that, he was practically dragged back by the Beowulf Family’s Demon Hunters.