John said: "It seems to be enough for now. I plan to continue on the path of a swordsman. The money can support me to practice deeper."
Assef smiled honestly, "This money is enough for me to find a virtuous wife."
John joked: "With the reputation of following the dragon-slaying master, I'm afraid he will not only be virtuous, but also good-looking."
Assef quickly shook his head and said: "As long as you are virtuous, I don't ask for anything else."
Poincaré listened to the exchange between the two of them, and while smiling, he sighed helplessly in his heart.
This was a life-threatening journey, but they were both satisfied.
This is the fate of civilian swordsmen, and Poincaré was once one of them.
"After we successfully slay the dragon, you two can live in my territory. I will give you each half an acre of land and you will never pay taxes."
Facing the stunned expressions on their faces, Poincaré added: "I will guide John in your sword practice when the time comes."
"I will also help find Assef's wife."
John recovered from his astonishment and said, "How can I accept such a great favor from you for no reason?"
Assef also looked hesitant and couldn't figure out what Poincaré was thinking.
Poincaré smiled and said: "It's not for nothing, this is the reward that a warrior deserves."
"You followed me to the dragon's lair for the sake of the country and the people, and you deserve the reward you deserve."
Seeing what the two wanted to say, Poincaré waved his hand and said, "This matter is settled. Even if you don't want to come and live in my territory, the land must be accepted."
"Now you take the time to rest for a while. We will continue on the road in an hour."
Seeing that Poincaré was so insistent, he also vaguely wanted to give the two people's refusal the reason of not wanting to live in his territory.
John and Assef could only accept the gift gratefully.
Then, at Poincaré's urging, he leaned against a nearby tree and closed his eyes to rest.
…
The towering peaks cut straight into the sky like a sharp blade.
Halfway up the mountainside, there is a cave with a huge entrance.
There is a faint smell of snakes and fish mixed in the cave.
This is the dragon's nest.
Poincaré took a torch from John's hand and stepped into the dark cave first.
The three of them had already unloaded all their luggage at the foot of the mountain, carrying only a small amount of drinking water and dry food, and were traveling lightly.
"You two, follow me closely and report to me immediately if you notice anything unusual." Poincaré said in a deep voice.
The two agreed repeatedly.
In this way, under the insignificant firelight in front of the darkness that filled the huge cave, the three of them moved forward steadily.
After walking for about ten minutes, Poincaré suddenly stopped.
He vaguely heard some kind of sound coming from ahead, but it wasn't very clear, so he closed his eyes and listened carefully with his ears.
The sound became clearer and clearer, as noisy as ten thousand birds flying towards people in a flock.
Poincaré opened his eyes suddenly, "Get ready to meet the enemy!"
He suddenly threw the torch in his left hand forward, and the torch flew out, and the swaying firelight illuminated the front.
I saw a large group of bat-like black monsters rushing towards Poincaré and the others.
"It's the Black Barrier!" Assef shouted in horror. The sword in his hand was already gripped so tightly that it was like a steel bar welded to his palm.
Apparently excessive panic made him forget the best way to exert force when holding a sword.
John was better than him, but he also looked a little frightened.
The vampire bat is a ferocious beast that lives in dark caves. Every night, it flies out of the cave to suck the blood of animals.
They live in groups and appear like a black cloud every time they hunt.
Therefore, in Gnostic proverb, they are called black barriers.
Once you encounter a black barrier, you must hide in the water at all costs, otherwise even the largest creatures will be sucked dry by them.
The large group of vampire bats in front of them was enough to suck three people to death.
The black mass rushed toward the three of them, which was extremely oppressive.
"Get down!" Poincaré shouted, wiping the sword with his left palm, and blood blended into the sword.
He immediately waved his holy sword and slashed out a sharp sword light towards the vampire bats!
The sharp sword light immediately penetrated the oncoming vampire bat and slashed forward without stopping!
The group of vampire bats spread almost like a large net was immediately cut through by the sharp sword light, leaving a gap in the middle.
The flesh and blood of the vampire bat came like raindrops, and Poincaré called John and the two of them.
Charge forward against the pounding rain and dripping blood!
Due to the inertia of flying and striking, the vampire bat will fly forward for a certain distance, and what Poincaré and the others have to do is.
Just take advantage of this distance and run deeper inside until the vampire bats stop chasing them or are killed by them.
When Poincaré felt a voice coming from behind, he stopped, turned around and struck out with a sword.
Relying on the instantaneous killing effect of the sword light, Poincare and the others were able to run for a while.
After running like this for seven or eight minutes, Poincaré and the others finally got rid of the vampire bats' pursuit.
They rested against a corner.
It was said to be a rest, but in fact it was mainly John and Assef who ran desperately for seven or eight minutes in a row, which was really the limit for these two ordinary swordsmen in armor.
Had to stop and rest.
Poincaré, on the other hand, seemed to be more at ease. He was holding the holy sword and watching for the movements around him, and he obviously still had some energy left.
Unlike the two Johns, who had already put their hands on the wall, supporting their bodies and breathing heavily.
"This...isn't this a dragon's nest? Why is there a black barrier?" Assef panted.
John shook his head, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.
Poincaré explained: "Vampire bats are creatures that like to suck blood. When they cannot suck fresh blood, they will also eat animal flesh, whether it is fresh meat or carrion."
"There are them in the dragon's nest, mainly because they can help the dragon get rid of the leftover animal carcasses to prevent them from rotting and polluting the dragon's living environment."
"Because of this benefit, dragons tolerate them living outside their nests. Vampire bats can't suck the blood of dragons anyway. The latter's scales are the best protection."
"It can be said that dragons and vampire bats have a mutually beneficial relationship."
John and Assef gradually relaxed their breath during Poincaré's explanation, and they listened carefully to Poincaré's words.
There was some kind of awe in his eyes.
This is the caliber of the Dragon Slayer Master, who knows everything about dragons.
Assef swallowed, "Lord Poincaré, besides this vampire bat, is there anything else in the dragon's nest?"
Poincaré shook his head, "There shouldn't be any other creatures. Dragons actually have a very strong sense of territory. Unless under special circumstances, they won't want other creatures in their lair."
"Unless it's food."
