The Ultimate Weapon of Magic and Science

Nidhogg, whose head was no longer burning with fever, subconsciously held his forehead. He quickly understood what Li Lin was saying, as he wasn't actually that dumb.

Soon enough, Nidhogg figured out that the masterminds behind the gang of robbers who had gone to meet Mafa were none other than the Count and Bishop of Audi-ria, a small border town. On this relatively barren piece of land, the Count of Audi-ria wanted to make some extra pocket money, so he got one of his distant relatives—a scumbag who wouldn't be missed if he died—to be the leader of the robber gang. This scumbag gathered his followers through various means and secretly controlled the entire gang of robbers as they pillaged passing wealthy merchants. The church, which provided information on merchant groups, took a cut from each plunder.

While such gangs of robbers were not everywhere, they were also not extinct. Nidhogg didn't feel any pressure or difficulty in raiding these scoundrels and murderers, but as Li Lin had reminded him, these greedy nobles tended to be incredibly brave when it came to defending what didn't belong to them.

"Those money-hungry bastards... so annoying," he sighed.

The high emotions completely receded so thoroughly that Nidhogg didn't even realize that what he said was more like describing himself—a stingy Black Dragon that would hysterically spew Dragon Breath for half a day at anyone who dared take even a single Denier from him.

"Forget about that rotten idea that would only lead to terrible outcomes. There are far more effective ways to make money without wasting energy and time," Li Lin advised.

"More... efficient?"

In Nidhogg's perception, there was no faster way to make money than robbery or theft. Whether it was the church collecting a one-tenth tax or the nobles collecting rent, there was always waiting involved, and one could only hope for Mafa to bless this land with favorable weather and four seasons of prosperity. If luck was not on their side and they faced droughts, floods, pests, wars, or plagues, even squeezing the people dry would only yield limited profits. That's why they secretly controlled bandits to plunder passing merchant groups and subsidize themselves.

Confusion due to a lack of understanding once again appeared on Nidhogg's face.

"For example, paper money, quantitative easing, credit cards, futures, real estate, bonds, bond rating guarantees (note)... but these capital operation methods of making money are too complicated for you, and our primitive capital accumulation is far from being able to manipulate these dangerous games," Li Lin explained.

"Those... incomprehensible words... sound like scams..." Nidhogg said skeptically.

"Indeed, they are scams," Li Lin admitted.

"You actually admit it?!"

"'There's no such thing as a free lunch,' and 'Money doesn't grow on trees'—even a three-year-old child would know these simple truths, but they've never stopped people from dreaming of getting rich overnight. When they put their money into someone else's pocket, they have no reason to forget these simple truths either. So, there's not much sympathy to be had for those poor fools," Li Lin retorted.

"Uh... so..." Nidhogg trailed off, uncertain.

Should they have killed the gang leader even if he had revealed the location where they had hidden the treasure? This blatant abuse of power remained unspoken. But looking at it from another angle, the man leading the gang had deserved no pity for plundering and murdering the people passing through the area. Moreover, he didn't have any value left to exploit.

Regardless of the man's desperate pleas for mercy, his fate had already been sealed.

"It's better that he's dead," thought Nidhogg.

Maybe the answer was that simple...

"There's also this simple reason: lying was the main cause of his death," Li Lin added, steering the conversation in another direction after sensing Nidhogg's hesitation.

"As long as you provide valuable items and information, your life will be spared," Li Lin had offered with a not-too-high price for exchange. However, the foolish gang leader had thought he could get away with giving Li Lin a bunch of small change and hiding the real treasure, all the while expecting his masters to swoop in and deal with Li Lin and his own gang.

By doing this, the gang leader had not only saved his own life and reduced his punishment but also retained a certain degree of trust. As an emergency life-saving strategy, it wasn't bad at all.

But the one performing the plan had picked the wrong target, and it had cost him his life.

"The real treasure... it couldn't be that, could it?" Nidhogg mumbled to himself, his eyes darting to the unassuming bags in the back of the carriage. The inconspicuous linen bags were filled with what looked like riverbed silt or dark soil from a forest—items that could hardly be called treasures. The only eye-catching detail was a series of numbers that looked like dates and some scribbled place names on the bags' exteriors, but these too seemed unrelated to the word "treasure." Even calling them "valuable" would be difficult.

"Well... if all goes well, the answer will be revealed in the Elf Forest. For now, let's just maintain the freshness of this guessing game," Li Lin teased.

Logical reasoning and guessing weren't Nidhogg's strengths, so he swallowed one question down while spitting out another one from a more interesting and familiar field:

"Sir, what technique did you use to wipe out that scumbag?"

A blue-white arc of light and numerous tiny light particles formed a vortex, tearing through the atmosphere in a linear flash. The heatwave spread outwards from the advancing beam, transforming the forest into a blazing hell. The desperate gang leader and his surroundings vanished in an instant, and when the bright flash faded, all that remained was a deep trench filled with dark red lava and a heat haze distorting the surrounding landscape.

Dragons had unique studies on flame and lightning techniques. Although Nidhogg couldn't fully grasp the research handed down through generations and directly imprinted in his mind by his parents, he was still far more advanced than human mages. He could guess that it was a new technique related to lightning, but he needed the developer of the technique to explain the details.

"What exactly was that technique? It's completely different from anything I've seen, no, from all known techniques. How do Mana formation and incantation arrangement work in it?" Nidhogg asked curiously.

"Oh... that?" Li Lin replied with a playful smile, leaving both of his subordinates (servants?) in suspense and further fueling Nidhogg's curiosity.

"Mana Particle Cannon... Let's just call it that."

"Sir... did you just come up with the name on the spot?" Nidhogg questioned.

"Is there a problem with that?"

"For a finishing move, the name really is lame and generic..."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Note 1: Since 2008, we have witnessed how the biggest rogue country on Earth has used QE1, QE2, QE3, QE... to start up the printing press and plunder the world, and witnessed how Wall Street's financial mafia in the US has continued to enjoy high welfare and dividends during the financial crisis while the government and police crack down on their own citizens demanding work and justice... Indeed, it's quite impressive and very much in the style of the US.