Spending my retirement in a game

chapter 67

Eisen stepped into the tunnel leading away from the mist-filled hall and looked at the automaton in front of him. He squatted down and carefully moved his hand through its fur while placing Caria back on his shoulder.

"I can't just go on with calling you Automaton all the time, huh? Then how about I name you? Let's see... The body I took as reference seemed to be a female wolf's... So how about Aulu? Pretty straightforward, right? A simple mixture of the latin words for gold and wolf... Since your fur really does make you seem as if you're made of gold." Eisen said calmly, still kind of shaken up because of that test just now.

"Aulu, follow me." He commanded, and it, or she, turned and began to follow Eisen as he walked through the tunnel.

Not long after this, Eisen entered the treasury again and made his way to the place where the golden table stood when he was talking to Ailren in his human form for the first time, and as expected, the Ancient Gold Dragon was sitting there, already pouring Eisen a cup of tea.

"Take a seat, Eisen." The Dragon said and waved Eisen toward the seat on the other side of the table. He nodded and did so, all the while quietly looking at Ailren with a deep frown. Noticing that Eisen wouldn't initiate the conversation, Ailren did instead.

"To begin, I am extraordinarily sorry for that test. This was somehow even more intense than even I expected it to be. I am sorry. That mist is a special one. It is supposed to scare away unwanted visitors most of the time, but it can also be used in such a way. The intention of that test was to find out if you would sacrifice your friend for money or fame. Of course I knew you wouldn't, but it still needed to be done." Ailren explained, and Eisen looked at him with a deep frown, before his face loosened up and he sighed.

"I understand. But now that I've passed this test, I hope none of the tests from other dragons I might take are this messed up." He muttered out and crossed his arms, while Caria noticed his upset state and decided to try and hug him to cheer her master up. With a soft smile, Eisen looked down at her and rubbed the top of her cap, before looking back at Ailren.

"Anyway, I'm not too angry about what just happened back there. It was horrible in the moment, but in retrospect, I understand what it was for. Of course, I am still angry, and I have a few questions, but I guess those can wait for later. So, what happens now that I've passed your tests?" The old man asked, and Ailren chuckled in response.

"Quite eager, I see? But I guess after the time you spent on these tests, you truly deserve this. Here, give me your hand." Ailren said and held his arm forward with his palm pointed upward, in response of which Eisen slowly moved his hand and grabbed Ailren's hesitantly.

"Now close your eyes. You might feel an uncomfortable heat, but bear with it please, and make sure not to open your eyes." The Gold Dragon explained and Eisen nodded, closing his eyes just like Ailren told him to.

Shortly afterward, he felt the heat that Ailren mentioned just now. It wasn't actually hot, it was just the kind of heat you might feel while sitting a bit too close in front of a campfire. It was somewhat uncomfortable, but definitely bearable.

This heat was starting to move through Eisen's body, starting from his hands where his skin touched Ailren's, and then moved toward Eisen's chest and then his head, until this heat infected his eyes, collecting there and becoming hotter and hotter.

But even though it became hotter, it wasn't like it really hurt, it was still just uncomfortable, so Eisen was able to bear it and keep his eyes closed. A whole minute later, Ailren let go of Eisen's hand, leading to the heat simply disappearing slowly over time.

"Alright, it's done. You can open your eyes now." The Ancient Gold Dragon announced, and Eisen nodded slowly before opening his eyes carefully.

For a moment, the whole world was blurry and lost all its color, before everything returned to normal slowly over the span of a few seconds, and directly afterward a notification popped up.