DADH Chapter 32

After the old giant dragon Hesse knelt down slowly beneath the golden throne, it extended its tightly clenched, massive dragon claw and moved it in front of Jing Nian. Gradually, it opened its claw, revealing a large, crescent-shaped black dragon scale lying silently within.

The moment Jing Nian saw this dragon scale, his pupils constricted. After living in the abyss alongside the giant dragon cub for these days, he had gained enough knowledge to understand some common facts about giant dragons.

This dragon scale, known as the “Inverse Scale,” was the most crucial scale on a giant dragon’s body. It was the key to their ability to contain the powerful elemental forces within them. Without this scale, a giant dragon’s abilities would be severely reduced, essentially rendering them disabled.

Seeing the concern in Jing Nian’s eyes, Hesse grinned again. What did it matter if humans were outsiders? Since Jing Nian had been born from a dragon egg and nourished by their dragon blood, regardless of his origin, he was now a part of their giant dragon clan!

Furthermore…

Hesse squinted at the human-like dragon soul in the Dragon Soul space. Regardless of his form, his soul had already been imprinted with the mark of the giant dragon clan.

From the worry on the young man’s face, it was evident that he also considered himself a part of the giant dragon clan.

So…

Hesse chuckled softly and explained, “The owner of this dragon scale is no longer here.”

Upon hearing this, Jing Nian breathed a sigh of relief. Given the excessive pampering he and the little dragon cub received from the giant dragons, he had feared that the dragon scale might have been taken from someone else.

Hesse placed the dragon scale, larger than the little dragon cub itself, on the golden throne and gestured for Jing Nian to place his hand on it.

Jing Nian gently pressed his small paw on the scale and felt a surge of power entering his body from the point of contact. Soon, the massive black scale became transparent and then disappeared, as if it had been absorbed by Jing Nian.

Jing Nian felt a warm sensation in his chest, near his neck. He lowered his head to look, but it seemed that the little dragon cub was too chubby to see…

Seemingly anticipating this, Hesse, with a knowing smile, retrieved a shiny silver ornament from the side and placed it in front of Jing Nian.

It was only then that Jing Nian noticed a small black crescent scale, a miniature version of the previous dragon scale, had appeared in the spot where the little dragon cub’s Inverse Scale had yet to grow.

He was a bit puzzled. Could it be that the Inverse Scale of the Dragon Lord was passed down through generations?

Perhaps because Jing Nian’s surprise was too obvious, Hesse chuckled softly, “This is the Inverse Scale left by the first Dragon Lord before his disappearance. It seals an incredibly powerful force within it. Only an adult Dragon Lord can unlock the seal on it. Now…”

As Hesse spoke, he suddenly became more serious and proud, “When worn by a young Dragon Lord, no entity on the Grans Continent can break through its defensive barrier.”

“Outsiders cannot either.” As he said this, Hesse’s gaze suddenly shifted, and he locked eyes directly with the dragon soul in the Dragon Soul space, through the eyes of the little dragon cub.

Those enormous and somewhat terrifying dragon eyes were now filled with reassurance, resembling a loving elder and a devoutly loyal subject at the same time.

Jing Nian shuddered.

In Hesse’s words and the depth of meaning in his gaze, Jing Nian felt caught off guard. He wasn’t certain how much Hesse had guessed about his origins, but from start to finish, the giant dragons had treated him consistently, as if he were one of the young Dragon Lords.

So…in the future, he naturally should share the responsibility of being a Dragon Lord along with the little dragon cub. Regardless of whether he could return to the real world, he would protect the Giant Dragon Abyss with all his might.

Once Jing Nian regained his composure, new questions and concerns began to surface.

If this dragon scale was truly that powerful, players would never be able to defeat the dragons. However, as a dragon-slaying game, it couldn’t be designed this way. In the future, even with this dragon scale, the giants would still be defeated by players.

Thinking of this, Jing Nian’s gaze dimmed, and he wanted to persuade Hesse, but he didn’t know where to start. The giants didn’t know what kind of beings players were, and they had always carried an inherent pride and arrogance as the top life forms on the continent.

The prideful look in Hesse’s eyes when he spoke of the dragon scale and the CG images of dragon slaying played in Jing Nian’s mind, causing his eyelashes to moisten with emotion.

Seeing Jing Nian becoming even more worried because of his words, Hesse was also puzzled and even began to wonder if there was an issue with the upbringing of the young Dragon Lords.

Both of the young Dragon Lords seemed to deviate somewhat from typical giant dragons. The first one was overly delicate, while the second one appeared more melancholic.

For a moment, Hesse didn’t know how to convince Jing Nian. The power of the black dragon scale was enough to contend with any force.

After thinking for a moment, Jing Nian suddenly whispered, “I know… the secret of the outsiders.”

Hesse, who was contemplating how to comfort Jing Nian, was startled by this revelation. He wanted to stop him, but it was already too late.

Jing Nian was about to reveal information about the players and the game’s setting when he suddenly felt severe pain in his chest and coughed up blood. “Uh… Pu—”

In that moment of spitting blood, his mind went blank, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed into Hesse’s outstretched dragon claw, falling into unconsciousness.

When Jing Nian woke up again, it was already the next day. He had lost control of his body and was lying in the Dragon Soul space, with a warm little dragon soul nestled beside him. Feeling that the little dragon cub was sleeping rather than unconscious, Jing Nian breathed a sigh of relief.

He then began to recall the circumstances of his fainting. He was in the middle of a conversation with Hesse, and then…

Jing Nian tentatively tried to think about telling everything to Hesse, but there was no physical response. He furrowed his brow lightly.

It seemed that he could have thoughts, but he couldn’t speak about the game and the players to the giant dragons.

What about writing it down?

As soon as the idea crossed his mind, the familiar sensation was about to come again, and Jing Nian hastily abandoned this dangerous thought.

He adjusted the position of the little dragon cub lying in his arms and slowly sat up.

After regaining control of his body, Jing Nian realized where he was. He had been immersed in the dragon blood pool once again.

He had heard Hesse mention before that prematurely born young dragons still needed to continue receiving nourishment from dragon blood. However, the little dragon cub had broken out of its shell prematurely in the dragon blood pool and had absorbed enough dragon blood at that time, no longer requiring further nourishment from it.

So, was it because he got injured during his conversation with Hesse? Just as Jing Nian was pondering this, he felt the ground outside the dragon blood pool tremble slightly. He instinctively used the swimming technique he had learned in his human form to control his chubby dragon body and turn towards the entrance.

What he saw was Hesse, smiling and carrying two Life Fruits and a feeding set. The most eye-catching part of the set was undoubtedly the saliva towel with a striking blue and gold color combination.

The saliva towels were crafted by the ingenious residents of Mini Street, as a token of gratitude to the giants. It was because the giants appreciated these meticulous and tiny creations that the residents of Mini Street were welcomed into the Abyss with open arms, right under the giants’ feet.

The moment Jing Nian saw the Life Fruits, his cheeks turned red. Old Hesse spoiled the little dragon cub with everything, but the perverse pleasure of feeding remained a constant!

So, under the scrutinizing gaze of the wise old Hesse, Jing Nian, with a stiff expression, rushed to poke the still-sleeping little dragon cub in the Dragon Soul space and said, “Ao Tian, wake up for your milk!”

The sound was barely audible as the deeply sleeping little cub merely curled its tiny feet, completely unperturbed.

Jing Nian: “…”

Seeing the approaching old giant dragon, Jing Nian tried to escape by turning around, but even though he used all his strength to swim desperately to the other side of the dragon blood pool, he couldn’t resist the disadvantage brought by his huge body. In the end, he could only be lightly pinched by his small wings and carried back to “Daddy” Hesse.

And because he had been lifted out of the dragon blood pool, there was also a cute, fluffy little blanket placed underneath him.

This, too, was one of Mini Street’s creations, gifted by the rabbit-like little beastmen. It was made in the shape of an adorable rabbit.

Seeing Jing Nian’s expression through the young dragon’s body, Hesse chuckled quietly, and then, unable to contain himself, broke into a big smile.

However, seeing that Jing Nian was really resistant, he reluctantly gave up the idea of feeding him by hand, poked open a Life Fruit, and handed it to Jing Nian.

After Jing Nian finished drinking, Hesse earnestly explained once again what kind of existence this black crescent dragon scale truly was.

The civilization on the Grans Continent could only be traced back thousands of years, but the existence of the giants could be traced back much further. In fact, the origin of the giants might be even earlier than the origin of the Grans Continent itself.

Because giants were not native life forms of the Grans Continent.

The slow and deliberate voice of the old giant dragon might sound like a dragon’s roar to humans’ ears, but in Jing Nian’s ears, it gradually transformed into the soothing voice of an elderly storyteller.

Hearing this, he unconsciously asked, “But why do the giants all think of themselves…”

Seeing Jing Nian engrossed in listening, the old giant dragon blinked with a sense of accomplishment. “Because it’s a secret.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a rumbling sound came from behind him at the entrance to the lair. The old giant dragon furrowed his brows and turned slowly.

At the entrance of the lair, several young giant dragons with gleaming eyes were each trying to hide their massive bodies behind a row of giant stone statues. However, the stone statues were still not large enough to fully conceal their bodies, so they ended up hiding their heads while their tails stuck out, or vice versa.

Jing Nian: “…” Not only was he deeply absorbed in listening, but it was only when he saw Hesse’s gaze directed at the young giant dragons that he realized that this was a secret even the giants didn’t know.

Hesse: “…” Because the young lord was so engrossed in listening to him that he didn’t notice these little rascals, would they admit it?

Of course not.

So, after the old giant dragon released his imposing aura, causing the young dragons to tremble in fear, he coldly said, “Forget what you heard just now, and go hang upside down by the cliff for three days!”

The curious young dragons, whose curiosity had been piqued by Jing Nian’s question and who were now praying for leniency, looked at old Hesse with pleading eyes.

Punishment is fine, but could he please finish answering the question first?

QAQ~

Pretty please~

These little ones in the giant dragon lair, aside from the little dragon cub, were the youngest hatchlings, so in order to satisfy their curiosity, they effortlessly imitated the antics of the little dragon cub, using all their charm.

On top of each stone statue in the lair hung a giant dragon head, and on each giant dragon head were a pair of moist, adorable eyes.

Who could bear to refuse them?

Jing Nian couldn’t.

But old Hesse could!

“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!”…

The agility of the old giant dragon punishing the hatchlings was far from what one would expect from an aging giant dragon. In the blink of an eye, all the young dragons trying to beguile their way out of trouble were bundled up in one big package.

Not only did they get turned down for their request for answers, but their punishment was also extended by twice the duration, now totaling six days!

Because the little dragon cub was quite a bossy one, if it found someone copying it, it would definitely get angry, and who knows, it might even cry.

It was precisely because they discovered that the crybaby Young Lord Number One was sleeping, that the giants dared to do it openly.

However, their attempt to steal the chicken ended up losing the rice!

The young giants hung their heads, tears in their eyes, and went to the cliff to accept their punishment.

After the young giants left, Old Hesse, with caution, inspected the dragon’s nest before returning to continue talking to Jing Nian.

But seeing the fate of the young giants, Jing Nian couldn’t help but wonder, was this really a secret he was allowed to know? Could it be that Old Hesse made an exception due to indulgence?

Seeing Jing Nian’s doubt, for the first time, the old giant dragon couldn’t recognize his confusion and burst into hearty laughter, completely unreserved. “Hahaha!”

After suppressing his laughter, he explained, “This secret was originally guarded by each generation of Dragon Lords. However, when the original Dragon Lord disappears or dies, the new Dragon Lord doesn’t immediately emerge. That’s why this secret is entrusted to the oldest giant dragon.”

“I had originally planned to tell both of you this secret when you were a bit older, but because of your concerns, I’ve decided to inform you earlier. It won’t cause any harm.”

Jing Nian didn’t realize that he subconsciously flapped his dragon wings when lost in thought, so he was startled when Old Hesse gently touched his wings with a smile.

The old giant dragon was also surprised and quickly retracted its huge claw, worriedly checking Jing Nian’s little wings, thinking it might have grabbed him too hard.

Jing Nian, feeling embarrassed for disappointing the concerned old giant dragon, awkwardly extended his tiny wings and explained, “I didn’t know it was you just now.”

A hint of human-like delight appeared on the old giant dragon’s face. Then, it chuckled, “Haha~”

A loud cracking sound echoed as the laughter of the old giant dragon caused a fissure in the rocks above the nest.

Jing Nian: “…” Regret flashed through him for a moment.

“Cough, let’s get back to the topic,” the old giant dragon said, suppressing its laughter and becoming serious again. “The true secret of the dragon race is… dragons weren’t born on the Grans Continent; the Grans Continent was born from dragons.”

Jing Nian was utterly dumbfounded.

But what he didn’t expect was that Hesse continued, “The First Dragon’s inverse scale only seals half of the power of the original Dragon Lord, and the other half of the power is the reason for the formation of the Grans Continent.”

Jing Nian was completely stupefied.

Hesse’s words nearly overturned all his understanding and beliefs. After all, from the perspective of the game, if the ultimate setting was to defeat the dragons, then the dragons should either be on the “evil side” or at least on a different side from the players. In the plot, the player must ensure that they are on the side of justice, or else the game will not pass the review in this day and age.

From the moment he realized that the dragons were bosses, he guessed that the dragons should be on the “evil side,” given their undeniable acts of “bandits” and “brigands.”

But no matter whether it was the attitudes of other races and creatures he encountered, or his actual interactions with the dragons, the dragons’ hatred didn’t seem to be so extreme that they needed to be exterminated.

And a different faction didn’t seem plausible either.

The reason to kill the dragons…

An idea flashed through Jing Nian’s mind, and he was momentarily stunned. Could it be because of this dragon scale around his neck?

A war triggered by a single scale equal to the Grans Continent seemed plausible, didn’t it?

But if the dragon race possessed power comparable to the entire continent, even a level 100 player wouldn’t be able to infiltrate the dragon race. After all, even a fully-leveled player couldn’t possess the power to destroy an entire continent; otherwise, how could the game continue?

However, for some reason, Jing Nian felt that the future dragon-slaying plot might be related to the inverse scale on his neck.

They both watched as Jing Nian’s eyes, after being reassured by Hesse, gradually sank into deeper concern.

Old Hesse’s brows furrowed as well.

Ever since the two temple guardians brought Jing Nian’s secret history to light, Hesse understood that Jing Nian harbored a significant secret, but for the dragons, it wasn’t a major issue. First, even though Jing Nian wasn’t a true dragon, he had received the recognition of the Dragon Altar, taking on the form of a Dragon Lord in the presence of all the dragons. Second, Hesse had confirmed that the dragon race also recognized Jing Nian.

Therefore, in Hesse’s eyes, Jing Nian’s secrets about the outsiders weren’t a problem. However, when Jing Nian tried to share that secret with him just now, he unexpectedly became constrained, and while wearing the First Dragon’s inverse scale, he even coughed up blood.

In other words, the secrecy level of that particular secret was above the prophecy of the continent’s catastrophe and even surpassed the secrets of the dragon race.

So, Hesse could roughly understand the extent of Jing Nian’s worries, which led him to reveal the secret of the dragon scale and the origin of the continent early, hoping to alleviate Jing Nian’s concerns.

After all, even though they knew Jing Nian was an outsider, Hesse could tell that Jing Nian was not older than 20 years old. In the dragon world, age was counted from when they formed within their eggshell. So, the little dragon was already over 100 years old. Dragons under 200 years old were considered hatchlings, and a dragon under 20 was the youngest of the young. Even if the dragon race faced great dangers, it wasn’t a reason to make such a young dragon lord worry.

For the old giant dragon, seeing such a young lord worrying about this matter was truly disheartening.

Seeing the disappointment on the old giant dragon’s face, Jing Nian also realized that the old dragon had said all this to comfort him!

Jing Nian’s heart warmed, and he extended his little claws, opening his big, watery eyes. He struck a standard cute dragon hatchling pose and said in a sweet, childlike voice, “Thanks to the care of the giant dragons, I want to work hard with everyone to protect our home, the Abyss Canyon.”

A beautiful humanoid dragon hatchling with golden hair and blue eyes spoke while holding his claw, expressing a desire to protect their home together.

Jing Nian couldn’t bear to let those beautiful eyes down.

Moved and relieved, the old giant dragon felt like a weight had been lifted from its heart. There’s an old saying that goes, “Raise a child yourself, and you’ll know even if they just wiggle their butt whether they need to poop or fart.”

The same went for dragons. Initially, when Hesse presented the dragon scale, he had no intention of stopping Jing Nian from leaving. This was because Jing Nian’s mysterious way of disappearing was beyond the reach of the dragons who protected him. So, with this dragon scale, he could feel more at ease.

The secrets meant to comfort Jing Nian also stemmed from the worries and hopes of a parent. They hoped these secrets could somewhat persuade him to abandon the idea of leaving on his own.

Now that he understood Jing Nian’s concerns, he felt even less inclined to stop him.

Over these past few days in the Abyss Canyon, Jing Nian not only put in his own effort to learn from the teachers sent by the alliance but also gently encouraged the little dragon hatchling to grow stronger together.

This sense of urgency was always visible in his eyes.

He understood Jing Nian’s resolute desire to become stronger.

After their recent conversation, he realized that Jing Nian’s determination might be related to his own secret, but it was even more connected to the dragon race.

Therefore, he couldn’t stop Jing Nian from leaving.

In fact, after witnessing the outsiders with his own eyes, Hesse had already agreed to the alliance requests from the top forces of the continent. As the alliance continued to provide surveillance footage of the outsiders, he had also found traces of the young lord’s presence at the locations where the outsiders appeared.

It suddenly dawned on him that Jing Nian’s previous disappearance was likely related to the same task as those outsiders.

The outsiders’ method of becoming stronger was very peculiar; it seemed they gained power by assisting the indigenous people.

One sage in the alliance proposed that the outsiders’ path to strength was more like a mission system. Similar to mercenary guilds, alchemy guilds, and mage guilds, the stronger they became, the more corresponding tasks they could undertake and complete to increase their levels.

The difference was that guild members increased their levels because their abilities inherently grew stronger, while these outsiders only became stronger after completing missions. This was a conclusion reached by the sage through extensive observation, and for now, there didn’t seem to be any compelling arguments against it.

Furthermore, the activities of these outsiders were still limited to a small corner in the northeastern part of the continent, where the creatures and cities were quite low-level. Based on their appearance and the expansion of their activities over time, it seemed they were gradually spreading outward.

So, if one day, these outsiders truly became powerful enough to rival the dragons, then Jing Nian, who possessed both dragon and outsider abilities, might indeed become the hope of the Grans continent.

—

With Hesse’s permission for “solo travel,” Jing Nian returned to the dragon palace to pack his belongings.

Gordon, the thief who had been ordered by Hesse to protect the young lord personally, was also thrown into the dragon palace.

Upon seeing Gordon being thrown in, Jing Nian didn’t say anything because it was one of the conditions Hesse had set for him to travel alone.

The reason wasn’t that he needed a protector but rather someone to attend to his needs.

Jing Nian thought to himself, ‘Carrying such a big person on a mission isn’t very convenient, but Mother’s worries are justifiable.’ So, he agreed.

As Gordon got up from the ground and met Jing Nian’s slightly disdainful gaze, he couldn’t help but exclaim in disbelief, “Y-you two lords aren’t sharing the same body, are you?”

Jing Nian, who was in the midst of looking for a new little cape in the nearby cabinet with his rear end up in the air, heard the thief’s voice and turned to look at him. As he glanced at the pile of toys and food behind him, which belonged to him and the little dragon hatchling, he immediately understood.

It seemed that he didn’t need to keep his situation with the little dragon hatchling a secret from this servant. So, he nodded gently.

Gordon was taken aback. He glanced surreptitiously at the enormous throne made of pure gold, suppressing the longing in his expression, and nervously rubbed his hands. He stammered, “S-so… Are you Lord Long Ao Tian or Lord Long Jing Tian? Is my master one of you or…”

After Jing Nian packed all the newly prepared capes into his storage ring and put on the last one, he turned to look at the chatty thief.

The moment Jing Nian turned around, Gordon’s voice abruptly stopped.

Jing Nian thought he could finally have some peace and was about to call for the sand vulture, but then he heard Gordon exclaim, “It’s you!!!”

Jing Nian: ?

Gordon was so excited that he could hardly speak coherently. “That day, I stole the dagger from you!”

After saying this, Gordon became silent and started tidying up the two piles of toys and rations belonging to the masters, as well as two soft nests—one gold and one blue, for the little dragon hatchling and Jing Nian respectively.

Jing Nian realized the reason behind this as he recalled their second encounter. He wore a cape when fetching the gift because he didn’t know what Ga’erfu’s “pigeon” looked like and was afraid of scaring him if he appeared in his dragon form. So, after bidding farewell to Ga’erfu’s pigeon, Jing Nian took off the cape.

Upon returning to the Dragon Clan, Fire Dragon Chi Yan’s accusations against the thief were centered around a dragon trafficker who had attempted to abduct the young lord, even going so far as to produce a sack. Therefore, the thief continues to be unpopular among the dragons to this day.

This was because whenever it came to matters involving the young lord, the dragons had an inherent forgetfulness about everything else. So, even though Chi Yan, along with the other dragons, had spent a long time searching for the golden dagger in the Lost Forest after capturing the thief, they had completely forgotten the theft of the dagger, only remembering the more serious attempt to abduct the young lord.

Jing Nian hadn’t mentioned the theft of the dagger again, as the thief was already at the bottom of the disdain hierarchy among the dragons. It was rather pitiful, and he feared that the poor thief would get beaten up the moment he encountered a dragon.

So, the thief didn’t recognize him!

As Jing Nian silently used his storage ring to pack up the thief’s luggage, which he had tried to carry himself, something became clear to him.

Outside the Dragon Palace, several attempts to conceal but unusually conspicuous expressions of concern were directed their way.

Jing Nian: “…”

Ever since Hesse had tasked the thief’s servant with taking care of him and even packed a heap of affectionate belongings for him, he knew it would turn out like this!

That’s why he had wanted the sand vulture to come over secretly, and then they could sneak away together!

After all, he went back to the Abyss every day. It wasn’t like he was embarking on a long journey that required such a fuss!

But because of this chatterbox, they couldn’t sneak away after all!

When the dragons learned that the young lord was going to embark on a solo adventure at such a tender age and without any dragon guards, they were all alarmed.

Upon hearing that the young lord was packing in the Dragon Palace, the dragons all gathered around.

Even the ones who had been punished to hang upside down under the cliff sneakily came out and tearfully bid farewell to the young lord.

So, after receiving a heap of protective treasures that were almost enough to drown him, Jing Nian bid farewell to the “old fathers” who had come close to shedding dragon tears one by one. Finally, he embarked on a journey that would last less than a day…

Before leaving, he even saw a few familiar dragons being tossed off the cliff by their horns, accompanied by a stern command:

“Double it!”

Jing Nian: “…”

–

Shortly after Jingnian left, a guest arrived at the Abyssal Mouth.

The five dragons, who couldn’t personally send off the young lord due to their patrol duties, were feeling quite irritated. One of them let out a resounding roar filled with dragon authority, “Get out of here!!!”

However, the figure in black standing before the Abyssal Dragon, instead of being blown away or injured by the roar, was not even moved an inch by this terrifying display of dragon authority.

Sensing that this person was no ordinary individual, the lead dragon became slightly more serious, and his tone lost some of its disdain.

The dragon clan could show some respect to formidable individuals without grudges.

“Who are you? What brings you to the Abyss of the Dragons?”

The man in black slowly raised his head. Despite the stubble of a greenish hue on his face, it was evident that he was very handsome and young.

“I’ve come to find a little friend who lives in the Abyss of the Dragons.”

When Huo Yi spoke, he was carefully extending his divine sense. He had already searched the surface of the Abyss and found no trace of a dragon egg. However, underneath the palace in the Abyss, he had found an entrance.

But when he tried to continue probing, he found that this entrance could actually shield his divine sense.

Not only that, but the things below that entrance were not part of the overall program of this holographic world. In other words, beneath that palace, there was a normal underground space within this holographic world.

After hearing Huo Yi’s words, the several dragons in mid-air exchanged glances. They recalled the young lord’s previous escapade and his popularity among others.

One of them had made friends with the young lord and couldn’t forget about it, so they decided to come looking for him.

High credibility!

So!

“Nonsense! What evidence do you have to prove that you’re a friend of our young lord!”

The five dragons looked down at the despicable ant below with fiery gazes.

They were infuriated!

Another damn friend had shown up!

Well, it didn’t matter much since the young lord wasn’t in the Abyss now. They could just drive this intruder away!

Facing the dragons, Huo Yi’s brows furrowed slightly, his anger appearing not entirely genuine.

If it weren’t for the fact that these dragons had an annoying resemblance to his little dragon and the fact that he hadn’t found any trace of the dragon egg yet, he might have lost his patience and taken action.

Moreover, he needed to visit the young dragon lord of the Dragon Clan. So, he took a deep breath and tried to remain calm.

“That friend has a heart-shaped tail,” he said while observing the tails of these dragons. He noticed that while the shapes of their tail tips differed, they were all pointed. Only the little dragon he had encountered had a heart-shaped tip at the base of its tail, with the two semi-circles forming the actual tail tip.

Normally, the dragons couldn’t do much to a friend of their young lord, but they were accustomed to acting sour.

Now, hearing that this friend didn’t get angry even after their furious roar and continued to talk calmly, they were at a loss for how to handle the situation.

They weren’t good at dealing with this. Typically, in such a situation, they would argue, get angrier, and even start fighting. Some of them had even grown accustomed to this and were willing to fight back against the dragons.

The rules were simple: if the young one was sent flying, the dragon won; if the young one remained standing, the young one won.

The young dragons in Mini-Street had become fearless, and some of them enjoyed the “fighting” method with the dragons. They would hit the dragons and then launch themselves, following the established rules.

Now, they encountered someone who didn’t play by the usual rules, and all they could do was cough and say, “The young lord isn’t home; he’s gone on a journey.”

Huo Yi, who understood the nature of the dragons and the young lord’s status among them, had originally prepared himself to be invited into the Abyss and find a way to examine that mysterious entrance.

He never expected this result.

Even if he tried to delay the progress of other players and level up secretly, he hadn’t uncovered many maps. Eventually, he had to travel a long distance under the guise of Uncle Pipilu, having painstakingly arrived in the Lost Forest.

The Uncle Pipilu in the small fishing village wasn’t considered his duplicate; it was something he created using various holographic world data with his divine sense. In interstellar terms, it was his AI proxy. In gaming terms, it was more like a power-leveling service.

But when he created it, he attached a thread of divine sense, just in case he encountered the young dragon doing tasks that might trick him into running away.

Since he hadn’t seen that young dragon all this time, he was confident that the little dragon was still in the Abyss.

Now, they were telling him that the little dragon had gone on a journey.

Huo Yi’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

So, was this what the little guy meant when he said, “Come back tomorrow”? Then he goes on a journey and forgets all about the task?

However, when the dragons talked about their sadness, they did not sense the sudden chill in the atmosphere.

One dragon mournfully raised its head, saying, “Old Hesse must be confused. The young lord is still so small; how could he let it go out alone for such a long time?”

Another dragon angrily spewed a mouthful of fire, saying, “Exactly, at the very least, he should have let me accompany him for protection!”

The leader of the patrol couldn’t help but sigh, saying, “I miss the young lord too.”

“So do I…”

“Sigh…”

As the dragons spoke, they noticed that Huo Yi wasn’t saying anything and returned to their respective positions to continue their patrol.

Understanding that the dragons had a strong territorial consciousness, Huo Yi knew that they wouldn’t allow him into the Abyss unless the little dragon brought him in.

So after listening to the dragons’ murmurs, he simply said nothing.

On the other side, following Jing Nian, they instantly arrived outside a small fishing village hundreds of miles away through the teleportation point.

Gordon’s eyes widened in shock, and he pointed at Jing Nian in terror, then towards the nearby beam of light. “You… you…”

While he was in the temple, he had seen recordings on the crystal of the divine envoys. Among them was a scene of the outsiders using this beam of light for teleportation. He had personally staked out this place for half a day to confirm it.

He couldn’t see the beam of light in the crystal recordings, but after he went into hiding, he witnessed countless players walking to the location of that crystal and then disappearing.

Later, he went to check the town, and many of the disappeared people had appeared there.

When they were in the Lost Forest just now, he hadn’t realized it yet, as he had seen the beam of light and thought it was a unique teleportation array of the Dragon Clan. Now, he confirmed that this was the beam of light used by the outsiders!

He didn’t know what the thief was imagining, but with a face full of fear, Jing Nian wondered if he had guessed that he was also an “outsider” after he mentioned the outsiders’ secret.

Jing Nian’s eyes darted around, and seeing that there were no people around, he turned his face toward the thief, pulled down the large mask covering his cheeks, and smirked with a wicked grin. Then, he used his little dragon claw to menacingly stroke his own neck.

Sure enough, Gordon shivered even more violently.

Worried that he might laugh out loud, Jing Nian hastily put his mask back on to hide his smile.

After confirming that Jing Nian was indeed an “outsider,” Gordon was both shocked and terrified. The outsiders had already infiltrated the Dragon Clan, and they had even replaced one of the young dragon lords!

However, his servant contract was still in effect, and he couldn’t betray this fearsome outsider!

No!

Gordon’s heart sank, and the more he thought about it, the more complicated it became. In a daze, he followed Jing Nian towards the village.

Not far from the teleportation point, Jing Nian encountered many unfamiliar faces – these were all players. Their appearance, along with Jing Nian and Gordon’s arrival, drew the attention of many onlookers. After all, a masked child player and a masked female player with obscured player information walking one after the other in the crowd were bound to attract some attention.

It was only at this moment that Jing Nian noticed that the thief was still dressed in women’s clothing.

 

Author’s Note:

Huo · Qianli Seek Wife · Qianli Seek Son · Yi: So frustrating~